Chapter Thirty-Three: The Overdue Reward

  Cangfeng Temple

  Inside the hall, five figures sat quietly.

  Seated in the first position was Nie Qing Song, the patriarch of the Nie family with a long beard and chest. To his left was an old man with white hair and a youthful face, tall and thin, sitting with his eyes closed, back straight, and palms resting on his knees. His ten fingers were slender and white as a woman's, each fingernail several inches long, the tips sharp and pointed like short swords out of their scabbards, revealing their edges, with a layer of cold light flowing subtly on the surface of the nails.

  To the right of Nie Qing's head was a middle-aged woman, her slender figure wrapped in a pale blue cheongsam that accentuated her curves. Her facial skin was almost wrinkle-free, retaining the beauty of her youth while adding a mature charm, especially those beautiful phoenix eyes, which were extremely lively, as if there was a clear spring flowing constantly in her eye sockets.

  Sitting below the tall and thin old man and the middle-aged woman were the stout Seventh Elder Nie Xinghai and Eighth Elder Nie Longshan.

  "I have met with the clan leader and four elders."

  After the courtesy, Nie Kong stood up straight and proud. Among the people in this hall, except for the patriarch and Nie Xingdong who had just entered, Nie Xinghai and Nie Longshan he had met before, and the middle-aged woman he could guess was probably the Sixth Elder Nie Xingqiu. Only that tall and thin old man, Nie Kong couldn't recognize him for a moment.

  Five Elders? Four Elders...

  His gaze swept over the old man's hands on his knees, and the cold light at the tips of his long fingernails was imprinted in his eyes. Nie Kong's heart moved, and suddenly three words jumped out -

  Two elders!

  Nie family's only spiritual pattern master nowadays!

  ……

  From the moment Nie Kong entered the hall, Nie Qing Song and Nie Xing Qiu's eyes fell on him simultaneously, only the two elders seemed to be unaffected, without any movement.

  Nie Qing Song and several others were also nonchalant about it, they didn't rush to ask questions, but instead used a scrutinizing gaze to size up Nie Kong, as if they wanted to see right through him. For a moment, waves of invisible pressure enveloped Nie Kong, the atmosphere in the hall becoming quite oppressive.

  If it were another Nie family member, under the gaze of so many big shots, they might have already become timid and fearful, their legs turning soft. But Nie Kong was someone who had experienced true death, and had just endured so many days of inhuman torture, his will was unshakeable, and he naturally wouldn't be intimidated.

  They had been observing Nie Kong for too long, and after enduring the gaze of the crowd for a while, Nie Kong also began to size up these elders, his eyes calm and tranquil, without any tension. Nie Qing Song and several elders exchanged subtle glances, their gazes at Nie Kong gradually revealing admiration.

  "Interesting little guy, you're Nie Kong?"

  After a while, Nie Xingqiu broke the silence in the hall with a sentence of nonsense, smiling brightly. As soon as she smiled, her eyes became extremely special, like a quiet lake surface that suddenly dropped a small stone, and ripples spread out from those two black and agile eye sockets.

  "It's exactly." Nie Kong only met her gaze for a moment, and he felt as if his soul was about to be sucked into those two eyes. He hastily lowered his eyelids.

  "Not bad."

  Nie Xinghai's chubby face trembled slightly, and he could barely be seen smiling, "Our Nie family has produced another genius who can rival that Wind and Thunder child."

  "Haha, I told you so, this little guy will definitely make it, don't you believe me? Now, do you know what cultivation level this little guy is at?" Nie Xingdong asked with a smile.

  "Three Spiritual Treasures!" Without waiting for anyone else to interrupt, Nie Xingdong revealed the answer, a hint of pride appearing on his ruddy baby face.

  "Three Treasures of Tongling?"

  Even with Nie Qing's determination, he couldn't help but change his expression, and even the two elderly men who were sitting like stone statues trembled their eyelids.

  Three Spirit Vessels!! In less than a month's time, he has made such progress through his trials in the Phantom Realm that his potential is no longer comparable to Nie Feng Lei's, but rather to that of the Great Elder Nie Shen Gong, and even surpasses it. For the Nie family, the results of one's trials in the Life and Death Phantom Realm can reveal a great deal about their potential, and after their heart and nature have been tempered, they basically don't need to worry that this potential will be fleeting, disappearing into the crowd after a few years.

  In the eyes of the clan leader and elders, Nie Fenglei has always been considered the most likely to achieve Tianling among the younger generation. Now, suddenly, a Nie Kong appears out of nowhere, doesn't that mean that another member of the Wind Generation might become the strongest in the Tianling Continent?

  If one day, the family has two powerful Tianling masters sitting in town, the Nie family will undoubtedly surpass the imperial family and other families, becoming the number one family of the Great Achievement Empire.

  At this moment, Nie Xinghai, Nie Longshan and Nie Xingqiu couldn't help but become somewhat excited.

  Originally, because Nie Kong didn't come out in time, this life-and-death trial ranked Bai Yuqing as the first. That little guy from the Lingzhu generation who was also extremely lucky to squeeze into the top ten.

  Nie's family's fantasy realm training allowed the vassal families to take first place, which made Nie's family feel somewhat depressed. Of course, being depressed is one thing, but as a large and prestigious clan, Nie's family wouldn't go back on their promise of rewards.

  Now, Nie Kong not only awakened but also broke through to the third rank of Tong Ling, the significance of this matter far exceeded the fame of life and death. For the elders, let alone a mere first name, even if the top ten were all taken away by the attached families, as long as Nie Kong was there, everything was worth it.

  "Good! With such a junior, why worry that our Nie family will not prosper?"

  A faint purple glow flashed across Nie Qing's face, a manifestation of his exceptionally turbulent Lei Ling force. However, as the patriarch of the Nie family who had weathered countless storms, he immediately calmed down, his expression turning grave: "Elders, this matter is of utmost importance. The fact that Nie Kong broke through to the third rank in the Illusory Realm must not be revealed to the rest of the clan. If it gets out, it may bring harm to our family."

  "Hmm."

  Nie Xingqiu and others nodded in agreement.

  A member of the Nie family has emerged who may be a candidate for the Heavenly Spirit, which is acceptable to other families in the Great Achievement Empire. However, if another member with an even greater possibility emerges, the Nie family will likely face joint suppression from other families. After all, having two Heavenly Spirits in one family would disrupt the balance of power among the imperial families that has been established over hundreds of years, and may even lead to Nie Kong being strangled in the cradle.

  After all, the Nie family's protection of the Mortal Realm was still secretive, but over the past few hundred years, the other great families and clans of the Dacheng Empire had gained some understanding. In the Nie family's trials of life and death, the higher the cultivation level, the stronger the potential for their clan members to cultivate, this was no longer a secret.

  Just like Nie Shen Gong, in his heyday of life and death trials, he consecutively advanced two ranks. After that, his cultivation steadily improved. Now, after tens of years without showing his face, the outside world has been circulating rumors that this great elder of the Nie family had already entered the Heavenly Spirit realm and was the first Heavenly Spirit expert in the Nie family.

  Seeing their expressions, Nie Kong immediately thought of this point and was shocked in his heart. It is said that leaning against a big tree is good for cooling down, but if it is possible to threaten other big trees, once the big tree behind does not cover itself well, other big trees can quietly stretch out a branch and pull oneself to pieces.

  If there were no large trees to provide shade, this danger would be reduced to a minimum. However, without large trees, the growth conditions for the undergrowth would not be so optimal either. These two are contradictory yet complementary, and are closely linked, making it difficult to separate them.

  Nie Qing Song looked at Nie Xing Dong and asked: "Elder Nine, apart from us, who else knows about this matter?"

  Nie Xingdong smiled and said: "And there are Qingfeng and Feng Han, two young guys. Don't worry, I've already instructed them not to leak this matter before I came here."

  "That's good."

  Nie Qing Song looked at Nie Kong and said, "Nie Kong, don't worry either. If you encounter a clansman who asks about it, just say that your cultivation is still at the first rank of Spiritual Perception. However, from now on, you should go to the Ice Flame Cave to cultivate more often. After several months, even if others find out that you've broken through to the third rank of Spiritual Perception, they'll only be able to sigh in admiration and won't pay too much attention to you."

  "Yes."

  Nie Kong understood Nie Qingyun's meaning. The Tianling Continent was too vast, and there were too many geniuses. Since ancient times, countless talented geniuses had been stuck at the bottleneck of a certain realm, unable to break through until death. By using several months in the Ice Flame Cave to gradually "raise" his cultivation to Tianshen Third Grade, Nie Kong would essentially cover up the results of his life-and-death trials and would no longer attract attention from other families.

  Having settled the matter, the atmosphere in the hall relaxed a bit. Nie Longshan smiled and asked: "Nie Kong, I heard from that little girl of the Bai family that you attempted suicide in front of a white jade stone wall with a domed gate shape. How did you manage to enter the second layer of the Illusory Realm? Tell us old guys about it."

  Nie Kong then detailed the experience of his soul being sucked into the white jade stone wall, but as for the medicinal herbs dug up in the second layer of the Illusory Realm, Nie Kong concealed them and only said that after arriving at the second layer of the Illusory Realm, he saw a very powerful spiritual beast, and when he was in danger, he hurriedly killed himself again.

  "The red and white jade pendant you see is indeed connected, it's the passage between the first and second layers of the Life and Death Illusionary Realm. Since my Nie family discovered this realm, no one has ever been able to pass through the passage between these two layers, I didn't expect you to be the exception."

  Nie Qing Song said in surprise, "But, according to the time calculation, your soul took a whole seven days to pass through that passage?" In fact, 15 days ago, after Bai Yuqing came out, the Illusory Realm had changed. Could it be that Nie Kong's soul had already entered the second layer of the Illusory Realm as soon as he entered the Jade Token?

  Nie Xingqiu furrowed his brow, his eyes flashing with confusion as he asked, "This is quite strange. In the past, there have been tribe members who died by suicide in front of the passage, but nothing like this has ever happened before. How could that passage absorb Nie Kong's soul and send him directly to the second layer?"

  Not to mention Nie Qing Song and these elders looking at each other in dismay, with a bewildered expression, even Nie Kong, the one who started all this, was somewhat perplexed.

  According to his speculation, it was most likely that the passage had been stained with the fragrance of the medicinal herb, and he himself had also absorbed a large amount of the fragrance through the jade pendant. His soul now also carried the scent of the medicinal herb, which was why the jade pendant not only did not reject his soul but instead drew him to the side of the medicinal herb.

  It's just speculation at this point and there is no basis for it yet.

  Nie Qing Song waved his hand and smiled, "Forget it, since you can't understand, then let's not talk about this matter. Nie Kong, the reward for this life-and-death trial has already been distributed, but you came out last and only woke up until just now. Your reward will be given to you personally by me."

  As he spoke, Nie Qing Song picked up the thin booklet from the side table, and with a light flick, it was supported by a layer of deep purple light, flying into his palm.

  "Mù Yáng Zhēn Líng Jué!" -> "Wood Sun True Spirit Formula!"

  The purple light dissipated, and Nie Kong saw the name on the book clearly.

  Nie Qing Song smiled and said, "Nie Kong, you're quite lucky. This 'Wood True Spirit Technique' was acquired from a neighboring country at a high price and was only returned to the family this morning. I heard that this technique was created by a Wood-type Fusion Master. After taking a look, I think it's suitable for you to cultivate to Fusion or even Transformation. Originally, I and several elders were discussing rewarding you with a second-grade spiritual medicine to enhance your cultivation, but since you've already reached the third-grade of Tongling, that medicine is no longer necessary."

  "Alas, what a pity! If you were a spirit master of another attribute, you could enter the Ink Tower and freely choose the most suitable spirit technique for yourself. Even if it's a dark spirit technique, the Ink Tower has collected several kinds. Unfortunately, you are a wood spirit master." By the end, Nie QingSong couldn't help but let out a light sigh.

  As for Nie Kong's physical properties, Nie Xingdong and others also shook their heads helplessly.

  At this moment, the Second Elder, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "Youngster, what kind of spiritual artifact do you need? I can make it for you."

  As soon as this was said, the eyes of Nie Qing Song and the other four people shifted over, all of them somewhat surprised. The Second Elder specially made a spiritual pattern weapon for the Wind Clan, which was still unprecedented, even Nie Feng Lei back then did not receive such treatment. However, the few of them quickly let it go, with Nie Kong's potential shown in this life and death trial being enough to make the Second Elder take action personally.

  "Spirit Pattern Weapon?"

  Looking at the still meditating Second Elder, Nie Kong felt a bit bewildered. Until now, his weapons were just his hands and the Golden Needles. Ah, the Golden Needles! As soon as he thought of these two words, Nie Kong's eyes lit up, and his right hand reached into his chest to search for something. After a few moments, the Golden Needle that had been placed in the pet backpack appeared in his palm. Among the nine Golden Needles, the longest ones, Tian Zhen and Di Zhen, had suffered significant damage during the battle with the Blood Lion.

  Nie Kong held up two Golden Needles in his hands and said, "I want nine more of these Spiritual Pattern Golden Needles."

  "Golden needle?"

  Nie Qing Song and others looked at each other in shock.

  The two elders stretched out their hands and beckoned, the golden needle left Nie Kong's palm and was pinched by his slender index finger and middle finger. After covering it in his palm for a moment, he uttered a crisp word:

  "Good!"

  ……

  The cold wind was biting, and the howling sound of it passing by from time to time made the city of Jicheng feel even colder in November. Nie Kong gently pushed open the slightly ajar wooden door and walked into the familiar courtyard. Looking at the candlelight shining through the window of his room, Nie Kong's chest suddenly filled with warmth, and he couldn't help but quicken his pace.

  In the bedroom, Huamei sat on a long bench, her eyes red and swollen like two overripe peaches. Murong Xiang was beside her, trying to comfort her nonstop, but she clearly wasn't very good at this sort of thing. No matter how much she tried to persuade her, the tears in Huamei's eyes just kept falling like a string of pearls that had been cut loose, pattering down incessantly.

  "Sister-in-law!"

  A voice suddenly sounded at the door.

  Hua Mei and Mu Hong Yan suddenly lifted their heads, and when they saw Nie Kong's figure, they almost simultaneously opened their small mouths into an O shape.

  "Ah!" Mu Hongyin exclaimed, clapping her hands and jumping up with a beaming smile. "I told you so! How could Nie Kong possibly get into trouble in just a small trip to the Illusory Realm? Doesn't he know whose disciple he is? Hmph, I kept telling you not to worry, but you just wouldn't listen. You've been crying every day, and I don't even know where you got so many tears from! Look now, didn't I turn out to be right? All your tears were wasted these past few days!"

  Murong Hong spoke extremely quickly, rattling off a huge pile of words in one breath, like popping popcorn.

  "Uncle!"

  Huāméi looked at Nie Kong with a pitiful expression, and tears burst forth like floodwaters opening the gates, overflowing from her eyes. Mù Hóngjiān was taken aback, unable to help but say: "Huāméi, Nie Kong is fine, you should be happy instead, why are you crying even harder?"

  "Hua Mei sobbed: 'I... I am happy, but... I couldn't help it...' "

  "Ugh, I can't take it anymore! Disciple, since you're back, let your uncle take care of her from now on. I'm going home to sleep." With that, Mu Hongxian quickly turned around and slipped away, as if Hua Mei's bedroom was a prison.

  "Thanks a lot, young master."

  Nie Kong's tone was filled with emotion. Previously, Nie Kong had called her "Little Master" with a hint of teasing, but this time, he genuinely called out the three words. Because on his way home through an alley, Nie Kong heard some shocking news - more than half a month ago, Nie Feng Xing had attempted to take advantage of Hua Mei Brow, but was caught by Mu Hong Yan and beaten up. After learning about the incident, Nie Qing Song personally ordered Nie Feng Xing to be locked in the Ice Flame Cave for half a year. Just today, Nie's third young master, who had just recovered from his injuries, moved into the prison inside the Ice Flame Cave.

  "Who made me your master!"

  Mu Hongyin helplessly waved her hand and disappeared outside the door. As soon as she left, the room fell silent, with only Hua Mei's sobbing sound remaining.

  She sobbed for a moment, seeing Nie Kong staring at her all the time. Hua Mei felt a bit shy and moved her body to the side, avoiding Nie Kong's gaze, but her crying sound unconsciously became smaller. After a while, Nie Kong was still looking at her, and Hua Mei subconsciously moved a little further to the side again.

  Then, the two of them started playing a game of hide-and-seek with their eyes, one chasing and the other dodging. Before long, Hua Mei's tears had completely disappeared, replaced by a flush on her face. Nie Kong suddenly burst out laughing: "Sister-in-law, stop moving around, or you'll end up on the ground."

  "Ah...... Oh, Uncle, you haven't eaten yet, I'll go prepare some food for you..." Huā Méi's face turned red as she stuttered and then quickly ran out of the room.

  “……”

  Huāméi was still as shy as before, but after going through this experience, Nie Kong felt a warmth and an inexplicable flutter in his heart when he looked at her back.

  A faint smile, Nie Kong sat on the long bench that still retained the warmth of Huamei's body, thinking about this experience, suddenly his heart moved, a thread of emerald green spiritual power emerged from his right hand, flickering uncertainly, like a small flame. Nie Kong vaguely felt that his greatest gain was not advancing to Tongling Third Grade, nor was it the "Muyang True Spirit Manual", but rather this variant wood spiritual power that had merged with a large amount of fire spiritual power elements...

  ……