The feeling after reaching the Tian Ling realm was truly wondrous; in the moment of breakthrough, the profound understanding of "Integration with Heaven and Earth" seemed to have entirely fused into one's very bones. There was no need to consciously manipulate spiritual thought as before; one could feel constantly connected to the surrounding world as if they were a single entity.
This sensation was intoxicating. Even after arriving on the ninth floor of the Medicine Tower with Tai Yan, Nie Kong was still meticulously savoring that ineffable magic.
"Nie Kong, you've reached Tian Ling?"
Mu Wanqing flashed into existence beside Nie Kong, her face alight with pleasant surprise. Appearing alongside Mu Wanqing was Qing Yue. The little one first appraised Nie Kong with curiosity, then shot a somewhat smug glance at Mu Wanqing, her face bearing the clear expression of "I knew it all along."
Nie Kong snapped back to reality and chuckled, "Yes, I originally thought it would only take one day to break through to the first grade of Tian Ling, but it ended up taking a full six days."
"Six days is already impossibly short."
Hearing this, Mu Wanqing couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Nie Kong, do you know how long it took Aunt Wan to ascend from Dong Ling to Tian Ling? A full month! Even a genius with your mother's aptitude took half a month for the breakthrough process back then."
Nie Kong offered a sheepish smile, "So, you're saying I'm still quite formidable?"
"What do you think?" Mu Wanqing shot Nie Kong a look that clearly conveyed impatience.
"Don't waste time, Nie Kong. Hurry up and open this minor Illusion Array. Grandma has been eager to see this ninth-floor medicine garden for ages," Qing Yue urged impatiently.
"Right you are."
Nie Kong smiled and walked briskly toward the Illusion Array at the center of the floor.
Nie Kong had coveted this ninth floor of the Medicine Tower for a long time, but unfortunately, he had never been able to open the Illusion Array before, forcing him to constantly suppress his anticipation. Now that he had broken through to the Tian Ling realm, the first thing Nie Kong did was activate the passage to the medicine garden.
However, the requirement of Tian Ling cultivation to initiate the Illusion Array was merely a guess by Nie Kong and Mu Wanqing; Nie Kong wasn't entirely certain he would succeed today.
A moment later, Nie Kong joined his index and middle fingers and touched the array’s activation point.
Like a raging tide, the majestic natural primal power within Nie Kong surged out, instantly spreading along the exquisitely intricate patterns of the talisman to encompass the entire Illusion Array.
"Boom!"
Brilliant green light suddenly erupted, and in the blink of an eye, countless streams of green light coalesced into a thick, emerald-green pillar of light, shooting straight up to the pinnacle of the ninth floor of the Medicine Tower.
"It worked, it worked."
Everyone's faces lit up with joy. Mu Wanqing and Qing Yue rushed through the Illusion Array one after the other.
Nie Kong also let out a deep sigh of relief. After their figures vanished, he tightly embraced Tai Yan’s soft, slender waist and stepped into the array.
"Aiya ya ya!"
As soon as his feet touched the ground, before Nie Kong’s vision had even cleared, the excited cries of the little one echoed in his mind. Nie Kong blinked hard, and the scene ahead came into focus.
"Hmm?"
Nie Kong couldn't help but be momentarily stunned.
This ninth-floor medicine garden was utterly different from the eight floors below. The previous eight gardens, regardless of topographical changes, remained a single cohesive whole. But this ninth floor seemed to be partitioned into independent spaces with wildly distinct environments—some covered in ice and snow, some engulfed in soaring flames, others deep and shadowy.
Nie Kong frowned slightly, and his spiritual sense rapidly undulated outward.
In an instant, Nie Kong sensed that every corner of this garden was saturated with a virtually tangible medicinal fragrance. Clearly, the medicinal potency contained within those herbs had reached an extreme density. Nie Kong couldn't help but draw a sharp breath; they were likely comparable to the rare herbs like the Fluttering Jade Butterfly and the (Zhù Lóng Cǎo) before they had developed sentience.
"Gege,"
Tai Yan's delicate cry suddenly startled Nie Kong back to awareness. He turned toward the sound and noticed, several meters behind him, an exquisite white house. At that moment, Tai Yan was smiling sweetly, vigorously beckoning him from the doorway. Nie Kong's heart stirred, and he instantly appeared beside Tai Yan.
"Brother, come quickly! There are good things here." Tai Yan took Nie Kong's hand and ran happily inside.
Soon, the two passed through a side door into a small room about four or five meters long and wide. The floor was scattered with numerous yellow papers covered in script, and the tabletop was messily piled with thick sheaves of paper.
Nie Kong bent down and casually picked up a sheet of yellow paper.
Perhaps due to the material or the environment, the paper suffered no damage upon contact, and the script on it remained exceptionally clear, as if freshly written.
Nie Kong first scanned it casually, but then an unconcealable surprise spread across his face. After ten seconds, that joy grew even more intense. With a flash, he gathered the dozen or so yellow papers from the floor, then immediately moved to the table, rapidly flipping through the thick stack of sheets.
Tai Yan smiled brightly, "Brother, how is it?"
"Tai Yan, we've truly struck gold. It looks like this must have been the research area for the master of this Spirit Abode ten thousand years ago," Nie Kong spoke rapidly, his excitement palpable. Among these papers were prescriptions for more than ten kinds of Ninth-Grade elixirs, along with the derivation processes for those formulas. Furthermore, there were even formulas for three Tenth-Grade elixirs, including the "Drunken Spirit Incense" that had rendered him unconscious in the gourd.
Elixirs of the Illusory Spirit Continent, spiritual herbs of the Tian Ling Continent...
Though their names and uses differed slightly, they were all created by combining and refining various medicinal herbs—they were fundamentally convergent paths. If these elixir formulas could be slightly modified, perhaps they could be used to refine Ninth-Grade spiritual herbs and Tenth-Grade spiritual herbs.
If successful, Nie Kong would genuinely be charting the history of the Tian Ling Continent. It was no wonder he was so ecstatic upon discovering these relics from the Illusory Spirit era.
"Brother, then you must reward Tai Yan well tonight,"
Tai Yan wrapped her arms around Nie Kong’s waist and acted coquettishly, her beautiful eyes shimmering with a tender affection that seemed ready to overflow, carrying an irresistible, gentle charm beneath her purity.
Nie Kong smiled so broadly his mouth ached, "A reward, definitely a reward." Saying this, he cupped Tai Yan’s face and planted a fierce, audible kiss on her rosy lips. Just as Nie Kong prepared to pull back, Tai Yan happily entwined her arms around his neck, pressing her red lips against his.
"Ahem, ahem."
A cough sounded at the doorway. It was Mu Wanqing, who had vanished somewhere earlier, now entering with a half-smile on her face. "It seems Aunt Wan has arrived at an inopportune moment."
If you knew it was inopportune, why enter?
After four sets of lips separated, Nie Kong felt a touch of speechlessness. Fortunately, his skin was already thick enough; he wasn't bothered by Mu Wanqing interrupting their moment. As for Tai Yan, she had never understood the concept of shyness regarding such matters. Let alone a kiss of this intensity, even if Mu Wanqing had discovered them during a passionate battle, she would have remained unconcerned—if Nie Kong hadn't objected, she might have even continued enthusiastically.
"Aunt Wan, any discoveries?" Nie Kong asked with a smile.
"Of course. Nie Kong, Tai Yan, I'll take you to a good place... Huh? What is that you're holding? A Te—Tenth-Grade elixir formula?"
"..."