One Dark Star after another revealed itself, shifting the mood of the onlookers from astonishment to shock, and finally to numbness. When the ninth Dark Star materialized in the void, a profound silence fell; the air was utterly still, and the crowd stood frozen, their expressions dull and vacant, without so much as a stir.

The successful condensation of the Nine Dark Stars signaled that Nie Kong had perfectly completed the cultivation of the Dark Fiend Art, crossing the threshold into the First Order of Black Spirit Master. This particular threshold wasn't inherently high, but for anyone over the age of eighteen, crossing it was next to impossible.

Yet, not only had Nie Kong crossed it, but he had done so in less than half a night.

When Nie Kong first touched the Dark Fiend Art and condensed the first Dark Star, it was astonishing, yet still within the realm of what the onlookers could comprehend. But now, seeing him consecutively condense all nine Dark Stars had utterly shattered their existing frame of reference.

Throughout the history of the Dark Earth, countless Ninth-Tier powerhouses had appeared, and even they had struggled to achieve such breathtaking speed when they first began their cultivation.

But today, this incomprehensible feat was manifesting in a newly initiated disciple of Fubo Mountain, and this individual was astonishingly close to twenty-one years old!

“Is this kid human, or a monster?”

After a long pause, watching the dense, unscattered black-green luminescence outside the room opposite him, Yan Luo’s mouth involuntarily twitched twice.

Zhuo Yue’s eyes, however, blazed with a brilliance like scattered starlight. He murmured, “Fubo Mountain has truly struck gold with this one!”

“Bang!”

A sharp, violent collision suddenly rang out, instantly snapping everyone nearby back to attention. Looking toward the sound, they saw Mi Luo slamming his massive head against a nearby tree trunk, his face etched with profound regret: “I am such an idiot! Truly! I had such a promising disciple right in front of me, and yet I abandoned him, letting Senior Brother Zhuo Yue reap the benefits…”

Although Yan Luo had mentioned recommending Nie Kong to the Sect Master of Fubo Mountain, if Mi Luo had insisted on taking Nie Kong as a disciple during the Spirit Venerable Hall's selection, Zhuo Yue certainly wouldn't have stubbornly fought him for the boy. Now that the selection was over, it was too late for anything.

Yan Luo and the others also realized this, and seeing Mi Luo’s look of utter remorse, they couldn't help suppressing quiet laughter.

“Enough… everyone back to your rooms!”

Just as Mi Luo was lost in self-reproach, Zhuo Yue suddenly spoke, drawing the attention of the surrounding youths. His tone, however, turned unnervingly cold: “No one breathes a word of what happened tonight. Anyone who does will face severe punishment without mercy!”

“Yes!”

Hearing Zhuo Yue’s command, the young disciples felt a sharp chill in their hearts, instinctively shuddering. They quickly suppressed their curiosity and dispersed in all directions. In a moment, only Zhuo Yue and the other three elders, along with Lin Jun, remained.

Gazing at the area where the void was still fluctuating violently, Zhuo Yue took a deep breath and added his instruction: “Lin Jun, when Nie Kong stops cultivating, tell him to come see me at the Spirit Venerable Hall tomorrow morning… No, tell him to come tonight immediately after he finishes cultivating, at the Spirit Venerable Hall.”

“Yes!”

Lin Jun quickly agreed.

Only then did Zhuo Yue turn and speed away, nearly colliding with a large tree tens of meters distant moments later. Feng Hu and Yan Luo exchanged a look and followed. Only Mi Luo lingered, hesitating, turning back three steps at a time as he finally departed, the look of remorse still etched on his plump face…

Inside the room, Nie Kong felt a slight surge of satisfaction.

At this moment, at the base of his nine hidden acupoints, an additional small, ink-black Dark Star pulsed gently in each. These nine Dark Stars were tightly interconnected, forming an integral whole with the bones within his physical body, allowing wisps of death energy to constantly flow back and forth between the stars and the skeletal structure.

“The cultivation of the Dark Fiend Art isn’t actually that difficult,” Nie Kong muttered inwardly.

Despite saying this, Nie Kong did not allow the ease of condensing the nine Dark Stars to lead him into underestimating the cultivation methods of the Dark Earth. How could a system capable of birthing Spirit Gods be simple?

The reason Nie Kong managed to complete the Dark Fiend Art so rapidly was not solely due to his pre-existing Spirit Control cultivation. It was also inextricably linked to the body tempering he underwent from the earlier Yellow Dragon Spirit Dew.

Most crucially, Nie Kong’s main body cultivated Spirit Treasure essence that was fused with death energy. This inherent advantage meant that even if another Spirit Master from the Heavenly Spirit Continent happened to enter the Dark Earth, they could never match Nie Kong’s inhuman speed when practicing the Dark Fiend Art.

“If I want to avoid arousing suspicion, perhaps I should try running the Dark Fiend Art and the Yin-Yang Spirit Devouring Art simultaneously.”

With a thought, the nine Dark Stars in Nie Kong’s main body suddenly accelerated their flickering. Simultaneously, the Spirit God apertures of his “Second Incarnation” vibrated intensely. The surrounding life energy and death energy surged back into the physical body like tidal waves, an image of utter frenzy.

However, when Nie Kong attempted to absorb death energy into his main body and life energy into his second incarnation using the two distinct arts, a problem arose.

While the Second Incarnation possessed a soul and a body, it lacked independent consciousness. This meant that when running both Spirit Arts concurrently, Nie Kong had to split his attention—a task far more arduous than when he previously executed the Nine Revolutions Golden Needle Technique while simultaneously running a Spirit Art.

Consequently, as death energy and a small portion of life energy flowed into the main body, and the vast majority of life energy flowed into the Second Incarnation, the frequency of the nine Dark Stars’ flicker and the amplitude of the Spirit God apertures’ vibration encountered errors almost simultaneously. The next instant, both the influx of life energy and death energy violently dissipated.

“Again!” Frowning, Nie Kong pondered for a moment, then gritted his teeth and reactivated both the Dark Fiend Art and the Yin-Yang Spirit Devouring Art. This time, he sustained the operation for only a few seconds longer, but Nie Kong felt a spike in spirit, and began his third attempt to run both arts…

The darkness receded, and Fubo Mountain was bathed in a hazy light. Gradually, the dawn broke through the dense layer of black mist hanging high above, spilling onto the rocks and vegetation.

“It’s already morning. How long is this guy going to keep cultivating?” Outside the room, Lin Jun sat cross-legged beneath a tree. He glanced at the sky, then at the persistent green-black luminescence covering the room opposite, and sighed, closing his eyes. He had waited here since Zhuo Yue, Mi Luo, Feng Hu, and Yan Luo had left, waiting the entire night.

Not far away, the youths who had newly entered yesterday looked haggard. They sat listlessly, feigning a posture of cultivation, yet their bodies fidgeted, their eyes constantly darting toward Nie Kong’s room.

An unknown amount of time passed until the light within Fubo Mountain began to feel somewhat scorching.

“It’s gone, it’s gone…” Hearing a muffled whisper nearby, Lin Jun, who had been dozing against the tree trunk, jolted awake. He rubbed his eyes and looked over, seeing that the green-black radiance that had nearly engulfed the entire room had finally dissolved completely into the void.

Moments later, the door creaked open, and Nie Kong stepped out with a faint smile.

“Finally done!” Lin Jun sighed in relief, leaping up instantly and rushing toward Nie Kong like a gust of wind.

“Senior Brother Lin*…”

Seeing Lin Jun, Nie Kong couldn't help being slightly surprised. But before he could offer a greeting, Lin Jun grabbed his arm without explanation and pulled him forward in a dead sprint. Nie Kong, startled, instinctively asked, “Senior Brother Lin, where are we going?”

“Junior Brother Nie, Master wants to see you.” Lin Jun didn’t look back, focused only on dragging Nie Kong forward, though a thread of anxiety ran through his heart.

From the tone of Zhuo Yue’s words, it was clear he had wanted to see Nie Kong last night, but now it was already midday the next day. Lin Jun knew Zhuo Yue’s temper well and realized he was likely due for a severe dressing-down. He sighed inwardly, suddenly feeling a pang of jealousy toward the person behind him.

After witnessing Nie Kong’s performance last night, he could guess exactly why Zhuo Yue was so eager to see him!

“Zhuo Yue wants to see me?” Nie Kong paused, then realization dawned. While cultivating the Dark Fiend Art last night, Nie Kong had sensed Zhuo Yue, Mi Luo, Feng Hu, and Yan Luo gathered outside his room. He hadn't paid much mind then, but now it seemed Zhuo Yue’s desire to see him was undoubtedly related to the commotion he had caused.

Nie Kong wasn’t concerned about this matter. After a moment’s thought, he pushed it aside and focused instead on checking the status of his main body and his Second Incarnation.

After experimenting for half the night and an entire morning, Nie Kong had finally managed to run the Dark Fiend Art and the Yin-Yang Spirit Devouring Art simultaneously, albeit clumsily. Mastering the technique would require more practice. In the Dark Earth, possessing both the main body and the Second Incarnation allowed him to gain considerable advantages by cultivating two Spirit Arts at once.

Practicing the Dark Fiend Art could condense death energy while simultaneously expelling some life energy from the body, serving as an excellent form of concealment. With the main body acting as a decoy, the Second Incarnation could focus entirely on absorbing and refining life energy.

Nie Kong was certain that once he could wield this method with fluency, his cultivation speed would increase dramatically.

Vaguely, the Spirit Venerable Hall was now visible in the distance.

A minute or two later, Lin Jun released Nie Kong’s arm and reluctantly stepped into the hall with him. The vast chamber contained Zhuo Yue, Mi Luo, Feng Hu, and Yan Luo seated opposite one another. The instant the two entered, eight pairs of eyes swept over them simultaneously.

Lin Jun stepped forward a few paces, carefully bowing: “Master, esteemed Elders, I have brought Junior Brother Nie Kong.”

“Greetings, Master and Three Elders…” Nie Kong also offered a slight bow.

As he spoke, Lin Jun braced himself for his Master’s reprimand. To his surprise, Zhuo Yue not only refrained from scolding him but instead waved him off with a broad smile and amiable expression: “Very good, Lin Jun. You can go and rest now…”

Beside him, Mi Luo and Yan Luo were also smiling pleasantly. Even Feng Hu, who was usually stern and reserved, showed a hint of a smile in his eyes this time.

Lin Jun let out a silent sigh of relief, only to be immediately filled with confusion. Had his Master overlooked his tardiness because he was so delighted by this astonishingly gifted junior brother? That didn't quite seem right either. His Master notoriously disliked waiting, especially for such a long time; given his temperament, even if he spared Nie Kong a scolding, he should have vented his frustration on Lin Jun.

There must be another reason for this! While pondering, Lin Jun retreated from the Spirit Venerable Hall…

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