Victory! Ning Fan Already Has the Bearing of a Personal Disciple!

Ning Fan murmured softly to himself. As his voice fell, an ancient, weathered, and mysterious aura began to exude from his chest.

He was all too familiar with this particular aura.

-The Wushi Seal!

Though the physical Wushi Seal remained with Ye Honglian, Ning Fan could still draw upon its profound essence. By channeling its ancient aura, his Heaven, Earth, and Human Seals could all receive a massive surge in power.

Buzz-

As the essence of the Wushi Seal flooded into the Human Seal, the white glyph-which had been on the verge of fracturing-instantly stabilized. A brilliant, lustrous white light erupted from its core.

The radiant glow blazed like a miniature sun!

Beneath this dazzling light, the dark, demonic claw melted away like winter snow under a midsummer sun. It vanished in the blink of an eye, without producing so much as a whisper.

It was as though the dark art had never existed at all.

"Wha-What?!"

"How did that happen? Why did his seal technique suddenly spike in power and completely obliterate Personal Disciple Zhao's strike?"

"Terrifying!"

"Could that martial skill from the ancient ruins hold even deeper mysteries?"

"A half-step Earth Grade technique with hidden depths... Just what kind of fated chance did he stumble upon? Truly horrifying!"

"Wait, doesn't this mean..."

"..."

Amidst the crowd's gasps of awe, a sudden realization struck their hearts. Was Ning Fan actually about to defeat Zhao Yan'er?

A newly registered disciple, taking down a genuine personal disciple?

Huh?

Was such a thing even possible?

Under the collective gaze of the spectators, the radiant Human Seal shot directly toward Zhao Yan'er. Her very silhouette seemed to dim beneath its blazing illumination.

Yet, just as the surrounding disciples braced themselves to see how Zhao Yan'er would counter, a voice filled with profound relief suddenly echoed across the stage.

"I..."

"I admit defeat."

"..."

The moment her words left her lips, the sun-like Human Seal abruptly ground to a halt. It slowly dissolved, its power dissipating into gentle ripples of spiritual energy before fading into the world.

Silence.

An absolute, heavy silence fell over the entire area, so quiet that a falling needle would have sounded like thunder. Everyone stood frozen in shock, their eyes darting back and forth between Ning Fan and Zhao Yan'er.

Zhao Yan'er had actually thrown in the towel!

Did this not mean that Ning Fan, a fresh face in the sect, had truly defeated a personal disciple in a straightforward duel?

"This Ning Fan... already possesses the bearing of a personal disciple."

A low murmur broke the quiet, voicing the exact thought that had gripped everyone's minds. Regardless of his current cultivation realm or formal status, the raw strength he had displayed was undeniably on par with a personal disciple.

It was terrifying.

It was utterly monstrous.

"Then again, his methods are simply too formidable. That unbelievable physical strength, his formidable physique, the Three Thousand Flame Movement, and that mysterious technique from the ancient ruins... With an arsenal like that, it's not entirely absurd for him to match a personal disciple."

Another cultivator muttered under his breath.

Only moments ago, several disciples had comforted themselves with the thought that Ning Fan's low cultivation realm would prevent him from catching up to them before the Peak Competition. But now, Ning Fan had shattered those illusions with sheer, unadulterated force.

He possessed the bearing of a personal disciple!

If anyone wanted to defeat him now, they would need an established, veteran personal disciple-or perhaps even a walking disciple-to guarantee a hundred percent chance of victory.

"This upcoming Peak Competition is going to be quite the spectacle."

"With a freak like him around, Changming Peak might actually experience a grand resurgence."

"..."

The crowd continued to whisper. In the past, Changming Peak had always been the laughingstock that ranked dead last. But now, with Ning Fan thrown into the mix, the variables were completely unpredictable.

"..."

Among all those present, Ninth Elder Zhao Bo reacted the most violently to Zhao Yan'er's surrender. Sitting at the distant guest viewing pavilion, he practically shot out of his seat the moment the words left her mouth. His eyes burned with intense fury as he glared at her.

His immediate instinct was to berate her for holding back.

But upon cooler reflection, he realized that Zhao Yan'er had practically exhausted her entire repertoire. Short of burning her own vital blood and fighting to the death, she had done everything within her power.

"..."

Ninth Elder Zhao Bo slowly tightened his fists. When his gaze shifted back to Ning Fan, it was filled with deep gravity and cold malice. The boy's growth rate was simply too fast.

It was fast enough to strike a genuine chord of dread into the elder's heart.

This boy had to be eliminated.

However, as for how exactly to execute the deed, he would have to consult the higher-ups of the clan first.

With that dark thought, Zhao Bo's figure blurred, vanishing instantly from the Yin Yang Peak arena.

Meanwhile, on the stage.

"..."

Zhao Yan'er and Ning Fan stood a short distance apart, locking eyes. Zhao Yan'er's gaze was a complex swirl of emotions, whereas Ning Fan remained perfectly composed.

Hoo-

To Ning Fan's surprise, the very first thing Zhao Yan'er did after the match ended was let out a long, heavy sigh. A visible wave of relief washed over her features.

"Hm?"

Ning Fan raised an eyebrow, silently throwing her an inquiring look.

His impression of Zhao Yan'er wasn't particularly negative. After all, he had squeezed quite a few benefits out of their interactions-especially the top-tier movement technique, the Three Thousand Flame Movement, which had now become one of his ultimate trump cards.

"..."

Zhao Yan'er didn't give him a verbal explanation. Instead, she raised a slender finger and pointed toward the sky, before shrugging her shoulders and pulling down the corners of her mouth in a wry grimace.

"Oh..."

Ning Fan nodded in sudden understanding. He realized that Zhao Yan'er had been acting under duress. The "sky" she pointed to undoubtedly referred to the overarching power of the Zhao family.

As expected, the heavy hand of the clan had tried to force her into a corner. If he had actually lost to her today, the Zhao family would have surely seized the opportunity to suppress him entirely.

"Tsk, tsk."

Ning Fan clicked his tongue inwardly.

The Zhao family...

He truly wondered when he would finally be strong enough to resolve this massive, looming threat. The clan hung over him and Yun Qingyao like a persistent, suffocating shadow.

"Well then, Senior Sister, shall we meet again if fate permits?" Ning Fan said, cupping his hands in a polite farewell.

"Giggle..."

"My, what a cold, heartless young gentleman you are," Zhao Yan'er suddenly cooed in a sweet, dripping tone. She deliberately swayed her shoulders, her delicate fingers lightly plucking at the fabric of her robes near her collarbone as she spoke in a manner designed to invite scandalous misunderstandings. "You take all the benefits a senior sister has to offer, and then you turn a blind eye the very next moment? This little sister is truly pitiable."

"..."

Ning Fan went entirely rigid.

What the hell?

That phrasing was practically begging the crowd to misunderstand! It made it sound as though he had done something unspeakable to her. Heaven and earth be his witness, his hands were entirely clean!

Yet, looking at the situation, he found himself utterly unable to shoot back a retort. He had taken "benefits" from her, but those benefits consisted entirely of a cultivation technique, not the scandalous things her words implied!

He was completely defenseless.

"Ahaha!"

Seeing Ning Fan's utterly flustered and helpless expression, Zhao Yan'er burst into another fit of melodic laughter, her body swaying back and forth. To the onlookers, her cheerful demeanor made it impossible to detect even a shred of bitterness over her recent defeat.

Meanwhile, within the grand estate of the Zhao Family.

"Ancestor! I beg you, you must step in and devise a plan! That Ning Fan's latent talent is entirely abnormal. If we do not eliminate him now, he will inevitably grow into a catastrophic plague upon our Zhao family!"

Zhao Bo stood anxiously before the Dao Ancestor of the Zhao clan, Zhao Wuqing. He vehemently pressed his case, doing everything in his power to exaggerate the existential threat Ning Fan posed to their lineage.

"..."

Zhao Wuqing sat in quiet meditation, her eyes trained downward as she remained utterly unmoved by the elder's frantic gesturing. Only when Zhao Bo had completely exhausted his breath and run out of words did the old Ancestor slowly open her eyes.

"I am aware."

Hearing those three words, an expression of pure, unadulterated ecstasy instantly erupted across Zhao Bo's face!

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