"Ancient Dragon City...? So are you still inside the Mystic Realm or not?" Meixiu asked him after hearing his story.
"I donāt think so."
"But you still have your cultivation base, right? Shouldnāt your cultivation base return to your original cultivation baseā maybe a little more after you leave the place?" Meixiu asked.
"Now that you mention it, I still had my Mystic Realm cultivation base at the Ancient Dragon City. Maybe itās a phenomenon because I didnāt leave the Mystic Realm the proper way?"
"Thatās the only logical explanation for it, I guess," Meixiu mumbled.
"Anyways, what are you going to do now? Do you have a way to return to the Mystic Realm?"
"I have no idea how to return, but the Dragon Emperor said heāll try to do something about it, so we can only rely on him for now."
"Do you want me to tell the Sect Master and the others?" Meixiu then asked.
"I donāt want them to worry so letās keep this a secret for now, and itās not like weāre in danger or anything," Yuan said.
"Okay."
Sometime later, Meixiu left his room whilst Yuan went back inside the game, mostly because he wanted to sleep in the Dragon Palace that was much more comfortable than his own room, just like Wang Xiuying.
"Ahhh, this bed is perfect..." Yuan closed his eyes and fully indulged himself in the comfort, feeling as though he was surrounded by fluffy clouds, and he quickly fell asleep.
The following morning, Yuan was woken up by a knock at the door.
"Yuan, are you awake?" Xi Meiliās voice resounded from outside.
"Yes... I am awake..." Yuan responded in a sleepy voice.
"I just want to let you know that breakfast will be ready soon so if youāre hungry, just go to the dining room in about an hour."
"Okay. Iāll be there." Yuan said to her.
Shortly after waking up, Yuan logged off for Meixiuās breakfast.
"By the way, Doctor Wang texted me this morning. He said that heāll be here in a bit."
"Okay."
About half an hour after breakfast, Doctor Wang knocked on their door.
"I know this is a bit earlier than usual, but Iāll be busy later, so I hope you donāt mind." Doctor Wang said after he arrived.
"Donāt worry about it, Doctor Wang. Iām grateful that you would come here even when youāre so busy."
Doctor Wang proceeded to check Yuanās health and body.
"As expected, your body is growing stronger and stronger. However, itās very weird that despite having a body thatās healthier than even some athletes, you are still unable to move your body, almost like there is an invisible force preventing you from moving."
"If I wasnāt a doctor, I would believe that you had been cursed or something." Doctor Wang said.
"Cursed? Haha... Thatās very funny, Doctor Wang." Yuan chuckled, as he didnāt believe in these kinds of things.
"I am serious, Young Master. Your situation makes no sense at all. Youāre not sick. Your body is fine. We have tested your blood, your bones, your musclesā everything. However, we couldnāt find anything wrong with your body. I also donāt believe in superstitions, but your situation is making me doubt my own beliefs!" Doctor Wang said.
"..."
After a moment of silence, Yuan said, "Meixiu, are you here?"
"Yes, I am."
"Sorry, but can you leave for a moment? Iād like to speak with Doctor Wang privately."
"Okay," Meixiu said before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.
"Weāre alone now, Young Master. What do you have for me?" Doctor Wang asked him.
Yuan didnāt say anything, only lifting one of his arms a little off the bed.
"WHAT?! Y-YOUā"
"Lower your voice, Doctor Wang!" Yuan quickly interrupted him.
Doctor Wang subconsciously covered his mouth with his hands, and he stared at Yuan with his eyes wide with shock.
Once heād calmed down enough, he spoke, "Y-Young Master... Since when can you...?"
"A couple of weeks ago, I guess," Yuan said.
"Iām sorry for keeping this a secret, but I wanted to wait until I could move properly so that I could surprise you all."
"Who else besides myself knows about this?" Doctor Wang asked him.
"Only you and Miss Meifeng know about this," Yuan said.
"Meifeng? Meixiuās mother?"
"Yes."
"Tell me more about this, Young Master. Did it suddenly happen? Or did you do something special?" Doctor Wang asked.
"Well... My recovery began when I started playing Cultivation Online."
"What? That super popular game thatās currently dominating the world? My granddaughter also plays it."
"This is going to sound crazy, but I think the game somehow affects our real body as well. Although I have no concrete proof, I have a feeling thatās what is happening." Yuan said.
"Indeed, that does sound a little... No, it definitely sounds crazy." Doctor Wang agreed with him.
"I know, but Doctor Wang, do you remember when I was covered in that smelly stuff?"
"The impurities? Thereās no way I could ever forget about that, and I can still smell the stench very clearly." Doctor Wang shuddered just thinking about the stench.
"Well, to tell you the truth, that also happened to me when I was playing the game. I ate some kind of treasure that cleansed all of the impurities from my body. When I logged off the game, I was shocked to find out that itād also happened to my real body."
"Hmmm..." Doctor Wang pondered with a serious look on his face.
"I understand. I will do my own investigation as well. If itās true that this game can somehow affect the real body, it will have some serious implications that could change the world." Doctor Wang said.
"Oh, Iāll also keep this matter between us, so you donāt have to worry about that."
"Thank you, Doctor Wang."
"Anyways, itās a great thing that youāre finally recovering. Itās been long overdue. I cannot wait to see you walk on your own again." Doctor Wang said with a genuine smile on his face.