The moment Fang Lin entered the Top Sixteen, his name spread throughout the outer sect completely.
No longer was he merely a talented newcomer.
Now—
He was officially one of the sixteen strongest outer disciples within the Green Bamboo Sect.
And more importantly—
He had done it by defeating Guo Ming directly.
The shock caused by that result spread rapidly through the sect.
Many disciples had initially believed Fang Lin defeating Zhou Yan was simply due to Zhou Yan underestimating him.
But after defeating Guo Ming as well—
Those doubts disappeared completely.
Because Guo Ming was different.
Calm.
Experienced.
Ruthless.
Yet even he had fallen.
By evening, discussions about Fang Lin could already be heard throughout nearly every corner of the outer sect.
"Middle-stage Qi Conjunction…"
"And already Top Sixteen…"
"How fast is he growing?"
"That movement technique is terrifying…"
Meanwhile, Fang Lin himself remained completely indifferent to the noise spreading around him.
At the arena, the remaining qualified disciples slowly gathered beneath the massive floating stone board displaying the current Top Sixteen rankings.
The overseeing elder stepped forward calmly.
"The elimination phase has concluded."
His gaze swept across the remaining disciples.
"Ten days from now…"
"The final ranking tournament will officially begin."
The atmosphere immediately shifted.
Ten days.
Only ten days remained before the true battles began.
The elder continued,
"The Top Sixteen disciples will fight through ranking matches until the final standings are decided."
"Rules remain unchanged."
"No killing."
"No outside interference."
"Any violation will result in immediate punishment."
Several disciples exchanged glances silently.
Then the elder slowly stepped aside.
The gathering gradually dispersed afterward.
Some disciples immediately left to cultivate.
Others gathered into small groups discussing future opponents.
Meanwhile, Fang Lin quietly turned to leave as well.
But before he could take more than several steps—
A voice suddenly sounded behind him.
"You improved again."
Fang Lin turned.
Li Shan stood there casually with Zhao Feng nearby.
Murong Yue waved lightly from further behind.
Fang Lin replied calmly,
"A little."
Li Shan chuckled softly.
"You say that after defeating Rank 16."
Zhao Feng observed Fang Lin carefully for several moments.
"Your body feels different now."
Fang Lin's eyes flickered faintly.
Sharp observation.
The changes brought by the Nine Nether Phantom Body were subtle externally, but increasingly obvious to stronger cultivators.
Fang Lin did not deny it.
"I've been cultivating a body technique."
Murong Yue immediately looked interested.
"A body technique?"
"That explains why your movement became even smoother."
Li Shan crossed his arms casually.
"Ten days isn't long."
His expression became slightly more serious.
"Once the Top Sixteen battles start…"
"You'll face completely different opponents."
Fang Lin nodded slightly.
"I know."
Unlike Zhou Yan or Guo Ming—
The remaining ranks were true monsters.
Especially the top ten.
And beyond that—
The top three.
Even now, Fang Lin could still vaguely feel the pressure Chen Hao emitted.
As for Rank 1 and Rank 2…
They had not even appeared publicly yet.
Murong Yue stretched lazily.
"Anyway, I'm going back to cultivate."
She glanced sideways toward Fang Lin.
"Don't die too quickly later."
Then she left casually.
One after another, the others gradually departed as well.
---
Soon, Fang Lin also returned quietly toward his room.
The moment he entered—
He immediately sat down cross-legged.
Then took out the black manual once more.
The Nine Nether Phantom Body.
Ever since obtaining the technique, Fang Lin had already realized something important.
This technique was fundamentally different from ordinary martial techniques.
There were no basic mastery, intermediate mastery, or advanced mastery stages like normal techniques.
Instead—
Each stage only possessed two mastery levels.
Lesser Mastery.
Greater Mastery.
Simple.
Yet terrifyingly difficult.
And after an entire month of cultivation—
Fang Lin had only now begun approaching the threshold of Lower Mastery for the first stage.
Nether Skin.
He slowly inhaled before beginning circulation once more.
The familiar pain immediately surged throughout his body.
Qi flowed through flesh, muscles, bones, and hidden meridians continuously while the tempering process repeated again and again.
Sweat gradually formed across Fang Lin's forehead.
The process remained brutal.
But compared to before—
His body now endured it far more smoothly.
Days passed quietly afterward.
Fang Lin almost never left his room during the following period.
Morning.
Night.
Cultivation repeated endlessly.
The Nine Nether Phantom Body advanced painfully slowly, yet the improvements became increasingly obvious.
His skin toughness continued increasing steadily.
His physical endurance became monstrous compared to ordinary middle-stage cultivators.
Even recovery speed improved significantly.
Several times during training, Fang Lin accidentally struck stone walls hard enough to leave cracks—
Yet his hands remained almost unharmed.
His body itself was gradually transforming.
But as the eighth day approached—
Fang Lin encountered a bottleneck.
No matter how much he circulated Qi, the final threshold toward Lower Mastery refused to break.
The strain on his body increased continuously.
His muscles felt as though they were tearing apart repeatedly from within.
His meridians burned painfully.
Yet the barrier remained unmoving.
Inside the room, Fang Lin slowly opened his eyes.
Blood dripped faintly from the corner of his lips.
His breathing had become unstable.
The Nine Nether Phantom Body was far more dangerous than ordinary techniques.
This was not merely cultivation.
It was destruction and reconstruction.
Again and again.
Fang Lin lowered his gaze toward the jade bottles beside him.
Healing pills.
The ones he purchased earlier.
Without hesitation—
He opened one bottle and swallowed several pills directly.
Warm medicinal energy immediately spread throughout his body.
Fang Lin closed his eyes again.
And continued.
Boom.
Pain erupted once more.
This time even more violently than before.
His flesh trembled uncontrollably while veins bulged beneath his skin.
Crack.
Faint sounds echoed repeatedly from inside his body.
Blood suddenly sprayed from Fang Lin's mouth.
Yet—
He did not stop.
His eyes remained steady.
Cold.
Focused.
Again.
And again.
The healing effects of the pills continuously repaired the damage within his body while the Nine Nether Phantom Body destroyed it repeatedly.
The process became vicious.
Brutal.
Hours passed.
Another bottle emptied completely.
Then another.
Fang Lin's room gradually filled with the faint scent of blood and medicinal herbs.
His body trembled violently under the strain.
At several moments, even his consciousness nearly blurred from pain.
But Fang Lin gritted his teeth and endured everything forcefully.
Because he understood clearly—
The upcoming tournament would not allow weakness.
The people waiting there…
Were monsters.
If he wanted to survive among them—
He needed more strength.
More.
Even more.
By the ninth night—
Every healing pill Fang Lin possessed had already been consumed completely.
Empty jade bottles scattered around the room.
His body was covered in sweat and blood.
Yet—
He continued circulating Qi stubbornly.
Then finally—
Boom.
A strange vibration spread throughout his entire body suddenly.
The Qi circulating through his flesh transformed instantly.
The pain receded sharply.
At the same time—
A faint grey glow briefly surfaced beneath Fang Lin's skin before disappearing again.
His eyes opened immediately.
A powerful sensation surged through his body.
Strength.
Durability.
Stability.
Everything felt different.
Fang Lin slowly stood up.
Then clenched his fist lightly.
Boom.
A low explosive sound echoed from the compressed physical force alone.
His eyes narrowed faintly.
The first stage of the Nine Nether Phantom Body—
Nether Skin—
Had finally reached Lower Mastery.
Fang Lin quietly observed his own arm.
His skin looked normal externally.
But internally—
It had completely transformed.
Ordinary attacks below his realm would now struggle even damaging him properly.
Even late-stage Qi Conjunction cultivators would find it difficult to injure him directly without strong techniques or weapons.
And this—
Was only Lower Mastery.
Fang Lin slowly exhaled.
The deeper he cultivated the Nine Nether Phantom Body…
The more terrifying the technique became.
No wonder its cultivation speed was unbelievably slow.
Because every small advancement brought overwhelming improvement.
Inside his spiritual sea, the grey stone pulsed faintly once again.
Fang Lin quietly looked toward it internally.
For some reason—
Ever since reaching Lower Mastery…
The stone's reactions had become slightly more active.
Almost as though—
It was waiting for something.