Two figures shot down from the mountain peak, vanishing into the dense woods below in the blink of an eye. Immediately afterward, their screams, angry shouts, and the earth-shattering roars of spirit beasts echoed from that direction.

The cacophony gradually faded, and the frenzied spirit beasts nearby seemed driven by that sound, howling as they chased after the source.

The mountain forest grew quiet, and Nie Kong’s silhouette leaped down from a large tree at the foot of the mountain.

Previously, he had surveyed the surrounding terrain and estimated the distance. He quickly deduced that the fellow who left behind the "Blood Scale Tung" would most likely choose this very mountain to witness the spectacle of him being besieged by spirit beasts, purely because the summit offered an expansive view, allowing one to take in all movement within several li radius.

After rushing over at top speed, Nie Kong produced the Blood Scale Tung. The spirit beasts that were about to retreat immediately surged forward again with renewed fervor, as if injected with powerful stimulants.

Just as Nie Kong had predicted, the commotion caused by the spirit beasts indeed startled the two figures on the mountain.

Nie Kong then put the Blood Scale Tung away and instructed his little companion to absorb all the medicinal power of the Blood Scale Tung within its body and store it in the Pet Pack. The Blood Scale Tung had only been exposed for such a short time; given the speed at which the medicinal scent spread, even if it had permeated the bodies of the two individuals, the dosage would not be significant.

However, for those ferocious and violent spirit beasts, even a minuscule trace of the Blood Scale Tung's fragrance within the two men was enough to make them a frantic target of pursuit.

If their luck was truly terrible today, they might well end up as a meal for those beasts! Nie Kong felt not a shred of sympathy for the pair.

Nie Kong clearly remembered that these two were the same men who had extorted Bai Yuqing in Zhaoyang Town that day. To use the Blood Scale Tung against him over such a minor grudge was truly excessive. If they died today because of the Blood Scale Tung’s scent by the hands of spirit beasts, it would surely be their just deserts!

Nie Kong shot a cold sneer in the direction they had fled, then circulated his spiritual power. With the cooperation of his little companion, he executed the skill "Flying Flower, Flowing Shadow" to perfection, swiftly following their trail. This was not because Nie Kong wished to watch their brutal demise under the beasts’ assault, but because Ling Yu City lay in that direction.

For the first portion of the journey, Nie Kong encountered numerous shattered spirit beast corpses. The ground was stained with blood, and the pungent smell of gore hung heavy in the air.

Later, the signs of battle branched off onto a path running parallel to Ling Yu City. Nie Kong lost interest in following further. Once tainted by the medicinal fragrance, they were like two living Blood Scale Tungs; as long as they lived, the maddened spirit beasts would follow them eternally.

Unless they could slay every single berserk spirit beast within a ten-li radius, or return to Ling Yu City in the shortest possible time!

Both scenarios were clearly improbable, meaning their fate was almost sealed. Even if they survived this ordeal, they would be left half-dead! Nie Kong felt it was better spent using the last day and night to prepare thoroughly for the upcoming Grand Competition of the Six Halls.

By the time Nie Kong returned to Ling Yu City, the sky had completely darkened. Before heading back to his residence, he first paid a visit to the Red Chamber Apothecary.

According to the rules of the Six Halls Grand Competition, participants were strip-searched before entering the Illusionary Space. All disciples of Ling Yu City participating in the competition were forbidden from carrying any weapons, but spiritual medicines were unrestricted. If Nie Kong didn't stock up on plenty of good things for himself, it would be a disservice to his identity as a Spirit Alchemist!

South of Ling Yu City, in a courtyard dwelling.

The night deepened. In the brightly lit hall, the bodies of Lü Jian and Luo Teng lay motionless on the floor, looking as if they had just been pulled from a pool of blood. Their clothes were tattered, blood soaked their forms, and deep, bone-visible wounds marred them everywhere; not a patch of healthy flesh remained on either body.

Beside them, three young men stood silently, heads bowed with grim expressions. Not a sound escaped any of them. The thick scent of blood permeated the hall, making the atmosphere even heavier.

"Speak. What happened here!"

Like a gust of icy wind blowing from the depths of the Nine Nethers, a chilling voice suddenly cut through the silence.

The speaker was a sharply built man in black, perhaps twenty-five or twenty-six years old. His expression was severe, his features gaunt. He sat perfectly still on a chair, resembling a lifeless sculpture, save for the slight rise and fall of his chest, which indicated he was forcefully suppressing the rage churning within him.

The three young men exchanged glances, hesitant to speak for a long moment. The black-clad man’s narrowed eyes snapped open, unleashing a sharp, piercing gaze brimming with killing intent.

A chill crept into the hearts of the three youths. Finally, the one with the long, mournful face braced himself and spoke: "Brother Luo Sheng, we aren't entirely clear on the details, only that today Luo Teng and Lü Jian took the 'Blood Scale Tung,' claiming they were going out of the city to teach someone a lesson. Since we needed to prepare for the Six Halls Grand Competition the day after tomorrow, none of us accompanied them. Later, when it grew dark and they still hadn't returned, we grew worried and went out to search. We found them just a short distance outside the city. By then, they had already stopped breathing!"

Seeing that the black-clad man called Luo Sheng showed no flicker of emotion, another youth quickly added, "I examined the wounds on their bodies; they were all left by spirit beasts. It’s highly likely they were ambushed by beasts outside the city, and that's why... that's why..."

The man's voice trailed off, unable to utter the final words. The three then exchanged subtle glances, a shadow of worry crossing their brows, clearly fearing Luo Sheng would vent his anger upon them.

Luo Sheng remained silent for a long time. The hall was dead quiet, the only sound the ragged breathing of the four men, so still one could hear a needle drop. Just as beads of fine sweat began to form on their foreheads, Luo Sheng's voice finally sounded again: "Who were they going to teach a lesson to today?"

The three felt a wave of relief. Hearing Luo Sheng ask this, they paused briefly before scrambling to answer: "Nie Kong! That person is called Nie Kong!"

"Nie Kong?"

Luo Sheng forced out several icy syllables. "Did he return today?"

"He returned, he returned!" the long-faced man quickly confirmed. "After finding Luo Teng and Lü Jian outside the city, I went to the Red Chamber to inquire. They all said that Nie Kong returned from outside the city right when it got dark, and he was completely unharmed. Brother Luo Sheng, there must be something suspicious here. Furthermore, I heard that Nie Kong was also permitted to participate in the Six Halls Grand Competition the day after tomorrow because he ranked first in the monthly assessment three times. Brother Luo Sheng, you are one of the inner-city disciples who will enter the Illusionary Space this time; this is a superb opportunity for you to avenge Luo Teng..."

"Get out!"

Just as the long-faced man was speaking enthusiastically, Luo Sheng abruptly cut him off.

"Brother Luo Sheng..."

"Get out!"

Seeing the long sword Luo Sheng held in his right hand vibrating with a low hum, the three men’s faces drastically changed, and they dared not speak another word, hurrying out of the hall in a flash.

"Blood Scale Tung, Blood Scale Tung... trying to harm others only to have it backfire..."

Luo Sheng sat motionless for a long while before suddenly rising and kneeling beside Luo Teng. His dry lips barely moved. "Whether your death is connected to that Nie Kong or not, he... will not live past this Six Halls Grand Competition! This is the last thing your elder brother can do for you!"

"Hiss, hiss..."

The next morning, just as the sky began to lighten, the piercing sound of burning spiritual energy echoed constantly within the bedroom. Bright green flames rose high, seemingly increasing the temperature of the entire room. Above Nie Kong's right palm, an exquisite small medicine cauldron spun rapidly, emitting intermittent humming sounds from within.

"Crack!"

With a light snap, the cauldron lid sprang open. Nie Kong moved his left hand, deftly plucking two types of herbs from the table and dropping them into the cauldron. However, just as the lid was about to close, the cauldron suddenly erupted in a string of hissing flames, followed by a plume of burnt, acrid smell drifting out.

Another failure!

Catching the lid that had been flipped up by the internal flames with his right hand, Nie Kong rapidly retracted the green flame from his palm. When Nie Kong brought the now quiet cauldron before his eyes, he indeed saw a pile of charred medicinal dregs inside. This was the third attempt! Nie Kong’s brow furrowed tighter and tighter.

Last night, Nie Kong had purchased a large batch of herbs from the Red Chamber Apothecary. Upon reaching home, he sent the two little maids, Long Ping and Long Ting, over to Long Xuechan’s place, and then began refining medicine using the "Medicine Cauldron Illusion Body." In just over an hour, Nie Kong had successfully refined six Grade Three spiritual medicines: "Jade Fragrance Pills."

This "Jade Fragrance Pill" was the same Grade Three spiritual medicine Nie Kong had offered to the Medicine Heart Hall previously to obtain the "Spring and Autumn Life Cultivation Art." It could instantly restore a significant amount of spiritual power.

In battles that lasted a long time, this "Jade Fragrance Pill" could prove immensely useful. Moreover, the "Jade Fragrance Pills" Nie Kong refined were for his own consumption; they possessed frighteningly high fusion rates and each one radiated a verdant green hue, brimming with vitality and possessing superior medicinal efficacy!

The Jade Fragrance Pill was only the first spiritual medicine Nie Kong planned to prepare.

This morning, Nie Kong began refining his second spiritual medicine: the "Spirit Flower Soaring Dragon Elixir"! This was also a Grade Three spiritual medicine, possessing a rather peculiar effect: it could cause a Spirit Fusion Master's cultivation level to surge by two grades in an extremely short period. Its effect was potent, but the resulting after-effects were equally severe.

However, at a critical juncture, this spiritual medicine could also yield miraculous results, so Nie Kong naturally needed to prepare a few spares for himself. What frustrated Nie Kong was that the small cauldron conjured by his little companion had failed three consecutive times, each failure occurring at the very moment he added the last two ingredients.

Even more exasperating was that after three consecutive failures, Nie Kong still couldn't even pinpoint the cause of the failure.

"Could the prescription be wrong?" Nie Kong muttered inwardly.

This "Spirit Flower Soaring Dragon Elixir" originated from the Nie family. The seven herbs comprising the formula were all flowers. Before leaving Jiyang City, Nie Xingyun had shared several spiritual medicine formulas with Nie Kong, (stating that) this "Spirit Flower Soaring Dragon Elixir" was among them. Nie Kong set down the cauldron and scrutinized the formula several times, then analyzed the medicinal principles and properties of the seven flowers, finding no error in the formula. This only left him more bewildered.

Where exactly was the problem in the process?

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