The third chapter is here. This plot segment should conclude tomorrow. Furthermore, I'm still asking for monthly votes; it seems without the direct appeal, few friends are willing to cast theirs, sob. If Nie Kong knew what thoughts were swirling inside the minds of these Inner City disciples, he would surely collapse. In reality, he had merely used the "Nine Revolutions Golden Needle Technique" on Bai Yuqing to restore her spiritual energy.

Amidst this peculiar atmosphere, the fourth round of the competition finally commenced.

However, when Xiantian, who had vanished for a while, announced the rules for this round, not only did the surrounding Inner City disciples exchange bewildered glances, but even Nie Kong and the others who had made it into the top ten felt a wave of surprise. This stout old man had altered the rules at the last minute. While this round still required drawing lots, instead of pairing disciples with consecutive numbers as before, the rule was now to divide them into two groups—the first five numbers in one, the remaining five in the other—for a free-for-all melee.

Following that, only one person remaining in the circle from each group would contend for this year's Inner City Head Seat.

This change introduced a significant element of uncertainty into the competition. Even someone as formidable as Lan Shang could potentially face a combined assault from the other four in such a chaotic brawl, leading to her early elimination.

Although everyone was baffled by the sudden rule change scheduled for tomorrow, no objections were raised. As the Vice City Lord of Lingyu City, Ming Tian could not arbitrarily interfere with the ongoing matches, but he retained the authority to adjust the rules before the competition began.

Nie Kong was initially confused as well, but a quick glance at the way Xiantian looked at him made him understand. The purpose behind the old man's rule adjustment was likely still related to him. With the rules modified like this, the duration of the competition would be drastically shortened, allowing the old man to resume lecturing on the so-called "Soul Incarnation" as soon as the matches ended.

Nie Kong felt a severe headache coming on. It was all due to a single, casual answer he had given earlier that caused this trouble.

If he had known that Xiantian’s words weren't merely spoken aloud but were relayed by that "Soul Incarnation," Nie Kong would never have uttered a sound. Then he wouldn't have been entangled with this inexplicable Vice City Lord.

If things truly got out of hand, he might have to venture outside the Spirit Vein to seek out Patriarch Xuba and mend some fences.

As Nie Kong made this internal decision, two larger battle circles were delineated. Simultaneously, professors carrying trays entered the hall. The final drawing of lots placed Nie Kong and Bai Yuqing in the same group; their numbers were consecutively drawn—one being seven, the other, eight.

Also in the same group were Liu Heming and Jing Lan, along with a male disciple named Ji Shen. Lan Shang, Gu Ruofei, and the other three were placed in the other group. This outcome pleased Nie Kong; in a melee such as this, having Bai Yuqing assisting was undoubtedly much easier than fighting the other four alone.

Thus, as the five stepped into the battle circle, they clearly divided into three smaller factions: Nie Kong and Bai Yuqing together, Liu Heming and Jing Lan paired up, and Ji Shen standing slightly apart, appearing remarkably calm, showing no signs of tension despite the possibility of being ganged up on.

Gazing at Nie Kong, Liu Heming offered a slight smile. "Nie Kong, I didn't expect we would meet in the competition like this."

As he spoke, an involuntary hint of admiration surfaced in his eyes, showing no lingering resentment over Nie Kong forcing his good friend, Shan Xiong, into a hasty retreat.

Nie Kong chuckled calmly. "Nor did I." When he first entered the Inner City, Nie Kong truly hadn't anticipated encountering the most outstanding Inner City disciples like Liu Heming and Shan Xiong in such a setting so quickly. Before entering the Spirit Vein, Nie Kong hadn't envisioned this either; at that time, he was only at the first rank of Spirit Transformation. If he hadn't awakened his bloodline, advancing to the ninth rank of Spirit Transformation in just over half a year would have been impossible. If he had only possessed the cultivation of the fourth or fifth rank of Spirit Transformation, he probably would have lost in the previous round.

Liu Heming smiled. "Soon we will be entering the 'Inferno Underworld Spring' together. That place holds many treasures, but also many dangers. Nie Kong, I hope we can cooperate smoothly then." Last year, upon realizing Nie Kong was immune to poisonous flora, he and Lan Shang had entertained similar thoughts. Unfortunately, Nie Kong's cultivation was too low then, making his chances of entering the 'Inferno Underworld Spring' extremely slim, so they never brought it up with him.

"That's precisely what I intend," Nie Kong replied, nodding.

Spirit Masters at the high ranks of Spirit Transformation who enter the 'Inferno Underworld Spring' are scattered across the entire Tianling Continent; there are many young powerhouses. If the ten disciples of Lingyu City could truly unite and assist one another, they would undoubtedly be much safer inside. Even if conflicts arose with Spirit Masters from other sects or families, they wouldn't need to worry.

While Nie Kong and Liu Heming were speaking, Jing Lan was sizing up Bai Yuqing.

As a beautiful woman, she naturally paid attention to another strikingly beautiful woman, especially a young woman like herself. Before this competition, Jing Lan had already heard rumors about a new, battle-hungry, and powerfully formidable beautiful junior sister who had arrived in the Inner City.

However, Jing Lan had never interacted with her, only catching glimpses of her from afar a few times. She was indeed stunningly beautiful, particularly her youthful, innocent face paired with a voluptuous figure and a cool, aloof temperament—a deadly allure for men. Even Jing Lan, who prided herself on her own beauty, had to admit defeat after seeing Bai Yuqing. She had often noticed the lecherous expressions on the faces of male disciples when they mentioned Bai Yuqing.

Yet, Jing Lan hadn't paid much mind to Bai Yuqing’s actual strength, as Bai Yuqing was still a Spirit Fusion Master then, vastly different from her own ninth rank of Spirit Transformation. No matter how strong she was, how powerful could she truly be? Even when she heard recently that a male disciple at the eighth rank of Spirit Transformation had been soundly beaten by Bai Yuqing, she hadn't taken it seriously. Perhaps that fellow had deliberately gone easy on her, trying to get close; there were plenty of men who acted shamelessly around beautiful women.

But she hadn't expected the sheer shock she would feel witnessing Bai Yuqing compete in the Ascension Hall firsthand. With only the second rank of Spirit Transformation, she had, in the first round, defeated five disciples of higher cultivation ranks in a sweep of overwhelming force. In the subsequent rounds, she continued to overcome strong opponents, even defeating Wei Zhao, who was at the ninth rank of Spirit Transformation. If her cultivation had advanced to the eighth or ninth rank, perhaps even low-rank Spirit Controllers wouldn't be her match.

Jing Lan understood clearly: if Wei Zhao hadn't been the one fighting Bai Yuqing earlier, but she herself had, then the Inner City disciple standing here now certainly wouldn't be her. This was because her cultivation was only slightly different from Wei Zhao's, and thankfully, Wei Zhao’s family also possessed a quota for the 'Inferno Underworld Spring,' meaning their loss this time was substantial.

"Junior Sister Yuqing, please be gentle with me later," Jing Lan said with a sweet smile.

"If I strike, I will not hold back until the victor is decided," Bai Yuqing replied, clearly lacking the habit of polite pleasantries. Her tone was level, and her expression remained unchanged.

"..."

Jing Lan was taken aback by Bai Yuqing's directness and couldn't help but gasp slightly, remaining speechless for a long moment. Seeing her stifled into silence by Bai Yuqing, not only did Liu Heming let out a soft chuckle, but even the usually composed and serene Ji Shen's lips curved into a faint smile.

Nie Kong inwardly smirked but didn't offer any explanation. It wasn't that he was unwilling, but rather unnecessary. This was simply Bai Yuqing's nature. Those who could accept her temperament would find her an excellent friend. However, the number of people who could tolerate her personality would certainly be limited.

Actually, although the current Bai Yuqing was growing colder, her temperament had become much more restrained. At least she no longer occasionally spat out the phrase "this old lady" like she did back in the "Life and Death Illusion Realm" or in Zhaoyang Town on the remote edge of the Tianlang Mountain Range. This also implied that the things capable of provoking her anger were becoming fewer and fewer.

"Begin!"

As the four in the battle circle displayed varied expressions due to Bai Yuqing's remark, the two words signaling the official start of this round’s melee finally echoed in the Ascension Hall. Instantly, the surrounding murmurs and chatter vanished, and the hall became eerily silent.

"Four of you, I won't crowd this excitement. You carry on!"

As soon as the professor's voice faded, Ji Shen took a step back, crossing the boundary line, and smiled at Nie Kong and the others left in the circle. No wonder he had remained so composed and relaxed; he had intended to withdraw from the start. Since he had already secured his spot for the 'Inferno Underworld Spring,' conceding this free-for-all battle was inconsequential.

"Whoosh!"

Bai Yuqing ignored Ji Shen’s words. Almost before his voice completely died down, her broadsword sprang from her shoulder like a coiled spring, descending upon Jing Lan opposite her with the force of a thousand tons. Blue light swirled along the blade, resembling a pool of cold spring water, as an icy aura streamed forth incessantly.

Just as she had stated, "If I strike, I will not hold back until the victor is decided." Merely judging by the momentum of Bai Yuqing’s strike, it was clear her attack held no restraint whatsoever.

Nie Kong likewise felt no hesitation in attacking due to his previous pleasantries with Liu Heming. The moment Bai Yuqing launched her attack, potent spiritual energy surged from his body, instantly condensing into the shape of the "Purple Luo Phantom Incense" in his palm. With just a thought, the "Purple Luo Phantom Incense" swelled violently; its leaves, several meters wide, rustled as they swept towards Liu Heming, spiritual energy surging like a tidal wave.

Having witnessed Nie Kong’s fight with Shan Xiong, Liu Heming harbored no contempt for Nie Kong and had elevated his strength to be equal to Lan Shang's. Almost as Nie Kong's right hand began to move, Liu Heming swiftly circled his own palms in front of him. A blazing aura erupted outward, and two massive fire dragons surged from his arms, intertwining like twists of rope, ferociously opening their maws to lunge and bite at Nie Kong.

"Boom!"

Two masses of red and green luminescence collided at a speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye, sending shockwaves scattering everywhere.

The two fire dragons were instantly shattered, but the bursting blossoms and leaves of Nie Kong's "Purple Luo Phantom Incense" reformed, actually enveloping the residual shockwave that hadn't completely dissipated, continuing to bear down on Liu Heming with overwhelming force.

If this were based on the Five Elements theory from Nie Kong's previous life, where wood meeting fire would result in a furious blaze turning to ash, the Tianling Continent was drastically different. Even Miao Ge's Water Spiritual Power could integrate Fire Spiritual Power elements, so wood spiritual power suppressing fire spiritual power was hardly surprising.

"Whoosh!" In just an instant, the "Purple Luo Phantom Incense" reached Liu Heming. He retreated rapidly, but at this moment, Nie Kong didn't press the pursuit. The dark-green stalks and leaves of the "Purple Luo Phantom Incense" abruptly curved, darting towards the back of Jing Lan like an electric bolt...