Inside the hall, sandalwood incense curled in the air, yet it could not dispel the heavy, almost stagnant atmosphere.
Chen Xiaotian sat upright in the primary seat, his expression solemn.
Li Xiulian sat below him, her hands tightly clutching a handkerchief, her fingertips turning white from the force.
Tear stains remained on her face, yet she forced herself to remain calm, her expression carrying a hint of panic and expectation.
Both of their gazes were focused on the entrance of the hall.
The sound of footsteps approached, and two graceful figures entered the hall, led by a servant.
The one walking in front was none other than Ji Siyu.
She wore a plain white dress adorned with faint ice-blue patterns, looking like flowing moonlight—cold, elegant, and ethereal.
However, this peerless grace that should have been captivating was overshadowed by the deep exhaustion and sorrow etched between her brows.
Though she was beautiful, at this moment, her beauty was fragile and heartbreaking.
The guilt and regret she felt for Chen Chuan made her appear weak and helpless, even though she possessed world-shaking Aptitude.
Following behind her was her younger sister, Ji Qingyu.
At this moment, Ji Qingyu had also restrained her usual lively nature, keeping her head low and eyes downcast, her face showing obvious guilt and unease.
"Uncle Chen, Auntie Li."
Ji Siyu gave a slight curtsy, her voice soft but carrying an imperceptible rasp.
Chen Xiaotian took a deep breath, suppressing the complex emotions in his heart, and raised his hand slightly to gesture for her to rise. "No need for such formalities. Please, sit."
Once Ji Siyu and Ji Qingyu were seated, the hall fell into a brief silence once again.
Chen Xiaotian’s fingers unconsciously rubbed the armrest of his chair.
He was the first to break the silence, his voice steady but carrying a deliberate sense of distance.
"Si Yu, your status is no longer what it used to be. You are now a Disciple of the Primordial Holy Land, possessing a Divine Grade Spiritual Root; your future is limitless."
"I, Chen Xiaotian, am not an unreasonable man, nor am I someone who lacks common sense."
He paused, looking sharply at Ji Siyu before continuing.
"Chuan’er is unruly and incapable of Cultivating. Now, he has even been expelled from the Family, his future utterly ruined."
"Compared to you, he is like mud compared to the clouds."
"This marriage was originally a transaction. Now that times have changed, if you feel it is a burden and wish to end this marriage, I, Chen Xiaotian, will say nothing against it, nor will I stand in your way."
He spoke these words decisively, as if he had rehearsed them countless times.
But only he knew the taste of the bitterness he felt as a father.
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Xiulian spoke up hurriedly, her voice choked with sobs and pleading.
"Si Yu, dear child, I know Chuan’er was a bastard before. He let you down, and he let many people down."
"Every mistake made was our fault; we didn’t raise him well."
"I only ask you, for the sake of past sentiment, not to hold a grudge against him. He is all alone out there now; he has suffered enough."
"If you leave him too, how will he survive?"
As she spoke, tears welled up again.
Ji Siyu listened quietly. A flash of bewilderment crossed her beautiful eyes, which then turned into deep bitterness.
She shook her head gently, a sorrowful smile touching the corners of her lips.
"You’ve misunderstood," she said softly but with exceptional clarity. "I, Ji Siyu, have never thought of ending my marriage with Chen Chuan."
What?
Chen Xiaotian and Li Xiulian were both stunned, their faces filled with disbelief.
Chen Xiaotian furrowed his brows, scrutinizing Ji Siyu, trying to find a hint of hypocrisy on her face.
But he only saw a landscape of open sorrow and determination.
Li Xiulian was dazed for a moment, and then a surge of immense joy flooded her heart.
The gloom on her face vanished instantly, replaced by excitement and ecstasy.
That’s wonderful!
With Si Yu here and the connection to the Primordial Holy Land, that girl from the Feng Family should finally have some reservations, right?
Chuan’er is finally saved.
Li Xiulian truly hadn’t expected that Ji Siyu wouldn’t despise Chen Chuan.
The confusion in Chen Xiaotian’s heart grew even stronger. He leaned forward slightly, his gaze piercing.
"Si Yu, your status is honorable now. Why are you still willing to stay with Chuan’er?"
"In terms of feelings, your marriage into the Chen Family was originally a pact between two families; there was no deep affection between you and Chuan’er."
"In terms of future prospects, he is even more of a burden to you. I truly cannot understand."
Chen Xiaotian paused and asked the core question directly: "If you didn’t come here today to draw a line between you, what is your purpose?"
Ji Siyu raised her eyes, which were shimmering with tears, filled with endless longing and worry.
She said softly, "I came to find Chen Chuan. I want to know if he has returned to the Chen Family. Is he doing well?"
To find Chen Chuan?
Chen Xiaotian and Li Xiulian once again looked puzzled.
Chen Xiaotian said in a heavy voice, "Chuan’er has not returned to the Chen Family. The Family’s punishment against him has not yet been revoked."
"He’s not here..." Ji Siyu murmured to herself, as if her last shred of hope had been shattered.
Her delicate frame swayed almost imperceptibly, and her face instantly turned even paler, devoid of all color.
Tears welled up in those beautiful eyes.
Tears rolled down like broken pearls, sliding down her haggard cheeks and dripping onto her plain white dress, leaving small wet stains.
She stubbornly bit her lower lip, refusing to let herself cry out loud.
But those silent tears were more heartbreaking than any loud wailing.
She appeared utterly lonely and exhausted.
Seeing her like this, Li Xiulian felt immense pity.
She quickly stood up, walked to Ji Siyu’s side, held her ice-cold hand, and asked repeatedly:
"Dear child, don’t cry. What happened between you two?"
Ji Siyu only shook her head, her tears falling even faster, choked up and unable to speak.
Seeing this, Ji Qingyu could no longer restrain herself. She stepped forward, her face full of guilt.
"It’s all my fault! I misunderstood Brother-in-law, which caused a fight between Sister and him, and that’s why he left."
"In fact, before this happened, Brother-in-law had already taken the initiative to sign a divorce letter for Sister."
A divorce letter?
Chen Xiaotian and Li Xiulian were profoundly shocked, nearly crying out in surprise.
One of the things they worried about most had actually been initiated by Chen Chuan himself?
Li Xiulian’s heart instantly leapt into her throat, and she looked nervously at Ji Siyu.
Ji Qingyu hurriedly added:
"But Sister didn’t sign it. She has already torn the divorce letter to shreds."
"Sister said she will never agree to a divorce in this lifetime."
Hearing this, the hearts of Chen Xiaotian and Li Xiulian finally settled back into place.
Both of them let out a long sigh of relief in unison.
Li Xiulian even patted her chest, feeling lingering fear. "Good for tearing it! Tearing it was the right thing to do!"
Chen Xiaotian’s face darkened as a surge of anger rose in his heart, and he slammed his hand down on the armrest.
"That rebellious son! How dare he write a divorce letter on his own! Does he still have parents in his eyes? Does he still care about the Chen Family?"
"If I find him, I’ll definitely break his legs!"
Although these words were an angry scolding, they contained a sense of relief and lingering fear of losing Ji Siyu as a daughter-in-law.
Li Xiulian also tightly held Ji Siyu’s hand, her tone incredibly firm.
"Si Yu, my good daughter-in-law, don’t worry. In this lifetime, I will only recognize you as my daughter-in-law."
"If that scoundrel dares to leave you, I’ll be the first to object."
Ji Siyu raised her tearful eyes, looking at her emotional parents-in-law, a warm current flowing through her heart.
She nodded forcefully, her voice soft but resolute. "In this life, I, Ji Siyu, will also have only one husband, and that is Chen Chuan."
Before coming to the Chen Family, within the Ji Family residence, her grandfather and various Elders had sat in a circle, earnestly trying to persuade her.
They wanted her to draw a line with Chen Chuan and have no further involvement with him.
The Ji Family high-level members stated that with Ji Siyu’s current status, no one would dare to force her into anything.
As long as she was willing to sever ties with the Chen Family, the Chen Family would not dare to offend her.
But Ji Siyu was firm in her stance, stating she would never leave Chen Chuan for the rest of her life.
The Ji Family high-level members had originally wanted to use force.
But the thought of the invisible pressure brought by the Primordial Holy Land ultimately left them speechless; they could only sigh and give up.
Since Chen Chuan hadn’t returned to the Chen Family, where exactly did he go?
Could he be in danger?
Ji Siyu’s longing and worry for Chen Chuan grew even more intense.
At that moment, Ji Qingyu spoke the news that Chen Chuan could Cultivate.
Upon learning that Chen Chuan could Cultivate, Chen Xiaotian’s first thought was that it was impossible.
After all, he knew his son’s situation very well.
He looked suspiciously at Ji Qingyu, then at Ji Siyu. "He can really Cultivate now?"
Ji Siyu nodded, her voice slightly raspy after crying. "Before I left Black Rock City, his cultivation had already reached the Ninth Level of Martial Dao."
"Ninth Level of Martial Dao?"
Boom!
This news was like a sudden clap of thunder, exploding in the minds of Chen Xiaotian and Li Xiulian.
Chen Xiaotian abruptly stood up from his seat, his eyes wide, his face filled with extreme shock and disbelief.
His originally dark and solemn face now bore an extremely complex expression, his muscles twitching slightly, as if he had heard the most absurd yet most exciting thing in the world.
His son, who was regarded as a waste in the Martial Dao, could actually Cultivate?
And he had quietly reached the Ninth Level of Martial Dao?
How was this possible?
Li Xiulian’s reaction was even more direct.
She was stunned for a moment, and then she burst into tears with a "wa" sound.
But these tears were completely different from her previous sorrow and despair.
This was crying for joy, a release of more than ten years of accumulated heartache and hopelessness finally bursting forth.
She tightly grabbed Chen Xiaotian’s arm, her words incoherent.
"Husband! Did you hear that?"
"Chuan’er can Cultivate; he’s not a waste anymore. My Chuan’er is not a waste."
"The heavens have opened their eyes. The heavens have truly opened their eyes."
She turned excitedly to Chen Xiaotian.
"Husband! Quick, send someone to find Chuan’er and bring him back."
"Bring him home. He must have suffered a lot. Quick, let him come back."
As Chen Xiaotian was shaken by his wife, he also slowly returned to his senses from the immense shock.
He took several deep breaths before he could barely suppress the surging waves in his heart.
He said in a heavy voice, "Find him? Easier said than done! In this vast sea of people, where do we even look?"
He turned his gaze to Ji Siyu, his tone much more serious.
"Si Yu, what exactly is going on?"
"Why would Chuan’er suddenly disappear?"
"What kind of misunderstanding actually happened between you two?"
He realized that Chen Chuan’s departure was probably not as simple as a couple’s quarrel.
Upon hearing this, the sorrow and guilt on Ji Siyu’s face deepened.
She opened her mouth but didn’t know how to explain.
Ji Qingyu lowered her head in shame, her voice as quiet as a mosquito’s buzz.
"It... it’s my fault. I mistakenly thought Brother-in-law was trying to behave indecently toward me, and I said many nasty things."
"Sister was also angry at the time, so she slapped Brother-in-law."
"In reality, Brother-in-law was the one who saved me. I only found out later."
Chen Xiaotian and Li Xiulian listened to this vague explanation.
Looking at Ji Siyu’s regretful expression, the two of them understood most of it.
It seemed their son, who once had a notorious reputation, had suffered a tremendous grievance!
Chen Xiaotian’s heart was filled with mixed emotions.
On one hand, he was ecstatic that his son could Cultivate.
On the other hand, he felt the current situation was quite troublesome.
He looked at the tearful Ji Siyu, sighed, and softened his tone considerably.
"A quarrel between a husband and wife is a common household matter. As long as the misunderstanding is resolved, everything will be fine."
"As for Chuan’er, when he returns, I will speak with him personally. The priority right now is to find him."
Li Xiulian also nodded repeatedly, her gaze toward Ji Siyu filled with pity and approval.
"Dear child, you’ve been wronged. Don’t worry, we will definitely find Chuan’er, and you two will surely be reunited."
However, neither the worried Ji Siyu and the Chen couple...
...nor the guilt-ridden Ji Qingyu...
...could have ever imagined that the Chen Chuan they were desperately searching for was not wandering in some desolate mountains or a border town.
At this moment, Chen Chuan had already arrived at the Holy Land of Cultivation in the hearts of all Martial Artists.
The Primordial Holy Land!
The towering, continuous mountain range was like a coiled dragon, and the mountain gate reaching into the clouds was magnificent and imposing.
Upon it, the two words "Taichu" flowed with Daoist charm, carrying a vast and majestic pressure.
In front of the mountain gate was a massive plaza.
It was currently a sea of people, gathering young talents from all corners of the Sacred Martial Continent, each with an extraordinary Aura and burning eyes.
The annual Primordial Holy Land Disciple Recruitment Ceremony was about to begin.
Chen Chuan stood in the bustling crowd, looking up at the sky above the majestic Holy Land.
There, spiritual cranes danced, and ten thousand rays of rosy light shone. Occasionally, powerful Auras swept past like startling swans.
His gaze was calm and deep, carrying a sense of determination and confidence born from enduring hardships.
"Primordial Holy Land, I have arrived."
He whispered to himself, the corners of his mouth curling into an imperceptible arc.
This stage, which gathered the top prodigies of the continent, would be the starting point where Chen Chuan truly became like a dragon returning to the sea, making his name known throughout the world.