Wild Dogs

Zhou, the head of the squad, is quite efficient.

Not long after Yang Fan finished speaking, Zhou, the squad leader, changed the candidate.

"We'll meet at the sect square tomorrow morning, but please be careful, senior brother."

"There are many spirit beasts after we enter the mountains. It would be bad if my senior brother got hurt."

Zhou, the foreman, spoke solicitously, handing over a bottle of animal repellent.

"Senior Brother Yang, this is a kind of animal-repelling medicine that the servants used to go into the mountains in previous years. It's not sold outside, and we servants have collected it up. We're offering it to you, Senior Brother."

"Oh, there's such a thing?"

Yang Fan accepted the item and nodded.

Thank you.

"You're welcome. It's my honor that you're willing to use it, senior brother."

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Yang Fan found Xiao Hei.

After eating the monster's flesh, Xiao Hei indeed grew even bigger, clearly developing in the direction of a monster.

"I can't take you with me then, but you can go into the mountains beforehand to scout out the situation and find some safe places."

Little Black's nose is much more sensitive; it can definitely spot danger in the mountains in advance.

After giving Xiao Hei his instructions, Xiao Hei immediately ran towards the nearby mountains.

Once Xiao Hei was out of sight, Yang Fan hurriedly headed towards the square of Qingyun Temple.

The square of Qingyun Temple is located at the foot of the mountain.

When Yang Fan arrived, there were already quite a few servants waiting in the square.

Among these servants dressed in gray robes, Yang Fan's white robe still stood out.

Many people looked over curiously.

Yang Fan was a newcomer after all, and many people had never seen him before, so there was a lot of discussion about him.

Yang Fan ignored the comments from these people and stood calmly to the side.

Just then, a boy squeezed through from the side.

"Senior Brother Yang, it's been a long time!"

The boy, still with snot running down his face, grinned at Yang Fan.

"Who are you.......?"

Yang Fan found it strange; he had no recollection of the young man before him.

"Senior Brother Yang, have you forgotten? I'm the one with five spiritual roots. We went up the mountain together."

Yang Fan suddenly realized and nodded hurriedly.

"Yes, I remember now, your name is Ye Chen?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Chen quickly nodded.

"Yes, I am Ye Chen. By the way, Senior Sister Qingqing is also going into the mountains to hunt spirit beasts today."

"Sister Qingqing?"

Yang Fan was truly confused.

"Sister Qingqing, that's the older sister with three spiritual roots. Besides Senior Brother Liu, her spiritual roots are the best."

"It seems you still have contact with those two."

"Yes, Sister Qingqing has joined the outer sect. I was bullied before, and she was the one who stood up for me."

"It's just that Senior Brother Liu doesn't really pay attention to me. He only wants to play with Sister Qingqing all day. I've also tried to get in, but the Pill Hall is different from other places; I can't get in."

Ye Chen felt a little regretful.

After going up the mountain, the lonely and helpless child developed a fondness for the people who had gone up with him and began to contact them.

Yang Fan felt a pang of regret.

Although these three were away from home, they didn't have to rack their brains every day to find ways to survive like Yang Fan.

Before long, a number of servants had already gathered in the square.

"They're here!"

Just as everyone was getting impatient, someone suddenly shouted.

The numerous servants immediately turned their heads to look at the sky.

Streaks of light flew down from the sky.

"Senior brothers and sisters are here, quickly bow to them!"

One of the sycophants shouted and was about to lead the way in kneeling down.

"Alright, we're all from Qingyun Temple, no kneeling allowed!"

Just then, a powerful voice came from the other side.

The sycophant could only stand up in a panic and look around awkwardly.

Not long after, dozens of streaks of light stopped above the square.

The many servants below all bowed their heads, not daring to look up.

"Alright, I am Zhenyang, the peak master of Green Bamboo Peak, and this is Fairy Baifeng of Red Lotus Peak."

Yang Fan secretly looked up.

A man and a woman were standing in front of several dozen Qi Refining stage disciples.

Everyone else was flying on their swords, but these two were standing in mid-air, so they must be the peak masters of Green Bamboo Peak and Red Lotus Peak.

Fairy Bai Feng's face was cold, while True Master Zhenyang beside her wore a smile.

"Alright, you all know what's going on now that you're here, right?"

"That's right, today is the day the sect trials its disciples."

"All disciples below the eighth level of the Qi Refining stage must participate in the trial of hunting spirit beasts today."

"However, these disciples alone are not enough. We also need servants and other helpers. According to the rules, each disciple is responsible for two servants."

"You servants must cooperate well with the disciples and not make any mistakes. After the trial, each of you will be rewarded!"

The servants and disciples present were already familiar with the rules, and they all remained quiet.

"Alright, now each disciple can choose their own servants. Those chosen cannot refuse."

Master Zhenyang waved his hand, signaling his disciples to begin selecting menial servants.

Upon hearing this, Yang Fan looked up and searched through the crowd before quickly spotting Xu Longyue.

However, he did not want to be chosen by Xu Longyue.

He would have to find a way to get the jade pendant from Xu Longyue. If Xu Longyue chose him, he would become the most suspected person.

Thinking of this, Yang Fan lowered his head as much as possible, trying not to attract too much attention.

However, among so many gray-robed servants, he, in his white robe, still stood out.

Soon a sword light landed beside Yang Fan, pointing at Yang Fan and Ye Chen standing next to him.

"You two will do my menial tasks..."

The boy suddenly stopped talking.

"Haha, it's you!"

Yang Fan looked up and frowned when he saw the boy in front of him.

There was no other reason than that the person in front of him was none other than Liu Pan, who had come up the mountain with him.

Liu Pan had already reached the fourth level of Qi Refining, and he looked quite pleased with himself.

In less than two months, he raised his cultivation to the fourth level of the Qi Refining stage. As expected of someone with dual spiritual roots, his talent is truly remarkable.

"Senior Brother Liu, are you going to choose us?"

Ye Chen looked at Liu Pan with surprise.

In his view, being chosen by someone he knew was a great thing.

Upon hearing this, Liu Pan coldly shook his head.

"If it weren't for this kid, I would have chosen you, but this kid is just too much of an eyesore."

In his eyes, Yang Fan was nothing more than a beggar, and had no right to follow him.

More importantly, he had already made a name for himself, but Yang Fan stole all the limelight from him with the Ascension Token.

Fortunately, after making inquiries, he learned that Yang Fan had gone to the Pill Hall to work as a handyman, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing Yang Fan standing among the servants, he was naturally overjoyed.

"Forget it, you two are useless trash. I'll find two more."

With that, he immediately flew away on his sword to select other menial servants.

This young master is really annoying.

Seeing Liu Pan leave, Yang Fan felt a surge of disgust. Ever since the talent test, this kid had been targeting him in various ways because of his background.

"Senior Brother Yang, what should we do?"

Ye Chen was a little nervous. Just then, another sword light fell.

"Sister Qingqing!"

Ye Chen spoke with surprise.

Yang Fan turned his head and saw a female cultivator landing on her sword in front of him.

Yang Fan was slightly taken aback when he saw the beautiful young woman in front of him.

If he remembered correctly, the girl who went up the mountain with him was clearly a thin, frail young girl.

His hair was dry and yellow, and he was as thin as a rake.

Unexpectedly, after this period of time, the girl has become radiant and even stunning.

"You are... Senior Brother Yang?"

The girl looked at Yang Fan in surprise, somewhat taken aback.

She remembered that Yang Fan was just a dirty-looking boy back then.

Unexpectedly, not long afterward, the beggar-like boy had developed a rather handsome and refined appearance.

"I dare not address you as my senior brother in front of Fairy He."

Yang Fan hurriedly bowed to the girl in front of him.

He Qingqing felt a little embarrassed when she saw Yang Fan being so polite.

Upon closer examination, the difference in their social status is indeed quite significant.

One was a proper outer disciple, and the other was just a menial servant.

"Sister Qingqing, please choose us."

Ye Chen spoke hurriedly, and He Qingqing nodded in response.

"I came here specifically to choose you."

"You two come with me. Although I'm not as strong as Senior Brother Liu, protecting you shouldn't be a problem."

As she spoke, she looked at Yang Fan hopefully.

Yang Fan's heart stirred, and he nodded.

He Qingqing was only at the third level of Qi Refining, her cultivation level was lower than his, making it easier for her to conceal her identity.

Anyway, once we're in the mountains, I'll find a way to cause some trouble and then deliberately get separated from Xu Longyue, so I can sneak up on her.

"Hey, it's you!"

Just then, Xu Longyue suddenly flew over and looked at Yang Fan with curiosity.

"Are you going into the mountains again this time?"

Xu Longyue's cultivation had reached the seventh level of Qi Refining, making her one of the strongest cultivators here. He Qingqing hurriedly bowed, not daring to be negligent.

"Yes, the Pill Hall sent me over."

Xu Longyue nodded.

"Forget it, you should come with me. I can protect you."

She felt great sympathy for Yang Fan because his Ascension Token had been stolen, and she wanted to help him.

Hearing this, He Qingqing felt somewhat dissatisfied but dared not express it.

What a joke! With such a huge difference in strength between the two, of course she wouldn't dare say a word.

"Senior sister, I've already spoken with Senior Sister He."

Yang Fan hurriedly spoke up.

Xu Longyue was taken aback, but nodded with a smile before He Qingqing could speak.

"That's fine, it'll be convenient since you have someone you know who can go into the mountains with you."

After saying that, Xu Longyue nodded to Yang Fan and left.

"I thought Brother Yang would leave with Senior Sister Xu."

He Qingqing looked at Yang Fan with some gratitude.

"How could that be? I've already agreed with my senior sister that we can't change it."

As Yang Fan said this, he kept glancing at Xu Longyue out of the corner of his eye.

What a joke! His target is Xu Longyue. If they go into the mountains together, and something unexpected happens, he will be the first person suspected of being Xu Longyue.

In this way, all the disciples quickly chose their servants, while those who were not chosen were led by Fairy Baifeng and True Man Zhenyang from above.

These servants will go ahead and clear the way in advance.

As for Ye Chen and Yang Fan, He Qingqing took them onto the flying sword and they flew away into the distance.

Yang Fan's gaze shifted, and he suddenly froze, clenching his fist involuntarily.

Among these disciples, Wang Yu, who had stolen his Ascension Token, was prominently featured.

At this moment, he was standing at the front of the line with two servants.

"What a small world!"

Yang Fan's face turned ashen.

If his ascension token hadn't been taken away, he wouldn't have ended up as a menial servant.