Chapter 24: Yu Xuan's Plea for Help

The sect leader and the elders arrived full of anxiety, but left feeling lighthearted, with a faint sense of excitement and jubilation.

Originally, they had worried about the formidable power of the Immortal Alliance. Solving one or two crises was manageable, but what if there were three or four? Last time, they had beaten the underlings, and this time the masters had come; who knew if even greater figures would arrive next?

However, after meeting the senior, everyone glanced at the quintet of mud-covered, charcoal-like figures they were dragging along. With that senior guarding the sect, why fear anything like the Immortal Alliance?

"Sect Leader, that place in the back mountain is so crude, it doesn't even have a proper cave dwelling. Wouldn't that be too disrespectful?"

"Indeed, how could we let the senior live in such a place? Should we go build a proper dwelling in a couple of days?"

"Ah, yes, yes! I have a stash of top-quality spirit wood, which would be perfect. I’ll send it to the senior!"

"I have a batch of excellent stone materials. Shall we excavate them?"

"And I have..."

The elders vied to offer their private collections, fearing that if the senior felt uncomfortable and decided to leave, their Xuantian Sect would truly be finished.

"Do not act rashly!" Qi Hong hurriedly stopped them. "For an expert like the senior, the greatest taboo is people acting on their own authority. Since she said she likes peace and quiet, we must not disturb her lightly."

"This..." The elders' expressions fell instantly. How, then, were they to build a relationship with her?

A single gesture from this expert had produced a cultivation method capable of opening seventy-two acupoints—even the Supreme Elder had been stunned. They dared not imagine the true extent of her abilities. This was an opportunity! A chance for the entire Xuantian Sect to soar to new heights. Upon seeing that modified cultivation technique, not only Qi Hong, but every elder had been moved. Who wouldn't want to get on her good side?

"Enough, that is decided." Qi Hong delivered the final word. "Pass on my order: the back mountain is hereby closed off. No one is to enter or exit at will. Violators will be expelled from the sect."

"Understood!" the elders replied.

"Sigh, I know you are all anxious," Qi Hong sighed, explaining in a deep voice. "But I hope you all understand: while the senior represents an opportunity for us, she has no obligation to impart her teachings. It is already a great fortune to have obtained this technique. If we are greedy and cause annoyance, and the senior decides to punish us, who among you could bear the consequences?"

At these words, everyone felt a jolt and immediately calmed down. Perhaps it was because the expert had been so easy to talk to during their brief encounter that they had developed ideas of building a rapport to gain further favors. But she was a high-level cultivator, someone who could extinguish two Nascent Soul stage cultivators with a flick of her wrist. While she might be friendly toward three ordinary disciples, it did not mean just anyone could easily cling to her.

"Yes, Sect Leader!" the elders replied in unison, abandoning their previous thoughts.

"Then... what about those three young ones, Feng Ting and the others? Should we call them back?" After all, young people might be reckless, and it would be bad if they said the wrong thing.

"No need for that," Qi Hong thought for a moment and shook his head. "Being favored by the senior is their own stroke of luck. Given the current situation in the sect, they are actually safer there. We need not interfere."

Everyone nodded and turned their gaze to the five people on the ground. "How shall we deal with these ones?"

Qi Hong’s expression turned cold, reverting to that of an impartial sect leader. "First, extract the Immortal Alliance's objectives and their next plans from them. Since they dared to attack our Xuantian Sect, they must have been prepared for death. We shall simply fulfill their wish!" Weren't they fond of soul-searching? It wasn't as if the Xuantian Sect didn't know how!

The elders' eyes lit up, and they all eagerly raised their hands. "Let me do it!" Beating a dog that had fallen into the water was their specialty.

***

Meanwhile, at the back mountain.

Yu Xuan glanced at Jing Hong standing far away, then looked at Chu Qiuci, his face showing hesitation and conflict, as if debating whether to speak.

"Elder Yu, is there something else?" Qiuci asked directly.

Yu Xuan gritted his teeth and, as if having made up his mind, cupped his hands. "Fellow Daoist Chu, I do indeed have a matter I wish to trouble you with."

"Oh?" What was it?

"Since you were able to heal Hong'er’s injuries, you must be highly proficient in medicine and well-versed in the flow of spiritual energy," he asked earnestly.

"Uh... I suppose so." She had only received that knowledge from the Cultivation Starter Pack, but it was all the most basic knowledge from Blue Star—at an elementary school level, at best.

"Then, could you please take a look at the issue with the spiritual energy in my body?" Yu Xuan looked at her with anticipation.

"Elder Yu’s meridians have issues too?" Qiuci was surprised; he didn't look like he was suffering from any ailment.

"Rather than saying there is an issue, it is more like..." Yu Xuan’s expression darkened. After a long silence, he sighed and said with a touch of dejection, "To tell you the truth, since I began cultivation at twelve, though the path was difficult, I was blessed with good fortune and reached the Golden Core stage. Centuries ago, by a stroke of luck, I broke through to the Nascent Soul stage. Yet, for some reason, ever since then, no matter how I cultivate, my progress has completely stalled."

He stroked his graying beard, expressing both sentiment and unwillingness. "After forming the Nascent Soul, my techniques worked normally, but every time I circulate my energy, no matter how hard I try, the spiritual power within me does not increase. In fact, forcing the circulation leads to a sensation of stagnation and tearing in my meridians."

Yu Xuan sighed and continued, "I had originally assumed my achievements in this life were destined to stop here. Now, hearing your theories about meridians and acupoints, I cannot help but wonder if there is something wrong with my own meridians?"

"Let me take a look." Qiuci did not decline. She reached out and grasped his pulse, focusing for a moment before switching to the other wrist. "Your meridians are intact; there’s nothing wrong with them." Everything was exactly where it should be, with no displacements.

"I see..." Yu Xuan’s expression dimmed, and he felt a wave of disappointment, but he quickly adjusted himself and smiled kindly. "It is my own attachment. The Nascent Soul stage is already the pinnacle of cultivation on this continent. For thousands of years, no one in the entire Linyuan has ever stepped into the Deity Transformation stage, and I am no exception. To have reached the early Nascent Soul stage is already a sign of deep fortune. It seems I am not destined to advance further in this life."

"That is not necessarily true," Qiuci suddenly interjected.

"Ah? Oh!" Yu Xuan was stunned. What did she mean?

"Wait a moment, let me look again!" Instead of explaining, Qiuci formed a seal and released her divine sense, sweeping it toward him. A pale golden light flickered like a breeze, passing directly through Yu Xuan’s body, and the detailed state of his meridians instantly appeared in her mind.

She furrowed her brow and asked, "During your daily practice, which meridians feel torn or uncomfortable?"

Yu Xuan recalled carefully before replying, "The Renying, Zhongfu, Futu, and Liangqiu points."

"As I thought." Qiuci compared those points with what she had seen through her divine sense and instantly understood his condition.