No sooner had Zhan Tianlun's voice fallen than a female voice rang out abruptly. It was a sound like pearls dropping onto jade, like a music box chiming—exquisitely clear and pleasant, yet astonishingly loud, as if a stick of dynamite had been quietly lit and then detonated right beside everyone's ears.

Nie Kong felt his heart skip a beat. It was the first time he had encountered a woman whose voice possessed such sheer volume, yet this woman’s voice was also so inherently melodious. The combination of the two made it impossible not to pay attention.

Like the surrounding unaffiliated disciples, Nie Kong instinctively turned toward the sound, scanning the crowd. In an instant, he spotted a graceful, slender figure in green emerge from the cluster of Zhan clan disciples.

This young woman possessed a lithe and beautiful physique, her figure curvaceous without being overtly voluptuous or too thin. Her face was exquisitely fair; her features were like a painting, delicate and precise—her skin was as tender and smooth as freshly skimmed tofu pudding, seemingly fragile enough to break with a touch.

She appeared to be no older than sixteen or seventeen, with cheeks still carrying a touch of baby fat, rosy and full. Unlike other women who let their hair hang down their backs or twisted it into an elaborate bun, she wore hers short, reaching only to her shoulders.

Refined and lovely... yet brimming with heroic vigor...

These two temperaments, naturally contradictory, merged perfectly within Zhan Qingzhu. Nie Kong had witnessed countless beautiful women on the Tianling Continent, especially within the Yin Ruins, and had long grown somewhat desensitized. Yet, even he couldn't help but feel a slight pang of surprise now.

The women of the Zhan clan were generally quite tall. In Nie Kong’s current observation, anyone under 1.7 meters was considered short, 1.75 meters merely passing, and 1.8 meters was extremely common. The Zhan clan men were even taller.

By Nie Kong’s estimation, she fell slightly short of 1.8 meters. Such a stature would normally blend in among such a tall crowd, yet the moment she appeared, she immediately drew every eye.

Nie Kong noticed that after Zhan Qingzhu’s appearance, many of the unaffiliated disciples’ gazes became fixed, their expressions reflecting undisguised awe.

"Six Nine, Five Four, Five!" Zhan Tianlun’s somewhat mood-dampening voice echoed abruptly in the space.

"Ah!"

Exclamations of shock immediately rose among the unaffiliated disciples.

The Six Nine War Sound, fifty-four beats...

As far as they knew, this was the absolute limit of the "Heart Drum War Sound" that anyone in the Zhan clan had ever managed to hear. That this delicate and lovely Zhan clan girl could reach such a level was truly astonishing.

However, what was even more surprising was that this young woman named Zhan Qingzhu was already a Fifth-Tier Black Spirit Master at such a tender age. To break through to the Fifth Tier merely by cultivating the Zhan clan’s universal "Heart Condensing Art" proved her innate talent was exceedingly rare in this world.

Seeing the reactions of the unaffiliated disciples, the Zhan clan youths felt a satisfying surge of vindication.

Among the unaffiliated disciples, Li Xiao was the most outstanding, yet he had only managed to listen to fifty-one beats of the Six Nine Drum War Sound. Zhan Qingzhu, however, had endured until the last sound. Although both were categorized under the "Six Nine War Sound," the gap between them was significant.

Moreover, Zhan Qingzhu's cultivation level surpassed Li Xiao’s.

Since this was War God Mountain, it was only right and proper that in every aspect, the Zhan-surnamed disciples should excel over the unaffiliated ones.

"Zhan Qingzhu..."

Nie Kong murmured the name privately, feeling quite amazed himself.

On the journey to War God Mountain, Nie Kong had heard Zhan Tianlun mention that the Zhan clan possessed a girl of exceptionally outstanding talent. Nie Kong had encountered many people with exceptional heavenly aptitude—Bai Yuqing, Mu Hongling, Long Xuechan, Long Meixian, Nie Fenghua, Mu Qingying... all of them possessed outstanding potential. Because of this, Nie Kong hadn't pressed for more details at the time.

Now, Nie Kong understood that the girl Zhan Tianlun spoke of must be this Zhan Qingzhu before him.

His words hadn't been an exaggeration in the slightest; to reach such a realm at sixteen or seventeen years old, her innate talent was indeed seldom seen. On the Tianling Continent, even someone as cultivation-obsessed as Bai Yuqing had not yet reached the Spirit Sovereignty stage.

Of course, these were two different cultivation systems, and their realms could only serve as a rough comparison. If Zhan Qingzhu and Bai Yuqing were to spar, who would win remained unknown. Nie Kong guessed Bai Yuqing would likely have the greater chance of victory.

"Take the stage!"

Just as Nie Kong was lost in thought, Zhan Tianlun’s typically stern voice softened slightly. This was not unusual. Generally, in any sect, geniuses, especially the geniuses among geniuses, always received preferential treatment.

In a minor sect like Fubo Mountain, Nie Kong had experienced this treatment himself.

"Yes!"

Upon receiving Zhan Tianlun's command, Zhan Qingzhu gave a slight bow, her clear and resounding voice startling the crowd’s eardrums once more. When everyone snapped back to attention, Zhan Qingzhu was already moving slowly toward the steps ahead.

With each step, Zhan Qingzhu’s waist and hips swayed gracefully, her two shapely, long legs alternating in a forward and backward motion, radiating a captivating beauty that caused many gazes to follow her figure, reluctant to look away.

"Buzz!"

The instant Zhan Qingzhu stepped onto the "War Spirit Hearing God Platform," a deep hum erupted, and the crimson pillar vibrated violently. When Li Xiao had ascended earlier, he had also provoked an attack from the red pillar, but compared to the present moment, it was far less intense.

Zhan Qingzhu repeated the motions performed by the other Zhan clan disciples and unaffiliated disciples. After about two minutes...

"Buzz!"

A flash of purple light vanished. One moment it was at the base of the crimson pillar, and the next it shot out, hovering in the void, condensing into the shape of a book. The purple hue was intensely concentrated. Beneath this purple tome, Zhan Qingzhu's blue-clad figure, seated on the platform, was almost completely obscured by the faint glow emanating from the "crimson robes."

Another Purple Art!

At this moment, the space fell silent, and eyes converged on that cluster of purple light, filled with anticipation or curiosity...

Few people in the entire history of the Zhan clan had ever listened to the complete "Six Nine War Sound," and women were even rarer. No one knew if the Purple Art Zhan Qingzhu obtained would surpass Li Xiao’s "Nether Blade Chronicle."

The most agonizing aspect of acquiring Spirit Arts on this "War Spirit Hearing God Platform" was its inherent uncertainty. Generally, the more Heart Drum War Sounds one listened to, the better the Spirit Art received. But there were many exceptions.

There was even a Zhan clan disciple who listened to the eighth beat of the "Six Nine War Sound"—the fifty-third Heart Drum War Sound—yet unexpectedly, the Spirit Art he ultimately obtained from the "War Spirit Hearing God Platform" was merely a White Art.

Although that disciple later became an Eighth-Tier master through persistent effort, the situation remained profoundly anticlimactic. Therefore, until the very end, no one could be certain of the outcome.

"Swish!"

Under the gaze of over two hundred pairs of eyes, the pages finally turned.

In a flash, two blood-red characters became clearly visible within the mass of purple light: Heart Sword!

"Good! Excellent! Qingzhu actually obtained the Heart Sword!"

"Qingzhu is so obsessed with swordsmanship; I guessed the Spirit Art she received would be sword-related. However, I thought the one most suited for her cultivation would be the Ink Spirit Sword Song. Unexpectedly, the War Spirit Hearing God Platform chose the Heart Sword for her!"

"Heart Sword is far superior to Ink Spirit Sword Song!"

"..."

Upon seeing those two bright crimson characters, the Zhan clan disciples were first astonished, then instantly overjoyed, as if they themselves were the ones who had gained this Spirit Art.

The name Heart Sword sounded unremarkable.

But among the nine Purple Arts of the Zhan clan, this "Heart Sword" was extraordinary. Zhan Rufeng’s "Blood Soul Hearing Wave Art" ranked fifth, and Li Xiao’s "Nether Blade Chronicle" ranked third. However, Zhan Qingzhu’s "Heart Sword" claimed the absolute top position.

It was widely rumored in the outside world that Zhan clan members were formidable at fighting above their ranks. The most indelible memory for later generations was of an Eighth-Tier master from the Zhan clan who shocked the Netherworld thousands of years ago, successively defeating several Ninth-Tier powerhouses, which secured the Zhan clan's eternal fame.

Yet, they did not know that for the Zhan clan to possess the ability to fight across ranks, they first had to cultivate a select few specific Spirit Arts. The "Heart Sword," ranked first among Purple Arts, was one such devastatingly powerful technique.

Thousands of years ago, that Eighth-Tier master of the Zhan clan also cultivated the "Heart Sword"!

In the subsequent years, descendants of the Zhan clan occasionally proved suited to cultivate the "Heart Sword," but those who succeeded in cultivating it, all told, could be counted on two hands. This showed how low the probability of acquiring this Spirit Art was.

Now that Zhan Qingzhu had obtained the "Heart Sword" Spirit Art, it meant that, barring unforeseen circumstances, in years to come, the Zhan clan would possess a female powerhouse of astonishing strength. Having even one more person of this caliber represented a massive boost to the sect's overall power.

"After more than a century, someone in our clan is finally suited to cultivate the Heart Sword..."

Watching the rapidly turning purple book and Zhan Qingzhu sitting beneath it, Zhan Yunlan couldn't help but let out a long sigh, his voice filled with emotion.

The two Supreme Elders beside him also showed signs of excitement, the wrinkles on their faces deepening, resembling dried orange peel.

Heart Sword... Since it has the character 'Heart,' does that mean it can be unleashed using Spiritual Thought?

Nie Kong mused secretly. If this "Heart Sword" Spirit Art was as he imagined, its power must be extraordinary. Once one's Spiritual Thought reached a certain level, challenging opponents across cultivation ranks might not be impossible. Driven by curiosity, Nie Kong couldn't help but focus his attention, but alas, the script flickered at an astonishing speed, and the "War Spirit Hearing God Platform" was shielded. Thus, Nie Kong only saw characters flashing past his eyes, unable to discern any clarity.

"Swish!"

Soon, the "Heart Sword" book flipped to its final page, then transformed into a dense stream of purple light that drilled into Zhan Qingzhu’s body. Immediately, Zhan Qingzhu sprang to her feet. As the "crimson robes" receded, she too walked toward the steps. A captivating blush had spread across her fair and tender cheeks, making her look like a ripe apple, exceptionally alluring.

It was clear that obtaining the Purple Art "Heart Sword" had visibly excited Zhan Qingzhu as well.

When the Zhan clan disciples greeted the descending Zhan Qingzhu from the "War Spirit Hearing God Platform" with excited gazes, Zhan Tianlun’s sharp voice once again dragged their attention back...