Chapter 9: The Enemy’s Younger Brother!

"This is eighty thousand spirit stones."

Wu Chi said casually, waving his hand to summon a spirit ticket from his storage ring, inscribing the words "eighty thousand" on it without a second thought.

Leo's eyes widened as he stared at him, while Elder Xuanji narrowed his eyes slightly.

This kid wants to cut in!

"The Absolute Cloud Concealment Formation is a celestial-grade formation, and I only have one, which I had promised to reserve for this young friend…"

"Elder Xuanji, you're unwilling to exchange the Yin Yang Sword Formation for me; I can accept that. But this Absolute Cloud Concealment Formation is meant for my senior sister—doesn't she deserve it?"

"She has already achieved the Mystical Realm at the age of thirty-three under the guidance of our Master, the Unfathomable True Person, and she will soon step onto the path of immortality!"

"Are you really willing to ignore my master's face just to protect this unknown brat…?"

Wu Chi spoke with his head lowered, his tone almost excessively respectful, making it difficult for anyone to question his attitude.

Only in the final sentence did he include a somewhat meaningful rhetorical question.

Elder Xuanji's expression froze for a moment, anger flashing across his face.

But after a moment, it returned to calm.

He was old now and was no longer the fiery young cultivator he once was. Now, he was one of the seven elders of Lingji Pavilion and no longer had the power to act recklessly.

Unfathomable True Person was indeed someone he could not offend.

"Very well, then let's do the exchange…" He sighed and said.

Elder Xuanji took the spirit ticket from Wu Chi's hand, placed it in his storage ring, and then retrieved an ancient black octagonal divination board, handing it to Wu Chi.

This was the formation crafted by Lingji Pavilion, which could be used in a cave once spiritual energy was inputted.

As Wu Chi took the divination board, an imperceptible cold smile crossed his lips. "Thank you, Elder."

He bowed and strode out of the courtyard.

Leo watched as Wu Chi stored the Absolute Cloud Concealment Formation in his storage ring. He then looked at Elder Xuanji, who surprisingly didn't dare meet Leo's gaze, turning his eyes away.

"Cough, Leo, actually, the Taoist-grade formations aren't bad either. When you come again, I'll give you a bit of a discount…"

"Thank you, Elder Xuanji. Once I save enough money, I will come again."

Leo could only express his gratitude, leading Reyna as they turned to leave.

However, just as they were about to step out of the courtyard, a voice filled with arrogance and disdain suddenly came from nearby.

"Are you Leo?"

Leo stopped and turned around.

It was Wu Chi!

He stood outside the courtyard waiting for Leo, a mocking and resentful expression on his face. Reyna glared at him, hiding behind Leo's legs.

"Do you want the Absolute Cloud Concealment Formation?"

"Since you already have it, what more is there to say?" Leo coldly looked at him.

"I can give it to you." Wu Chi said grandiosely.

"What do you want?"

Leo wasn't dumb. He had just offended this guy, and if it weren't for the ban on revenge killings in the Hermit's Valley, he would definitely avoid him.

"I'm just curious, that's all." Wu Chi said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"You, a mere Qi Refining self-cultivator, dare to humiliate me in front of Elder Xuanji?"

"Which sect are you from? Do you even know who my master and sister are?!"

Leo let out a cold laugh: "Aren't your master and sister human? Did their rudeness and arrogance come from them?"

"What do you mean?" Wu Chi didn't understand at first.

But the next moment, his face turned rapidly red, and his anger erupted!

"You ignorant brat, if this were outside the valley, I'd kill you on the spot!"

"I just broke through to the Golden Core stage! How can I be humiliated by a Qi Refining cultivator?!"

"My master is the Unfathomable True Person, and my sister is the top prodigy among the younger generation of the continent, Yanni! You dare to provoke me?!"

Wu Chi scolded with a flushed face.

Leo was originally looking at Wu Chi with a mocking expression, but suddenly froze.

He had heard a familiar name.

"Yanni… is she your sister?" he asked, trembling slightly.

"Hmph, who do you think she is?"

Wu Chi answered proudly, thinking that the other party finally recognized his worth.

Ask anyone in the martial world; who didn't know Yanni?

As her younger brother and the only male disciple, he, of course, had capital to be proud of!

Leo recalled that in his previous life, Yanni really did have a younger brother.

But by the time he joined the alliance and met her, that brother had long since died due to low cultivation and short lifespan.

Who would have thought it was him! Wu Chi!

In his previous life, Yanni seemed to have had deep feelings for this younger brother and continued to visit his grave for over a hundred years after he died.

A cruel smile appeared at the corners of Leo's mouth, and he unconsciously gritted his teeth.

"Well, that's good, that's good…"

"Good at what?" Seeing Leo suddenly talking to himself, Wu Chi looked puzzled.

"It's good that it seems we are fated!" Leo gritted his teeth as he spoke. It wasn't just fate between him and Wu Chi, but also between him and Yanni.

"Haha!" Upon hearing this, Wu Chi let out a wild laugh, "I think so too! Cultivation is all about fortune and opportunities. Why don't we go with the flow?"

His eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a sinister gleam.

"What do you mean?" Leo asked.

"You and I will face off on the arena in the Hermit's Valley! If you can withstand three of my moves, I'll give you this Absolute Cloud Concealment Formation!"

"If you can't withstand them, then kneel down and bark like a dog in front of all the practitioners here!"

Wu Chi's face was filled with a viciously delighted smile, exuding arrogance as if he could already envision the scene.

Leo fell into thought.

The Absolute Cloud Concealment Formation… he really did need it!

He was currently at the second level of Qi Refining, but with his Chaotic Talent boosting his cultivation speed, he could advance even faster!

Even if he couldn't reach the Spirit Formation realm, reaching the peak of Qi Refining shouldn't be a problem.

Combining the Imperial-level technique, the Untold Sun Transformation, with that extraordinary Seven-Colored True Essence…

Perhaps there was indeed a chance!

"Do you dare? Brat, or you can kneel down and bark like a dog right now, and I'll give it to you too~"

Seeing Leo deep in thought, Wu Chi prompted again.

"Fine, then we'll meet on the arena in one week!"

Having said that, he picked up Reyna and turned to leave.

Wu Chi stood there in shock; he had originally thought that Leo would give up but didn't expect him to actually accept the challenge!

Anger began to build once more on his face…

Returning to No. 77, Xiaheng District, Leo set Reyna down and started cooking for her.

Reyna was shorter than the stove but still busily scurried around Leo's legs—washing vegetables and passing knives—also contributing her efforts.

Used to hardship, she felt the need to do something to avoid being useless and abandoned.

This sense of insecurity took root in her heart, causing her to rely heavily on Leo at times.

Leo understood that this psychological trauma couldn't be healed by anything else; he could only gradually heal it with warmth.

During dinner, Reyna asked Leo, "Leo brother, who is Yanni?"

"What's wrong?" Leo paused as he picked up food.

"I noticed that your expression was particularly bad when you heard that name."

"Is she a bad person?"

Leo smiled; this little girl was quite perceptive about expressions.

"Yes, she is the worst person in this world!"

Leo declared, instilling hatred for Yanni in little Reyna.

"She, and that organization called the Justice Alliance that she later joins, are all bad people!"

"Reyna must be careful in the future, but it's okay; your brother will protect you well."

Leo smiled gently, reaching out to stroke Reyna's head.

Reyna's small face turned red, and she shyly said thank you, feeling a deep sense of security and happiness inside.

She was thinking about what her grandfather told her before he died—that her celestial spiritual talent would awaken before she turned sixteen…

But sixteen years old was ten years away! That was too late!

She wanted to help her brother now!

"What are you thinking?" Leo lightly tapped Reyna's small head with his chopsticks and added a piece of meat to her bowl.

"Uhm." Reyna rubbed her forehead in grievance, "I wasn't thinking about anything…"

"All you need to do now is eat more, sleep more, and be obedient; that will help me a lot."

"Don't think too much; I'll handle the bad guys."

Leo reached out his large hand and patted Reyna's head.

Reyna closed her eyes, tilting her head like a little puppy, allowing Leo to pet her, a satisfied smile emerging by her delicate lips.

"Okay~"

Leo withdrew his hand, and Reyna even tried to follow his hand with her head, reluctantly watching as Leo picked up his bowl again and began to eat.

"Actually, I think Yanni is a bad person too."

"Just hearing her name gives me a numb feeling in my heart, and my head hurts a little."

"It's as if I want to beat her up."

Reyna clumsily shoved food into her mouth, her little hands clutching the big bowl while mumbling indistinctly.

While in the middle of picking vegetables, Leo paused.

He slowly raised his head, looking at Reyna with an incredulous expression!