Nie Kong subconsciously opened his eyes and turned his head to look. In the center of the fighting circle, Bai Yuqing’s graceful figure leaped high. Like someone swatting a fly, the broadsword in her hand struck the back of the male disciple she had tossed into the air. With a crash, the azure ice crystals coating the inner-city disciple’s body shattered. His rigid form plummeted like a meteorite, slamming heavily outside the boundary line, remaining motionless for a long while—clearly knocked unconscious.

"Clang!"

Bai Yuqing floated down, her broadsword resting heavily on the ground, sending a shower of sparks where the tip struck.

Only upon closer inspection did Nie Kong notice that the hands gripping the sword hilt were trembling faintly. Her chest rose and fell rapidly; the already full curves of her peaks became even more pronounced. Two clusters of blood-red color bloomed on her fair cheeks, and beneath the luminous skin, it seemed as if a crystalline glow was flowing, causing her entire being to radiate a breathtaking beauty that stirred the hearts of the male disciples watching outside the arena.

"Bai Yuqing wins!"

Hearing the instructor’s announcement, the corner of Bai Yuqing’s lips curled up, and her cheeks grew even more brilliantly red!

Nie Kong was also greatly relieved. This young girl had finally achieved her goal of entering the top ten and securing the chance for the "Prison Fire Dark Spring." But immediately, Nie Kong grew worried. The spiritual energy consumed by Bai Yuqing in this match seemed even greater than in the previous one. Although the fifth match hadn't occurred yet, and the next round was probably still an hour away, even with the aid of elixirs, it would be difficult for her to recover to her peak state.

By this time, the sect member Bai Yuqing had knocked out of the ring was being carried away, but Bai Yuqing’s gaze was already sweeping through the crowd. Upon spotting Nie Kong sitting cross-legged on the ground, Bai Yuqing suddenly walked toward him.

Bai Yuqing did not carry her broadsword on her shoulder as usual; instead, she let it drag along the ground, producing a grating scha-scha sound as sparks shot out from the blade tip. Dragging the heavy broadsword, Bai Yuqing’s steps were slightly unsteady, making one worry she might collapse.

"Follow me!"

Arriving before Nie Kong, Bai Yuqing’s red lips parted slightly, and she uttered those three words before turning and dragging her sword out of the Ascending Sovereign Hall. Nie Kong, however, remained silent, merely nodding slightly before springing up and moving his feet. The two left the Ascending Sovereign Hall one after the other.

Miao Ge, Tai Ji, and the surrounding inner-city disciples who had been observing Bai Yuqing exchanged perplexed glances. Why wasn't Bai Yuqing rushing to consume elixirs to restore her spiritual energy? Where was she taking Nie Kong? A curious few couldn't resist following quietly and soon returned with the report: Bai Yuqing had taken Nie Kong to her private tower. This left everyone even more baffled. Was she planning to have Nie Kong refine a spiritual elixir with an extraordinarily high fusion rate for her? However, given the extent of Bai Yuqing’s energy depletion, even an elixir with high fusion might not allow her to fully recover her spiritual power in such a short time!

Harboring deep doubts, the crowd continued to watch the matches.

Not long after, the final two matches of this round were completed, and the list of the top ten inner-city disciples was fresh out: Lan Shang, Liu Heming, Gu Ruofei, Jing Lan, Nie Kong, Bai Yuqing... aside from Nie Kong and Bai Yuqing, the rest were all among last year's top ten inner-city contenders.

Nie Kong and Bai Yuqing could certainly be considered the biggest anomalies in this year's inner-city competition. One had reached the Ninth Grade of Spirit Transformation at twenty, while the other, at the Second Grade of Spirit Transformation, didn't seem to have high cultivation, yet rumor held her age to be only seventeen—a feat that could only be described as "astonishing genius." The biggest tragedy of the competition, however, was Shan Xiong; last year's runner-up failed to even make the top ten this year!

According to the rules, after this round, there would be a fifteen-minute rest period before entering the next. If one hadn't completely exhausted their spiritual energy, the rest period, coupled with cultivation and the elixirs personally refined by Elder Gu Changgong, would usually allow for near-full recovery.

For someone like Bai Yuqing, recovery might only reach sixty to seventy percent. If lucky enough to draw a late number, she could still use the time others were fighting to fully restore her energy before her own next match. If unlucky, she could only blame fate. In such a competition, absolute fairness didn't exist, and the tight scheduling between rounds was designed to permit slight inequalities.

After all, in a true battle, the enemy would never offer true fairness; ultimately, victory or defeat depended on one's own strength. For a disciple like Lan Shang, even recovering only sixty or seventy percent of her spiritual power would likely be enough to defeat her opponent—simply because her strength was sufficient.

The excitement of the crowd remained high, and time flew by quickly during the wait. As the hourglass used for timing outside the battle ring was about to empty, many eyes frequently drifted toward the entrance of the Ascending Sovereign Hall. Almost exactly when the last grains of sand fell, Nie Kong and Bai Yuqing finally arrived, lingering just long enough to be late.

As the onlookers observed Bai Yuqing walking ahead, the previous clamor of the Ascending Sovereign Hall suddenly fell silent.

After being gone for so long, Bai Yuqing now seemed like a changed person. Although her eyes still held a distant, aloof coldness, her delicate face was flushed crimson, like a ripe apple or the magnificent colors of the evening sky, making her look exquisitely beautiful and ready to burst. Even more surprisingly, the blush had spread to her ears and neck. Her hair near her temples was damp and stuck to her cheeks, and her clothes were soaked with sweat, clinging to her body, making her already voluptuous figure appear even more vividly defined.

Nie Kong, following closely behind Bai Yuqing, though less pronouncedly, also showed signs of perspiration.

The crowd exchanged astonished glances. Looking at Bai Yuqing’s current radiant, blushing appearance, it suggested she had just finished some inappropriate activities with a man, rather than simply recovering spiritual energy. Could it be that during their long absence, they had truly engaged in wild revelry in that tower? Yet, judging by Bai Yuqing’s refreshed demeanor, she seemed fully recovered. Could this young girl have a special constitution where engaging in that activity also rapidly restored spiritual energy?

For a moment, the gazes cast upon Nie Kong and Bai Yuqing turned strangely suggestive...

...

Defeating Shan Xiong was not a monumental feat for Nie Kong; it merely allowed him a deeper understanding of his inner manifestation (Xīn Xiàng). Like the "Purple Luo Phantom Spirit Incense" branches that suddenly emerged from behind Shan Xiong—which others found incredible—Nie Kong considered it quite simple.

Before he was ensnared by Shan Xiong’s lightning net, he had quietly separated a wisp of his inner manifestation, infiltrated it beneath the ground, and then manipulated it to arrive behind Shan Xiong. The key was that, under Nie Kong's control, this wisp of inner manifestation, masked by spiritual energy, revealed no discernible aura fluctuations.

Achieving this was not difficult for Nie Kong. This world was filled everywhere with vitality (Shēng Jī), but few could truly sense it. After Nie Kong’s spiritual energy evolved into the essence of spiritual treasure (Líng Bǎo Jīng Qì), it merged even more perfectly with vitality, making it easier to conceal spiritual energy fluctuations.

However, for other Spirit Transformation cultivators, achieving this feat was incredibly difficult.

Therefore, although Nie Kong did not become arrogant over defeating Shan Xiong, the gazes of the surrounding inner-city disciples subtly shifted towards him. This was understandable, as Shan Xiong’s reputation within the inner city was too well-established. Last year, he had swept through the inner-city competition, crushing every opponent until he reached the final contention for the top spot, ultimately losing to Lan Shang by a very narrow margin.

Such an outstanding disciple was defeated by Nie Kong, who had only just reached the Ninth Grade of Spirit Transformation yesterday, and defeated so humiliatingly. If Nie Kong hadn't shown restraint, Shan Xiong might have been carried out of the Ascending Sovereign Hall horizontally and completely naked, instead of being carried out wrapped in a loincloth!

The impact of such an unexpected outcome on the minds of those inner-city disciples was considerable.

Nie Kong knew he had drawn perhaps too much attention this time, but it was unavoidable. Furthermore, since arriving in this world, Nie Kong had never truly maintained a low profile. Previously, he had needed attention to elevate his status within the Nie family; later, arriving at the Spiritual Sovereign City, he sought faster ways to uncover the secrets of the Yin Ruins. At that time, Nie Kong was forced to be high-profile; now, there was no need to conceal himself; letting things flow naturally sufficed.

Ignoring the gazes of the crowd, Nie Kong walked toward Miao Ge and the others. But after only a few steps, Kan Tian appeared beside him like a phantom, beaming broadly: "Not bad, not bad, even Shan Xiong couldn't beat you. It seems my projections need adjustment. If you remain in the Spiritual Sovereign City after achieving Spirit Mastery (Yù Lǐng), the future City Lord will surely emerge from between you and Lan Shang. Of course, that's decades away; let's first discuss..."

"Thud!"

Before Kan Tian could utter the words "Soul Incarnation" (Líng Hún Huà Shēn), Nie Kong sat down cross-legged on the ground, eyes closed, his expression tranquil. Kan Tian’s voice stopped abruptly. Seeing Nie Kong's posture, the old man immediately understood Nie Kong's intention, yet he showed no anger. The chubby face still held a benevolent smile, and he even waved the surrounding inner-city disciples further away, as if afraid they might disturb Nie Kong while he recovered his spiritual energy.

Witnessing this scene, not only did the surrounding inner-city disciples stare at each other in astonishment, but even Miao Ge and Tai Ji looked surprised. What was going on today? The Vice City Lord, who spent most of his time sequestered in the "Spiritual Cultivation Illusion Realm" diligently practicing, was actually showing Nie Kong favor?

Yes, showing favor!

Vice City Lord Kan Tian's actions gave everyone the most direct impression. Could this Nie Kong be the Vice City Lord's illegitimate son? After pondering for a long time, no one could understand, so they returned to watching the second match about to begin, though the doubt in their hearts refused to dissipate... Initially, Nie Kong planned to slip away quietly after Kan Tian left, but sensing the old man had no intention of moving, Nie Kong settled down and began circulating the "Yin-Yang Spirit Devouring Art." Gradually, Nie Kong’s mind became completely immersed in cultivation, and his depleted spiritual energy rapidly recovered.

"Boom!"

After an unknown amount of time, his meridians and acupoints became full once more, when a world-shaking roar suddenly startled Nie Kong out of his cultivation.

Thankfully, the old man was gone!