Seeing Madam Lin step out for a moment before leading Nie Kong and Mu Lengxing in, especially upon catching sight of the coolly beautiful Mu Lengxing, the expressions of Tai Lanxiang, Cheng Feixing, and Pei Yuan all shifted slightly. With their cultivation and perceptive abilities, they naturally discerned the young woman’s extraordinary nature. Moreover, they had all clearly felt that heaven-and-earth tremor outside earlier; how low could the cultivation of the one who caused such a disturbance possibly be?

However, they weren't overly astonished. Madam Lin had offered the “Golden Tassel of the Summit” as a reward, summoning Spirit Apothecaries from across the world to treat her daughter. Since they themselves were drawn by the primary ingredient for refining the “Void-Piercing Golden Elixir,” why wouldn't other powerful individuals be tempted by the “Golden Tassel of the Summit”?

After a brief appraisal, the gazes of Tai Lanxiang, Cheng Feixing, and Pei Yuan returned to Miss Lin, their brows furrowing once more. Evidently, before Nie Kong and Mu Lengxing arrived in this subterranean chamber, they had already examined Miss Lin’s condition but failed to find any effective course of treatment.

“Strange!”

Madam Lin’s face darkened. She forced a smile and gestured for Nie Kong and Mu Lengxing to enter before moving to sit by the side, refraining from disturbing Tai Lanxiang, Cheng Feixing, and the others. Seeing the expressions of these three Sixth and Seventh Grade Spirit Apothecaries, Madam Lin clearly no longer held much hope for them.

Nie Kong drew a soft breath and walked to the bedside. Miss Lin’s features immediately came into view, causing him an involuntary start of surprise. Nie Kong had initially assumed that having slept for a full fifty years, Miss Lin must be emaciated beyond recognition. Unexpectedly, her appearance had not changed in the slightest.

Upon her delicate and beautiful face, two dark eyebrows curved like crescent moons, her nose was straight and refined, and the luscious red lips beneath it were pressed into a small arc, intensely alluring. Her skin was rosy beneath the white, crystalline as jade, radiating a moist, youthful sheen. Were it not for the wisp of dark energy flickering above her brow center, this picturesque Miss Lin would look exactly like a sleeping beauty resting, rather than a patient who had been dormant for half a century.

Currently, Tai Lanxiang, Cheng Feixing, and Pei Yuan were all scrutinizing the black aura above Miss Lin’s brow. Nie Kong, however, did not join in the observation. He went directly to take hold of Miss Lin’s right hand, placing his fingers upon her pulse point. A streak of dark green immediately permeated into her body as Nie Kong quietly perceived the internal state.

“This illness is truly bizarre.”

After a short while, Tai Lanxiang sighed softly. “This girl appears poisoned, yet her body shows none of the usual symptoms of poisoning. It seems to be an issue with the mind or the Spirit Seed, but when I probe with my spiritual sense, I cannot find any clue within her Spirit Seed.”

Cheng Feixing lightly stroked his white beard. “Indeed, her soul is likely wounded. Such an affliction is incurable on the Heaven Spirit Continent. Even the Medicine King, perhaps…”

Saying this, Cheng Feixing shook his head with a hint of regret, looking toward Madam Lin. “Madam, it seems I am not fated to obtain the ‘Golden Tassel of the Summit.’”

“Regardless, I must thank Brother Cheng for making the trip to Fallen Wild Goose City.”

Madam Lin had already anticipated this outcome, yet subconsciously clung to a sliver of hope. Hearing Cheng Feixing confirm it personally now, she couldn't help but let out a long sigh, her gaze then shifting to Pei Yuan and Tai Lanxiang.

“Madam, I, too, am powerless.”

Pei Yuan admitted helplessly.

For Spirit Masters, illnesses are rare. Even if afflicted, they can usually heal themselves with a few medicinal herbs. Consequently, very few Spirit Apothecaries dedicate themselves to researching the treatment of various ailments. Excellent alchemists are not necessarily skilled healers, especially since Miss Lin’s ailment likely originates from the soul—such conditions rarely respond effectively to herbal medicine. Fortunately, Pei Yuan had come only to try his luck and was not desperate for the “Golden Tassel of the Summit,” so he felt no great disappointment at the lack of results.

Tai Lanxiang remained silent, merely shaking her head before stepping away from the bedside.

The three Sixth and Seventh Grade Spirit Apothecaries gave up one after another. At this point, only Nie Kong remained by the bedside, his stationary figure appearing rather conspicuous in the hushed room.

Tai Lanxiang, Cheng Feixing, and Pei Yuan exchanged looks of slight surprise. Only then did they realize that since entering the room, only Nie Kong had been examining Miss Lin’s condition, while the beautiful young woman in black clothing stood motionless, like a sculpture.

Why would the powerful Spirit Apothecaries refrain from action while the younger practitioner was taking the lead?

Earlier, during the tremor, the three of them had sensed an extremely faint fluctuation of Fire Spiritual Energy, leading them to believe Mu Lengxing was also a high-level Spirit Apothecary. Now, witnessing the peculiar stillness of Mu Lengxing and Nie Kong, they grew curious and were in no hurry to leave the chamber, choosing instead to stay nearby and watch quietly. Their primary interest lay in seeing if Mu Lengxing could cure Miss Lin after making her move.

If she succeeded, perhaps they could negotiate the exchange of the “Golden Tassel of the Summit” from her for another price—unlike Madam Lin, who refused to part with it even at an exorbitant cost, unless someone could truly heal her daughter. In that case, not only the “Golden Tassel of the Summit” but also substantial additional rewards would be offered.

However, her daughter’s madness was too bizarre. The soul, being intangible and different from spiritual sense, was too ephemeral. Perhaps only the legendary Spirit Gods might grasp even a fragment of its nature.

“Eh?”

Suddenly, Tai Lanxiang let out a low exclamation of confusion, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on the black energy above Miss Lin’s brow. Cheng Feixing and Pei Yuan simultaneously noticed Tai Lanxiang’s change in demeanor and followed her gaze. They saw that the dark aura above Miss Lin’s brow seemed to have faded slightly.

“Wife!”

Madam Lin flashed instantly to the bedside, staring intently at her daughter. Yes, the black energy above her daughter’s brow was indeed thinning. In this short span, the darkness had receded even further! For a moment, the joy surging within Madam Lin was beyond words.

For the fifty years her daughter had slept, there had been no other abnormal manifestations besides the constant coma. It was only two months ago that the black energy suddenly appeared above her brow, accompanied by frequent expressions of pain flickering across her features. Madam Lin felt her daughter’s condition must be worsening, prompting her to offer the “Golden Tassel of the Summit” as a reward and spread the news across the entire Heaven Spirit Continent.

In these two months, the black energy above her daughter’s brow had continuously thickened, never once diminishing! Unexpectedly, this trend had reversed today.

In an instant, Madam Lin’s gaze shifted from her daughter’s brow to Nie Kong. At this moment, the young man was grasping her daughter’s right hand, the dark green Wood Spiritual Energy continually seeping from his fingertips, merging into her body. It was clear that the fading of the black aura must be inextricably linked to his actions!

A few more moments passed, and seeing that the last trace of shadow above her daughter’s brow had become indistinct, Madam Lin’s chest heaved violently, her breathing growing ragged. She never imagined that something so many high-grade Spirit Apothecaries could not achieve was accomplished by a mere Fourth Grade Spirit Apothecary.

Over the years, the notion of seeing her daughter awaken had been buried deep within her heart; she no longer dared to harbor such extravagant hopes. In her mind, even if the illness could not be cured, simply halting its deterioration and restoring her daughter to the state of two months prior would warrant the offering of the “Golden Tassel of the Summit.” Watching the black energy above her daughter’s brow continue to fade, Madam Lin struggled to compose herself, seemingly afraid that the sound of her breath would disturb Nie Kong treating her daughter. Indeed, after another dozen seconds, the final remnant of shadow at her daughter’s brow vanished without a trace.

Tai Lanxiang, Cheng Feixing, and Pei Yuan, the three high-grade Spirit Apothecaries, looked at each other blankly. They had stayed in the chamber after abandoning the treatment primarily to observe Mu Lengxing’s efforts. Yet, Mu Lengxing remained passive, while the young man had achieved such astonishing results.

Logically, since Miss Lin’s malady stemmed from the soul, one would need to touch her soul to eliminate the dark aura above her brow. But the soul is formless and intangible, impossible to see or grasp. Furthermore, judging by Nie Kong’s movements, he seemed to be using only spiritual energy.

This young man must be cultivating a mutated Wood Spiritual Energy. Wood Spirit Masters are exceedingly rare on the Heaven Spirit Continent, and those possessing mutated Wood Spiritual Energy are even scarcer. Undeniably, Wood Spiritual Energy might possess certain peculiar properties, but to employ it for treating the soul seemed utterly ridiculous and inconceivable.

Yet, the facts lay before them, compelling belief!

Could their prior assessment have been flawed? Was the source of Miss Lin’s ailment not derived from the soul? After endless deliberation, this seemed the only logical explanation. Tai Lanxiang, Cheng Feixing, and Pei Yuan exchanged glances, their previous findings inevitably coming under suspicion. As they pondered this uncertainty, Nie Kong himself was filled with doubt.

Based on what his mother had probed, some conclusions aligned with those of Tai Lanxiang and the others: Miss Lin’s body was exceptionally healthy. However, the black aura lingering above her brow was undeniably real. The strangest part was that his spiritual energy could not touch it at all.

Thus, Nie Kong executed a single use of the Huitian Compendium within her body. The moment the innate medicinal power of the little technique burst forth above her brow, the dark energy began to dissipate. After four successive applications, the black energy vanished completely. While this sight sent Madam Lin into ecstatic joy, Nie Kong found it hard to be happy; instead, his internal confusion deepened.

Initially, Nie Kong also believed the dissipation of the black aura was due to eradication by the Huitian Compendium. However, a warning from Qingyue suddenly made Nie Kong realize something critical. Although the black energy receded in tandem with the appearance of the Huitian Compendium, its retreat possessed a degree of volition. This observation startled Nie Kong: Could that small cluster of dark energy possess sentience or its own consciousness?