If Long Xuechan could break free, through her own efforts, from the millennia-old fate of the Spirit Bodies always serving as stepping stones for others, it implied she must have accumulated significant experience on that path. Why, then, did she fail to guide Long Ping and Long Ting when they began showing signs of their Spirit Bodies awakening?

If one were to assume Long Xuechan refrained from guidance because the path she herself walked was treacherous, and she couldn't bear to see the two young girls suffer the same ordeal, that would be understandable.

But why didn't she at least let them choose to condense one of the five spiritual power elements within their bodies: Wind, Thunder, Water, Fire, or Earth? These five attributes each boast numerous Spirit Masters, naturally increasing the likelihood of finding a soul-matched master for them.

Yet, the two young girls ultimately chose to condense the Wood spiritual power element!

The Wood attribute was already rare, and Wood Spirit Masters were even scarcer. Finding a soul-matched individual among the seldom-seen Wood Spirit Masters was akin to climbing to the heavens! It could be said that once a Spirit Body chose to condense the Wood element, they were walking a path toward certain doom, with virtually no hope for the future.

Long Xuechan certainly would not allow the sisters Long Ping and Long Ting to sacrifice themselves in vain; her choosing this path for them must have held a hidden motive.

And this, precisely, was what made Nie Kong most wary!

He could sense no outright malice emanating from Long Xuechan, yet he was equally aware that she was undoubtedly a vortex, a realization that deepened after the absurd yet intimate encounter they shared. Once caught within, escaping the swirling depths would prove incredibly difficult.

Thus, Nie Kong had impulsively taken out the thirteen "Jade Leaf Glazed Pills" as a probing measure.

This was not because Nie Kong was heartless or ungrateful, eager to draw a line after their recent closeness with Long Xuechan. It was simply because Nie Kong knew his cultivation was low, not high. While he possessed a certain confidence in his unique skills regarding alchemy, his cultivation level, though not inferior to ordinary peers, still lagged significantly behind those truly outstanding individuals of his generation.

With such cultivation, sinking into Long Xuechan's vortex was dangerously risky.

If one day she asked Nie Kong to assist with something extremely perilous, he couldn't very well throw his life away just because he’d shared a moment of inexplicable union with her.

Nie Kong was unaware of Long Xuechan's ultimate objective, but it was clear she had initially intended to place her careful strategy upon the Long Ping and Long Ting sisters. His appearance as a Wood Spirit Master had altered her original plan, leading her to offer the sisters to him as servants, shifting her investment focus onto him instead.

The two young girls, being naive and ignorant due to their youth, were likely oblivious to Long Xuechan's true intentions. But Nie Kong was different. Since he suspected a trap lay ahead, he wouldn't foolishly leap into it. At this juncture, choosing to repay the favor she owed him was certainly the wisest course of action.

This way, should Long Xuechan make a request later, Nie Kong could consider the circumstances carefully. He hadn't expected Long Xuechan to refuse the bait, thus foiling Nie Kong’s scheme.

Thirteen "Jade Leaf Glazed Pills," nearly fifty million Gold Coins, plus the formula for the "Jade Leaf Glazed Pill"—if things went as expected, the potential future earnings would certainly be calculated in the hundreds of millions. Such a monumental temptation was something most people could hardly resist, yet Long Xuechan rejected it without hesitation.

"Sister Chan is truly a woman of extraordinary astuteness; she likely guessed my intentions the moment I presented the 'Jade Leaf Glazed Pills'!"

Walking the path toward the "Medicine Heart Hall," Nie Kong felt a degree of helplessness. Long Xuechan’s actions were perhaps indefensible, yet now that he couldn't repay her favor, if her future requests proved too dangerous, he would simply have to feign ignorance. For now, enhancing his strength was paramount!

About fifteen minutes later, Nie Kong arrived behind the Medicine Heart Hall.

There stood rows of quaint and exquisite small pavilions. According to information Nie Kong had gleaned from the guards earlier, this area housed Sha Yan, the Vice Hall Master of the Medicine Heart Hall, and the various instructors. The tallest of these four-story pavilions was the Vice Hall Master’s residence.

Nie Kong found his destination with surprising ease, requiring almost no searching.

The pavilion door was ajar, and no guards were visible at the entrance. After a slight hesitation, Nie Kong strode inside. Upon entry, he discovered the pavilion was strangely empty—there wasn't even a staircase leading to the second floor. How was one supposed to ascend? Were people expected to climb?

"You have arrived."

A familiar voice suddenly sounded close to his ear. Immediately, Nie Kong felt the very space around him ripple like water disturbed by a gentle breeze. A sharp wave of vertigo swept through his head; the scenery spun violently, shifting like a revolving lantern—too fast to take in.

This first floor concealed an Illusionary Spirit Pattern!

The moment this thought flashed through Nie Kong’s mind, the rapidly moving images halted. Focusing his gaze, the surroundings had utterly transformed. The empty pavilion now felt significantly smaller, and in front of him appeared a low, square table set with items such as tea trays. To his side, he now saw the staircase leading back down. He realized this must be the top floor of the pavilion.

Seated on a white jade cushion behind the low table was a thin, aged man whose face bore a faint smile—it was none other than Sha Yan, the Vice Hall Master of the Medicine Heart Hall!

"Greetings, Vice Hall Master!"

Nie Kong collected himself and quickly bowed.

Sha Yan’s eyes swept over Nie Kong’s frame, his smile slightly receding as his expression shifted to one of surprise. "My, you are improving quickly. After seeing you just two days ago, you have already reached the Spirit Fusion Realm. If my perception is correct, during your monthly assessment the day before yesterday, you were still ranked eighth or ninth among your peers!"

It was easy for a high-level Spirit Master to discern the major realm of a lower-level Spirit Master, but distinguishing the exact minor grade was far more difficult. Without deploying spiritual power for probing, one could only grasp a rough estimate. After all, even if two Spirit Masters shared the exact same cultivation grade, the spiritual energy fluctuations they exhibited would still vary in strength, lacking uniformity.

"I was ninth-grade Spirit Communication. I was fortunate enough to break through to Spirit Fusion yesterday!" Nie Kong replied with a smile. If he were still in Yang City, he might have concealed a little to avoid attracting too much attention from other aristocratic clans. But here in Spirit Imperial City, there was no need for such secrecy. This location was far removed from the Great Accomplishment Empire's Imperial Palace, and the power of Spirit Imperial City far surpassed that of those clans, lessening the need for excessive caution.

"Excellent, excellent!"

Sha Yan chuckled, stroking his beard. "Nie Kong, you have come seeking knowledge about Wood-element Spirit Arts from this old man, have you not?"

He already knew? Nie Kong was momentarily stunned.

Sha Yan laughed heartily. "Even if you hadn't sought me out, I would have come looking for you upon learning you had broken through to the Spirit Fusion Realm. The Spirit Art you currently cultivate is only suitable for ordinary Wood Spirit Masters; it is quite insufficient for cultivating a mutated Wood spiritual power. Indeed, Spirit Imperial City houses a Wood Spirit Art called the 'Spring and Autumn Life-Giving Art,' created by the only Wood Spirit Tamer in the history of the Celestial Spirit Realm. It should allow you to cultivate up to the Spirit Transformation Realm!"

"Spring and Autumn Life-Giving Art?"

Nie Kong murmured the name before suddenly exclaiming, "Vice Hall Master, wasn't the Wood Spirit Art created by that Spirit Tamer already lost?"

Sha Yan let out a knowing chuckle. "For many years before you, no Wood Spirit Master had appeared. And this 'Spring and Autumn Life-Giving Art' has resided in Spirit Imperial City even longer. Outsiders couldn't locate it, so as stories were passed down, it eventually became 'lost'."

Others might not know, but how did Long Xuechan find out? Nie Kong muttered to himself but held back the question. Long Xuechan frequently visited the Medicine Heart Hall and was likely quite familiar with Hall Master Sha Yan; it was entirely possible she had learned of the 'Spring and Autumn Life-Giving Art' from him.

"If it weren't for the appearance of you, a Wood Spirit Master, I would not have gone to the elder of the 'Spirit Concealment Hall' to inquire whether such a Spirit Art existed within Spirit Imperial City."

Sha Yan paused, his tone shifting abruptly. "However, the 'Spirit Concealment Hall' is the vital repository for the Spirit Arts and Techniques collected by Spirit Imperial City. According to the city's rules, to acquire an Art from there, one must make sufficient contributions to Spirit Imperial City. Even I, the Vice Hall Master of the Medicine Heart Hall, cannot violate this rule."

"What kind of contribution is required?" Nie Kong asked, realizing there was indeed no such thing as a free lunch in this world!

Sha Yan stroked his beard and smiled. "The 'Eight-Star Conch' you identified was selected by Elder Liu Xinyun for the 'Medicine King Pavilion,' which grants you thirty contribution points. Your first-place finish in the Medicine Heart Hall's 'Monthly Assessment' earned you ten contribution points. The 'Spring and Autumn Life-Giving Art' is considered a low-grade Spirit Art, and you need a total of one hundred contribution points to enter the 'Spirit Concealment Hall' and borrow it from the elder there."

"Still sixty points short!"

Nie Kong felt speechless. Accepting the task to refine the powder for the "Jade Leaf Glazed Pill" required accumulating one thousand points first, and now borrowing the "Spring and Autumn Life-Giving Art" required one hundred contribution points. It was becoming increasingly 'gamified.' Nie Kong felt like a player in a game from his past life.

Sha Yan said kindly, "Nie Kong, do not rush. Since you are a disciple of our Medicine Heart Hall, refining medicine for the Hall can also earn you periodic contributions. A third-grade spiritual medicine that enhances cultivation yields one point per dose. An ordinary third-grade spiritual medicine yields half a point. Work diligently. Refining one or two doses a day, and you should acquire the 'Spring and Autumn Life-Giving Art' in a month or two. That is not a long time."

Not a long time, one or two months?

Nie Kong nearly rolled his eyes at Sha Yan's words. Under normal circumstances, one or two months wasn't long, but he needed the "Spring and Autumn Life-Giving Art" immediately to refine that ball of neutral spiritual power trapped in his acupoints. How could he afford to spend one or two months refining spiritual medicine just to exchange for those sixty contribution points?

Nie Kong's mind raced. Suddenly, he asked, "If I were to provide the 'Medicine Heart Hall' with a new medicinal formula, how much contribution would I receive?"

Sha Yan smiled openly. "Depending on the superiority of the new medicine, it could be as little as ten points, or as much as tens, even hundreds or thousands of points. Little fellow, do you happen to possess a new formula? If so, that would certainly save trouble. However, if the spiritual medicine refined using the formula proves ineffective, it will not count."

"I understand."

Nie Kong smiled. "Thank you very much, Vice Hall Master. Your disciple will take his leave to prepare." After bowing respectfully, Nie Kong quickly walked down the stairs. Behind him, a subtle difference entered Sha Yan's gaze. Could this young man truly possess a new medicinal formula?