Room 53579 was quiet.
The night outside the window had already deepened, and the outer disciple residences had slowly fallen into silence. Only the faint glow of Illumination Pearls could be seen along the distant bamboo pathways.
Fang Lin sat cross-legged on the bamboo bed.
Before him rested several jade boxes.
The rewards Feng Jiu'er had brought were far greater than what ordinary outer disciples could receive.
Twenty low-grade spirit stones.
Three middle-grade spirit stones.
High-quality healing pills.
And the Frost Trace Sword Art.
Even for a top three outer disciple, this was an enormous amount of resources.
Fang Lin did not touch them immediately.
Instead, he spread his spiritual sense across the room.
The walls.
The floor.
The window.
The door.
The formation lines.
Only after confirming that nothing was unusual did he activate the sound-insulating formation.
A faint barrier covered the room.
Silence became deeper.
Fang Lin opened the first jade box.
Dense spiritual energy flowed out immediately.
Inside his spiritual sea, the grey stone pulsed.
Once.
Then again.
The smoky mist around it stirred like a cloud waking from sleep.
Fang Lin's eyes narrowed slightly.
"It is reacting strongly."
He picked up a low-grade spirit stone.
The moment he began absorbing it, pure spiritual energy entered his meridians.
Before the energy could fully merge with his Qi, the grey stone suddenly pulled.
A thin stream of spiritual energy flowed into his spiritual sea and entered the stone.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—
A faint pale energy flowed out.
It was not ordinary Qi.
It was deeper.
Purer.
Older.
Cosmic energy.
The moment it entered Fang Lin's body, the Nine Nether Phantom Body activated almost by itself.
His muscles tightened.
His skin trembled.
His meridians shook faintly.
Pain spread through his body, but this pain was different from before.
It was sharper.
Cleaner.
More efficient.
The cosmic energy moved through him like a silent flame, tempering his body as it passed.
Fang Lin immediately began guiding the Nine Nether Phantom Body.
One circulation.
Two.
Three.
Each cycle refined his skin and flesh.
The process was still painful, but the speed had changed completely.
Before, cultivating the Nine Nether Phantom Body felt like carving stone with a dull blade.
Now—
It was still difficult.
Still painful.
But the blade had become sharp.
Fang Lin's breathing steadied.
"So this is what the stone produces…"
He absorbed another low-grade spirit stone.
Then another.
The grey stone continued drawing in the spiritual energy and releasing cosmic energy.
His body cultivation advanced faster than ever before.
The Nether Skin stage became firmer.
His muscles grew denser.
His meridians became stronger.
Even the wound from his recent battles faded more quickly under the nourishment.
At the same time, Fang Lin felt his soul changing.
The silver spiritual sea expanded faintly.
Its surface became calmer.
Deeper.
His thoughts became clearer.
The flow of techniques in his mind became easier to understand.
The Soul Metamorphosis Technique circulated quietly, strengthening his foundation without revealing any aura outward.
Fang Lin opened his eyes slowly.
His gaze became sharper.
"Body."
"Soul."
"Comprehension."
The grey stone was improving all three.
He looked at the jade slip beside the spirit stones.
Frost Trace Sword Art.
A middle-grade Earth technique.
Fang Lin picked it up and injected his spiritual sense inside.
Boom.
Information entered his mind.
Sword forms.
Qi circulation.
Footwork coordination.
Cold energy traces.
Fang Lin quietly absorbed everything.
The Frost Trace Sword Art was not a brute-force sword technique.
It focused on leaving faint traces of cold sword Qi after each movement. Those traces could disturb an opponent's rhythm, restrict movement, and eventually form a hidden net of sword energy.
At higher mastery, every slash would leave behind a frost mark.
One mark was weak.
Ten marks were troublesome.
A hundred marks could seal a battlefield.
Fang Lin opened his eyes.
"This suits Frost Wind."
It also suited him.
His Ice attribute.
His perception.
His movement technique.
His ability to analyze patterns.
All of them could support this sword art.
Fang Lin stood and held Frost Wind.
The sword released a faint chill the moment Qi entered it.
He moved slowly.
First stance.
The blade cut through the air.
A faint pale trace appeared for a brief instant before fading.
Fang Lin paused.
Then repeated the strike.
Again.
Again.
Again.
His comprehension was clearly faster than before.
Small flaws revealed themselves immediately.
The angle was too wide.
The Qi was released too early.
The wrist turned too late.
The footwork did not match the sword path.
Fang Lin corrected them one by one.
The room was small, but his control was precise enough not to damage anything.
After two hours, Frost Wind moved silently through the air.
A pale line remained behind the blade for half a breath before disappearing.
Fang Lin stopped.
"Initial entry."
In a single night, he had entered the threshold of an Earth-grade sword technique.
If others knew, even inner sect disciples would feel disbelief.
But Fang Lin did not feel proud.
He only felt the grey stone's effect more clearly.
His comprehension had increased.
And this was only after absorbing a few low-grade spirit stones.
His gaze moved toward the second jade box.
The middle-grade spirit stones.
After a brief silence, Fang Lin opened it.
The moment the lid lifted, dense spiritual energy filled the entire room.
The grey stone pulsed strongly.
The smoky mist around it churned.
This reaction was far stronger than before.
Fang Lin picked up one middle-grade spirit stone.
He did not touch the other two.
"One is enough for tonight."
He began absorbing it.
Boom.
Spiritual energy flooded into his body like a river.
The grey stone pulled greedily.
The energy entered the stone.
Then a stronger stream of cosmic energy flowed out.
Fang Lin's body shook violently.
Pain exploded across his skin, muscles, and meridians.
Even his bones released faint cracking sounds.
Sweat immediately appeared on his forehead.
The Nine Nether Phantom Body circulated rapidly.
Fang Lin clenched his teeth but did not stop.
He guided the cosmic energy carefully.
This energy was powerful.
Far more powerful than what the low-grade spirit stones produced.
If he lost control, it could injure him.
But if he controlled it properly—
The benefits would be enormous.
The cosmic energy washed through his body again and again.
His skin became tougher.
His flesh became denser.
His recovery improved.
His meridians strengthened.
His body began absorbing the power more naturally.
Inside his spiritual sea, the grey stone was also changing.
The smoky mist thickened visibly.
Ten percent.
Eleven.
Twelve.
Thirteen.
Fourteen.
Fifteen.
Only then did the change slow.
The middle-grade spirit stone in Fang Lin's hand gradually turned dull.
Its spiritual energy had been completely drained.
Fang Lin opened his eyes.
A faint grey-white light flashed within them before vanishing.
His breathing was heavy.
But his aura was stable.
Very stable.
The Nine Nether Phantom Body had advanced greatly.
Not to the next complete level.
But much closer than before.
The speed was terrifying.
Fang Lin lifted his hand.
The skin over his palm seemed ordinary, but he could feel the power beneath it.
Denser.
Stronger.
More refined.
Then he focused.
His fingers changed shape smoothly.
His palm widened.
His skin tone shifted slightly.
His aura weakened.
Then sharpened.
Phantom Transformation.
It had become easier to control.
The changes were smoother than before.
He could now alter small details without much strain.
Finger length.
Shoulder width.
Height.
Facial structure.
Aura strength.
Even the rhythm of his presence.
Fang Lin restored his hand to normal.
"This skill will be useful outside the sect."
He was certain of that now.
The outer sect competition had ended.
He had reached Rank 3.
His name had spread too widely.
If he wanted to move freely later, Fang Lin could no longer rely only on his real identity.
Phantom Transformation would become one of his most important hidden cards.
He looked at the remaining spirit stones.
Seventeen low-grade spirit stones.
Two middle-grade spirit stones.
He did not absorb more.
The improvement tonight was already large enough.
If he became greedy, his foundation might become unstable.
Fang Lin closed the jade boxes carefully and stored them away.
Then he sat cross-legged once more.
He began stabilizing his Qi.
Late Qi Conjunction Realm.
Frost Trace Sword Art at initial entry.
Nine Nether Phantom Body strengthened by cosmic energy.
Soul strength increased.
Comprehension improved.
Phantom Transformation refined.
All of this had happened in a single night.
Yet Fang Lin's expression remained calm.
Because he remembered Su Wanqing stopping Frost Wind with two fingers.
He remembered Jian Wuji's sword-like aura.
He remembered the pressure of Spirit Foundation.
And he remembered Uncle Wei's teaching.
Never reveal all your cards.
If a hidden card is revealed, make sure no enemy lives to speak of it.
If you cannot kill them—
Never reveal it.
Fang Lin slowly exhaled.
His path had grown wider.
But the danger had grown with it.
Inside his spiritual sea, the grey stone floated quietly.
The smoky mist wrapped around it like a forming cocoon.
Fifteen percent.
Still far from complete.
Yet it had already produced cosmic energy, strengthened his body and soul, increased his comprehension, and improved Phantom Transformation.
Fang Lin stared at it silently.
"What exactly are you?"
The stone gave no answer.
It only pulsed softly.
As if waiting.
As if urging him to continue.
Outside, the night slowly passed.
When dawn finally touched the bamboo forest, Fang Lin opened his eyes again.
They were calm.
Clear.
Sharper than before.
The competition was over.
The rewards had awakened the stone further.
And now—
His real cultivation path was beginning.
(End of Vol. 1)