On the shore, the disciples of the inner city were even more astonished.

Just a moment ago, the scene within the cold current had shifted again: the mass of concentrated, vibrant green mist first began to spin slowly, but as the rotation accelerated, the green mist transformed into a colossal vortex, the whistling sounds echoing booming throughout the ancient cavern, sending shivers through every heart.

In an instant...

The vortex expanded to tens of meters across. Vast swathes of green mist continued to rush in from the upstream and downstream of the cold current, only to be sucked into the depths of the water by the vortex. The surrounding currents churned violently, towering waves splashing onto the banks, making the cold bite even deeper into the inner city disciples.

"This kid, to be able to absorb such a huge amount of life essence, no wonder he could trigger the 'Yin Ruins Spirit Vein,' it seems..." Not far away, Gu Changgong smiled faintly, murmuring to himself, his voice growing weaker until the last few words vanished along with his silhouette from the Senluo Ancient Cavern.

"Huh?"

At the bottom of the cold current, Nie Kong was equally astonished. That verdant vortex continued to expand, quickly engulfing the entire area where the "Four Spirit God Apertures" had once been located. It then spread uniformly in a circle around the perimeter before finally ceasing its expansion.

As the "Spring and Autumn Life Formula" circulated, spiritual power and life essence continued to pour into the vortex. Gradually, the liquid vortex began to condense. After an unknown period, the spiritual power within Nie Kong's meridians had been completely absorbed by the vortex.

As for the life essence, though it continued to flow into his body, it no longer integrated into the vortex. Noticing this change, Nie Kong subconsciously ceased circulating the spiritual formula. The speed of the vortex’s rotation slowly decreased, and before long, it settled into stillness.

"This is... a Spirit God Aperture?"

Nie Kong found it hard to believe. The original "Four Spirit God Apertures," shattered by the pressure of the liquid life essence, had apparently re-fused into this single, entirely new aperture. Furthermore, judging by its size, it seemed even larger than the vortex within the Danzhong aperture of Long Ping and Long Ting.

Feeling that solitary aperture in his Dantian, Nie Kong wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.

From the initial "Three Spirit God Apertures," to the recent "Four Spirit God Apertures," and now down to a single "Spirit God Aperture," across the entire Tianling Continent, he was likely the only one to have experienced such bizarre and outlandish happenings. After a moment of wild speculation, Nie Kong’s mind finally settled.

"One Spirit God Aperture is one Spirit God Aperture. As long as there's an aperture inside, that’s what counts. I just wonder what the cultivation efficiency will be like with just one."

As this question crossed his mind, Nie Kong could no longer wait and surfaced. With the aperture formed, Nie Kong stopped cultivating, the massive vortex above dissipated, and the turbulent water calmed. Nie Kong glanced around swiftly and began swimming toward the opposite bank.

The moment he left the center of the river, the biting cold assaulted him from all sides. By the time he climbed onto the bank, Nie Kong's body was stiff with cold. Shivering, he sat down, cultivated for a short while, and then, under the astonished gaze of the surrounding inner city disciples, he rushed out of the Senluo Ancient Cavern.

Not long after, Nie Kong appeared on the second layer of the "Spiritual Cultivation Illusion Realm." The biggest difference between this layer and the first was that here, for every individual, it was a completely independent space; absolutely no trace of another person could be seen.

Of course, for a powerhouse like Gu Changgong, the rule was different.

Drifting dozens of meters with the current of the wind, Nie Kong landed on a massive boulder...

...

In the western part of the inner city, Gu Changgong, Rou Yun, Yang Tian, Lian Cheng, Bao Long, Hou Tu, and the other six Hall Masters of Lingyu City had all gathered. However, at this moment, they all stood silently beside a thin, elderly man in green robes, their faces etched with reverence.

Outside the courtyard, the little loli Gu Qi was peeking from behind a tree, blinking her eyes, her small face filled with surprise: Heavens, a Martial Ancestor? She never knew her Great Uncle and the others had a Martial Ancestor, and one residing right here in the inner city! She had never heard Great Uncle or Grandpa City Lord mention it before.

After a long while, the little loli mumbled to herself, counting on her fingers to estimate his age, her dark, round eyes widening further...

...

On the second layer of the Spiritual Cultivation Illusion Realm, fierce winds howled, and shrill, piercing sounds of air being torn accompanied them ceaselessly. Nie Kong sat quietly on the boulder, his robes fluttering wildly.

"Buzz!"

Amidst a deep, resonant hum, the aperture vibrated with increasing intensity. Wood spirit energy elements and life essence surged chaotically around Nie Kong. In the blink of an eye, Nie Kong's body was enveloped in a dense green glow, and a vortex gradually began to form within the green mist covering his chest.

At this moment, Nie Kong was filled with excitement. He hadn't expected that fusing four apertures into one would drastically accelerate his cultivation speed. In an extremely short time, Nie Kong's previously empty apertures and meridians became overflowing, with (vast and mighty) spiritual power surging like rolling waves.

The benefit of a larger aperture in cultivation was evident. What if he used it for the breakthrough to Spirit Manifestation?

With a thought, Nie Kong unleashed his formidable spiritual power simultaneously, pressing down like an overwhelming tide upon the Spirit God Aperture. Instantly, it was as if a hurricane had erupted within the aperture; spiritual power surged and crashed like tides against the frail, invisible barrier, causing violent bursts of sound to echo in his mind.

Nie Kong's entire focus was fixed within that great aperture.

Unknowingly, Nie Kong’s spirit seemed to merge completely with the "One Spirit God Aperture." He stopped thinking about how to break through or achieve Spiritual Thought, focusing only on quietly savoring the oscillations of spiritual power as it impacted the aperture. That oscillation was continuous, highly rhythmic, resembling a beautiful piece of music.

This profound sensation had never occurred before. Vaguely, Nie Kong seemed to grasp something, and his mind subconsciously plunged into that rhythm.

"Boom!"

Like a clap of thunder, under the even more intense impact initiated by his entire body's spiritual power, the invisible barrier at the "One Spirit God Aperture" finally shattered with a resounding crash.

The moment the barrier broke...

A bead of green light, crystal clear as jade, ascended from the bottom of the aperture. Only the size of a peanut, perfectly round, it resembled a green gemstone. After leaving the aperture, the green bead continued to float upward, taking nearly fifteen minutes to finally enter the "Yintang" acupoint between his eyebrows.

The green bead stilled, and Nie Kong instantly awoke!

"First Grade Spirit Manifestation!"

Sensing the spiritual power within his body had seemingly increased nearly tenfold, Nie Kong was overjoyed. The final small step he had struggled so long to complete had been achieved unknowingly right here. Matters of cultivation, sometimes, defied all logic.

A Spirit Manifestation Master, while not a paramount figure across the entire Tianling Continent, was certainly considered an expert among the inner city disciples of Lingyu City. Although he was in a lower small grade than Lan Shang, who was Eighth or Ninth Grade Spirit Manifestation, Nie Kong was not yet twenty—several years younger than them!

"Whoosh!"

A fierce wind roared in, and amidst the violent sound of air being torn, Nie Kong, whose concentration was broken, was thrown back by a sudden force. Seizing the opportunity, the moment his feet touched the ground, Nie Kong did not hesitate and plunged into a hole in front of him. In an instant, Nie Kong woke up in the stone chamber outside.

He let out a quiet breath and shifted his attention to the space between his eyebrows.

"Spirit Seed!"

Nie Kong smiled faintly, articulating the two words. The Spirit Seed, as its name implied, was the seed of Spiritual Thought. With this seed, one possessed Spiritual Thought, truly stepping into the Spirit Manifestation realm and becoming a legitimate Spirit Manifestation Master. In future cultivation, as the Spiritual Thought grew stronger, this seed would also continue to expand, becoming a potent weapon in combat even when reaching the Spirit Taming realm.

The Spirit Seed was formed by the spirit merging with spiritual power. Although its appearance seemed somewhat accidental, the moment Nie Kong felt its existence, he discovered an extremely close connection between himself and the Spirit Seed, as if the seed had become an integral part of his own spirit.

Nie Kong sat cross-legged in the stone chamber, quietly contemplating.

When he walked out of the Dragon Stone Great Gate, it was nearly evening. The sky was a canvas of crimson, and the brilliant, gorgeous sunset glow bathed the entire inner city in a hazy sheen. Standing before the Dragon Stone Great Gate, facing the blood-red setting sun and the brilliant afterglow, he gazed into the distance, where continuous mountain ranges stretched beyond the cliff face.

When I reach the highest peak, I shall see all mountains small!

These two lines involuntarily flashed through Nie Kong’s mind, and his chest felt suddenly broadened. At this moment, Nie Kong suddenly gained a deeper comprehension of the Dao of Cultivation: the breakthrough from Spirit Integration to Spirit Manifestation was not just an increase in cultivation strength; it was fundamentally a transformation and sublimation of one's state of mind.

"Nie Kong, watch my move!"

Suddenly, a fierce shout pierced his ears, accompanied by a ferocious impact attacking from behind. Nie Kong let out a long laugh, clenched his right fist, and swung it back in a sweeping arc.

Floating Flower Overlapping Shadows!

"Boom!"

Vast spiritual power surged forth from his right fist. Amidst a deafening roar, within one meter of Nie Kong's right fist, it was as if a tornado had erupted, spiritual power overflowing, the force raging wildly. Tai Hong, who had just rushed toward Nie Kong with his punch, cried out "Aiyayaya!" and was sent flying backward.

With a thud, Tai Hong stabilized himself, but his clothes already bore several rents from the air resistance. He looked at Nie Kong with utter astonishment, "That shouldn't be! Nie Kong, I just broke through to First Grade Spirit Manifestation, how did I get knocked around like that with a single punch?"

Nie Kong smiled, "Brother Tai, I'm truly sorry, I just broke through to First Grade Spirit Manifestation as well! Hahaha..." As he spoke, Nie Kong swiftly brushed his right hand across his brow, revealing a small cluster of green light flickering with a soft luster—this was the sign of a Spirit Seed residing between his eyebrows.

"You're also First Grade Spirit Manifestation, what a coincidence!"

Tai Hong was stunned for a moment, then grinned broadly with delight. He immediately scurried over to Nie Kong, glanced around mysteriously for a moment, and lowered his voice, "Nie Kong, since you’ve reached First Grade Spirit Manifestation, we can move forward with that thing we talked about before."

"What thing?" Nie Kong asked, puzzled.

"The Crescent Moon Green Hook..." Tai Hong leaned close to Nie Kong’s ear, reminding him of the four words.

"Oh!"

Nie Kong suddenly realized, instantly recalling the herb that had drawn the little creature's attention when the medicinal power of the "Mist Concealing Pill" dispersed. His heart stirred with anticipation, and he asked softly with curiosity, "Brother Tai, what kind of place is that dangerous location you mentioned?"

"Heh heh, it's a shattered Illusion Realm!"

"A shattered Illusion Realm?"

"..."