The heart lurched in the chest cavity, sounding like a massive drum struck suddenly and with immense force; the resulting tremor was intensely powerful. In a mere instant, Nie Kong felt the blood in his entire body boiling in response to the sound.

Was this the difference between inside and outside the hall?

This sound could actually resonate with the blood—truly interesting. But where was it coming from? As Nie Kong turned to look around, that strange yet mighty, familiar aura surged toward him again, causing the surrounding void to tremble violently.

"Thump!" Almost at the moment that aura reached him, the drumbeat sounded once more.

Nie Kong felt as if he had been struck hard; his body shook violently, the sound seeming to ring out directly in the deepest recesses of his mind. In that instant, the fierce throbbing not only made Nie Kong's blood boil but also caused his very bones to emit sharp, cracking sounds.

The lingering hint of nonchalance vanished, and Nie Kong’s expression turned solemn.

"Thump!" "Thump!" "..."

The potent drumbeats followed one after another, and the sensation of vibration grew increasingly intense. Gradually, his blood became like a raging bonfire, scorching Nie Kong’s nerves. In moments, Nie Kong was drenched in sweat.

Simultaneously, within the resonance caused by the drumbeats, the crackling explosion grew stronger and stronger. Faintly, Nie Kong felt as if all the bones throughout his body were fracturing, a searing pain piercing deep into the marrow.

Strangely, within this hall, he could not mobilize the Death Qi from his main body, nor could he execute the "Nether Path Shadow Art." This meant Nie Kong could only resist the agony brought by the drumbeats through sheer force of will.

The drumbeat continued to toll within his heart. Unconsciously, Nie Kong settled into a cross-legged position... "Tianlun," are you the outer disciple you brought back?" About ten feet from Nie Kong, a figure materialized silently beside Zhan Tianlun, like a ghost, asking with a smile. This was a middle-aged man, about forty this year; he was slightly shorter than Zhan Tianlun, but still quite imposing compared to an ordinary person.

"Indeed."

Zhan Tianlun’s gaze fell upon Nie Kong, and he smiled without turning his head, "His name is Nie Kong, and he is my brother!"

"Brother?"

Hearing those two words, the middle-aged man paused in surprise. After a long moment, he said with considerable astonishment, "Over the years, our Zhan Clan has accepted many outer disciples, yet not one has earned the title of brother from you, Zhan Tianlun. This young man, Nie Kong, must be extraordinary if you treat him as a brother."

"Naturally."

Zhan Tianlun laughed heartily and leaned in conspiratorially toward the middle-aged man. "Tianyue, guess what cultivation level my brother Nie Kong is at right now?"

Sizing up Nie Kong, who was already soaked in sweat, Zhan Tianyue pondered, "No higher than Fourth Tier!"

"Peak Third Tier!" Zhan Tianlun added, then looked back at Nie Kong, smiling, "And take a look at his age?"

Seeing Zhan Tianlun’s serious demeanor, Zhan Tianyue looked somewhat confused. "He looks about twenty. Hmm, a Peak Third Tier Black Spirit Master at this age... In the low-tier sects, he’d be called a genius—and quite good in the mid-tier sects. But in our Zhan Clan, he’s utterly common. Tianlun, you value him for reasons other than his cultivation!"

"You see quite accurately."

A strange smile spread across Zhan Tianyue’s whiskered face. "But do you know how long it took him to successfully condense his first Nether Star and reach Peak Third Tier?" Without waiting for Zhan Tianyue to reply, he raised his thumb.

"One year?"

Zhan Tianyue’s heart jumped, and he blurted out the guess. Reaching Peak Third Tier from an ordinary person in just one year—that was indeed a rare genius. Very quickly, however, Zhan Tianyue shook his head. "No, no. He is twenty now. If it took one year, wouldn't that mean he started cultivating at nineteen? Tianlun, you must mean ten years? That’s also wrong. If it took ten years to reach Peak Third Tier, that’s too common in the Netherworld..."

Seeing Zhan Tianyue utterly perplexed, Zhan Tianlun burst into laughter. "It was neither one year nor ten years—it was one month!"

"One month?" Zhan Tianyue exclaimed, then chuckled dismissively. "What kind of joke is that? For someone just starting cultivation, what can one month accomplish? It’s hard enough to condense the first Nether Star, let alone break through to Peak Third Tier? Hah... hah..."

When he noticed that Zhan Tianlun showed no hint of jesting, Zhan Tianyue’s laughter abruptly choked off as if his throat had been seized, gurgling hoarsely, "You... you couldn't possibly mean it is true, could you?"

"Do I look like I'm lying?" Zhan Tianlun countered. "Nine days ago, when I first saw him, he had already reached Peak Third Tier. At that point, he had only been cultivating for one month."

Zhan Tianyue sucked in a sharp breath. His gaze fell back on Nie Kong.

Even he could not entirely conceal the profound shock in his eyes, muttering, "His total cultivation time is less than a month and a half... Doesn't that mean he started cultivating far beyond the age of eighteen? He wasn't bound by age? Tianlun, is this fellow you brought a man or a monster?"

"Whether he is a man or a monster, from this moment forward, he is one of us in the Zhan Clan." Zhan Tianlun grinned widely, looking at the void swirling violently again around Nie Kong. "...The Heart Drum Battle Tone consists of nine rounds, eighty-one strikes. Tianyue, which round do you think my brother Nie Kong can endure until?" Zhan Tianyue sounded uncertain. "If I hadn't known about his cultivation time, I might have guessed he could survive the 'Three-Nine Battle Tone.' Now, perhaps he can reach the 'Five-Nine Battle Tone.' To reach Peak Third Tier in one month, his willpower must also be extraordinary."

"My prediction is higher than yours. If I’m not mistaken, my brother Nie Kong will definitely survive the 'Seven-Nine Battle Tone'!" Zhan Tianlun praised with a smile. Having spent so many days with him, he believed he understood Nie Kong’s temperament well enough to make a decisive judgment.

"Oh?" Zhan Tianyue was momentarily silent, then shook his head with a slight smile. "Then we shall wait and see." Yet, he paid little mind to Zhan Tianlun's words. It was known that the "Heart Drum Battle Tone" ignored cultivation level. In all the years, no initial entrant into this hall had lasted longer than reaching the "Six-Nine Battle Tone" stage.

As for enjoying the "Seven-Nine Battle Tone"—no one had ever achieved that!

"Thump!" The drumbeat in the heart continued, now infinitely stronger than at the beginning, exploding like continuous thunderclaps.

"Four-Six!"

Counting the drum sounds in his mind, in a flash, Nie Kong felt the continuously vibrating notes solidify, raging wildly within his body. In that single instant, every bone in his body seemed to crack and shatter, ground relentlessly into fine dust.

The sensation was incredibly bizarre!

But at the same time, the pain, like countless ferocious beasts breaking free from their cages, savagely gnawed at Nie Kong’s nerves—so intensely that it approached the absolute limit of his endurance. His once relatively clear consciousness suddenly began to dim.

"Thump!" The drumbeat resonated again.

Nie Kong’s body trembled, seemingly on the verge of fainting, yet he stubbornly gritted his teeth and held on. Though he didn't know the source of the drumbeat echoing in his heart, he could sense that this was likely a form of testing the Zhan Clan imposed upon its disciples. Perhaps the longer one could endure, the better the treatment one might receive in the future!

Given this, Nie Kong naturally would not give up easily.

"Thump!" "Thump..." No matter how fuzzy his consciousness became under the violent vibration of the drumbeats, one stream of awareness jumped clearly in Nie Kong’s mind: "Forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty..."

"What strong willpower!" Feeling the wave-like surges of aura surrounding him, Zhan Tianyue couldn't help but be moved, praising, "He has already held out until the 'Six-Nine Battle Tone'! Tianlun, your judgment is indeed sharper than mine. However, he looks quite strained now. Fifty-four strikes of the 'Heart Drum Battle Tone' will likely be his limit. This is already extraordinary. Among all the Zhan Clan disciples who have reached the 'Six-Nine Battle Tone' stage throughout our history, the vast majority went on to become Ninth Tier experts."

Zhan Tianyue paused, then smiled at Zhan Tianlun. "If nothing unexpected happens, your brother Nie Kong will likely become the first outer disciple in our Zhan Clan to reach the Ninth Tier. The harvest from your trip out was truly significant."

"That goes without saying."

Zhan Tianlun was all smiles. "Hmm?" Zhan Tianyue’s expression shifted. "The fifty-fourth 'Heart Drum Battle Tone' is coming."

Zhan Tianlun also turned to look, his expression growing serious, though his heart held a degree of anticipation: would these fifty-four strikes of the 'Heart Drum Battle Tone' be Nie Kong’s end, or a prelude to the new 'Seven-Nine Battle Tone' beginning...

"Thump!"

The drumbeat roared violently.

"Fifty-four!" Nie Kong felt his bones, muscles, and even his internal organs were riddled with holes, as if countless needle-thin threads were exploding outward from his heart. Faintly, he sensed something pushing out of his body, but those piercing pains surged forth, instantly drowning the last vestiges of clear consciousness remaining in Nie Kong’s mind.

The next moment, Nie Kong’s body began to tilt forward.

"As expected!"

Seeing this, Zhan Tianyue let out a long breath, a slight smile touching his lips.

Initially, upon learning that Nie Kong was unrestricted by age and reached Peak Third Tier in just one month of cultivation, Zhan Tianyue had found it unbelievable. But observing the current situation, Nie Kong still seemed to fall within the category of "genius."

Zhan Tianlun, however, instinctively sensed the situation around them.

This "Heart Drum Battle Tone" adapted to a person's tolerance. Once consciousness was completely lost, the "Heart Drum Battle Tone" ceased. Therefore, throughout the entire process, while it inflicted unparalleled pain, it caused no real harm; instead, it brought unexpected benefits.

A few seconds later, there was still no movement in the hall.

It seemed the "Heart Drum Battle Tone" had truly vanished! Zhan Tianlun felt a pang of disappointment, but then couldn't help but chuckle.

Throughout history, countless Zhan Clan disciples had witnessed the "Six-Nine Battle Tone," but very few managed to hear the final strike of that round, just like Nie Kong. How could he expect Nie Kong to endure further now?

With that thought, Zhan Tianlun stepped forward to stand beside Nie Kong, intending to help him up. But just as he extended his arms, Nie Kong’s head, which was about to hit the ground, suddenly paused in mid-air, and then slowly began to lift upward...