The arena was still roaring.
Fang Lin stood at the center of the battle stage, his breathing uneven for the first time that day.
Across from him, Shen Ku lay near the edge of the platform, one knee pressed against the cracked stone, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. His daggers had fallen beside him, their black threads broken and scattered across the ground like dead snakes.
His eyes remained cold.
But his body could no longer move.
The referee elder watched carefully for several breaths before finally raising his hand.
"Victory, Fang Lin."
The moment those words fell, the arena exploded.
"He won!"
"Fang Lin defeated Shen Ku!"
"Rank 9! He defeated Rank 9!"
The noise surged through the outer sect like thunder.
But Fang Lin did not react.
His body felt heavy.
Very heavy.
The fight against Shen Ku had been completely different from Sun Jie's.
Sun Jie's sword had been sharp and direct.
Shen Ku's attacks were sinister, hidden, and exhausting. Every movement had forced Fang Lin to remain alert. Every dagger, every thread, every killing angle had consumed his focus.
Even after winning, Fang Lin could feel the strain deep inside his muscles.
His Qi was nearly empty.
His body ached.
His soul felt tense from suppressing the urge to use Soul Trasher.
He had won.
But it had not been easy.
Shen Ku slowly lifted his head.
His gaze met Fang Lin's.
"You hid something."
The words were soft.
Only Fang Lin could hear them.
Fang Lin looked at him calmly.
"So did you."
Shen Ku stared at him for a moment longer.
Then he gave a faint, cold smile and lowered his head.
The sect healers quickly stepped onto the stage and carried him away.
Fang Lin turned and walked down from the platform.
The moment he returned to Li Shan's group, Murong Yue rushed forward.
"You look terrible."
Fang Lin replied, "I won."
"That is not the same as being fine."
Bai Qing stepped closer, her expression serious.
"Your Qi is almost drained."
Han Zhi looked at him quietly.
"And your body is overstrained."
Luo Chen crossed his arms.
"Shen Ku is disgusting to fight. Even watching him makes me tired."
Zhao Feng nodded.
"He forced you to react every moment. That kind of battle consumes more than Qi."
Li Shan studied Fang Lin for several breaths.
"Go back and recover."
Fang Lin looked toward the arena.
There were still matches left.
Li Shan seemed to understand what he was thinking.
"You have already learned enough for today."
Murong Yue immediately nodded.
"If you collapse while watching other people fight, I will laugh first and worry after."
Fang Lin glanced at her.
"That sounds like you."
Murong Yue froze.
Then Luo Chen burst into laughter.
Even Bai Qing smiled faintly.
Fang Lin did not stay longer.
His injuries were not severe, but exhaustion had settled deep into his body. If he forced himself to remain, it would only slow his recovery.
He left the arena under countless gazes.
Disciples moved aside wherever he walked.
Rank 9.
That title was already spreading.
But Fang Lin ignored the whispers.
His steps remained steady, though each one felt heavier than usual.
By the time he returned to Room 53579, night had already begun falling over the outer sect.
He entered quietly and closed the door behind him.
The room became silent.
Fang Lin stood still for a moment.
Then his calm expression loosened slightly.
A sharp pain spread through his ribs.
He exhaled slowly.
Shen Ku's final attack had nearly pierced through his defense. If not for Phantom Transformation changing his body angle at the last moment, the dagger would have gone much deeper.
That skill had saved him again.
But using it during battle also consumed more energy than expected.
Fang Lin sat cross-legged on the bamboo bed.
He activated the sound-insulating formation.
Then he took out the jade box containing the remaining spirit stones.
Five remained.
He stared at them quietly.
After the battle with Shen Ku, his Qi had been pushed close to its limit. His meridians felt empty, but also strangely loose.
As though the barrier inside him had thinned.
Fang Lin's eyes sharpened.
"Maybe…"
He picked up one spirit stone.
The moment he began absorbing it, pure spiritual energy rushed into his body.
His dry meridians responded immediately.
Like cracked earth receiving rain.
Qi flowed rapidly through him.
At the same time, the grey stone inside his spiritual sea pulsed.
The spiritual energy was drawn inward.
The smoky mist stirred.
Then the stone released that mysterious cosmic energy again.
It flowed into Fang Lin's body.
His muscles tightened.
His skin trembled.
His meridians, strained by battle, began repairing at visible speed.
The Nine Nether Phantom Body activated almost naturally.
Pain spread through him.
But beneath the pain was strength.
Fang Lin guided the energy carefully.
He did not rush.
The first spirit stone slowly dimmed.
His exhausted body recovered.
His depleted Qi filled again.
But the thin barrier inside his cultivation still remained.
Fang Lin opened his eyes briefly.
Then he picked up the second spirit stone.
The moment he absorbed it, the grey stone pulsed harder.
More cosmic energy flowed out.
This time, Fang Lin directed part of it through his meridians while circulating his Qi Conjunction method.
His Qi moved faster.
Denser.
Sharper.
The spiritual energy from the spirit stone merged into his dantian, then spread through his meridians like a rising tide.
The barrier trembled.
Fang Lin's breathing slowed.
He focused completely.
Again.
And again.
Qi struck the barrier.
His body had already reached its limit during the fight.
His soul had sharpened under pressure.
His meridians had been stretched, emptied, and refilled.
Now, with the cosmic energy from the Nether Stone supporting him, everything aligned.
Crack.
A faint sound echoed inside his body.
The barrier shattered.
Boom.
Qi surged through Fang Lin's meridians.
His body trembled violently.
The aura around him rose, then compressed inward.
The flow of Qi became thicker and faster than before. His dantian expanded slightly, holding far more energy than it had at the middle stage.
His senses sharpened again.
The room became clearer.
The wind outside.
The movement of disciples far away.
The faint vibration of the formation lines under his floor.
Everything entered his perception.
Late Qi Conjunction Realm.
Fang Lin slowly opened his eyes.
A faint light flashed within them.
His aura leaked for only a moment before he immediately restrained it.
Silence returned to the room.
Fang Lin looked down at his hands.
His Qi had grown stronger.
Not just in amount.
In quality.
Compared to before, his circulation was smoother and heavier. If he fought Shen Ku again now, the battle would not be so exhausting.
He exhaled softly.
"Late stage…"
He had finally broken through.
Inside his spiritual sea, the grey stone floated quietly.
The smoky mist around it had thickened again.
Fang Lin could feel the cosmic energy still lingering faintly within his body, continuing to nourish his flesh and soul.
The Nine Nether Phantom Body had also improved slightly.
Not a breakthrough.
But progress.
Real progress.
His soul felt calmer too, as if the pressure from the battle had been washed clean.
Fang Lin closed the jade box.
Three spirit stones remained.
He did not absorb more.
The breakthrough had to stabilize first.
Power gained too quickly could become unstable if he became greedy.
Fang Lin sat quietly and began circulating Qi through his body again and again.
Slowly.
Carefully.
By midnight, his aura had fully settled.
Late Qi Conjunction.
Rank 9.
Phantom Transformation.
Nine Nether Phantom Body.
Wind Break Palm.
Flowing Wind Steps.
Soul Metamorphosis Technique hidden beneath everything.
Fang Lin's foundation had changed again.
But his expression remained calm.
Because he knew the opponents ahead would only become stronger.
Bai Qing.
Luo Chen.
Han Zhi.
Yue Fang.
Qiao Lei.
Mo Yun.
Chen Hao.
Su Wanqing.
Jian Wuji.
Each one stood above Shen Ku.
And now that he had broken through, they would sense the change sooner or later.
Fang Lin slowly opened his eyes.
Outside, the moonlight fell across the bamboo forest.
Inside his spiritual sea, the grey stone pulsed once.
Softly.
Steadily.
As if satisfied.
Fang Lin looked toward the window.
His voice was quiet.
"Not enough yet."
Then he closed his eyes and continued cultivating.
The night deepened.
And within Room 53579, Fang Lin's newly awakened late-stage Qi flowed silently through his body, preparing him for the next battle.