"Buzz!"

Amidst the fierce resonance, the second cycle finally reached its apex. Nie Kong’s spirit flickered, and the state within Long Ping’s Shanzhong Acupoint revealed itself clearly to him.

Just as Nie Kong had previously surmised, the tremors within that great acupoint inside Long Ping were now completely synchronized with the vibrations of his own Lingshen Yiqiao (Spirit-Soul One Acupoint).

What astonished Nie Kong, however, was that the small vortex inside her great acupoint had ceased its cycle of destruction and generation. Instead, it had solidified into a cluster of tiny acupoints, vibrating in unison with the larger one, as if they had all been suppressed by the resonance between the two individuals’ acupoints.

Nie Kong counted them: there were twenty solidified small acupoints within Long Ping’s Shanzhong, layered one upon the other, decreasing in number across successive strata within that large acupoint.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Nie Kong let out a surprised, soft gasp. He discovered that after solidifying twenty small acupoints, the great acupoint within Long Ping surprisingly ceased its active absorption of external Heaven and Earth spiritual energy! Vaguely, Nie Kong suddenly felt as if he had touched the great door leading to the root of the Spirit Body affliction.

If he could find the method to push that door open, perhaps these two little lasses could escape the fate of being mere Spirit Bodies, never again to labor for others. If Long Ping and Long Ting were truly members of the Dragon Spirit Clan, perhaps they too could cultivate the Xin Xiang (Heart-Intent) of their clan, just like Long Meixian and Long Xuechan.

The speed at which his fingertips manipulated the Heavenly Needles slowly decreased as Nie Kong’s mind raced. Without realizing it, Nie Kong began the third cycle of the "Nine Revolutions Golden Needle Technique."

"Buzz!" The third cycle was even more intense than the last. "Boom!"

When the fluctuations of the nine golden needles once again reached their peak, the twenty small acupoints inside Long Ping’s body began to tremble slightly, seemingly trying to break free from the formation of the great acupoint. Among these, the foremost six small acupoints vibrated the most fiercely, with the intensity decreasing in circles moving outward.

"Maybe I can try..."

A flash of inspiration struck Nie Kong, and he suddenly conceived an astonishingly bold method. With the thought forming, Nie Kong abruptly activated the "Spring and Autumn Life-Generation Art," causing the vibration of his Lingshen Yiqiao to intensify dramatically. The resulting wave spread by the acupoint vibration nearly doubled in magnitude.

The fluctuation waves flowed along the golden needles into Long Ping’s Shanzhong, immediately triggering a violent chain reaction.

"Boom!"

Amidst the explosion, the speed of vibration in Long Ping’s great acupoint instantly increased, and the outermost six small acupoints burst forth, rapidly ascending along the fluctuating waves. In a blink, they spun upward along the tip of the Heavenly Needles, each one instantly passing through Nie Kong’s index finger and entering his body.

By the time Nie Kong reacted, his Lingshen Yiqiao already held six additional small acupoints, which arranged themselves in a circle at the very top of the Lingshen Acupoint.

"Uh?"

Nie Kong was dumbfounded.

The reason he activated the "Spring and Autumn Life-Generation Art" was merely to attempt to completely stabilize Long Ping's twenty small acupoints by regulating the oscillations of the two great acupoints. He never expected that the moment the Art started running, the most stimulated six small acupoints would actually be pulled into his own Lingshen Yiqiao.

Nie Kong quickly opened his eyes and looked at Long Ping. Seeing that she showed no unusual reaction, merely a natural flush on her face, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief. If Long Ping had suffered a life-threatening consequence due to the disappearance of the small acupoints, Nie Kong felt he might never be at peace for the rest of his life.

"Boom!"

Another five small acupoints rushed out of Long Ping’s Shanzhong and entered Nie Kong’s Lingshen Yiqiao through the golden needles. Moreover, this detachment of small acupoints did not stop. Soon, the four small acupoints from the third ring, the three from the second ring, and the two from the fourth ring followed...

In less than a minute, Long Ping’s Shanzhong great acupoint became completely empty, while Nie Kong’s Lingshen Yiqiao now held twenty small acupoints. Their distribution pattern was exactly the same as in Long Ping’s Shanzhong, with virtually no discernible difference.

After entering, these small acupoints almost merged into a single entity with the Lingshen Yiqiao, vibrating along with the great acupoint’s tremors. They did not exhibit the tendency to break away at the slightest intensification of the great acupoint’s tremor, as they had in Long Ping’s Shanzhong.

"I’ve only ever heard that Spirit Masters whose souls are compatible can absorb the spiritual energy of Spirit Bodies, but I’ve never heard of anyone absorbing these acupoints from within a Spirit Body’s Shanzhong acupoint." Thinking about how he had acquired twenty small acupoints in such a short time, Nie Kong couldn't help but feel a mix of laughter and tears.

He subtly sensed internally and found that the existence of these five rings, totaling twenty small acupoints, did not impede the operation of the "Spring and Autumn Life-Generation Art." Only then did Nie Kong fully relax. If the appearance of these small acupoints caused him to transform into a Spirit Body constitution, he would truly weep without tears.

Nie Kong exhaled softly and stopped running the Spiritual Art. His focus shifted back to Long Ting. A change that brought Nie Kong pleasant surprise appeared: the stagnant spiritual energy in Long Ping’s meridians began to melt, flowing continuously in and out of the great acupoint, yet the strange suction force within her body remained.

Able to automatically condense spiritual energy, yet the spiritual energy no longer clogged her meridians...

Nie Kong’s heart leaped. Did this mean Long Ping would no longer face the threat of her meridians bursting from spiritual energy overload? In other words, had she escaped the fate of a Spirit Body? Nie Kong was left speechless; the problem he had struggled to solve through painstaking thought had been resolved through a sheer stroke of luck?

With a thought, Nie Kong slowly drew out the golden needles one by one. Seeing Long Ping’s pretty face flushed and hearing her slight, shallow breaths, he couldn't help but ask, "Pingping, how do you feel?"

Long Ping shyly pulled her clothes together, concealing the two small mounds on her chest, and asked with confusion, "Master, it feels very strange. It seems like I don't have as much spiritual energy in my body, but it doesn't look like you absorbed it. Why has it changed like this?"

"This is good!"

Nie Kong didn't explain, just laughed heartily, "Tingting, now it’s your turn."

"Oh."

Hearing this, Long Ping shifted inwards, leaving space for her sister. The little girl Long Ting, with almost no hesitation, quickly exposed her tender, fair chest. Her two rosy buds stood pertly erect, like two red plum blossoms waiting to bloom in the snow and ice.

Nie Kong calmed his mind. After the nine golden needles were cleansed by the fiercely burning mutated wood spiritual energy, they settled one by one onto Long Ting’s chest...

He again reached the third cycle of the "Nine Revolutions Golden Needle Technique," and once again, twenty small acupoints appeared inside Nie Kong. However, after entering his Lingshen Yiqiao, they did not arrange themselves like Long Ping’s small acupoints. Instead, they inverted, connecting with their counterparts one by one.

The scene was like the tips of two small trumpets meeting muzzle-to-muzzle, leaving only two large bells facing upwards and downwards, respectively, and this happened for twenty pairs in a row. Now, Nie Kong’s great acupoint contained forty small acupoints, yet it did not feel crowded at all.

"Forty small acupoints. I wonder what use they have?" Nie Kong muttered inwardly.

After continuing to treat Long Ting’s body for a while longer, Nie Kong finally withdrew the golden needles and said with a smile, "Pingping, Tingting, wait here for a moment. I’m going out for a bit and will be right back." After the two nodded, Nie Kong quickly left the pavilion, heading toward the west of the city.

What Nie Kong sought was not Patriarch Xu Ba, but rather to get Gu Changgong to sign off on his departure from the Inner City. Although the two little girls seemed to have escaped the fate of the Spirit Body, Nie Kong did not know much about Spirit Bodies. Whether this was truly the case needed to be verified by Long Xuechan, an experienced person.

Upon hearing Nie Kong's intention, Gu Changgong immediately agreed to his request.

About an hour later, Nie Kong returned with Long Ping and Long Ting to the Outer City of Spirit Control City, which they hadn't seen for many days. The familiar streets, the lively shouts of vendors, the bustling crowds—all made the two little girls cheer excitedly. Even Nie Kong himself felt a sense of unreality.

Arriving near the Red Mansion, Nie Kong headed straight for the Sixth Courtyard of the Pharmacy. As Nie Kong pushed open the gate connecting the courtyards, he saw a familiar figure emerging from a room inside: peerlessly beautiful, with a graceful figure convex and concave, yet clad in white as snow—it was Long Meixian.

"Xuechan..."

The two little girls shouted in joy, but before they could finish calling out "Sister," their voices abruptly stopped. They stared at Long Meixian, looking somewhat dazed.

"Nie Kong, it’s you!" Upon seeing Nie Kong, Long Meixian’s pretty face instantly frosted over, her expression gloomy, the previous elegance and tranquility completely gone.

"It is I. Meixian, I didn't expect us to meet again so soon," Nie Kong laughed heartily.

Long Meixian spoke coldly, "Shut up! Is Meixian a name you can use? Why aren't you cultivating diligently in the Inner City? What business do you have bringing two little girls here?"

"I had no business initially, but seeing Meixian, I suddenly remembered something important." Nie Kong grinned slyly. "Although we fought nearly all night last time in the Heavenly Wolf Mountain Range, I still have many moves I didn't get to use. Are you interested in sparring a bit more?"

A blush involuntarily rose on Long Meixian’s pretty face.

Her figure flashed, and she appeared before Nie Kong, reaching out her right hand toward the clothes on his chest. But halfway there, she withdrew it, biting her lip in shame and anger, and hissed, "Nie Kong, shut your filthy mouth! If you dare speak nonsense in front of Xuechan, don't blame me for cutting out your tongue!"

"Sister Meixian, who are you going to cut the tongue of... Don't leave! You must have something to tell me, hehehe..." A green shadow emerged from the void beside them. Long Xuechan’s full and tempting figure appeared. However, the moment her form became clear, Long Meixian had already merged back into the void, looking rather flustered.

"Sister Xuechan."

The two little girls, Long Ping and Long Ting, finally snapped out of their stupor and ran to Long Xuechan’s side, looking toward where Long Meixian had vanished with surprised expressions on their faces.

"Stunned, are you?"

Long Xuechan pinched the tender cheeks of the two little girls and smiled sweetly. "The one who just ran off is called Long Meixian. She has been with you for several years."

"Ah?"

Long Ping and Long Ting were stunned, then suddenly understood. "The one who took care of us before was Sister Meixian; the one after arriving at Spirit Control City is Sister Xuechan. Sister Xuechan, you look exactly the same as Sister Meixian. Are you also twins? No wonder we couldn't tell."

"That's right, the two of us are just like you."

Long Xuechan gracefully approached Nie Kong and chuckled ambiguously, "Little Brother Nie Kong, how comfortable was your experience training in the Heavenly Wolf Mountain Range?"

"Comfortable, very comfortable," Nie Kong said with a dry laugh. Her words carried hidden meaning; judging by her expression, she seemed to have guessed what happened between him and Long Meixian. This was normal; if the psychic connection between Long Ping and Long Ting was so strong, the connection between Long Xuechan and Long Meixian couldn't be weak.

"How happy were you?" Long Xuechan continued to press with a smile.

"Ahem, doing is better than talking. If Sister Chan wants to know, why don't you spar with me? Then you will surely gain a deeper understanding of the word 'comfortable,'" Nie Kong couldn't be stumped by her question. He smoothly steered the topic back to Long Xuechan herself.

"You little slippery thing!"

Long Xuechan gave Nie Kong a charming glance, but unlike previous times, she didn't tease him provocatively, lest he overthink things and invite trouble. "According to the rules of Spirit Control City, Inner City disciples are not allowed to leave casually. Little Brother Nie Kong, your sudden appearance here must mean you have something important to discuss?"

Nie Kong smiled somewhat mysteriously. "Sister Chan, do you see anything different about Pingping and Tingting compared to before?" The two little girls, confused by the conversation between Nie Kong and Long Xuechan, became even more bewildered when Nie Kong turned the topic to them, their tender little faces clouding over.

"Different?"

Long Xuechan paused, looked over Long Ping and Long Ting, and suddenly let out a soft "Oh." She swiftly tapped the location of their Shanzhong Acupoints with her index fingers, one left and one right, allowing red light to penetrate. A moment later, astonishment appeared on Long Xuechan’s face, but within a few seconds, that astonishment was replaced by surprise.

"Nie Kong, you succeeded this quickly?" Long Xuechan withdrew her fingers, her gaze turning to Nie Kong, a trace of disbelief in her eyes.

"Not entirely, I just solved their problem first. Sister Chan, do you think Pingping and Tingting can cultivate?" Nie Kong did not state it outright. Since Long Xuechan had not revealed her Dragon Spirit Clan identity to him, even though Nie Kong had a strong inkling, it was improper for him to say so explicitly.

"They can! Of course, they can! Perhaps in ten years, they could reach the level I am at now," Long Xuechan’s brow held an uncontrollable joy.

Nie Kong felt relieved and said with a chuckle, "That’s good then. Sister Chan, I need to enter seclusion recently to find a way to mend the flaws in my Spiritual Art, which will likely take a long time. During this period, I entrust Pingping and Tingting to your care. It will be good for them to cultivate with you as well."

Long Ping and Long Ting finally understood a little. Their little mouths drooped, on the verge of tears, and they spoke in unison, "Master, are you abandoning us?"

"It's not abandoning you, it's letting you stay here and cultivate with Sister Chan. I’ve already helped you escape the fate of the Spirit Body. From now on, you will never face danger from your bodies reaching the limit of the spiritual energy they can withstand. Aren't you happy?" Nie Kong spoiled them by rubbing the little girls' heads.

"Waaah..."

Far from being happy, the two little girls’ eyes turned red, and they burst into tears...

The reason Long Ping and Long Ting cried heartbrokenly was their fear that since they no longer needed him to absorb the spiritual energy in their bodies, they would no longer be able to stay by their Master's side. Nie Kong had to swear that he would never "abandon" them and persuade them to cultivate well so they could be of greater help to him in the future. Only then did the two little girls stop crying and agree to temporarily stay at the Red Mansion with Long Xuechan, to be picked up by Nie Kong upon his emergence from seclusion.

Nie Kong left for Yin Ruins three days later, unsure when he would see them again. He was somewhat reluctant to part with the two lovely little girls, spending half a day accompanying them touring Spirit Control City before leaving.

By the time Nie Kong passed through the illusionary realm north of the city and returned to the Inner City, it was already dusk.

As soon as he entered the pavilion, Nie Kong sat down cross-legged, cleared his mind of distracting thoughts, and immersed his spirit into the Lingshen Yiqiao. Although half a day had passed and the forty small acupoints had not interfered with the operation of the "Spring and Autumn Life-Generation Art," Nie Kong could not feel at ease until he understood their function.

"Aiyaya."

The little creature stretched and stood up. Recently, the little creature absorbed large amounts of the red liquid beads secreted by the "Fire Tree Silver Flower," and then it would lie spread-eagled on the ball of ink-green blood like a little pig, sleeping for half the day.

"Aiyaya?"

Seemingly noticing the anomaly above the great acupoint, the little creature muttered curiously. A trace of greenness seeped in, darting between the small acupoints, poking one here, scratching one there, clearly having a great time. Sweet and crisp cheers constantly transmitted into Nie Kong’s mind.

Sensing the little creature’s movement, Nie Kong couldn't help but smile faintly. He suddenly thought of Qing Yue. Although the little girl tended to brag, she was, after all, a thousand-year-old Medicine Spirit whose soul had once cultivated to the Heavenly Spirit Realm. What opinion might she have regarding the complex state within his Lingshen Acupoints?

"Qing Yue."

With a thought, Nie Kong activated the miraculous connection with the Beast Token and sent a mental message.

"What is it?"

The little girl crawled out from Nie Kong’s embrace, then perched on his lapel, stretching her arms. "Hmph, it’s dark, Grandma needs to sleep now, don't bother me. Hmph hmph, if Grandma becomes less beautiful due to lack of sleep, can you take responsibility?"

You haven't slept for days on end recently, yet now you need to sleep? Nie Kong felt speechless and sighed with feigned helplessness. "Since that’s the case, then hurry up and sleep. Alas, what a pity for my fragrance. I was actually planning to ask you for a small favor and then give you the fragrance."

"Hmph? Who said Grandma needs to sleep? You must have misheard!" Qing Yue’s eyes immediately lit up with joy. She leaped from Nie Kong’s lapel onto his shoulder, eagerly saying, "Nie Kong, what favor do you need Grandma to do for you? Hurry up and say it, don't dawdle."

Nie Kong chuckled inwardly. "It’s just a small matter regarding cultivation. Qing Yue, considering you’ve reached the Heavenly Spirit level, solving this small favor shouldn't be difficult for you?"

The little girl pounded her chest, making a "peng-peng" sound, and proudly tilted her head. "Nie Kong, you asked the right person... Beauty 'Qingyue Phantom Heart Orchid' is here, so any cultivation problem is a small problem. Tell me quickly, what do you need Grandma to do for you?"

"Amazing! Listen carefully!"

Nie Kong quickly outlined the situation inside his acupoints in general terms.

"...What? You have forty-one acupoints—twenty pairs of small ones and one large one?"

Qing Yue’s two little eyes bulged wide open, her mouth forming an 'O' shape. Soon, the little girl seemed to realize this reaction didn't quite fit her image as a master. She coughed lightly, stubbornly saying, "Nie Kong, this problem... is indeed a small one. Since your forty small acupoints are divided into twenty pairs, the connection point between each pair is blocked. Why don't you just break them open?"

"That's one way, I'll give it a try."

Nie Kong knew Qing Yue was talking nonsense, but what she said had some logic. For the Lingshen Acupoints to function, they needed to be open from top to bottom. The lower ends of the twenty pairs of small acupoints had indeed fused together, blocking them. If he broke them open, it might actually work.

"You... you’re really going to try?" Qing Yue was startled. "Of course," Nie Kong smiled. "Ah, well, this... ahem, my suggestion is to wait before trying..." Qing Yue stammered. "You were just talking nonsense?" Nie Kong deliberately frowned. "How is that possible?"

Qing Yue jumped up, finding herself in an awkward position. "If you try, I'll try! With my Grandma’s soul power protecting your Lingshen Acupoints, I don’t believe any problem can arise!" As soon as the words left her mouth, the little girl transformed into a dense mass of green energy, wrapping around Nie Kong’s lower abdomen like a ribbon, then seeping inside.

Nie Kong immediately felt an exceptionally powerful force tightly encircling his great acupoint. A sharp cry instantly rang out: "Hey! It’s that medicinal power again! It’s inside your acupoint, Nie Kong! It seems I wasn't wrong last time; you really do have a Medicine Spirit inside you."

"Xiangxiang."

Nie Kong ignored Qing Yue’s clamor. After letting the little creature retract its green energy back into the Yaochi Acupoint, he moved his consciousness and began running the "Spring and Autumn Life-Generation Art." Vast spiritual power flooded into the Lingshen Yiqiao. Nie Kong selected one acupoint from the first ring and controlled a wisp of spiritual power to tentatively rush in.

"Boom!"

The acupoint trembled, and the inside felt somewhat loosened. Nie Kong’s heart rejoiced. Subsequent spiritual power poured continuously from above into that pair of small acupoints. Time flew by quickly; just like the invisible barrier before a cultivation breakthrough, the small acupoint loosened more and more violently.

Unfortunately, after a long time, the pair of small acupoints still failed to achieve true transparency.

A thought suddenly flashed through Nie Kong’s mind: he separated two strands of spiritual power of equal strength and rushed them simultaneously into the small acupoint from both the upper and lower exits.

"Boom!"

Amidst a violent burst, Nie Kong felt a sudden breakthrough. The two wisps of spiritual power intertwined, and that pair of small acupoints began to rotate, but in exactly opposite directions: the upper half rotated clockwise, while the lower half rotated counter-clockwise—quite bizarre.

"It worked!"

Qingyue's delighted voice chimed out. Nie Kong was equally thrilled, astonished that his casual attempt had actually succeeded. What delighted him most, however, was that once the pair of minor apertures were clear, the maximum limit achievable when the major apertures vibrated had actually increased. For a Spirit Master, this was monumental news!

After a period of stillness, Nie Kong calmed his spirit and directed the two streams of spiritual energy toward the second pair of minor apertures...

ps: This is a double update; tomorrow's release will likely be rather late.