'Master, I have finally found you. Let's start a new adventure together again! exclaimed an unknown voice.'
'Master, I can sense your rage. I would have finished them, but I will let you do it yourself. Run now! If anyone blocks you, all you have to do is punch him away. Run to a location where no one can see you. Let's combine!'
Leon became excited, though he didn't understand why. His instincts, however, were screaming that something good was about to happen. And if there was anything Leon trusted more than anything else—it was his instincts.
He decided to do exactly as the voice told him.
"Trash, we're talking to you! Guys, let's get him... It seems like he's not paying attention!"
He didn't respond. He just stood there silently, eyes calm, watching them surround him. But inside, his blood was boiling. A wave of energy surged through him, pulsing with raw power. His body tingled with a strength he had never felt before. It was a shame—it seemed this power wouldn't last long.
As they all rushed at him, Leon leapt into the air with unexpected lightness. At the peak of his jump, he twisted his body, spun in a perfect arc, and brought his leg down in a powerful sweeping kick.
WHAM!
All eight of them hit the ground hard, groaning and writhing in pain.
Their view of Leon was now flipped upside down—both literally and figuratively. The person they had mocked and cornered was no longer a weakling. They had just picked a fight with a cultivator.
A powerful one.
Leon stood, chest heaving slightly, staring at his hands in disbelief. To pull off such a move... that's something only those in the Qi Refining Realm could do!
'Is this how it feels to be powerful?' he thought, stunned.
Without waiting another moment, he turned and sprinted away, headed toward the nearest forest. His speed was terrifying—even faster than a premutated cheetah.
And what was even more shocking... he was running on air.
It was as though an invisible path hovered above the ground, smooth and firm beneath his feet.
Back outside the alchemy shop, the bullies staggered to their feet, each wearing a mix of disbelief and fear as they stared toward the direction Leon had vanished into.
'That kid... he defeated me? Am I dreaming?!' thought the twenty-one-year-old, shaking. 'I'm in the Qi Absorption Realm... yet I was crushed?! If he's above me... then he's a monster.'
'A Cultivator... I thought he had no talent! Was the Baron's son lying?'
'Did I just offend someone I should've stayed far, far away from?'
'I shouldn't have believed that crap about Leon having no talent. Now I'm doomed. He's definitely coming for me...'
'Oh no... I pissed off a Cultivator. I'm really dead now!'
'How the hell is a sixteen-year-old boy a Cultivator?! What happened to his "no talent" reputation? I believed garbage!'
They all shared similar thoughts—but the most shaken among them was the Baron's son.
'How?! I was there... I heard the Barons! They mocked his father right in the council meeting. And they said he was talentless! How the hell is this possible?!'
Despite their growing hatred for the Baron's son, no one dared to touch him. But that didn't stop them from confronting him.
"That's it! Explain yourself!" one of them yelled. "How could a 'no-talent' do all that? You better start explaining before we beat you into the dirt!"
The Baron's son was speechless. He couldn't respond—he was more shocked than they were.
'I must inform Father!'
He turned and bolted, running home as fast as his legs could carry him. Whatever was going on, he needed answers.
The gang gritted their teeth in frustration, watching him flee. But there was nothing they could do. He had a device that could raise a city-wide alarm in seconds. If they touched him, they'd all be arrested—or worse.
Meanwhile…
Leon had reached the forest.
And something spectacular was happening.
A faint whistling sound cut through the air as the crystal descended from above, stopping just in front of him. It hovered there, glowing softly.
They didn't speak aloud. Instead, they communicated through a deep, almost spiritual telepathic link.
'Who... who are you?' Leon asked in awe, eyes fixed on the object.
It was diamond-shaped, gleaming like polished starlight, and about the size of a small bucket.
'Me? You already know who I am. Deep within the core of your soul—you've always known.' The voice replied, slightly offended.
Leon paused. Strangely, it felt true. He did know it. Somewhere deep inside.
But even so, he couldn't let a glowing rock just do whatever it wanted. He needed answers. And yet...
It had helped him. Saved him.
That had to mean it was a friend… right?
But he could also feel it. The overwhelming power it held. A force so vast, even the Emperor himself might not last a few seconds against it.
He stared at the crystal in awe and suspicion.
'But how does it even fight? No arms, no legs, no weapons—just a floating chunk of glowing diamond.'
'Why is it calling me Master?'
'Stop thinking about bullshit and focus so we can get this done!' the voice snapped.
'So that's how the servant treats his master, huh?' Leon muttered with a disgusted look.
'...'
Still, he decided to take the risk. He couldn't cultivate on his own. Everyone said he had no talent. If this was his only chance…
He clenched his fists, then nodded.
"Let's do it."
PHEW!!!
The crystal moved in a blink, tearing through the air like a bolt of lightning, heading straight for his chest. It struck him square in the heart with a sound like a crack of thunder.
Yet… there was no blood. No wound.
Only pain.
Agonizing, soul-wrenching pain.
'Endure it, Master! I am fusing with your soul!' cried the voice urgently.
But Leon couldn't hear it.
He could only scream.
"AAARGH!!!"
His cries echoed through the quiet forest as his body convulsed on the ground.
There were no visible injuries, no open wounds. And yet, it felt like every part of him was being destroyed and rebuilt at the same time.
Burning...
It felt like being thrown into the center of a volcano while being stabbed repeatedly with knives made from ice. His muscles tore, his veins burned, his bones felt like they were being shattered and reformed every second.
He could feel sweat pouring down his back. His brow was soaked. His palms were clammy with cold.
His heart thundered like war drums in his chest, matching the pounding in his skull.
He wanted to faint.
But somehow—he didn't.
He endured.
Seconds turned into minutes. Minutes into what felt like hours.
He had no idea how long it lasted. But eventually… the pain began to fade.
The fire and ice inside him began to blend and cancel one another out. His breathing eased. His body no longer ached but felt… renewed.
Like it had just been submerged in a heavenly medicinal bath.
A breeze drifted through the trees, rustling leaves and swaying branches as if the entire forest was paying tribute to what had just happened.
The rebirth of an immortal.
And in the center of it all stood a boy.
Sixteen years old.
But now… more mature. Stronger. Wiser. And—undeniably—handsome.
He slowly looked around, confused.
His clothes were torn and shredded from the ordeal. His body glistened with sweat. His breathing was steady now, though his mind was still spinning.
It was already evening. The events of the day had begun at around ten in the morning. Now, it was almost five.
But Leon wasn't paying attention to any of that.
His gaze was locked on something else.
Something more shocking.
More… confusing.
He slowly raised his hand.
"What... is this?" he asked, pointing to the air.
On his right hand, where nothing had been before…
Was a ring.
Not just any ring—a crystal-shaped ring, glowing softly with power.
It had never been there before.
And it seemed…
He hadn't even noticed it until now.