Chapter 17: Awakening! Celestial Spirit Talent!

Leo was stunned for a moment, then quickly reacted. He immediately took out the "Absolute Cloud Counteracting Formation," which he had won from Wu Chi, and infused it with spiritual power. At the same time, he sensed several powerful divine consciousnesses rapidly approaching from the depths of the Hidden Hermit Valley! Fortunately, before they could scan with their divine consciousness, the "Absolute Cloud Counteracting Formation" was successfully activated.

Lines of patterns lit up on the formation's disk, and an invisible barrier spread out from it, enveloping the courtyard. The "Absolute Cloud Counteracting Formation," worthy of being a celestial-grade formation, successfully shielded the aura of Reyna's awakening. The powerful divine consciousnesses circled above Leo's courtyard for a while but, not sensing anything unusual, withdrew.

After activating the formation, Leo rushed to sit cross-legged beneath the cocoon where Reyna was forming and began to cultivate! What a joke! His cultivation level was still at the eighth level of Qi Refinement, with only eight "Seven-Colored Divine Essence." Originally, he had hoped to reach the "Nine Heavens Harmony Essence," so how could Reyna be awakening silently at this time?! Leo had always thought Reyna's awakening would happen on some night, at the time when the laws of the Great Way manifested. He never expected it could happen at noon.

This was his last chance; he had to use it to break through to the ninth level of Qi Refinement! Otherwise, he would only be able to cultivate to achieve the "Disordered True Essence," and that outcome would be a massive loss!

Thus, disregarding his still unhealed internal injuries, he fiercely operated his "Wuthless Daylight Technique," and his Chaos Talent was fully activated to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Even now, his speed of cultivation could not meet Leo's expected goals. After all, he had only broken through to the eighth level of Qi Refinement three days ago. Even with his Chaos Talent enhancing his ability to absorb spiritual power, he couldn't possibly break through again so quickly.

Watching as Reyna's body was completely wrapped in white laws of the Great Way, hiding her form from view, Leo began to sweat anxiously. His tongue felt sweet; he knew it was a result of forcing too much energy, leading to internal bleeding. "Reyna, wait a moment! Just a little longer!" Leo whispered, as if talking to himself.

Suddenly, the glowing cocoon trembled slightly, as if responding to Leo's words. The cocoon slowly descended, landing in Leo's arms. Leo looked at the cocoon in astonishment, not daring to reach out and support it. It hovered in front of him, emitting a milky fragrance combined with a sacred and majestic aura.

"Brother...?" Reyna's voice came from within the cocoon, sounding ethereal, mixed with laziness and indifference, as if it were coming from an endless distance. "Reyna, how are you?" Leo reached out and gently stroked the cocoon. It felt warm and smooth to the touch, like caressing Reyna's small face. "I don't know... I can see you, but can you see me?"

"I can't see you. Reyna, you are in a cocoon now. Your celestial spirit talent should be awakening soon." "Yeah, I know... Brother, what did you just say?"

Leo was taken aback; he hadn't expected Reyna to hear his previous words. "I said to let Reyna wait a moment." "Wait? Why?"

"Because, because I need the laws of the Great Way that Reyna will emit when she awakens. With their assistance, my technique can condense a unique true essence. Do you know what true essence is? I told you about it last night." At this moment, Leo no longer concealed anything. After all, it was pointless now. They had reached this stage, and the chances of further breakthroughs were slim; even his Chaos Talent had its limits. He blamed himself for being delayed by those visitors and for not understanding the mechanism of awakening celestial spirit talent. He could only do his best and leave the rest to fate.

After a moment of silence, Reyna in the cocoon softly trembled and said, "I know; it's something that cultivators at the Qi Refinement stage refine when they advance." "Brother is still missing one Heaven's Dao True Essence, right?" "Heaven's Dao True Essence?"

Leo's eyes widened. His seven-colored "Divine Essence" was called "Heaven's Dao True Essence"? How did Reyna know that? "It's that colorful… I don't know what it's called; I just feel it should be called "Heaven's Dao True Essence." Reyna said lightly, her words carrying a hint of confusion. It seemed countless laws of the Great Way had imbued her with knowledge, leaving her little head a bit foggy.

"Brother... hug me," Reyna suddenly said softly, her voice sweet and tender, almost like a command mixed with a childlike plea. Leo felt a stir of emotions and reached out to embrace the cocoon, pulling it into his arms. Holding this cocoon felt like bathing Reyna when she was bare; however, this time, Reyna felt even warmer and more sacred, evoking an urge to submit.

Suddenly, Leo felt a poke in his lower abdomen, likely from Reyna inside the cocoon, using her foot or hand to prod him. Instinctively, he focused on his dantian. Wu Chi's "Sword Qi True Essence" had already been completely devoured. At this point, the eight strands of "Divine Essence" quietly rotated in his dantian, spaced apart just enough to accommodate a ninth strand of true essence.

But as Reyna in the cocoon pressed against Leo's dantian, the rotation speed of the eight true essences suddenly slowed. A pure white true essence was forcibly injected from outside his body, as if it had been injected! It slowly floated toward Leo's dantian, with a seven-colored radiance following behind. As it drew closer, the colorful radiance caught up to it and stamped its colors onto the pure essence.

It arrived at Leo's dantian, now indistinguishable from the eight true essences below! "Reyna, what is this?!" Leo looked at the scene unfolding within his body in shock. A true essence brought to life by Reyna!

"What brother mentioned, I happen to have, so I gave it to you..."

"Reyna, you can't just give this kind of thing to anyone; it might harm your body!" Leo didn't understand celestial spirit talents, but he instinctively felt that Reyna was transferring her true essence to him! This could damage her foundation!

"Brother, it's not someone else…" Reyna's voice sounded weary. "...There's actually a voice in Reyna's head constantly telling me not to give brother the 'Heaven's Dao True Essence'…"

"But Reyna wants to give it! Brother is so good to me, yet I can't give him anything…"

"Brother, did I help you?" Leo felt his cheeks blush, emotions stirring within him. Reyna had only a vague understanding of cultivation; she just instinctively wanted to help her brother. She even wanted to give Leo things from her own body!

Leo held the cocoon tightly in his arms: "You did help me, Reyna. Thank you..."

"Don't leave me, brother... everything about Reyna belongs to you..."

The sound of Reyna's voice grew fainter, and after saying this, she completely dissipated like thin mist. The cocoon, which had originally radiated warmth and light, suddenly dimmed and fell silent. Just as Leo was feeling touched, he was alarmed and quickly shook the cocoon. "Reyna, Reyna?!"

Leo called out, but the cocoon remained still.

Moments later, the cocoon suddenly pulsed. It was like a white heart. (Thud, thud, thud.)

The cocoon continued pulsing, synchronizing with Leo's heartbeat, while warmth began to radiate once more. Leo finally sighed in relief; it seemed Reyna was still okay. The final stage of awakening was upon them; once Reyna broke free of the cocoon, it should be the moment her celestial spirit talent fully awakened!

Seizing this opportunity, he quickly operated the Wuthless Daylight Technique to refine the pure "Heaven's Dao True Essence." The original eight true essences slowly contracted, making room in the rotating ring for the refined true essence to return to position. A ring of true essence, glowing with seven-colored light and connecting its ends, gradually formed and began to rotate slowly.

(boom—) A muffled explosion resounded within Leo, and in that instant, a vast force surged up to the heavenly spirit and down to the root, making every cell in Leo's body rejoice!

Leo's dantian looked like a celestial realm, swirling with seven-colored light, pure spiritual power condensing into white mist, shrouded in ethereal aura. At the bottom, the "Heaven's Dao True Essence" ring rotated slowly, like a world-encompassing serpent, connecting its ends and robustly supporting everything.

A domineering aura spread from Leo. This aura seemed to carry the will of heaven, which Leo could hardly suppress; it surged out like a young tiger surveying its territory, roaring toward the outside of the small house. Fortunately, it was stopped by the "Absolute Cloud Counteracting Formation."

Leo knew that he was now a Qi Refinement cultivator with nine strands of 'Heaven's Dao + Heaven's Harmony True Essence.' Any cultivator who could condense "Heaven's Harmony True Essence" was already a peerless figure. The nine Heaven's Harmony True Essence had been unprecedented in the continent's history for millennia.

And Leo was not just the "Nine Heaven's Harmony True Essence" (his true essence incorporated the properties of metal, water, fire, wood, and earth). Moreover, it was empowered by the laws of the Great Way, merging the True Essence of Heaven's Dao! Since the inception of the cultivation path, this had never occurred before!