Read Novel Full Chapter 513: Vital Essense
Chapter 513: Vital Essense
Alex’s eyes remained fixed on the soft light still hovering at the tip of Victor’s finger.
"Tell me more about this energy," he said. "What exactly does it do... beyond strengthening the body?"
Viktor slowly closed his hand, and the light faded into nothingness. He leaned back slightly, choosing his words with care.
"Vital Essence is the true core of the Apex Realm," he explained. "Everything else... the physical transformation, the longer lifespan... is only the foundation. The real purpose of this realm is control and mastery over this energy."
He paused for a moment, then continued.
"Once it awakens, a cultivator must learn to refine it continuously. Temper it. Compress it. Purify it. The stronger and purer the Vital Essence becomes, the greater the cultivator’s overall power. In the Apex Realm, progress is no longer measured only by external strength... but by how deeply one has mastered their own Vital Essence."
Viktor’s gaze grew more serious.
"Those who stagnate after breaking through usually fail at this step. They awaken the energy, but never learn to truly control or refine it. As a result, their growth stops... and many of them never advance again for the rest of their lives."
He looked at Alex with quiet intensity.
"That is the true path of the Apex Realm... not just awakening Vital Essence, but refining it until it becomes something extraordinary."
Viktor’s eyes sharpened slightly.
He raised his hand once more. This time, the soft light did not appear only at his fingertip... it surged outward from his entire body.
In the next instant, a translucent layer of refined energy wrapped around him like living armor. The armor was semi-transparent, shifting between deep gold and faint silver, and it fitted his form perfectly. Every movement of Victor’s body made the energy ripple and flow smoothly, as if it were an extension of his own skin.
The pressure in the room increased. Even without releasing any killing intent, the sheer density of the Vital Essence made the air feel heavier.
Then Viktor extended two fingers.
A thin, razor-sharp blade of pure Vital Essence formed in the air above his hand. It hummed with restrained power, so refined that it barely made a sound. With a casual flick of his wrist, the blade shot forward and cleanly sliced a deep groove into the reinforced wall of the meeting room before dissolving into nothingness.
Viktor lowered his hand, and the armor around his body faded away as if it had never existed.
He looked at Alex calmly.
"That is only a basic application," he said. "With higher mastery, Vital Essence can be shaped into nearly anything... absolute defense, devastating offense. The more refined it becomes... the closer it gets to the extraordinary."
Alex remained silent for several seconds after the demonstration ended.
His eyes stayed fixed on the faint groove left on the reinforced wall, but his mind was already racing.
Until now, he had believed that as long as he could match or surpass Apex cultivators in pure physical strength, the gap between them would not be absolute. He had thought that with enough power, enough speed, and enough foundation, the difference could still be bridged.
But what Viktor had just shown him completely overturned that belief.
It was not merely about physical power.
The Vital Essence itself was on an entirely different level. That refined energy could form armor, create lethal attacks, and most importantly... it belonged to a realm that fundamentally stood above everything beneath it.
Even if a Peak Enhanced cultivator somehow matched an Apex cultivator in raw physical strength, the moment the Apex cultivator decided to kill seriously, the lower realm would still be like an insect before them.
Alex’s expression remained calm on the surface, but a cold clarity settled in his heart.
The Apex Realm was not just another step.
It was a qualitative transformation that made those below it... disposable.
Viktor noticed that Alex had fallen silent, his gaze distant as if he were still processing everything he had just witnessed.
After a moment, Viktor asked in a genuine, respectful tone:
"Sir... when do you plan to break through into the Apex Realm?"
Alex turned his eyes toward him.
The desire was clear in his heart. After seeing that demonstration, a part of him truly wanted to take that step immediately... to awaken his own Vital Essence, to feel that complete rebirth, and to stand on the same level of existence that Victor had just shown him.
But he couldn’t.
[Battle Sense : 93%]
There were still those final seven percent remaining.
Alex’s expression remained calm as he answered.
"I still need to work on myself a little more before breaking through," he said quietly. "I’m not fully ready yet."
Victor simply nodded, accepting the answer without pressing further. He could sense that there was more behind those words, but he kept his curiosity to himself.
As for the question of qualification... Victor already had his own conclusion.
In his eyes, there was no one more qualified to break through into the Apex Realm than Alex. Throughout history, no one had ever managed to match an Apex cultivator in pure physical prowess while still standing in a lower realm.
Only Alex had done it.
Yet Victor also understood something deeper. Alex was not the type of person who would give in to temptation. He was not chasing power for the sake of power alone. He was searching for absolute perfection... a foundation so complete that when he finally took that step, there would be no flaws left to correct.
Victor’s gaze lingered on Alex for a moment longer.
A quiet thought passed through his mind.
’How powerful will he become... once he awakens his own Vital Essence?’
The very idea of it sent a faint shiver of anticipation through him.
Alex’s gaze remained steady as he spoke again.
"But... after the fighting competition of the Steele family," he said calmly, "I’ll most likely break through."
Victor’s expression shifted the moment Alex confirmed his intention.