บท 13: Liu Xuefeng's Talent

After a deep breath, Xuefeng gulped down the entire bottle of Spirit Awakening Liquid. His tongue burned as if he had just swallowed a glass of strong alcohol, but he forced it down his throat. A warm current traveled into his stomach and eventually reached his dantian, where it swirled in a rhythmic motion.

He closed his eyes and focused on directing the warm stream, determined not to disappoint his father, who had placed great faith in him. The large amount of Spirit Awakening Liquid invested in his future caused him to glow with a light blue hue—the excess Spirit Essence escaping his body.

'Some Spirit Essence is gathering in one location... I guess that's where my Spirit is, so I should push the remaining energy towards it,' Xuefeng thought, extending his will.

The Spirit Essence responded well, clumping into a shiny round ball. To his surprise, the invisible spirit swallowed all the Spirit Essence, using it to form its own body. It soon morphed into a humanoid shape, finally becoming an exact replica of Xuefeng. He already knew the spirit always took the shape of its host.

'It feels so good...' Xuefeng thought, never having experienced such pleasure before.

When the Spirit was fully formed, Xuefeng could sense it, as if he were both the Spirit and his body at the same time.

'But there's a problem... So much Spirit Essence is leaking from my body, and I can't stop it...'

Unsatisfied with the absorption efficiency, he extended his will to the Spirit, urging it to speed up the process. Obediently, it began sucking in more Spirit Essence from his dantian, acting like a bottomless pit. It quickly filled before spitting out Red Spirit Qi. The process repeated until the hue around his body shifted to red.

Hearing the commotion outside, Xuefeng opened his eyes and looked at his skin, his heart sinking. He knew very well what that color meant.

'No... I don't want an ordinary red talent! I can't accept this! Absorb more and change color! Absorb more and change color!' he cried desperately in his mind.

While he focused on fighting his fate, the whispers in the hall grew louder. Everyone could see the red hue around Xuefeng, indicating his spirit was only an ordinary red talent.

A wide smile appeared on Emperor Zhen's face, as if this was the outcome he most desired.

"You spent so much on Spirit Awakening Liquid, yet it was still wasted on your son," Emperor Zhen mocked openly, causing the Clan Leaders' faces to redden. If Xuefeng had red talent, their daughters would be marrying a nobody.

Liu Xiaobei gritted his teeth but remained silent, patiently watching his son's struggle.

Xuefeng continued repeating his chant, eyes tightly closed, but no matter what he tried, his Spirit only produced a sea of redness.

'Am I really destined to spend my life as an average man? Fate, are you truly against me?' Xuefeng lamented, unwilling to accept such a life.

He momentarily lost focus, slowing the production, but at the same time, his Spirit experienced a change. As he thought of fighting against fate, the red Spirit Qi in his dantian began mixing with a new color.

Xuefeng was on the verge of giving up when he heard a sudden commotion from the hall. He opened his eyes and was shocked to see the red light replaced by a brilliant light green.

He couldn't have been more ecstatic.

'Yes! It's working!' he exclaimed excitedly while directing all his will to the Spirit. 'Absorb more, more! Light green talent isn't enough! Give me more!'

Emperor Zhen was the first to stand abruptly at the color change. He stared at Xuefeng in disbelief, and soon the whole hall rose from their seats to get a better look.

Everyone was surprised, but it was within their understanding. It was well known that Spirit Awakening Liquid could increase a spirit's talent by one level. With how much liquid Liu Xiaobei had given his son, it was likely his red talent had improved to light green.

"Light green might be good for common men, but for the future Clan Leader, it is still lacking," Emperor Zhen commented, trying to save face, only to swallow his words as Xuefeng's hue darkened once again.

All eyes were fixed on Xuefeng as his body glowed with a deeper green, indicating his talent had improved once more.

Those who had rejoiced at Xuefeng's misfortune gaped in shock, while those who hadn't been interested before suddenly paid close attention. Zhen Ping and his sister Zhen Shan now actively watched the bizarre situation.

"Liu Xiaobei, did you do something to your son in secret to mock us? Why is his talent increasing? Did you use a Talent Suppressing Artifact?" the Emperor demanded irritably, prompting Liu Xiaobei to laugh audibly.

"Wouldn't the show be boring if my son displayed his supreme talent right from the start? It's more fun to play with viewers' emotions a little," Liu Xiaobei admitted shamelessly, gesturing to his Shadow Guards. "Ensure no one disturbs my son. If anyone tries, kill them on the spot."

The Shadow Guards around the hall vanished from their positions and reappeared around Xuefeng on the stage with their Spirit Artifacts drawn. It seemed as if everything happening was Liu Xiaobei's doing, but even he had no idea what was going on.

During their exchange, Xuefeng's talent improved once again, now glowing a vibrant sky blue.

"Impossible!" Emperor Zhen cried out, clenching his fists in anger. "Liu Xiaobei! There are limits to how shameless one can be! Tell your son to display his talent without delay!"

Liu Xiaobei ignored him with a laugh, mirroring his son's demeanor. Xuefeng was also laughing in his mind while pushing for more with all his might. His Spirit continued to absorb Spirit Essence at an unprecedented speed, but soon even his dantian wasn't enough.

'No! The Spirit Awakening Liquid reserve is running out. I've only improved my talent to Sky Blue. I can go further if I have more Spirit Essence!' Xuefeng panicked, realizing he might waste this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. 'Think! Where can I get more Spirit Essence?! If I stop now, I might never improve my talent again!'

'Father gave me all his Spirit Awakening Liquid. There's none left. Think!'

As the liquid in his dantian dwindled, an idea struck him.

'The air! There's boundless Spirit Essence in the air! How could I forget?' He mocked himself while directing his Spirit to the new source. 'Spirit! Absorb Spirit Essence from the air! Absorb from the air!'

The sky-blue shell around Xuefeng thinned drastically over the next few seconds and soon disappeared, causing Emperor Zhen to sigh in relief.

It was already troubling if the Liu Clan had one high-ranked prodigy. If they gained a second, it would be disastrous for the Royal Family. Only his daughter had a purple talent in the capital, giving her the potential to reach the Spirit Overlord stage and perhaps even the Spirit Emperor stage.

In contrast to the Emperor, everyone else sighed, quite enjoying the show and wishing to see another miracle. They all looked at Liu Xiaobei, surprised to see him smiling.

"This isn't over! I can feel it!"