"Heh, Young Master's arrangement suits me perfectly..." Though laced with doubt, Ye Jingyu offered a slight smile...

"That is excellent. Jingyu, since you are awake, I shall not linger. Ling'er is waiting for news from you in the palace; I must go tell her immediately," Luo Ruofeng said anxiously...

"Young Master, please go ahead. I am mostly recovered now..." The thought of Luo Ling'er worrying in the palace sent a pang of discomfort through Ye Jingyu...

"Mm, I am leaving now. Take good care of your injuries. Chen Qi, you shall remain by Jingyu's side and assist him properly," Luo Ruofeng nodded, then spoke to Chen Qi standing nearby...

"As you command, Third Young Master," Chen Qi bowed respectfully...

With that, Luo Ruofeng said no more, turning and walking out. Chen Qi, Bieli, and the others naturally followed to see him off...

Finally, Ye Jingyu and Zhuge Yishi were the only ones left in the room. Even Chi Yixiu and Lin Xiaoyi had withdrawn...

"Brother Zhuge, where is your sister?" Looking at the intelligent youth before him, Ye Jingyu did not immediately press the questions on his mind. Instead, he remembered the stunning maiden who had saved him. Now that he was awake, why was she nowhere to be seen?

"Sister knew you were safe and already departed yesterday," Zhuge Yishi replied calmly...

"Departed? Where to?" Ye Jingyu was momentarily stunned...

"I do not know. Sister is a physician; her dream is to travel the world and aid every patient in need," Zhuge Yishi shook his head, displaying an air of reluctance, yet his eyes were filled with respect...

"And you just let her go like that?" Ye Jingyu nearly leaped from the bed. Zhuge Siyu was a young woman, and so beautiful? Traveling the world alone—wasn't that extremely perilous?

"Brother Jingyu need not worry. Although Sister has no martial arts skill, she possesses sufficient ability for self-preservation." Although Ye Jingyu had not spoken plainly, Zhuge Yishi was a perceptive man; how could he not understand Ye Jingyu's meaning?

Seeing Zhuge Yishi's candid gaze and confident smile, Ye Jingyu was momentarily silenced. He was her full brother; surely he cared for his sister? Was he overthinking things?

"Very well then. Let us discuss our current issue. I want to know why you suddenly appeared there that day. Do not tell me it was merely a coincidence," Ye Jingyu sighed softly, lifting his gaze to Zhuge Yishi...

"Heh, how many coincidences are there in this world? That mechanical beast was a Level Four construct that took me countless hours of effort to create over the years. To save you, it was utterly destroyed by that assassin named Miao. I grieved its loss deeply," Zhuge Yishi smiled faintly...

Ye Jingyu remained silent, merely looking up at Zhuge Yishi, his eyes full of inquiry...

"Do you believe in fate?" Zhuge Yishi did not immediately answer Ye Jingyu's question but instead posed one of his own...

"Fate? I only believe that my destiny must be grasped by my own hand," Ye Jingyu stated faintly after a moment of deep thought...

"You speak correctly. Everyone’s destiny should be seized by themselves. However, when every individual exerts their utmost to fulfill their destiny and attempts to control it, they are startled to find that everything they have done was, in fact, an arrangement of fate itself," Zhuge Yishi did not deny Ye Jingyu's words but instead uttered something profoundly philosophical...

Hearing this, Ye Jingyu asked no more questions, simply gazing at Zhuge Yishi. Perhaps this was what fate truly was?

Like himself—arriving in this world for no discernible reason—was it fate's design or merely a jest?

"Our Zhuge family has been a lineage spanning thousands of years. We have remained detached from the world, rarely involving ourselves in worldly conflicts. This is not due to an inherently detached nature, but because we carry a critical mission,"

"A mission?" Ye Jingyu was startled. Why was this conversation becoming increasingly mysterious?

"Indeed, a mission. A mission to change this world," Zhuge Yishi said quietly, yet his eyes shone with unwavering resolve...

"Change this world? Then tell me, what kind of world is this exactly?" Although Zhuge Yishi's words were cryptic, Ye Jingyu felt no sense of being deceived. He was simply bewildered, deeply perplexed as to why, in a world composed of Soul Masters and Martial Artists, such exquisite mechanical beasts existed...

"I do not know either, which is why I came to your side," Zhuge Yishi shook his head. This was not only his question but one inherited by the Zhuge family through generations...

"What does this have to do with me?" Ye Jingyu felt his head growing heavy...

"An ancestor of ours once prophesied that when a person capable of mastering both Martial Skills and Soul Arts appears, it will be the time when the continent's structure shifts. He will be the one to lead us in uncovering this world's secret," Zhuge Yishi stated calmly...

"A prophecy? Dual Cultivation of Soul and Martial Arts? Don't tell me that in all these years, the Douhun Continent has never seen a single person who cultivates both?" Ye Jingyu looked at Zhuge Yishi with focused intensity...

"There have been, but none have ever succeeded. Regardless of how superior their innate talent, no one has managed success. A Martial Artist remains just that—a Martial Artist, forever unable to reach the Manifest Soul Realm. A Soul Master remains a Soul Master, forever unable to cultivate true Qi. Only you have reached the Condensing Soul Realm in soul power, and your martial skills are nearing the Innate Realm," Zhuge Yishi asserted with certainty...

At this point, Ye Jingyu finally recalled that he truly had never heard of anyone practicing dual cultivation. When his dual cultivation was first discovered, many showed surprised expressions. He hadn't thought much of it then, but now, it seemed that over all these years, he might indeed be the only one on the Douhun Continent practicing both.

Could this truly be fate's design?

Yet, deep in his core, Ye Jingyu was a man who refused to bow to fate. How could he believe something so utterly inconceivable?

A single person predicting events hundreds, even thousands of years into the future—how was that possible?

"Actually, Brother Jingyu, you need not dwell on this matter too heavily. You can simply choose to treat it as non-existent. As long as you find that I mean you no harm, that is sufficient," Seeing Ye Jingyu's thoughtful expression, Zhuge Yishi said calmly...