Chapter 12
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Chapter 12: Genius
“Is this… a middle-grade spirit stone?” Shen Mo froze, his heart pounding wildly as his face flushed crimson.
A single middle-grade spirit stone held spiritual energy equal to a hundred low-grade ones. As a new disciple, Shen Mo had only heard of the difference between the grades but had never laid eyes on a real middle-grade stone.
“Correct.” Ye Yun nodded. “If you absorb even half of this stone’s energy, you’ll likely break through to the second layer of body refinement—exchanging ordinary blood for potent essence blood.”
Shen Mo’s hands trembled as he stared at the stone. “This is too valuable…”
“Spirit stones have worth, but loyalty doesn’t.”
Ye Yun gave a gentle smile. “This stone means little. But since you’re new to cultivation, absorbing it will take time. Don’t rush.”
Before the black and white light’s Marrow Cleansing, Ye Yun needed over a day to absorb one low-grade stone. By his estimate, Shen Mo would do well to absorb a tenth of this middle-grade stone in ten days.
“Brother Ye…?” Shen Mo hesitated, words stuck in his throat.
“Hmm?”
“Is absorbing energy always so slow at first?” Shen Mo murmured. “Are middle-grade stones different? I finish low-grade ones in moments.”
“Moments?” Ye Yun stiffened.
Shen Mo nodded awkwardly. “I get four stones monthly, but they’re gone almost instantly when I cultivate.”
Ye Yun’s brows knitted tight, disbelief flashing in his eyes.
Impossible.
Even the true inheritors—did they possess such talent?
“Did I speak wrongly?” Shen Mo asked nervously.
“No.” Ye Yun inhaled sharply, producing another middle-grade stone with a flick of his hand.
Shen Mo gaped. “Brother Ye?”
Ye Yun patted his head. “Try absorbing both.”
Understanding this was a test, Shen Mo moved to sit—but Ye Yun gestured toward his hut. “Inside.”
The crude room matched any servant disciple’s quarters. Under Ye Yun’s watch, Shen Mo sat cross-legged, activating his basic cultivation technique with both stones in hand.
A faint glow lit Shen Mo’s palms. The stones’ cores brightened, their light intensifying as energy surged into him.
Ye Yun’s eyes widened. The stones were visibly shrinking—Shen Mo was absorbing them at naked-eye speed.
Impossible!
Even post-Marrow Cleansing, Ye Yun managed ten low-grade stones daily. Yet Shen Mo would devour two middle-grade stones in a day—an insane, unheard-of pace.
Ye Yun forced calm over his racing thoughts. This righteous boy’s talent was a secret that could get him killed if revealed. Only once Shen Mo proved himself could this become an asset.
“Shen Mo.” Ye Yun’s voice turned grave. “I’ve not seen inner disciples or true inheritors’ talents, but yours eclipses everyone I know. Even Qin Qianhan’s genius is like dust beside your moon.”
Shen Mo blinked, struggling to process this.
Ye Yun’s eyes hardened, recalling the day’s events. “But great talent breeds envy. Hide this until you’re strong enough to defend it.”
Though dazed, Shen Mo nodded.
Ye Yun sat, reflecting on his fight with outer disciple Liu Yu. The black and white light had purified his spiritual power, letting him shatter the Black Radiance Sword—a low-grade spiritual weapon—with one punch.
He remembered the sword’s massive form looming overhead, its pressure crushing weaker wills. Normally, such a weapon would overwhelm him. But when the black and white light released that indescribable energy, he’d felt invincible—as if tenfold force couldn’t touch him.
That energy had vanished after breaking the sword, yet its memory burned bright. Mastering it might let him face Qin Qianhan’s murderous intent unshaken.
Ye Yun closed his eyes, replaying the battle. The light’s purification, the explosive power beyond his level… He needed to unravel its secrets.
“Die!”
In his mind, he conjured Qin Qianhan’s killing aura, imagining imminent death.
Boom!
Black and white lights erupted within him.
The vision returned—countless golden-armored warriors flattening mountains, pursuing the black-and-white-clad duo who radiated sky-piercing defiance.
“What cultivation level is this?!”
Each warrior could crush peaks, yet the pair faced them fearlessly. Rumors said Golden Core experts could traverse thousand miles instantly and summon Buddha-like projections to smash mountains. Did they compare to this?
No answers came.
Ye Yun steadied his breathing, chasing the lights’ trail through his body.
