Some time Later...
The shock from Leo's continual display of powerful resources was beginning to numb Kaela's senses.
Even at her peak as a famed seventh-grade alchemist under the banner of the Celestial Pill Sect, one of the top three sects of the entire Ling Province Region her accumulated wealth had never reached this level.
Just what kind of inheritance had this man stumbled upon? What backing could support such bottomless treasures?
One or two rare items might be luck.
Three could be coincidence.
But he had revealed four or five priceless items within two days… and each of them was something even entire empires would move for.
"Where did this monster come from?" Kaela murmured inwardly, unable to keep her heart from trembling.
To her knowledge, not even the Dusk Empire's royal treasury could casually afford to part with a Soulgrass, let alone both that and a blooming Soul-Nurturing Blossom or a vial of Bone-Shaping Elixir each was a treasure whispered in awe among elite alchemists across the eastern domains of the continent.
And yet... here they were, in the hands of a man who spoke of them as if they were no more than common ingredients.
Still, she kept her silence.
Even as curiosity itched beneath her tongue, Kaela knew the rules of the wider cultivation world: those who pry into others' fortunes often end up buried beneath them. Especially those with monstrous strength and unknown origins.
Whatever Leo's secret was, she wasn't suicidal enough to dig too deep.
So she just stood quietly and watched or rather floated quietly and watched.
Time slipped past like sand in an hourglass. By the time dawn light crept over the distant mountain peaks and spilled across the courtyards of the Leonhart estate, Lyra had finished stabilizing her constitution which was now fully transformed into a top-tier physique and Leo was already beginning the next step of his plan.
Under Leo's careful guidance, Lyra consumed the liquified essence extracted from the Mindroot Blossom, and a tide of warmth surged through her sea of consciousness.
Kaela watched, arms crossed, her soul sense fine-tuned to sense every minute ripple in the young girl's presence.
Six times spiritual strength...
Ten times...
Twenty times...
Every pulse of rising soul quality caused even Kaela's translucent soul to tremble with envy.
Then—
Sixty-fold.
Kaela sucked in a breath as her hands were now hands tightening unconsciously.
To cultivate soul strength even twice as powerful as a mortal was already elite-tier for most cultivators. Ten times marked an upper-tier prodigy but Sixty times?
Even in the central regions of the continent, this was the level of genius only large sects dared fight over.
But just when Kaela thought the transformation had hit the ceiling...
Ding!
"Congratulations, Host. The clan's overall foundation has reached the threshold. The Leonhart Clan's Fate has risen to Blue Grade."
Leo blinked.
A soft smile appeared on his lips as he saw the new clan buffs.
Clan Buffs:
Birth rate among clan members increases by 20%.
Newborns receive a 10% innate talent bonus.
All clan members gain 10% increased cultivation speed.
Host may choose 3 individuals to receive direct Blue-grade Clan Fortune Blessing.
"Interesting..." Leo muttered as the system's interface appeared before his mental eye, displaying the specifics of the new "Fortune Buff."
It was more than just numbers.
Especially the fourth clause.
With a single designation, Leo could bestow an invisible luck-based blessing on three individuals one that improved their comprehension, increased their chances of encountering opportunities, and accelerated their cultivation pace significantly.
Even if the numbers 5% comprehension, 5% luck, 20% speed looked small on paper, the implications over months and years were terrifying.
Over ten years, two identical cultivators with the same methods, might end up entire realms apart due to such factors.
Without hesitation, Leo gave his first blessing to the person he had invested the most in the clan.
[Confirmed. Lyra Leonhart has been designated as a bearer of Blue Clan Fortune.]
Above the clan's ancestral grounds, a faint blue aura flickered in the sky, invisible to mortal eyes but felt by the laws of heaven itself.
A beam of that azure light descended upon Lyra's seated form.
Even Kaela, standing only a few meters away, remained utterly unaware.
Suddenly—
Boom!
A surge of energy blasted outward.
Kaela instinctively took a half step back, spiritual sense flaring as she turned around startled.
Lyra, who was still cross-legged on the mat was now glowing.
No, she was more than glowing.
Her physique, enhanced by the Bone-Shaping Elixir, had already risen to the level of a top-tier mortal body.
Now, under the simultaneous influence of her enhanced soul, the Sould-Nurturing essence, and the invisible clan fortune, something impossible was happening:
Synergy.
An alchemical reaction between body and soul.
A mystical yin-yang cycle began rotating within her dantian and sea of consciousness simultaneously as a resonance formed.
As Kaela saw what was happening her jaw dropped again.
Lyra's body was evolving again.
From top-tier physique... into the rare and revered Gemheart Constitution which was a type of semi-divine body only recorded in ancient scrolls.
Even in the ancient records there was little to no information about this constitution as the cultivators who possessed the body would never give details or even tell others in order to cultivate peacefully.
Most of the possessors of the Rare and Divine constitutions never wanted to give the details of their special constitution for various reasons, as the more information they provided the more it could backfire on them in the future.
Even more shocking, Lyra's soul strength surged again—
Sixty-fold...
Seventy...
Eighty...
Ninety...
One hundred times the soul force of a normal cultivator.
This was no longer alchemy.
This was a miracle of fate.
And with the rush of soul and physique harmonizing, her cultivation base which was previously at the early stages of Bone Tempering suddenly burst forward like an exploding volcano.
"Bone Tempering Third... Sixth... Ninth?"
Kaela's soul wavered.
Bone Tempering Ninth Stage from stage one… in a single night?!
But Lyra did not rush forward into the next realm.
Instead, she stabilized her new cultivation.
She halted right at the cusp of Muscle Stage, choosing instead to compress her foundation, solidify her new constitution, and refine the excess energy.
Leo's approving nod came instantly as he what she was attempting.
"Excellent," he said quietly. "True growth starts with a stable root. Only the impatient try to climb the heavens without anchoring their feet first."
He had seen too many so-called prodigies crash and burn due to their unstable foundations.
But Lyra... she was learning well.
When she opened her eyes, bright and gleaming with radiant clarity, she did not celebrate.
Instead, she immediately bowed low, arms folded.
"Ancestor Leo," she said with conviction, "your kindness is engraved into my bones. From this day forward, your will shall be my path."
Leo smiled faintly.
He didn't need loyalty.
But he appreciated sincerity.