"Elder...." Bai Mingwei was resistant, but she didn’t dare to move.

She soon felt the hand slip silently inside her collar and begin to toy with the sensitive parts of her body....

An hour later...

Bai Mingwei collapsed limply onto the leather chair. After putting her clothes back on, she stumbled out of the hall.

She had never imagined that coming to report on the Good Heart Sect’s recent major developments would end with her being accosted and toyed with by an elder.

The repression and rage in her heart made her want to go back and vent her frustrations on some lower-level Original Bloods.

As for the roster? What roster?

She had already forgotten the thing she had treasured so dearly just an hour ago.

After she left, the elder with short, white hair reappeared at the edge of the hall. He held the roster Bai Mingwei had brought, a faint smile on his lips. He rubbed his fingers together.

Without even being opened, the roster silently disintegrated, turning into countless specks of dust that scattered to the floor.

"What’s wrong? Who’s made you angry this time?"

A woman’s lazy voice transmitted from a distance.

"It’s nothing. Just a child I had my eye on. Someone is interfering, trying to disrupt my arrangements, so I came to deal with it ahead of time. It has nothing to do with your Extreme Desire Heaven," the short, white-haired man said casually.

"Good. I was wondering what you from the Taixu Origin Plate were doing running around our territory for no reason." The woman’s voice sounded slightly relieved, and she said no more.

The white-haired man smiled and gave a slight bow in the direction of the eight elders of Extreme Desire Heaven, then his figure flickered and vanished.

Thus, a major upheaval within the Good Heart Sect was completely averted before it could even begin.

*

*

*

Outer Fog Area.

The sky was gray and dim.

Amid the fog, Lin Hui moved forward rapidly, holding Xia Si by the back of her collar with one hand.

Gales howled and spun around them, but before the winds could draw near, they were parted by the Wind of Surrounding, sliding to either side and reducing drag.

Like a fish in the sea, Lin Hui moved freely through the currents of air generated by his high-speed movement, accelerating wildly.

The speed terrified Xia Si so much that she didn’t dare say a word. She was afraid that distracting Lin Hui would cause them to crash headfirst into something.

By her estimation, if they crashed into something at this speed, she would suffer grievous injuries, even with her innate Copper Skin and Iron Bones.

After all, even Copper Skin and Iron Bones had its limits.

Before long, just before nightfall, the fog ahead began to thin.

A vast expanse of gray stone ruins appeared in their vision.

The ruins were situated among rolling hills and mountains. Some were built at the base of the mountains, extending all the way up from the foot.

Others consisted only of dilapidated palace towers on the peaks.

Some even floated in mid-air, supported by large rocks resembling floating islands.

"This is the labyrinth. This place is naturally free of fog, but it’s extremely dangerous inside. Even monsters are unwilling to enter and will usually go around it," Xia Si explained.

"Why?"

"Because once you go in, getting out is... Don’t be fooled by its size. The labyrinth doesn’t just confuse you with its terrain, it messes with your mind. Once you’re inside, you completely lose your sense of direction. According to my dad, all the cardinal directions will randomly shift at irregular intervals," Xia Si explained.

Hearing this, Lin Hui felt a stir of interest.

’A natural No-Fog Zone, and this labyrinth is practically a natural isolation formation, isn’t it? Once my Blood Seal finishes evolving, I’ll come back and give this place a try. If I can find a way to control it... my future safe base will be secured, without a doubt.’

The two of them circled the periphery for a while before returning to the burrows of Miyin Village at nightfall to rest for the night.

Lin Hui began formally teaching Xia Si the Perfection version of the Seven-Section Quick Sword.

In a single night, Xia Si shot past the Seventh Grade and reached the level of Eighth Grade Body Tempering.

’This girl is really something else,’ Lin Hui thought with growing awe.

The next morning, the two set off on the road back to Tuyue.

It took them four hours to return to Qingfeng Temple. Lin Hui had Wang Hongshi arrange lodging and food for Xia Si, and added her name to the disciple roster.

After completing his routine cultivation, he started his daily regimen of taking medicine and searching all available channels for any new Treasure Medicines that had arrived.

Meanwhile, Xia Si had just arrived in the No-Fog Zone, and we won’t detail the process of her senior brothers and sisters helping her adapt to city life.

Time passed.

In the blink of an eye, a year went by in this cycle of repetitive cultivation and exploration...

The evolution of the Nine Heavens Gate went from 48 to 39, still a long way from completion.

However, Lin Hui’s cultivation of Typhoon Swordsmanship had finally reached the Sixth Grade. At the Sixth Grade, he could faintly sense an inexplicable resonance from the wind around him, a correspondence with a vast, unknown power in the outside world.

It was like a person’s breath.

The wind, too, had a breath.

The breakthrough to the Sixth Grade didn’t increase his speed again. Instead, it brought a new change to his perception.

As he perceived this resonance of the wind, Lin Hui clearly felt his Heart and Spirit growing faster and faster, and his mental acuity improving. When he cultivated the Illusionary Performance Technique, his progress also quickened.

Evidently, what had greatly improved during this stage was his Mental Power.

This had always been his weak point.

The Illusionary Performance Technique had nine layers in total, requiring one to pass through eighteen thresholds—nine of substance and nine of illusion. Completing it would allow one to meet the entry requirements for awakening as an Upper-Tier Summoner.

This gave Lin Hui new expectations for his future development. Perhaps he could even pretend to be an Upper-Tier Summoner, or maybe even pursue a path of dual cultivation.

September, Year 3792.

Just as Lin Hui’s Heart and Spirit was soaring,

the expansion of Qingfeng Temple’s enterprises finally ran into a tough nut to crack.

Ever since Lin Hui’s background had grown deeper, and his big brother’s potential had transformed into real, ever-increasing strength,

the expansion of Qingfeng Temple had become a natural and unstoppable trend.

From the dozen or so surrounding towns at the beginning, it gradually expanded outward. More and more branch halls were opened, and more and more disciples were recruited. It also began to annex martial arts schools of all sizes. By the year ’92, the area it covered had grown to as many as thirty-five towns.

The benefit this coverage brought to Lin Hui was a massive, insane influx of revenue. Furthermore, all sorts of medicines for cultivating the Heart and Spirit and accelerating Body Tempering could be easily collected. This was one of the factors behind the great acceleration in the growth of his Heart and Spirit.

The expansion of his Outer City influence also meant that his big brother and the others were increasingly likely to seek out Qingfeng Temple when they were out on business. The connection between the two parties grew ever tighter.

At the same time, because Lin Hui’s developing influence was growing stronger and stronger, the Good Heart Sect also began to pay more attention to him.

Inside the Qingfeng Temple assembly hall,

Lin Hui’s eyes widened slightly as he looked at Dragon Maiden from the Good Heart Sect, who had come to him of her own accord.

"You’re saying I’m now qualified to apply for a replica of the Evil Soldier Insect Scripture?"

"Yes. Your cultivation has stagnated. Although your combat power is strong, the fact that your Inner Strength Cultivation cannot advance further is a great pity. Therefore, to enhance your ability to survive and to prevent our sect from losing control of the Outer City region, my recommendation is that you fuse with a replica of the Insect Scripture. It would be best to drastically increase your survivability," Dragon Maiden said seriously.

"Isn’t there any way to break through the limit and increase my Inner Strength again?" Lin Hui frowned.

"No. Because any methods that once existed were used up the moment they were found," Dragon Maiden said, shaking her head.

"In that case, let me think about it," Lin Hui frowned.

"Fine. There are extra slots anyway. There’s another matter. The Profound Eagle Sect recently did something big in the Inner City’s Outer Ring. They lay in wait for a year and successfully annihilated a mid-sized Original Blood family. What’s strange is that their power and influence don’t seem to have diminished much compared to before. I heard Xue Ying is already dead, and among the so-called Six Prodigies of Profound Eagle he left behind, the strongest is only a High Priest. Where did they get the power to wipe out a mid-sized Original Blood family that also had a High Priest protecting it?" Dragon Maiden herself was somewhat puzzled.

"It is indeed a mystery. But this sort of thing has nothing to do with us, right? The victims were just an Original Blood family," Lin Hui said calmly.

"That’s true, but combined with the previous incidents of Original Blood Nobility dying inexplicably, these multiple events have already enraged the Moon Tower. This was the final straw. The Moon Tower has formed an emergency investigation team—with the same lineup as last time, led by the Three Palace Masters—to completely root out and destroy all hidden dangers and troubles. So you must act cautiously during this time and not reveal any clues," Dragon Maiden warned.

"Understood," Lin Hui nodded.

After seeing Dragon Maiden off,

he stood up. But before he could return to the back courtyard to cultivate, he stopped and looked back at the seat Dragon Maiden had just occupied.

Someone else was now sitting there abruptly.

"Master, long time no see. I trust you have been well." Wearing a black hawk mask, Tao Xuehai was dressed in a black robe with a longsword on his back. He clasped his hands in a salute toward Lin Hui.

Having not seen him for over a year, the change in Tao Xuehai was like the difference between the clouds and the mud.

His former immaturity had completely vanished, leaving behind only an aura that was a mixture of gloom, sharpness, and incisiveness.

"It seems you’ve been practicing your sword well." Lin Hui could tell from his aura alone that Tao Xuehai had definitely not been slacking off.

"My Gale Swordsmanship has reached the Body Tempering Limit. Master... I truly have been practicing the sword with my life on the line..." Tao Xuehai said softly.

"Hm? So fast?!" Lin Hui’s brows knitted together.

Back then, Tao Xuehai had struggled even to begin learning Gale Swordsmanship. How had he crossed so many levels in just one year to reach Ninth Grade Body Tempering? This wasn’t normal.

But the path of the Gale Sword his disciple had taken was no longer the same as his. Although the name was the same, the style of the swordsmanship was completely different.

The original swordsmanship was like a seed. The kind of tree that grew from it depended on the nutrients it absorbed.

"My situation is a bit special..." Tao Xuehai said with a faint smile. "The Profound Eagle Sect has a Secret Technique that allows one to trade lifespan for training speed. I used it... and the effect is very good."

"...You... Why must you do this?" Lin Hui paused, then sighed.

"I couldn’t wait. I don’t have that much time... If I practiced my swordsmanship at a normal pace, there’s no way I could reach Body Tempering Perfection before the age of sixty. But now, with my Gale Swordsmanship at the Body Tempering Limit, and having received a cultivation transfer from the previous Sect Leader, my cultivation has increased greatly. It’s enough to try out some of the more... peripheral plans..."

Tao Xuehai waved his hand, and a square box made of emerald-green jade appeared on the table.

"These are some Treasure Medicines I recently acquired. There should be some that you need, Master. Please accept them. Next, I wish to ask for your instruction on Typhoon Swordsmanship..."

Lin Hui fell silent.

Finishing the Gale Swordsmanship in just one year was beyond his expectations.

He knew very well that for a martial art like Gale Swordsmanship, if one could cultivate it to its combat limit, they could easily gain the power to fight a Priest, even if they weren’t a Blood Seal Host and lacked various Special Effects.

And Tao Xuehai claimed to have received a cultivation transfer from the previous Sect Leader... and had even used some kind of secret technique that consumed his lifespan.

Looking at the jade box, Lin Hui sighed.

"Typhoon Swordsmanship is a hundred times more difficult than Gale. You... can give it a try, but if it doesn’t work out, do not force it."

"Okay!" Tao Xuehai said confidently. He believed that with his special secret technique and the Sect Leader’s cultivation transfer, no swordsmanship could stump him...

A little over ten minutes later,

A dejected figure walked out of the assembly hall, then flickered and disappeared.

Lin Hui sat in the hall, a helpless look on his face.

The gap between Typhoon Swordsmanship and Gale Swordsmanship was as wide as the heavens and the earth. If he hadn’t had the infusions from the Blood Seal, he would have despaired of even starting.

Tao Xuehai’s failure was within his expectations.

But that wasn’t what he was worried about. Rather... Tao Xuehai seemed to have acquired a strange, inexplicable aura about him this time.