"Oh my!" The little fellow seemed to want to retrieve something, suddenly exclaiming with excitement.

"Phoenix Eye Fruit?"

Understanding Xiangxiang's meaning, Nie Kong's gaze settled on the tabletop where the box containing half the Phoenix Eye Fruit pulp and one core lay. A thought stirred in Nie Kong's mind; right, since this matter couldn't be figured out immediately anyway, he might as well examine the core for any hidden secrets first.

Before long, Nie Kong held the fruit core in his hand. His index finger, imbued with swirling emerald spiritual power, was as sharp as a blade, carefully tracing the edge of the core. After cutting a slight fissure, Nie Kong applied force with both hands and pried it open, revealing the white, tender kernel inside.

"Oh my....."

The little one's voice grew urgent.

Nie Kong distinctly felt Xiangxiang's exhilaration. He quickly broke off a small piece of the kernel and placed it in his mouth. A surge of cool energy instantly blossomed on his tongue and swept through his limbs and bones. That cool, refreshing sensation seemed to permeate every nerve, every single cell.

Once the kernel was swallowed, that cool energy intensified severalfold. Nie Kong's previously heavy head instantly cleared, and even the soreness in his body seemed to dissipate significantly. For a moment, Nie Kong experienced a clarity he had never known before.

The essence of the Phoenix Eye Fruit was not in the pulp, but in the kernel!

Nie Kong was overjoyed. Judging by his body’s reaction, the medicinal power of this kernel, if absorbed and refined into spiritual power, certainly wouldn't compare to spirit herbs like the "Electric Light Vine." However, if one were to eat a small piece of the kernel while being entranced by an illusion or experiencing mental confusion, it could yield miraculous effects.

Thus, Nie Kong let the little one absorb the kernel's medicinal power and perform one round of "Scent Perception for Medicine." The result ultimately confirmed his speculation.

Looking at the kernel in his palm, the size of a ping-pong ball, Nie Kong sighed inwardly. If he had consumed the Phoenix Eye Fruit kernel yesterday, while it might not have dispelled the aphrodisiac effect, it could have kept his consciousness clear. In that case, all the confusion could have been resolved easily...

After dinner, Nie Kong did not venture out but sat cross-legged in the outer courtyard, quietly meditating on his insights. The feeling of Spirit Fusion was indeed vastly different from Spirit Communication. Spirit Communication involved communicating with the spiritual power between heaven and earth, whereas Spirit Fusion meant merging with spiritual power.

Communication versus fusion—the difference was self-evident.

With a flicker of thought, specks of green detached themselves from the spiritual power of the void above and condensed in Nie Kong's palm. In the blink of an eye, a strikingly beautiful greatsword, one seen in the "Demon and Monster" game, materialized.

He shook his hand, and the greatsword shattered instantly. Moments later, pinpricks of green reformed into a long Guan Dao.

Subsequently, Nie Kong's interest remained high. Whether it was weaponry he had seen in his past life or various arms from the game, he manifested them one by one.

Long Ping and Long Ting, standing quietly behind Nie Kong, were dazzled. Since becoming sentient, this was the first time they had seen so many oddly shaped yet exceptionally beautiful weapons. When Nie Kong tiredly stopped, neither girl had fully recovered.

In Zhaoyang Town, Nie Kong had seen a fellow entangle Bai Yuqing, instantly condensing a longsword glowing with purple light, and he had assumed this feat was relatively easy. Now that he tried it himself, he realized that drawing upon the elemental spiritual power of heaven and earth to condense weapons was quite taxing.

For someone at the Spirit Fusion Master cultivation level, fighting using this method would be hard to sustain for very long!

By circulating the "Wood Sun True Spirit Art" in cultivation for a long time, Nie Kong's "Three Spirit Apertures," which were almost depleted, finally became filled with abundant spiritual power again.

According to Nie Qingsong, this "Wood Sun True Spirit Art" was created by a Wood-element Spirit Fusion Master and was sufficient for cultivation up to the Spirit Fusion, or even Spirit Transformation realm. If Nie Kong were cultivating pure wood spiritual power, the "Wood Sun True Spirit Art" would suffice for now. But as he was cultivating mutated wood spiritual power, Nie Kong already sensed a faint constraint and bond; this spiritual art was clearly becoming inadequate.

He wondered if the Spirit Control City held any Wood Spirit Arts? Even if they did, they likely wouldn't be easily obtainable. Creating his own spiritual art? For now, that could be described as "wishful thinking"!

That Spirit Fusion Master had created the "Wood Sun True Spirit Art," yet he never managed to step into the Spirit Transformation realm in his entire life, which suggested how long it must have taken him to devise his own spiritual art!

Presently, the various spiritual arts passed down on the Heavenly Spirit Continent were all the result of countless predecessor Spirit Masters spending their entire lives meticulously studying them. For Nie Kong to want to create a new spiritual art within one or two years was no different from a fool's errand. Moreover, Nie Kong simply did not have one or two years to waste. If he failed to enter the Yin Ruins after a year or two, even if he did create a new spiritual art, he probably wouldn't live long enough to enjoy it.

Lost in thought, Nie Kong turned to look at Long Ping and Long Ting behind him, suddenly feeling a touch of envy for them.

Although these two little girls possessed spirit bodies, if someone could continuously absorb the spiritual power within them just as they approached the physical limit their bodies could endure, their natural rate of spiritual power condensation would increase layer by layer, entirely removing the need to worry about spiritual arts.

Of course, while he envied them, perhaps they envied ordinary Spirit Masters who could cultivate! In this world, achieving everything one desired was impossible.

Nie Kong composed himself, and the skills the little one comprehended upon advancing to the third tier flashed in his mind. Now that he had reached the Spirit Fusion realm, the effect of employing these skills compared to before would undoubtedly be vastly different. Thinking this, Nie Kong felt a sudden urge and threw out a punch!

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

As spiritual power poured out from Xiangxiang's tender sprout, it violently vibrated within Nie Kong’s meridians, surging out of his fist like roaring waves. The four successive bursts of spiritual power almost overlapped, and the tremendous force instantly scattered, seeming to tear a hole in the void itself.

"The power of 'Cloud Flower Four Overlaps' has indeed increased significantly upon reaching Spirit Fusion!"

A broad smile spread across Nie Kong's face.

The most marvelous aspect was that Nie Kong clearly felt that the moment his fist shot out, the wood spiritual power elements in the surrounding void rapidly separated and poured continuously into his right fist. When the momentum of the punch ceased, the gathering of those wood spiritual power elements did not stop. As a result, the explosions of the four waves of spiritual power around Nie Kong’s fist subtly trended toward spreading out across four points in the void!

Nie Kong pondered for a moment, and realization suddenly dawned upon him. No wonder people said that when powerful Spirit Masters made a move, they could shake heaven and earth and cause mountains and rivers to collapse—the root lay precisely here.

If his cultivation were stronger, when executing "Cloud Flower Four Overlaps," he could successfully detonate all the wood spiritual power elements surrounding his fist. The higher the cultivation, the wider the coverage. This was just like the large-area attack skills in the games of his previous life. Even on the Heavenly Spirit Continent, the overwhelming attack effect similar to the ultimate skill of the "Purple Spirit Illusionary Scent," the "Flower Mountain Blood Sea," could absolutely be realized in the future.

Recalling the effects of the "Flower Mountain Blood Sea" skill he had read about on the "Demon and Monster" official website in his past life, Nie Kong felt a surge of excitement. However, he was equally clear-headed: if his skills could achieve this, the spirit arts of the Heavenly Spirit Continent could surely do so as well! Otherwise, the feats described in legends—how certain super-experts could destroy an entire city or shatter a mountain peak with a single move—would be utterly impossible.

He let out a gentle breath, calming his turbulent mood. If "Cloud Flower Four Overlaps" was this potent, other skills were likely no less impressive. Nie Kong began to test them one by one...

......

Long Ping and Long Ting, yawning heavily, had long since fallen asleep. Nie Kong cultivated in the courtyard all night, yet by morning, his spirit felt increasingly vigorous.

After a brief wash, Nie Kong headed to the Pharmacy Hall. Certain unresolved matters felt like a lump stuck in his throat. When he saw Long Xuechan, she was still clad in her green dress, her curves prominently outlined through the fabric, her already lush and sexy figure seeming even more plump. Her beautiful face featured fair cheeks that looked tender and exuded an alluring, crystalline sheen.

Seeing Nie Kong enter, Long Xuechan's lips curled into a seductive smile that made one's heart flutter. She elegantly stepped forward to meet him, her slender waist swaying like a willow in the wind. Every gesture, every movement, exuded boundless charm that illuminated the room with dazzling allure.

She winked at Nie Kong, her eyes sparkling with mischievous light, and her charming voice held a hint of surprise, making her even more captivating: "Little brother Nie Kong, by your look, you seem to have broken through to Spirit Fusion. In just one day, your cultivation has advanced an entire major realm—truly astonishing." As she spoke, Long Xuechan maintained her characteristic subtle allure, making one's heart pound.

Seeing Long Xuechan act as if nothing had happened, Nie Kong was somewhat speechless and forced a bitter smile: "Sister Chan, don't play coy with me, I..."

Before he could finish speaking, Nie Kong's voice abruptly cut off. Within his Spirit Apertures, a mass of spiritual power began to tremble violently.

Nie Kong couldn't help but show surprise. The mass of spiritual power had started to fluctuate the moment he entered the courtyard, but he hadn't paid it any mind then. However, the closer he got to Long Xuechan, the more pronounced the fluctuation became, as if something about her was drawing it in.

By now, it was nearly leaping out of his Spirit Apertures, making it impossible for Nie Kong to ignore.

Long Xuechan chuckled sweetly, "Little brother Nie Kong, your sister wasn't confused before, but now that you mention it, I am confused too. Come, don't stand here gaping; let's go inside to talk. Your sister just acquired a new poisonous herb last night and wanted to ask for your help in identifying its properties."

Saying this, Long Xuechan hooked her arm through Nie Kong's and led him into the room, her full, high, and elastic bosom intentionally or unintentionally brushing against Nie Kong's arm.

Nie Kong's expression was stunned. He had no attention for the tantalizing touch on his arm, completely captivated by the strange spiritual power within his Apertures.

The moment Long Xuechan linked arms with him, the mass of spiritual power trembled even more violently. More incredibly, the emerald color within the spiritual power began to rapidly dissipate until it finally lost all color, becoming like a pocket of transparent air struggling within Nie Kong's Apertures...