The middle-aged Taoist with a red face looked even more alarmed, "Sect Leader, think carefully!"
He had no intention of clashing with Chu Xuan, but as one who personally examined the injuries, he was acutely aware of how terrifying the person responsible was.
Such an individual, having personally crippled a disciple's cultivation, must have been immensely furious with this disciple.
If the Cyan Lotus Daoist Palace were to accept his forsaken disciple, it might unnecessarily provoke a formidable enemy.
This was also why the temple leader at Feixian Temple hoped that Chu Xuan would recover quickly and leave as soon as possible.
In response to the junior-uncles' attempts to dissuade him, the Sect Leader calmly replied, "Didn't you say the decision was entirely up to me?"
The Taoist murmured a few incomprehensible words and finally said nothing more, merely shaking his head in resignation and ceasing his objections.
"But he cannot cultivate," the elderly man reminded.
"There will be a way," the Sect Leader replied warmly.
Hearing this, the elder extended his right hand and began calculating with his fingers, but the more he calculated, the more his brow furrowed.
"Sect Leader, this person's fate is shrouded in chaos. I can't determine anything. Perhaps it would be best to be cautious?"
He was not like ordinary cultivators who only knew a little about divination but was a master proficient in the art.
Typically, even without any special preparatory measures, this elderly man could divine something of Chu Xuan's mundane past and future, if not ten out of ten, then at least some traces.
But in this situation, it was entirely chaotic, and nothing could be discerned; either the person's destiny was extraordinary, or he had a treasure that obscured the heavenly signs.
The Sect Leader thought for a moment, "Occasionally, such things do happen."
He looked around the room and asked, "Who is willing to take this disciple?"
The room fell into silence. Originally, the female Taoist in green had been somewhat inclined, but for one, Chu Xuan could no longer cultivate; for another, she had no knowledge of what had caused him to be expelled from his former sect, so she ultimately decided against it.
Chu Xuan remained silent. He had intended to say: as long as they take me in and allow access to the Scripture Pavilion to read the Taoist texts, not taking me as a disciple is no big deal.
But unexpectedly, the Sect Leader smiled at him, "Would you be willing to call me Master?"
Chu Xuan was utterly stunned. He couldn't understand why the Sect Leader of the Cyan Lotus Daoist Palace was being so kind to him.
Others were also somewhat in disbelief, for the Sect Leader had only ever taken one disciple before and had said that he did not intend to take any more in the future.
No one expected that today he would make an exception for Chu Xuan.
"Do you believe what I'm saying?" Chu Xuan did not immediately agree but instead asked back.
The Sect Leader nodded, "I believe in destiny: wherever there is a connection, it will come and go; it gathers and disperses according to the heavens."
Only then did Chu Xuan nod solemnly, "Master, I am willing."
He then bowed again, but due to the intense emotions he experienced in such a short time, his body could no longer bear it; his vision went dark, and he fainted.
----------------------
When he awakened again, three days had passed.
Chu Xuan had continued to have bizarre and fantastical dreams, wherein he again saw Ji Mingyu, and their relationship was extremely close.
Initially, the dreams seemed normal, mostly consisting of past events like walking together, reading together, or admiring the moon together. But later on, inexplicable scenes he had never experienced began to appear...
In a state of haze, Chu Xuan awoke parched and thirsty.
He then recalled what had happened before and looked around to find himself lying in a quiet and elegant room, likely arranged by his Master.
There was no one else around, but a bowl of clear water was placed on the chair next to the bed, as if anticipating his need.
Chu Xuan struggled to sit up and gulped down the entire bowl of water, feeling somewhat refreshed.
Though still very weak, the pervasive pain throughout his body had lessened significantly, no longer requiring his forced endurance.
Everything seemed to be on the mend, and since leaving Langhuan Grotto Heaven, his long-standing gloomy mood was beginning to lift.
At that moment, a gentle knock came at the door.
"Come in."
The visitor then entered. It was a woman clad in a white dress, with features so beautiful as if born from the spiritual essence of heaven and earth.
She was tall with a full figure, bright eyes, and white teeth, and had a slim waist. Her long black hair was tied into a neat and elegant ponytail, exuding a radiant and composed aura.
Most striking was her long, powerful legs, making her height about the same as Chu Xuan's, if not a bit taller.
"You're awake?" The woman approached with concern, introducing herself:
"My name is Qin Mengyao, and I am your senior sister."
Senior Sister? Chu Xuan immediately rose to salute, "Greetings, Senior Sister. I am Chu Xuan."
"How is your body? Master asked me to take you to see him."
"I'm doing okay. Please, Senior Sister, lead the way."
Qin Mengyao nodded, speaking no further.
The two walked out of the room, traversing the twisting corridors of the Daoist Palace until they arrived at a great hall.
Sect Leader Fuyunzi was sitting with closed eyes on a futon in meditation when they entered.
As soon as they came in, he opened his eyes and revealed a kindly smile, gesturing to the two futons across from him, "Please sit."
Chu Xuan harbored much gratitude for this old man. As he sat down with Senior Sister, before he could say anything, Fuyunzi spoke:
"I know you're worried about your inability to cultivate; now, first, try to see inwardly."
Chu Xuan was puzzled, "Master, I can no longer see inwardly."
He had tried countless times before at Feixian Temple; inner sight was, in essence, reliant on the power of the Divine Sense to inspect the inner conditions of the body, which was impossible without it.
However, Fuyunzi just smiled and said, "Try and see."
Suspicious yet obedient, Chu Xuan followed the instructions.
To his shock, he found that not only could he see inwardly, but also that the Twelve-Story Tower and the Five Cities Illusion within him had returned!
Despite this, these illusions were covered in innumerable cracks, countless and uncountable, like something shattered and painstakingly reassembled piece by piece.
Initially, Chu Xuan thought this was thanks to his Master and was almost moved to tears.
Then he realized something amiss: the force continuously mending his battered body was emanating from within himself, precisely from the second story of the illusion—a wisp of supreme, pure, spiritual Immortal Qi.
Chu Xuan was incredulous; why was this Immortal Qi still present??
He had always assumed that such an essential thing would be taken back by Ji Mingyu when she shattered his Dao Foundation, but it hadn't happened.
Did she deliberately leave this glimmer of life, or was she genuinely too clouded with anger at the time and forgot to retrieve this wisp of Immortal Qi?
In the end, upon reflecting, Chu Xuan thought the former more likely.
Because this wisp of Immortal Qi was clearly the foundational legacy of the Jade Capital lineage; without it, the Dao tradition would completely break with the generation of the Primordial Monarch Taixu, and future disciples couldn't cultivate the "Jade Capital Purple Star Daoist Core Secrets."
So, even if anger clouded her judgment at the time, Ji Mingyu would inevitably come looking for Chu Xuan later to retrieve it.
Yet so many days had passed, and she hadn't done so.
At this realization, Chu Xuan's emotions grew complex. Ming Yu ultimately did not entirely sever ties. What was she really thinking at the time...