The long, heavy corridor led Nie Kong to the exterior of a side hall, where Mu Xinyè had already departed.

Nie Kong pushed the door open. Nine other young men were inside, some seated, some standing. The moment he appeared, scrutinizing gazes locked onto him.

Nie Kong was not surprised by their presence. According to Mu Xinyè, the ten of them, including himself, would compete against ten others selected from the thousands waiting outside for the final contest. The ultimate victor would earn the hand of the Pure Shadow Princess.

Finding a cushion, Nie Kong settled into a cross-legged position and began his assessment.

These nine men, specifically chosen by the guards of the Great Origin Hall, were certainly different from those effeminate types who only knew how to paint their faces. At the very least, their complexions looked healthier. One man, in particular, possessed a remarkably massive and robust physique—a true anomaly in the Yin Ruins.

Soon, Nie Kong withdrew his gaze, his mind racing. Today was the Princess Pure Shadow’s "Heart Canon" Grand Rite, meaning Mu Qingyi, as the princess’s mother, was certain to appear.

If he could distinguish himself among the final twenty contenders, he might have a chance to approach Mu Qingyi today!

Contemplating the scheme he was about to enact, Nie Kong felt a surprising calm settle over him.

The nine men remained silent as well, discreetly observing their competition. The side hall grew profoundly quiet, broken only by the barely perceptible sound of breathing.

After an indeterminate time, a tremendous, earth-shattering feminine cry erupted from outside. Nie Kong listened closely to the sound filtering into the hall; the Heart Canon Grand Rite must have officially begun. He could faintly make out the call of “Mu Sect.” He presumed Mu Qingyi and Mu Qingying had appeared simultaneously.

The Heart Canon Grand Rite was quite simple. "Xin" meant the heart of the tree, and "Dian" referred to a unique Yin Ruins artifact known as the "Dian Crown."

During the ceremony, the mother first led all participating clansmen to bow toward the center of the Yin Ruins in reverence to the Ancestor Mu. Next, an officiant recited the eulogy, and then the mother, using the tree heart as her source, would weave a "Dian Crown" on the spot and place it upon her daughter’s head. Thus, the Heart Canon Grand Rite would be concluded.

The ceremony itself lasted only about half an hour. Afterward, everyone would disperse.

Yet, this Heart Canon Grand Rite was somewhat different, for immediately following the ceremony, the selection of a husband for Princess Pure Shadow was scheduled—this was what drew the greatest attention from the residents of Yin Moon City.

Men were already scarce in the Yin Ruins, and although not all men in Yin Moon City were present, they constituted at least half of the male population. Such a situation was extremely rare in the history of the Yin Ruins, and public excitement was naturally immense; everyone wanted to see who this final chosen one would be.

Waves of sound surged, one after another.

Dozens of minutes later, the world outside suddenly fell into profound silence, as if all noise had been utterly extinguished in that single instant. But immediately following, an even stronger wave of sound erupted—a deafening tide of noise that seemed poised to blow the entire Great Origin Hall skyward.

The competition had begun!

In the side hall, the expressions and demeanor of the nine young men finally began to shift. Some showed excitement, others tension, some frowned in deep thought, or paced the floor, trying hard to suppress the anxiety churning in their chests; still others looked around casually, projecting an air of absolute confidence. Seeing the expressions of the group, Nie Kong allowed a faint smile to cross his lips. He couldn't blame them; the reward for becoming Princess Pure Shadow's consort was simply too immense. The son-in-law of the current Mu Sect Master, and perhaps the future husband of the Mu Sect, this was unprecedented in the history of the Yin Ruins, enough to drive men mad.

Although Nie Kong also desired to become Princess Pure Shadow’s consort, his ultimate objective was entirely different. As for what kind of temper Princess Pure Shadow possessed, her cultivation level, her attitude toward men, or how bright her prospects as the hope of the Mu Sect were—none of that held any significance for Nie Kong.

Time flew by. The cheers, applause, laughter, and sharp retorts from outside grew more and more intense, only to begin rapidly fading shortly after...

Presumably, the external screening process had concluded.

Nie Kong had learned the method of filtering those thousands of men from Mu Xinyè on the way over. First, they would weed out anyone whose cultivation fell below the Soul Transformation level, or those over forty who tried to sneak in. Then, they would test spiritual power and inner disposition, selecting the final ten.

The men who managed to hold out until the end were likely no less capable than the nine men in this side hall.

"Creak!"

Finally, just as the external noise almost completely vanished, the door to the side hall finally opened. Two scantily clad women with alluring figures gracefully drifted in. Their beautiful eyes shimmered, sweeping across the ten men in the hall, their watery glances hinting at veiled sensuality.

A flurry of movement rustled through the room. Nie Kong noticed that even those who had remained relatively calm could no longer sit still...

Following the two black-clad women, they wound their way through the twisting passages of the Great Origin Hall. After a long while, the ten men suddenly felt the space open up before them into an exceptionally vast arena. Countless women surrounded the perimeter of this space, and a thick, heavy perfume almost saturated the entire area.

Nie Kong’s gaze swept rapidly around the surroundings, finally settling on the eastern side of the plaza. There, an elevated platform, seemingly constructed of jade stone, stood tall. The platform was not far from where Nie Kong and the others had emerged, allowing Nie Kong a clear view of the scene upon it.

Currently, several figures stood on the platform. The woman positioned at the very center was clad in black, her features exquisite, her eyebrows and eyes like painted artistry, her skin as fair and delicate as ice and snow, yet her figure was fiercely curved and graceful, exquisitely voluptuous. A naturally intoxicating allure emanated from her.

"Mu Qingyi!"

Seeing her face, identical to his mother's, those three words flashed instantly through Nie Kong’s mind. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Purely based on blood relation, this Mu Qingyi was his maternal aunt, yet they were destined to be enemies.

Lost in thought, Nie Kong shifted his gaze to Mu Qingyi’s side, where a woman in pink stood, her face obscured by a veil, making her features impossible to discern. However, upon her head rested a black-and-white cap shaped like the character "Dian"—the unique "Dian Crown" of the Yin Ruins. This must be Mu Qingying!

The moment he saw her, Nie Kong felt a slight surprise. Mu Qingying’s figure and attire gave him a strange sense of familiarity, as if he had seen her somewhere before. Mu Qingying seemed to sense Nie Kong’s scrutiny and turned her head to look in his direction, her brow arching slightly.

Noticing Mu Qingying looking their way, the nine men couldn't help but straighten their chests, resembling a flock of proud roosters. Nie Kong chuckled inwardly but quickly diverted his attention from Mu Qingying. There were countless women in the Yin Ruins, and many shared similar figures and styles of dress; this vague familiarity was no basis for certainty.

Afterward, Nie Kong’s gaze swept past Mu Qingyi and Mu Qingying to look at the other figures standing on the platform.

In this space, women constituted the vast majority; not only was the Mu Sect composed of women, but the five City Lords were also women. Consequently, not a single male figure could be spotted on that dais. Before long, Nie Kong spotted City Lord Mu Lengxing of Xileng City. She was squinting, her expression as cold as ever, but her left hand inadvertently brushed past her temple, tucking a stray strand of black hair behind her ear.

Seeing this gesture, Nie Kong understood immediately.

Last night, when darkness fell upon the Prefecture, Mu Lengxing had visited the Moon Gazing Tower and met with Nie Kong. Besides taking that fellow Mu Feihe away, she had also agreed upon this specific signal with Nie Kong. Sure enough, Nie Kong spotted four other figures beside Mu Lengxing on the platform, all possessing remarkably beautiful visages.

City Lord Mu Yijun of Yin Moon City, City Lord Mu Yushuang of Nandong, City Lord Mu Yaotong of Dongwu, and City Lord Mu Tianfei of Beisong. That day, the Ancestor Mu’s description of these four City Lords’ appearances had become increasingly clear in his mind, instantly aligning with the four women standing near Mu Lengxing on the platform.

At this moment, Nie Kong’s confidence surged even further.

"Whoosh!"

The ten figures of Nie Kong and his group finally emerged from the corridor, attracting almost every eye in the vicinity. Instantly, the slightly quiet plaza erupted like a boiling pot, becoming tumultuous once more, the sound soaring towards the heavens.

The crowd’s eyes darted over the ten men who had bypassed the initial elimination to reach the final contest, pointing and chatteringly.

“Look at the one in front, so tall and strong! I wonder where the Great Origin Hall guards found such a treasure. Tsk, tsk, if I were picking a husband, I’d choose him.”

“What’s so great about being tall and strong? I bet he’s just for show, hehe.”

“The last one looks better to me. Though he’s a bit dark, he’s neither too tall nor too short, not fat nor thin. Look how solid his muscles are…”

“Stop dreaming! Whether tall and strong or solid, you won't get them. Didn't you see the eyes of those Void Spirit Master ladies in front? They’re practically glowing green!”

... Three chattering women were equivalent to hundreds of buzzing bees, let alone tens of thousands. The ceaseless clamor reverberated over the plaza like thunder, making Nie Kong’s ears ring incessantly, almost drowning out every discernible sound.

In a short while, under the bombardment of the surrounding noise, the ten of them reached the center of the plaza.

Here stood the ten young men who had passed the screening. They appeared to have just undergone strenuous activity; every one of them was dripping with sweat, yet their spirits were remarkably high. It seemed they had taken medication capable of rapid physical recovery after clearing the initial tests.

These men had persevered to the end and possessed strong bodies—certainly better than a reed like Mu Feihe. However, they did not seem friendly toward Nie Kong and the others who had appeared from the Prefecture; their gazes carried distinct shades of hostility.

This was only natural. They had fought tooth and nail outside, competing against thousands for those meager ten spots, while Nie Kong and the others had effortlessly secured places in the final competition simply by arriving and then relaxed in the hall waiting for the screening to end. It would be strange if they could be friendly toward each other!

———————— It seems like five updates today, making me conflicted.