"If you're worried about him, you could just take him with you. There's no need to insist that he train on his own."
"If you were to help him, his rate of growth would be at least ten times faster than it is now," the old ape said.
It was evident that the old ape was somewhat reluctant to part with Chu Feng. He didn't want to send Chu Feng off alone to scrape by in the Higher Realms — after all, the Higher Realms were more than a hundred times more dangerous than the Hundred Refinements Mortal Realm.
"If I were to help him, he could indeed become a powerhouse who commands entire starfields — and in a short time at that."
"But he would stop there. He would find it very difficult to become someone who commands the entire Outer World," Chu Xuanyuan said.
"But didn't you help Zi Ling too?" the old ape said.
"Feng'er is different from Zi Ling. Zi Ling's natural talent is limited — I had to help her improve it, or she would never have had a chance to catch up to Feng'er."
"But Feng'er's talent is excellent. Even without my help, he will surely grow steadily on his own."
"And only by having no one to rely on, by fighting forward with nothing but his own strength, is it possible for him to carve out a path of martial cultivation that belongs to him."
"Only by finding his own path — not by copying someone else's — can he hope to go further," Chu Xuanyuan said.
"In the end, you're simply willing to let him go. Any other father probably wouldn't do this," the old ape said with a hint of reproach.
"Someday, Feng'er will understand. I'm doing this for his own good," Chu Xuanyuan said.
"But back then, you gave your word to Feng'er's mother — you promised to protect him properly."
"If she found out that this is how you've been protecting him, she might just kill you."
"No — if his mother learned that her son is enduring this kind of trial out in some distant starfield…"
"She'd probably tear her way over here without a second thought and drag him away by force," the old ape said with a grin.
"Knowing her personality, that's exactly what she would do. But… she can't. After all, what's keeping her trapped is—" At that point, Chu Xuanyuan's fists suddenly clenched, and the look in his eyes shifted.
At the same moment, the temperature of their surroundings plummeted. Layer upon layer of frost crept across the ground, and snowflakes began drifting through the sky above.
At this instant, not only was Chu Feng — still lying on the ground — shivering involuntarily, but even the old ape could feel the biting chill.
"Xuanyuan." Seeing this, the old ape quickly placed a hand on Chu Xuanyuan's shoulder.
Only then did Chu Xuanyuan notice the changes around him. His gaze softened, and a gentle aura radiated from his body. The snowflakes filling the sky dissipated, and the ice on the ground melted away.
"Everyone has a weak point, and yours is her. Forget it — I won't bring her up in front of you again," the old ape said helplessly.
He knew Chu Xuanyuan well, and precisely because he did, he understood just how composed and level-headed Chu Xuanyuan normally was.
Yet the mere mention of Chu Feng's mother was enough to make him lose control.
"Someday, I will save her," Chu Xuanyuan said suddenly.
"Xuanyuan, don't do anything rash. Her family is not one you can afford to provoke," the old ape urged.
The place where Chu Feng's mother was imprisoned was, in fact, her own family.
But the family she belonged to was far, far beyond ordinary.
They were not the overlord of some Higher Realm. They were not the ruler of some starfield.
They were a force renowned throughout the entire Outer World — a true colossus that stood at the pinnacle, revered by countless starfields and countless powers.
The Chu Heavenly Clan, though also rulers of the Higher Realms, were simply not in the same league as her family.
Even Chu Xuanyuan as he was now would be no match for them.
In fact, the gap was enormous.
"If I were going to do something reckless, I would have acted years ago — I wouldn't have waited until today."
"The truth is, I know very well that with her talent and status, even if her family has imprisoned her, they would never truly harm her."
"As long as she is safe, I have plenty of time to cultivate. No matter how powerful her family is, eventually I will be able to stand against them."
"But the most pressing matter right now is to find my father first," Chu Xuanyuan said.
"You investigated your father's fate years ago, and the results were not encouraging. If you dig deeper, the risks involved will be beyond estimation. Are you certain you want to go through with this?" the old ape asked.
"I must," Chu Xuanyuan answered without hesitation.
"Do you truly believe your father is still alive?" the old ape pressed.
"I can't say for certain." A flicker of sorrow crossed Chu Xuanyuan's eyes. "But if he's alive, I must see him. And if he's dead, I must see his remains."
"In that case, even if we don't bring Chu Feng along this time, won't we at least bring Zi Ling?"
"Chu Feng's talent speaks for itself. After all these years of training, he's grown considerably — he has the ability to face hardship on his own."
"But Zi Ling is not on his level. If you send her off alone as well and something goes wrong, how will you ever face Chu Feng?" the old ape asked.
"Zi Ling is my disciple after all. If she can't endure even this degree of hardship, then I would have wasted my efforts in guiding her."
"Besides, going there to train was Zi Ling's own choice. If something unexpected happens, I won't be to blame," Chu Xuanyuan said.