**Chapter 23: Earned 1.2 Million Spirit Stones!**

"This… who is this…?"

Qin Jiuyao stared in amazement at Reyana, who was angrily glaring at him, taken aback by her furious yet beautiful expression.

(This is too beautiful! How can there be such a lovely girl?!)

Qin Jiuyao was a disciple of the Hehuan Sect, and before coming to the Hidden Valley, he had trained at the Hehuan Sect's dojo, which was filled with beautiful and stunning senior sisters and junior sisters. He had seen countless beautiful women in the cultivation world.

However, upon seeing Reyana, he was still captivated by her beauty.

(This girl is truly stunning. Her temperament, features, and figure are a perfect combination. Not to mention, she looks only thirteen or fourteen, still retaining a youthful innocence. If she develops further with time, what sort of fairy will she become?!)

Leo wrapped his arm around Reyana's shoulder, calming her down. "This is my sister, Reyana."

Qin Jiuyao snapped back to reality and looked at Leo. Remembering his earlier loss of composure, he felt embarrassed and instinctively made a "hmm-hmm" sound to cover the awkward atmosphere.

He looked at Leo, then glanced at Reyana. Why did it feel a bit off how Reyana was leaning against Leo? Half of her body was tucked into Leo's side, resembling a small cat curled up in his arm. Shouldn't a younger sister at this age be showing disdain and hitting her brother?

He smiled slightly and asked cautiously, "Your sister? Is she related by blood, or is she one of those… adopted sisters?"

Leo quickly understood what Qin Jiuyao meant.

After all, given their sizes, Quinn Jiuyao must have been questioning the true nature of his relationship with Reyana.

"She's definitely my biological sister!" Leo stated sternly, "We came into this world together!"

"Got it," Qin Jiuyao swiftly replied, noticing Leo's irritation. "Brother Leo, you have to understand. I'm a disciple of the Hehuan Sect, and I've seen too many cultivators who mess around with romantic relationships."

Leo thought internally: Is there anyone worse than you when it comes to messing around?

"But I believe in you, Brother Leo; you're not that kind of person. Anyone who slanders your reputation is just those people outside, not me," he assured Reyana.

Leo also comforted her, "Reyana, don't be scared. Brother Qin is a good person." The frustrated look on Reyana's face softened, though she still eyed Qin Jiuyao warily before nodding.

Qin Jiuyao now understood: In Reyana's eyes, she didn't care about anyone else besides her brother—she would believe in Leo alone, even if it meant misunderstanding others. Just like now, she was still nestled in Leo's arms, wearing a disinterested expression.

He couldn't help but wonder where Leo had found such a beautiful treasure of a girl…

"Reyana, go back to your room for a bit. I need to talk to Brother Qin," Leo said, glancing down at Reyana. She nodded lightly and turned back to her room.

With Reyana gone, the two men could finally discuss real topics. "Brother Leo, it really did sell like crazy! Over 40,000 copies! Do you know how much I sold each for? 50 spirit stones!" Qin Jiuyao instantly returned to a state of excitement.

"That means a total revenue of 2 million spirit stones!" Leo was astonished by the earnings; that was a huge amount of income.

In his previous life, the Justice Alliance's entire annual activity budget was only around 10 million spirit stones, yet Qin Jiuyao had managed to rapidly earn 2 million here in the Hidden Valley!

(Is the scythe cutting too fast, or are these current crops just that strong?)

"We agreed on 60-40, so you can rest easy, Brother Leo."

Qin Jiuyao took out a spirit ticket, which was different from the usual blue ones; this one was entirely purple, adorned with intricate patterns, indicating it could be exchanged for 1.2 million spirit stones. He handed the ticket to Leo with ease.

"Brother Leo, as I mentioned earlier, I plan to specialize in this going forward."

"Your idea of those spy camera angles is fantastic. Can you tell me if you have any other good filming concepts?" Qin Jiuyao displayed an expression of eagerness to learn. Leo replied indifferently, "Let's talk about this later; there's plenty of time."

It seemed that the works he had appreciated in his past life on Blue Star had made an impact on the Middle Continent. All he needed to do was teach Qin Jiuyao those creative ideas and let him replicate them.

It would also ultimately become a profitable venture. After all, even though Leo had suddenly become wealthy and grasped a hefty sum, he knew that this money wouldn't last long. With both himself and Reyana being unique talents in cultivation, they would need to buy a large amount of cultivation resources as their realms advanced.

Currently, he needed to select a suitable cultivation method for Reyana. 

Finding a method that matched her celestial spirit talent was extremely difficult. For now, he needed to choose a decent technique as a transition for her. In the meantime, the expenses incurred would undoubtedly be considerable, and he might even encounter situations where items were priced but unavailable.

At that moment, he didn't want to elaborate to Qin Jiuyao because there was another figure approaching from behind him. 

Qin Jiuyao sensed the approach as well and quickly closed his mouth, turning to look.

The person was a middle-aged cultivator with a square face. Leo remembered him as the one who had come to inform him about the small competition on the very first day he moved into the yard.

Exactly half a month had gone by, and the new round of competitions was upon them. 

The man's gaze was cold, and upon seeing Qin Jiuyao, his expression of disgust became even more pronounced.

He must have been a rather principled cultivator who strongly disapproved of Leo's recent "works." 

"Leo, the competition schedule is set for this afternoon at the Xiayin Valley administration courtyard, not the arena where you showcased your skills last time. Remember that."

The man spoke impatiently. 

Leo wasn't angry; he nodded. "Thank you."

Once the man finished speaking, he turned to leave, completely ignoring Qin Jiuyao. But Qin Jiuyao initiated the conversation: 

"Brother He, your voice is too recognizable. It was you who secretly bought the residual image sphere from me the other night, wasn't it?"

The man named He froze, halting his steps as he turned around. 

"Shut your mouth!" His square face flushed with anger, indignant.

"I, He Kengqiang, have always maintained my integrity. How could I indulge in the illicit nonsense your Hehuan Sect is known for?" 

"You little brat! Do you want to duel?"

Qin Jiuyao looked nonchalant; he lazily picked at his ears and casually replied, "Then how about I let Sister Yue accompany you for a night for free to aid your training?" 

"Is that true?!" He Kengqiang's expression instantly changed to one of eager anticipation and flattery. 

"..." The atmosphere in the room fell into silence.

"Get real! You old man don't even think about trying to put the moves on my Sister Yue. Dream on!"

He Kengqiang looked as if struck by lightning; his smile vanished in an instant, replaced by an embarrassed mix of red and white, standing there awkwardly for a moment before finally snatching his sleeve and storming away. 

"Hmph, that hypocritical old man. I knew he had his eyes on my Sister Yue."

"Is there a requirement for male cultivators to practice together with Sister Yue?" Leo curiously asked.

Qin Jiuyao acted as if he had heard the most ridiculous thing. He jumped up and exclaimed, "Of course! We are practitioners of Dao techniques; it's not like we can just do this for money like hired help!"

"This Kengqiang is nearly fifty years old and only at the Concentration level— lower than Sister Yue's cultivation level. What reason would Sister Yue have to practice with him?"

"Of course, Brother Leo, being a young prodigy, has boundless potential for the future, and is so handsome. Sister Yue wouldn't mind!" 

"By the way, the great gift we had previously agreed on is still valid~"

Qin Jiuyao nudged Leo with his shoulder and raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"No, no, no, let's forget it."

Leo waved his hand dismissively, turning his head to glance back, worried that the innocent Reyana might overhear their conversation…