The orifices thrummed, and Nie Kong's abdomen roared like thunder. Vast spiritual power surged back from the "Four Spiritual God Orifices" into the meridians! This was Nie Kong's countless attempts to assault the invisible barrier within the orifices, followed by failure. Half a month ago, Nie Kong had already sensed the barrier’s presence, and the feeling of impending breakthrough grew stronger by the day. Yet, the invisible barrier, which seemed ready to shatter with a single impact, stubbornly refused to yield. The Spirit Transformation Realm was right there, seemingly just a single, easy step away, but that short distance felt like an impassable chasm. It was the very essence of "a foot away, yet a thousand miles apart."

"Hoo!"

Suddenly, Nie Kong shot up like a sailfish breaching the surface. Moments later, he had regulated his breathing and submerged once more into the frigid current. Returning to his cross-legged posture, Nie Kong remained perfectly still, letting the icy torrent rush past him.

"Spiritual Thought?"

Slowly closing his eyes, those two words flashed through Nie Kong's mind again. Spiritual Thought, one might say, was the hallmark of a Spirit Transformation Master. By merging one's consciousness with spiritual power, one could achieve Spiritual Thought, a state where perceptive ability would far surpass that of the Spirit Fusion stage. However, despite dedicating a significant amount of time to contemplation, Nie Kong still found no clear path forward. This was precisely why his cultivation remained stuck just short of the final small step. In Nie Kong's understanding, Spiritual Thought should belong to the realm of the spirit. After Spirit Transformation comes Spirit Control; what exactly does a Spirit Control Master "control"? It is the Spiritual Thought! Wielding Spiritual Thought to attack enemies was a technique only available after reaching Spirit Control.

"Perhaps I have been too eager!"

Sensing the "Four Spiritual God Orifices" now dyed a vibrant green by the life essence, Nie Kong paused, then calmed his mind, continuing to circulate the "Spring and Autumn Life Cultivation Art." This time, it was purely cultivation; Nie Kong refrained from mobilizing the spiritual power within him to forcibly strike that invisible barrier.

"Whoosh!"

The emerald essence surged powerfully, pouring into Nie Kong's body like a tide, wave after wave. The life essence within this frigid current seemed inexhaustible; after cultivating for so long, its richness remained undiminished. The absorbed life essence no longer merged with the spiritual power, which had already reached saturation, but instead condensed entirely into a liquid form. However, once the "Four Spiritual God Orifices" turned completely emerald green, they ceased absorbing the liquid essence. It began to accumulate more and more within Nie Kong’s orifices. By now, three of the four orifices were filled with liquid life essence, leaving only the small orifice formed by the attribute-less spiritual power. Ever since the first orifice filled with liquid life essence, Nie Kong had held a faint premonition: once all four Spiritual God Orifices were completely filled, some unexpected change might occur. As the next two orifices successively filled with liquid essence, this feeling intensified within Nie Kong. Now, "watching" the liquid life essence condense further in the small orifice, Nie Kong felt both anticipation and hesitation. While he sensed a change was likely upon the complete filling of the orifices, he could not know if that change would ultimately be for better or worse! The fourth orifice was considerably smaller, and after about half an hour, it was nearing the limit of what it could contain.

"The last bit!"

Seizing the opportunity, he floated to the surface for a breath. When Nie Kong settled back into his meditative position at the riverbed, he couldn't help feeling a touch of nervousness. If he stopped absorbing the life essence now, upon breaking through to the Spirit Transformation Realm, he could integrate this liquid essence into his spiritual power, and the change he anticipated might never materialize. However, after only a brief hesitation, Nie Kong made his decision. Gritting his teeth, he forcefully continued circulating the spiritual art, and the life essence poured madly into his body from all directions. Four or five minutes later, the fourth orifice was finally saturated with liquid life essence...

...

"Boom!"

As if the heavens themselves had split apart, a colossal roar echoed through the Senluo Ancient Cave. Dozens of inner city disciples struggling against the spiritual energy on the riverbank were all startled awake. Several inner city disciples scavenging for Spirit Illusion Stones in the frigid current were also shaken to the core, hastily leaping onto the riverbank. Everyone stared, dumbfounded, their ears ringing. The water surface on either side of the current was relatively calm, but the central part of the water churned as if possessed. Waves rose high, and waves of jade-green tide rolled down from upstream, looking capable of crushing any obstacle in their path into fragments. Most incredibly, accompanying this tide were vast clouds of green energy. In an instant, they converged downstream into a massive patch of emerald mist. The brilliant green hue made the already jade-green current shine even brighter, an extremely bizarre sight.

"..."

"What's wrong with this frigid current? Why is it acting up all of a sudden?"

"Wood spiritual energy element! Such dense Wood spiritual energy element! It looks even richer than the elemental energy on the first layer of the 'Spirit Cultivation Illusionary Realm'!"

"Nie Kong! Nie Kong seems to be right there!"

"Did this bastard cause this commotion? What the hell is he doing? He made me choke on water twice; if I hadn't swum fast enough, I might have frozen to death in the river!"

"..."

After a moment of shock, the inner city disciples on the bank recovered, their faces filled with disbelief as continuous exclamations of surprise escaped their lips. At this moment, the deafening sound within the Senluo Ancient Cave seemed to shake the entire inner city, causing other busy disciples to exchange bewildered glances.

"Oh my, Great Grandfather, is the Senluo Ancient Cave collapsing?"

In a secluded courtyard in the western part of the inner city, the little loli Gu Qi, while comforting the small spirit beasts that were yelping in fright, murmured curiously.

"How could the Senluo Ancient Cave collapse?"

Gu Changgong let out a soft laugh, closing his eyes as if sensing something. A moment later, his eyes snapped open. Two brilliant beams of red light burst from his dark pupils: "Girl, practice diligently at home; Great Grandfather is stepping out for a moment." Without waiting for Gu Qi the little loli to reply, Gu Changgong’s imposing figure dissolved into the void, instantly vanishing without a trace...

...

"Hmm?"

In a bright stone chamber deep beneath the inner city, a soft exhalation emanated from within a dust-covered stone statue. Immediately, the statue’s eyes slowly opened, as if a long-sealed door had suddenly been unlatched, causing dust on the eyelashes and eyelids to sprinkle down. Turning his gaze, somewhat sluggishly, toward the stone door beside him carved with dense patterns, all parts of the statue’s body seemed to begin moving.

"Crack!" "Crack!"

The thick layer of dust accumulated on the statue's surface cracked inch by inch, accompanied by a grating sound of tearing. In an instant, the dust began sliding away toward the ground like flowing water. After a while, the "cracking" sound abruptly ceased, and the statue was left perfectly clean... This was not a statue, but a living old man, clad in blue robes, skeletal thin, his wrinkled face resembling a piece of dried tangerine peel.

"How... long... has it... been..."

The shriveled lips moved slightly, and a low hum emanated from the old man's throat. "Who... has... activated... the... 'Yin... Ruins... Spirit... Vein'..." The voice was incredibly slow; every syllable was drawn out with more than ten seconds of lingering echo... At almost the same moment, sounds of surprise echoed from multiple locations throughout the inner city...

...

Senluo Ancient Cave. At the bottom center of the frigid current, Nie Kong's body trembled, his face contorted, blue veins throbbing on his forehead, his entire form emitting a faint, eerie green glow.

"Hoo! Hoo..."

Nie Kong's breathing grew ragged. Intense pain, like sharp saw teeth, ceaselessly tore at Nie Kong's nerves. At this moment, nearly every cell in his body was screaming in agony. Since the fourth orifice had been filled with liquid life essence, Nie Kong had been tormented by this ineffable, excruciating pain. He had sensed that the Four Spiritual God Orifices would change, but the true manifestation of that change was far more bizarre than Nie Kong had estimated. The instant the fourth orifice reached its limit, the other three masses of liquid life essence seemed powerfully drawn toward the center, rushing toward each other desperately. This nature of convergence was entirely different from the flow of spiritual power. Within the "Four Spiritual God Orifices," each contained its own spiritual power; normally, with just a thought from Nie Kong, the power in one orifice could flow effortlessly into another without the slightest obstruction. But this liquid life essence acted as if it intended to demolish the orifice walls, merging them into one. The compression of the liquid life essence caused violent explosions to resound within the Four Spiritual God Orifices.

"Ah-ya-ya!"

The little fellow floated and bobbed in the Yaochi Orifice, its leaves and roots swaying with a rustling sound. Its sweet, crisp cries were filled with worry. From time to time, it sent out a burst of its innate medicinal power, which exploded throughout various parts of Nie Kong's body. While the little fellow's medicinal power was indeed a fine thing, it was not an all-purpose panacea. The agony Nie Kong was suffering now was induced by the spirit acting upon the flesh, rendering the innate medicine almost useless.

"Boom!"

Following another violent explosion, the Four Spiritual God Orifices spectacularly shattered. The four masses of liquid life essence finally connected successfully, and the exploded orifice walls dissolved, scattering like specks of starlight into the liquid essence, as if they had never existed. "Heh..."

The moment the orifices burst, the bone-deep pain vanished instantly. Nie Kong felt a sudden lightness, and his dazed consciousness cleared immediately. He let out a long sigh of relief. However, the strange state within his orifices caused Nie Kong to frown deeply. The "Four Spiritual God Orifices" were shattered? Without the Spiritual God Orifices, he couldn't use spiritual power—did that mean he had reverted to an ordinary person? Nie Kong’s thoughts raced, but he did not panic, because he noticed that the vast amount of life essence and the small trace of wood elemental energy swirling around him had not dissipated. If he had become an ordinary person, they should have scattered long ago. With a thought, Nie Kong attempted to circulate the "Spring and Autumn Life Cultivation Art."

"Whoosh!"

A hurricane seemed to sweep over the large mass of liquid life essence, and it slowly began to spin. In just a moment, a small vortex appeared in the center of the liquid essence. The life essence surrounding Nie Kong and the spiritual power within his meridians began to converge ceaselessly toward that vortex...

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