Chapter 112: The New Skill

Deep within his Inner Scenery, Theo was drowning...

His consciousness was caught in a chaotic whirlpool of cosmic laws.

Attempting to carve the *Genesis Monolith* wyrm array into his foundation was proving to be a catastrophic mistake.

The complexity was tearing his mental defenses apart.

He was seconds away from a fatal qi deviation.

Suddenly, an electric jolt of icy *Aurora* intent surged into his meridians.

The foreign energy did not clash with his Abyssal forge. Instead, it wrapped around his fraying consciousness, providing an anchor of perfect stability.

The Lunar energy illuminated the array, revealing the final, missing foundational node!

Theo seized the opportunity. His spirit flared, slamming the final rune into place.

[Skill Acquired: Diamond Crucible Form.]

A chime echoed through his Inner Scenery. A layer of karmic glaze erupted from his seven External Qi-Cores, coating his internal spirit and his flesh.

It was impervious to blades, highly resistant to elemental corrosion, and capable of withstanding immense force. It was the ultimate defensive art.

Theo realized that his current cultivation level was insufficient to fully master the Monolith’s intent, but the defensive byproduct was already active.

He snapped his eyes open.

Theo leaped off the bamboo recliner.

He turned and saw Liana standing just a few inches away. Her usually pristine face was flushed, her chest rising and falling swiftly, and she looked incredibly guilty.

"Did you just channel your Aurora intent to save my foundation?" Theo asked, his eyes blazing with excitement.

Liana blinked, caught entirely off guard.

She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could formulate a response, Theo moved.

Driven by joy, Theo grabbed Liana by her slender waist, lifted her off the courtyard stones, and spun her around in a dizzying circle.

"It worked!!" Theo laughed, spinning the Reborn Empress in the moonlight.

Liana stiffened, her hands grabbing his shoulders.

She could have drawn her sword. She could have frozen his arms. But seeing the childish glee on his face... and feeling a profound sense of guilt over the stolen kiss she actually let it happen.

She had never seen him this happy.

Compared to the penalty she had just executed while he was asleep, being spun around was a minor offense.

Theo immediately set her feet back and stepped back, clearing his throat awkwardly.

"My apologies," Theo said, adjusting his robes. "I was overwhelmed by my breakthrough."

"Why?" Liana asked, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

Her voice was slightly breathless, but she studied his expression carefully.

He did not seem to know about the kiss.

He genuinely looked like a scholar who had just solved an impossible equation.

Theo smirked proudly. "Because my foundation has mutated. I can make my body incredibly hard."

".?.?.?"

Her eyes widened slightly. A fresh wave of crimson swept across her cheeks.

Theo did not notice her reaction.

His mind was entirely focused on testing his new defensive art. His expression turned entirely serious.

"Hit me," Theo demanded. "As hard as you can."

In two lifetimes, across countless battles and thousands of enemies, Liana had never received such an absurd request...

"I need to meditate on my sword intent," Liana said flatly.

She turned on her heel and walked briskly back toward the estate doors.

Occasional eccentricity was acceptable, but standing perfectly still to take a full-force strike from her was suicidal, regardless of his #1 ranking.

She did not even mention their scheduled evening sparring session as she practically fled the courtyard.

Theo frowned, watching her retreating silhouette.

Why did she look like she was running away from a crime scene?

Regardless, Theo still needed a test subject.

He walked into the estate, bypassing his own quarters, and headed straight for the cellar.

He found his master, Vespera, asleep on a pile of empty wine casks.

Theo pulled a sealed jug of premium aged lotus-wine from his spatial ring and popped the cork.

Vespera’s eyes snapped open instantly. She snatched the jug from his hand, taking a long, ungraceful swig before wiping her mouth.

"What kind of disaster requires my attention at this hour?" Vespera grumbled.

"I need you to hit me," Theo said earnestly. "Hard."

"Huh?" Vespera paused, lowering the jug.

She stared at her precious disciple in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

"Yes."

Beyond mere excitement, Theo was a tactician...

He needed to find the upper limits of his [Diamond Crucible Form]. He needed to know exactly how much force the karmic glaze could absorb before breaking, and whether it possessed any elemental weaknesses.

Vespera narrowed her eyes. She concluded that Theo’s ego had finally outgrown his common sense.

Did he truly believe that forging seven cores and bullying a few Syndicate assassins meant he could withstand a direct strike from an Archon-level expert?

Had he forgotten that she was a legendary master who had crushed the imperial vanguard during her prime?!

"Very well," Vespera stood up, cracking her knuckles. "Let us see if your bones are as dense as your skull."

She led him back out to the courtyard.

Vespera rolled her eyes at Theo’s eager stance. The boy was definitely getting ahead of himself...

If he dared to take a full-force strike from her today, what kind of suicidal arrogance would he display tomorrow?

It was time to show him the true chasm between their realms.

"Ready, Master," Theo said.

Among all the Inner Scenery experts Theo had encountered, Vespera was undoubtedly the most destructive!

"Alright," Vespera smirked.

The next instant, the courtyard exploded.

Without any warning, Vespera moved.

The chill vanished, replaced by an overwhelming heat. Her body twisted with the fluid grace of a striking viper. She clenched her delicate fist, condensing her tyrannical aura into a singular, devastating point of impact.

If it had been raining, every drop of water in the courtyard would have vaporized instantly!

Theo’s heart skipped a beat. As that frightening fist closed in, the world seemed to warp around him.

It was the manifestation of doom... His master had never gone all-out in his presence before!

His mind locked onto the approaching fist, his thoughts grinding to a painful halt under the sheer pressure of her killing intent.

Then, the wyrm array within his soul blazed to life.

A surge of pure defiance ignited within Theo’s chest, snapping him out of his paralysis.

"Hmph! Let’s see if you still dare underestimate your elders," Vespera thought to herself.

Her strike looked lethal, but she was fully prepared to divert the energy at the last possible microsecond to avoid turning him into mist.

Suddenly, a golden light shimmered across Theo’s skin.

It lasted for less than a breath, yet it carried an aura of eternal permanence.

It radiated from Theo’s core, coating him in an unbreakable karmic glaze.

In that same instant, Vespera looked into his eyes.

He saw a defiant warrior, daring the heavens to strike him down.

"Vespera, what are you doing?!"

Elder Thorne, having just returned from his diplomatic banquet, walked into the courtyard and nearly suffered a heart attack at the sight of Vespera attempting to murder their sect leader.

But Vespera did not pull her punch.

*CLANG!!*