The three elders responsible for recording were all in their forties, holding a status within the War Clan seemingly equivalent to that of Zhan Tianlun. Once Nie Kong finished explaining the Spirit Art, they began questioning him about the portraits, one by one, with an excruciating level of detail, leaving no minute point untouched. After all, with a Spirit Art, even the slightest error could be fatal, especially since the "War God Star Seal" was the foremost Golden Art—ranking-wise, it was currently the best Spirit Art the War Clan possessed!
When Nie Kong and Zhan Tianlun finally emerged from the War Heart Hall, it was already midday, and not a single disciple of the War Clan or an external retainer could be seen in the courtyard before the hall.
“Brother Nie Kong, are your conjectures about that last portrait entirely true?”
While on the second floor, Zhan Tianlun had remained utterly silent, but now he could no longer suppress the emotion churning inside him. He fixed his eyes on Nie Kong, his voice trembling slightly.
“Of course, they are true, though whether they are perfectly correct, I cannot say just yet.”
Nie Kong couldn't help but smile. The way Zhan Tianlun’s entire face had flushed crimson when Nie Kong suggested the "War God Star Seal" might have originated from a "Spirit Venerable"—it must have been difficult for him to hold back his questions until now.
A Spirit Venerable in the Netherworld was equivalent to a Spirit God on the Celestial Spirit Continent. The final statement Nie Kong made was certainly enough to drive someone to frenzy.
“It must be correct,” Zhan Tianlun asserted decisively. “‘The War God Star Seal’ was obtained by you from the ‘War Spirit Listening Platform,’ so your intuition is naturally the most accurate!”
Immediately after, Zhan Tianlun sighed deeply, “Now I understand why this foremost Golden Art hasn't surfaced for thousands of years—it turns out it was inherited from a Spirit Venerable. One can only imagine the physical prerequisites needed to acquire such a Spirit Art... Brother Nie Kong, since you obtained the ‘War God Star Seal,’ does this mean you too might become a Spirit Venerable in the future?”
Nie Kong laughed softly, “How could it be that easy?”
“That’s true,” Zhan Tianlun wryly shook his head. “In the ten thousand years gone by here in the Netherworld, we have only produced a single Spirit Venerable.”
“Dayan Spirit Venerable!”
Four words instantly flashed through Nie Kong’s mind. On his journey to War God Mountain, Nie Kong had discovered that the War Clan, much like Fubo Mountain, possessed a Spirit Venerable Hall, and within it, they also enshrined that same woman: the “Dayan Spirit Venerable.”
This was true not only for the War Clan and Fubo Mountain but for every sect across the entire Netherworld without exception. Such uniformity was nearly impossible to achieve on the Celestial Spirit Continent; even the “Spirit God Halls,” which had produced several Spirit Gods, could not manage such a feat.
After a long pause filled with reflection, Zhan Tianlun composed himself. “Brother Nie Kong, let me escort you back to your lodgings. And one more thing—do not speak of what we discussed with anyone.”
“I know,” Nie Kong nodded, smiling. “Brother Zhan, don't rush back just yet. Why don't you take me to see where the disciples cultivate first?”
“Can’t wait, can you?”
Zhan Tianlun burst into hearty laughter but still led Nie Kong toward the main avenue branching off to the right of the “War Heart Hall,” taking the opportunity to brief Nie Kong on the cultivation situation among the War Clan disciples.
In the War Clan, elders dedicated themselves diligently to guiding the younger generation. Regularly, every three days, an Elder, or even a Supreme Elder, would lecture on various Spirit Arts. At those times, juniors below the sixth rank were all permitted to attend the lectures and pose questions.
Once they reached the sixth rank, they could enter the “Nether Source” for cultivation. At that level, further breakthroughs could not be significantly aided by the elders’ instruction; progression relied solely on strenuous self-cultivation and comprehension.
The War Clan’s system bore some similarities to the Spirit Mastery City on the Celestial Spirit Continent. Relatively speaking, this was an excellent method for nurturing disciples, allowing them to bypass many unnecessary detours. Most importantly, with the guidance of their seniors, geniuses remained geniuses, but even disciples of mediocre talent stood a chance of becoming experts through disciplined, step-by-step hard work.
If the sect merely provided the grounds and the Spirit Arts and then left the disciples to their own devices, only conducting examinations periodically while elders remained aloof, perhaps a few exceptional disciples might emerge based on personal talent, but the overall strength of the sect would never rise. Sects on the Celestial Spirit Continent that once employed this hands-off, free-range management style had merely made a brief splash before being mercilessly eliminated by time into the dust of history.
“Aiya ya!”
Suddenly, a fragrant cry interrupted Nie Kong’s musings.
“Hmm?”
Zhou came back to his senses and noticed that the little creature, previously curled into a ball, seemed to awaken from a deep sleep. It stretched its stalks, leaves, and roots, bouncing excitedly within the Spirit God Acupoint. Its small purple flower bud swayed rhythmically, showing great excitement.
The little creature rarely displayed such emotion anymore.
“It actually discovered something good. Could it be a Nether Pill?”
A thought struck Nie Kong, and he quickly scanned his surroundings. A hundred meters away, nestled among towering ancient trees in a valley, a sharp spire pierced the sky. It was only four stories high, yet it towered forty to fifty meters, and by its appearance, it seemed constructed entirely of stone.
“That is the ‘Pill King Tower,’”
Seeing Nie Kong’s gaze fixed there, Zhan Tianlun smiled. “The Nether Pills our War Clan uses are refined there. Look beside it—that is the ‘Nether Spirit Valley.’ Black Spirit Masters below the sixth rank all cultivate there.”
Following Zhan Tianlun’s line of sight, Nie Kong indeed spotted an oval valley adjacent to the “Pill King Tower.” Within it were built rows of enclosed small pavilions, spiraling downwards in circles, resembling an inverted conical hat from a distance.
After walking several dozen meters, the path split into two forks, one leading to the “Nether Spirit Valley,” and the other toward the “Pill King Tower.”
“Ah… ya ya… ah ya… ya…”
As if sensing Nie Kong was heading toward the “Nether Spirit Valley,” the little creature immediately cried out in a rhythmic cadence, its roots incessantly scratching against the wall of the acupoint.
Nie Kong had no choice but to stop, smiling with a touch of helplessness. “Brother Zhan, perhaps we should visit the ‘Pill King Tower’ first?”
“Fine.”
Zhan Tianlun readily agreed.
The two turned back and headed toward the “Pill King Tower,” and only then did the little creature become pleased, happily rubbing its small flower bud against the inner wall of the tiny acupoint.
Passing through the dense grove at the valley entrance, Nie Kong noticed a wide passage beneath the central ridge, connecting the two valleys. At the entrance of the Pill King Tower, figures were constantly coming and going, making the area quite lively.
Even from tens of meters away, wisps of medicinal fragrance drifted to his nose, invigorating Nie Kong’s spirit and stirring a faint longing within him. Counting up, since leaving the inner city of Spirit Mastery City for the Yin Ruins, he hadn’t refined spiritual medicine in quite some time.
With this thought, Nie Kong’s pace quickened unconsciously.
“Ah ya ya…”
The closer they got to the tall tower, the more elated the little creature became.
When they finally stepped inside the “Pill King Tower,” the little creature was so excited it was practically “dancing for joy.” If it could move freely right now, it probably would have already bolted out to plunder Nether Pills.
“Each floor of this ‘Pill King Tower’ is actually a double layer. The lower floor is for storing Nether Pills, while the upper floor is where the Nether Pill Masters refine them,”
Zhan Tianlun looked around and smiled at Nie Kong. “The ground floor here contains only low-grade Nether Pills. The ones above hold mid-grade, high-grade, and super-grade Nether Pills. You are currently a fourth-rank Black Spirit Master, so low-grade Nether Pills won’t be of much use to you. I will take you to the second floor; there are many pills there you will need later.”
Saying this, Zhan Tianlun walked toward the staircase inside the tower.
Nie Kong glanced around curiously. He was quite astonished; on the lower level of the first floor, ten long rows of medicine cabinets were lined up, filled with black wooden boxes of various materials. The War Clan disciples entering seemed able to freely select Nether Pills from them.
After observing for a moment, Nie Kong couldn't resist whispering, “Brother Zhan, can War Clan members just take the Nether Pills they want?”
“That’s true for ordinary low-grade Nether Pills. But pills with a success rate of fifty percent or higher cannot be taken so casually,”
Zhan Tianlun shook his head. “Mid-grade pills and above are not easily refined. They are only distributed when a pill is absolutely necessary for cultivation, partly to prevent waste and partly to avoid letting our War Clan disciples become dependent on them. For us Black Spirit Masters, Nether Pills must always remain supplementary.”
Nie Kong nodded in agreement. If a practitioner encountered even a slight difficulty in cultivation and their first thought was to rely on medicine, it might yield noticeable results temporarily, but in the long run, it would definitely be more detrimental than beneficial.
Soon, Nie Kong and Zhan Tianlun arrived at the second floor.
Indeed, as Zhan Tianlun had mentioned, every pill from the mid-grade upward was difficult to refine. Compared to the first floor, the number of medicine cabinets had halved, and the black boxes within them were sparser. Near the window sat an old man in his sixties or seventies, surrounded by several burly men, seemingly seeking quiet counsel.
“Aiya ya!”
As if sensing Nie Kong hadn't made a move yet, the little creature actually urged him on with a touch of impatience. Nie Kong was caught between laughter and tears, wondering if the little thing realized where they were—the best Nether Pills weren't things one could simply ask for.
After hearing Zhan Tianlun explain the situation here, Nie Kong dismissed the idea of asking him for a Nether Pill to placate the little creature. Relying on others was never a permanent solution, and besides, even though Zhan Tianlun was a War Clan Elder, he couldn't arbitrarily take Nether Pills either.
To solve the problem once and for all, he had to learn to refine Nether Pills himself!
As for whether he possessed the aptitude for refining Nether Pills, Nie Kong had never doubted it. With the little creature’s “Medicine Cauldron Phantasm Body,” no medicine in the world was beyond his ability to refine. Although these Nether Pills were different from the spiritual medicines of the Celestial Spirit Continent, they were, after all, still a form of medicine.
Lost in thought, Nie Kong’s eyes drifted toward the upper level of the second floor, where someone appeared to be busy. Standing on the lower level, he could clearly hear footsteps moving above the floorboards. “Brother Zhan, may I go up to see how the Nether Pills are refined?”
“I expected you to ask that. Follow me!”
Zhan Tianlun wore an expression that suggested he already knew what was coming, grinning as he beckoned Nie Kong over, then headed directly for the small staircase leading to the second tier. Seeing this, Nie Kong quickly followed. A moment later, Zhan Tianlun pushed a hand forward, and the door at the top of the stairs opened gently. Nie Kong peered in, only to find a scene entirely unlike the lower floor...