Nie Kong did not release his grip, his index finger and thumb gently manipulating the Celestial Needle, while the remaining eight needles seemed to possess a life of their own, vibrating in sympathy with the trembling frequency of the Celestial Needle.

The nine secret acupoints—Heart Sea, Jade Brightness, Celestial Palace, Dark Court, Dragon Keep, Divine Separation, Yang Peak, Misty Spring, and Azure Pool—wove the meridians within Nie Kong’s body into a single whole, with Azure Pool serving as the dragon's head and the central hub of this network. By controlling the Azure Pool with the Celestial Needle, the other eight hidden points, including Heart Sea, moved in concert.

The nine needles resonated harmoniously, and gradually, Nie Kong’s body began to heat up.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the movements of Nie Kong’s fingers abruptly accelerated. The Earth Needle and the other seven golden needles shook violently in tandem with the Celestial Needle, sounding like thousands of bees simultaneously beating their wings, the distinct hum audible to the ear. Beads of sweat, large as beans, broke out across Nie Kong’s skin, and within moments, mist began to rise above his head.

Simultaneously, Nie Kong’s meridians and blood felt like boiling water, churning within him, accompanied by a deep, thunderous rumbling originating from inside his body.

Then, much like ice melting under the blazing sun, the medicinal power clinging within the meridians began to dissolve slowly, flowing like water towards the Azure Pool acupoint.

Witnessing the bizarre spectacle in the room, Hua Mei, who stood at the doorway, was utterly dumbfounded. The heart that had leaped into her throat moments before had, without her realizing, settled back down.

So, having such long golden needles plunged into one’s body was actually fine!

Hua Mei secretly marveled at Nie Kong’s furiously moving fingers and the violently trembling golden needles; the hazy mist, the melodic humming… everything she saw and heard made Nie Kong’s figure instantly appear somewhat mysterious. Though she had only half-believed him when he claimed the nine golden needles could heal illnesses, now, Hua Mei was eight-tenths convinced.

The thought that Nie Kong finally had hope of overcoming his debilitating condition brought a sincere joy to Hua Mei's heart, yet mingled with her happiness was a flicker of doubt—where had her uncle learned such things?

...

The medicinal power flowed ceaselessly, quickly coalescing into a single mass at the tip of the Celestial Needle. Nie Kong intended to use the vibrational resonance of the nine golden needles to force this gathered power out of his body. Although this medicinal essence was precious, the sheer volume accumulated over more than a decade was immense; given Nie Kong’s current weak constitution, absorbing it all using the "Nine Revolutions Golden Needle" technique would likely kill him through sheer overload.

Suddenly, the seed of the Purple Luo Illusory Spirit Incense stirred.

“Ah-ya-ya…”

Faintly, Nie Kong seemed to hear a tender cry emanating from within the seed. Immediately following this, a very clear sense of yearning transmitted from the seed into Nie Kong’s mind—just as an infant craves mother’s milk, the seed displayed an instinctual need for the medicinal essence.

Could this Purple Luo Illusory Spirit Incense seed possess its own consciousness?

Nie Kong hesitated for a moment, then his middle finger tapped down upon the rapidly spinning golden needle. With a slow, deliberate strike, the gathered essence at the needle tip was directed onto the seed.

In just a few short seconds, the medicinal power was completely absorbed by the seed.

Nie Kong was quite astonished, growing even more curious about the seed. He was determined to see what it would eventually become. Nie Kong resolved this, and more of the melting medicinal power from his meridians was drawn by the Celestial Needle and dumped entirely onto the purple seed.

After fifteen minutes, Nie Kong slowed the rotation of his fingers on the Celestial Needle, and the other eight needles seemed to receive a command, their frequency and amplitude of vibration gradually easing. After this sustained effort, about twenty percent of the medicinal power in Nie Kong’s meridians had melted and been fully absorbed by the seed.

However, Nie Kong showed no signs of stopping the acupuncture.

The Nine Revolutions Golden Needle technique required a total of nine full cycles.

The previous instance was merely the first stage of the "Nine Revolutions Golden Needle" art. In his past life, Nie Kong always determined the number of cycles based on the patient’s specific ailment and severity. Of course, back then, he rarely employed the Nine Revolutions Golden Needle, as the technique was dreadfully taxing on the spirit. Based on his estimation of his own physical condition, completing three continuous cycles tonight would already be his absolute limit.

For Nie Kong, the first cycle tonight was merely preparatory work; dissolving that twenty percent of the drug was incidental. The second cycle would target the root cause of the sickness within his blood vessels. Once the root was addressed, resolving the solidified spiritual energy and the remaining medicinal power would not be difficult.

“Whether it will be effective depends entirely on this cycle.”

Nie Kong’s breath was shallow, his mind calm. The motion of his right thumb and index finger did not gradually accelerate as before; instead, the speed abruptly increased several times over.

“Boom!”

Nie Kong’s body jolted violently. The Earth Needle, Human Needle, and the other eight golden needles simultaneously flared, casting circles of afterimages, then began to vibrate rapidly in an arc.

The vibrational resonance power of the nine needles permeated the blood along the meridians. Instantly, Nie Kong’s blood vessels bulged, and the flow of blood increased dramatically. After about two minutes, the manipulation of the needles sped up again, and a fine, rushing sound—like that of a small stream—emanated from within Nie Kong’s body.

“Hnngh!”

Nie Kong let out a muffled groan as tearing pain rapidly spread through his blood vessels. Despite the unbearable agony, Nie Kong’s thumb and index finger showed no sign of stopping; this moment was critically important, and any oversight would negate all previous efforts.

As the blood surged rapidly, heat rose from the nine major hidden acupoints. In the blink of an eye, the warmth transformed into a scorching intensity that spread throughout his entire body. Nie Kong’s skin turned visibly red—in less than ten seconds, he was entirely crimson, resembling a boiled shrimp.

Nie Kong’s entire body trembled. The torment of intense heat and pain made him feel as if he were about to explode.

At the doorway, seeing Nie Kong's bizarre state, Hua Mei’s pretty face was etched with tension. Her heart leaped into her throat again. Even an idiot could see Nie Kong was enduring torment beyond words. In this moment, unable to offer any help, Hua Mei could only bite her red lip and pray silently.

“Sss-sss…”

Finally, amidst those faint sounds, Nie Kong once again sensed that familiar, peculiar power. The difference was that yesterday, this power was formless, but now, it condensed into thin strands of dark green fluid, separating from the blood and converging toward the Azure Pool acupoint.

The Purple Luo Illusory Spirit Incense seed cried out “Ah-ya-ya” again, as if it had spotted a rare treasure. Nie Kong could sense a distinct note of exhilarated delight in the sound.

Indeed, when Nie Kong flicked the first strand of dark green fluid that reached the Azure Pool acupoint onto the surface of the Purple Luo Illusory Spirit Incense seed, the seed began to absorb it. However, this time, the absorption speed was extraordinarily slow, incomparable to how quickly it consumed the medicinal power before.

Nearly another fifteen minutes passed before any more dark green fluid emerged from the blood vessels. In the void between the three apertures of the Spirit and Mind, a mass of dark green fluid, about the size of a thumb, had entirely occupied the Azure Pool. The Purple Luo Illusory Spirit Incense seed floated atop this mass, having absorbed less than half of even that initial strand.

Success at last!

Nie Kong felt a profound sense of relief, deeply moved that such a small quantity of substance had tormented the body’s original owner for a full eighteen years. With this thought, Nie Kong slowed his hand movements, and his trembling body gradually stabilized. Following a gentle transition, Nie Kong began the third cycle of the Nine Revolutions Golden Needle.

Soon after, though Nie Kong began to accelerate, his manipulation of the needles seemed notably more relaxed, far from the fierce intensity of the second cycle.

Stimulated by the golden needles, wisps of medicinal power diffused from the meridians, transforming into warm currents that permeated the muscles and blood. Nie Kong’s fatigue and pain gradually receded, leaving his body feeling pleasantly warm, as if bathed in a spring breeze. By the time Nie Kong slowed the movement of his fingers, a slight flush had returned to his gaunt cheeks.

Just as he was about to withdraw the needles, Nie Kong unexpectedly noticed that the larger end of the Purple Luo Illusory Spirit Incense seed had cracked open, revealing faint tendrils of pale green light seeping out.

The seed was sprouting?!

...