The next day, when Senior Sister Zhao came to visit Li Fan again, she was somewhat astonished to discover that he had actually cultivated the Taiyuan Yiqi Art to major mastery, needing only patient, steady grinding to bring it to perfection.
While happy for Li Fan, for some reason she felt a twinge of loss in her heart.
"Senior Sister, let's spar!" right then, Li Fan spoke up suddenly.
"Ah?" Senior Sister Zhao couldn't help but be taken aback.
"Senior Sister, what is your cultivation now?" Li Fan asked again.
"Late Foundation Establishment stage. Why?" She hesitated briefly, but still told him truthfully.
Li Fan wasn't shocked in the least by the swiftness of her cultivation progress. Instead, he clapped and praised, "It seems Senior Brother Zhang was right back then. Senior Sister, your cultivation talent truly is rare under heaven."
Hearing Li Fan's glowing praise, her pretty face flushed slightly.
Yet suddenly she heard Li Fan say, "However, you can't bully the weak with your greater strength. When we spar, you can only use late Qi Condensation strength at most!"
"Senior Sister, watch out!"
Before she could collect herself, Li Fan lunged forward.
Caught off guard, Senior Sister Zhao was inevitably somewhat flustered. However, with her cultivation being a full major realm higher than Li Fan's, neither the finesse of her control over spiritual energy nor her reaction speed in combat was something Li Fan could match.
After just over a dozen exchanges, Li Fan fell in awkward defeat.
Scrambling up from the ground, Li Fan coughed softly and praised her, "Senior Sister, you're amazing!"
"Are you all right?" Her face was filled with worry, along with a touch of remorse. She rushed forward to examine Li Fan's injuries.
Only after inspecting him thoroughly did she let out a sigh of relief.
"Again!" After finishing his rest, Li Fan said in a low voice, and he began sparring with Senior Sister Zhao once more.
In this way, with Senior Sister Zhao acting as such a caring sparring partner, Li Fan's practical combat ability improved by leaps and bounds.
Senior Sister also taught him techniques such as Air-Rending Blade and Instant Wind Flash, greatly boosting his combat prowess even further.
Unfortunately, good times did not last. Senior Sister Zhao's daily trips to Qingning Peak in the outer sect to accompany Li Fan in cultivation were eventually discovered by her master, Zhang Wangshuang.
After a harsh reprimand, she was confined to her quarters.
Fortunately, she pleaded bitterly and managed to obtain the chance to see Li Fan one last time.
Looking at the beauty before him on the verge of tears and overcome with sorrow, Li Fan felt a touch of regret as well.
Stepping forward, he pulled her into his arms, running his hand gently across her back to console her. "There is no need to be sad, Senior Sister. Since your master won't allow you to visit the outer sect often from now on, then I will simply enter the inner sect to find you."
"No matter what, I will never abandon you," Li Fan vowed solemnly. "Cultivate well, Senior Sister, and wait for me!"
Senior Sister Zhao gazed up at Li Fan, her eyes hazy, her heart fluttering like a frightened deer.
And so Li Fan kissed her passionately, lingering for a long time without parting.
Only when the time limit granted by her master was nearly up did Li Fan finally release the gently squirming Senior Sister Zhao.
Cuddled in Li Fan's embrace, she whispered a few more tender words before departing with deep reluctance.
Inside the cottage, Li Fan quickly recovered from the romantic haze.
He barred the door, deployed the dharma artifact gifted by Senior Sister Zhao for protection, and began attempting Foundation Establishment.
Unfortunately, the cultivation talent of this body left much to be desired.
Three whole attempts all ended in failure.
If he continued like this, he feared he would harm his very foundation. Having no other choice, Li Fan helplessly swallowed the Foundation Establishment Pill given to him by Senior Sister Zhao.
This time, relying on external aid, he finally succeeded in establishing his foundation.
With that, he was at last able to officially become a disciple of the Dadao Sect.
Unfortunately, establishing his foundation through external aids meant his future prospects were destined to be limited. His cultivation aptitude was truly mediocre, and he failed to catch the eye of any sect elders as Senior Sister Zhao had.
Following standard procedure, he was merely accepted as a disciple by the Nascent Soul cultivator Zhuang Yunxuan.
As a fifth-generation disciple of the Dadao Sect, he was a full generation junior to Senior Sister Zhao.
However, she was delighted upon seeing Li Fan. She did not mind the difference in seniority at all, only telling Li Fan to continue calling her Senior Sister whenever no one else was around.
With both of them now belonging to the inner sect, seeing each other became far more convenient.
Even though Senior Sister Zhao had already broken through to the Golden Core realm by then, it did not stop Li Fan from dropping by whether he had a reason or not.
Though his cultivation was somewhat lacking, Li Fan never neglected etiquette. No matter whom he ran into, he was unfailingly polite, greeting everyone with a smile.
Even when subjected to sneers and mockery, he accepted it with calm grace, nodding humbly in agreement.
Over time, this actually made those gossiping and pointing fingers feel somewhat embarrassed.
Moreover, Senior Sister Zhao's master, Zhang Wangshuang, voiced no objection to their interactions, so gradually, everyone tacitly accepted Li Fan's presence.
Seeing how Li Fan had quietly defused a situation that had caused her such embarrassment, Senior Sister Zhao was thoroughly overjoyed.
Whatever worries lingered in her heart dissolved into nothingness, and the gaze she directed at Li Fan grew gentler by the day.
Time flowed by, and three years passed in a flash.
With no concerns weighing on her heart, Senior Sister Zhao's cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds. She had already successfully broken through to the late Golden Core stage and begun preparing for Nascent Soul formation.
Meanwhile, with help from Senior Sister, Li Fan lacked neither cultivation arts nor pills, and his cultivation speed was far from slow.
At peak Foundation Establishment, he was on the cusp of Core Formation.
As the saying went: *A grain of Golden Core swallowed down, my fate lies with me, not heaven.* The gulf between the Golden Core and Foundation Establishment realms was simply immense. Once crossed, it was truly defying heaven to alter one's fate, and life would never be the same again.
Li Fan knew his aptitude was limited, and forming a core might not go smoothly. To ensure complete certainty, he took the initiative to enter seclusion, consolidating his cultivation and waiting for the right opportunity.
Two months later, just when he had an intuition that the time was ripe and was preparing to form his core,
a message forced him to end his seclusion ahead of schedule.
Senior Sister Zhao's junior brother, Zhang Wangshuang's youngest disciple, Jiang Ningjun, had secretly sent him word.
Senior Brother Qin Shou from the Lianshan Lineage had recently launched a relentless pursuit of Senior Sister Zhao.
Senior Brother Qin Shou was young, yet already possessed a Nascent Soul cultivation. His master, Qu Hanfeng, was also close friends with Zhang Wangshuang.
Zhang Wangshuang was pleased to see the two develop into Dao companions.
Senior Brother Qin Shou was dashing, elegant, and exceptionally handsome.
To all eyes, he and Senior Sister Zhao appeared to be a match made in heaven.
In the short few months Li Fan was in seclusion, the affection and support the entire Yuehua Lineage held for Qin Shou had already eclipsed what they held for Li Fan.
Only the youngest junior brother, Jiang Ningjun, had the best relationship with Li Fan on ordinary days.
Moreover, he utterly detested Qin Shou's hypocritical act.
That was why, at this critical moment, he had tipped Li Fan off and told him of the sudden turn of events.
Upon receiving the news, Li Fan made a swift decision: put off Core Formation for now.
The Golden Core realm could be reached at any time.
But if Senior Sister Zhao was swept off her feet by someone else, she would truly be gone!
Even though Li Fan had ample confidence in Senior Sister Zhao, worldly affairs were unpredictable.
And he knew clearly that, with his mediocre aptitude, the only reason he had been able to cultivate smoothly up to this point
was inseparable from her assistance.
"Whoever dares snatch my meal ticket is blocking my Dao path!"
"No matter who you are, this is to the death!" A cold glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes.
Chapter 508