"The Inferno of the Stygian Spring" plot is about to unfold. After reading, please don't forget to cast a few recommendation votes. Thank you, thank you.

Before Kan Tian could speak, Nie Kong let out a wry smile. "Vice City Lord, please just say what you need to say. There's no need to elaborate on that 'Soul Incarnation' thing with me again." Nie Kong understood that the old man's incessant pestering wasn't just about finding someone to talk to or giving him a lecture on the 'Soul Incarnation.' The knowledge was secondary; he must have another motive.

"Refreshing, I like that." Nao Tian's plump face immediately wrinkled like dried orange peel. "Little fellow, I only need a tiny bit of your soul power." As he spoke, Nao Tian pressed his thumb against the pad of his index finger, showing only a small portion, indicating how little he required.

"This damn fat old man!" Soul power was not something one should so easily give away. Nie Kong nearly cursed out loud. This wasn't a sign of disrespect toward his elders. The City Lord of Lingyu, the Six Hall Masters, and Ancestor Xuba all deserved respect, but this meddlesome Vice City Lord, Wei Tian, was clearly not among them.

If he encountered a highly skilled Spirit Master, they might easily seize control of that sliver of soul power, turning him into a mere puppet obedient to their every command—perhaps sealing it within an object similar to the 'Beast Taming Sect Beast Plaque.' Since Nao Tian could conjure something as bizarre as the 'Soul Incarnation,' he must possess profound knowledge of the soul. Who knew if he would stoop to such a thing?

"Just this?" Nie Kong asked, his face grim.

"Yes, yes!" Wei Tian nodded his head rapidly like a chick pecking grain. "You can actually hear the voice of my 'Soul Incarnation.' Your soul power must be extraordinarily special. I must thoroughly examine such a wonderful thing; perhaps I can uncover the secret to achieving Spirit God status!"

"Oh," Nie Kong grunted coolly and turned to leave.

"Little fellow, where are you going? What does your 'Oh' mean—yes or no?" Nao Tian hurriedly chased after him.

"Ancestor Xuba has been suppressing the Yin Void Spirit Vein for too long and has nearly exhausted most of his vitality. Coincidentally, I understand a bit about medicine and need to go assist with his treatment. Vice City Lord, are you interested in joining me?" Nie Kong glanced back slightly, his tone carrying a hint of eager invitation.

"Uh... well..." Wei Tian's steps suddenly halted. After stammering for a while, he finally conceded glumly, "We'll talk about it later, much later." "Since that's the case, I'll be on my way then." Nie Kong laughed heartily and strode forward. Recalling Wei Tian's expression just now—like a mouse spotting a cat—Nie Kong felt a secret thrill, and a large portion of the pent-up frustration vanished. This vast Lingyu City indeed still held figures that the fat old man feared.

After a while, Nao Tian's shout echoed from behind: "Hey, little fellow, think about it carefully. If you agree, come find me in the uppermost room outside the 'Spirit Cultivation Illusory Realm'..." A ghost would go there to find you! Nie Kong muttered inwardly. Not long after, he arrived outside the Senluo Ancient Cave. His figure flickered eerily, and moments later, streaks of dark green phosphorescence lit up from the ground. Several full minutes passed before the entrance to the subterranean passage finally revealed itself.

After Nie Kong's figure vanished into the passage entrance, the void rippled, and the exterior of the Senluo Ancient Cave returned to normal. Immediately afterward, Nao Tian's spherical, meatball-like body rolled out of the void, muttering sullenly, "Oh dear, he actually knows the way in there. It seems the little fellow wasn't lying just now. This is going to be tricky. If he reports me to the Ancestor, won't I be in serious trouble......"

Emerging from the underground secret chamber, it was already late at night. To Nie Kong's relief, as he walked to the pavilion, he did not see the fat old man's figure again.

In the past, whenever Nie Kong returned to his residence at night, he would always see the two little lolis, Long Hun and Long Ting, waiting expectantly by the door. Upon seeing him, they would beam with joy, rush over, and then present steaming hot meals. That warm feeling was something he deeply missed. However, today the petite, delicate figures of the two lolis did not appear, nor was there any steaming food. Instead, a low, humming sound emanated intermittently from the second floor.

Cultivating again!

Nie Kong sighed helplessly. It was said that for the past six months, under Long Mei Xian's constant supervision, Long Hun and Long Ting had been cultivating day and night. They had even cultivated the entire previous night, not staying entangled beside Nie Kong as they once did. They also hadn't gone to watch the inner city competition at the Ascension Hall today. If this had been half a year ago, it would have been utterly unthinkable.

Nie Kong walked toward the second floor with a slight headache. For them, being able to completely escape the fate of the Spirit Body, to cultivate, and to rapidly improve their cultivation was naturally a good thing. But if both of them turned into cultivation fanatics like Bai Ya and Qing, that would be quite depressing. Having just one cultivation fanatic, Bai Yu Qing, was already more than enough.

Sure enough, when Nie Kong gently pushed open the door, he saw Long Hun and Long Ting seated cross-legged on their cushions, each with a phantom image of a green dragon floating above their heads.

As the two rapidly shifted their hand movements, the two green dragons continuously writhed in the air, occasionally opening their mouths to emit a low, resonant sound.

Nie Kong did not disturb them, quietly sitting down opposite them.

Nie Kong had already gained some understanding of the Spiritual Race's Spirit Heart. Although the Spiritual Race did not cultivate Spirit Power, they could still temper their Spirit Heart through the spiritual energy elements of heaven and earth, just like the Half-Spiritual Race, in addition to tempering their bloodline power.

Furthermore, the Five Great Spiritual Races each possessed their own methods for enhancing their Spirit Hearts. For instance, the Dragon Spirit Race could absorb the souls of spirit beasts whose attributes matched their own constitution. This was how Long Mei Xian had dealt with the "Snow Spirit Serpent Dragon" back in the Heavenly Wolf Mountain Range.

Long Qin and Long Ting had only recently begun cultivating the Dragon Clan's Spirit Heart and had not yet reached the stage where they needed the souls of spirit beasts to advance it. At their current stage of Low-Grade Spirit Fusion, manipulating their Spirit Hearts still required various hand seals, and it would be some time before they could truly control them solely through thought.

"Roar! Roar!" Suddenly, two excited low growls sounded.

Nie Kong suddenly noticed that at the moment these two roars erupted, the phantom green dragons above Long Qin and Long Ting's heads actually swelled slightly. In an instant, the calm little faces of Long Qin and Long Ting revealed expressions of joy, and their dark, bright eyes immediately snapped open.

"Master." Seeing Nie Kong's figure across from them, the two were even happier. The green dragon phantoms zipped back into their bodies, and they prepared to rise from their cushions.

"Stay still, stay still." Nie Kong quickly waved his hands at them with a smile. "You're both already Second-Grade Spirit Fusion? Come, let your master see your two Spirit Hearts..."

"Mm-hmm," the two little lolis nodded excitedly, their brows brimming with intense delight. The green dragon phantoms emerged once more. The posture of their hands changed, and the two small green dragons let out low growls, actually floating over to hover in front of Nie Kong, settling on his thighs one on the left and one on the right, affectionately rubbing their heads against him.

Nie Kong hadn't expected Long Hun and Long Ting to be able to control their Spirit Hearts to this extent. He couldn't help but raise his hands and stroke the heads of the two green dragons. The green dragons blinked their eyes with no discernible reaction, but Long Qin and Long Ting opposite them involuntarily narrowed their eyes, behaving like kittens enjoying their master's touch.

Nie Kong hadn't noticed this; his mind was completely consumed by curiosity. Touching this Dragon Clan Spirit Heart felt completely different from touching his own "Purple Luo Phantom Incense." It had a tactile quality, as if what his palms were resting on wasn't a green dragon phantom, but the soft cheek of an infant.

His palm slid over the green dragon's head, tracing down its smooth back... A moment later, catching