"Is that so?" Gu Changgong's smile remained, yet his tone held a hint of skepticism. Just as Nie Kong thought Gu Changgong was about to press further, he chuckled, "A professor from the Hall of Medicine Heart would never condone you bringing the 'Blood-Scaled Paulownia' into the Illusory Space, especially when the one conducting the inspection is Professor Luo Ren, who is not exactly fond of you. Furthermore, there is no 'Blood-Scaled Paulownia' within the Illusory Space, nor could the tree possibly attract spirit beasts from a hundred-mile radius. Perhaps what Xiao Yao saw was indeed a medicinal substance you refined, one that merely resembles the 'Blood-Scaled Paulownia'."

Nie Kong smiled without speaking. He knew Gu Changgong didn't entirely believe him, but even with suspicion, there was nothing the elder could do. After all, no one knew about his heaven-defying cheat tool, the "Pet Backpack," so there was no evidence of his deception.

"As for how you refined that medicine, this old man will inquire no further."

Gu Changgong stroked his beard, offering a faint smile. "In this 'Grand Competition of the Six Halls,' although you caused chaos in the Illusory Space with your spirit beast, the cause was not entirely yours. Moreover, you did one thing exceptionally well: during the mêlée between the spirit beasts and the inner city disciples, you had countless opportunities but chose not to kill any of them. Otherwise, no matter how exceptional you are, the gates to the inner city would never have opened for you." By the end of his speech, Gu Changgong’s expression was clearly approving, and even Sha Yan beside him nodded at Nie Kong with considerable satisfaction.

Nie Kong felt a chill in his heart, secretly relieved that Xiao Yao had managed to escape and that he had restrained the killing intent in his chest to release Luo Sheng. To forfeit the chance to enter the inner city because of those two would have been far too costly. It seemed caution was sometimes a wise course.

Gu Changgong waved his hand. "Nie Kong, go back and prepare well. Barring any surprises, you should pass the supplementary assessment in five days and become an inner city disciple."

"Understood, Sir."

Nie Kong stood up straight, bowed, and departed...

Watching Nie Kong's figure gradually disappear through the side hall door, Gu Changgong smiled faintly. "Good. This young fellow knows some restraint; he didn't run rampant using his spirit beast. Otherwise, even if Senior Nie Shen Gong asked this old man to look after him, it would be difficult for me to violate the rules of the 'Grand Competition of the Six Halls.'"

"Nie Shen Gong... Senior?"

Sha Yan was somewhat surprised. Gu Changgong was already nearly a hundred years old; who could this Nie Shen Gong be that even the Hall Master referred to him as 'Senior'? Could he be some Heavenly Spirit Realm expert? Ah, Nie Kong mentioned he was from the Nie family of Jiyang City. Could Nie Shen Gong also be part of the Nie clan of Jiyang City?

Nie Shen Gong had vanished for decades, and the distance between the State of Cheng's Jiyang City and Lingyu City was immense. It was normal for a Spirit Master like Sha Yan, only in his fifties and having spent his life in Lingyu City researching medicine with minimal outside contact, to never have heard the name "Nie Shen Gong." Gu Changgong sighed. "Indeed. This senior was a close friend of the previous Hall Master of the Hall of Medicine Heart and owes this old man a great debt. Decades ago, I heard he was severely injured, and I traveled to Jiyang City several times to offer what meager help I could, but even the Nie family couldn't tell me where he was. After so many years without news, I assumed the injuries had claimed him. Only half a year ago did I suddenly hear he had reappeared in Jiyang City. A few months ago, I received a spiritual message from him, only then learning that the injury that had plagued him for decades was actually healed by Nie Kong!"

"There was such a thing?"

Sha Yan blinked, then suddenly understood. "Hall Master, is this why you agreed to let Nie Kong participate in the Grand Competition early?" Gu Changgong laughed, "That is one reason. The second is that this youngster is truly a rare spiritual pharmacist. I have been dealing with medicine for nearly a century, and this is the first time I've seen someone able to awaken the hidden vitality within a spiritual medicine and imbue it with even greater life force. It is best for such a prodigy to enter the inner city sooner rather than later."

Sha Yan agreed, "I was also greatly astonished when I saw the ball of medicinal power Nie Kong merged that day."

"The third..."

Gu Changgong murmured the two words, but the rest remained unspoken. His gaze, however, grew deep and distant, tinged with a subtle hint of worry...

The 'Grand Competition of the Six Halls' concluded somewhat anticlimactically, but the wonders that transpired in the Illusory Space became the favored topic of gossip among the residents of Lingyu City, and the name Nie Kong was mentioned with relish by countless people. Upon hearing the news of the supplementary assessment, everyone's anticipation soared. The fellow who single-handedly caused the 'Grand Competition of the Six Halls' to end prematurely—what kind of performance would he put on in the extra trial?

Nie Kong's act of attracting spirit beasts and forcing the majority of inner city disciples into a hasty retreat practically cemented his status as an idol and hero in the eyes of all outer city disciples. Within a day, the address of his residence in the Red Tower was spread far and wide, known by nearly everyone.

Thus, starting the second day, the entrance to Nie Kong's courtyard became bustling, with a continuous stream of Lingyu City disciples coming to visit. Some came seeking his help in refining spiritual medicine, others simply to form an acquaintance, and there were even young maidens who came to express their affections...

However, regardless of their purpose, they were all turned away at the courtyard gate by a pair of beautiful twin girls. When they attempted to probe with spiritual energy, the attempts vanished as if sinking into the sea.

Only then did they realize with a shock that the twin sisters guarding the entrance were actually Spirit Bodies. Spirit Bodies could absorb any elemental spiritual energy from heaven and earth, though they could only condense one type within themselves. Spiritual power was refined from spiritual energy elements; even though the energy they used wasn't Wood Spirit Energy, it was still drawn away, only to dissipate automatically upon entering the two girls.

Realizing this, many people’s eyes grew red with envy toward Nie Kong. For a Spirit Master, finding six perfectly compatible Spirit Bodies meant that—provided their own aptitude wasn't utterly dreadful—their cultivation speed could absolutely surpass their peers. Moreover, the method of absorbing energy from Spirit Bodies was incredibly intimate! For male Spirit Masters, possessing a Spirit Body of the opposite sex was a dream come true, as historically, Spirit Bodies, regardless of gender, were always exceedingly beautiful. Constantly absorbing ambient spiritual energy subtly transformed their physical forms; it was almost impossible not to be beautiful!

Yet, Spirit Bodies were exceedingly rare. Three or four appearing over a century was considered lucky, and there was no guarantee they would be female. With so many male Spirit Masters on the Heavenly Spirit Continent, there simply weren't enough to go around. Thus, most Spirit Masters only dared to indulge in the fantasy occasionally, if at all. But this fellow Nie Kong had managed to find two at once, and he was displaying them openly at his gate—wasn't he deliberately trying to make everyone else green with envy? Not only were these two Spirit Bodies twins, but they also appeared to be only thirteen or fourteen years old, which sent those with certain darker inclinations into a jealous frenzy.

As for Nie Kong, the supposed target of all this envy, he hardly ever left his room, staying inside constantly tinkering. Meals were delivered by Long Yan and Long Ting. Whatever medicine he required, he had the two young maids purchase directly from the Red Tower's medicine hall. The vast fortune in gold coins obtained from auctioning the "Jade Leaf Glazed Pill" allowed Nie Kong to spend lavishly for a considerable time, never worrying about running out of funds.

Amidst this hustle and bustle, the days slipped by...

June 8th, Lingxiao Hall.

Just as the faintest sliver of dawn appeared on the horizon, some Lingyu City disciples, unable to contain their excitement, rushed into the bright expanse of Lingxiao Hall. They couldn't help but look around in astonishment: the vast hall was already sparsely dotted with figures. They realized these individuals had arrived even earlier—had they perhaps sneaked in the night before and cultivated there until dawn?

Before the sky fully brightened, all one thousand-plus Lingyu City disciples vying for inner city positions in the supplementary assessment had gathered. Five days had passed; everyone who needed preparation had prepared, and even those previously injured were largely recovered and naturally impatient.

The six Vice Hall Masters of the Outer City Six Halls seemed aware of the urgency in everyone's hearts, arriving at Lingxiao Hall early themselves. Following them were over a hundred professors, the first ten of whom carried thick stacks of items that gleamed with a white light, made of an unknown material.

"Everyone, these are Spiritual Pattern Maps!"

Standing on the high platform, Sha Yan pointed to the ten professors behind him and announced solemnly, "Only with these maps can you pass through the outer illusionary barriers and successfully enter the inner city!"

Hearing this, everyone froze. Distributing so many Spiritual Pattern Maps—did this mean they were expected to follow the maps to find their way? Their minds raced until Sha Yan continued, "The method for this supplementary assessment is simple: each person will receive one Spiritual Pattern Map to travel toward the inner city. Before reaching the illusionary barrier, you may seize maps from others. Each map obtained counts as one point. The top one hundred with the highest scores will be the final inner city disciples."

"The over five hundred disciples who exited the Illusory Space due to the closure during the Grand Competition of the Six Halls will each receive three initial points."

Three initial points meant they had already secured three maps. The five hundred disciples who left last from the Illusory Space cheered, while the others, though somewhat disheartened, showed no outward dissatisfaction, especially those extremely confident in their own strength, who were already itching for a fight. To them, a gap of three points was easily closed.

Sha Yan's expression suddenly darkened, his tone grave. "During this supplementary assessment, everyone must strictly adhere to the rules. Harming lives is strictly forbidden, forming alliances is strictly forbidden, using potent poisons is strictly forbidden, attracting spirit beasts with medicine is strictly forbidden... otherwise, you will be immediately disqualified! During the assessment, this old man, the other five Vice Hall Masters, and the hundred-plus professors will appear at any time and place. Do not harbor any wishful thinking."

The ten strict prohibitions, coupled with Sha Yan’s concluding remarks, shattered the hopeful notions of many Lingyu City disciples.

Nie Kong, however, felt a bit speechless upon hearing this. "Strictly forbidden to attract spirit beasts with any medicine"—wasn't that describing me? Fortunately, he had prepared a lot of special items over the past few days and wouldn't need to use the 'Blood-Scaled Paulownia' at all... Besides, using the 'Blood-Scaled Paulownia' outside Lingyu City was relatively dangerous.

"Everyone, please line up to receive your Spiritual Pattern Maps. You will depart according to the map one hour from now. Once you leave Lingyu City, attacks may commence. Remember, you only have one day. If you haven't reached..."