The room resonated with the sound of cracking bones, loud as thunder. Nie Kong remained unmoved, his mind utterly tranquil as he continued to absorb the surrounding vitality and death qi.

On this continent, every suitable place for cultivation was already claimed by sects. To rapidly advance one's cultivation here without attracting unwanted attention was impossible. Now, triggering a significant commotion with the "Nether Fiend..." technique, while it would certainly shock the Black Spirit Masters of Fubo Mountain, would also serve as a useful cover for his future cultivation using the "Yin-Yang Spirit Devouring Art."

"Crack! Snap..." The popping sounds rose and fell, finally beginning to wane. After another fifteen minutes, the sharp, cracking noise completely vanished. By this time, the bones within Nie Kong seemed to have entirely replaced the function of his meridians, having merged with and stored a massive amount of death qi.

Thus, the tempering of the bone structure was preliminarily complete.

Cultivating using the "Nether Fiend..." technique involved three steps: first, gathering death qi; second, tempering the bones; and third, condensing the Nether Star. Upon the successful condensation of the first Nether Star, the first layer of the "Nether Fiend..." cultivation was complete.

Following this pattern, when all nine Nether Stars were successfully condensed, the "Nether Fiend..." technique was considered fully cultivated.

The function of the Nether Stars was akin to the Spirit God Acupoints. However, while the Spirit God Acupoints of Spirit Masters on the Tianling Continent were invariably located in the lower abdomen, the "Nine Great Nether Stars" of a Black Spirit Master could be situated at any point in the body chosen by the practitioner.

For a Black Spirit Master, the Nether Stars served as both the source for unleashing Nether Power—that is, death qi—and simultaneously their most vital weak points. Generally, even between master and disciple, or among sworn brothers, practitioners would never reveal the locations of their Nether Stars to one another. Therefore, the locations chosen for condensing the Nether Stars were naturally best kept as unexpected as possible; only in this way could one harbor fewer worries while one’s cultivation was still low.

"Nether Stars..." Feeling the flow of death qi within him, a sudden thought flashed through Nie Kong's mind. "The human body has nine hidden acupoints. If I condense a Nether Star in each hidden acupoint, creating a cycle among the Nine Great Nether Stars, perhaps I can unleash even greater power..."

With this thought, Nie Kong delayed no further.

With a flicker of intent, his bones emitted a series of loud cracks. The death qi surged out from every part of his body, converging with the death qi permeating from outside. It rushed toward the "Yaochi Acupoint" in his lower abdomen like a breaching torrent.

According to the theory of the "Nine Revolutions Golden Needle Technique," the "Yaochi..." acupoint served as the master nexus for all hidden acupoints. Condensing a Nether Star and performing the "Nine Revolutions Golden Needle Technique" differed slightly. When inserting needles, Nie Kong always inserted the golden needle into the "Yaochi..." last. But at this moment, Nie Kong designated the "Yaochi Acupoint" as his primary choice for condensing the Nether Star. In Nie Kong's vision, he was employing the "difficult first, easy later" approach: if he succeeded in condensing a Nether Star within the "Yaochi Acupoint," the nexus, the remaining eight hidden acupoints would pose no challenge.

"Ayaya..."

Xiangxiang was curled up in a tight ball, sound asleep within the Yaochi Acupoint. Seemingly sensing the disturbance in her sleep, the little creature was startled awake. Her roots, stems, and leaves instantly unfurled, and she peered around restlessly, balancing a small flower bud on her head.

In an instant, the little creature sprang up, its roots and stems wrapping around the side wall of the Spirit God Acupoint. Immediately after, inky black death qi poured in like a raging tide, churning violently within the Yaochi Acupoint. If the little creature had not reacted so swiftly, it would have been instantly submerged by the death qi.

"Ayaya..."

Realizing its sanctuary had been occupied, the little creature rammed its flower bud against the acupoint’s side wall, protesting loudly with clear dissatisfaction. Unfortunately, its protest received no response; instead, the death qi within the Yaochi Acupoint surged with even greater intensity.

Seeing that it was being ignored, the little creature grew quite dejected. It slid down the side wall and crept into the now-empty hollow of the acupoint, letting its leaves droop in evident gloom. Noticing the little creature's movement, Nie Kong secretly smiled. It was better that the little creature had left the "Yaochi Acupoint..."

If it had been affected during the Nether Star condensation, that would have been troublesome.

"Boom..."

With a mental command, the death qi that had been suppressed at the bottom of the "Yaochi Acupoint" suddenly roared up like a ferocious beast breaking free from its cage, colliding with the incoming stream of death qi. After a violent impact, the two forces rapidly merged.

Moments later, under Nie Kong's control, the death qi filling the entire Yaochi Acupoint began to condense... Lin Jun and the two children stared unblinkingly at Nie Kong's room, their figures unconsciously creeping several dozen meters closer. Now, several other figures stood quietly beside them—all newly enrolled disciples of Fubo Mountain from that day.

"..."

"Senior Brother Lin, is that really Senior Brother Nie Kong’s room?" "How can he cultivate so fast? He's a genius from the very first day he arrived at Fubo Mountain!" "Senior Brother Lin, is he really cultivating the 'Nether Fiend Art'..."

"..."

Those young boys and girls knew Lin Jun was easier to talk to, and they began asking their questions one after another, filled with curiosity. Lin Jun could only shake his head inwardly; let alone them failing to understand what was happening, even he was utterly bewildered and found the current scene inexplicable!

Not long ago, even those standing dozens of meters away could hear the sounds emanating from that room. There was no doubt that Nie Kong was tempering his bones. Looking at the current situation, he should have already completed several steps and begun condensing the Nether Star!

A person nearing twenty-one, who had just started learning the "Nether Fiend..." technique less than an hour ago, reaching this level—who would ever believe it if they heard it?

Yet, the fact was right before their eyes, leaving them no choice but to believe. Recalling the words he had spoken after explaining the "Nether Fiend..." to Nie Kong, Lin Jun couldn't help but blush slightly. He had initially thought it would be excellent if Nie Kong could complete the first layer within a year, but judging by the current situation, this fellow might complete the first layer of the "Nether Fiend Technique" in a single day!

In the history of the Nether Land, Black Spirit Masters who condensed a single Nether Star in one day were not entirely unheard of, but they could certainly be counted on less than two hands!

"Whoosh! Whoosh..." Sounds of rushing air broke the silence as four figures flew in, landing almost simultaneously beside Lin Jun. They were Zhuo Yue, Mi Luo, Feng Hu, and Yan Luo.

"Lin Jun, is that Nie Kong inside..."

As soon as he stabilized himself, Yan Luo asked urgently. Seeing Lin Jun nod, Yan Luo exchanged a look of utter disbelief with Zhuo Yue, Mi Luo, and Feng Hu. Mi Luo couldn't help but grab Lin Jun's shoulder: "Are you sure?"

Lin Jun managed a bitter smile. "Yes, I personally escorted him into that room..."

"That's strange... That kid is clearly nearly twenty-one, and his bones are already fully formed. How is it possible for him to cultivate this fast?" Looking at the rapidly swirling green-black glow, Mi Luo’s eyes widened as he muttered to himself. It wasn't just him; Zhuo Yue, Feng Hu, and Yan Luo were equally consumed by doubt. Mi Luo’s question voiced the confusion in everyone’s mind nearby. "His first Nether Star looks like it will be condensed successfully very soon," Zhuo Yue suddenly remarked after a long silence.

As soon as Zhuo Yue finished speaking, the scene outside the room opposite began to change. The vitality that had been mixed with the death qi was being separated and pushed out to the periphery.

Several minutes later, the central area was completely occupied by death qi. Surrounding that area of death qi was a circle of intensely dense emerald green glow, brilliant, magnificent, and dazzlingly bright. Even the younger children, who were ordinary people, instinctively averted their gaze.

"Hoo!" The void continued to undulate...

Vast swathes of inky black death qi relentlessly squeezed toward the center. When they condensed to a size no larger than a washbasin, they suddenly expanded violently. During the expansion, plumes of death qi sprayed outward from five directions. From a distance, it resembled a star. In just an instant, that mass of inky black death qi returned to its original shape and size.

The next moment, the mass of death qi condensed and expanded again...

Condense, expand...

This cycle repeated—the fluctuating mass of death qi looked like a constantly flickering, brilliant star, mesmerizing to behold.

Yan Luo stared, muttering in disbelief, "How long has it been? The first Nether Star is about to be condensed successfully?" Condensing a Nether Star using the "Nether Fiend..." technique was different from normal cultivation. During routine practice, while void fluctuations would occur, no bizarre phenomena would manifest. However, during the condensation of a Nether Star, the formation process was clearly reflected, making it perfectly discernible.

At this moment, with such an anomaly appearing outside the room, there was no doubt about the stage Nie Kong had reached in his cultivation inside.

Feng Hu asked skeptically, "Is that kid really twenty?"

"His age is definitely correct..." Yan Luo chimed in. As the Elder who recruited Nie Kong into Fubo Mountain, he had no doubt about Nie Kong’s true age. If Nie Kong were under eighteen, that Elder from the Black God Sect would have long found an excuse to snatch him away, rather than leaving him to Fubo Mountain.

"It seems this kid is extraordinarily gifted; his potential is not limited by his age!" Zhuo Yue's voice held a barely concealed excitement.

"That's the only explanation!" Yan Luo nodded in agreement.

"Does this mean Fubo Mountain has struck gold this time..." Mi Luo’s face flushed, and even his breathing became somewhat ragged.

Yan Luo was about to reply, but the sound caught in his throat turned into a cry of surprise: "Look! His first Nether Star has been successfully condensed!" Hearing this, even the young children forced themselves to look through the dazzling emerald green light, focusing their gaze. They saw that this time, the mass of death qi did not expand again but condensed into an increasingly smaller black star that shot into the room like lightning.

In the next instant, the void fluctuated even more violently as large masses of death qi and vitality gathered.

"He's trying to condense the second Nether Star..." Lin Jun exclaimed involuntarily.

Zhuo Yue, Mi Luo, Feng Hu, and Yan Luo exchanged glances, all showing a degree of astonishment. After condensing the first Nether Star, this kid was continuing to condense the second without the slightest pause. Didn't he know the immense mental effort such an action required?

However, what shocked them even more was yet to come.

In only about half an hour, the second small black star condensed successfully and swiftly vanished into the room.

Then came the third...

The fourth, the fifth...

The eighth...

The ninth!