"Feng Xiao, Yangg Yan, and Luoo Xiaofeng, these are Nine-Heart Demon Fruits. Take one each; they will help you grow stronger."

After dealing with the trouble from the Prince’s Law Enforcement Team, Nie Yun called Feng Xiao and the others to his room.

"A Nine-Heart Demon Fruit? Is this the fruit from the Demon Race that can expand one’s Meridians and strengthen their heartbeat?" Luoo Xiaofeng’s eyes widened as he accepted the fruit.

"You know of it?"

Nie Yun hadn’t expected Luoo Xiaofeng to know about this item. He smiled and nodded.

"To think such a treasure actually exists... Your Majesty, this... this is far too valuable. I can’t accept it..." Luoo Xiaofeng’s hand trembled.

"Heh. As long as you serve me loyally, a mere Demon Fruit is nothing. There will be even greater rewards in the future. Take it. Once you are strong enough, I can entrust you with greater responsibilities," Nie Yun said.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Seeing the youth’s determined gaze, Luoo Xiaofeng no longer hesitated. He opened his mouth and swallowed the Demon Fruit.

CROAK!

The fruit let out a frog-like croak as it entered his body. In the blink of an eye, Luoo Xiaofeng began to tremble all over as his aura surged uncontrollably.

’Hmm? He’s about to break through? In that case, I’ll give him a little push!’

Seeing Luoo Xiaofeng’s aura grow stronger and stronger, Nie Yun was surprised for a moment, then broke into a smile.

Luoo Xiaofeng had reached the Peak of Qi Sect long ago. After being imprisoned in the Mi Tian Sect for decades, he had built up more than enough foundation. All he lacked was an opportunity to break through. While the Nine-Heart Demon Fruit couldn’t help someone break through directly to the Ultimate Venerable Level, it acted as a catalyst. As it reformed his body, it also gave him the push he needed to shatter the bottleneck that had plagued him for years.

"Spirit Stones, appear! Spiritual Power, bend to my will!"

Standing up, Nie Yun made a grabbing motion in the air. Dozens of Spirit Stones immediately floated up, packed tightly together. He tapped his finger on each stone in succession. With every tap, a stream of Spiritual Qi shot out. In the blink of an eye, all the Spiritual Qi converged, forming a massive dragon of pure Spiritual Power in mid-air.

This technique for extracting Spiritual Qi from Spirit Stones was something Nie Yun had learned in an ancient ruin in his past life. It was an incredibly profound method that could allow someone to recover their strength in a very short time.

"Enter!"

With a flip and a downward press of his palm, the dragon of Spiritual Qi spiraled toward Luoo Xiaofeng and drilled into his forehead. The moment the Spiritual Qi entered his body, a series of CRACKLES echoed from head to toe. In the blink of an eye, his aura broke through the Peak of Qi Sect and began climbing steadily toward the Ultimate Venerable Level.

Breaking through to the Ultimate Venerable Level required an immense amount of Spiritual Qi. If Luoo Xiaofeng had been left to break through on his own, he would have eventually succeeded, but it would have taken a very long time. Even then, he would have possessed 10 Elephant Power at most, making him one of the weakest Ultimate Venerables.

But now, by injecting him with the Spiritual Qi from dozens of Spirit Stones—the equivalent of an Empowerment—his strength would multiply exponentially once he fully absorbed it. It wouldn’t even be a problem for him to reach the Ultimate Venerable Peak directly!

Of course, there was still a vast difference between those at the Ultimate Venerable Peak. At best, his strength would be comparable to the Wind Wolf King and the other Demon Beasts. If he wanted to catch up to Nie Yun, it would be impossible without decades of ascetic cultivation and fortuitous opportunities.

"Wind Wolf King, Zi Tong, Hei Yan. You three are my Demon Pets, and I won’t play favorites. I am giving each of you a Nine-Heart Demon Fruit as well. After you consume them, you will fight one another. I will allow the strongest among you to advance to the Secret Realm!"

After settling things with Feng Xiao and the others, Nie Yun turned to his three Demon Pets.

’These three Demon Pets started following me right after I advanced to the Ultimate Venerable level. We’ve been through a lot together. The whole reason I fought so hard to get this Secret Realm Demon Core was to help one of them succeed!’

"Advance to the Secret Realm? Th-that... Master, that’s impossible, isn’t it?"

All three Demon Beasts were startled.

In their minds, the Secret Realm was a supreme and unattainable state of existence. They couldn’t believe their master was saying he could help them reach it.

"Nothing is impossible. I trust you all recognize this."

Seeing the disbelief in the three beasts’ eyes, Nie Yun smiled faintly. With a flip of his palm, a smooth Demon Core appeared in his hand.

"That’s a Demon Core... Ah! A Secret Realm Demon Core? How..."

"A Secret Realm Demon Core? The kind of Demon Core that gives you a high chance of advancing to the Secret Realm if you consume it?"

Seeing the Demon Core in the youth’s hand, the Wind Wolf King and the other two beasts trembled with such astonishment they could barely speak.

Before becoming Nie Yun’s Demon Pets, they had all been powerful figures within their respective Demon Beast Groups and were quite knowledgeable. They all knew the effects of a Secret Realm Demon Core. Staring at the object in their master’s palm, they were all stunned speechless.

"That’s right. It’s a Secret Realm Demon Core. I will only give it to the strongest among you. Now, swallow the Nine-Heart Demon Fruits and start your Cultivation. In a while, I want to see just how strong you can become. If none of you measure up, I have no intention of wasting a Secret Realm Demon Core."

Nie Yun said coolly.

"Rest assured, Master! We will meet your expectations and not disappoint you!"

All three Demon Pets clenched their jaws, their eyes filled with resolve.

When a Demon Beast reaches the Secret Realm, it can shed its beastly form and take on a human one. Its power also undergoes a world-altering transformation. Every Demon Beast dreams of reaching this level. How could they not be tempted by the opportunity now placed right before them?

Just like humans, Demon Beasts have a strict hierarchy. Those with superior Bloodlines achieve greater heights. Those with inferior Bloodlines have no hope of ever reaching the Secret Realm, no matter what resources they are given.

Among the three Demon Pets—Wind Wolf King, Zi Tong, and Hei Yan—if one were to rank them by Bloodline, the highest would likely be Zi Tong, who possessed a Dragon Bloodline. The Wind Wolf King would be next, with Hei Yan being the lowest.

But even with a Dragon Bloodline, the purity of Zi Tong’s blood was too low. Barring any miracles, the highest it could ever hope to reach in its lifetime was the Ultimate Venerable Peak. Breaking through beyond that would be incredibly difficult.

If that was the case for Zi Tong, it went without saying for the other two. Thus, upon hearing they had a chance to reach the Secret Realm, all three were ready to fight with their lives on the line, their eyes red with excitement.

In less than half an hour, the three beasts had each completed the Refinement of their Nine-Heart Demon Fruit.

The Nine-Heart Demon Fruit was truly worthy of its title as a Holy Object of the Demon Race. It was not only of great help to humans but to Demon Beasts as well. After consuming it, the three beasts’ strength surged once more. While still no match for Nie Yun, they were now not far behind Baihua Xiu and the others.

"Alright, you may begin your match. I will only give the Secret Realm Demon Core to the strongest among you!"

Nie Yun said, seeing that they had finished their Cultivation and each one possessed an imposing aura.

"Master, there isn’t much difference in our strength. We just discussed it, and we feel there’s no need for a match. Please give it to the Wind Wolf King. He was the first to follow you, so he is the most qualified to receive it!"

Hei Yan stepped forward and said in a clear voice.

"That’s right. As long as we follow the Master, there will be no shortage of Secret Realm Demon Cores in the future. It’s meaningless to fight over a single one now. As long as we remain loyal to our Master, we’ll all get our chance eventually!"

Zi Tong nodded in agreement.

"Good!"

Seeing that the three Demon Beasts knew how to yield to one another, Nie Yun nodded in satisfaction.

’These three are my Demon Pets. Only by working together can they serve me best. If they didn’t know how to yield to one another and instead fought with all their might, I wouldn’t have given the Demon Core to any of them.’

’When managing subordinates, you need to foster not only competition but also unity. Otherwise, they’ll just be like a tray of loose sand, incapable of achieving anything great.’

P.S. An early morning update! Please vote with your recommendations and monthly tickets!

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