Chapter 18: Was It Intentional?

Leo officially reached the ninth level of Qi Refinement and condensed the "Heaven's Harmony True Essence," a rare accomplishment! Achieving such a feat at just fifteen truly merited a place in the history of self-cultivation on the Central Continent. Even the renowned prodigy, Yan Ni, couldn't compare!

Leo exhaled a breath of turbid air and felt as if he were a celestial being on land. His body felt light, his flesh abundant, and his spiritual power robust, far surpassing anything he had experienced at the same level in his past life!

In his previous life, Leo had no "Heaven's Harmony True Essence" and didn't understand its intricacies. However, after the recent duel with Wu Chi, he learned some traits regarding the "Heaven's Harmony True Essence." This essence was not only purer and more vigorous than the "Disordered True Essence," but it also produced a unique "pulse" at crucial moments during battles.

It was like a ferocious tiger shaking its waist or a coiling dragon rolling over; at a key moment, the "Heaven's Harmony True Essence" would suddenly pulse, momentarily boosting the released spiritual energy! This could enhance the power of techniques and even accelerate the formation of spells!

This capability was incredibly strong; if this surprise tactic occurred during any confrontation, it could catch opponents completely off guard. Often, the outcome of a duel hinges on just one or two seconds. A sudden surge of spiritual power might turn defeat into victory!

Leo referred to this pulsing as "Dragon Rise" because the "Heaven's Harmony True Essence" within him resembled a small dragon, even exhibiting behavior akin to consuming the true essence of others, as if it had a consciousness of its own.

Now that he had acquired the "Heaven's Harmony True Essence," he should be able to control "Dragon Rise" more freely. Leo turned and looked at the cocoon on the bed, which continued to gently pulse. Reyna was inside, waiting to awaken. He lightly caressed the cocoon, and its pulsing suddenly accelerated twice, causing the emitted dim light to brighten slightly, as if expressing joy. However, Reyna did not speak; she could not communicate right now.

In fact, she might not even have her awareness at the moment, merging with the laws of the Great Way, merely instinctively sensing Leo's presence and feeling happy. Leo sat beside the cocoon, pressed his face against it, and embraced it, which was like embracing Reyna. "Thank you for your 'Heaven's Dao True Essence,' Reyna."

"I don't know what this means to you, but when you wake up, I will traverse the entire Central Continent, no matter what, to restore your injured foundation!"

The cocoon remained silent for a moment, emitting a gentle glow combined with Reyna's sweet fragrance, as if Reyna was silently hugging Leo in return. In the coming days, Leo planned to stay low and rest for a while.

After all, he had made quite an impression at the Hidden Hermit Valley by defeating the well-known self-cultivation master Wu Yuan's disciple. Whispers and rumors were one thing; there would also be many eyes scrutinizing him.

Perhaps, within the influential sects, the details regarding his and Reyna's origins and names had already been uncovered. This was not a favorable situation for Leo, as the standout in the forest often attracts the wind's wrath.

Not to mention that he had already made enemies with Wu Yuan, there might be other forces observing and, unable to sway him, would directly send powerful individuals to eliminate him! This posed significant danger for both Leo and Reyna. Perhaps Leo needed to take some actions to change how those paying attention to him viewed him? At the very least, he couldn't project an image of revengefulness and deep-seated grudges, which made individuals like him easy targets.

If one couldn't afford to offend tomorrow, then better eliminate the threat while one still could! Having once been part of the upper echelons of an alliance, he had witnessed too many such situations in his past life.

However, what could he do? He had gambled to acquire a formation that blocked energy flow from Wu Chi, and today at noon, it had activated suddenly to shield all auras in the courtyard.

Although nobody knew about Reyna's celestial spirit talent, it was still clear that he harbored secrets! Now, if he stepped outside the courtyard, he might be instantly locked onto by divine consciousness, much like a celebrity being followed by paparazzi?

Just then, a knocking sound suddenly echoed from the courtyard gate.

The knocks were slow and rhythmic (thud, thud, thud). The visitor seemed to be extremely humble... Wait a moment, that voice sounds a bit familiar?

Leo opened the door and, as expected, it was Qin Jiuyao's feminine, charming face!

"Hehe, Brother Leo, I'm so sorry to disturb you again with another visit."

"...Brother Qin, I really don't want to exchange with your sister Yue for joint cultivation." Leo got straight to the point.

"No, no, no! This time I'm not here about that… it's not about this matter," Qin Jiuyao hurriedly explained. "During my last visit, I sincerely apologize for my rashness with my sister."

"It's also true that even though our Hecang Sect is well-known, we don't have much foundation and only understand some superficial skills. I hope Brother Leo won't blame us…"

When Qin Jiuyao's expression was tense, he radiated an air of aloofness, but once he smiled, it completely fell apart. He was now slightly hunched over, his face adorned with a sycophantic smile, making him look quite lewd. He truly embodied the image of a disciple from Hecang Sect.

Leo waved his hand, signaling that it was alright. "I can understand; Brother Qin is just well-meaning. However, my cultivation method emphasizes preserving the male essence, so I really can't casually leak that out."

Leo replied.

"Brother Leo is indeed understanding. Actually, I'm here this time to formally represent our Hecang Sect's intentions." Qin Jiuyao pulled out a spirit ticket from his pocket, inscribed with the number thirty thousand. "Thirty thousand spirit stones, please accept it, Brother Leo."

"Oh my, this is a bit too much... " Leo accepted the spirit ticket without hesitation and stuffed it into his pocket.

Qin Jiuyao's mouth twitched as he watched Leo's shamelessness. "This is my savings from many years stationed at the Hidden Hermit Valley, and I'm giving it all to you today..."

He wanted to restrain himself, but he simply couldn't. This had been his hard-earned spirit stones for years, and because of a single comment from the sect leader, it had all gone to Leo today.

He gazed at Leo's chest with a resentful expression, as if he could still see the small amount of money that belonged to him through Leo's clothes.

Leo patted his chest, feeling absolutely no psychological burden. "Is that so?" he casually asked, already thinking about how to send Qin Jiuyao away.

"It is... The Hecang Sect never distributes funds to us; we barely manage everything ourselves. Sister Yue has some means, but... my methods don't fare well in the jianghu," he lamented. "The market is too small."

Qin Jiuyao had a woeful expression, and Leo had no idea what kind of market he was referring to. Joint cultivation?

He could only complain inwardly that the standards of the Hecang Sect practitioners were indeed quite low.

"So how did Brother Qin accumulate this money? Thirty thousand spirit stones aren't a small sum." Leo pressed on.

"Of course, I earned it by filming movies—using the Recording Sphere to capture some exciting performances and selling them to self-cultivators in the valley..."

"Some themes sell well, while others don't; over the years, I've turned into an amateur theater owner. Alas!"

Leo was taken aback. Recording Sphere? Wasn't that a magical tool invented by the Spirit Machine Pavilion to record surrounding scenes? In his past life, Leo often used the Recording Sphere to solve murder cases among cultivators or drive away monsters and malevolent spirits. What on earth did these Hecang Sect practitioners use it for?!

"Brother Qin, your business acumen is quite extraordinary; I admire you."

"Actually, I initially intended for you to film with Sister Yue, portraying the role of a newly rising Qi Refinement prodigy as the lead role. It would definitely sell like hotcakes! At that time, we could do a sixty-forty split, which would certainly be much more than the thirty thousand spirit stones!"

"However, since Brother Leo doesn't want to, I'll just let it go." Qin Jiuyao suddenly felt he had said too much. His emotions had gotten out of hand due to having his savings drained and quickly stopped complaining.

"What I just said was nonsense; Brother Leo, don't take it to heart. I still represent the goodwill of the Hecang Sect and wish to build a friendly relationship with you. In the future, when Brother Leo steps into the Ninth Realm of the Immortal Path, you must take care of our small sect a lot."

"Now, I'll take my leave." Qin Jiuyao made a bow and was ready to turn and leave.

"Wait a moment, Brother Qin," Leo, who had been lost in thought, suddenly called out as he saw Qin Jiuyao about to leave. "What if I say I'm willing to be the male lead in your film?"