"Huh?" Seeing the bizarre scene suddenly unfold, Zhan Tianlun involuntarily let out a soft exclamation, then drew back his hands, exchanging a quick glance with Zhan Tianyou. In that moment, both men saw an undeniable shock reflected in the other's eyes.

Instantly, their gazes snapped back to Nie Kong. They watched as Nie Kong's upward gaze accelerated, and in the space of a mere finger-snap, his spine was straight once more, seated motionless as if carved from stone.

Following this, the void of the great hall, which had only been silent for less than a minute, began to undulate again. For a moment, it was as if a level-twelve hurricane had suddenly swept through, causing the previously placid surface of the sea to roar madly, its momentum overwhelming.

"This is…," Zhan Tianlun’s copper-bell eyes widened instantly.

"The Seven-Nine War Tone?" Zhan Tianyou unconsciously blurted out the four syllables, his eyes glued to Nie Kong without blinking. The moment the words left his mouth, Zhan Tianlun and Zhan Tianyou exchanged another look. Sensing the immense pressure surging into existence within the hall, rushing toward Nie Kong like a bursting flood, they both seemed to hear the deafening beat of a drum—Thump!—the sound continued to echo thunderously in their hearts, louder than before, the visceral tremor it caused within their bodies nearly twice as intense. Yet, this time, Nie Kong was like an outsider; he registered almost no particularly obvious sensation.

Nie Kong himself found this utterly baffling.

After the fifty-fourth drumbeat sounded, Nie Kong's consciousness completely lapsed into unconsciousness. However, in the very next instant, he snapped awake. But he didn't awaken in his original body; he awoke in his Second Incarnation.

It seemed Nie Kong's consciousness had completely transferred from his main body to the incarnation.

"I never expected the Second Incarnation to have this function—once the main body's consciousness completely faints, everything the main body experiences won't affect the incarnation…" Nie Kong muttered inwardly. Thinking it over for just a moment, he began to dimly understand. The 'Second Incarnation,' condensed from the 'Ethereal Fire Soul Dew,' was effectively a spirit master's second life.

The two were closely linked but could separate under certain conditions. Only in this way could life continue in the incarnation if the main body perished.

Thump! Thump! … Listening to the drumbeats resounding in his mind, Nie Kong’s spirit gradually focused. Now, without the interference of that heart-piercing pain, Nie Kong finally had the presence of mind to carefully appreciate the strange nature of the drum sound…

"What is happening?" Witnessing this bizarre transformation within the hall, Zhan Tianyou was struck speechless. The 'Heart Drum War Tone,' which had already subsided, was actually reactivating because of Nie Kong's awakening? As an elder of this 'War Tone Hall,' he had witnessed countless times the process of Zhan Clan disciples experiencing the 'Heart Drum War Tone,' but a situation like this had never occurred.

Zhan Tianlun, however, was overcome with mixed feelings of joy and surprise. He began unconsciously chanting the count of the war tones: "…Fifty-seven! Fifty-eight… Sixty-one! Sixty-two! Sixty-three… Sixty-four! Sixty-four beats—this is already the 'Eight-Nine War Tone'!"

As he finished speaking, Zhan Tianlun's lips trembled slightly with excitement.

Since the 'Heart Drum War Tone' first appeared, no descendant of the Zhan Clan had ever listened past the 'Sixty-Nine War Tone' beats. Zhan Tianlun had often assumed that the subsequent rounds—the 'Seven-Nine,' 'Eight-Nine,' and 'Nine-Nine' War Tones—simply didn't exist!

If even he, a Zhan Clan Elder, held such an opinion, how much more so the other disciples?

Yet, what was happening to Nie Kong today completely dispelled his doubts about the 'Heart Drum War Tone.' It turned out the later three rounds of tones truly existed; it was just that no one had ever endured long enough for them to manifest!

Although Zhan Tianlun himself had not experienced the 'Heart Drum War Tone' beyond the 'Sixty-Ninth,' having tasted the essence of the 'War Tone' himself, upon sensing the current atmosphere in the hall, he knew his judgment was absolutely correct.

"The Eight-Nine War Tone…" Zhan Tianyou murmured, his gaze toward Nie Kong becoming extremely complex. After a long pause, he let out a wry, long sigh. "I never expected that something we people surnamed Zhan couldn't accomplish would be achieved by an outer-clan disciple!" He was acutely aware of the massive stir this news would cause throughout the entire Zhan Clan if it spread.

"Who cares if they're surnamed Zhan or an outsider—they are all disciples of our Zhan Clan," Zhan Tianlun declared with a wave of his hand, his face breaking into a broad smile.

Thump! After the sixty-fourth beat, the drum sound began to slow down but became deeper and more powerful.

Observing this intently, Nie Kong now knew the drumbeats occurred in rounds of nine, each successive beat advancing, with a qualitative leap occurring between each round. Now, with his consciousness perfectly clear, listening to the seventh round of tones filled Nie Kong with considerable wonder.

If this miraculous drum sound could be heard by countless people, it would undoubtedly be a divine artifact on the battlefield. Once the sound began, it could make one's blood boil, veins surge, and fighting spirit erupt. If deployed during combat upon friendly soldiers, it could certainly make them charge forward fearlessly, proving more effective than any potent elixir. Even an exhausted and weakened army, upon encountering the enemy head-on, might turn defeat into victory—though this effect was limited to the first round of tones. The subsequent rounds acted with increasingly intense, direct force upon the bones.

Previously, Nie Kong had noticed that every time a drum sound struck, something seemed to ooze out of his body through the pores. It wasn't until the seventh round of beats that Nie Kong suddenly realized: those substances exiting through his pores were the impurities within his body.

These impurities originated primarily from the bone marrow, and secondly from the muscles, skin, and even the internal organs. This discovery filled Nie Kong with immense joy.

The 'Yellow Dragon Spirit Dew' could be used to strengthen the body, and the 'Nether Evil Art' refined the bones, but the drum sound here could temper and cleanse the skeleton. If he could endure until the drumming concluded, his entire being would be completely reborn!

After a long moment, Nie Kong managed to suppress the elation surging in his chest and settled into quiet contemplation.

As the eighth round began, the intervals between the beats grew longer, but the amount of impurities purged with each cleansing beat also increased.

Thump!

Thump!

…

Zhan Tianlun and Zhan Tianyou could not hear the drumbeats, but they could accurately gauge the number of beats based on the fluctuations in the hall. Initially, the two men reported the counts independently, but as time passed, their voices and tones merged into one.

"…Sixty-seven! Sixty-eight… Seventy! Seventy-one!" The numbers leaped from their mouths one after another…

Seeing the declared numbers draw closer to the terminus of the 'Eight-Nine War Tone,' both Zhan Tianlun and Zhan Tianyou felt their heartstrings tighten, their anxiety surpassing even that when they first entered the 'War Tone Hall.'

"Seventy-two!"

After waiting anxiously for nearly half a minute, sensing the violent disturbance in the void, the syllable that had been held back in both their throats rushed out simultaneously.

Zhan Tianyou let out a long breath. "The 'Eight-Nine War Tone' is over. I wonder if this kid can hold out for the 'Nine-Nine War Tone'?"

"Does that need asking? Just look at him!" Zhan Tianlun responded without hesitation, his voice vibrating with unconcealed excitement.

"This kid is truly a monstrous anomaly. He looked so tormented during the 'Six-Nine War Tone,' but starting from the 'Seven-Nine War Tone,' he acts like nothing happened. If I didn't know the conditions required for the 'Heart Drum War Tone' to appear, I would never believe his consciousness is clear right now!" Zhan Tianyou stared at Nie Kong, his face flushed with excitement.

"Haha, I feel the same way!" Zhan Tianlun laughed. "I was hoping Brother Nie Kong could reach the 'Seven-Nine' round, tsk tsk, but I never expected him to endure until the end of the 'Eight-Nine'! Tianyou, do you think we should inform the Clan Chief and the others about this good news?" Zhan Tianyou nodded immediately, but then quickly shook his head. "Let's wait a bit longer. Let's see if he can endure the final round!"

"That makes sense."

Zhan Tianlun chuckled, watching Nie Kong with eager anticipation. "If Brother Nie Kong truly endures the final round… when the Clan Chief and the others find out… they'll probably be both excited and regretful. I wonder if the excitement will outweigh the regret…"

Zhan Tianyou nodded lightly.

He understood perfectly the meaning behind Zhan Tianlun's words. The excitement, naturally, was because a Zhan Clan disciple would have listened to the complete 'Heart Drum War Tone' for the first time; the regret, however, was because this person was not of Zhan Clan blood, merely an outer-clan disciple…

In truth, he felt the same way. Ever since the 'Seven-Nine War Tone' began, excitement and regret had mingled in his heart, yet he himself couldn't tell which emotion prevailed.

In the next moment, Zhan Tianyou's thoughts returned to the young figure across from him.

Nie Kong remained motionless, like a fossil, quietly seated. Zhan Tianlun and Zhan Tianyou also fell silent. After the seventy-two drumbeats ended, the turbulent void settled down, and the 'War Tone Hall' became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

In this strange tranquility, time ticked by, minute by minute.

One minute, two minutes…

Five minutes…

In a flash, nearly ten minutes had sped past. Seeing that there was still no movement in the 'War Tone Hall,' Zhan Tianlun and Zhan Tianyou occasionally shifted their weight slightly, their brows furrowing unconsciously.

Suppressing their anxiety, the two waited a few more minutes, but could bear it no longer. Although the interval between the last set of beats had lengthened significantly, it hadn't stretched this long. By calculation, nearly fifteen minutes had elapsed.

Zhan Tianyou asked suspiciously, "Has the 'Heart Drum War Tone' really ended?"

"By convention, the 'Heart Drum War Tone' only concludes after the subject has completely passed out. But judging by Brother Nie Kong's current state, he doesn't look unconscious…" Zhan Tianlun shook his head, his tone uncertain.

"That is strange. Could the intervals between the 'Eight-Nine' and 'Nine-Nine' War Tones be this long?" Zhan Tianyou seemed to be asking Zhan Tianlun, yet also muttering to himself. Just as his voice fell, a strange power suddenly manifested out of thin air…