The Decaying World-Chapter 101 - 96: Thoughts 2

"If my Qingfeng Temple’s Elder is unharmed, we can consider this matter over," Lin Hui stated his terms. "You started this conflict, so deaths were inevitable. Furthermore, Fu’an Town now belongs to my Qingfeng Temple, and you will compensate us with ten million coins as reparations."

"Agreed," Li Chi nodded readily. The moment he realized his opponent wasn’t from the Golden Crow Sect, he wanted to end this quickly.

Lin Hui hadn’t expected him to agree so readily and paused for a moment.

"Fine. The payment will be delivered within three days. Any problem with that?"

"None," Li Chi nodded again.

The two exchanged no more pleasantries, their gazes clashing. Li Chi raised a hand, signaling his sect members to move aside.

Everyone scrambled to clear a path.

Coincidentally, the path they cleared was the very line of blood Lin Hui had carved on his way in.

This bloody path was littered with bodies sliced in two. A single glance revealed at least a hundred of them.

"I’ve learned a great deal today." Li Chi cupped his fist in a slight bow.

Lin Hui snorted coldly. His figure vanished, kicking up a gale of wind. He snatched Wang Hongshi, who was standing nearby, and disappeared from everyone’s sight.

This battle had revealed the sheer power and infuriating resilience of the Circulation Realm. With nearly limitless Inner Strength of a higher quality and intensity, the defensive capabilities of a Circulation Martial Artist were absurdly high.

He was far, far stronger than even Song Zhanlong.

By comparison, an Upper-Tier Summoner like Wang Yueheng was actually easier to handle. The Sealed Poison could take effect on direct contact. A Summoner’s Inner Strength barrier was nowhere near as strong as a Circulation Martial Artist’s and could be broken easily.

’So the Circulation Realm counters me more than I expected. If I had learned the Special Effects of the Gale Swordsmanship, perhaps I could have won this time. What a pity...’ Lin Hui felt a pang of regret as he held onto Wang Hongshi with one hand.

This battle had exposed many weaknesses. After finding Xue Meng and treating the injured disciples, it would be time to address these shortcomings.

’Perfect Swordsmanship is of little use against someone like Li Chi. Even if his movements were halted, I couldn’t break through his Inner Strength barrier. Besides, I suspect his resistance to mental attacks is far stronger than that of a typical Inner Power Realm Martial Artist...’

Before leaving, Lin Hui had used the circle-drawing technique of his Perfect Swordsmanship several times, but unfortunately, his opponent acted as if he hadn’t seen it. It was completely useless.

He descended the mountain in one go. As his figure reappeared, he suddenly glanced to his right.

A Martial Artist carrying a strange weapon was turning to walk away in the distance.

He was clearly one of the people who had been watching the fight from the shadows.

In fact, if he hadn’t sensed so many eyes on him from the shadows, Lin Hui would have been tempted to drag the fight out with Li Chi for a whole day, just to see who would break first.

A pity... the environment and conditions didn’t allow for it.

Carrying the now-dizzy Wang Hongshi, he took a step forward and vanished once more.

Regardless, with so many observers, the goal of this trip had been achieved.

Next was to find Xue Meng. If Xue Meng was dead, he would return and kill a few more Inner Power Realm martial artists from the Flying Stone Sect to avenge him.

If he was fine, then the matter would be settled.

*

*

*

「Three days after the battle at the Flying Stone Sect.」

The name of Observatory Master Lin Hui of Qingfeng Temple, the Invisible Sword, spread like a kite released to the wind, traveling farther and farther.

It spread rapidly in all directions from its epicenter in Fu’an Town. The surrounding factions that had been oppressed by the Flying Stone Sect were the first to send representatives to visit Qingfeng Temple.

But Lin Hui couldn’t be bothered with them. He and Li Chi were in a state of mutual deterrence.

He worried Li Chi would directly attack his sect’s headquarters. Li Chi worried he would ambush his sect members outside.

With both sides wary of the other, they both dutifully abided by their agreement.

The money and compensatory healing medicines were quickly delivered to the headquarters.

And Xue Meng, covered in injuries, returned from the Fog Area on his own before Lin Hui even had to search for him.

"What!? You actually went and fought Li Chi!? And you didn’t lose!?"

「Inside Qingfeng Temple.」

Xue Meng shot up from his chair, his eyes wide with disbelief.

It would be one thing if he didn’t understand the Circulation Realm, but he happened to be an Inner Power Realm Martial Artist who had witnessed its level of power firsthand. That was why he knew just how absurd and terrifying that kind of strength was.

The profligate use of limitless Inner Strength transformed a Circulation Martial Artist from the careful, sparing use of power seen in the Inner Power Realm to a lavish, extravagant expenditure.

This extravagance, naturally, also brought with it a massive increase in power and destructive range.

In the main hall, Xue Meng, wrapped in bandages, stared dumbfounded at Lin Hui, who was sitting in a grandmaster chair, sipping his tea.

"Really? You really clashed with Li Chi!?" he asked again, still doubtful.

"It was inside the Flying Stone Sect’s headquarters. The traces are still there. If you hurry, you can see them for yourself," Lin Hui said nonchalantly.

Putting down his teacup, he looked calmly at Xue Meng.

"I killed a lot of people this time. It should buy the sect a few years of peace."

"The Flying Stone Sect’s count says you killed a total of one hundred and thirty-five people, including three Inner Power Realm Martial Artists—no, it should be four," Wang Yueheng, sitting on the other side, said, somewhat speechless.

"The reputation of Qingfeng Temple’s Invisible Sword has now spread throughout the region. You’ve really made a name for yourself in a single battle," he remarked with a sigh. "What are your plans now?"

"Now that we’ve drawn a clear boundary with the Flying Stone Sect, we will manage things accordingly. Qingfeng Temple is still too weak. This battle exposed many problems. A lack of masters and not enough elites are the biggest issues. I plan to first hold an internal tournament to select the ten most promising disciples. Then, I’ll focus on training them to create an elite force, aiming for them to break through to the Inner Power Realm. This will prevent the sect from always having to rely on just me and Elder Xue," Lin Hui replied.

"An excellent idea! I agree!" Xue Meng nodded repeatedly.

"After that, I’ll continue my own training. On the path of Martial Arts, I’m still far from my limit, so I must keep practicing." Lin Hui’s next plan was to diligently practice Alchemy, consume elixirs, accelerate the evolution of his Blood Seal, and complete the Body Tempering from the Gale Swordsmanship to obtain the Wind of Surrounding special effect.

"Also, Brother Wang, I’d like to ask you about the Tuyue Jade Talisman. How much do you know about it?"

"The Tuyue Jade Talisman?" Wang Yueheng was taken aback, then pondered for a moment. "That item is made by the Government Office and the Rain Palace. It can ward off the night fog. The specific method of creation is unknown, but I suggest you don’t dig too deep. This item’s influence is immense; it’s not something you should get involved with right now."

"Alright. Then we’ll focus on the tournament and the celebration first." Lin Hui could tell Wang Yueheng’s advice was serious.

For even an Upper-Tier Summoner like him to say so... as partners with shared interests, there was no reason for Wang Yueheng to deceive him on this matter.

"By the way, do you want to take a trip to the Inner City?" Wang Yueheng asked. "At your current level, staying in the Outer City won’t help you much. Only the resources of the Inner City can help you advance your Inner Strength more quickly."

"We’ll talk about it later. There’s no rush for now." Lin Hui knew he was offering to introduce him to his connections.

But he paid it no mind. This recent battle had made it clearer than ever that strength was the only true currency.

After discussing the upcoming arrangements, Lin Hui saw Wang Yueheng out and once again entered a state of intense training.

Taking elixirs, practicing Alchemy, training with his sword, and repeat.

He barely rested, even compressing his sleep at night to the bare minimum required.

Meanwhile, in the wake of the battle with the Flying Stone Sect, Qingfeng Temple’s reputation grew rapidly, heralding a second spring of development.

Within just two months, a large number of paying students enrolled, and many skilled Martial Artists flocked to join. The scale of Qingfeng Temple expanded as if it were being inflated.

Soon, a celebration in honor of Observatory Master Lin Hui, the Invisible Sword, and his new technique officially began at the Black Dragon Sect’s branch.

Numerous disciples, surrounding families, and nearby martial arts dojos all sent gifts.

Because it was rumored that Observatory Master Lin was fond of women and often purchased large quantities of aphrodisiacs, everyone tacitly agreed to send him energy-boosting medicines, primarily aphrodisiacs.

At the same time, the event following the celebration was the internal sect tournament.

The tournament followed Qingfeng Temple’s previous rules, successfully selecting the top ten disciples, who then began their focused, resource-intensive training.

The disciples who had been injured and sent to the Inner City to have their severed limbs reattached returned safely, their surgeries having been a great success.

The dust settled on everything.

Qingfeng Temple had also reached a point where it could operate on its own without Lin Hui’s constant attention.

*

*

*

「Winter passed and spring arrived.」

「Mid-April, at the Lin Mansion.」

A woman’s pained cries echoed continuously from the inner courtyard.

In the open space of the front courtyard, Lin Shunhe, Yao Shan, the Liu Family siblings, and Lin Hui had all gathered.

Everyone was staring toward the inner courtyard, listening to the various instructions from the Inner City physician mixed in with the cries.

Liu Shenglan was in labor. After being pregnant for so long, the day had finally come.

Lin Hui stood behind his father, his expression calm.

He hadn’t had much contact with Liu Shenglan. Ever since she had come to their home to await childbirth, he had been at Qingfeng Temple practicing his swordsmanship. He rarely went out, only occasionally returning to see his parents.

He had only met the Liu Family siblings a few times and had barely exchanged words with them.

To him, Liu Shenglan and her siblings were strangers; he felt nothing towards them.

They were like three strangers—he neither drew close to them nor pushed them away.

"Ah Hui, don’t worry, it’ll be fine. The physicians from the Inner City are much better than the ones out here," Lin Shunhe suddenly said. It was the third time he had said something similar.

"I know. You’ve said that already," Lin Hui replied calmly.

He glanced at his mother, Yao Shan. Her expression was fine, showing no signs of anything unusual. Instead, she had a look of sincere worry, which clearly showed that she had gotten along well with Liu Shenglan during this time.

An unknown amount of time passed.

WAAAH!

Finally, a piercing cry drifted out from the inner courtyard.

"Success! It’s a girl! Congratulations, Master, congratulations, Madam!" the physician’s celebratory voice floated out.

A crowd of people quickly rushed into the inner room, where they saw the wrinkled infant held in the female physician’s arms.

"Her name... I’ve thought about it for a long time. Let’s call her Lin Xiaoliu..." Lin Shunhe, his face beaming with uncontrollable joy, stepped forward to carefully take the baby and brought her to Liu Shenglan’s bedside.

"She will be the future hope of our Lin Family!" he said with earnest sincerity.

A child with the aptitude of the Liu Family bloodline could absolutely not fail to perform a Summoning; this was determined by Inner City bloodlines. Liu Shenglan’s bloodline was far from being diluted enough to warrant leaving the Inner City.

Therefore, it was basically certain that Lin Xiaoliu’s bloodline would be one hundred percent capable of Summoning.

In other words, she was born with a better starting point than Lin Hui.

Lin Hui stood by the doorway, quietly watching the scene unfold.

Suddenly, a hand gently squeezed his. It was his mother, Yao Shan.

She gave him a gentle smile.

"You are already very outstanding. Some things are fated. You shouldn’t force them."

She thought her son was jealous—jealous that his newborn sister already had a higher starting point than him.

Lin Hui just smiled, offering no explanation.

In the past two months, he had successfully pushed his Inner Strength to the Fifth Layer. He was about to reach the Perfection Sixth Layer.

Such a terrifying speed perfectly demonstrated the frightening power of the perfect version of the Qingfeng Sword.

Many people thought that his future, no matter how strong he became, would regrettably stop at the Sixth Layer of Inner Strength.

But no one could understand that after the Sixth Layer of Inner Strength, he would embark on a path completely different from anything in this world.

Thinking of this, Lin Hui suddenly felt something and glanced out the window to his right.

In a corner there, he could vaguely see Elder Du speaking with a few strangers clad in black robes.

’Father seems to be hiding some secret...’ The thought flashed through Lin Hui’s mind.

’Forget it. Let him be. Whatever the secret is, it’s fine as long as nothing goes wrong.’

Lin Hui’s heart returned to a state of calm.

For his father to have made it this far, it was only natural that he wasn’t like an ordinary person. It was normal for him to have secrets.

As long as there was no danger, he couldn’t be bothered to interfere.

In reality, Lin Hui had always considered himself the Lin Family’s final safety net.

No matter what his father got up to, it was fine if nothing happened. But if something did, and things truly reached a point of no return...

He would step in to take care of it.