Nie Kong slept deeply, lost in the oblivion of unconsciousness. When he finally woke, the sky outside was bright, and he found himself sprawled out on the ** bed. No wonder the sleep had felt so comfortable; he realized Long Ma and Long Ting must have moved him there after bathing him. Now devoid of their spiritual power, they were just two ordinary young girls, and moving a grown man like him from the kitchen to the bedroom must have taken considerable effort. He felt genuinely sorry for them.

Just as he thought of them, their sweet, delicate voices drifted into his ears: "Master, you're awake?"

"You two worked hard."

Nie Kong turned and smiled warmly.

Long Ma and Long Ting stood side-by-side at the foot of the bed, their small faces alight with surprise. But upon hearing Nie Kong’s voice, their cheeks instantly flushed crimson, their surprise melting into shyness, as if recalling some impropriety from earlier. They stammered in unison, "It's no trouble, Master, no trouble at all."

At that moment, Nie Kong noticed the dark circles under their eyes and asked, surprised, "Long Ting, Long Ting, you didn't sleep all night?"

"We slept, we slept," Long Ma instinctively shook her head, but a nudge from Long Ting made them both nod in agreement, though their gazes flickered evasively.

These two silly girls had stayed up all night by his bedside. It seemed his blood-soaked appearance the previous night had frightened them terribly. A wave of warmth washed over Nie Kong's heart, but his brow furrowed slightly. "Lying isn't what good children do. Go to sleep now."

"Master, we really—" Little Long Ting began to defend herself, her face red, but her voice lacked conviction. "Go." Nie Kong lifted his eyelids slightly, and the single, sharp word burst from his mouth, cutting off everything Long Ting was about to say.

"Oh."

The two girls hung their heads, dejected, as they walked toward the door, though a small, sweet feeling bloomed in their hearts.

"By the way, Long Ting, Long Ting, how many days has it been since I helped you absorb your spiritual power?" Nie Kong suddenly recalled this question and quickly called them back.

"Six days, Master," they replied simultaneously.

"Good, now both of you hurry and sleep."

After the two little maids left, Nie Kong let out a slight gasp. He hadn't realized he had spent five full days locked away in that secret chamber!

Recalling the process of absorbing the medicinal power of the "Jade Leaf Glazed Pill," Nie Kong still vividly remembered the endless, surging pain that nearly drove a person mad. Fortunately, he persevered and, at the last moment, successfully elevated his cultivation to the Ninth Stage of Spirit Unification.

Reaching the Ninth Stage of Spirit Unification truly felt profoundly different from before. While his spiritual power had been strong previously, it lacked the intense condensation he possessed now. It was akin to the difference between a wooden stick and an iron rod of the exact same thickness. If one were to strike someone’s head, the result would naturally be vastly different depending on whether wood or iron was used.

Feeling the vast, surging spiritual power churning within him, Nie Kong smiled with satisfaction. Just as he was about to get dressed and rise, a thought flashed through his mind: six days had passed since his last lecture, meaning tomorrow was lecture time again. But he still didn't have the necessary "uniform" for the Medicine Heart Hall!

He had narrowly escaped trouble during the last session; he couldn't afford to make such a basic mistake again.

With that thought, Nie Kong quickly pulled on the clothes the two sisters had prepared and strode out of the room. Only upon stepping outside did he realize with a jolt that it wasn't morning at all—it was clearly afternoon, likely approaching evening soon! Nie Kong hastily quickened his pace.

The next morning, in the side hall of the Medicine Heart Hall, the disciples began to arrive in small groups.

The moment Nie Kong stepped into the hall, he surprised many by the still figure seated quietly in the lower right corner. They were astonished that the one who had been late for both previous gatherings was arriving so early today!

Having made up his mind, Nie Kong was determined not to repeat his previous blunder. To ensure he wouldn't forget, he had specifically instructed the two young maids the evening before to remind him the following day. After collecting the standard uniform of the Medicine Heart Hall yesterday evening, Nie Kong had spent several more hours practicing the "Twin Dragons Playing with Pearls." He had been so occupied that he hadn't even found time to consult Long Xuechan about the ball of medicinal power he had refined during his last lecture.

When all fifty disciples were seated, Luo Ren finally arrived, late as usual. Upon entering, his eyes instinctively darted toward the corner behind everyone. Upon spotting Nie Kong’s figure, Luo Ren showed a flicker of surprise, but immediately, the corners of his lips curled into a strange, knowing smile.

About fifteen minutes later, the tall, thin shadow of the Vice Hall Master, Sha Yan, slowly appeared at the doorway. He walked unhurriedly to the front meditation cushion, just as he had the time before. After sweeping his gaze over the assembled group, he pointed directly at the first Medicine Heart Hall disciple. "You, step forward and demonstrate the 'Twin Dragons Playing with Pearls' technique."

It was a test of the "Twin Dragons Playing with Pearls"!

The disciples who were already quite proficient in this technique became energized, eager to show off when it was their turn, determined not to let the Wood Spirit Master steal all the glory. A few disciples, however, looked utterly dejected, as if they had suffered a great loss, clearly indicating they hadn't mastered the "Twin Dragons Playing with Pearls" yet.

The "Twin Dragons Playing with Pearls" technique required fierce heat, which was rarely needed when refining first or second-grade spiritual medicines. It was occasionally used for third-grade medicines and became more common when refining fourth-grade medicines. Alternatively, it was used, as the Vice Hall Master had demonstrated previously, to forcefully fuse several different types of medicinal components—though this resulted only in a ball of medicinal power, not a true spiritual medicine.

Nevertheless, overall, starting to practice this technique now was highly necessary. Only through long, dedicated practice could one ensure that when it came time to truly refine medicines, they could execute it deftly and bring out the utmost wonders of this refining method.

One by one, the disciples were called up by Sha Yan, and they returned to their seats, some elated, some crestfallen. The hall echoed faintly with the sound of their movements and occasional sighs. Nie Kong only watched the first few fellow disciples demonstrate the "Twin Dragons Playing with Pearls" before finding it a bit tedious, settling back down to cultivate on his own.

"That concludes today's assessment. Disciples who were not proficient enough must continue to practice diligently, and those who have mastered the 'Twin Dragons Playing with Pearls' must not grow arrogant. Alright, everyone may leave now, except Nie Kong." After briefly commenting on the assessment process, Sha Yan suddenly added these words.

The command, "Nie Kong stay behind," particularly stunned Luo Ren and the other disciples in the hall. Earlier, when they saw Sha Yan begin his critique without calling Nie Kong up to demonstrate, they were surprised and secretly pleased, thinking Sha Yan had forgotten him.

However, it turned out Sha Yan hadn't forgotten Nie Kong at all; he intended to keep him back for a private word. This kind of special honor had been granted to no one else—only to Nie Kong, the one who had been late twice in a row!

For a moment, many people glanced toward Nie Kong at the very back, their eyes turning red with envy.

Hearing his name called by the Vice Hall Master, Nie Kong snapped out of his cultivation. The first thing he saw upon opening his eyes were those pairs of reddened eyes, leaving him quite speechless.

It was just being kept behind by the Vice Hall Master? Was it really necessary to react like this?

When he was studying in his previous life, it wasn't always the well-behaved students who were kept behind by teachers; often, it was the mischievous ones! At this moment, Nie Kong felt a slight pang of anxiety. He suspected Sha Yan kept him back because of the ball of medicinal power he had refined using the "Twin Dragons Playing with Pearls" last time, wondering what the Vice Hall Master might have discerned from it. He really should have taken some time yesterday to consult Long Xuechan at the Sixth Courtyard of the Medicine Hall.

Seeing Nie Kong react with such reluctance to this special treatment, even the disciples who weren't overly jealous of him found it hard to stomach.

Does heaven really favor such unruly fellows?

But no matter what they grumbled inwardly or how complex their expressions were, the Vice Hall Master’s words had been spoken, and they ultimately had to leave the side hall. Soon, only Sha Yan and Nie Kong remained, the surroundings utterly silent, so quiet that the drop of a tiny needle could be heard. Sha Yan remained silent, and Nie Kong did not speak either.

Time quietly ticked by. Just as Nie Kong was preparing to resume cultivating the "Wood Sun True Spirit Art," Sha Yan finally spoke: "Nie Kong, come here!" His voice carried a hint of amusement.

Nie Kong looked up and saw a faint smile on Sha Yan's face, which stirred something within him—perhaps this private audience was not a bad thing after all. Thus, Nie Kong rose and walked over, soon standing before Sha Yan. He bowed slightly and sat down on the very cushion reserved exclusively for Luo Ren.

After observing Nie Kong for a moment, Sha Yan chuckled, "Nie Kong, if I hadn't said anything, would you have just sat there waiting the whole time?"

Nie Kong nodded with a smile, "Yes."

Sha Yan watched him with a smiling face. "Nie Kong, suppose I sat here without speaking, eating, drinking, resting, sleeping, or cultivating—motionless for seven days."

Nie Kong let out a dry chuckle, "Vice Hall Master, I once sat motionless for ten days without speaking, eating, drinking, resting, sleeping, or cultivating."

Nie Kong was referring to his past life. After those ten days, he had been reduced to skin and bones, on the brink of death. But now, that posed no problem whatsoever. His pet inventory still contained quite a few poisonous herbs; if he had the little creature separate out their medicinal power, those essences rich in pure Wood Spirit Energy could sustain him. He could easily maintain that posture for twenty days, let alone ten, and still be full of vigor.

"Ah?"

Sha Yan paused, then erupted into loud laughter, his vigorous cackle echoing in the hall, making the entire structure tremble slightly. As the Vice Hall Master of the Medicine Heart Hall, he had judged countless people in his life; he knew instantly whether Nie Kong’s words were true or false. "You little rascal, you truly are interesting!"

When the laughter subsided, Sha Yan swept his right hand across his chest, and a perfectly round object floated toward Nie Kong like a falling feather, shimmering white tinged with subtle traces of green. The moment he saw it, Nie Kong knew it was the ball of medicinal power he had refined during his lecture seven days prior.

In his attempts yesterday, Nie Kong had refined many similar round orbs of medicinal power using the same ingredients, all of them perfectly smooth, pure white like ice and snow. None of them possessed the hint of green that this one displayed. This very issue had been puzzling him until this morning.

"Take this ball of medicinal power and cherish it. If you can thoroughly comprehend it, your future achievements in the path of medicine refining will be boundless. Nie Kong, I must also thank you. It was this ball of medicinal power you refined that showed me the spiritual energy most suited for medicine refining is neither Fire Spirit Energy nor mutated Lightning Spirit Energy, but rather mutated Wood Spirit Energy. One can get a glimpse of this truth just by observing this." Sha Yan sighed, his look of deep admiration entirely unconcealed.

"Oh?"

Nie Kong was greatly surprised that the Vice Hall Master of the Medicine Heart Hall held such high praise for his mutated Wood Spirit Energy. He lowered his gaze to the orb in his palm; apart from that faint, elusive green hue, it seemed utterly unremarkable.

Nie Kong had initially assumed that during the use of "Twin Dragons Playing with Pearls" that day, Xiang Xiang had accidentally infused some of her innate medicinal power into that ball, causing the slight green tint. He had later inquired of the little creature through their mental link, only to learn that wasn't the case.

"Could the green thing inside here be my mutated Wood Spirit Energy?" Nie Kong murmured aloud. He had considered this possibility many times and dismissed it just as often. In his past refinement endeavors, whenever semi-finished spiritual medicines developed cracks in the cauldron, he would flick a strand of spiritual power in, but the resulting finished spiritual medicines never possessed anything like the appearance of this orb.

Sha Yan waved his hand. "Not so, not so. That is not spiritual energy; it is Vitality!"

"Vitality?"

Nie Kong frowned slightly. This green color was Vitality?

Sha Yan smiled faintly. "Nie Kong, you must not underestimate it. Spiritual medicines inherently possess Vitality. Perhaps the only thing in this world capable of bestowing Vitality upon a spiritual medicine is your mutated Wood Spirit Energy."

Seeing Nie Kong open his mouth to ask a question, Sha Yan shook his head. "Do not ask me. It's not that I'm unwilling to tell you, but this kind of thing must be understood through your own contemplation. Only when you truly grasp it will it become yours. If I were to tell you now, it would actually do you more harm than good."

"Alright then," Nie Kong sighed helplessly and nodded.

Sha Yan stroked his beard and smiled again. "Nie Kong, I hear you have signed up for the monthly assessment of our Medicine Heart Hall next month. That is excellent. We have many outstanding young spiritual apothecaries here in the Medicine Heart Hall, and it is good for you to gain some exposure early on. Little fellow, work hard. I have high hopes for you."

"Monthly assessment?"

Nie Kong only paused for a moment before the old man’s subsequent words nearly struck him dumb. Those few words sounded incredibly familiar. Nie Kong thought for a moment, realizing he used to frequently say the exact same thing to students from the medical colleges who came to consult him, the "nationally renowned Chinese medicine physician," in his past life. When he looked up again, Sha Yan was gone. Nie Kong gave up the idea of questioning him further. He was aware of the monthly assessment.

Competition in the Medicine Heart Hall was fierce, and an assessment was held every month. Those ranked higher received better cultivation resources. At the end of the year, the ten disciples with the lowest cumulative rankings would be ruthlessly eliminated. However, new disciples entering the Medicine Heart Hall could voluntarily choose whether or not to participate; it was not mandatory. After all, the Medicine Heart Hall housed many young experts, and if new disciples were forced to participate, wouldn't they all be the ones eliminated every year?

Leaving the Medicine Heart Hall, Nie Kong spotted Luo Ren’s figure. When he saw him, this man actually sported a brilliant smile on his handsome face.

Nie Kong walked over and asked directly, "Master Luo Ren, if I haven't guessed wrong, you signed me up for that monthly assessment, didn't you?"

Luo Ren exclaimed, "Aiya, you already know? I was waiting for you to come out to tell you. Nie Kong, you are so outstanding; it would be a terrible waste not to participate in the Medicine Heart Hall's monthly assessment! Don't thank me; this is what I should do. Work hard, I have high hopes for you!"

"Master Luo Ren, do you think by memorizing a couple of the Vice Hall Master’s lines, you can transform into the Vice Hall Master? 'High hopes for me'? Go see your mother!" Seeing his smug expression, Nie Kong sneered.

"What did you say?" Luo Ren’s face darkened slightly, but he was momentarily stunned by the latter half of Nie Kong's statement. Go see your mother? What does that mean?

"I said, go see your old mother." Nie Kong clarified.

Luo Ren finally heard clearly. Did this fellow want him to visit his elderly mother? His mother had passed away long ago. What was he trying to do? After pondering for a moment, Luo Ren suddenly realized: the first half of the sentence wasn't complimentary, so the second half must also be an insult! Cursing my own late mother? Unthinkable! Luo Ren's face suddenly flushed crimson, and he quickly looked around, but Nie Kong’s shadow was nowhere to be seen!

"Vitality?"

Back at his residence in the Red Chamber, looking at the orb rolling smoothly in his palm, Nie Kong murmured the two small words, his brow furrowing tighter and tighter. According to Vice Hall Master Sha Yan, the green tint in the medicinal power represented Vitality, yet he could find no clue about it in the orb.

Sighing helplessly, Nie Kong closed his eyes and recalled the scene during the refinement process.

As it neared completion, he felt the fusion of the medicinal power was rather loose, so he increased the heat, releasing all his remaining spiritual power through the little creature. Finally, the two whisker-like flames at the tip flared like twin green dragons, wrapping around the medicine cauldron and shooting high into the sky.

This so-called "Vitality" must have appeared during that final period.

The images replayed in his mind, over and over. A faint realization dawned on him: in that fleeting moment when he released his spiritual power, his mind was completely devoid of any thought. He made no strenuous effort to observe the situation inside the cauldron, nor did he fixate on whether the medicinal power had successfully fused.

No thought, no conception, no worry...

This was "Void Clarity"!

Nie Kong suddenly understood.

Previously, he had believed that calming his spirit and eliminating distracting thoughts meant he had entered the state of Void Clarity. Now he realized that was still a long way from true "Void Clarity"!

Could it be that the mind must be completely empty to bestow Vitality upon a medicine?

Nie Kong speculated inwardly, but soon grew confused again. It was easy to understand how to stop extraneous thoughts from arising, but if one didn't even pay attention to the state of fusion inside the medicine cauldron, how could one refine a spiritual medicine? How could one guarantee the final product would turn out as desired?

Nie Kong pondered the issue back and forth for a long time but couldn't find any clarity.

Rubbing his slightly aching forehead, Nie Kong couldn't help but smile wryly. Vice Hall Master Sha Yan had dangled two very tempting carrots: that mutated Wood Spirit Energy was the most suitable for refining medicine, and that only mutated Wood Spirit Energy could bestow Vitality upon a medicine. Either point struck Nie Kong’s deepest interest. Since ancient times, Wood Spirit Masters have been rare and their element often dismissed as trash-tier; for the Wood Spirit Energy to suddenly become so mystical naturally stirred Nie Kong's ambition. Unfortunately, actualizing the miraculous potential of Wood Spirit Energy was proving incredibly difficult—he couldn't even fully grasp this tiny bit of Vitality!