Amidst the violent roar, the power of the Xin Xiang continuously merged into the spiritual energy within his body. Nie Kong's spiritual energy intensity began to rise at a frantic pace. In just a moment, Nie Kong sensed that invisible barrier within his "Spirit God One Aperture," the one signifying an imminent breakthrough...

Spirit Manifestation Sixth Grade!

Spirit Manifestation Seventh Grade!

Spirit Manifestation Eighth Grade!

...

About half an hour later, the spiritual energy in Nie Kong's "Spirit God One Aperture" and meridians gradually calmed. In this short span, by absorbing the power diffused when his Xin Xiang successfully condensed, his cultivation had soared directly from Spirit Manifestation Fifth Grade to Spirit Manifestation Eighth Grade.

This speed could only be described as "insane."

According to his mother, in the history of the Yin Xu, the fastest cultivation increase recorded during a bloodline awakening belonged to a Spirit Gathering Master who only advanced four grades. Some Spirit Communicators had advanced three grades, but regardless of whether theirs was four or three, it simply could not compare to Nie Kong's current three-grade jump.

This was because Nie Kong had already been at Spirit Manifestation Fifth Grade when his bloodline awakened. To ascend three grades from this level, the power burst forth the moment his Xin Xiang condensed needed to be incredibly potent—it was not on the same tier as the increases seen by Spirit Gathering Masters or Spirit Communicators.

"Hah!"

Nie Kong let out a soft breath, opened his eyes, and a satisfied smile touched the corners of his lips.

Seeing this, Mu Xueyi urged him anxiously, "Kong'er, quickly manifest your 'Purple Luo Illusionary Spirit Incense' Xin Xiang and let Mother see it." That little fellow Qing Yue nodded his head frantically like a chicken pecking rice, echoing repeatedly, "Yes, yes! Is that little medicine spirit truly a Divine Grade Xin Xiang?"

"Alright."

Nie Kong himself was intensely curious about his Xin Xiang. With a shift of thought, a mass of purple phantom energy shot out from between his brows, floating before him. At his mental command, the 'Purple Luo Illusionary Spirit Incense,' which had originally been only the length of a chopstick, began to swell, instantly reaching a height of 1.6 meters.

This 'Purple Luo Illusionary Spirit Incense' Xin Xiang displayed only a cluster of fibrous roots, four leaves, and a small, unopened flower bud—exactly the form of Xiang Xiang at the Fourth Tier. This phantom manifested before the few people present, its purple gleam shimmering brilliantly, as dazzling as a constellation at night, utterly spectacular.

Qing Yue floated up, circling the purple phantom with wide-open eyes, mumbling something incessantly. Mu Xueyi observed with a gentle smile, then suddenly frowned slightly, "Kong'er, this is the juvenile form of the 'Purple Luo Illusionary Spirit Incense,' isn't it?"

"Correct."

Nie Kong nodded with a smile.

"Juvenile form..."

Mu Xueyi murmured the two words, a shade of worry clouding her brow. For a wood-and-grass Xin Xiang, the more mature its form, the greater its power. Yet, the one her son condensed was merely the juvenile form of the 'Purple Luo Illusionary Spirit Incense.' One could only imagine how much strength such a Xin Xiang could possess.

Was this truly a Divine Grade Xin Xiang?

A trace of subtle doubt flickered in Mu Xueyi's eyes. To prevent her son from worrying, she forced herself to suppress her unease.

However, Nie Kong quickly and keenly perceived the change in her demeanor. First came surprise, then understanding, and he froze momentarily. His Xin Xiang was only the juvenile form of the 'Purple Luo Illusionary Spirit Incense,' not the terrifying ultimate boss from the Demon/Devil Game.

Would this affect the execution of its power? Nie Kong’s own brow furrowed.

"Child, do not worry,"

The gentle voice of Ancestor Mu suddenly emerged from the dark green sphere. "This is undoubtedly a 'Divine Grade Xin Xiang.' Although it is currently in its juvenile form, it will continuously evolve as the 'Purple Luo Illusionary Spirit Incense' medicine spirit advances. Whatever the final form of that little medicine spirit is, so too will this be."

"Oh?"

Both Nie Kong and Qing Yue looked astonished. Mu Xueyi, however, looked utterly bewildered, exclaiming, "Kong'er's Xin Xiang is actually like this?"

"Mother, are Xin Xiang like this rare?" Nie Kong asked, surprised.

Mu Xueyi replied, "Not rare, but never before seen in our Yin Xu. However, the Xin Xiang of the royal family of the Flower Spirit Clan, the 'Fluttering Jade Butterfly Spring,' can also improve, transforming from four petals to six, and then from six to eight... Those individuals usually go on to become Empresses of the Flower Spirit Clan."

Nie Kong rejoiced, "So, the fact that the Xin Xiang can advance is a good thing then."

"Whether it is a good thing or a bad thing depends entirely on the level your spiritual energy cultivation and your internal medicine spirit can reach," Ancestor Mu chuckled lightly. "For others, spiritual energy is merely auxiliary to the Xin Xiang, but your spiritual energy is critically important to yours. This is because your spiritual energy has already transformed into Spirit Treasure Essence Qi, and your bloodline power has been permeated by this Spirit Treasure Essence Qi—the two are now as one."

He paused, then continued, "Furthermore, your Xin Xiang is formed by extracting a portion of the medicine spirit's soul, fused by your bloodline power. From now on, your Xin Xiang is equivalent to an incarnation of that medicine spirit. How powerful this incarnation can become is deeply related to the future strength of the main body."

"So that's why the little fellow was twitching so much earlier—it was the bloodline power extracting its soul."

Nie Kong nodded in realization, though his mind couldn't help but feel exhilarated. Since the strength of the Xin Xiang was tied both to his own spiritual cultivation and to the little fellow, this was absolutely not a bad thing for Nie Kong. When it came to cultivating spiritual energy, Nie Kong had absolute confidence in the 'Yin-Yang Spirit Devouring Art.'

Moreover, the 'Purple Luo Illusionary Spirit Incense' was not a medicinal herb native to the Tianling Continent, but the ultimate boss brought over from his previous life's 'Demon/Devil Game.' It was inherently capable of advancement, and when the opportunity arose, there would be no obstacle to its progression. According to the algorithms of the Demon/Devil Game, the 'Purple Luo Illusionary Spirit Incense' should have been a Level 100 boss, which, when translated to the Tianling Continent, should correspond to the Ninth Tier—and the Ninth Tier was equivalent to the Heaven Spirit Realm.

For miraculous herbs like the 'Fluttering Jade Butterfly Spring,' and the progenitors of the four Great Spirit Ancestors—Dragon Spirit, Snake Spirit, Feather Spirit, and Fish Spirit—they must have faced unimaginable dangers on their paths to the Heaven Spirit Realm in the past. Yet, the little fellow only needed to reach the required strength to break through naturally.

In this world, what could be more heaven-defying than this? Although Nie Kong was making this inference based on the 'Purple Luo Illusionary Spirit Incense's prior existence, it likely wouldn't differ much from what would happen in the future. A flush of excited color rose on his face as he thought of it.

"Child, your bloodline has awakened now. Go out and try to adapt to it for a while. I have some things to discuss with your mother." Ancestor Mu suddenly interrupted Nie Kong's reverie.

"Oh."

Nie Kong hadn't quite snapped out of his excitement and responded instinctively. He retracted his Xin Xiang into his brow. Qing Yue quickly leaped onto Nie Kong's chest and zipped into the beast token pouch nestled near his heart. Immediately afterward, the dense, dark green light from the sphere burst outward, enveloping Nie Kong's body.

"Hoo!"

It felt like a light breeze passing by. Nie Kong felt a flash of green light before his eyes, and the next moment, he had left Ancestor Mu's small tree-heart space. What greeted his sight was the endless 'green wall' he had seen upon first entering the Yin Xu—this was the base of the 'Ancestral Heaven Divine Luo Tree.'

Glancing left and right, Nie Kong suddenly slapped his hands together and cried out, "Aiya!"

"What is it, Nie Kong?" Qing Yue's small body slipped out of the beast token again, clinging to Nie Kong's lapel and asking curiously.

"I was so thrilled just now that I forgot to ask Ancestor Mu about Aunt Qing's matter," Nie Kong said with annoyance.

"Isn't your mother still inside?" Qing Yue said with a giggle.

"Well, she probably won't forget."

Nie Kong nodded, a faint purple light flickering as the 'Purple Luo Illusionary Spirit Incense' phantom shot out from his brow again, settling onto the ground before him. Following the subtle shifts of Nie Kong's will, the purple phantom abruptly swelled, then shrank, and then even twisted its roots, stems, and leaves with the same endearing clumsiness as the little fellow.

Qing Yue floated back and forth in the air, clapping her tiny hands excitedly, squealing non-stop.

'Since this Xin Xiang is Xiang Xiang's incarnation, it should be able to unleash the skills Xiang Xiang comprehended upon advancement...' Nie Kong mused internally.

"Flower Burst!"

The purple phantom of the 'Purple Luo Illusionary Spirit Incense' suddenly condensed into a tight ball, then exploded open like a blooming flower bud, filling the surrounding space several meters wide with dazzling purple light.

It really works!

Nie Kong felt a surge of spirit, but looking at the purple phantom returning to its normal 'Purple Luo Illusionary Spirit Incense' form, he couldn't help but frown slightly. While unleashing Xiang Xiang's skills through the Xin Xiang seemed spectacular, it appeared to be all show and little substance; the actual power was pitifully small.

With Nie Kong's current spiritual energy cultivation, a Spirit Fusion Master would struggle to withstand a 'Flower Burst.' Yet, the one he just executed was like setting off fireworks in the air. It wouldn't even scratch the hair on the head of the lowest-ranking Spirit Gathering Master, let alone a Spirit Fusion Master.

"Boom! Boom!"

With another thought, Nie Kong willed the Xin Xiang to condense again, then explode outwards. Two successive explosions overlapped almost perfectly. This time, he executed the Second Tier skill, 'Cloud Layered Flower Burst.' As before, the visual display of the Xin Xiang's explosion was grand, but its destructive power was minimal.

"Cloud Flower Four Layers!"

"Floating Flower Shadow Overlap!"

"Mountain Breaking Strike!"

"..."

Nie Kong tested nearly every combat skill he thought could be performed via the Xin Xiang. They looked colorful and vibrant, but sadly, they still lacked any killing force. Nie Kong felt quite confused. His 'Purple Luo Illusionary Spirit Incense' Xin Xiang was a Divine Grade Xin Xiang, so it couldn't possibly be useless. Was he using the wrong method, or were the skills Xiang Xiang mastered during advancement unable to be used through the Xin Xiang?

"Pfft!"

A light chuckle sounded from behind him. Nie Kong quickly turned around. His mother had somehow left the tree-heart space and arrived at the base of the tree without him noticing. Seeing Nie Kong's bewildered expression, Mu Xueyi couldn't help but smile tenderly. "Kong'er, I haven't had a chance to tell you yet, but Xin Xiang isn't used like that. The way you just used it only reflects the effect during the casting of a Magic Cube Spirit Technique; the actual power of the spiritual energy cannot be manifested by the cube alone."

"Uh, then how is it used?" Nie Kong felt a slight heat rise in his face. No wonder there was no power—the skills only looked the part, lacking the substance. What use was that?

"The Xin Xiang needs to be refined. Your Xin Xiang has successfully condensed, but you haven't performed the refinement process yet, so naturally, it is useless."

"Refinement?"

"..."