The turbulence within Zong Shou's body subsided after a long stretch of ten breaths. With almost every inhale and exhale, the surrounding spiritual energy, stretching for hundreds of feet, would subtly vibrate.

This state persisted until Zong Shou could fully command every last wisp of internal energy and every particle of spiritual power within his meridian channels, at which point it finally ceased. A slight strangeness welled up in his heart; such profound power was something he had never experienced, even in his previous life.

Starting from this day, he had completely broken free from the confines of his past life as 'Tan Qiu,' surpassing his previous pinnacle achievements. However, this progress was indeed too swift.

Just a few months had propelled him to such a realm. He could already sense that his control over his own body was far less assured than before.

Of his full ten parts of strength, perhaps he could only manipulate four parts with ease. Moreover, the balance of Yin and Yang was still disrupted—neither can thrive in isolation, nor can the other flourish alone—Gu Yin Bu Chang, Gu Yang Bu Sheng.

Faintly, he perceived a subtle disharmony, a slight obscurity, within the world-shaking Yin-Yang True Essence coursing through him. It was manageable for now, but if this issue remained unresolved upon reaching the Ninth Stage of the Martial Path, he feared he would never advance another step.

Indeed, marriage must be pursued sooner rather than later— Thinking of Xuanyuan Yiren, Zong Shou couldn't help but stroke his chin and let out a soft, chuckling hehe. Then, sensing something, he let out a surprised exclamation.

"Hm? You little fellow, you’re already awake!" His gaze fell upon his left arm.

At this moment, Little Jin was also causing ripples of fluctuating energy. Subtly, countless bolts of lightning began to converge around them.

He had actually advanced to the Ninth Stage as well, leveraging the true power of the 'Myriad Manifestations' beast core from the Immortal Realm. He was now even at the very brink of breaking through to the Spirit Realm, yet he was clearly exerting immense self-restraint, refusing to cross that final threshold.

Zong Shou raised an eyebrow, his eyes alight with undisguised delight. He momentarily dismissed his previous thoughts.

He rapidly retrieved several dozen spirit stones and flung them in all directions, setting up a simple spirit array. One side of the array would suppress the spiritual energy tremors, while the other would block all the lurking fiends and ghouls attracted by the disturbance.

Little Jin's current situation differed from his own smooth, effortless breakthrough, where power remained in reserve. This little creature not only had to absorb and assimilate the essence of the Myriad Manifestations crystal core and its vital essence, but it also had to forcibly suppress itself from crossing into the Spirit Realm.

He suspected it had precious little remaining power to defend itself against these malevolent spirits. Naturally, these matters fell to him, the master, to handle.

He sat quietly, guarding its cultivation. Approximately three days later, the thunder drawn from the heavens and earth finally dissipated entirely.

By then, Little Jin's body had turned completely golden. It slid off his arm, descending gently.

Zong Shou’s spiritual sense cautiously probed it, and the corner of his lips curved upward in a subtle smile. While this Little Jin might not possess brilliant intelligence, it had clearly grasped the principle of choosing priorities.

This time, it had unhesitatingly abandoned the opportunity to advance to the Spirit Realm, choosing instead to consolidate its current strength. It used some of the residual vital essence from the Divine Firmament power to digest and consume the crystal core.

Then, it utilized the core's power to forge and temper its physical body. Though Little Jin now appeared as a soft, pliable mass, its physical robustness was already several times greater than Zong Shou's own.

The creature's body shifted and transformed; in no time, it solidified into the form of a small rabbit. Apart from the color of its body, it was virtually indistinguishable from a Fire Feather Rabbit, a creature native to the southern regions of Donglin.

Zong Shou blinked, recalling that he had, in the past, fed it the beast crystal of such a Fire Feather Rabbit. However, this change was only the beginning.

Moments later, its body writhed again, wings unfurling as it expanded several times its size, soaring into the air and circling continuously around Zong Shou. Looking at it, one would mistake it for a Scarlet-Winged Spirit Roc.

Its entire form was wreathed in fiery light, proving it could even mimic the inherent divine abilities of such a creature with considerable accuracy. In the short span of the next fifteen minutes, Zong Shou watched Little Jin transform through dozens of different life forms.

Every bird and beast native to the Cloud Realm was rendered with flawless fidelity, down to the minutest detail. Even the top-tier Ninth Stage spirit beasts could be simulated with nearly eighty percent of their actual strength.

However, divine beasts could only be replicated at about seventy percent. At this stage, Little Jin could truly be considered a true seed of a 'Myriad Manifestations' divine beast, though its bloodline purity still needed refinement.

Finally, it coalesced into a serpentine form, stretching over a hundred feet long, its presence majestic and powerful. Innumerable bolts of lightning radiated from its body, spreading across a ten-mile radius.

It possessed wings, and its appearance was exactly that of his Thunder-Winged Dragon. Both its divine abilities and its form were strikingly similar.

In fact, its draconic might simulated the power of a Thunder-Winged Dragon that had not yet reached the Ninth Stage! Zong Shou’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He knew it wasn't surprising that this little creature could mimic the Thunder-Winged Dragon, given that it had swallowed a good deal of dragon blood and spent its days mingling with the actual beast. What was remarkable was the near-perfection of the entire dragon form!

The degree of similarity exceeded ninety percent! Even the Thunder-Winged Dragon lurking in his sleeve was momentarily fooled.

Seemingly delighted by the appearance of a kinsman, it slipped free from his arm, intending to play with Little Jin. Unfortunately, the latter regarded it with disdain and showed no interest in frolicking.

The dragon form shifted slightly, shrinking back down to the size of two cupped hands. This time, six pairs of wings unfurled, and its entire body burned with a sacred, white flame.

Its form was vaguely humanoid, with two pairs of awe-inspiring, blade-like arms extended outward. This appearance was unmistakably that of the Sacred Fire Ant Queen—Han Xi!

Only, the color of its carapace was pure gold, and the sense of danger emanating from it was in no way diminished. Zong Shou’s sleeve shifted again.

A sliver of silver light darted out, hovering before Little Jin. Its appearance was incredibly similar—it was Han Xi herself.

Her face remained expressionless, and her eyes seemed calm. Yet, Zong Shou could vaguely sense that the Sacred Fire Ant Queen’s mood was likely approaching utter fury.

Her killing intent soaring, she glared at the Little Jin opposite her with thinly veiled threat. Little Jin, having awakened its intelligence, registered the hostility.

It narrowed its eyes, raised its right blade-arm in an openly provocative gesture, and seemed to challenge her. Han Xi immediately lost her restraint.

Ignoring the suppressive pressure of Zong Shou's divine sense, her form dissolved into light and lunged fiercely forward. The gold and silver flashes instantly dissolved into blurry streaks of shadow, constantly clashing, colliding, and vibrating within the hundred-foot space.

Their figures were impossible to discern; only countless sparks of fire flashed. Their evasion speed far surpassed the maximum limit achievable by ordinary Ninth Stage human cultivators.

Zong Shou initially tried to suppress them, but when he realized that not only was Han Xi enraged, but Little Jin's fighting spirit was also surging like a tide, he gave up the effort and settled in to watch quietly. The more he watched, the more pleased he became.

Perhaps because of their long companionship since he began cultivating as Zong Shou, Little Jin was able to manifest a trace of the Sword Intent it had simulated from him during the fierce battle. The duel lasted only for the space of a single quarter-hour before concluding.

The gold and silver streaks of light hung suspended in the air simultaneously. One of Little Jin’s blade-arms was poised precisely at Han Xi's brow.

It pierced in, just enough to penetrate the carapace without causing harm. Han Xi’s aura was exceptionally cold and rigid.

Her expression was like unmelting ice, beneath which fiery magma was clearly flowing. Little Jin seemed unconcerned.

It glanced at her with an air of disdain mixed with a hint of threat before retracting its blade-arm. Then, flapping its wings, it zipped back to Zong Shou, reverting to its soft, pliable shape and settling in his palm, rubbing against him constantly, seemingly seeking praise, as if presenting a trophy.

Its whole being seemed to convey the message: Praise me now! Zong Shou let out a wry smile, understanding that the fight had been Little Jin defending his honor.

It was likely, just like the Thunder-Winged Dragon, dissatisfied with this Sacred Fire Silver Ant. The dragon form it had first manifested upon its advancement had been a clear act of intimidation toward Han Xi.

Little Jin followed suit, issuing a direct challenge and defeating her head-on to quell her arrogance. He had his own methods to completely subdue Han Xi; he didn't actually need their assistance.

But he certainly appreciated the sentiment. It was well-raised; it knew how to care for its master.

Very good, very good— Another thought crossed his mind, recalling the few wisps of 'Sword Intent' Little Jin had simulated. Though extremely crude, among spirit beasts, it was likely unique!

He wondered when it might be able to simulate a human form in the future? The power of 'Myriad Manifestations' allowed for infinite variation, capable of mimicking all living beings in the world.

Humans, aside from their superior intelligence, possessed bodies comparable only to low-level spirit beasts. With the ability of 'Myriad Manifestations,' achieving a human form would naturally be effortless.

However, what Zong Shou pondered now was: what if Little Jin could fully master all his martial arts techniques? He drifted off in thought for a moment, and when Zong Shou snapped back to attention, Little Jin had already reformed into a thin film covering his arm.

And Han Xi, too, had returned to his sleeve, though her usual arrogance had noticeably faded, replaced by deep silence and a diminished spiritual presence. Zong Shou chuckled faintly, deciding not to dwell on it.

He summoned his sword and ascended again, continuing westward. Flying only a few hundred miles, he suddenly frowned again, looking toward the south.

In that direction, a massive column of Yin energy was rising, piercing the sky like a pillar. He remembered that was the location where Gong Xinran was buried.

Gazing from afar, he saw that within a hundred-mile radius, the gravitational pull had become almost tangible, drawing countless evil spirits and undead creatures to converge there. "This Yin Vein seems to have grown stronger again?" Zong Shou frowned slightly, and after a brief moment of contemplation, he realized this was most likely due to the impending spiritual tide.

It had drawn more underground Yin Veins to this area, some of which had only recently formed. Even though he was not versed in the arts of banishing evil and warding off demons, he knew this situation was probably not good.

According to Jin Buhui’s account, Gong Xinran was supposed to emerge years from now, but looking at it today, how could it feel like she would break the seal in only a few months? Before, this was Lingyun Sect's problem, and he had taken malicious pleasure in their plight.

Now, with the entire Donglin Cloud Continent falling under his jurisdiction, Gong Xinran had become his problem, and he could no longer smile about it— Indeed, every sip and peck is predestined. What he personally set in motion, he must now resolve himself.