P: And here is the third update... Brothers, as you pass by, don't forget to hit that collect button! ^^...
...
Nie Kong paid no mind to the surrounding pointing fingers and murmuring voices. His right palm continued to strike out at an unhurried pace, punctuated by repeated thumps.
After the initial novelty and astonishment faded, the Spirit Masters who had gathered slowly dispersed, returning to their own Crimson Bloodwood trees. Yet, the intense urge to recount what they had seen made them somewhat absentminded even while practicing their spirit arts. Before long, they had all drifted away from the small grove, but news of Nie Kong—fueled by a relay of mouths—had already swept across the entire training ground, and from there, spread throughout the Nie family compound.
Time slipped away as Nie Kong’s entire focus remained immersed in his cultivation. With each correction of the subtle errors that arose during his attacks, Nie Kong’s execution of the "Blossom Burst" grew smoother, and the timing of the spiritual energy detonation became increasingly precise.
In a trance, Nie Kong felt as if he had re-entered the profound, mystical state he experienced that morning while refining the "Spring Return Dew." Every slight fluctuation of spirit energy passing through the Violet Phantom Spirit Incense manifested clearly within him, allowing Nie Kong to grasp the very essence of the "Blossom Burst" technique with deeper clarity.
Bang!
His right palm struck the Crimson Bloodwood, and a burst of brilliant green rippled out from the spirit patterns etched into the wood. That thread of emerald light was nearly twice as rich and dense as before.
After withdrawing his right hand, Nie Kong did not immediately strike again. Instead, he closed his eyes, quietly savoring the state of mind he had just achieved. After a long moment, he opened his eyes, a triumphant smile touching his face. Then, he suddenly whipped his right arm out, his palm landing on the Crimson Bloodwood with lightning speed.
BOOM!
The flower in his palm exploded instantly. The powerful shockwave made the Crimson Bloodwood tremble violently, and the green light shooting out from the surface spirit patterns became almost blinding.
Nie Kong inwardly praised, "Xiangxiang, that was great teamwork." Indeed, with their newfound synergy, the power unleashed by the "Blossom Burst" had increased significantly.
"Ah... Ya-ya..." The little creature's leaves swayed, and its tail curled up proudly.
"Again."
The success in mastering the Blossom Burst had not left Nie Kong fatigued or hungry; rather, his spirit soared. He merely glanced up at the sun, now hanging directly overhead, and brought his palm down upon the Crimson Bloodwood again and again. This time, however, his right hand was replaced by his left, and the frequency of his strikes increased.
About half an hour later, he shifted to alternating strikes with both hands.
Thump! Thump! Thump!...
Slowly, Nie Kong began intentionally shortening the time between the manifestation of the spiritual energy flower and its detonation. As a result, the spirit energy required for each "Blossom Burst" grew exponentially larger. Although Nie Kong maintained the constant circulation of the "Five Star Shifting Art," the rate at which he refined wood-element spirit energy could no longer keep pace with his expenditure.
Fortunately, Nie Kong still retained a large reserve of condensed wood-element spirit energy stored within the meridians that had yet to be fully cleared. Thus, Nie Kong stopped absorbing and refining external spirit energy and turned his focus toward the Daimai meridian, one of the Extraordinary Vessels.
Without the need for gold needles, Nie Kong could now dissolve this stored energy himself, although the process was infinitely slower. Naturally, the volume of stored energy was immense; the spiritual power in a single meridian was like a gigantic compressed ration bar—even chipping off a small piece could sustain Nie Kong’s continuous cultivation.
Thump! Thump! Thump!...
Occasionally, someone would enter the grove, drawn by Nie Kong's wood-element spiritual power. They would pause to watch, then depart with expressions of astonishment. Others, Spirit Masters who had been practicing in the woods that morning, specifically came over to steal a few glances. And yet others, hearing the rumors, rushed in and out to verify the truth of the situation...
"He's still cultivating? Doesn't he ever rest, even at noon? Isn't he tired?"
"Tsk tsk, I can hardly believe it. Is this really the Nie Kong I know? Just a few days ago, he was practically dead on his feet. How is he better so fast?"
"..."
The external distractions had no effect on Nie Kong.
Thump! Thump! Thump!...
Nie Kong circled the Crimson Bloodwood, striking continuously while moving. Through this non-stop practice, the sweat on his body dried and then dampened again.
Unconsciously, the Daimai meridian became smoothly passable. The target for his energy dissolution then shifted to the Yang Qiao Mai, and the stances of Nie Kong’s hands shifted constantly.
This manic cultivation granted Nie Kong a feeling of exhilarating release. The dispersed spirit energy was refined even more readily by the three spiritual orifices of the mind and subsequently converted into the power needed to unleash the "Blossom Burst." Concurrently, the last traces of the medicinal power from the "Muscle Fortifying and Bone Strengthening Decoction" lingering in his muscles and bones were completely absorbed.
Nie Kong had a feeling that he might be able to brew another batch of the "Muscle Fortifying and Bone Strengthening Decoction" to soak in by tonight, without even waiting until tomorrow.
Thump! Thump! Thump!...
The sound of his hands colliding with the Crimson Bloodwood was incessant, spirit energy being consumed like flowing water. Consequently, the Yang Qiao Mai was quietly cleared, and the energy within the Yin Qiao Mai began to melt next...
...
"Wow, this Nie Kong is truly incredible. He's been at it since morning, and the sun is nearly setting—I haven't seen him truly stop to rest once!"
"Yeah. If it were me, forget practicing rigorously for a whole day; I probably couldn't handle even half a day."
"He's a monster who jumped from the third to the sixth rank of Spirit Gathering in just two days. Can you do that? Comparing ourselves to a monster like that is just asking for trouble."
"Hey, I think he’s worked himself silly."
"..."
The sun dipped below the horizon, leaving behind only the vast, blood-red expanse of the evening sky, magnificent and gorgeous.
Suddenly, Nie Kong's hand seal changed. The tips of his five right fingers gathered together, stabbing toward the Crimson Bloodwood like a sharp cone, a dense green light flashing at his fingertips.
CRACK!
The Crimson Bloodwood exploded with a sound like booming thunder. The dazzling green light radiating from the spirit patterns almost completely enveloped the entire log.
Nie Kong exhaled deeply, letting his hands hang by his sides. Excitement flickered undeniably in his eyes.
That final strike had allowed him to discover the absolute best posture for unleashing the full power of the "Blossom Burst." Furthermore, in the process of mastering the technique, the Daimai, Yang Qiao Mai, and Yin Qiao Mai meridians had cleared sequentially. He had broken through to the Seventh Rank of Spirit Gathering completely unintentionally.
It had all happened as naturally as water flowing downhill.
Nie Kong was extremely satisfied with the day's results. Seeing that dusk was settling in, he delayed no longer. He rolled up his sleeves, wiped his face, and strode out of the woods. Before leaving, he spared a nod and a smile for the cluster of youths standing stock-still a short distance away.
"He’s finally leaving."
"Wait, wait—am I seeing things? Judging by the reaction of the Crimson Bloodwood just now, didn't his last attack have the intensity of a Ninth Rank Spirit Gatherer?"
"Come on. You’re only an Eighth Rank Spirit Gatherer yourself. Do you even know what a Ninth Rank attack feels like?"
"Hmph, just because I haven't eaten the pork doesn't mean I haven't seen the pig run. With my Eighth Rank spirit energy, even attacking the Crimson Bloodwood with everything I have couldn't produce the effect he got."
"That's true. I wonder what spirit art he’s practicing. We don't seem to have any spirit art in the Nie family that’s perfectly suited for a Wood Spirit Master."
"Could it be one he created himself?"
"Self-created? Impossible, impossible. Even a master like the Clan Head hasn't been seen creating a spirit art."
"Then how do you explain his spirit art?"
"This..."
"Enough talk, enough talk! Let's go home and eat!"
"..."
Carrying a swarm of lingering doubts, the dozen or so youths scattered in a rush.
...