Night settled over the Green Bamboo Sect.
The noise from the outer sect arena had finally faded, but the discussions had not stopped. In courtyards, pathways, residences, and training grounds, disciples still spoke about the same name.
Fang Lin.
Rank 10.
A newcomer had entered the top ten.
For many disciples, this was shocking.
For others, it was frightening.
Inside Room 53579, Fang Lin sat quietly on his bamboo bed.
His cracked black iron sword rested beside him.
The wound on his shoulder had already been treated, but a faint stinging pain still remained. Sun Jie's sword had been extremely sharp. Even with Fang Lin's strengthened body, the cut had not been shallow.
Fang Lin slowly opened his eyes.
"The top ten…"
His expression remained calm.
There was no arrogance.
Only pressure.
From this point onward, every opponent would be a true monster.
Bai Qing.
Shen Ku.
Luo Chen.
Han Zhi.
Yue Fang.
Qiao Lei.
Mo Yun.
Chen Hao.
Su Wanqing.
Jian Wuji.
Each name represented a wall.
And Fang Lin had to climb past them while still hiding his deepest strength.
His soul arts could not be revealed.
Not yet.
Fang Lin looked down at his palm.
A faint trace of Qi moved between his fingers.
"My Qi is still too weak."
Middle Qi Conjunction.
Even with his body technique, movement technique, and perception, his realm remained his greatest limitation.
If he had stronger Qi, Sun Jie's sword would not have forced him into such danger.
If his body were stronger, he could have endured the silver thread more easily.
If his soul power were stronger—
Fang Lin's eyes narrowed slightly.
No.
That path had to remain hidden.
Just as he was thinking, a knock sounded on the door.
Knock knock.
Fang Lin's gaze lifted.
It was already late.
Few people would visit now.
He stood up calmly and walked to the door.
The moment he opened it, a powerful but restrained aura entered his senses.
Standing outside was a young man in clean white robes.
He looked around twenty years old, with sharp brows and a calm expression. A faint silver bamboo emblem rested on his chest, marking him as an inner sect disciple.
His aura was deep and stable.
Late Spirit Foundation Realm.
Fang Lin's eyes flickered slightly.
This person was far stronger than Chen Yu.
The white-robed disciple looked at Fang Lin calmly.
"You are Fang Lin?"
Fang Lin nodded.
"Yes."
The disciple studied him briefly.
There was no arrogance in his gaze.
Only curiosity.
Then he took out a small jade box and a folded document.
"I was instructed by the Alliance side to deliver your updated ranking reward."
Fang Lin's expression remained calm, but inwardly, his attention sharpened.
"Ranking reward?"
The disciple nodded.
"You entered the top ten. Normally, rewards are issued after the competition ends, but certain partial rewards are released immediately after ranking confirmation."
He handed the jade box forward.
"Ten low-grade spirit stones."
Fang Lin accepted the box.
The moment his fingers touched it, the grey stone inside his spiritual sea suddenly pulsed.
Once.
Softly.
But clearly.
Fang Lin's heart moved.
The inner sect disciple noticed the slight pause.
"What is it?"
Fang Lin calmly replied, "Nothing. I did not expect the reward to arrive tonight."
The disciple nodded.
"The Alliance does not delay what is owed."
His tone was calm, but the meaning was clear.
Alliance side.
Sect Master's side.
Fang Lin looked at him.
"Senior Brother, may I know your name?"
The white-robed disciple replied, "Qin Luo."
A brief pause.
Then he added, "Inner sect disciple. Late Spirit Foundation Realm."
Fang Lin cupped his hands slightly.
"Senior Brother Qin."
Qin Luo gave a faint nod.
"You fought well today."
Fang Lin did not reply immediately.
Qin Luo continued, "Sun Jie's sword is not easy to withstand. Many inner sect disciples at the early Spirit Foundation Realm would struggle if they suppressed their cultivation to Qi Conjunction."
Fang Lin's eyes flickered.
This evaluation was not casual.
Qin Luo looked at Fang Lin's cracked sword resting inside the room.
"You need a better weapon."
"I know."
"The top ten battles will not be forgiving."
"I know that too."
Qin Luo observed him for a moment longer.
Then a faint smile appeared.
"Good. People who know danger live longer."
He turned to leave.
But after taking two steps, he stopped.
"Fang Lin."
Fang Lin looked at him.
Qin Luo said calmly, "The Alliance side is watching you."
The air became slightly quiet.
Fang Lin did not speak.
Qin Luo continued, "That is not a threat."
His gaze deepened.
"But it is not pure kindness either."
After saying that, he stepped away.
His figure disappeared into the night without a sound.
Fang Lin remained by the door for a moment.
Then he closed it.
The room became silent again.
He looked down at the jade box in his hand.
Ten spirit stones.
For many outer disciples, this was a large reward.
For Fang Lin—
It might be something far more important.
He returned to the bed and sat cross-legged.
After activating the room's sound-insulating formation, he opened the jade box.
A soft glow immediately filled the room.
Ten pale spirit stones rested inside, each one containing dense spiritual energy far purer than ordinary ambient Qi.
The moment the box opened, Fang Lin's spiritual sea trembled.
The grey stone pulsed again.
This time, stronger.
Fang Lin's eyes narrowed.
"You want these?"
The stone gave no answer.
But the smoky mist around it stirred slowly, like it had awakened from sleep.
Fang Lin picked up one spirit stone.
He began absorbing it normally.
Pure spiritual energy flowed into his meridians.
His Qi reacted immediately, circulating faster than usual.
But before Fang Lin could guide it fully—
The grey stone suddenly pulled.
A thin stream of spiritual energy flowed toward his spiritual sea.
Fang Lin's expression changed slightly.
The energy entered the grey stone.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—
Hum.
A faint vibration spread through his body.
The smoky mist around the grey stone thickened.
A pale, almost invisible light emerged from within the stone.
It was not ordinary spiritual energy.
It was deeper.
Purer.
Older.
Fang Lin's breathing slowed.
"What is this…"
The light flowed out of the grey stone and entered his body.
The moment it touched his flesh, the Nine Nether Phantom Body activated by itself.
Boom.
Fang Lin's entire body trembled.
Pain spread through his muscles.
But unlike before, the pain was not chaotic.
It was controlled.
Sharp.
Efficient.
The energy moved through his skin, flesh, meridians, and bones like a silent flame, tempering everything it passed through.
Fang Lin immediately understood.
This energy was helping the Nine Nether Phantom Body cultivate faster.
Much faster.
He closed his eyes and guided the technique.
The circulation route of Nether Skin activated again.
But this time, it was completely different.
Before, every cycle had been slow and brutal.
Each improvement required pain, endurance, and repeated effort.
Now, the mysterious energy from the grey stone carried the process forward like a powerful current.
The Qi moved smoother.
The tempering became deeper.
His body absorbed the force more easily.
Fang Lin's skin tightened.
His muscles compressed.
His meridians became sturdier.
Even his bones emitted faint sounds.
Crack.
Crack.
Crack.
Sweat appeared across his forehead.
The pain was still there.
But the speed—
Was terrifying.
Fang Lin clenched his teeth slightly.
"One spirit stone…"
Only one spirit stone had already produced such an effect.
He did not stop.
He absorbed the second.
Then the third.
The grey stone continued refining the spiritual energy into that strange cosmic power.
Each wave entered his body.
Each wave strengthened him.
The Nine Nether Phantom Body circulated faster and faster.
Inside his spiritual sea, the smoky mist around the stone began to grow visibly.
Eight percent.
Nine.
Ten.
The change was slow in appearance, but compared to before, it was astonishing.
At the same time, Fang Lin felt something else.
His soul was also being nourished.
The silver spiritual sea expanded faintly.
Its surface became calmer.
Deeper.
The Soul Metamorphosis Technique began circulating without Fang Lin forcing it.
His soul pressure strengthened.
His divine sense sharpened.
Every tiny sound in the room became clear.
The movement of dust in the air.
The faint glow of the formation lines.
The vibration inside the spirit stones.
Everything entered his perception.
Fang Lin's heart shook.
"The stone strengthens both body and soul…"
This was not just a treasure.
It was something far beyond his current understanding.
By the time the fifth spirit stone turned dull, Fang Lin's entire body was covered in sweat.
But his aura had changed.
His body felt lighter.
Denser.
More complete.
The wound on his shoulder had closed much further than before.
Even the faint ache in his muscles had faded.
His soul felt clearer, as if a layer of fog had been removed from his mind.
Then—
A strange pulse came from the grey stone.
Fang Lin's consciousness was pulled inward.
The silver spiritual sea appeared around him.
At its center, the grey stone floated silently, surrounded by thicker smoky mist.
A faint light emerged from the stone.
Then a stream of information entered Fang Lin's mind.
Not words.
Not exactly.
More like instinct.
A method.
A skill.
Fang Lin stood still inside his spiritual sea as the information settled.
After a long moment, his eyes widened slightly.
"Changing aura…"
The method allowed him to alter the aura released by his body.
Not only that.
It could adjust the surface structure of his flesh.
Face shape.
Body height.
Build.
Size.
Even the feeling of his presence.
It was not an illusion.
It was physical transformation.
Subtle at first.
Limited.
But real.
Fang Lin slowly opened his eyes in the room.
His breathing became quiet.
He raised his hand and focused.
The strange energy moved beneath his skin.
At first, nothing happened.
Then his fingers slowly changed.
They became slightly longer.
Then shorter.
His skin tone shifted faintly before returning to normal.
Fang Lin's eyes sharpened.
He stood and walked toward the small bronze mirror in the room.
He focused again.
The muscles in his face moved.
His jawline softened.
His eyes became narrower.
His nose changed slightly.
Within several breaths, the face in the mirror no longer looked exactly like Fang Lin.
It was still similar.
But different enough that ordinary disciples would hesitate.
Fang Lin continued.
His body height lowered slightly.
His shoulders became less defined.
His aura weakened until he felt like an ordinary outer disciple.
The transformation consumed energy.
Not too much.
But enough that he could feel it.
After a while, Fang Lin released the skill.
His face and body slowly returned to normal.
He stood silently before the mirror.
A rare trace of emotion appeared in his eyes.
This skill was extremely useful.
Too useful.
With it, he could hide.
Move.
Investigate.
Travel outside the sect.
Avoid enemies.
Enter places Fang Lin himself could not enter openly.
Most importantly—
It did not reveal his soul arts.
Fang Lin looked inward again.
The grey stone floated silently.
The smoky mist moved around it.
"What should I call this…"
After a moment, Fang Lin spoke softly.
"Phantom Transformation."
The name settled naturally.
A skill born from the grey stone.
A skill that changed body, aura, face, and presence.
Fang Lin returned to the bed and looked at the remaining five spirit stones.
He did not continue absorbing them immediately.
The change tonight had already been large.
Too much sudden growth could become unstable.
He closed the jade box and stored it carefully.
Then he sat cross-legged again and stabilized his body.
The Nine Nether Phantom Body had advanced noticeably.
His soul had strengthened.
His comprehension felt sharper.
Even the circulation of his Qi seemed easier to understand.
It was as though his entire foundation had been quietly polished.
But Fang Lin did not feel joy.
Instead, he felt more cautious.
A treasure that could do this—
If others discovered it, even elders would go mad.
Perhaps even the Sect Master would not remain calm.
Fang Lin's gaze deepened.
"No one can know."
The room fell silent.
Outside, the night wind moved through the bamboo forest.
Inside Room 53579, Fang Lin continued cultivating quietly.
The grey stone pulsed softly within his spiritual sea.
Ten percent of smoky mist now surrounded it.
Only ten percent.
Yet it had already given him cosmic energy.
Strengthened his body.
Nourished his soul.
Increased his comprehension.
And awakened Phantom Transformation.
Fang Lin slowly exhaled.
The path ahead had become wider.
But also more dangerous.
Because the stronger the stone became—
The harder it would be to keep its existence hidden.