The dust settled, and Elder Hong Shou of the Black God Sect, along with Gong Teng and others, retreated dejectedly from before the Spirit Venerable Hall, their disciples wounded or dead. The oppressive atmosphere that had shrouded Fubo Mountain vanished instantly, just as night quietly descended.

"Ming Dan..." In the brightly lit room, Nie Kong idly spun an oval, bean-sized black pill between his fingers. After hearing Zhuo Yue's explanation of the War Clan, Nie Kong was rather surprised; not only were the War Clan formidable in combat power, but they were also quite skilled in alchemy.

The pills refined by the Netherworld people were called "Ming Dan," similar to the Spirit Medicines of the Celestial Spirit Continent. However, these Ming Dan were only suitable for Black Spirit Masters to consume. Like Spirit Medicines, Ming Dan also had grades, though they were not divided as minutely as Spirit Medicines; there were only Low-tier, Mid-tier, High-tier, and Super-tier—a classification that mirrored the Sect's structure.

The Ming Dan in Nie Kong's hand was an excellent Low-tier pill, a meeting gift from Zhan Tianlun. According to Zhan Tianlun, a Black Spirit Master at the peak of the Third Rank had a fifty-odd percent chance of breaking through to the Fourth Rank after consuming this pill.

Both Spirit Medicines and Ming Dan could be used to advance cultivation, but there was one crucial difference: Spirit Medicines could only elevate a Spirit Master within a minor stage, never across a major realm. Ming Dan, however, could be used to ascend a Black Spirit Master's Rank. Rank was equivalent to the major realms in the Celestial Spirit Continent's cultivation system.

This was not to say Ming Dan was inherently superior to Spirit Medicine; it was simply a difference arising from the two distinct cultivation systems.

On the Celestial Spirit Continent, there were distinct differences between the major realms of Spirit Masters—such as the evolution of Spirit Thought in the Spirit Transformation realm, the commanding of Spirit Thought in the Spirit Command realm, or the melding of the self with the void in the Spirit Void realm. In contrast, the difference between the Ranks of Netherworld Black Spirit Masters was less about qualitative shifts and primarily about the intensity of death qi, or Nether Power. The Ming Dan used to boost cultivation served to increase this Nether Power intensity.

From the First Rank to the Ninth Rank was akin to nine nodes on a vertical line. Crossing each node in Nether Power intensity brought about a qualitative leap in cultivation. If one remained at the peak of a certain Rank for too long without breaking through, consuming a suitable Ming Dan could potentially advance them to the next Rank.

However, this advancement came with a chance of success.

This aspect bore some resemblance to taking Spirit Medicine. Spirit Medicines primarily depended on the integration degree of the medicinal power; the higher the integration, the greater the chance of success. If integration exceeded eighty percent, the possibility of failure became very low; above ninety percent, failure was almost impossible.

It was said that a Ming Dan for cultivation advancement with a fifty percent success rate was considered an excellent medicine, and one with a thirty to forty percent success rate was quite respectable. A twenty percent success rate could merely be called passable. Furthermore, as the grade of the Ming Dan increased, this success rate would drop even lower.

A Super-tier Ming Dan suitable for Eighth or Ninth Rank Black Spirit Masters, even with a success rate of only ten or twenty percent, would still cause experts and powerhouses to clamor for it.

Nie Kong did not know how this success rate was calculated, but comparatively, the Spirit Masters of the Celestial Spirit Continent were far luckier than the Black Spirit Masters of the Netherworld. For high-grade Spirit Medicines with sixty or seventy percent integration, success was not guaranteed to be one hundred percent, but the probability would never plunge to the mere one or two percent seen in the Netherworld.

Moreover, Ming Dan could not be consumed consecutively without limit.

If used for advancement, the same type of Ming Dan would only yield maximum effect in the first three doses. Even if the fourth dose succeeded, its efficacy would drop sharply. By the fifth or sixth dose, it would become entirely useless.

"This Ming Dan... I might as well try it. I wonder what it tastes like?" With that thought, Nie Kong pinched the pill and casually tossed it into his mouth, beginning to chew.

If anyone else had witnessed Nie Kong's casual manner of consumption, they would surely have been stunned speechless. Due to the extremely low success rates, the ingestion of Ming Dan was a grave matter for Black Spirit Masters, usually reserved for moments when their state was optimal.

If one's spirit was low or attention was scattered, a Ming Dan with an inherent fifty percent success rate could easily result in three consecutive failures. Conversely, if one was in peak condition, even a pill with only a ten percent success rate might result in successive triumphs.

Although the exact numerical impact of a Black Spirit Master's mental state on success rate was never explicitly quantified, it was an undeniable truth forged by the experience of countless Black Spirit Masters over ten millennia. This had long become consensus among the Black Spirit Masters of the Netherworld.

"Hiss!"

The moment the Ming Dan dissolved, Nie Kong's lips curled back in pain. Nie Kong had tasted countless bitter medicines in both his past and present lives, yet he never imagined a substance could be so overwhelmingly acrid, giving him the sensation of his gallbladder bursting and bile drowning his taste buds.

With a gulp, Nie Kong quickly stopped chewing and swallowed the pulverized remains into his abdomen. Now, he suddenly understood that the method of taking Ming Dan here might adhere to the maxim: "swallow the date whole."

As soon as the pulverized fragments entered his stomach, they transformed into wisps of black vapor, spreading throughout Nie Kong's limbs and bones.

"Ayaya?"

Sensing the diffusion of the medicinal power, Xiang Xiang, who had been curled up, sound asleep in the Spirit God Acupoint, suddenly unfurled her stems and roots. Her round, purple bud lifted up as she drowsily extended a wisp of green energy.

Ever since Nie Kong condensed the Star XXX Yao Qi Saliva Pond Acupoint... the little creature had relocated her lair to the Spirit God Acupoint. The "Spirit Treasure Essence Qi" she had previously cultivated had long since differentiated, either merging into the Nether Stars or entering her avatar. Now, Nie Kong's physical body's acupoints were empty, completely devoid of spiritual energy, perfectly suited for the little creature to nestle within.

Thus, after the initial few days of discomfort and vehement protest, the little creature had become quite content with her new dwelling, which possessed twenty pairs of tiny acupoints, often delighting in burrowing in and out of the small apertures, playing to her heart's content.

"Ayaya! Ayaya..."

Having just reeled in a speck of the black vapor back into her [body], the little creature suddenly cried out and jumped up, her stems and roots stiffening, her small bud shaking back and forth incessantly. She looked as if she had just been electrocuted.

Could this Ming Dan be harmful to the little creature? Nie Kong jumped in alarm, about to probe the consciousness transmitted through the creature's cry, when he found her tense body had relaxed, and dozens of green wisps simultaneously surged out of the acupoint.

In mere moments, those black vapors were entirely seized by the little creature, absorbed into her [body].

Nie Kong watched, dumbfounded, only then realizing that the creature's previous reaction was actually one of extreme excitement. A moment later, sensing the little creature's lingering appetite, Nie Kong's heart filled with suspicion.

Since arriving at Fubo Mountain, Nie Kong had encountered many black herbs imbued with dense death qi and vitality, yet the little creature had shown no reaction. It disliked such herbs—that was clear from their time in the Yin Ruins—otherwise, she would not have remained indifferent to the numerous 'Nightmare Spirit Black Demon Vines.'

If that was the case, why was she showing such an abnormally excited reaction to the Ming Dan now? Back on the Celestial Spirit Continent, the little creature only favored naturally growing herbs and generally showed little interest in refined Spirit Medicines.

Could it be that after being refined, the herbs here underwent some peculiar transformation? That was not entirely impossible. If this was what attracted the Ming Dan to the little creature, perhaps he could investigate it later when he had time.

"Ayaya?"

The purple bud tapped the Spirit God Acupoint, and Xiang Xiang's voice conveyed extraordinary excitement.

After probing through their mental connection, Nie Kong gained no insight. Clearly, the little creature's initial absorption of the black vapor was merely a subconscious act; she had not sensed any specific benefit the Ming Dan offered her beforehand.

Thinking again, Nie Kong pulled two more Ming Dan from his pouch and tossed them into his mouth simultaneously. Zhan Tianlun had given Nie Kong three of these Low-tier Ming Dan that evening, precisely to maximize the chance of Nie Kong reaching the Fourth Rank that night.

This time, Nie Kong did not chew. The two pills melted as soon as they entered his stomach, and wisps of black vapor reappeared. The little creature was prepared and, before the vapor could spread throughout Nie Kong's body, happily swept them all up, gathering them back into the Wu Shen and other acupoints.

Noticing the little creature beginning her absorption, Nie Kong quickly calmed his mind and sensed carefully. However, even after the medicinal power of both pills was entirely absorbed by the little creature, Nie Kong still failed to perceive anything unusual in the black vapor.

Moreover, from beginning to end, the little creature only expressed joy and excitement. This meant her affinity for the substance was instinctive, just like her liking for vitality, natural herbs, or Spirit Treasure Essence Qi—all rooted in instinct, without reason.

"This is strange!"

Nie Kong muttered to himself. Now that all three Ming Dan were used up, Nie Kong could not attempt another session and had to set the matter aside temporarily. As for failing to advance to the Fourth Rank using the pills, Nie Kong did not find it regrettable. He was already at the peak of the Third Rank; even without the Ming Dan, he would quickly reach the Fourth Rank through his own efforts.

Subsequently, Nie Kong cleared his distracting thoughts, quieted his mind, and began circulating the "Netherway Shadow Art." The nine Nether Stars flashed intensely, and death qi continuously converged. Nie Kong's final night on Fubo Mountain passed rapidly amid his cultivation...

Inside the Spirit Venerable Hall, the lights flickered, and silence reigned.

Zhan Tianlun sat cross-legged, his broad, door-slab-like black sword resting across his knees. Suddenly, Zhan Tianlun opened his eyes, a smile touching his lips. Since Nie Kong returned to his room, Zhan Tianlun had been monitoring his movements, only now withdrawing his attention. For several years, the War Clan, a family-style sect, had begun accepting outer disciples with exceptional aptitude, but a disciple like Nie Kong, who reached the peak of the Third Rank within a month of first touching cultivation, was truly unprecedented.

Initially, Zhan Tianlun merely admired Nie Kong's talent. After observing him in action, he was determined to bring Nie Kong into the War Clan. In front of the Spirit Venerable Hall, Zhan Tianlun greatly appreciated Nie Kong's character, and now, he was even more satisfied.

"Neither servile nor overbearing, neither arrogant nor complacent... coupled with such natural talent, he is surely destined to become a pillar of our War Clan. Hmm, he didn't even know the proper way to consume Ming Dan... It seems he truly hasn't heard of the War Clan. It's a pity about those three chances; now he must rely on his own cultivation to reach the Fourth Rank..." Zhan Tianlun chuckled softly, his low murmur echoing in the hall...