Surrounding Lingyu City, the mountains rose and fell in succession, cloaked in lush, dense forest. In the Tianlang Mountain Range during June, the lingering snow had long since melted away, replaced everywhere by vibrant green.

As evening fell, the setting sun bled like fresh gore, and the magnificent sunset rays slanted down, bathing the entire Tianlang Mountain Range in a dazzling golden sheen.

A dozen li north of Lingyu City, at the mouth of a narrow mountain valley—where the grass was emerald green and the foliage thick, punctuated now and then by the cry of a bird, lending the valley an undeniable vitality.

However, only a few dozen meters inside the valley, the vibrant green of the wild grass began to betray streaks of faint yellow. Deep within, a hundred meters in, that pale yellow had already turned to a brittle brown. Further still, the grass was not only withered but beginning to decay; even the sparse trees dotted throughout the valley had curled leaves and desiccated bark, exuding a palpable sense of lifelessness, as if one had reached the very end of existence.

Another couple of hundred meters passed, and the valley reached its terminus. Here, the vegetation was entirely dead, devoid of any sign of life. Even the moss clinging to the sheer cliffs on three sides had died off in great patches, accumulating in thick layers at the base, leaving the cliff faces looking utterly barren.

At the bottom of the ravine, one section of the rock face receded slightly, forming a shallow stone alcove. On a slab of bluestone just outside the cave’s mouth, Nie Kong sat cross-legged in meditation. At this moment, clad only in a pair of black shorts, the majority of his physique was exposed. More than half a year had passed, and Nie Kong remained of medium height, his frame slightly slender...

This was leanness, not frailty!

Ever since the ‘Bone Fortifying Elixir Soup’ had nourished his previously skeletal form into a healthier state, Nie Kong’s cultivation had steadily advanced. His body was constantly tempered by spiritual power, and after ingesting Long Xuechan’s ‘Yellow Dragon Spirit Dew,’ Nie Kong had become even more robust!

Several months had now passed since he took the ‘Yellow Dragon Spirit Dew.’ The residual medicinal power lingering in his system had been completely absorbed. During this period, Nie Kong’s body had undergone subtle yet profound transformation; his bones, muscles, fascia, and skin had all been reborn.

His skin, especially, which had taken on a faint bronze hue, had become unusually smooth, with an almost crystalline sheen subtly radiating from beneath the surface. Beneath the bright skin, hard muscle subtly bulged. While it didn't reach the exaggerated proportions of the bodybuilders from his past life, even a casual glance conveyed the explosive, inherent strength coiled within Nie Kong’s musculature.

Compared to the drastic change in his physique, Nie Kong's spiritual power had not lagged behind.

After securing first place in the April 15th monthly assessment again with a ‘Ten Points, Top Tier’ result, Nie Kong dedicated the majority of his time to cultivation, significantly cutting back on alchemy. Apart from refining poisons for Long Xuechan a few times, Nie Kong had barely touched the alchemy cauldron since.

The selection for the Inner City Disciples, the Grand Competition of the Six Halls, required simultaneous assessment for disciples from the Qingfeng, Zilei, and the other five Halls, as well as those from the Yaoxin Hall. At that time, no matter how skilled one was at alchemy, a weak personal cultivation base would lead to swift elimination.

The Grand Competition of the Six Halls judged cultivation, not alchemy!

Under such circumstances, focusing on cultivating spiritual power was naturally the top priority. Especially after the May 15th monthly assessment, where Nie Kong once again unexpectedly defeated Miao Ge, Feng Biao, and others, securing first place with a ‘Ten Points, Upper Tier’ score, he threw himself almost entirely into practice.

His training location had also shifted from within Lingyu City to the outskirts.

After exploring the surroundings of Lingyu City while training, Nie Kong only found this tranquil valley about half a month ago. After training here intensely for over ten days, yesterday afternoon, Nie Kong finally sensed that intangible barrier to breakthrough within the ‘Four Spiritual Apertures of the Divine Spirit.’

Without elixirs to consume or wood element spiritual energy to absorb, Nie Kong had advanced right to the threshold of ‘Spirit Unification, Fifth Grade’ purely through his own efforts in just over forty days. This speed was remarkable; if publicized, it would undoubtedly incite immense envy.

But Nie Kong remained unsatisfied. From February to April, Nie Kong’s cultivation jumped from Spirit Passage, Fifth Grade, to Spirit Unification, Fourth Grade. Such incredible speed had raised his expectations considerably. A speed of only one grade advancement in over a month now seemed beneath his notice.

Yet, no matter his dissatisfaction with the pace, Nie Kong had to persist day by day. He had already been training in this valley for most of the day. Before leaving Lingyu City, he had sworn an oath in his heart: he would not return until he broke through to Spirit Unification, Fifth Grade.

“Boom!”

Within the Four Spiritual Apertures of the Divine Spirit, spiritual power surged like churning ocean waves, and the vital energy of the surrounding flora gathered ceaselessly from all directions. As the ‘Spring and Autumn Life Edict’ circulated, vast amounts of vitality, mingled with the ambient wood element spiritual energy, poured into Nie Kong’s body without pause.

Nearly every thread of vitality entering his body stirred a fierce ripple within his meridians.

Under this continuous, violent assault of spiritual power, the once hazy barrier grew clearer and then began to shake precariously. By now, the barrier was riddled with holes, on the verge of being submerged by the spiritual wave stirred up by the influx of vitality.

Suddenly, the trembling within the ‘Four Spiritual Apertures of the Divine Spirit’ intensified sharply.

As if commanded, the surrounding vitality no longer entered his body thread by thread but rushed in en masse, merging instantly with the spiritual power within the mengfeng zhen yi hong qi (Note: retaining specific terms). In that instant, towering waves erupted within his meridians, and colossal spiritual power poured into the apertures like an avalanche.

“Crack!”

The intangible barrier, unable to withstand the force generated by the surging spiritual energy, shattered as if crushing dry kindling. Nie Kong felt a sudden, boundless clarity wash over him, an overwhelming sense of elation—the feeling of standing atop a high mountain, gazing into the distance, heart and spirit soaring.

Spirit Unification, Fifth Grade!

After a strenuous month, the moment of harvest had finally arrived. Nie Kong’s eyes snapped open, glittering with sharp light, a joyful smile spreading across his face.

Considering it, although his cultivation had continuously improved since Spirit Passage, Fifth Grade, those gains had come either from consuming spiritual medicine or absorbing energy from the Spirit Body. The advancement earned purely through his own arduous cultivation was only this latest instance. This feeling was indeed markedly different from before.

“Spirit Unification, Fifth Grade—one grade higher than before. If I participate in the ‘Grand Competition of the Six Halls’ now, my chances of victory should increase substantially!” Nie Kong mused internally.

Today was the first of June; the Grand Competition of the Six Halls would commence the day after tomorrow.

Having won the monthly assessment of Yaoxin Hall three times consecutively, Nie Kong had perfectly met the conditions set by the Yaoxin Hall Master. His name had already been placed on the roster for the Lingyu City Grand Competition of the Six Halls as early as May 15th.

In the preceding days, Nie Kong had managed to grasp the general details of the competition.

According to established precedent, the Grand Competition of the Six Halls was held within Lingyu City’s ‘Phantom Space.’ The Phantom Space bore some resemblance to the Illusion Realm left behind from the Age of Illusory Spirits. Naturally, in terms of true functionality, the Phantom Space was far inferior to the Illusion Realm.

The origin of the Illusion Realm remained an unsolved mystery to this day. The Phantom Space, however, was far simpler; it was created by Spirit Rune Masters possessing great supernatural abilities. The foundation of the Phantom Space lay in the illusionary spirit runes carved by these masters, which intimately bound reality and illusion together.

Lingyu City possessed both the Illusion Realm and the Phantom Space.

Nie Kong was unclear about the location of the Illusion Realm, but the Phantom Space resided within Lingyu City. Since it was fabricated two thousand years ago by an outstanding Spirit Rune Master in Lingyu City at that time, subsequent masters had continually modified and refined it.

By now, it was rumored that the Phantom Space was virtually indistinguishable from the real world. Utilizing such an environment for the Grand Competition of the Six Halls was obviously very convenient.

Contemplating the imminent competition, Nie Kong felt a degree of nervousness.

After all, during the competition, all the young elites from the Six Halls would gather within the Phantom Space. Although Yaoxin Hall held a leading position in Lingyu City, in terms of personal cultivation level—setting aside alchemy—its disciples were not at the forefront. Yaoxin Hall had the fewest disciples, numbering only about two hundred and fifty in total. The other five Halls housed numerous students; Qingfeng Hall alone had over eight hundred, while the largest, Narcissus Hall and Fire Cloud Hall, each boasted populations exceeding one thousand.

Excluding the disciples still at the Spirit Passage cultivation level, the number of eligible participants exceeded three thousand, making for an abundance of young experts. It was rumored that Zilei Hall and Mountain Soul Hall each contained a disciple who had reached Spirit Unification, Ninth Grade, and many others were at Spirit Unification, Eighth or Seventh Grade. Nie Kong, currently only at Spirit Unification, Fifth Grade, could imagine the difficulty in standing out among so many young elites.

The most troubling aspect was that, according to past rules, Inner City Disciples of Lingyu City would always appear during the Grand Competition. As soon as the contest began, these individuals would enter the Phantom Space alongside the Outer City Disciples. Their role in the competition was not supervision, but interference.

This kind of competition operated strictly on a rule of survival of the fittest.

Three thousand Lingyu City disciples entering the Phantom Space signaled the start of a slaughter. Once judged ‘deceased,’ even a cultivator at Spirit Unification, Ninth Grade, would be eliminated. And these Inner City Disciples entering the space would also engage in combat, injecting further variables into the final outcome.

Thus, the Grand Competition of the Six Halls required not just skill and cultivation, but sometimes, a touch of sheer luck. Only the final hundred individuals remaining would become the future Inner City Disciples. Naturally, the Inner City Disciples who participated would not be counted among these hundred.

Three thousand people, only one hundred selected!

This elimination rate was astronomically high, and Nie Kong had to endure until the very end, no matter what. If his goal were the same as the other Lingyu City disciples—to secure a better cultivation environment within the Inner City and accelerate his progress—it wouldn't matter if he failed this competition. But this competition determined whether Nie Kong would have the right to enter the Yin Ruins in the future; he absolutely had to pass!

With this thought, Nie Kong’s gaze grew firmer. He picked up his discarded robe, wrapped it around himself, and strode toward the valley exit. However, just as he reached the mouth of the valley, Nie Kong’s pupils involuntarily contracted slightly, his gaze snapping toward a thicket of lush bushes dozens of meters away...