The Hidden Blade Courtyard. After escorting Mo Xingtu to the entrance and watching his retreating figure slowly vanish from sight, the Ninth Elder glanced at Nie Qingsong, murmuring, "Qingsong, Lingbao Pavilion is making such a fuss over searching Jiyang City, even offering ten Grade Four Spirit Medicines; that person must be extremely important to them." Nie Qingsong stroked his black beard and smiled faintly, "Lingbao Pavilion is founded on spirit medicines; I surmise the person in question is intrinsically linked to the word 'medicine'." The Ninth Elder nodded slightly.

"The training grounds are mostly filled with those teenage pups. If you send Qing Tong to search for the person, it will inevitably stir up the whole city, making it common knowledge quickly.

That idea of alerting the enemy prematurely is quite astute. I presume you have arranged for extra manpower?" Nie Qingsong chuckled wryly, "As expected, nothing escapes Uncle Jiu.

When I instructed Qing Tong, I hinted that he should inform Qing Peng. Qing Peng knows what needs to be done.

If that person truly is in Jiyang City, the moment they make a move, they will never evade the sight of my Nie family's informants." "Hmm, once the person is found, perhaps Qing Peng can interrogate them first before handing them over to Lingbao Pavilion." Pausing briefly, the Ninth Elder became quite animated. "Oh, right, Qingsong, have you heard about that young fellow Nie Kong?

His reputation is quite significant now." Nie Qingsong laughed heartily, "Uncle Jiu, if you know, how could I not? It’s rather interesting that the little fellow can actually raise his cultivation during sparring sessions.

I heard he even created a rather potent low-grade Wood Elemental Spirit Art on his own. If that’s true, this youngster's potential is extraordinary." "It seems you have no objection at all to Feng Xing's proposal?" "Of course not.

For a child with such remarkable potential, our Nie family absolutely cannot miss out. Letting him experience life and death in the Illusion Realm would be beneficial." "..." At this moment, Nie Kong, after collecting his fifty gold coins of sustenance allowance for October from the Nie Family steward's office, arrived outside the Spirit Medicine Hall.

The guards at the door were still Nie Qingfeng and Nie Qinghong. Perhaps due to the arrival of a new month, the Spirit Medicine Hall had become much livelier, with people entering sequentially, unlike the sparse attendance of the preceding days.

"Greetings to both Clan Uncles." Seeing Nie Kong, a flicker of surprise crossed Nie Qinghong’s eyes. Nie Qingfeng, clearly bored standing guard, immediately burst out laughing upon seeing Nie Kong.

"You brat, you’re quite diligent in showing up. You’ve been causing quite a stir lately, haven't you?

Getting beaten up the other day actually boosted your cultivation to Spirit Gathering Eighth Grade. It’s been two days since then; don’t tell me you’ve already reached Ninth Grade?" Nie Kong shrugged his shoulders.

"Not Ninth Grade yet, but I should be by tonight. It was a little slower this time." Nie Kong had already touched that invisible barrier; he just needed to clear the last remaining meridians—the Foot Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian and the Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian—to break through.

"Ga?" Nie Qingfeng’s smile froze, his mouth gaping wide enough to fit two duck eggs. Even though he was somewhat accustomed to Nie Kong's speed of advancement, hearing him state it so casually and nonchalantly still filled Nie Qingfeng’s face with astonishment.

After a good while, he managed a smile uglier than crying. "You truly are an undeniable monster, brat.

You went from Spirit Gathering First Grade to Ninth Grade in less than ten days. It's utterly disheartening." Nie Qinghong remained silent, but jealousy burned fiercely in his heart: He’s speaking the absolute truth.

I had to struggle desperately for several months, sometimes half a year, just to advance one minor cultivation grade. But you, little bastard, you went from two grades a day initially, then one grade a day, and now you complain that two days for one grade is slow?

Hmph, if it were me, forget one grade every two days, I’d be satisfied with one grade every twenty days! Nie Kong smiled.

"Uncle Qingfeng, you have to look at it this way: I started cultivating when I was eight; it’s been a full ten years now. Ten years to go from Spirit Gathering First Grade to Ninth Grade—while this speed can’t exactly be called excruciatingly slow, in the Nie family, it certainly belongs to the bottom tier." Nie Qingfeng chuckled dryly.

"When you put it that way, Uncle feels much more balanced mentally. Alright, hurry up and go in." Watching Nie Kong step into the Spirit Medicine Hall, Nie Qingfeng couldn't help but chuckle.

"The Illusion Realm opens in half a month. This kid is guaranteed to take a spot.

I’ll go find the Ninth Elder tonight and see if I can secure this patrol mission for myself. I’ve stood guard at this Spirit Medicine Hall door long enough." "Mhm, mhm." Nie Qinghong first rolled his eyes, letting out a few weak hums in response, but his eyes suddenly lit up when he heard the latter part.

"I'll go with you." ... The Illusion Realm?

What Illusion Realm? Faintly hearing Nie Qingfeng's voice, Nie Kong paused, about to search his memory, when he was interrupted by a voice coming from the shadow beside the door.

Nie Kong quickly unclipped his clan token. The person checking the token wasn't the bald old man from last time, but a strange young woman in her twenties, pretty-faced, though her expression was slightly cold.

After registering, Nie Kong didn't delay, quickly retrieving his medicine based on his memory from last time. Three liang of Silk Thread Glazed Root, four liang of Dragon Bud Algae, one qian and eight fen of Spirit Dream Grass, one liang and two qian of White Star Powder...

The Ice Disc Water in Nie Kong's gourd was sufficient. After setting aside the amount needed to refine six bottles of "Rejuvenation Dew," the surplus Silk Thread Glazed Root and Dragon Bud Algae would be just enough to feed Xiangxiang.

A few minutes later, as Nie Kong exited the Spirit Medicine Hall, he couldn't wait to open the medicine pouch, pinching a handful of Silk Thread Glazed Root and Dragon Bud Algae to stuff into his mouth. "Ah-ya-ya..." Smelling the aroma of the herbs, the wilted little fellow immediately became agitated, its small leaves shaking vigorously.

When Nie Kong extracted the medicinal power into the Jade Pool Acupoint, the little creature instantly acted like a starving ghost reincarnated after a thousand years; its three small roots vibrated violently, rapidly absorbing the medicinal essence. However, six qian of Silk Thread Glazed Root and one liang of Dragon Bud Algae were completely a drop in the ocean for Xiangxiang; it could only slightly alleviate its hunger.

Furthermore, this little creature was the complete opposite of a Spirit Master; it preferred natural herbs. If it were finished spirit medicine, it would likely require far more medicinal power to satisfy its appetite.

Otherwise, the ten years of accumulated medicinal essence Nie Kong possessed wouldn't be completely absorbed in just a few days. "Ah...

Ya-ya..., Ah-ya... Ya..." The little creature, slightly energized, rolled and acted spoiled in the Jade Pool Acupoint, wanting to continue drawing medicinal power.

Nie Kong was torn between laughter and tears, sighing inwardly that he wasn't raising a small pet, but a little ancestor. Although he felt this way, Nie Kong still needed to find a way to get herbs for it.

Finding a secluded spot, Nie Kong quietly stowed the medicine pouch into his pet backpack and rushed toward the Alchemy Hall, which was only a few hundred meters from the Spirit Medicine Hall. At this point, Nie Kong had no choice but to resort to the formula for the "Muscle and Bone Strengthening Decoction." ...