Chapter 14: The "Divine True Essence" that Shatters Foundations**

Just as Leo was overwhelmed with panic, in the distance on the arena, Wu Chi suddenly began to convulse violently.

He had been unconscious before, but the excruciating pain jolted him awake. He curled up, clutching his lower abdomen tightly with both hands.

The bizarre pain filled him with dread, and he instinctively checked his dantian.

What he found in his dantian left him speechless with horror, rendering him unable to move. An eight-segment "Divine True Essence" twisted and coiled like a dragon within his dantian, while his seven "Chaotic True Essences" had spread out and ceased to rotate in a circular fashion.

The strange eight-segment "Divine True Essence" was audaciously spinning around in his dantian, charging left and right, while his seven True Essences acted like a small snake evading an eagle, desperately avoiding the attacks of the "Divine True Essence."

"What the hell is this?!" Wu Chi gasped, astonished. In nearly thirty years of cultivating Taoist techniques, he had never encountered such a bizarre situation!

(Someone else's True Essence invading his body to attack his own True Essence?!)

He immediately began to circulate his spiritual energy, aiming to consolidate the scattered True Essences and drive out the "Divine True Essence."

But the "Divine True Essence" seemed to sense Wu Chi's awakening; it immediately ceased its circling and focused on one "Chaotic True Essence," lunging aggressively.

Wu Chi was about to counterattack when he realized he couldn't mobilize that sword-qi True Essence at all, as if it had lost its courage!

The "Divine True Essence" suddenly snatched the "Chaotic True Essence," wrapping and binding it like a giant python before attempting to forcibly extract it from Wu Chi's dantian.

In that moment, Wu Chi despaired, realizing that this "Divine True Essence" had come to rob him of his True Essence!

He only had seven True Essences, and they were of different attributes, classified as Chaotic True Essences. If it took away even one more strand, he would likely lose all hope of reaching the transformative Sea of Qi stage, unable to cultivate his Qi Sea!

"Master, Senior Sister, save me!" he yelled desperately towards the audience below.

(Hua—)

A fierce, killing aura suddenly surged forth from the far end of the stands, and right behind it came a graceful and ethereal figure dressed in white.

At the same time, Elder Xuanji also flew forward, standing proudly in front of Leo!

"It's Master Wuyuan! He actually decided to intervene!"

"Oh my god, it's Yani! So beautiful…"

"That person isn't Elder Xuanji from the Spirit Machine Pavilion? Why is he intervening?"

The audience, unaware of what was happening, began to murmur excitedly. The duel may have ended, but the crowd had grown even larger than before.

Master Wuyuan faced Elder Xuanji in silence. Behind him, Yani quickly helped Wu Chi up.

"Junior Brother, what's wrong?!" Yani asked anxiously.

"My True Essence! My True Essence was stolen!" Wu Chi shouted in despair.

Before Master Wuyuan could check on him, the colorful "Divine True Essence" had already successfully entangled his sword-qi "Chaotic True Essence" and fled. He could no longer sense it.

He had now become a cultivator with only six Chaotic True Essences left.

"Losing is losing; stop making rash claims. Aren't you embarrassed enough?" Master Wuyuan said with dissatisfaction in his tone, dressed in black robes.

"Really! Master, you can see for yourself! I had seven True Essences before, and now I only have six!"

Yani quickly pressed her hand against Wu Chi's dantian. Moments later, her expression changed dramatically, filled with disbelief.

"Master, it's true! Junior Chi has indeed lost a strand of True Essence, and it's the crucial sword-qi 'Chaotic True Essence'!"

Master Wuyuan fell silent; he chose to believe Yani's words.

His gaze moved past Elder Xuanji to the young man behind him.

"Junior, the duel among the younger generation is over. Wuyuan, it's time to stop."

Elder Xuanji stepped forward, blocking Wuyuan's line of sight, and spoke in a deep voice.

He and Wuyuan were from the same generation, both once renowned prodigies in the Daoist cultivation world of the Central Continent centuries ago.

However, while Elder Xuanji's cultivation had gradually stagnated as he pursued the study of formations, Wuyuan continued to improve and shine even today.

Master Wuyuan stared at Elder Xuanji, and after a moment, he suddenly said,

"Leo, I want to take you as my disciple. You will henceforth be my true disciple of Wuyuan. What do you think?"

Such words stunned not only Elder Xuanji but also the surrounding audience, who gasped in amazement.

"Wuyuan actually wants to take in a disciple again! So this was a duel for a spot?"

Some speculated that Leo would surely accept Master Wuyuan's invitation.

"I think Leo truly deserves this; at the very least, he's much better than Wu Chi!"

"Wu Chi's just riding on connections; if it weren't for his childhood friendship with Yani, how could Wuyuan have taken him in?!"

Some people began discussing rumors from the Daoist cultivation community, looking down on Wu Chi.

"This is Wuyuan we're talking about, a name that echoes across the five great nations and seven sects. Serving under him, it becomes a matter of a mere word for the future to enter any sect as a true disciple!"

Master Wuyuan was a self-taught cultivator, free from sectarian bias.

If the master led the disciple in cultivation, he would also allow his disciples to join other sects if needed, practicing suitable Daoist techniques or utilizing their cultivation resources.

The crowd envied Leo, claiming that with just one battle, he had paved the way for a smooth journey in Daoist cultivation!

They all turned their attention to Leo, eagerly awaiting another new star of humanity to rise under Master Wuyuan.

"Thank you for your kind offer, Master Wuyuan," Leo replied calmly, bowing respectfully. "However, my Daoist cultivation is rather lowly; I'd prefer not to join."

Moreover, "I am merely a Qi Refinement level cultivator. Today's victory over Daoist Wu was just luck. The future is uncertain, and I would not want to bring shame upon you, Master." Leo expressed his unwillingness to join with a humble demeanor.

However, who would believe his words? That would mean disregarding the entire fight.

How could a Qi Refinement level cultivator defeat a Golden Core level cultivator merely by chance?!

This was clear evidence of his intent not to join Master Wuyuan!

The audience was again stirred up in discussion; this Leo was truly something! He actually rejected the bright path laid before him! Was he foolish? Or just incredibly arrogant?

Both Xuanji and Wuyuan maintained their composure, but the cold aura emanating around them grew increasingly intense.

Standing behind him, Yani stepped forward, her pure white dress swaying like a goddess.

"You're quite arrogant, but you do have the capital to be so."

"Twenty years from now, will you regret today's decision?"

Her delicate face turned icy, her stunning eyes visible above her veil, glaring with intent to restore her master's dignity.

"And what did you do to my junior brother? Why has he inexplicably lost a strand of True Essence?!"

Gazing into Yani's captivating eyes, Leo momentarily felt transported back to his previous life.

She was still as beautiful as ever, with an aura of pride. She had high cultivation, her appearance unmatched. In his past life, as he climbed from a impoverished boy from a slum to the top of the Just Alliance, the first time he saw her, to say he didn't have admiration for her would be a lie.

However, that deep-rooted admiration and support ultimately resulted in a tragic outcome.

Leo's gaze turned cold, an expression of impatience crossing his face: "What do you mean? How can anyone lose True Essence for no reason?"

"I admit that my victory over Daoist Jiang was partly due to luck, but the martial arena doesn't lie; I won!"

"Does Yani think I was unworthy of that victory, seeking justice for my junior brother? After defeating a Golden Core level cultivator with my Qi Refinement level cultivation, do you really need to send a True Understanding level cultivator next?"

Leo's words cut harshly, though his tone remained calm, every word sharp!

It was already a great shame for a Golden Core level cultivator to be defeated by a Qi Refinement level cultivator, and now Yani was seeking trouble—did she plan to restore dignity by sending a higher-level cultivator?

If this got out, Master Wuyuan's reputation amassed over centuries would be tarnished! Furthermore, once those words were spoken, the underlying dissatisfaction could very well expose Yani's grievances.

This was a clever move; if anything happened to Leo next, the reclusive figures of the martial world would first wonder—could this be an act of revenge from Wuyuan and his followers? They might hesitate to take action.

Elder Xuanji nodded, his brows furrowing as he spoke to Master Wuyuan: "The victor and loser have been decided; shouldn't this end? Let's drop the poor excuses, as the path of cultivation has always been thus—those unable to see far will not succeed for long."

Of course, he wouldn't believe such a tale of vanishing True Essence; he had never heard of that before.

"Old man! What are you saying? My True Essence really has diminished! If you don't believe me, come and see!"

Wu Chi's eyes turned bloodshot, screaming in madness. His mental state had completely crumbled; losing even a strand of True Essence meant a portion of his future cultivation foundation had been diminished, something he could never recover from!

"Enough!" Master Wuyuan slapped him down, knocking Wu Chi unconscious.

He retrieved the "Jueyun Anti-Qi Array" from Wu Chi's storage ring and tossed it to Elder Xuanji, nodding before waving his hand, taking the fainted Wu Chi and Yani away from the arena.

Elder Xuanji turned around, handing the "Jueyun Anti-Qi Array" to Leo, finally revealing a look of relief and appreciation on his aged face.

"Here, your prize."

"Thank you, Elder, for protecting me," Leo said earnestly, bowing in gratitude.

"Oh, it's nothing. I only hope Leo will maintain a good relationship with my Spirit Machine Pavilion."

Elder Xuanji had already concluded that this young man before him, as long as he didn't encounter any accidents, would surely become another prodigy of the Central Continent, even comparable to Yani!

He couldn't help but feel thankful for not making things difficult for Leo during their first meeting, leaving a good impression, while also being satisfied with his discerning eye.

Elder Xuanji soon gifted Leo many injury recovery pills, which Leo could not refuse and had to accept.

Afterward, without further pleasantries, Leo left the arena.

Reina was too short to climb onto the arena and was already clinging to the edge. She had waited a long time for Leo, her eyes still teary, and her small face was filled with anxiety.

"Brother!" When she saw Leo approaching, she raised her little hand, standing on her tiptoes and bouncing, her small head bobbing up and down by the arena's edge.

Leo jumped down from the arena and picked her up.

"Didn't I tell you I'd come back?"

Reina didn't reply, but wrapped her arms around Leo's neck tightly, as if trying to embed herself into him.

"Let's go buy some candied haws!"

Having taken the healing pills, Leo felt his pain was more bearable now, so he prepared to buy some candied haws.

"Okay." Reina replied sweetly, her round face pressing against Leo's side, a bit of moisture spreading across his face.

He gently stroked Reina's back, softly saying, "I can't bear to part with you either, Reina."

Reina said nothing, holding him even tighter.

On the surface, Leo appeared calm and composed, but deep down, the most shocking moment had passed.

Earlier, when Master Wuyuan and Yani rushed to the arena, his colorful "Divine True Essence" had suddenly returned, shooting towards him from Wu Chi's direction.

Moreover, that colorful little dragon had even brought back a strand of strange True Essence that resembled Wu Chi's aura perfectly!

This colorful True Essence was capable of robbing others' True Essence?!

At this moment, within Leo's dantian, the blue sword-qi "Chaotic True Essence" was curled up in the center, while the eight strands of colorful "Divine True Essence" spun around it, gradually devouring the blue True Essence like peeling an onion!

As the blue True Essence grew weaker and thinner, a faint sword intent began to emerge among Leo's True Essences, and the swirling colorful "Divine True Essence" suddenly took on a sharp and intimidating demeanor!