It was unclear how much time had passed, but a faint spark of life finally emerged amidst the death qi and Nether Fire. Nie Kong was overjoyed, and the little fellow, who had consumed a great deal of vital essence, was also spirited. Immediately, two more wisps of green burst forth from the death qi and Nether Fire in his right palm.

"Boom! Boom!"

Amidst the roaring sounds, nourished by the little fellow's vital essence, the death qi and Nether Fire in his right palm suddenly erupted with life, nearly doubling in strength instantly. The process of life generation was the most difficult, but once life manifested, it was much easier to make it flourish.

After another five bursts of sound, the life force within the death qi and Nether Fire became quite dense. Nie Kong quickly signaled the little fellow to stop transmitting vital essence.

"Go!"

With a thought from Nie Kong, the death qi within his body surged ceaselessly from the surroundings toward the Nether Fire concentrated at the center.

Under normal circumstances, once the Nether Fire was compressed to its extreme, it was necessary to maintain that advantage in compression; further condensation was unnecessary. Forcing it would inevitably cause a strong repulsion between the death qi and the Nether Fire.

At this juncture, if one were to attempt to absorb the searing essence from the Nether Fire using the death qi, it would also cause repulsion, though to a lesser degree.

After countless attempts, some individuals managed to slowly absorb it successfully until the two entities completely fused, condensing a Fire Seed. Such Black Spirit Masters could become Nether Pill Masters. Other Black Spirit Masters succeeded in drawing the fire into their bodies and compressing the Nether Fire, but they could never manage the absorption, ultimately having to expel the Nether Fire from their bodies, rendering the crafting of Nether Pills impossible for them.

However, regardless of the path taken, it demanded an extremely long duration.

But what Nie Kong was contemplating was a shortcut!

At this moment, under the surging action of the surrounding death qi, it was as if a massive stone had been dropped into a calm lake. The flame at the center churned violently, with endless sizzling sounds, and intense heat billowed out from all directions.

In that instant, Nie Kong felt like a boiled shrimp; his body began to turn red.

For anyone else, even when stimulated by the searing essence of the Nether Fire, the body wouldn't redden so markedly. The only reason for this was that after undergoing the complete tempering of the "Heart Drum War Sound," Nie Kong's physical body—bones, muscles, and organs—had become transparent to an extreme degree.

It was like placing a fire inside a translucent jade bottle; how could the red light not shine through?

Seeing Nie Kong's terrifying state, Zhan Tianlun exclaimed in shock: "Third Uncle, look... look, I knew it... the Nether Fire will definitely rebound."

"Shut your damned mouth! So noisy!"

Zhan Feihong growled, twisting Zhan Tianlun’s ear, and with a wave of his right hand, Zhan Tianlun’s body flew down toward the base of the large rock. His stout, muscular body twisted mid-air, and Zhan Tianlun landed steadily on the ground, only to immediately rush back, shouting anxiously.

Observing Nie Kong, Zhan Tianlun rubbed his hands together, fidgeting like an ant on a hot pan, but he dared not shout as boisterously as before.

Zhan Feihong, however, frowned, his face grave.

The current situation was somewhat beyond his expectations. Nie Kong had successfully compressed the Nether Fire and then suppressed it for such a long time. Logically, after that, as long as he steadily kept trying to absorb the searing essence from the Nether Fire, success or failure notwithstanding, it shouldn't provoke such a violent rebound from the Nether Fire. Yet, it was rebounding now, which was truly bizarre!

However, the process of absorbing Nether Fire was inherently filled with variables.

Over these decades, Zhan Feihong had witnessed all sorts of unexpected events when the younger generation made their attempts, so he wasn't as panicked as Zhan Tianlun. What troubled Zhan Feihong was that he still couldn't determine if this rebound posed any actual danger to Nie Kong.

If there was danger, he naturally had to intervene swiftly. Despite this brat being annoying, he wouldn't stand idly by and watch him die. But if there was no danger, suddenly driving the Nether Fire out of his body would mean cutting off Nie Kong's opportunity to absorb it.

For a time, Zhan Feihong hesitated, unable to decide.

Zhan Tianlun gasped a few times nearby, finally losing patience: "Third Uncle, we can't wait any longer. If you don't act, I..." Before he finished speaking, Zhan Tianlun’s eyes went wide, and his slightly open mouth stretched even wider.

Just then, Nie Kong's body returned to normal. Zhan Tianlun muttered in disbelief: "The Nether Fire was pushed back again?"

"Hmm?"

Zhan Feihong couldn't help but feel a bit surprised, his frown slightly easing. Although this brat was only a Fourth Rank cultivator, he possessed some ability. After the Nether Fire rebounded, suppressing it again with his own strength was not easy, yet he achieved it so quickly.

However, after Zhan Feihong and Zhan Tianlun relaxed for only about two minutes, Nie Kong’s body turned red again.

"Third Uncle, he..."

Zhan Tianlun jumped in fright, looking toward Zhan Feihong while shouting, but upon seeing the look in his eyes, his voice abruptly stopped, the words halfway to his throat forcibly swallowed back. He knew clearly that if he spoke again, he would only suffer the same fate as last time. Being held by the ear and tossed out, especially with three other clansmen watching, was humiliating enough; once was enough.

"Let's observe first."

Seeing that Zhan Tianlun quieted down, Zhan Feihong didn't mind, finishing his low utterance, though his brow furrowed deeper. After another dozen seconds under their gaze, Nie Kong’s body miraculously returned to normal once more. The two couldn't help but exchange glances, both looking somewhat astonished.

Subsequently, on Nie Kong’s body, that blinding red light appeared again, then quickly receded, then appeared again, then receded...

This cycle repeated continuously!

The frequency grew faster, and the interval became shorter. Before long, it had shrunk from the initial two minutes down to a mere ten-odd seconds. Moreover, the duration for which the body remained crimson was also gradually decreasing, from the initial ten-odd seconds, down to seven or eight, and then to two or three seconds.

Visually, Nie Kong resembled a flashing red Nether Star.

"Wh-what is going on?"

Zhan Tianlun watched, dumbfounded, murmuring involuntarily.

Zhan Feihong beside him also looked utterly bewildered. As a high-level Nether Pill Master, he wasn't someone who only buried his head in refining pills within the Pill King Tower. He used to go out collecting herbs every year, often staying away for half a year at a time. Having traveled extensively for decades, few within the Zhan Clan possessed broader experience than him. Yet, even so, he had never witnessed such a bizarre situation.

Each flash of Nie Kong's body meant the Nether Fire had rebounded and was immediately suppressed again. Since the first rebound, this had happened at least a hundred times.

For a mere Fourth Rank Black Spirit Master to treat the absorbed Nether Fire as nothing—letting it rebound when he wished, and suppressing it when he willed—who would believe this if they hadn't seen it with their own eyes?

Even an Eighth Rank Black Spirit Master capable of refining high-tier Nether Pills could not manage this level of ease when absorbing Nether Fire into the body!

After a long pause, Zhan Feihong shook his head with a bitter smile.

Only now did he begin to understand why this brat named Nie Kong had sounded so confident when he mentioned absorbing the Nether Fire.

With such an ability to suppress the Nether Fire, absorbing the searing essence and condensing the Fire Seed should not be difficult.

"If he can condense the Fire Seed so easily, perhaps everything else he said was true?"

Zhan Feihong's heart skipped a beat. He stopped focusing on the still-flashing Nie Kong and recalled the Nether Pill formula Nie Kong had devised: "Xu Ling three qian, Ghost Dragon Flower five qian, Yan Xi King two qian... Ink Feather Grass three qian..."

"Yan Xi King is highly toxic, and none of the other seven herbs can detoxify it—how can it be included in the formula? And Xu Ling and Ghost Dragon Flower have completely opposite medicinal properties; how can they appear in the same formula? That Ink Feather Grass too..."

Soon, Zhan Feihong shook his head, mentally refuting Nie Kong’s formula one by one, finally concluding, "This formula is still... Hmph, complete nonsense. Only someone utterly ignorant of Nether Pills could write such utter garbage!"

"Once he successfully condenses the Fire Seed, if this brat is willing to humble himself and learn from this old man, he might become an outstanding Nether Pill Master! However, this little rascal is too infuriating. If he isn't made to suffer a little, he probably won't settle down to learn..." Various thoughts swirled in Zhan Feihong’s mind, and the fire in his chest unconsciously began to dissipate...

"Hiss!"

The flame in his right palm fluctuated again, and searing heat burst forth. However, in less than a second, it was completely absorbed by the death qi squeezing in from the surroundings.

Since the flame first stirred, Nie Kong had been repeating this precise action.

Both the mass of death qi and the Nether Fire now contained life force. This life force acted like the positive and negative poles of a magnet, causing the searing essence diffusing from the Nether Fire to gather with the death qi, and then, operating under the "Nether Way Ethereal Shadow Art," the former rapidly merged into the latter.

Up to this point, as the diffused searing essence was continuously absorbed, the flame also slowly shrank. It was now as thin as silk thread. Nie Kong was confident that in a short while, he could completely absorb the remaining tiny bit of Nether Fire.

For Nie Kong, provoking the high-level Nether Pill Master Zhan Feihong on the second floor of the "Pill King Tower" was only the first step of his plan. The second step was condensing the Fire Seed, and the third step was naturally refining his very first Nether Pill in the Nether Soil. Once these three steps were completed, he might be able to obtain some extra Nether Pills, which could be used to replenish the slightly exhausted vital essence of the little fellow.

Now, success seemed imminent.

Time slipped by quietly, and the underground secret chamber was silent. Watching Nie Kong’s body continue to flash red at an increasing rate, Zhan Feihong and Zhan Tianlun had grown somewhat numb. The three young Nether Pill apprentices beneath the large rock had long since lost all capacity for surprise.

"It's almost over." After an unknown amount of time, this sentence suddenly slipped from Zhan Feihong's mouth.

"What?"

Nie Kong’s condition hadn't shown significant change, causing Zhan Tianlun to drift from intense focus to a state of inattention. Hearing Zhan Feihong suddenly speak, he didn't immediately grasp the meaning and instinctively asked for clarification.

"Look for yourself," Zhan Feihong said calmly, pointing at Nie Kong.

Zhan Tianlun quickly turned his gaze and noticed that although Nie Kong’s body was still flashing frequently and regularly, the red light diffusing from it had faded considerably. If this continued, in at most fifteen minutes, Nie Kong’s body would return completely to normal.

"Brother Nie Kong is about to condense the Fire Seed?" Zhan Tianlun exclaimed uncontrollably.

"..."

Zhan Feihong offered no reply.

Zhan Tianlun immediately took his reaction as tacit agreement and his face lit up with joy: "Wonderful, I... well, I can finally relax. If anything happened to him here, it would be hard for me to explain to the Clan Leader and the Grand Elders."

When the red light vanished, it meant the Nether Fire within Nie Kong’s body had been completely absorbed. Although his body was still flashing, it couldn't affect the outcome anymore. At this moment, Zhan Tianlun, who had been worried for so long, finally felt a sense of relief.

An outer disciple needed to report to the Clan Leader and the Grand Elders?

Hearing Zhan Tianlun's words, Zhan Feihong frowned slightly, his expression tinged with confusion: "Explain to the Clan Leader and the Grand Elders?"

"Third Uncle, you don't know..."

Zhan Tianlun chuckled slyly, starting to speak conspiratorially, but upon catching Zhan Feihong's cold glance, he quickly lowered his voice—"Third Uncle, you don't know the earth-shattering things my Brother Nie Kong has done these past two days..."

Zhan Feihong snorted: "Hmph, I'd like to hear about it." The three young men idling beneath the large rock immediately perked up their ears like sails catching the wind.

Zhan Tianlun spoke animatedly: "Just yesterday, Brother Nie Kong entered the 'War Sound Hall' for the first time and listened to the complete 'Six-Nine War Sound.' This morning, the 'War Spirit Listening Divine Platform' opened early, and Brother Nie Kong's performance was even more astonishing; he actually obtained the First Golden Art from there!"

"Six-Nine War Sound? The First Golden Art?"

At this moment, towering waves surged in Zhan Feihong’s heart; he could no longer remain calm. He never imagined that this little brat who had been arguing with him showed such astonishing potential in less than a day after arriving at the Zhan Clan.

In the Zhan Clan's thousands of years of history, those who had listened to the complete "Six-Nine War Sound" were few and far between; Nie Kong was one of them! As for the "First Golden Art," it was even more shocking—a spiritual art that had never appeared in millennia, and it was the number one Golden Art, yet it was acquired by Nie Kong, an outer disciple newly arrived at the Zhan Clan! As a member of the Zhan Clan, how could Zhan Feihong not feel shaken?

"No wonder his words were so arrogant!"

After a long pause, Zhan Feihong finally let out a long breath, exclaiming in amazement. Immediately, Zhan Feihong had another thought: since Nie Kong performed so astonishingly well in the "War Sound Hall" and the "War Spirit Listening Divine Platform," perhaps he was equally brilliant at refining Nether Pills. Could it be that his supposedly "utter nonsense" Nether Pill formula contained some subtle marvels that he had missed?

Otherwise, why would he dare utter such bold claims?

At this point, even a master like Zhan Feihong’s perspective began to shift after learning the specifics of Nie Kong's background. As this thought crossed his mind, Zhan Feihong was about to re-examine the formula when Nie Kong, standing before him, suddenly smiled and opened his eyes...

...