Deep within the Gloomy Ancient Cave, amidst the central frigid current, the placid surface of the water suddenly erupted in a spray, and Nie Kong surfaced, gasping for air.

Three days had now passed since the little creature awoke.

During these three days, Nie Kong spent his afternoons cultivating in the "Illusory Realm of Spiritual Cultivation," while his mornings were dedicated to conditioning himself in this icy current. With the guidance of Bai Yuqing, that mermaid, Nie Kong's progress was astonishingly fast. By now, Nie Kong could swim to the center of the cold current purely through his own effort.

Moments later, Nie Kong’s body sank again, his hands frantically raking through the sand and stones below. Before long, a faint green glow finally emerged from the small pit he had dug. Nie Kong reached out and grasped forcefully, and a small, dark-green pebble instantly settled into his palm.

Drawing on his previous experience, the moment the dark-green stone touched his hand, Nie Kong focused his mind and drew it into his Pet Backpack, strictly avoiding the injection of spiritual power into the stone’s interior.

After all, this object was too strange; once spiritual energy touched it, it could never be shaken off.

The dark-green essence absorbed into his body could enhance the hidden power within the "Yin Ruin Bloodline." Nie Kong still didn't know if this change was ultimately good or bad for him. If the enhancement of this hidden power caused it to erupt prematurely, he would truly regret it beyond measure.

The safest method, naturally, was still to stash it in the Pet Backpack. This morning alone, five dark-green pebbles had been added to Nie Kong's pack. This was also the first time Nie Kong had searched along the river's center; it was unlikely he would find this many every day going forward.

"Aiya ya!"

The little creature mumbled weakly, its stem leaves and roots drooping, its spirit somewhat listless. After several days, it seemed to realize there was an issue with the source of its rations; the sound of its cries had become much softer, no longer as confidently demanding as it was three days ago.

Nie Kong sighed inwardly and quickly headed back.

Three days prior, after exchanging two thousand points at the Inner City Apothecary for a medicinal herb, Nie Kong had sought out Gu Changgong and asked him to convey his desire to purchase a large quantity of poisonous herbs from Long Xuechan.

Unfortunately, Long Xuechan had left Spirit Sovereign City that very day. The person Gu Changgong sent returned empty-handed, only managing to relay Nie Kong’s request to the manager of the Crimson Tower Apothecary.

The next day, the exchanged herbs were depleted. Nie Kong had to shamelessly borrow a plant from Gu Changgong. As of today, only half of that borrowed herb remained. Nie Kong kept it in his loft dwelling, lest the little creature devour it all in one go, leaving nothing even for a small bite if hunger struck. If there was still no news from Long Xuechan by this afternoon, Nie Kong would have no choice but to borrow from Gu Changgong again. However, this was clearly not a long-term solution.

Nie Kong pressed on without delay, returning to the North District of the Inner City at maximum speed.

"Aiya ya!" Even dozens of meters from the loft, the little creature acted as if it had been injected with adrenaline, bouncing and hopping excitedly within the "Yaochi Acupoint."

Good medicine! Nie Kong instantly understood Xiangxiang’s meaning and felt a surge of joy. He immediately executed the "Ethereal Shift of Flower Evasion." Green blossoms bloomed beneath his feet, seemingly lifting Nie Kong’s body, propelling him forward like a wisp of smoke, leaving a faint trail of afterimages behind him.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, he heard sweet, crisp laughter drifting from the loft. Aside from the two little girls, Long Ping and Long Ting, the third voice was very familiar—it was Long Xuechan herself.

Nie Kong secretly let out a sigh of relief. He had expected Long Xuechan to entrust Sha Yan with delivering the poisonous herbs he needed into the Inner City, but he hadn't anticipated she would come in person. Of course, since she could send the Pingting sisters into the Inner City, her appearance here wasn't entirely unexpected.

His thoughts racing, Nie Kong quickened his pace. Before he could even reach the loft entrance, a striking green figure gracefully appeared in the doorway. Her posture was alluring, her exquisite eyes moved fluidly, and a captivating smile played on the corners of her lips. Her delicate countenance revealed skin so fair and rosy it looked ready to burst with juice, radiating mature allure and intoxicating charm.

"Master."

The two little lolis, Long Ping and Long Ting, darted out from beside Long Xuechan, running joyfully towards Nie Kong, their smiles impossible to conceal.

Although the Inner City had quite a few female disciples, and he often saw Miao Ge, Tai Ji, Bai Yuqing, and Gu Qi, these women were busy cultivating most of the time. The two little lolis were usually very lonely, and Long Xuechan’s arrival had made them extremely excited.

Nie Kong indulgently pinched their soft, rosy cheeks and walked up to Long Xuechan with a smile. "Sister Chan, you truly are my great savior. You must have brought plenty of poisonous herbs with you this time you came to the Inner City, right?" As he spoke, Nie Kong’s gaze eagerly swept past Long Xuechan to look behind her.

Long Xuechan shifted slightly to the side, pointing to the dozens of stacked medicine boxes on the table behind her, and said with a smile, "Little Brother Nie Kong, one plant a day—that’s enough for you to last three months. Moreover, the toxicity of every herb here is no less potent than 'Snowflake Ball.' You'll be satisfied."

"Oh? That's wonderful!"

Nie Kong clapped his hands, his joy evident on his face.

Back when he was helping Long Xuechan identify the properties of poisonous herbs in the 'Six Courtyards of the Apothecary,' 'Snowflake Ball' had been the first toxic herb he encountered. While its toxicity didn't match the 'Black Heart Butterfly' or 'Jade Exquisite' herbs there, it was still remarkably fierce.

At the little creature's current rate, ninety herbs would sustain it for nearly half a year. Nie Kong was quite grateful that Long Xuechan had managed to procure so many poisonous herbs in just two or three days. "Sister Chan, you didn't happen to empty out your entire Six Courtyards, did you?"

Long Xuechan giggled coquettishly, "Little Brother Nie Kong, you guessed correctly. All the poisonous herbs my sister had are right here. How do you plan to thank your sister?"

As she spoke, Long Xuechan moved steadily closer to Nie Kong. When her words fell, her full, upturned chest intentionally or unintentionally brushed against Nie Kong’s arm. Her beautiful, gentle eyes gazed at Nie Kong, a flirtatious smile lingering on her lips, rich with seductive intent.

"This... well..."

The soft, rounded sensation brushed against his arm, causing Nie Kong’s heart to skip a beat. He glanced at Long Xuechan’s alluring expression and his mind involuntarily flashed back to what had transpired in the underground chamber of the apothecary. Though only fragments remained in his memory, the amorous nature of those moments defied description.

"Mmm!"

Long Xuechan let out a soft, tender sound from her throat, a faint blush rising on her cheeks. She bit her lower lip and let out a soft hum, "You little rascal, what are you thinking about?"

"Huh?"

Nie Kong started, seeing Long Xuechan's expression, it seemed she knew what he was contemplating. To be honest, his mind had indeed been focused on recalling one specific posture from that secret room—it was incredibly intimate, and among all the memory fragments, that one was the clearest.

"Stop daydreaming!"

Long Xuechan shot Nie Kong a look. Her breathing was rapid, her eyes full of nascent desire, and her cheeks were so flushed they looked ready to drip moisture. Beside them, the two little lolis watched, stunned, never having expected Long Xuechan to suddenly adopt such an intensely bewitching appearance.

Nie Kong quickly drove the gorgeous image from his mind, yet he was filled with astonishment. Had they developed a telepathic connection after that incident? Unlikely. She could discern his thoughts, but he had no clue what was on her mind.

There must be another reason for this!

Wait, could she know the legendary Mind Reading technique? No, that wasn't right either. If that were true, all his secrets would have been exposed long ago, and she would certainly already know about the "Yin Ruin Bloodline" within him! Nie Kong eyed Long Xuechan suspiciously and opened one of the medicine boxes containing the poisonous herbs.

Long Xuechan casually stepped a few paces away from Nie Kong and let out a long breath. The flush on her face quietly receded, but inwardly she gave a bitter smile. That little rascal had actually been thinking about that just now; she had almost embarrassed herself in front of the two girls, Long Ping and Long Ting.

"Dragon Mate Love Seal..."

She silently mouthed those four words a few times. Long Xuechan felt quite helpless. Before that incident, she could tease the little rascal anytime, anywhere, without restraint. But now that was impossible; once she made the little rascal’s heart wander, she would be the one losing face in the end...

...

Perhaps due to the awkward situation, Long Xuechan didn't linger long and soon departed the loft under the reluctant gaze of the two little lolis. However, before leaving, Nie Kong handed her his spirit card, asking her to help him purchase large quantities of poisonous herbs outside.

Long Xuechan's arrival solved Nie Kong's immediate crisis. In the following days, Nie Kong no longer had to worry about the little creature's provisions. Apart from refining some spiritual medicines every night to deliver to the pharmacy on the thirty-third floor, his life settled into a monotonous cycle of shuttling between the Gloomy Ancient Cave, the Illusory Realm of Spiritual Cultivation, and his residence.

Two months passed in a blink... The trees in the streets and alleys were beginning to yellow, the weather was turning cool, and the Inner City in September held a touch of desolate beauty.

Gloomy Ancient Cave.

"..."

"I’ve finished cultivating for over half an hour and finally purged the intense cold. Right, has Nie Kong gone out yet? I need his help refining a spiritual medicine."

"I don't think so. I haven't seen him come out."

"Not out? Hiss... When I came up, he was just going down. He’s been down this long? How is that possible?"

"Half an hour—could he have frozen to death in the river?"

"Haha, stop worrying about him. Even if all of us freeze to death, Nie Kong won't. The day before yesterday, I saw him staying in the river for a full half an hour!"

"..."

On the banks of the frigid current, several Inner City disciples, enveloped in dense spiritual energy, muttered to themselves while staring at the gently rippling river surface, their faces a mixture of surprise and admiration.

At the bottom of the river, Nie Kong sat quietly in meditation. A dense green substance encased him from head to toe, forming a gigantic cocoon. Apart from extremely minimal Wood Spirit energy elements, almost all the green essence surrounding Nie Kong was condensed vitality drawn from the center of the frigid current.

Over the past two months, Nie Kong had managed to stay submerged in the cold current for increasingly longer periods. Since he could no longer find those dark-green pebbles, every morning Nie Kong sat at the riverbed cultivating the "Spring and Autumn Life Spirit Art." The intense life force not only saturated his spiritual power long ago but also dyed his "Four Apertures of the Spiritual God," which had only a faint hint of green before, a vibrant emerald green with the condensed liquid vitality...

...

PS: Next chapter, we switch dungeons~~ Guess what dungeon it is, and there's a prize for the correct guess! O(∩_∩)O~.. .. ..