**Chapter 22: My Brother Is Not a Perverted Man!**

Early the next morning, Leo left the valley and went to the town to buy several outfits suitable for Reyana's new figure, along with some food, meat, and vegetables. Aside from a few major cities in the Middle Continent, the Mysterious Valley's outer town was probably the only place where one could freely exchange gold and silver for spirit stones.

In the tailor shop, Leo carefully selected several garments he thought would suit Reyana; they were all high-quality satin, costing him over a hundred spirit stones.

When he returned home, Reyana surprisingly didn't come out to greet him but instead called for him, her voice crisp and lively from under the covers. After a night's rest, she was beginning to get used to her new body and age, developing a sense of modesty regarding some unfamiliar parts.

"Reyana, I bought you new clothes! Quickly put them on," Leo said, placing a stack of garments by her side and stepping outside.

He started heating oil in a pot, preparing to cook. Today, he wanted to make a grand feast to celebrate Reyana's awakening.

Before long, a fragrant breeze wafted in from behind him. Leo felt a soft, light body press against his back, with Reyana's head resting on his shoulder, her hair tickling his cheek. The little darling Reyana was now a thing of the past; the current Reyana could easily reach his shoulder when on tiptoe.

"Brother, I'm wearing the clothes you bought!"

"Really? Let me see." Leo turned around with a smile to look at Reyana.

In the simple, modest room, Reyana stood like a ray of bright spring light, illuminating Leo's eyes. She wore a greenish-blue dress that made her look bright, clever, and adorable. Her delicate and beautiful face wore a gentle smile, her skin was as smooth as jade, and her bright eyes twinkled. A healthy, lovely blush adorned her cheeks, resembling a ripe peach.

Leo felt as if every inch of her skin glowed, dazzlingly white, yet not in an unhealthy way; rather, it felt warm and soft. In Leo's heart, Reyana, who looked so tender and blooming, was possibly the most beautiful girl in the world, even outshining Yani. The most crucial part was that she only wished to show this beauty to him.

Her autumn-like eyes sparkled with anticipation as she blinked, her little hands clasped behind her back, showing a hint of shyness yet hoping for Leo's praise.

"Reyana is so beautiful! Absolutely stunning!"

Seeing the little girl's pitiful gaze, Leo couldn't bear to let her feel sad. He reached out a hand to stroke Reyana's head and smiled affectionately, like a father watching his daughter grow up.

But Reyana stepped closer, leaning in even more.

"Do you like the old Reyana or the new Reyana better?"

"Uh…" Leo scratched his head for a moment.

Why did this feel like a question with a deadly twist? Why was the little Reyana asking him this?

"I like both Reyanas! The little Reyana is so cute, and the grown-up Reyana is so pretty. In the future, I'll always like Reyana too!"

As soon as Leo said this, he felt as though the answer sounded a bit strange.

Yet Reyana appeared immensely satisfied, a blush creeping onto her cheeks as she jumped into Leo's embrace.

"I like you too; Reyana will always like you…"

Leo froze for a second, one hand greasy and the other holding a spatula, feeling a bit dazed.

The little girl had really grown up… but she should still not understand what liking someone meant, right? Her liking him was probably just pure affection!

After all, Leo was an adult at heart, and when faced with Reyana—who was innocent and somewhat clueless yet had no blood relation to him—he ultimately only wished to protect her.

"Reyana, the food is going to burn," he suddenly said, noticing the burnt smell wafting from the pot behind him.

After lunch, the handsome young man and woman leaned against the wall, basking in the sun.

Reyana held onto one of Leo's arms, resting her head on his shoulder. Leo didn't mind; there was a fragrance about her, or perhaps a quality that helped him calm down quickly, and he truly enjoyed that feeling.

"Reyana, now that you've awakened your celestial spirit talent, do you feel anything different from before?"

"I feel… there's a lot of spiritual energy within my body, and there's also a lot of spiritual energy in the air around me."

"And my dantian glows brightly with white light, as if it's constantly running. I'm not quite sure," Reyana replied thoughtfully.

It was similar to what Leo had imagined; the celestial spirit talent had an extraordinary level of sensitivity to the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Moreover, the attribute of her true essence was different from Leo's. His true essence could be considered as having the celestial Dao's enhancement, radiating with colorful light. However, Reyana's true essence was pure white, much like the strand of essence she had once imparted to him; the seven colors had merged into a singular, pure white light.

"So, how many strands of true essence do you have now, Reyana?" Leo asked nervously.

This was the question he was most concerned about; he worried that the true essence Reyana had given him might damage his foundation, just like it had for Wu Chi.

After all, the ninth level "Heavenly Harmony True Essence" was vastly different from the eighth level "Divine Anomaly True Essence." The future path of cultivation would be heavily impacted by the strength of their true essence!

During the Qi Refinement stage, it was the beginning of practicing Dao techniques. A high tower rises from the ground. The foundation laid during the Qi Refinement stage is of utmost importance; some foolish people might linger in the Qi Refinement stage for decades, just to refine their foundation.

Only Leo, with his chaotic talent and Reyana as a treasure to aid him, was able to progress so rapidly.

"True essence?" Upon hearing Leo's question, Reyana closed her eyes to introspectively view her body.

After a moment, she opened her eyes and said, "I don't have a single strand."

"?! What?" Leo was shocked. "How can there be not a single strand? True essence is the foundation of cultivation; without it, you can't practice any techniques. Take another good look!"

"Really, not a single strand. If you don't believe me, come and see!" Reyana straightened her body, unfastening her outfit to reveal her fair and delicate belly.

"Uh, you don't need to take off your clothes…"

"It's fine! It's all the same, right?"

Leo nodded and reached out to gently touch Reyana's healthy, smooth belly. He moved his hand down a bit, resting it on her dantian area.

His divine sense quietly extended out, and Reyana's body offered no resistance. Leo's consciousness gradually penetrated into her body and reached her dantian.

Bright white light filled the space; Reyana's dantian emanated an exceptionally pure aura, and indeed there wasn't a single strand of true essence forming a circulating ring. However, something glowing was present!

A pure white elixir orb suspended in the very center of where the true essence ring should have been, spinning round and round.

Leo was astonished as he concentrated his divine sense further, peering through the light to see that this white orb was actually formed by many strands of "true essence" winding around each other!

Each strand of true essence was tightly bound, like a plump white jade walnut; under the illumination of the white light, the gaps between the strands were almost indistinguishable.

But Leo counted them roughly and realized there were definitely more than nine strands!

What was this? Why had the true essence gathered into a spherical shape like this?!

"Haha, that tickles…" Reyana leaned back, her hands playfully lifting her clothes, puffing out her small belly for Leo to touch. Perhaps because some time had passed, she felt a little ticklish and began to giggle.

Leo withdrew his hand, realizing this shape of true essence was indeed a blind spot in his knowledge.

He didn't know if Reyana's foundation had been damaged. Was this form now considered inferior? Or was it even better than before?

"Reyana, your true essence condition is excellent; your celestial spirit talent sets your true essence apart from others—it's exceptionally unique."

As Leo spoke, he tied the belt of Reyana's dress; since he couldn't resolve it, the best he could do now was encourage her.

"Really?! So that means Reyana is amazing!"

"Yes, you'll be even stronger than me in the future."

"No way! Brother is the strongest person in the world." Reyana's eyes sparkled with admiration as she looked at Leo; she still remembered the scene when he fought his way through a street for her.

"Glad you know," Leo joked modestly.

Suddenly, there was a strong knocking sound at the yard door.

It was the first time someone had come to visit in the past week, and Leo felt a wave of nostalgia. He quickly tied up Reyana's dress and adjusted her hair.

Reyana's expression turned slightly nervous and fearful, losing the carefree demeanor she had just moments before.

Leo gently stroked her smooth, pink cheek and comforted her softly, "Don't be afraid. Just sit here."

Reyana nodded, and Leo stood up to open the door.

When he opened the wooden door, it was none other than Qin Jiuyao.

"Leo, brother, I'm rich, I made money, and I sold a lot!"

"I've been rushing to replicate the residual image spheres nonstop for a whole week. Do you know how many I sold just in the Mysterious Valley? Forty thousand!"

Qin Jiuyao's face was pale, sporting dark circles under his eyes, but his gaze was filled with excitement and fervor.

"Do you know what they're saying about you? They call you the most decadent prodigy in history, the most wild and emotional cultivating fanatic, like a god descended from 'Desire Star,' and they even gave you a nickname—Little Immortal Huang Tao! Hahaha!"

"This is absolutely a milestone work in my filmmaking career! Plus, your ideas inspired me a lot!"

"In the future, I'm going to establish an organization dedicated to producing this type of spy camera-style residual image spheres. I've already thought of a name—Jiuyao Filming!"

Qin Jiuyao spoke non-stop, expelling a torrent of words, leaving Leo no chance to interject.

This guy was just too enthusiastic.

He didn't care much about the nicknames others gave him; he only cared about whether he was viewed as a threat and how many spirit stones he could get.

As Leo was about to speak, he heard **thud thud thud** footsteps from behind him.

"What are you talking about? My brother is not that kind of person!"

Reyana angrily popped up beside Leo and shouted at Qin Jiuyao.