Chapter 81: Chapter 81: Mutual Generation of Killing and Seal

In this way, Chu Xuan’s life returned to its original rhythm.

The only change was that he became more diligent in his cultivation, full of motivation.

When Float Cloud Master learned that this little disciple was actually an old monster who had lived for thousands of years, his expression was very calm, treating him as usual.

Chu Xuan didn’t say it out loud, but he was very grateful to his master.

He confessed he didn’t have memories from the past and promised his master that no matter what happens in the future, he would never be an enemy to the sect.

Float Cloud Master only said one thing: "My promise to you hasn’t changed; the sect will always be your support."

Clearly, it was the same sentence from not long ago, but when Chu Xuan heard it, he felt an urge to almost shed tears.

He silently nodded, and from then on, Cyan Lotus Daoist Palace was his home. Even if one day he had to leave this place, he would do everything he could to protect it.

...

It’s also worth mentioning that since Qin Mengyao came back, she similarly focused on cultivation.

But for some reason, Chu Xuan felt an indiscernible sense of distance between him and his senior sister, and this was the root of where things didn’t feel quite right to him when Qin Mengyao first returned.

After the time they went out together to hunt the Poison Blood Profound Crocodile, their relationship had become much closer.

Although neither of them had said anything, their eye contact, slight physical touches, and conversations between them all had subtle differences from the past.

But now, ever since Qin Mengyao returned after her three years of training, their relationship seemed to reset to the time before that monster hunt.

Are they brother and sister in the sect?

Yes.

Is their relationship good?

It’s alright, but that’s all there is to it.

This made Chu Xuan feel somewhat lost and confused, wondering if he had done something wrong.

He even began to overthink, wondering if his senior sister fell for someone else after she went down the mountain.

In the end, it was the younger junior sister Xiao Yue who keenly noticed the senior brother’s unusual emotions, and thus volunteered to gather information from the senior sister’s side.

The result was Qin Mengyao chuckled and very surely said: she didn’t like anyone.

She told the junior sister to cultivate well and stop nosing around those pointless matters.

Thus, defeated, Yue the little girl had no choice but to return and report, and she also shared her opinion:

"I think the senior sister didn’t transfer her affection elsewhere, it’s more like she doesn’t want to waste time on romance."

"I even think she deliberately keeps a distance from you to avoid becoming more deeply involved in the future."

Although Xiao Yue’s words sounded like comforting Chu Xuan, he felt there was some truth to it.

Master Xuan Ji had once commented on Qin Mengyao’s character: focused on the Dao, extremely pure, not even wanting to talk about romance.

Chu Xuan recalled the words his senior sister said back then: "I see him as a younger brother."

He sighed deeply, extinguished these thoughts, and no longer proactively sought Qin Mengyao, focusing wholeheartedly on his cultivation.

With that, time passed quickly, and another two years went by.

...

In those two years, Chu Xuan actually spent only one year sharpening from late Foundation Establishment to its peak.

In other words, theoretically, he could have gone down the mountain a year ago to prepare for Core Formation.

Yet Chu Xuan remained on the mountain because the Hundred Flowers Feast was still far from being held.

On the other hand, he spent most of his last year on the mountain at Celestial Secret Peak, dedicating himself to studying the art of celestial divination and predictions.

This incident was a coincidence. Chu Xuan had originally not planned to engage in these "side jobs" so early.

It all began a year ago when he was sent by his master to retrieve an ancient book from the seventh floor of Cloud-Born Sea Tower, to deliver it to Uncle Master Xuan Ji at Celestial Secret Peak.

After all, not many people could enter that level. As a junior, he acted as an errand runner for the elders.

Uncle Master Xuan Ji was the elderly man holding a cane outside the mountain gate back in the day, who had once prevented Float Cloud Master from accepting Chu Xuan as a disciple.

Of course, Chu Xuan held no grievance against this true elder, as he proved to have an accurate judgment.

For Cyan Lotus Daoist Palace, Chu Xuan was just trouble—and a major trouble at that!

...

When Chu Xuan arrived, Uncle Master Xuan Ji was at the main hall of Celestial Secret Peak, deducing a massive divination disk.

The core of this stone divination disk was the Taiji Eight Diagrams, surrounded by the sixty-four hexagrams of the I Ching, with the outermost circle engraved with marks like the celestial equator, zodiac, constellations, and more.

Around the disk, there were spherical armillary spheres, elongated gnomons, cauldron-shaped astrolabes, and round sundials and other devices.

Moreover, the ceiling of this hall was open, with a gap shaped like an eight-diagram, making it convenient for the hall’s people to observe celestial phenomena at night, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon.

Uncle Master Xuan Ji’s eyes were fixed on the complex and intricate divination disk, occasionally pointing out a stream of magical power to rotate the disk, observing the changes in the hexagrams.

When Chu Xuan arrived, he didn’t even look up and just said, "Put it down."

Chu Xuan placed the ancient book aside, performed a courtesy, and was about to turn and leave, but at that moment, the old man, Xuan Ji, suddenly called out to him, "Wait."

The old man seemed to have just noticed who had arrived, looked at Chu Xuan with a very interested expression, and said:

"I’ve always been curious as to why your destiny seems so chaotic, so much so that even I can’t deduce it?"

"As I said back then, either your fate is extraordinary, or you possess an artifact that conceals destiny."

"Which do you think it is?"

Chu Xuan felt a bit nervous. He strongly suspected that the effect of concealing destiny was inherent to the Six Souls Banner. After all, if the secret revival of the Celestial Evil Demon Venerable could be divined by anyone, resurrection would be impossible.

At this moment, he had no choice but to muster the courage to reply, "Perhaps my fate is special."

Xuan Ji nodded, "Do you know what kind of fate you have?"

Chu Xuan shook his head.

Now Xuan Ji became even more interested, "I can help you deduce your fate and fortune, as long as you cooperate with me."

Chu Xuan hesitated. If he cooperated in deducing, and something was truly revealed, what if his true identity was exposed?

But refusing might seem guilty as well...

Never mind, Chu Xuan recalled his master’s care for him and felt there was no need to be overly guarded with his own people. Besides, he was also curious about what kind of fate he had.

Chu Xuan nodded, "How should I cooperate?"

Xuan Ji amiably held Chu Xuan’s hand, "First, tell me your birth details."

During this process, Xuan Ji first examined his facial features.

"Your features indicate a fate attracting romance, in the future, you may easily be troubled by affairs of the heart."

Fate attracting romance? Chu Xuan felt a bit helpless, and he began to ponder over his birth details.

Should he use the dates from this life? That didn’t seem right, he decided to use the dates from Earth; after all, that is his origin.

In his mind, he converted the Gregorian and Lunar calendars, aligning them with the heavenly stems and earthly branches, then reported his birth details in the order of year, month, day, and hour.

Xuan Ji nodded, closed his eyes slightly, pinched his fingers with his right hand, and deduced Chu Xuan’s chart based on the "Four Pillars of Destiny", then opened his eyes and said:

"Your fate carries Seven Killings, which is a ’Killing and Seal Mutual Birth’ fate, and it’s a top-tier pattern within this type."

"In this pattern, the principal of the fate is skilled both intellectually and militarily, gaining great achievements."

"There is a saying: ’The official creates the seal, the seal sustains the self, wealth and nobility are both attained. Killing does not depart from the seal, seal does not depart from killing, killing and seal mutually foster, and renown is achieved.’"

Although Chu Xuan could not fully understand, these were clearly auspicious words.

"Is it a good fate?"

"Yes, but this is merely what I deduced based on your birth details, it’s the manifestation."

Xuan Ji smiled, "In fact, this kind of charting, you could find a fortune teller in the mortal world who could tell you something ninety percent similar, but truly special fates cannot be deduced solely by birth details."

"What should be done then?" Chu Xuan asked.

Xuan Ji pondered for a moment, "Perhaps it’s best to leave it; just deducing your birth chart, I faintly felt that the menacing aura in your fate is quite strong."

"If an unexpected event occurs during further deduction, I fear I might cough up several liters of blood and lose a few years of life; I’m too old to afford that risk."

Chu Xuan felt speechless. It was your curiosity, your request for cooperation, and now you’re the one afraid when it comes down to it.

But on second thought, prying into the secrets of destiny is inherently dangerous, and for those in the fortune-telling business, curbing one’s curiosity is paramount.

Otherwise, discovering certain unfathomable things could either blind or shorten one’s life, even leading to sudden death on the spot.

Chu Xuan was about to take his leave when Xuan Ji held onto his hand without letting go, kindly suggesting, "How about I teach you, so you can deduce for yourself?"

Chu Xuan was truly at a loss for words, "Uncle, aren’t you afraid I’ll cough up several liters of blood and lose a few years of life instead?"

Xuan Ji coughed, not mentioning Chu Xuan’s youthful vigor which could handle a little bleeding, and simply said, "After all, it’s your own fate. Though your fate carries Seven Killings, it shouldn’t harm you, right?"

But Chu Xuan remained skeptical, "Isn’t there a saying in fortune-telling, ’Never divine for oneself, lest one perish without a doubt’?"

Xuan Ji replied, "That’s just advice to caution fortune-tellers, not a literal death sentence for attempting to divine oneself."

"Otherwise, there wouldn’t be practitioners always trying to incorporate some proficiency in divination, emulating by pinching fingers to deduce."

"Even though they only manage to create a hullabaloo without true understanding."

"For beginners like myself, forecasting one’s fate and future is often unclear, but predicting short-term fortunes and misfortunes is fine."

"One’s own fate doesn’t involve specific future events, so it’s naturally decipherable, and fortunately, my Celestial Destiny Divination Plate is a treasure that can compensate for your initial lack of expertise."

Chu Xuan thought about it, "If it’s just learning to deduce my own fate, is it difficult?"

"It might be a bit challenging for an ordinary person, but you have the Innate Dao Body. I believe with your comprehension, you can master it in three days." Xuan Ji said with a tone full of grand persuasion.