As the figures of Yan Luo and the others gradually faded from view, a male disciple of the Heart-Devouring Sect could no longer contain himself, lowering his voice to say, "Senior Brother, shouldn't we hurry back to the sect and report this matter to the Sect Master? If that person truly is under eighteen, with his aptitude, he might pose a threat to our Heart-Devouring Sect's standing in the future."

"No need to worry," the man beside him, appearing to be in his mid-twenties, smiled faintly, looking entirely confident. He spoke softly, "Do you remember the two people we saw entering Shuiyun Town last night? If I recall correctly, one of them was the Seventh Elder from the Upper Sect. He must have witnessed everything that happened today. Just wait and see; if he is indeed under eighteen, then after today, that man will likely become a disciple of the Black God Sect. If we see him at Fubo Mountain in the future, his true age will be self-evident..."

"I understand."

The three surrounding Heart-Devouring Sect disciples pondered for a moment, then instantly grasped the implication...

The outline of Shuiyun Town behind them grew steadily fainter...

Excluding Nie Kong and Huang Shan, the other ten newly recruited Fubo Mountain disciples, aged between ten and fifteen, still possessed the simple minds of children. The thought of becoming Black Spirit Masters soon filled them with excitement and high spirits.

However, noticing Yan Luo's face darken the moment they left Shuiyun Town, they all felt a flutter of unease and dared not show their joy.

Nie Kong, though, had already guessed Yan Luo's thoughts and chuckled inwardly.

When recruiting disciples, Fubo Mountain had suffered a significant hidden loss. Furthermore, regarding today's incident, no one from the "Black God Sect," the superior sect, had shown themselves, clearly tacitly permitting disputes among the four lower-ranked sects. If the Upper Sect remained indifferent, who knew how Heart-Devouring Sect, Wind-Hunting Valley, and Ghostly Soul Sect might suppress Fubo Mountain in the future? How could Yan Luo possibly be happy?

Of course, the petty schemes among the four lower-ranked sects held no importance for Nie Kong—all he needed was entry into Fubo Mountain. In his heart, cultivation was paramount; by whatever means necessary, he had to raise his cultivation to the Spirit Core realm within two years before returning to the Celestial Spirit Continent.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Nie Kong's brow twitched slightly. His gaze quickly swept over the path ahead, seemingly aimlessly, before settling on Yan Luo. Seeing that the Fubo Mountain Elder showed no reaction, Nie Kong remained outwardly calm, yet his heart quietly tensed.

"Eh..."

Walking another twenty or thirty meters, Yan Luo finally seemed to notice something. His steps halted abruptly, and he squinted, examining the bend in the road ahead.

"Is that Elder Yan of Fubo Mountain?"

Just then, a low, resonant laugh echoed, and two figures emerged from around the bend ahead.

One was an old man of about sixty, medium height, with a thin face, deeply set eyes, and a skull-like head, clad in a voluminous black robe that billowed as he moved, like a patch of black cloud adrift in the wind. The other was a sturdy man in his late thirties.

Yan Luo appeared somewhat surprised, pausing for a moment before instantly regaining his composure. He bowed respectfully to the old man in the black robe, "Yan Luo greets the Elder of the Upper Sect..."

"Upper Sect?" Nie Kong’s heart stirred. The one Yan Luo would call the Upper Sect must be the Black God Sect. He hadn't expected this old man to be an Elder of the Black God Sect.

A second thought struck him, and Nie Kong suddenly understood. This Black God Sect Elder had likely arrived in Shuiyun Town much earlier. The fact that he only appeared now strongly suggested he had come specifically for Nie Kong, perhaps...

He wanted to confirm his true age.

Having guessed the Black God Sect Elder's intentions, Nie Kong subtly relaxed, though a sense of irony welled up within him. In the Netherworld, hierarchies between sects were indeed rigid. He and Yan Luo were both Elders, yet simply because he hailed from a higher-ranked sect, Yan Luo had to show him such deference.

"Elder Yan, there's no need for such ceremony..."

The old man in the black robe waved his hand, smiling benignly. "I heard that the Heart-Devouring Sect, Wind-Hunting Valley, and Ghostly Soul Sect were intending to vie for disciples with your Fubo Mountain in Shuiyun Town today, so I made a special trip to observe. It seems I was still a step too late. Elder Yan, are these all your newly recruited disciples? Their aptitudes are quite fine. It appears the Heart-Devouring Sect, Wind-Hunting Valley, and Ghostly Soul Sect still failed to outmaneuver Fubo Mountain."

What blatant nonsense! Yan Luo felt a pang of displeasure but could only manage an obsequious smile, constrained by the fact that the Black God Sect was Fubo Mountain's superior.

Nie Kong confirmed his own speculation upon hearing this.

Indeed, the next moment, the old man’s gaze fell upon Nie Kong: "This little fellow shows excellent aptitude, but his apparent age seems a bit high. Elder Yan, how old is he?" As he spoke, he began walking toward Nie Kong.

"Exactly eighteen years old..." Yan Luo forced a strained smile, then glared at Nie Kong, chastising him, "Nie Kong, why aren't you quickly greeting the Elder of the Upper Sect." Nie Kong snapped out of his reverie and quickly bowed in greeting.

"Eighteen years old, you say..." The old man in the black robe grasped Nie Kong’s wrist, helping him stand.

The instant their skins touched, Nie Kong felt a wave of chilling death energy seep into the bones of his wrist. Nie Kong knew precisely what the Elder was doing and cooperated by shuddering conspicuously. In less than two seconds, the cold death energy retreated like a nimble snake back into the black-robed Elder's palm, but during that brief exchange, the death energy vibrated precisely twenty times.

Twenty times—does that mean twenty years? Nie Kong speculated secretly.

Releasing Nie Kong's wrist, a strange smile touched the old man's face as he turned to Yan Luo. "Very good, very good. Elder Yan, your Fubo Mountain has truly found a treasure this time. At eighteen years of age, he possesses an aptitude rarely seen in a century. If nurtured well, his future achievements will be limitless. Perhaps Fubo Mountain can even be promoted to a Middle-Rank Sect because of this child."

"I thank the Upper Sect Elder for his auspicious words." The Elder's words were laced with mockery, and Yan Luo managed an awkward laugh, though his heart sank into extreme frustration. In the Netherworld, sects could indeed be promoted, but the requirements for advancement were extremely stringent. For Fubo Mountain to rely on Nie Kong for such a leap was sheer fantasy.

"Elder Yan, I must press on toward Shuiyun Town, so I won't linger. Don't take today's events too much to heart. Those three sects—Heart-Devouring, Wind-Hunting, and Ghostly Soul—blatantly breaking the harmony among the lower sects is truly appalling; I will certainly reprimand them severely. Oh, and this peerless genius of eighteen—your Fubo Mountain must cultivate him well! Hahahaha..."

"Yes! Yes! Absolutely! Absolutely!"

"..."

After respectfully seeing the Elder in the black robe and his companion off, the forced smile on Yan Luo's face vanished completely.

Earlier in Shuiyun Town, Fubo Mountain had saved face due to Nie Kong's extraordinary talent, but now, Nie Kong’s age had caused Elder Yan to be severely ridiculed by the Black God Sect Elder. In an instant, Yan Luo’s mood plummeted to an abysmal low. He shot a glance at Nie Kong, said nothing, and turned to walk away.

"Back to the mountain!" Lin Jun and Yan Ya also snapped back to awareness, waving their hands in frustration. The young boys, intimidated by Yan Luo’s expression, dared not even draw a full breath, shuffling their feet nervously, though the burly Huang Shan spared Nie Kong a look of sympathy.

Nie Kong paid them no mind; his mood remained utterly unaffected, his steps as light as ever...

Yan Luo walked faster and faster ahead, and the others behind him were forced to quicken their pace. By evening, they finally reached the foot of Fubo Mountain.

The sustained, non-stop journey was a trifle for Huang Shan, but the other ten boys were exhausted to the point of collapse. When Yan Luo, who was in the lead, finally stopped, they all crumpled to the ground, gasping for air.

To avoid arousing the suspicion of Yan Luo, Lin Jun, and Yan Ya, Nie Kong acted in harmony, allowing a slight flush to appear on his face and his breathing to become noticeably more labored.

From their current vantage point, the scenery of Fubo Mountain was clearly laid out before them. Gazing up at the towering, ink-black peaks, Nie Kong couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. Though he hadn't truly set foot on Fubo Mountain yet, the dense vitality and death qi rushing toward him made his entire body restless, desperate to immediately experience what cultivation felt like in this environment.

At this moment, Yan Luo abruptly turned around. After such a long time, his mood seemed to have settled. He spoke in a level tone, "Lin Jun, Yan Ya, I am going to see the Sect Master now. The two of you take these new recruits, familiarize them with the environment of Fubo Mountain, and then bring them to the Spirit Venerable Hall." Lin Jun and Yan Ya quickly agreed. As Yan Ya finished speaking, she was already tens of meters away, her figure flickering up and down before vanishing into Fubo Mountain in the blink of an eye. This astonishing speed made Huang Shan and the other ten’s eyes widen in envy.

Lin Jun smiled inwardly; when he first arrived at Fubo Mountain, he had worn the exact same expression as these newcomers. After a heavy cough to rouse them, Lin Jun and Yan Ya ushered the group forward.

Nie Kong watched where Yan Luo disappeared, pondering in his mind.

According to the Netherworld's cultivation system, the strength of Black Spirit Masters here comprised nine tiers, and above the ninth tier was the "Spirit Venerable." Judging by the title "Great Evolution Spirit Venerable," the Spirit Venerables of the Netherworld were equivalent to the Spirit Gods of the Celestial Spirit Continent.

According to what Huo Yan had revealed, in lower-ranked sects, Sect Masters and Elders generally only possessed Fifth Tier cultivation, with a few possibly reaching the Sixth Tier. Based on Nie Kong's observations during their journey, Yan Luo was likely only a Fifth Tier Black Spirit Master—certainly not Sixth Tier, otherwise, Yan Luo would have sensed the Black God Sect Elder at the same time as Nie Kong, rather than lagging so far behind.

A Fifth Tier Black Spirit Master was roughly comparable to an Imperial Spirit Master on the Celestial Spirit Continent.

Following this inference, the Netherworld’s Nine Tiers should correspond roughly to the Spirit Gathering, Spirit Channeling, Spirit Fusing, Spirit Transforming, Spirit Imperial, Spirit Void, Spirit Core, Spirit Cave, and Spirit Celestial tiers of the Celestial Spirit Continent. Of course, this was only a rough approximation; they couldn't be perfectly equivalent, as these were two entirely different realms, and the standards for distinguishing the strength of Black Spirit Masters and various Spirit Masters would inevitably differ.

However, for Nie Kong, having a rough reference point was sufficient.

"Hoo..."

As he pondered, the sound of wind faintly brushed past his ears. The moment Nie Kong stepped onto Fubo Mountain, the scene before his eyes abruptly transformed...

PS: I was delayed by a few things and feel a bit disconnected while writing. Well, I'll manage two chapters today, three tomorrow.