Chapter 2: The Abbot

  Above the Xuanyin Temple, Xuanyuan Zong, the leader of the Tongxuan Sect, sat upright on a large purple sandalwood chair, looking puzzled and asked the elder beside him: "Xu Changlao, what is it that disturbs my quiet cultivation?"

  Xu Chang Lao heard this and a hint of disdain flashed across his face: "It's that little waste, originally with his current identity he shouldn't even be able to set foot on the main peak. But he held the 'Silver Xuan Command' and forcibly climbed the main peak, and outside the Xuan Yin Hall he loudly shouted that he wanted to see the head of the sect. Due to the rules, they couldn't drive him away, so they could only trouble the head of the sect to deal with him."

  The Silver Xuanling is a symbol of status in the Xuan Yuan Sect, and among the three generations of disciples, there are not many who can hold the Copper Xuanling, let alone the Silver Xuanling, which only a select few among the second-generation disciples can possess. However, there was one exception - Chu Linfeng from two years ago. As the direct disciple of Tongxuan Zhenren and possessing exceptional talent, he received an extraordinary gift from Gu Zhenren, who had the longest seniority and strongest cultivation in the sect, a Silver Xuanling.

  "Tong Xuan Zhenren glanced at Xu Changlao beside him and said calmly, 'Anyone holding the Silver Mystic Token can enter the hall to meet the Sect Master. This is the rule. Bring him into the hall to talk, after all, this child was once a personal disciple of mine. Although he has been abandoned now, if I can help him in any way, I will do my best.'"

  Xu Changlao led the way and left, bringing in Chu Linfeng who had been waiting outside the temple for more than half a time.

  This is the first time Chu Linfeng has set foot on the main peak of Xuan Yuan Mountain in two years. If it weren't for the fact that the elder of the sect forgot to take back the Silver Xuan Token when he was demoted, with his current identity, he wouldn't even have the qualifications to see Tongxuan Zhenren.

  "Third-generation disciple Chu Linfeng has seen the sect leader."

  A sleepless night, and again he had to brave the wind and snow to bury the old steward. At this moment, the fifteen-year-old youth looked exceptionally haggard, a sight that would evoke sympathy from anyone who saw him.

  Entering the Xuan Yin Hall, Chu Linfeng "thudded" and fell to his knees, heavily kowtowing to Tongxuan Zhenren. With each bow, a loud sound echoed out. After three bows, Chu Linfeng's forehead was already red and swollen.

  "Lingfeng, you must have come for a reason. Speak up! Although I am no longer your master, you are still a member of the Xuan Yuan Sect after all. If there's anything I can help with, I will."

  Tongxuan Zhenren was an old and cunning figure, but with just one glance, he had already seen that Chulinfeng had come with a purpose. He waved his hand and conjured up a gentle breeze to lift Chulinfeng from the ground, casually tossing out a sentence.

  "Thank you, Master." Upon hearing these words from Tongxuan Zhenren, a glimmer of hope arose in Chulianfeng's heart. He slowly recounted the story of his family's misfortune, and at the end, he knocked his head to the ground and begged: "Chulianfeng does not ask Master to save my mother, but only asks Master to grant me a Naiyuan Dan, so that I can go down the mountain and rescue my father's life."

  Before seeking an audience with Tongxuan Zhenren, Chu Lianfeng had already thought it through carefully. Given his current status and position within the sect, he couldn't even hope to persuade the sect leader to take a risk and offend the Taiqing Sect in order to save his mother. The only help he could possibly get by stirring up sympathy was for an exception to be made and allow him to leave the mountain, then ask for another Numinous Treasure Pill with extraordinary healing effects, which would be used to preserve his seriously injured father's life.

  Tongxuan Zhenren listened carefully to what Chulinfeng said, and a pair of purple pupils flashed with divine light, as if thinking deeply for a moment, before slowly saying: "The cultivation has not reached the sixth heaven of the human stage, it is not allowed to go down the mountain. This is the rule set by the ancestor of Xuan Yuan Sect, even I cannot violate it, let alone change it. Chulinfeng, I understand your urgency, but you still can't go down the mountain..."

  Just as Chu Linfeng was about to retort, Tongxuan Zhenren continued: "Don't be impatient, I will send a junior fellow disciple down the mountain to find your father and have him bring Yuan Dan along. At least he can ensure his safety on the way to Jiuyuan Marsh. What do you think?"

  Facing the slightly apologetic gaze of Tongxuan Zhenren, Chulinfeng's heart inexplicably warmed up. Although he was expelled from the sect due to his loss of cultivation, this was an unavoidable matter. The leader of Xuanyuan Sect had always been single-handedly passed down, and in most cases, the designated disciple would become the next successor. Chulinfeng had become a useless person; even if Tongxuan Zhenren couldn't bear to expel him, the elders within the sect wouldn't have agreed to it either.

  "Ling Feng thanked Master Zhang and retreated if there was nothing else."

  Chu Linfeng was no longer the arrogant and proud genius he once was. He had learned to advance and retreat, and his ability to know what was difficult and easy had been honed over the past two years. He knew that Master Tongxuan's arrangement was already the most suitable one, so after thanking him with a knowing smile, he exited the Xuanhui Hall.

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  Ziyun Peak mountain top, in the tree cave, Chu Lin wind as usual sat quietly, in his mind lingering were images of his mother and father.

  "Why did it have to be like this? If I still had the innate talent of the Xuan Yang Spiritual Body, if I hadn't made that reckless move two years ago, today my family would not have suffered disaster. I could have gone down the mountain to rescue my father, and even asked the Sect Master to intervene on behalf of the Tai Qing Sect to save my mother..."

  "If only, if only, I would be so angry..."

  Chu Lin's long-suppressed grief and indignation finally erupted at this moment, his hysterical roar echoing in the huge tree hole, his already wounded hands pounding against the sturdy tree trunk without showing any signs of fatigue or pain until his skin cracked and flesh burst.

  "Lin Feng brother, what are you doing?"

  A voice like a hundred birds singing in harmony suddenly rang out, and a pink shadow flashed into the entrance of the tree hole two meters high. A beautiful girl with bright eyes and white teeth, and a face that could bring ruin to the country and its people, landed beside Chu Linfeng. The girl quickly reached out and grabbed Chu Linfeng's fist, which was wildly pounding against the tree trunk, her eyes shining with crystal tears: "Brother Linfeng, Yun'er knows everything about you, Yun'er knows your heart must be very bitter, but...but you shouldn't treat yourself like this..."

  Sniffing the faint body scent unique to girls by his side, Chu Linfeng almost fell into a state of madness before suddenly regaining consciousness. His tense body also relaxed at this moment, and he sat down on the ground with a slightly weak appearance. In a pair of black pupils, there was only a pitiful expression that made people's hearts ache.

  "Xiao Yun, I'm fine, just needed to vent a bit. If I keep bottling it up like this, I'm afraid I won't be able to take the pressure. Now that I've vented, I'll be okay." After a long silence, Chu Linfeng took a deep breath and a faint smile appeared on his face, which was rarely seen in the past two years, as he said calmly.

  The girl took out a green pill, her small hand as white as milk pinched the pill and gently sent it to Chu Linfeng's lips. "Linfeng brother, I just gave you a pulse diagnosis, your body is really too weak, hurry up and eat this nourishing pill, otherwise if something happens to you, little Yun'er will have no one to talk to about her heart affairs."

  "Tonifying Body Pill..."

  Chu Linfeng didn't take the dan medicine that You Qinyun had brought to his lips, but instead shook his head and said: "This is an auxiliary dan medicine that our sect bought at a high price from the trading conference for you to cultivate with. Even if it's you, in a year, you can only get three or five pellets. I'll just rest for a few days and be fine, no need to waste such precious dan medicine."

  Although the Nourishing Body Pill is only a low-grade mortal pill in the Cultivation Realm, its value is still astonishingly high. After all, in the vast Cultivation Realm, there are very few cultivators who have the qualifications to become alchemists, which is also the key reason why pills have become an extremely rare Cultivation resource.

  To become an alchemist, the most basic and strictest point is that one must possess a congenital spiritual body. It's worth mentioning that among the four continents, whether it's Taoist, Buddhist, demonic, or spiritual cultivation, there are hardly any cultivators who possess this innate ability. It's not an exaggeration to say that even among tens of thousands of cultivators, there might not be a single one with this gift.

  Like the Xuan Yuan Sect, a high-end sect in the Dao lineage, there isn't even one alchemist, and all elixirs are obtained from various trading fairs. Just this single ordinary Nourishing Body Elixir requires over 100 spirit stones to buy, which is almost equivalent to the two-year spirit stone subsidy for an ordinary third-generation disciple within the Xuan Yuan Sect.

  Youqin Yun's face turned cloudy upon hearing Chu Linfeng's words, her small mouth pouting as she said, "Linfeng brother, why are you being so distant with Yun'er? If you're not going to eat it, then neither will I. We can just throw it away."

  Youqin Yun's words were indeed followed by actions, and without saying another word, she forcefully threw out the nourishing elixir in her hand. Fortunately, Chulinfeng was quick-handed and managed to catch it just in time, taking a step forward to intercept it, preventing this precious pill worth over a hundred spirit stones from being thrown out of the tree cave and falling into the abyss.

  "I guess I have no choice but to give in to you, it's always like this..."

  Chu Linfeng seemed to be very familiar with the route of having a cloud-like dress, but unfortunately, he couldn't help but smile and no longer decline. He immediately swallowed the nourishing pill into his mouth, "Little Cloud, if it weren't for you taking care of me in these two years, I think I wouldn't have been able to hold on until now..."

  Chu Lian swallowed the elixir, and Qin Yun's sleeves fluttered as she clapped her hands: "Brother Lianfeng, don't worry too much, Grandfather has already sent Third Uncle down the mountain. He even gave him two Life Origin Elixirs to bring with him. With Third Uncle's strength at the eighth heaven of the Human Realm, it will be easy for him to safely escort your father to Jiuyuan Marsh."

  "Master, I'm waiting for you." Upon hearing You Yun's words, Chu Linfeng couldn't help but secretly sigh to himself. Suddenly, as if thinking of something, he blurted out a sentence, "Little Cloud, I want to ask you to do something for me."

  She peeked at Chu Linfeng's serious expression, and Yunyun nodded first, then habitually pulled on Chu Linfeng's sleeve, softly saying: "Brother Linfeng's matters are also my matters, don't mention one thing, even if it's ten or a hundred things, I will definitely help you."

  "I need your help to secretly retrieve the Town Demon Key, I want to explore the Sealed Demon Valley again. I've thought it through carefully, and the only way to restore things to how they were before is to explore the Sealed Demon Valley once more. My cultivation was lost there, and only by going back there do I have a chance of recovering what I lost all those years ago..."