Five figures sat silently within the hall.

Seated in the prime position was Patriarch Nie Qingsong of the Nie family, his long beard sweeping his chest. To Nie Qingsong's left sat a tall, thin elder whose hair was white but whose face possessed the countenance of a youth. He sat with eyes closed, his spine perfectly straight, his hands resting upon his knees. His ten fingers were slender, delicate, and pale as a woman's, and the nails on each finger were several inches long, tapering to points so sharp they resembled short swords drawn half from their sheaths, their keen edges fully exposed. A faint sheen of cold light seemed to perpetually flow across the surface of these talons.

To Nie Qingsong’s right sat a middle-aged woman. Her long, flowing gown of pale cyan perfectly outlined the subtle curves of her figure, hinting at the form beneath. Her facial skin showed almost no wrinkles, retaining the exquisite beauty of her youth while gaining the profound charm of maturity. Her beautiful phoenix eyes were particularly lively, appearing as if a perpetual spring of clear water constantly flowed within their sockets.

Below the tall, thin elder and the middle-aged woman sat the stout Seventh Elder, Nie Xinghai, and the Eighth Elder, Nie Longshan, respectively.

“Greetings to the Patriarch and the four Elders.”

After bowing, Nie Kong stood proudly erect. In this hall, aside from the Patriarch and Nie Xingdong, who had just entered, he had met both Nie Xinghai and Nie Longshan. He could also surmise the identity of the middle-aged woman—she must be the Sixth Elder, Nie Xingqiu. Only the tall, thin elder remained an enigma to Nie Kong.

Fifth Elder? Fourth Elder…

His gaze swept over the hands resting on the elder’s knees. The cold glint emanating from those long nails caught his eye, and a three-character name suddenly sprang into Nie Kong’s mind—

The Second Elder!

He was, in fact, the Nie family’s sole Spirit Engraver remaining!

...

From the very moment Nie Kong entered the hall, the gazes of Nie Qingsong, Nie Xingqiu, and the others fixed upon him. Only the Second Elder seemed utterly detached from the world, showing no reaction whatsoever.

Nie Qingsong and the others were accustomed to this and did not rush to question him. They merely scrutinized Nie Kong with an assessing gaze, as if determined to see through his very essence. An invisible pressure descended upon Nie Kong, making the atmosphere in the hall quite oppressive.

Had it been any other member of the Nie family, such intense scrutiny from so many powerful figures might have caused them to shrink back, trembling, their legs weak with nerves. But Nie Kong was a man who had experienced true death, and he had just endured days of inhuman torment; his will was forged in steel, and he was not easily intimidated.

However, the elders’ observation period was lengthy. After enduring their collective gaze for a while, Nie Kong began to assess these Elders in turn, his own eyes remaining remarkably calm, devoid of any tension. Nie Qingsong and several Elders exchanged subtle glances, and the way they looked at Nie Kong gradually shifted to reveal admiration.

“An interesting young one. You are Nie Kong?”

After a long silence, Nie Xingqiu broke the quiet with a seemingly pointless inquiry, a smile playing on her lips. When she smiled, her eyes took on a peculiar quality, like tiny pebbles suddenly dropped into a still lake, sending subtle ripples spreading outward from those dark, expressive pupils.

“Indeed, I am,” Nie Kong replied. After meeting her gaze briefly, he felt as if his very soul was being drawn into those eyes, and he quickly lowered his eyelids.

“Very good,” Nie Xinghai’s fat jiggled, though one could vaguely discern a smile beneath it. “Our Nie family has gained another genius who can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with that child, Fenglei.”

“Haha, I told you so! I said this little fellow could endure it, but you didn't believe me. Now, do you know his current cultivation level?” Nie Xingdong chimed in with a laugh.

“Spirit Manifestation Third Stage!” Before anyone else could speak, Nie Xingdong revealed the answer, a touch of pride coloring his ruddy, youthful face.

“Spirit Manifestation Third Stage?”

Even for individuals of Nie Qingsong’s fortitude, their expressions could not help but shift. Even the Second Elder, sitting motionless like a stone carving, twitched an eyelid.

Spirit Manifestation Third Stage! Achieving such a breakthrough in less than a month after enduring the Illusory Realm trial meant his potential was not merely comparable to Nie Fenglei, but potentially equal to the Great Elder, Nie Shengong, or perhaps even exceeding him. For the Nie family, the results of the Life-and-Death Illusory Realm trial were a strong indicator of a person’s inherent potential; moreover, once their temperament had been honed, there was little fear that this potential would be fleeting, vanishing after a few years.

In the eyes of the Patriarch and the Elders, Nie Fenglei had always been seen as the descendant most likely to reach the Heaven Spirit realm. Now, Nie Kong had appeared out of nowhere, suggesting that within the ‘Feng’ generation, yet another family member might ascend to become a pinnacle expert on the Heaven Spirit Continent.

If, one day, the family had two Heaven Spirit experts anchoring them, the Nie family would undoubtedly surpass the Imperial Family and all other clans, becoming the foremost noble house in the Great Success Empire.

In that instant, Nie Xinghai, Nie Longshan, and Nie Xingqiu could not suppress a surge of excitement.

Originally, because Nie Kong had not emerged in time, Bai Yuqing was listed as the first place finisher in this trial, and that young Ling Generation member at Spirit Gathering Seventh Grade had also been lucky enough to squeeze into the top ten.

The Nie family’s Illusory Realm trial seeing a vassal family claim the top spot had left everyone in the Nie household feeling somewhat downcast. Of course, despite their disappointment, as a major noble house, the Nie family was certainly not going to renege on the promised rewards.

Now that Nie Kong had awakened and broken through to Spirit Manifestation Third Stage, the importance of this achievement vastly outweighed the ranking in the trial. For the Elders, even if all the top ten spots had been taken by vassal families, having Nie Kong made everything worthwhile.

“Excellent! With such a descendant, how can we fear the decline of the Nie family?”

A barely perceptible flash of purple light crossed Nie Qingsong’s cheek—a sign of intense agitation in his Thunder Spirit power. But he was the Patriarch of the Nie family, having weathered countless storms, and he calmed himself almost immediately, his face growing solemn. “Elders, this matter is of the utmost gravity. The fact that Nie Kong consecutively advanced three grades in the Life-and-Death trial must absolutely not be leaked to the rest of the clan. If this were to spread, it could prove detrimental to the Nie family.”

“Mmm.”

Nie Xingqiu and the others nodded in agreement.

For the other noble houses in the Great Success Empire, accepting that the Nie family had produced one member capable of reaching the Heaven Spirit realm was manageable. But if another, even more likely candidate emerged, the Nie family would likely soon face joint suppression from the other houses. After all, two Heaven Spirit experts within one family would shatter the balance established among the noble houses of the Great Success Empire over hundreds of years. Even Nie Kong might be stifled in his nascent stages.

No matter how secretly the Nie family protected the Life-and-Death Illusory Realm, the other great noble houses of the Great Success Empire had gained considerable understanding of it over the centuries. The greater the cultivation level improvement achieved during the Nie family’s trial, the stronger the clan member’s potential for cultivation—this was no longer a secret.

Just like Nie Shengong, who had advanced two grades during his trial, his cultivation had steadily improved ever since. Although he had not appeared publicly for decades, outside rumors suggested that this Great Elder of the Nie family had already crossed into the Heaven Spirit realm, making him the Nie family’s first Heaven Spirit expert.

Seeing their expressions, Nie Kong immediately grasped the implication and felt a sharp jolt of alarm. People said it was good to shelter under a large tree, but if one’s tree posed a threat to others, and the sheltering tree failed to shield them adequately, another tree could easily extend a branch and shatter them into dust.

If one lacked any sheltering tree, that danger would be minimized, but without the tree, the one beneath it would lack such superior conditions for growth. These two concepts were contradictory yet intertwined, two tightly linked rings that were hard to separate.

Nie Qingsong turned to Nie Xingdong. “Ninth Elder, besides us, who else knows about this?”

Nie Xingdong smiled. “There are also those two boys, Qingfeng and Fenghan. Rest assured, I explicitly instructed them not to disclose this before I came here.”

“That is good.”

Nie Qingsong looked at Nie Kong and spoke softly. “Nie Kong, do not worry. If any clan members ask, tell them your cultivation remains at Spirit Manifestation First Stage. However, going forward, you must spend more time cultivating in the Ice Flame Cave. After a few months, even if they learn you’ve broken through to Spirit Manifestation Third Stage, other families will at most offer a brief sigh of surprise and won’t pay you much attention.”

“Yes.”

Nie Kong understood Nie Qingsong’s meaning. The Heaven Spirit Continent was vast, and geniuses were countless, yet throughout history, numerous geniuses of exquisite talent became permanently stuck at the bottleneck of some major realm, unable to break through even in death. By using a few months in the Ice Flame Cave to gradually “raise” his cultivation to Spirit Manifestation Third Stage, concealing the result of the Life-and-Death trial, Nie Kong would essentially avoid attracting further scrutiny from other families.

With the matter settled, the tension in the hall eased somewhat. Nie Longshan smiled and asked, “Nie Kong, Bai family’s young lady said you committed suicide in front of an arched white jade wall. How did you manage to enter the second layer of the Illusory Realm afterwards? Tell us old folks about it.”

So, Nie Kong recounted in detail the sensation and process of his soul being drawn into the white jade wall. As for the herbs he had dug up in the second layer of the Illusory Realm, Nie Kong kept silent about them, only stating that upon reaching the second layer, he spotted a remarkably powerful spirit beast. In a moment of danger, he quickly killed himself again.

“The red and white jade screens you saw were indeed connected; that is the passage between the first and second layers of the Life-and-Death Illusory Realm. Since this realm was discovered by our Nie family, no one has ever managed to pass through that connection between the two layers. I never expected you to break the exception,” Nie Qingsong said with surprise. “But judging by the time elapsed, your soul took a full seven days to traverse that passage?” In fact, the Illusory Realm had changed fifteen days ago after Bai Yuqing emerged. Could it be that the moment Nie Kong’s soul entered the jade wall, he had already reached the vicinity of the second layer?

Nie Xingqiu frowned, her gaze flickering, and she murmured doubtfully, “That is quite strange. In the past, other clan members committed suicide near the passage, but this situation never occurred. Why would that passage absorb Nie Kong’s soul and send him directly to the second layer?”

Leaving aside the bewildered looks exchanged between Nie Qingsong and the Elders, even Nie Kong, the perpetrator, was somewhat clueless.

In his own estimation, the most likely cause was that the passage had absorbed the aura of those medicinal herbs, and since he himself had absorbed a large amount of the herb fragrance through the jade wall, his soul carried the same herbal scent. This combination likely caused the jade wall not only to refrain from rejecting his soul but to actively draw it towards the location of the herbs.

However, this hypothesis lacked any concrete proof.

Nie Qingsong waved his hand and smiled. “Never mind. Since we cannot understand it, let’s drop the matter. Nie Kong, the rewards for this Life-and-Death trial have already been distributed. Since you were the last to emerge and only just woke up, I shall personally present your reward.”

With that, Nie Qingsong picked up the thin booklet from one of the nearby tables and gave it a gentle flick. It was borne aloft by a layer of deep violet light and flew into Nie Kong’s palm.

“Wood Yang True Spirit Art!”

As the purple light dissipated, Nie Kong clearly read the name on the booklet.

Nie Qingsong smiled. “Nie Kong, you are quite fortunate. This ‘Wood Yang True Spirit Art’ was acquired from a neighboring country for a heavy price and was delivered to the family just this morning. We heard this Spirit Art was created by a Wood Attribute Spirit Fusing Master. I reviewed it; the technique is decent and sufficient for you to cultivate up to the Spirit Fusing or even Spirit Transformation realms. Previously, the Elders and I discussed rewarding you with a Second Grade Spirit Medicine to boost your cultivation, but since you have already reached Spirit Manifestation Third Stage, that medicine is now superfluous.”

“Alas, what a pity. If you were a Spirit Master of a different attribute, you could enter the Ink Tower and freely choose the Spirit Art best suited for you—the Ink Tower even houses several Dark Spirit Master techniques. It’s just a shame you are a Wood Spirit Master,” Nie Qingsong sighed regretfully at the end.

Regarding Nie Kong’s physical affinity, Nie Xingdong and the others also shook their heads helplessly.

At that moment, the Second Elder, who had remained silent, suddenly spoke. “Little fellow, tell me what kind of Spirit Engraved Weapon you require, and this old man can forge it for you.”

Upon hearing this, the gazes of all five figures, including Nie Qingsong, shifted toward the Second Elder, all showing a degree of astonishment. It was unprecedented for the Second Elder to personally forge a Spirit Engraved Weapon for a member of the ‘Feng’ generation—even Nie Fenglei had never enjoyed such treatment in the past. However, the others quickly reconciled themselves; the potential Nie Kong displayed in this Life-and-Death trial was indeed sufficient justification for the Second Elder to take action personally.

“A Spirit Engraved Weapon?”

Looking at the still-closed eyes of the Second Elder, Nie Kong felt a wave of bewilderment. To date, his weapons were his bare hands and his golden needles. Wait, the golden needles! Thinking of those two words, a flash of inspiration struck Nie Kong. He reached into his robes with his right hand, fumbled a few times, and when he withdrew it, the golden needles stored in his pet inventory materialized in his palm. Among the nine needles, the longest, the Heaven Needle and Earth Needle, had sustained considerable damage during the fight with the One-Horned Blood Lion.

Nie Kong held out the golden needles with both hands. “Nie Kong desires nine such Spirit Engraved Golden Needles.”

“Golden needles?”

Nie Qingsong and the others stared at each other in shock.

The Second Elder beckoned, and the needles left Nie Kong’s palm, caught between his slender index and middle fingers. He then covered them with his palm, rubbed them briefly, and uttered a crisp, concise word:

“Good!”

...

The cold wind howled intermittently; Jiyang City in November was already biting cold. Nie Kong gently pushed open the slightly ajar wooden door and stepped into the familiar courtyard. Seeing the candlelight spilling from the room, Nie Kong’s chest suddenly swelled with warmth, and he unconsciously quickened his pace.

Inside the bedroom, Huamei sat on a bench, her eyes swollen red, resembling two overripe peaches. Mu Hongling was beside her, ceaselessly attempting to comfort her, but she was clearly ill-suited for such a task. No matter how she spoke, tears continued to stream down Huamei’s face like pearls from a broken string.

“Sister-in-law!”

A voice suddenly rang out from the doorway.

Huamei and Mu Hongling looked up in surprise. Upon seeing Nie Kong’s silhouette, their mouths simultaneously formed perfect ‘O’ shapes.

With a loud cry, Mu Hongling clapped her hands and jumped up, beaming. “I knew it! How could Nie Kong meet with misfortune over a mere Illusory Realm trial? Don't forget whose disciple he is! Hmph, I kept telling you not to worry, not to worry, but you went and cried every day. I don’t know where you got so many tears from. Look, I was right! All those tears you shed these past few days were in vain.”

Mu Hongling spoke with incredible speed, her words tumbling out like popcorn popping.

“Uncle!”

Huamei looked pleadingly at Nie Kong, and the floodgates opened again, tears gushing from her eyes once more. Mu Hongling looked momentarily stunned and couldn't help but say, “Huamei, Nie Kong is completely fine! You should be happy. Why are you crying even harder?”

Huamei sobbed, “I… I am happy, but… I can’t help it…”

Mu Hongling groaned dramatically, clutching her head. “I can’t take it anymore! Disciple, since you’re back, just let your Uncle take care of her. I’m going home to sleep.” With that, Mu Hongling made to slip out the door as if Huamei’s bedroom were a prison.

“Little Master, thank you,” Nie Kong said gratefully. Previously, when Nie Kong called her "Little Master," there was a hint of teasing in his tone, but this time, Nie Kong spoke the three words from the bottom of his heart. This was because, on his way home through an alley, Nie Kong had heard shocking news: over half a month ago, Nie Fengxing had attempted to violently assault Huamei. Mu Hongling had caught him in the act, given him a brutal beating, and subsequently, Nie Qingsong, upon learning the details, personally ordered Nie Fengxing to be confined in the Ice Flame Cave for six months. Today, the Nie family’s Third Young Master, having just recovered from his injuries, was moved into the prison cells within the Ice Flame Cave.

“Who told you to be my master!”

Mu Hongling waved her hand dismissively and vanished outside the door. With her departure, the room fell silent, leaving only Huamei’s weeping.

After a brief period of sobbing, seeing Nie Kong gazing at her, Huamei felt a touch of shyness and subconsciously shifted to the side, trying to escape his line of sight. Her crying immediately softened. After a little while, Nie Kong was still watching her, and Huamei instinctively edged a bit further away.

Thus, their gazes began a game of hide-and-seek—one chasing, one evading. Before long, Huamei’s tears completely dried up, replaced by a face flushed crimson. Nie Kong suddenly burst out laughing, “Sister-in-law, stop moving! If you shift any further, you’ll fall off the bench onto the floor.”

“Ah… Oh, Uncle, you haven’t eaten yet, have you? I’ll go prepare some food for you…” Huamei stammered, her face burning red, and she bolted out of the room in a flurry.

“…”

Huamei was still as shy as before, but after this trial, when Nie Kong looked at her retreating figure, his heart was filled only with warmth and an inexpressible stirring of emotion.

He smiled faintly and sat on the bench, still faintly warm from Huamei’s presence. Recalling the recent trial, a sudden movement stirred within him. A thread of verdant Spirit Power emerged from his right fingertip, flickering uncertainly like a tiny flame. Nie Kong vaguely felt that his greatest harvest was not the breakthrough to Spirit Manifestation Third Stage, nor the ‘Wood Yang True Spirit Art,’ but this mutated Wood Spirit Power infused with a large quantity of Fire Spirit elements…

.