The Decaying World

Chapter 193: Chapter 183: Lurking 3

After completing the initial Blood Seal test, Lin Hui ultimately decided to first establish a safe point. Then he would evolve the sect’s residence.

How to choose a safe point, however, was a problem.

After the test, he went out and circled the surrounding Fog Area, inspecting all the ruins where monsters roamed, and discovered an issue.

Even though the ruins had No-Fog Zones, the monsters inside would spawn endlessly. He didn’t know the source of this spawning, but living there would undoubtedly be very troublesome.

After making a full circle, he ultimately chose to first begin the evolution of Qingfeng Temple, selecting the Nine Heavens Sect route.

Once the fifty-year evolution time was confirmed, the Blood Seal was occupied again. Lin Hui suddenly felt an emptiness in his heart and was in no mood to do anything all day.

After eating the rest of the Yun Lingzhi in one go, the 50 years only reduced to 47. This made him feel even worse.

It was mainly because the wondrous feeling of holding the Blood Seal—being able to appraise and evolve anything, anywhere—had given him the illusion that his future development held infinite possibilities.

But unfortunately... the future would still require more aphrodisiacs to make those possibilities infinite.

So, he decided to go get some medicine.

After tossing another transaction note into the hole in the ground, Lin Hui summoned Wang Hongshi to ask about the medicine procurement situation.

"Well... the batch we just acquired was everything that could be harvested. Although more of these types of herbs have been planted in the market over the past two years due to your demand, they require many years to grow and can’t be harvested annually. So... there are no new products for now..." Wang Hongshi said with difficulty.

As the grand steward of Qingfeng Temple, he was quite familiar with Lin Hui’s procurement of aphrodisiacs. The main supply channels were limited; once they were bought out, there were no more.

He was truly at his wit’s end.

"No Yun Lingzhi or Purple Cloud Ganoderma, then what about other types?" Lin Hui was currently only taking the Black Emperor Pill combined with other drug cocktails, barely maintaining a speed where one month of evolution time was equivalent to eight months of use.

If he wanted to accelerate further, he could only look for Treasure Medicine.

What worried him most was that after taking too many Black Emperor Pills recently, he vaguely felt he was developing a resistance or tolerance, and the pill’s effectiveness seemed to be declining.

This forced him to consider planning for a rainy day. freeweɓnovel.cѳm

"There are none left, Temple Master," Wang Hongshi said helplessly. "Last time, I sent people—specifically, a few disciples who already live in the Inner City—to buy them around the Core Area, but there were no similar medicines. There are plenty of other types, but really none of this kind."

Dismissing Wang Hongshi, Lin Hui got up and paced around the courtyard for a few laps. He decided to go ask his old man and big brother for ideas.

"What do you need those medicines for?" Suddenly, Mingxia’s voice came from outside the door.

"I’ve more or less grasped the perfect version of Qingfeng Swordsmanship. I heard you also created your own Gale Swordsmanship. Could you teach it to me?" Mingxia, dressed in simple white, form-fitting martial attire that highlighted her shapely curves, walked in slowly with a longsword on her back.

From her appearance, she was purely a beautiful swordswoman with an innocent face and a radiant disposition.

Her beautiful long black hair was tied into a high ponytail that swayed slightly at the back of her head, hanging down to her waist. The silken strands reflected a faint sheen in the daylight, making them extremely eye-catching.

"You have a way?" Lin Hui’s eyes lit up. ’I almost forgot about this old fox.’

"I have a few ideas, but not many. It’s mainly because you went overboard and bought out everything available on the market in the city. I can’t get any in the city either. So..." Mingxia paused, pursing her lips into a smile.

"So what? Are you saying... other city districts?!" Lin Hui immediately understood.

"Exactly! Right now, if you want these kinds of medicines, there are only two ways. One is to go to other city districts, and the other is to trade with the major, well-established clans. But their collections are also limited, so the only way to truly open up a new source is to procure them from other places. For example, a place that has a large supply of these medicines." As expected of an old fox, Mingxia came up with a new idea right away.

"But a round trip to other city districts is a bit too far. Xingdiao City District is the closest, but I’m not sure about the situation there..." Lin Hui hesitated.

"Xingdiao City doesn’t have any—even less than here, so don’t even think about it. Too many people died there, and they’ve already sold everything they could to rebuild their Inner City and repopulate," Mingxia answered. "But besides Xingdiao, the second closest, Tianchong City District, might have some..."

"Tianchong City District? How do I get there?" Lin Hui was taken aback.

"You transfer to a ship from Xingdiao and cross the entire Jade Sea to get there. A smooth round trip would take about half a year. If you don’t want to go yourself, you can send someone. A year-long round trip to bring back some medicine is doable. But the person you send can’t be weak, or they’ll definitely be robbed on the way." Mingxia offered a plan.

’Let me think...’ Lin Hui frowned.

"I’ve given you the method. So, tell me, can you teach me Gale Swordsmanship?" An immense craving once again filled Mingxia’s large eyes.

"Why should I teach you? You’re not my personal disciple, and you have no sense of belonging or loyalty to my Qingfeng Temple," Lin Hui retorted.

"I can have a sense of belonging! I can have loyalty!" Mingxia said quickly. "How about I kowtow to you right now?"

She immediately dropped to her knees, about to kowtow, but Lin Hui dodged away.

This person’s complete lack of integrity was making his skin crawl.

"I need a guarantee. Gale Swordsmanship is the true core legacy of my Qingfeng Temple. Since I created it through my own enlightenment, I haven’t taught it to any outsider."

"This..." Mingxia stood up, her brows also furrowed. "How about... I give you my body, and I can even bear your children?"

"..." A chill ran down Lin Hui’s spine. Knowing full well that this person used to be a man, no matter how beautiful she was now, he couldn’t accept it deep down... let alone through this kind of transaction.

"It seems you’re unwilling." Mingxia tidied a strand of hair by her cheek. Then again, her lack of integrity wasn’t a recent development. After messing around for so many years, she had long forgotten what integrity even was.

The reason she became a Three Sects Supreme was because countless people had risked life and limb for her, rallying to her cause.

The more people she slept with, the bigger her network of connections became. The most ruthless part was that she swung both ways.

"To be honest, the Perfect Qingfeng Swordsmanship you created has been a great inspiration to me. I originally thought my strength had already reached its limit, but after studying it for just a short time, I’ve had another breakthrough. Therefore, I am determined to obtain the subsequent Gale Swordsmanship. Name your price. I’ll do anything I can!" Mingxia said with a solemn expression.

Lin Hui clapped his hands. ’This is exactly what I was waiting for.’

"Alright, you said it! Then you can go buy medicine for me. Go to that Tianchong City you mentioned!"

"..." The expression on Mingxia’s face instantly froze.

’I was just giving a suggestion, I didn’t actually intend to go myself!?’

"It’s fine if you don’t go yourself, you can find someone to go for me. Anyway, as long as you get this done—bring me medicine worth at least one hundred stalks of Purple Cloud Ganoderma—I’ll start teaching you Gale Swordsmanship," Lin Hui said decisively.

"..." Mingxia’s pretty face froze, and for a moment, she stared at Lin Hui, unsure what expression to make.

One hundred stalks of Purple Cloud Ganoderma—she could accept that. After all, in her eyes, the value of Gale Swordsmanship was far greater. The main issue was that the round trip was just too much trouble...

She was also a rather lazy person; otherwise, she wouldn’t have holed up on the peak of the Nine Dreams Sect for so many years in secluded cultivation.

"Well? Is it a deal or not?" Lin Hui asked in a low voice. frёewebηovel.cѳm

"...Alright! A promise is a promise!" Mingxia gritted her teeth and made a swift decision. She knew she had walked right into her own trap this time.

Tianchong City was a port city slightly smaller than Tuyue. The journey was long and fraught with danger. Even someone like her would have to be extremely careful to arrive safely.

’I really need to prepare thoroughly for this trip.’

She immediately turned and ran, rushing back to prepare for her journey. Before leaving, she had to properly hand off her affairs within the sect, lest they be unable to find her when needed.

Watching Mingxia leave, Lin Hui let out a breath. He glanced at the sky; there was still time. Now that a new channel for acquiring medicine was arranged, he felt a sense of relief.

The urge to practice his swordsmanship immediately returned.

Picking up the Ruyi, his figure flickered. He left Qingfeng Temple and went straight to the Gale Plain, only to find that many Inner Sect Disciples were already practicing martial arts in the area.

Considering that he also wanted to test the new properties of his Inner Strength while practicing, and to avoid being seen...

He decided to find another place.

He took out a map to check it, and this time he pinpointed a new location.

*

*

*

Fog Area, Yanshan Mountain Range Ruins—Sky Display Cliff.

Giant black birds with human heads flew back and forth in the fog, circling and looking down.

On the massive black cliff, fierce winds howled, and the fog churned and surged rapidly like ocean waves.

This was the windiest place around Tuyue, and also the new training spot Lin Hui had found on his updated map.

Because it was located in the Fog Area and within the dangerous Yanshan Mountain Range ruins, there was no one around besides monsters.

He didn’t have to worry about being disturbed, nor about accidentally injuring anyone while practicing his sword. If he produced any strange phenomena, the fog would conceal it.

Lin Hui sat cross-legged on the edge of Sky Display Cliff, watching the dark fog roll at the bottom of the chasm below.

He raised his hand, and a faint, white fluorescent glow of Inner Strength lit up on his fingertip.

This was the Inner Strength he gained after consuming the Extreme Cold Heaven Ginseng King.

It looked unremarkable, just slightly whiter than ordinary Inner Strength.

But...

The next second, he gently touched his finger to the ground.

CHSSS!

In an instant, a vast sheet of white frost spread out wildly in all directions, with him at the center.

In just a single second, it had frozen an area of over a hundred meters around him into a field of white.

A five-meter-tall man-headed bird, unable to dodge in time, happened to be passing more than ten meters above Lin Hui’s head.

The formless chilling aura shot up into the sky and brushed against it. Its body immediately froze solid, turning into an ice sculpture that plummeted to the ground.

BANG.

The ice sculpture of the man-headed bird shattered to Lin Hui’s right, breaking into pieces all over the ground.

"..." Lin Hui stared blankly at the scene. Although he had tried to overestimate the power of the Extreme Cold Heaven before testing it, the psychological shock of personally witnessing a Danger Level man-headed bird turn into ice fragments in the blink of an eye was still immense.

After all, the Danger Level corresponded to the Inner Power Realm and the Circulation Realm.

"This Extreme Cold Heaven... is a bit of an exaggeration." Lin Hui let out a breath. He finally understood how the Purgatory flames could be so obediently sealed beneath it.

He carefully observed the frozen ground, reached out, and dug up a piece of ice. He weighed it in his hand; it didn’t seem any different from ordinary ice.

It was crystal clear in appearance, emanated a heavy cold aura, and its temperature was likely lower than that of normal ice.

Now that he had retracted his Inner Strength, the ice also began to slowly melt from the ambient temperature.