Behind Qingfeng Temple.

A gentle breeze blew, carrying a creeping chill. The late-November weather had turned frigid, and patches of white frost could even be seen in some places.

In a corner, a camellia tree bloomed, its blossoms a brilliant, vivid red, as if they didn’t belong in this world of perpetual gray mist.

"What’s wrong with the mark?" Lin Hui stood up, stretched his body, and walked over to the camellia tree.

The breeze plucked a fiery red camellia blossom and sent it drifting toward him. He gently caught it in his hand.

"Some things are better left not understood. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss."

"Who... who are you, really?" Mingxia was now beginning to doubt her own judgment of Lin Hui.

That so-called background file was too perfect, too ordinary. His family, friends, and even the details of his past were all recorded in meticulous detail.

A personal file that was so exhaustive, so complete, so perfect... it looked fake.

"I’ve never changed. It’s your attitude toward me that’s changed," Lin Hui said with a smile.

In truth, he had guessed that demonstrating the seal impartation would cause a huge stir.

After all, forget the main Qingyuan Seal; even the amplification effect produced by the Three Seals alone was unparalleled by any Secret Technique.

From a purely amplification standpoint, many Secret Techniques could surpass the Three Seals.

The key, however, was that the Three Seals had no side effects.

Lin Hui had also assessed Qingfeng Temple’s current position.

To the Inner City, they were a relatively large Great Martial Arts Hall in the Outer City District, backed by the Rain Palace’s Yuanming Hall and relying on the protection of Vice Palace Master Jiang Zhixia.

Because of this, Lin Hui proactively gave the Rain Palace a certain percentage of their earnings as a kickback each year.

As for the Lin Family itself, Qingfeng Temple’s status was stronger than that of an ordinary martial arts hall, but only by a limited margin.

In the eyes of outsiders, his journey to his current position had always relied on his own comprehension, synthesizing numerous Martial Arts to create something new.

This was also his consistent public image—a prodigy of comprehension who had missed the crucial period for physical development.

With this image as his cover, he could easily avoid suspicion in many matters.

Especially for the many unsolved cases committed all over the Inner City.

But because of this low profile, some blind fools would inevitably come looking for trouble.

After all, having a strong backer didn’t mean you were strong yourself. Some reckless desperadoes, looking to make a big score before disappearing, would target a power like Qingfeng Temple.

"It seems you’ve been putting on an act all this time. But now, you’re done pretending," Mingxia said in a low voice, seeming to have realized something.

"I’ve never pretended," Lin Hui replied. "I just never had a suitable opportunity—or opponent—to show more. That’s all."

"Incredible..." Mingxia estimated Lin Hui’s age, an incomparable sense of wonder filling her heart. ’If he really hasn’t been replaced by someone else, then... the man standing before me might be the greatest Martial Arts genius in the history of Tuyue City! Bar none.’

"Then that seal technique... you comprehended and created it yourself?" Mingxia asked again.

"Of course." Lin Hui’s expression didn’t change, his heart didn’t skip a beat.

"I..." A thousand thoughts raced through Mingxia’s mind. The light in her beautiful eyes shifted rapidly as if she were making a difficult decision.

"I want the seal technique too!" she said in a low voice after a few breaths. "I don’t believe you can’t obtain it without being sincere to Qingfeng Temple. That’s just your excuse, isn’t it?"

"You can try. If you can clarify your thoughts for a moment, you should be able to obtain it temporarily. But the moment a thought of disavowing Qingfeng Temple arises in your heart, the seal technique will automatically disappear." Having obtained the memories of the Nine Heavens Sect, Lin Hui was naturally very familiar with these matters.

After all, Mingxia wasn’t the first to question the seal technique.

Seeing his certainty, Mingxia’s suspicions began to waver.

Doubts about Lin Hui and questions about the seal technique churned within her.

But soon, she relaxed.

"Forget it. Whether you’re really Lin Hui, or whether the seal technique really checks for loyalty and a sense of belonging, has nothing to do with me. Since you’ve set the rules, perhaps this is the price of obtaining it."

Her right hand gripped the hilt of the sword at her waist.

"I understand your meaning, I get it. But if you want me to sincerely join Qingfeng Temple and become your disciple, that will depend on your strength..."

"I don’t care if you join or not." Lin Hui cut her off before she could finish.

Lin Hui smiled, gently twirling the camellia in his hand. He tossed it, and the petals scattered, drifting away on the wind.

"People are free to come and go from Qingfeng Temple. It’s just that now, I plan to select a group of more loyal disciples for the next stage of core training, to prepare for the future inheritance of the seal techniques."

"Wait! Future... don’t tell me, there are other seal techniques?!" Mingxia’s hand, which had been resting on her sword hilt, shot back as if shocked.

"Mm, of course there are. They cover comprehensive enhancements in various aspects," Lin Hui nodded, answering honestly.

"..." THUD!

Without another word, Mingxia dropped to her knees and began to kowtow repeatedly.

"Master above, please accept this disciple’s obeisance!!"

"No matter what, my heart toward Qingfeng Temple and Master is as clear as day, witnessed by the sun and moon! I have absolutely no ulterior motives!"

"..." Lin Hui had known Master Yunxia had no integrity, but he’d never imagined she was *this* shameless. ’The shameless are truly invincible.’ That saying was absolutely right.

But he wasn’t worried about the seal technique. As long as a disciple’s heart wavered and they developed disloyal thoughts toward the sect, any seal technique they had obtained would be instantly nullified.

Back then, the three branch sects that split from the Nine Heavens Sect were destroyed from within precisely because of this. Their enemies exploited this vulnerability, sowed discord in their hearts, and annihilated them.

"You... Fine. Let’s give it a try. If you can truly give your heart to Qingfeng Temple, then there’s no harm in imparting the seal." Lin Hui raised his hand, a white light glowing once more at his fingertip.

As Mingxia stared at that point of white light, she chanted internally: ’I am a person of Qingfeng Temple in life, and a ghost of Qingfeng Temple in death!’ Modifying cognition with a divine art wasn’t her specialty.

A person could only major in one type of divine art, and hers was primarily focused on temporal sensory disruption.

Poof.

The white light touched her forehead.

No mark appeared.

And Mingxia felt no change.

"It seems to have failed," Lin Hui said, withdrawing his hand.

"No, give me another chance!" Mingxia cried out.

As a peerless genius who lived and breathed Martial Arts, the seal technique was, for her, like an unprecedented grand feast laid out before a starving gourmand, only to be told she couldn’t eat.

This feeling of something being so close yet so far was enough to drive her mad.

"The seal technique’s verification comes from your own heart. Whether you truly see yourself as a disciple of Qingfeng Temple, whether you truly believe you are my disciple... you can’t deceive it," Lin Hui said, shaking his head.

Mingxia fell silent.

It was true. As a Three Sects Supreme, her Cultivation had reached the highest point beyond Original Blood. Past the realm of a Palace Master, there was no path forward.

She had stood at the summit for far, far too long—so long that deep down, in the very core of her being, she believed herself to be the pinnacle of martial arts.

Though she had deliberately lowered herself now and feigned a sense of belonging to Qingfeng Temple, she knew it was all a facade.

In the depths of her heart, she didn’t believe Qingfeng Temple’s Martial Arts could compare to the core divine art she majored in.

To her, Qingfeng Temple’s Martial Arts were merely a supplement to her own system, albeit an exceptionally outstanding and mysterious one. But she would never truly make it her primary focus, so it was impossible for her to recognize herself as a disciple of Qingfeng Temple from the depths of her heart.

She rose from the ground.

After a moment of silence, her hand ultimately came to rest on her sword hilt once more.

"Observatory Master." This was the first time she had addressed Lin Hui so seriously, so formally.

"I need a reason."

"But I don’t," Lin Hui said with a smile, turning his back to her.

"Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you right now and seize the seal technique you comprehended?" Mingxia said, her eyes narrowing.

All traces of her earlier frivolity were gone. Her face was now cold and pure, and an invisible, devouring force emanated from her. She was like a black hole, tyrannically absorbing and consuming any aura that dared to approach.

"You can try," Lin Hui said, his back still to her, his tone as calm and smiling as ever.

A light breeze swirled between them, passing silently and kicking up a few fallen leaves from the ground.

"Let’s fight. If you win, I will leave the Nine Dreams Sect and join you as your disciple. If I win, I want you to teach me the comprehension process for the seal technique!" Mingxia said in a low voice.

At this point, she no longer saw Lin Hui as Lin Hui... but as some unknown old monster wearing Lin Hui’s skin.

"But I don’t care whether you join or not. This deal isn’t fair," Lin Hui said again.

"..." Mingxia was stumped. She thought for a moment. "How about this: if you win, I’ll procure Treasure Medicines for you from Tianchong City for five years, free of charge. All expenses will be my own!" She was making a heavy wager this time.

A single trip to Tianchong City could cost you half your life. The price she was offering was indeed steep.

"Deal!" Lin Hui smiled, satisfied.

This was what he had been waiting for. Although Mingxia feigned harmlessness every day, she was ultimately a top expert from one of the Three Sects. Having such an expert wandering around Qingfeng Temple all day was a potential disaster. If one day she harbored ill intentions, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Therefore, this was a logical opportunity to eliminate this hidden danger. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Then, follow me!" Having settled the terms, Mingxia was eager to begin.

"Lead the way."

WHOOSH!

In an instant, the two of them vanished from the training grounds, one after the other.

*

*

*

Huangjia Town.

Gale-force winds howled, and massive impacts boomed one after another like peals of thunder.

A grayish-white tornado, like a giant python on the plains, writhed across the land, coiling and gathering power.

Then it violently slammed into a translucent mountain peak descending from the sky.

At the center of the tornado was a small, sword-wielding figure.

And at the heart of the mountain peak, the faint silhouette of a tall old man with a brown beard and hair could be seen.

His tin-can suit of armor had been torn to shreds by the gales in the previous clash, revealing his true identity.

Every collision between the giant python and the mountain peak unleashed countless blasts of air and shattered rock, the explosions radiating outwards and affecting vast areas.

The spectators from both sides had already been forced to retreat far from the battlefield, watching the fight from a high vantage point at least five hundred meters away.

Not only that, but in the nearby Huangjia Town, many powerful individuals had rushed out, standing on rooftops to gaze in this direction with awe-struck expressions.

"Priest Liu... will Senior Sister Xia be able to win?" In the Qingfeng Temple contingent, an anxious Chen Sui looked toward Liu Xiao.

"I’m not sure... Her opponent is too strong... He’s a Great Three Harmonies Grandmaster on par with a High Priest! And he’s a Summoner who has cultivated the Layered Peak Divine Art! He’s extremely difficult to deal with," Liu Xiao said gravely.

"The Three Sects, aren’t they Martial Artist sects?" Chen Sui asked through gritted teeth.

"Does being a Martial Artist sect mean they have to prohibit Summoners from joining? There’s no conflict between the Martial Dao and Summoners. To truly reach the peak, one must cultivate both Summoning and Martial Arts. This is common knowledge in the Inner City," Liu Xiao explained, her eyes fixed on the battle.

Chen Sui understood. He recalled that Qingfeng Temple had also arranged to train Summoners before. Clearly, the Inner City was even more thorough about this.

"But Senior Sister Xia Si, why..." He wanted to ask more, but saw Liu Xiao’s expression suddenly tense. He quickly turned his gaze back to the center of the battlefield.

On the battlefield, Xia Si and the brown-haired old man had entered a white-hot, decisive phase.

Xia Si’s Body Technique had reached an incredible speed. The grayish-white giant python, tens of meters long, was like a streak of white light, coiling and spinning on the ground before lungeing into the air.

Meanwhile, the old man from the Fushan Sect had gathered all his power to form a giant mountain peak even darker and more massive than before. He stood at its center, arms outstretched, the veins on his skin bulging and clearly visible. He had obviously used some kind of Secret Technique.

"Junior, no matter your identity or background, you’ve done more than enough fighting for a mere Qingfeng Temple. Why don’t we both stand down..."

"You old bastard, you’re scared!" Xia Si laughed, gripping her sword with both hands and unleashing her Body Technique completely.

Her two Secret Techniques activated fully at the same time, merging into the complete Secret Technique—Feathering.

"Retreat and die!!"

Laughing wildly, Xia Si swung her Longsword with both hands. Her speed surged again as she instantly slashed out countless sword shadows.

These sword shadows linked together to form a massive sword net. It was a silver web, and its every opening churned with a frenzied, grayish-white airflow.