Clearance, the Hundredth Spirit Mark!!

"L-Little lecher!?"

Ye Honglian's face filled with astonishment the moment she appeared. After all, Ning Fan had just told her that they might not see each other for a while.

Yet here they were. Not even a day had passed, and it was happening again.

"Ahaha... Well, plans change, you know? I ended up back in the ancient ruins, so I need Fairy Sister's help again," Ning Fan said, laughing it off.

"Hmph."

"What now?"

Ye Honglian snorted coldly. She didn't even notice that the pitch of her voice had risen slightly at the end, carrying a faint hint of delight.

"It's the shadow figure on the stage," Ning Fan said decisively. "I can't beat it. I need Fairy Sister to make a move and destroy it for me."

"..."

Ye Honglian frowned. It wasn't that she was unwilling to help.

"Little lecher, you should know that when I manifest through the ancient jade, my strength is severely restricted. Otherwise, you would have died by my hand the very first time we met."

"But Fairy Sister, didn't you help me break the restriction back at Qihua Peak? You were able to use your power then," Ning Fan pressed, unwilling to give up.

"That was different. Breaking a restriction doesn't rely on brute force; it requires technique to strike its weak points. A mere thread of spiritual energy is enough to unravel it..."

"Fairy Sister, let's just give it a try," Ning Fan interrupted.

No matter what, he wanted to see Ye Honglian strike with his own eyes.

"Sigh. Fine..."

Ye Honglian was extremely reluctant, mostly because fighting someone in her current dual-cultivation state and posture was simply too absurd.

It was utterly ridiculous, growing more preposterous by the second.

"..."

Maintaining their dual-cultivation posture, Ye Honglian and Ning Fan stepped forward onto the arena. This time, the shadow figure did not ask any questions.

It moved instantly. Its foot stomped hard against the ground, and in a flash, it appeared directly before them, unleashing a heavy punch.

"Fairy Sister, strike!" Ning Fan urged anxiously.

He had every reason to be anxious. In this dual-cultivation arrangement, he was the active partner. If they were sent flying in this position, Ye Honglian would merely lose face, but his own physical resilience would be pushed to the absolute limit.

What is too rigid easily snaps. Ning Fan believed his physical strength was decent, but he certainly didn't want to break anything here.

"..."

Ye Honglian raised her hand and attempted to discharge a thread of spiritual energy. She expected the blast to be incredibly weak, but the moment it left her hand, it erupted into a dominant, ferocious torrent.

The spiritual energy slammed squarely into the shadow's chest, instantly halting its forward momentum.

Before the figure could even attempt to retreat, it dissolved completely into thin air.

"Hiss-"

Ning Fan gasped sharply.

That was a shadow capable of throwing both him and Yun Qingyao back with a single blow, yet a casual strike from Ye Honglian had shattered it into nothingness.

Even when facing the weakest shadow in the first arena, Ning Fan hadn't been able to destroy it in a single hit. This spoke volumes about her terrifying power.

"..."

Ye Honglian tilted her head, clearly surprised by her own attack. A hint of suspicion flashed in her eyes.

Something was wrong.

If her power truly wasn't restricted here, the little lecher who had constantly 'offended' her should have been blasted into ash the first time they met.

How strange.

With that thought, Ye Honglian turned her hand and struck a palm against Ning Fan's chest.

"F-Fairy Sister!!!"

Ning Fan was terrified. But her strike was entirely unexpected, and given their locked posture, he had absolutely no room to dodge.

Her palm landed firmly against his chest.

Slap-

A crisp, moderate sound echoed out. And then... nothing happened.

"..."

Ning Fan let out a long sigh of relief, having just been scared out of his wits.

"Could it be... because of that ancient jade, I am incapable of harming you?" Ye Honglian instantly deduced the core of the matter. While she hadn't used her full power just now, she had still infused the strike with a decent amount of force. If the rules allowed it, Ning Fan would be grimacing in pain right now, not standing there completely unscathed.

"Hehe, Fairy Sister, this is what you call destiny!" Ning Fan replied shamelessly.

"..."

Ye Honglian rolled her eyes at him.

Right at that moment, a resonant hum echoed through the hall.

Buzz-

A brilliant white light enveloped the arena. The nine glowing stages suddenly linked together, constructing a simple, glowing pattern.

"Congratulations to the disciple of the No Beginning Heavenly Palace for clearing the first stage."

A voice entirely devoid of emotion echoed in their ears.

"The first stage?" Ning Fan murmured.

The so-called first stage likely referred to the Yellow Extreme Realm. The shadow he had just faced possessed ninety-nine Spirit Marks and stood at the absolute peak of the realm, representing the state of Perfection for any Yellow Extreme Realm martial artist.

Defeating such an opponent meant a cultivator was truly unmatched within that realm.

Just as Ning Fan and Ye Honglian awaited the next development, the voice boomed again.

"Sensing that a powerhouse far exceeding the disciple level has intervened. Notifying the No Beginning Heavenly Palace Immortal Official to arrive for inspection..."

Ning Fan: "!!"

Ye Honglian: "!!"

Both were thoroughly alarmed. They hadn't expected the trial grounds to feature such a detection mechanism.

What were they supposed to do now?

Yet as time ticked by, the 'Immortal Official' mentioned by the voice failed to appear. After a quick moment of reflection, the two realized the truth.

The No Beginning Heavenly Palace had long since collapsed into history; what remained here was merely a remnant ruin. Where would an Immortal Official even come from?

Did this mean he could use Ye Honglian to completely sweep through the rest of the disciple trials?

"Immortal Official permission not obtained. Disciple's clearance is deemed questionable. The stage rewards will be issued as normal, but should any further disputes arise, an Immortal Official must be present to make a ruling."

"Tch," Ning Fan clicked his tongue in disappointment.

What a pity.

The creators of the No Beginning Heavenly Palace had clearly anticipated loopholes. In the absence of an Immortal Official, the system would overlook the first suspicious clearance and hand over the rewards, but a second infraction would result in an immediate withholding.

It seemed using Ye Honglian to break the trial was no longer an option.

However, Ning Fan's sharp mind caught a critical word-reward.

Naturally, passing the trial had to come with a prize. He just wondered what kind of reward clearing the first stage would bring.

Before he could ponder further, a sudden flash of light descended from above, enveloping both Ning Fan and Yun Qingyao within its radiance.

A massive surge of spiritual energy poured directly into their bodies.

The Spirit Marks upon their skin manifested automatically, glowing with an identical, dazzling luster.

"Immortal Palace Blessing."

"Granting Spirit Marks to the disciples. Those who have reached Perfection shall step into Grand Perfection; those who have not shall be granted Perfection. Disciples of Grand Perfection shall additionally receive the qualification to cultivate the Four Symbols Diagram."

As the voice faded, a brand-new, golden Spirit Mark materialized on Ning Fan's body. This golden mark cut vertically through his entire skin, perfectly connecting all ninety-nine of his existing marks into a unified network.

"This is..."

Ning Fan stared in utter disbelief.

Hadn't Ye Honglian explicitly stated that ninety-nine Spirit Marks was the absolute limit of Perfection for the Spirit Marrow Saint-Piercing Method!?

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