Fang Lin returned to the outer disciple quarters without stopping even once along the way.
The marketplace behind him remained lively and noisy, but his mind was no longer there.
Ever since purchasing the black manual, a faint restlessness had lingered within him. The subtle reaction from the grey stone inside his spiritual sea had only strengthened his suspicion.
That worn manual was definitely not ordinary.
The moment he entered his room, Fang Lin immediately closed the door and activated the simple sound-insulating formation provided within the outer disciple residence.
Silence filled the room instantly.
Only then did he finally remove the black manual from his storage pouch.
Up close, it looked even more damaged than before.
The edges of the pages were worn out, several sections were faded, and even the title remained incomplete.
"…Nether…"
Only that single word could still be vaguely seen.
Fang Lin sat down slowly on the bamboo bed and placed the manual before him.
Then he closed his eyes briefly.
His spiritual sense spread outward carefully.
The moment it touched the manual—
A strange fluctuation surfaced again.
Faint.
Ancient.
Deep.
His eyes slowly opened.
"This feeling…"
It was similar to the grey stone.
Not identical.
But similar.
Fang Lin inhaled slowly before opening the manual page by page.
At first glance, it appeared exactly as the seller described.
Incomplete.
Broken.
Many circulation routes abruptly stopped midway, while some pages seemed entirely disconnected from one another. If someone truly attempted cultivating it normally, their Qi flow would definitely become chaotic.
Yet Fang Lin noticed something strange almost immediately.
The "missing" routes were not random.
They followed patterns.
Extremely subtle patterns.
Like hidden layers buried beneath visible text.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Then, without hesitation, Fang Lin extended his spiritual sense deeper into the pages.
The moment his perception fully entered the manual—
Boom.
The entire black manual trembled faintly.
A dim grey light flashed across its pages.
Fang Lin's pupils contracted.
The faded words throughout the manual suddenly began shifting.
The incomplete circulation routes connected together instantly.
Entire sections that had appeared blank moments ago slowly revealed hidden characters.
Ancient characters.
At the same time, the grey stone within his spiritual sea pulsed repeatedly.
As if resonating with the manual itself.
Fang Lin's breathing slowed unconsciously.
"This…"
The manual in front of him had completely changed.
No longer damaged.
No longer incomplete.
What appeared before him now was an entirely different technique.
A complete inheritance.
At the top of the first page, several ancient words slowly revealed themselves clearly.
"Nine Nether Phantom Body."
The moment Fang Lin read the name, a cold sensation spread faintly through his body.
His eyes fixed onto the contents below.
The more he read—
The greater the shock within him became.
This was not an ordinary movement technique.
Nor merely a body strengthening art.
It was a true body cultivation technique.
A technique that cultivated the body itself into something beyond ordinary cultivators.
According to the manual, when cultivated to higher levels, the user's body would gain terrifying speed, durability, recovery ability, and explosive strength.
And that was only the beginning.
The deeper sections described even more unbelievable abilities.
Phantom afterimages.
Nether body transformations.
Void-like movement.
At its peak—
The body itself could supposedly transcend physical limitations.
Fang Lin's heart shook slightly.
Even with his current understanding, he could immediately tell—
This technique was absurdly high level.
Far beyond anything within the outer sect.
No.
Far beyond anything he had encountered since entering this world.
And yet—
It had been abandoned in a dusty marketplace stall.
Hidden beneath false incompleteness.
If not for his spiritual sense and the reaction of the grey stone, nobody would have ever discovered its true form.
Fang Lin's gaze deepened.
"Who hid this…"
And more importantly—
Why?
The more he examined the technique, the more wondrous it became.
Unlike ordinary cultivation methods that focused mainly on Qi circulation, the Nine Nether Phantom Body used Qi to temper every part of the body itself.
Bones.
Muscles.
Meridians.
Blood.
Everything.
The process was extremely dangerous.
Painful.
And difficult.
But once successful—
The benefits would be terrifying.
Even Fang Lin found himself momentarily stunned.
This was not simply a high-grade Mortal technique.
No.
This surpassed Mortal grade entirely.
The manual itself did not clearly state its rank, but Fang Lin instinctively understood one thing.
If this technique appeared publicly within the sect—
It would absolutely create chaos.
Even elders would fight for it.
A dangerous thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.
"…Could this be connected to the grey stone?"
The stone had reacted every single time he encountered unusual things.
And now—
It had directly revealed the hidden contents of this technique.
The timing was too perfect to be coincidence.
Fang Lin slowly exhaled.
Then he forced himself to calm down.
Excitement was useless.
Understanding came first.
He continued reading carefully.
Soon, he reached the first cultivation stage of the Nine Nether Phantom Body.
"Nether Skin."
A foundational stage where Qi tempered the outer body repeatedly until it became far stronger than ordinary cultivators.
The method described was brutal.
Qi had to circulate through the flesh continuously while compressing physical strength alongside spiritual force.
Most importantly—
The technique required monstrous control.
A single mistake could damage the body itself.
Fang Lin's eyes gradually sharpened.
For ordinary disciples, cultivating this technique would indeed be nearly impossible.
But for him—
It was different.
His spiritual sense was far stronger than others at the same realm.
His control over Qi had already become extremely refined.
And most importantly—
He possessed the grey stone.
Fang Lin slowly closed the manual.
The room fell silent again.
But this time—
The silence felt different.
Heavy.
His heart still had not fully calmed.
A treasure.
He had unknowingly obtained a true treasure.
And likely one far beyond his current understanding.
After several moments, Fang Lin reopened the manual and carefully memorized the cultivation route for the first stage.
Then he slowly stood up.
His eyes sharpened.
"Let's see…"
"How extraordinary this technique truly is."
Without hesitation, Fang Lin sat down cross-legged once more.
He closed his eyes.
Qi slowly began circulating throughout his body according to the method described within the Nine Nether Phantom Body.
The moment the circulation began—
Pain exploded through his flesh.
Fang Lin's body trembled instantly.
His muscles felt as though they were being torn apart repeatedly while his bones emitted faint cracking sounds.
Sweat immediately formed across his forehead.
But Fang Lin's eyes remained steady.
He endured.
The Qi continued flowing.
Compressing.
Tempering.
Transforming.
Inside his spiritual sea, the grey stone pulsed faintly once again.
As though silently watching everything unfold.
And within the quiet room of an outer disciple—
Something extraordinary had quietly begun.