As evening approached, the sunset was a brilliant, blood-red spectacle. In the courtyard, Mu Feihe listlessly twirled a leaf in his beak, rotating it ceaselessly. Watching the green glow emanating from the room, he couldn't help but huff in disgruntled annoyance. Though the "leg injury" had healed completely over this long period, some other part of his body had been severely debilitated ever since.

Initially, Mu Feihe had wretchedly assumed the damage was caused by the leg of a stool. After long contemplation, however, he recalled that during his second thrashing by Nie Kong, a few fingers had seemed to poke his lower back, accompanied by a faint influx of spiritual power. He subsequently consulted several Void Spirit Masters for help, but none could resolve the issue. He was left cursing Nie Kong bitterly while dutifully remaining confined within the Nongyue Tower.

"Boom!"

A violent, explosive sound ripped through the air, startling Mu Feihe so badly his heart nearly leaped from his throat. He whipped his head around to see the vague, shifting green cocoon inside the room suddenly detonate, its shimmering green light intensifying manifold, bursting forth through the windows.

After a long moment, the myriad streaks of emerald light gradually dissipated. Within the room, a figure slowly materialized, becoming clearer and clearer. Mu Feihe stared blankly for quite some time before snapping back to awareness, his eyes locked onto the figure, his thoughts unknowable.

"Hee ya!"

The door opened, and Nie Kong stepped out slowly, a faint smile gracing his lips.

Mu Feihe couldn't help but freeze; this detestable fellow looked exactly the same as before.

For some reason, Mu Feihe suddenly felt that over the past twenty-odd days, some mysterious change had taken place within his own body—a change that felt profoundly enigmatic.

Yet, precisely what was so strange about it eluded his ability to articulate in words.

Seeing Mu Feihe standing in the courtyard, Nie Kong was unsurprised. He glanced up at the sky and suddenly asked, "How long was I cultivating?"

Mu Feihe responded reflexively, "Twenty Tian rods."

"Twenty-nine days?"

Nie Kong frowned slightly, then subtly relaxed, a look of satisfaction returning to his face. These twenty-nine days had been entirely worthwhile. During this period of deep seclusion, Nie Kong’s cultivation had already advanced to the second grade of Spirit Transformation. The instant he stopped cultivating just now, he had vaguely sensed that intangible barrier within his Spirit Soul Acupoints. Barring any unforeseen issues, breaking through to the third grade of Spirit Transformation was imminent.

More importantly, over nearly thirty days of constant derivation and experimentation, his "Yin-Yang Spirit Devouring Art" had achieved preliminary refinement. Though it couldn't yet compare to Spirit Arts polished over centuries, at least the faint, dragging sensation during cultivation was gone. For Nie Kong, this represented tremendous progress, especially since self-creating a Spirit Art was incredibly difficult for a Spirit Transformation Master.

Gazing at Nie Kong's smiling face, Mu Feihe was consumed by vexation over his own subservient demeanor; he had answered everything Nie Kong asked, making him seem like a mere attendant. After a while, Mu Feihe finally ground out through clenched teeth, "Mu Kong, what exactly did you do to me that day?"

"A little trick, just to keep you in line," Nie Kong replied, glancing at Mu Feihe and chuckling playfully. "You look quite well; it seems my little trick worked out decently."

With that, Nie Kong started walking toward the edge of the courtyard.

"You..."

Nie Kong's taunt enraged Mu Feihe, making him tremble with impotent fury. He could only watch helplessly as Nie Kong strode away...

As dawn began to break, a new day arrived.

News had already spread that Princess Qingying’s grand "Heart Rite" ceremony would be held that morning. With the increasing influx of young men into Yin Yue City over the past month, even the densest of the Half-Spirit tribesmen could surmise that Princess Qingying intended to select her consort during the rite.

Such an event was unprecedented in the Yin Ruins.

The Yin Ruins Wood Sect had historically been governed by women, but succession was not strictly matrilineal. To become the Wood Sect Master, one had to possess the "Ancestral Heaven Divine Luo Visage." The "Ancestral Heaven Divine Luo Tree" was the physical form of the Wood Ancestor, the symbol of the Yin Ruins, and the progenitor of all Half-Spirit tribesmen. Possessing this Visage allowed each Master to maximally communicate with, and even borrow the power of, the Wood Ancestor to safeguard the Yin Ruins.

However, since Mu Qingyi replaced Mu Xueyi as the new Wood Sect Master, this tradition seemed poised for change.

After all, Mu Qingyi was the only Wood Sect Master in Yin Ruins history to possess a Visage other than the "Ancestral Heaven Divine Luo Visage." If she could hold the title, it was highly probable she would pass the position to Princess Qingying.

When she succeeded Mu Xueyi, nearly all Half-Spirit tribesmen were perplexed: why yield the position when Mu Xueyi was managing the sect well? Why even seal the Wood Spirit Hall?

Had the Five Great Elders not forcefully suppressed dissenting voices with their prestige, and had the Wood Ancestor remained silent, challengers would surely have emerged relentlessly. Mu Xueyi, after all, was deeply loved by the Yin Ruins tribesmen.

Now, nearly twenty years later, although many of Mu Qingyi's actions as Sect Master had caused dissatisfaction, her adopted daughter, Mu Qingying, was immensely beloved by the residents of Yin Yue City. When she announced the "Heart Rite," the populace was naturally eager to attend the spectacle.

More compellingly, they hoped to use the ceremony as an opportunity to glimpse the Grand Evolution Hall. Few Yin Yue City inhabitants had ever truly entered that palace since its construction; it had gradually become shrouded in mystery.

The Heart Rite had finally arrived, and the veil over the Grand Evolution Hall was about to be lifted, leaving the citizens of Yin Yue City quite impatient. As the sky began to show the first subtle hints of light, a multitude had already gathered outside the Hall's entrance, their chatter a continuous chorus of feminine voices.

"..."

"It seems every young man in the Yin Ruins has flocked to Yin Yue City. Tsk, I hear there are thousands, all hoping to be Princess Qingying's husband."

"That goes without saying—who wouldn't want to marry the beautiful Princess Qingying? Too bad there's only one princess and only one husband. Once the Princess makes her choice, there will be so many men left over. You should seize the opportunity; maybe you can snag a husband for yourself too."

"Forget it. The men in the Yin Ruins are far too fickle, wishing to gather every man into their arms without considering whether they have the means! Besides, these men are all powdered and painted like women. Fine for casual dalliances, but a husband? Absolutely not!"

"..."

"Our Wood Sect in the Yin Ruins has never relied on bearing children with men for lineage. If Princess Qingying becomes the next Sect Master, this long-standing custom will likely be broken again. Sigh, things were better twenty years ago."

"Yes, back then we could wander into the Wood Spirit Hall freely, and travel between cities and villages without restriction. Not like now..."

"Shh, don't say any more."

"..."

Seconds ticked by, and the murmurs from the crowd continued to rise, the throng outside the Grand Evolution Hall swelling. Countless beautiful faces shimmered in the growing light. Unbeknownst to them, the sky had brightened considerably, and a few rays of sunlight crested the mountains, spilling onto the plaza before the Hall.

"Creak!"

The massive, towering main doors suddenly swung open.

The crowd paused, then erupted in cheers moments later. Approaching the Grand Evolution Hall naturally filled them with excitement. After living in Yin Yue City for so many years, their impression of the Hall remained faint, seemingly limited to its towering walls and nine imposing spires.

Without needing encouragement, the crowd flowed inside, showing no sign of pushing or crowding. At this moment, Nie Kong also arrived behind the Hall.

On the steps outside the entrance stood thousands of handsome young men, some chatting loudly, others sitting quietly practicing cultivation, and a few admiring their own reflections in mirrors, each displaying a different expression.

The doors were already wide open, but the two lines of tall, broadsword-wielding, imposing female guards flanking the entrance deterred any rash attempt by the men to rush in; they waited outside for news from within.

Nie Kong did not wait with them. He proceeded directly toward the interior, following Mu Xinyue, who was ahead of him. Finally, under the stunned gaze of numerous eyes, Nie Kong passed smoothly between the two ranks of female guards, his figure instantly vanishing from view.

His departure jolted the waiting men outside into realization, and a clamor immediately erupted: "..."

"Hey, hey! How did that guy get in?"

"We're all here for Princess Qingying's Heart Rite; why can he go in when we can't?"

"I think I saw that guy in Nandong City once. They say he's called Mu Kong. At the inn in Nandong City, he effortlessly neutralized and dissolved the poison from the 'Thousand Thorn Ink Dragon Whip,' yet he himself was completely fine—truly marvelous. And the man who possessed the Whip was the son of the West Luo City Lord. Nie Kong not only dissolved the deadly poison contained in that Visage, but he also thrashed that man!"

"Now that you mention it, I remember too. A month ago, the West Luo City Lord came to Yin Yue City. Could he have been looking for trouble with Mu Kong?"

"..."

Amid the uproar, a few men, unwilling to accept it, boldly tried to walk toward the entrance just as Nie Kong had done. Before they could get close, more than a dozen sharp glares struck them simultaneously. Those few were instantly chilled to the bone, their hearts trembling, and they hurriedly retreated, leading to roaring laughter from the crowd, who looked upon Nie Kong, the one who had entered early, with a mixture of envy and jealousy.