No, they were practically a family already. Though they never admitted it aloud, their hearts had long since settled into that understanding.

Zhen Xiaoyan felt a pang of envy. She envied them for growing up together, for sharing years of bickering that always masked deep concern for one another. Most of all, she envied that they had grown up alongside Ye Lang!

What an enviable childhood friendship, the innocent bond of playmates since infancy...

"Ye Lanyu, a duel!"

"A duel it is! Do you think I fear you?!"

The two girls were entangled once more, clearly itching to start another fight. Seeing this familiar scene, Ye Lang made no move to stop them. Everyone around was used to it; how could he not know the nature of the squabbles between the people he grew up with?

And so, Ye Lang took Zhen Xiaoyan's hand and led her inside. "Fat Girl, I missed you so much! Come on, let's go in!"

Zhen Xiaoyan's face flushed, and she shot back, slightly annoyed, "...You just want what I cook, don't you?"

"Mmm-hmm!" Ye Lang nodded. "I miss your cooking the most, though sometimes I miss you too!"

"......" Zhen Xiaoyan was speechless but ultimately placated. Being missed occasionally was enough; she wasn't his anything, after all.

"Stop right there!!"

Seeing Ye Lang pulling Zhen Xiaoyan away, Ye Lanyu and the Seventh Princess immediately dropped their confrontation and shouted after him simultaneously. They had only just spotted Ye Lang; there was no way they would let him vanish so quickly.

"What is it? Keep going! Given your mood, I’ll tell Fat Girl to save you some dinner," Ye Lang called back without turning around.

"No wonder Little Qi says you're heartless. We haven't seen each other in ages, and you don't have a single word for me?" Ye Lanyu retorted crossly.

"I do, but I'm busy right now. I have a patient inside and people waiting outside." Ye Lang’s words served as a reminder: he was the Divine Doctor, and he had just been treating someone inside.

"Right, I do have a patient here. Could you take a look?" Ye Lanyu suddenly recalled the true purpose of their visit at that very moment.

Chen Pi was perfectly cooperative, immediately bringing his mother over on his back, his face alight with desperate expectation as he looked at Ye Lang.

"Who is it?" Ye Lang hadn't seen Chen Pi clearly, only because he wasn't alone near him. Many other expectant faces were crowding around.

Where the Divine Doctor appeared, those seeking cures naturally pressed forward—it was simply what anyone would do!

"Divine Doctor, please look at me! I’m in so much pain..."

"Divine Doctor..."

Instantly, the scene erupted into a clamor, everyone striving to get closer to Ye Lang. If it weren't for the Light Knights holding the line, Ye Lang's clothes would have long been torn to shreds...

The Seventh Princess glanced at Ye Lang, then at the Light Knights. A confusion clouded her mind; she couldn't fathom why these usually arrogant knights, who never showed such deference to anyone outside the Holy Church, were treating Ye Lang with such respect.

Then, everyone’s gaze returned to the fighting ring. Ji Shen and Liu Heming were trying to withdraw, leaving only Bai Yuqing, Nie Kong, and Jing Lan inside.

Jing Lan’s strength was formidable, but Nie Kong’s earlier sneak attack had made her wary. Now, under Bai Yuqing’s relentless assault, she was being forced to retreat step by agonizing step. Especially after catching sight of Liu Heming’s defeat, Jing Lan clearly began to panic, making her struggle against Bai Yuqing’s offense even more desperate.

In this situation, Nie Kong certainly wouldn't show mercy. The coiled stems of the "Purple Luo Illusionary Scent," which had retreated, floated toward Jing Lan once more.

"Whoosh!"

Caught in the pincer attack between Bai Yuqing and Nie Kong, Jing Lan’s figure suddenly flickered, and she materialized at the edge of the boundary line, managing a wry, helpless smile. "Forget it, I'll just step out myself!" The moment her words faded, Jing Lan stepped across the line, standing outside the fray.

Nie Kong was somewhat nonplussed. He had expected this free-for-all to be a fierce, drawn-out brawl, yet Ji Shen and Jing Lan had both voluntarily withdrawn sequentially. In the end, he had only actively eliminated Liu Heming. Still, this outcome saved Nie Kong considerable effort.

Unlike Nie Kong, the inner city disciples watching from the sidelines were even more animatedly focused on Nie Kong and Bai Yuqing. These two, both hailing from Jiyang City in the Dacheng Empire—and perhaps having shared a very intimate 'battle' in the tower prior to the competition—how would they handle the current situation?

The other group's melee had just concluded, with Lan Shang emerging as the victor. This meant only two remained in this specific combat circle, requiring one to yield for the final contest for the top seat. Would Bai Yuqing concede, would Nie Kong withdraw, or would he realize he was no match for Lan Shang and exit alongside her?

To everyone’s surprise, after Jing Lan left, neither Nie Kong nor Bai Yuqing abandoned the fight. After a slight pause, they simultaneously lunged toward each other.

"Hoo!"

Nie Kong merely moved his mind, and the dark green stems of the "Purple Luo Illusionary Scent" surged forward like a breaking flood. The spiritual energy rolling off the undulating stems resembled a torrential downpour, projecting an intense sense of oppression that made the lower-ranked inner city disciples watching feel a distinct chill.

Bai Yuqing showed no sign of retreating. Her broadsword, wrapped in an aura of bone-chilling cold, swept toward Nie Kong’s "Purple Luo Illusionary Scent." Her sword momentum was fierce and utterly unyielding. In an instant, not only was Nie Kong's spirit plant cleaved apart, but the very void around it seemed sliced in half by the stark, frigid glint.

"Eh?"

A trace of surprise involuntarily touched Nie Kong's heart. Shan Xiong and Liu Heming had been unable to breach his inner manifestation, yet this young woman managed it with a single sword strike. Compared to Shan Xiong's thunderous spiritual power or Liu Heming's flame power, this girl’s ice spiritual power posed a greater threat to his own manifestation.

Could it be because she cultivated a Polar Extreme Variant Spiritual Power?

Through his cultivation journey, Nie Kong had gained some understanding of Polar Extreme spiritual powers. Water spiritual power, when taken to its absolute extreme cold, becomes ice power—one manifestation of the Water Extreme. If Water spiritual power were taken to its absolute extreme of softness, it would manifest another extreme. This applied not just to water, but to wind, fire, earth, and lightning as well, all possessing various Polar Extremes.

Nie Kong’s Wood spiritual power also had its own Extremes. When his spiritual energy integrated both vitality and death energy, it essentially encompassed two Extremes: the Extreme of Life, capable of reviving all things, and the Extreme of Death, capable of causing all things to wither into oblivion. However, as of now, Nie Kong hadn't even brushed against the edges of these two states.

The perfect fusion of vitality and death energy within his spiritual power, according to what Nie Kong knew from his past life, was the state of the Mean—the Middle Path. This state of equilibrium offered immense benefits. Once he could derive a Polar Extreme from it, Nie Kong could freely switch between the Extremes of Life and Death in battle, an ability unattainable by other spiritual masters.

But reaching that level, Nie Kong knew, was a journey still stretching far ahead of him.

"Flower Shifting Evasion!"

With a mere thought, Nie Kong’s figure drifted out obliquely in a bizarre fashion. The "Purple Luo Illusionary Scent" that had been split in two miraculously reformed into two complete plants, simultaneously sprouting a frenzy of new, dense stems and leaves that swept toward Bai Yuqing. The dark green aura flashed erratically, dazzling the eyes.

Bai Yuqing abruptly halted her advance, but her broadsword continued to cleave at the empty air, its speed increasing with every swing. The angles of attack shifted unpredictably, resulting in over a dozen strikes in mere moments. Witnessing this, the surrounding crowd exchanged puzzled glances.

But an instant later, they gasped. Streaks of azure sword light materialized out of thin air before Bai Yuqing, crisscrossing and smashing down onto the dark green stems. This assault managed to momentarily halt Nie Kong's aggressive, spectral technique. In the next heartbeat, Bai Yuqing vaulted into the air.

"Hoo!"

Her broadsword, resembling a startling rainbow spanning the heavens, shot down toward Nie Kong’s head. Just then, a strange smile crept onto Nie Kong’s lips. Two thick branches of the "Purple Luo Illusionary Scent" had silently erupted from the ground, shooting straight toward the air to coil tightly around Bai Yuqing's ankles.

With a sharp tug, Bai Yuqing tumbled backward, landing flat on her back.

"Clang!"

Just as her back was about to meet the ground, Bai Yuqing suddenly inverted her sword tip, stabbing it into the earth. She curled her body, swung her broadsword toward her feet, and in a flash, severed the two branches. Her graceful body then snapped upright, the broadsword blazing with azure cold light as she lunged directly for Nie Kong's chest.

However, just as the tip of her blade was less than a foot from Nie Kong’s body, the two "Purple Luo Illusionary Scent" stems, whose attack had been blocked, pierced through the shield of sword light once more. They wrapped around Bai Yuqing’s ankles again, rapidly spreading until the dark green leaves instantly encased her two beautifully proportioned thighs.

"Thump!"

The stems of the Purple Luo Illusionary Scent snapped back like springs coiled to their limit. After sliding several meters through the air, Bai Yuqing’s voluptuous, fiery figure slammed heavily onto the ground.

"Ah!"

Watching her tall, proud, full chest flattened against the unyielding earth, the spectators felt a collective wrench in their hearts, letting out involuntary cries. Their gazes towards Nie Kong grew tinged with disdain. Perhaps before the match, he had fondly fondled those tempting assets, yet now he struck with such brutal force. What if he shattered them? The man clearly knew nothing of chivalry!

Nie Kong hesitated not at all. The stems of the "Purple Luo Illusionary Scent" extended at blinding speed. In less than a second, they had coiled around Bai Yuqing and flung her out of the combat circle. The moment she landed, the stems released her, instantly retracting and dissolving back into Nie Kong's body, vanishing without a trace.