………… PS: Third update has arrived. ………… Half an hour vanished in the blink of an eye.

“One!” Unfolding the newly drawn slip of paper and looking at the number on it, Nie Kong couldn’t help but announce it aloud. Such things were bound to happen; with only twenty people in total, someone was bound to draw the number one.

It was nothing extraordinary for Nie Kong to get it, but he wondered who would draw number ‘two.’ “Two!” An exceptionally loud, booming voice suddenly rang out. Without looking, Nie Kong knew exactly who had shouted.

Among the twenty participants, only Shan Xiong possessed a voice that commanding in the Inner City. Sure enough, within a few seconds, a shadow flashed before Nie Kong, and Shan Xiong’s massive, towering frame stood directly in front of him.

“Nie Kong, it seems our luck is quite good, running into each other in this round, and as the very first match, no less,” Shan Xiong boomed with laughter. “But I doubt the Inner City Top Ten has anything to do with you this time.

If you had matched up against Lan Shang, perhaps you’d have a chance at the Top Ten. What a pity.

Still, don’t worry; as I said this morning, I’ll go easy on you.” “Senior Brother Shan Xiong, I also said this morning that I wouldn’t let you lose too miserably!” Nie Kong smiled calmly, yet his retort was as sharp and direct as it had been that morning. This Shan Xiong was truly exasperating; even at a moment like this, he couldn't resist taking a jab at Lan Shang.

However, Lan Shang appeared not to have heard a word, showing no change in expression. Shan Xiong laughed even more heartily: “Let’s see whose words hold true in the end!” Nie Kong smirked faintly: “There won't be any doubt about the result.

This morning, a certain Senior Brother shared your exact sentiment, thanking me beforehand for handing him an easy victory. The outcome, however, was that I thanked him for an easy win.

Senior Brother Shan Xiong, has that incident given you any food for thought? Perhaps you didn’t feel it before this first match began, but you will certainly feel it after the match concludes—and profoundly so.” By the latter half of his speech, a teasing quality had crept into Nie Kong’s tone.

“……” Shan Xiong was momentarily choked speechless, managing only a dry chuckle after a long pause: “Ha, ha, well then, I eagerly await that moment!” “Pfft!” As Shan Xiong moved toward Nie Kong, their interaction drew the attention of the surrounding crowd. Hearing the exchange, Jing Lan could no longer hold back a delicate laugh.

“Shan Xiong has truly met his match in Nie Kong. He must be fuming right now.” Lan Shang remained silent, but Liu Heming, who was closest to Shan Xiong, shook his head and offered a faint, detached smile: “He brought that upon himself!

He should just focus on the fight instead of running over to get verbally slapped!” Jing Lan smiled sweetly, then expressed a touch of regret: “What a shame for Nie Kong. To advance from Spirit Transformation First Grade to Ninth Grade in less than half a year—if he had faced anyone else, his chances of making the Top Ten would be high.

But running into Shan Xiong, I fear his hopes of cooperating with us are slim.” “That’s not necessarily true!” Lan Shang suddenly interjected. “Oh?” Both Liu Heming and Jing Lan looked surprised.

They exchanged glances between Nie Kong and Shan Xiong, clearly unable to grasp why Lan Shang would suddenly make such a declaration. They understood Lan Shang meant Shan Xiong might very well lose, but how was that possible?

Shan Xiong reached Spirit Transformation Ninth Grade last year and nearly claimed the Inner City Seat title. Nie Kong had only just broken through a couple of days ago.

Though both now stood at the Ninth Grade, the gulf in their actual strength was immense. Nie Kong facing Shan Xiong offered almost no hope of victory; the outcome seemed fixed.

Yet, neither Jing Lan nor Liu Heming bothered to argue against Lan Shang’s words. Before long, the fighting circle cleared considerably.

After the number drawing concluded, the Inner City disciples participating in this third round were split into two groups: the first ten numbers formed one group, and the last ten formed the other. Now, Nie Kong and Shan Xiong, along with Gu Ruofei and a short, thin Inner City disciple, stood within the fighting rings, quietly awaiting the Professors’ signal.

“……” “Nie Kong is finished; running into Shan Xiong already!” “I heard that even though Shan Xiong is at Spirit Transformation Ninth Grade, his actual strength surpasses that level—perhaps even a Spirit Master at Spirit Taming First Grade wouldn't be his match!” “Nie Kong isn’t simple either; even if he loses, it won’t be that quick!” “……” Nie Kong and Shan Xiong: one, a rising star renowned for exceptional alchemy and rapid cultivation speed; the other, a young master celebrated throughout the Inner City for years. Among the assembled Inner City disciples, very few held confidence in Nie Kong’s eventual victory.

It wasn't just them; Miao Ge and Tai Ji were also showing concern, and even the little loli Gu Qi looked deflated, sighing on the sidelines. Only Tai Hong maintained a strange, knowing grin, clearly unconcerned by the matchup.

“Begin!” A resounding shout echoed through the Ascension Hall. The moment the sound faded, Gu Ruofei and his opponent’s spiritual energies clashed like lightning.

Two figures immediately became entangled, both revealed to be Wind Spirit Masters. They instantly pushed their speed to the absolute limit, leaving trails of residual images flickering around the battle ring.

“Nie Kong, they’ve started; we shouldn’t dawdle either!” Shan Xiong roared with laughter, striding toward Nie Kong. The heavy thud, thud of his footsteps seemed to press down on the hearts of those watching.

As he moved, Shan Xiong snatched at the empty air with his right hand. In the blink of an eye, a thick, heavy whip materialized in his grip, writhing restlessly in the void, its sheen sparkling like a furiously dancing electric serpent.

The instant the Purple Lightning Whip appeared, a powerful and savage aura radiated outward. A continuous crackling sound erupted, as if the very void was being ripped apart by the whip’s passing.

This Shan Xiong was actually a Thunder Spirit Master! Nie Kong’s pupils constricted.

With a tremor across his brow, his Inner Form merged once more with his physical body. In the next instant, a vast expanse of dark-green spiritual energy coated Nie Kong’s exterior.

“Hoo!” Shan Xiong flicked his wrist, and the sound of air splitting instantly roared. The Purple Lightning Whip descended upon Nie Kong’s head like a madly flailing spirit snake.

This seemingly simple lash seemed to condense all the ferocity of his Thunder Spirit energy, only to unleash it with even greater intensity. Before the whip even made contact, its ferocious aura enveloped Nie Kong entirely, causing his long hair to fly wildly and his robes to billow.

The dense, dark-green energy surrounding his body rippled violently under the immense pressure, looking as if it might dissipate at any moment. “Merge!” Nie Kong roared.

The spiritual energy on his surface surged and converged toward his right palm. In a flash, a meter-tall "Purple Myriad Spirit Incense" condensed in his hand.

The still-closed flower bud, the four massive leaves—it was an exact replica of Xiang Xiang, only this "Purple Myriad Spirit Incense" mirrored Nie Kong's spiritual energy, presenting a deep dark-green hue instead of the natural purple. This was, in essence, Nie Kong’s Inner Form!

However, his Inner Form had been concealed using a unique method powered by spiritual energy. This allowed him to utilize the Inner Form’s strength without revealing his Half-Spirit Race identity—a perfect two-for-one solution.

Both the Half-Spirit Race, to which Nie Kong belonged, and the other Five Great Spirit Races possessed methods to mask their Inner Forms. For the Half-Spirit Race, achieving this required, first and foremost, integrating the Inner Form into the body, just as Nie Kong had done previously.

Only then would the subsequently manifested Inner Form appear indistinguishable from normal spiritual energy. Even a strong practitioner investigating the aura would only sense Nie Kong’s spiritual energy.

“Hoo!” Nie Kong willed it, and the Purple Myriad Spirit Incense’s bud rapidly swelled to several meters wide. Then, in an instant, it proudly burst open.

Petals of dark-green shot out, whirling like sharp steel blades, slicing the descending Purple Lightning Whip into numerous segments. “Clang, clang…” The crisp collision sounds were like rain drumming on banana leaves, like pearls scattered upon a jade plate.

Most of the Purple Lightning Whip in Shan Xiong’s hand dissolved into the void, while the petals curved gracefully and reattached themselves to the flower. In a moment, the petals swiftly closed, reforming the round bud, shrinking back to its original size.

“Interesting! Very interesting!” Staring at the small remaining portion of his whip in his hand, Shan Xiong paused, slightly stunned.

He had watched Nie Kong’s match against Mu Tong earlier. The explosive power demonstrated by Nie Kong’s palm strike that sent Mu Tong flying and stunned remained vividly impressed upon Shan Xiong’s memory.

Although Shan Xiong acted boisterously and dismissively toward Nie Kong in his speech, internally, he had estimated Nie Kong’s strength quite highly and held a sliver of caution. That was why he initiated the attack from a distance—to deny Nie Kong the opportunity to close in and deploy that spiritual technique.

But Shan Xiong hadn't anticipated that Nie Kong possessed such an uncanny trick. He could also manifest spiritual energy into plant-like forms, but the resulting objects possessed utterly mediocre offensive power.

Unlike Nie Kong’s technique, which could actually destroy his spiritual weapon. This fellow should not be underestimated!

Secretly, Shan Xiong elevated his assessment of Nie Kong’s capability to a new level. Only at this moment did he truly regard Nie Kong as a genuine opponent.

However, while Shan Xiong’s thoughts raced, Nie Kong gave him no time to stare blankly. Defensive stalling was not Nie Kong’s style; his preference was always for active assault!

Having blocked Shan Xiong’s initial volley, Nie Kong paused for barely a fraction of a second. He grasped the Purple Myriad Spirit Incense in his palm, gave it a gentle shake in the air, and channeled even more dark-green spiritual energy into the Inner Form.

“Hoo!” The Purple Myriad Spirit Incense began to grow at a frantic pace. In the space of a single breath, it shot up from over a meter to two, then three… Even more astonishingly, as the plant grew taller, new shoots constantly sprouted from the main stalk, rapidly branching out in all directions at a speed the naked eye could barely track.

“Go!” Nie Kong commanded internally. With a light wave of his right hand, dozens of Purple Myriad Spirit Incense tendrils surged out as if driven by an irresistible force, recklessly sweeping toward Shan Xiong.

Vast, dark-green leaves unfurled, shimmering greenly, quickly dominating the space within the battle ring…