Healing Method

Looking at his master's bleak, lonely back, as though every shred of spirit had been drained from him.

Zhua Yun's heart ached, yet his gaze could not leave the old man's gaunt, stooped figure.

His master had devoted his entire life to the sect, putting forth theories of astonishing brilliance, only to end up in such a state!

Living under an assumed name, hiding underground, even drifting between lucidity and confusion—he still had to endure, in his later years, the torment of being misunderstood and unable to fulfill his ambitions.

No... I absolutely cannot let this end like this. Zhua Yun roared inwardly.

A powerful thought rampaged through his young chest.

His thoughts inevitably drifted to the boy who had fled in panic not long ago—Long Zhanye.

"Long Zhanye... You were once a celebrated genius, a thirteen-year-old Soul Ancestor, a miracle with Twin Martial Souls... But what about now?"

"Your First Martial Soul has been crippled, your heart meridians and foundation damaged, your life force flickering like a candle in the wind. You likely have less than three years left to live."

"From the clouds into the mire, from hope to 'trash,' unable even to peacefully live out the rest of your life..."

A cold, resolute gleam flashed in Zhua Yun's eyes. "Rather than letting you slowly exhaust your last bit of vitality in pain and resentment, without any value..."

"Why not... why not let your broken body burn one final time! If it succeeds, you can be reborn and may even become stronger than before!"

"If it fails... it will only bring forward an ending that was destined to come soon anyway."

His thoughts grew clearer and firmer. "This is not only for you, Long Zhanye. It is also for my master!"

"All he ever wanted was to prove that his theories were not empty fantasies, to let the Body Sect go further."

"He needs an opportunity, a proof! And you... perhaps you are the only one who can bear his final hope."

"To fulfill my master's wish and preserve a sliver of possibility for the sect's future! Would that not be more meaningful than quietly rotting away?"

Zhua Yun's gaze shifted from hesitation to sharpness, like a dagger drawn from its sheath.

He was unwilling, utterly unwilling, to watch his master remain immersed in the sorrow and despair of being misunderstood during the final years of his life.

He decided that he had to do something, even if... it required a desperate gamble, even if he had to persuade a boy to walk a path never traveled before, a perilous road with life and death unknown.

A few days later, an opportunity that seemed accidental arose.

On a relatively secluded corridor within the Body Sect, Zhua Yun "happened upon" Long Zhanye, who was taking a walk alone.

Zhua Yun swiftly adjusted his expression, putting on a warm and courteous demeanor as he approached.

"Junior Brother, please wait." Zhua Yun's voice was gentle.

Long Zhanye stopped and looked at the unfamiliar young man with some confusion.

The other man was tall and straight, handsome in appearance, steady in bearing, and dressed in the sect's disciple robes.

Long Zhanye felt that he looked somewhat familiar, yet he could not remember where he had seen him.

As he pondered, an image flashed through his mind like lightning—the young figure beside the Mad Old Man!

Long Zhanye's heart tightened, and he instinctively became wary.

But then he remembered Elder Xu's confident assurance—"That old fellow isn't a bad person."

Seeing the young man's warm, courteous demeanor and lack of ill intent, his newly risen vigilance eased somewhat.

Perhaps this person was simply a relatively normal disciple or assistant serving that "Mad Old Man"?

"You are...?" Long Zhanye asked hesitantly.

"My name is Zhua Yun. I serve as an Outer Sect Supervisory Disciple of the Body Sect." Zhua Yun nodded slightly as he introduced himself.

"Forgive my abruptness, but there are some... matters that may be extremely important to you, Junior Brother, which I wish to discuss with you privately. Would you be willing to speak elsewhere?"

His attitude was sincere, and his reason seemed legitimate enough.

Long Zhanye hesitated for a moment, but ultimately nodded. With a measure of curiosity, he followed behind Zhua Yun.

The two walked one before the other through several winding corridors and around several secluded courtyards.

They eventually arrived at a deserted corner of the sect's rear mountain, surrounded only by jagged rocks and sparse shrubs.

Only after confirming that there were no other eyes or ears nearby did Zhua Yun stop and turn to face Long Zhanye.

The warm smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by a grave and direct expression.

"Junior Brother," Zhua Yun went straight to the point. His voice was low, carrying a sharpness that could not be avoided. "I know you."

"I know that you were once the sect's Radiance Ten Thousand Zhang genius, a thirteen-year-old Soul Elder with limitless prospects. But I also know that now... you are no longer that person."

Long Zhanye's face instantly turned even paler. His lips pressed tightly together, and he did not refute him. Only the fingers hanging at his sides curled slightly.

Watching his reaction, Zhua Yun continued in that calm yet cruel tone, "To put it bluntly."

"With your current physical condition, your heart meridians damaged, your foundation nearly destroyed, and your life force constantly draining away..."

"You and I both know that you probably... do not have much time left. At most, three years."

"From a genius expected by all to someone who can barely make it through each day, someone on the verge of death who may even need others' pity... Long Zhanye, are you truly willing to accept that?"

"Are you really willing to resign yourself to fate and wait in despair and resentment for the day your life is completely extinguished?"

"I'm not willing!" Long Zhanye blurted out almost instantly.

The pride and stubbornness embedded in the boy's bones were completely ignited at that moment.

He raised his head and stared directly at Zhua Yun. "How could I possibly be willing?!"

"But... what can unwillingness do? Even Elder Xu, even the sect..."

The rest of his words turned into a choked sob filled with helplessness.

Seeing Long Zhanye's reaction, Zhua Yun knew he had struck his weak point.

He abruptly changed direction, his tone taking on a faint, almost imperceptible note of temptation. "If... if I said that I have a way—no."

"More accurately, I know someone who may have a way, someone who might be able to... cure you, and perhaps even..."

"Give you the chance to return to the path of cultivation. Would you be willing to try?"

"What?!" Long Zhanye's eyes flew wide open, as though he could not believe his ears.

An astonishing light instantly burst from his eyes. He hurriedly stepped forward, his voice rising. "Really?"

"Senior Brother Zhua Yun, is what you said true? Is there really... a way to cure me?"

As though afraid Zhua Yun would take it back, he hastily added, "If... if there truly is a chance, even if it is only the slightest hope, even if I must pay any price, I am willing!"

"I'm willing to try!!!"

The instinct to survive and his desire to regain his strength overwhelmed every rational consideration Long Zhanye had at that moment.

"Good!" This was exactly what Zhua Yun had been waiting to hear. He nodded, his expression becoming even more solemn.

"Since you have such determination, I will not hide it from you. The one who can save you is not me, but my master."

"Your master?" Long Zhanye looked utterly confused. Images of the sect's highly respected elders flashed through his mind.

Yet not a single one of them could be connected to something as inconceivable as curing him.

Zhua Yun looked into his eyes and said each word distinctly, "Beneath Short Bridge, within the Underground Secret Chamber..."

"The one you encountered before and called the 'Mad Old Man' is my master."

"What?!" Long Zhanye was stunned and instinctively took half a step back.

His face was filled with disbelief and shock. "That... that Mad Old Man?! He... he is your master?!"

The terrifying and bizarre scene in the Underground Secret Chamber, the old man's skeletal face and crazed behavior, rose vividly in his mind again, filling him with instinctive resistance and fear.

"That's right." Zhua Yun nodded firmly, unsurprised by Long Zhanye's reaction.