"The two beside Huang Shan—Zhong Yuquan and Zhong Yushan—have an elder brother who serves as a Called Enforcer in the Inner City government office. Then there's Chen Chong's sister, who is a Called One within the Chen family. And finally, your Second Senior Brother and I. Our families also have relatives in the Inner City who have successfully received the Call from the three major powers," Mu Qiaozhi said calmly.
Qiu Yiren and the few students listening nearby shivered slightly, silently committing this to memory.
"Then, Senior Sister, can a Called One really match the strength of our teachers in an instant?" Qiu Yiren asked again.
"How is that possible? They merely gain copper skin and iron bones instantly, but in actual combat, they still possess 'gates'—weak points. If a fight truly breaks out, without a foundation in martial combat, it is naturally impossible for them to win against a 'Ming' generation teacher. However, their status and standing become different. If they wish to learn the methods of martial artists, it becomes very easy. Their starting point is far higher than ours," Mu Qiaozhi explained. She clearly regarded this junior sister, Yiren, with favor.
By this time, the queue of boys ahead had mostly departed. She took the lead, and the girls began to line up to leave.
Inside the dim, gray carriage.
His father, Lin Shunhe, sat cross-legged on the soft cushion, looking at his son, who had remained silent since entering.
"What's wrong? You look like you're brooding over a blood feud."
Lin Shunhe had obviously been very busy lately. His skin was darker than before, his frame thinner, but his eyes were brighter and more spirited.
He wore a brownish-green silk robe with a cowhide vest over it, looking to be in a good mood.
Lin Hui sighed and recounted the incident regarding Lu Baihua.
"A common occurrence," Lin Shunhe sighed. "This world is just like this. If you are weak, you are like a weed by the roadside; if someone steps on you, you can only endure it."
"What about our family?" Lin Hui asked suddenly.
"Us... rest easy. No one will dare provoke you without cause." Lin Shunhe laughed, shaking his head.
"Why?"
"Because... I, your father, am working for a Noble. That Noble is no ordinary figure. Alright, don't worry about these things. Tell me, how do you feel inside the temple?" Lin Shunhe changed the subject.
"It's alright. Perfected Mingde brings the accounts for me to calculate regularly. It's not difficult and doesn't take up much of my time." Lin Hui thought of the simple math problems he had done; they were so basic he had to think hard just to recall them.
"When Brother Mingde mentioned this to me, he also praised your calculation skills as very strong—much better than the previous accountant. So, he mentioned it to Daoist Baohe and confirmed that you will be responsible for auditing part of the Clear Wind Temple's accounts in the future. As for the wages, after offsetting your current martial arts expenses, it will be one thousand coins a month."
One thousand coins wasn't much, but considering the high cost of practicing martial arts and the fact that the food and drink provided by Clear Wind Temple were quite good, Lin Hui didn't say anything.
"Cousin received the Call and successfully became a Rain-Palace Disciple of the Shayue Sect. Did you know, Dad?" Lin Hui asked again.
"Mn. The Lin family compound held a Call banquet a few days ago. But it has nothing to do with us; we are no longer members of the Lin family," Lin Shunhe said softly. "Of course, your personal relationship with Lin Hongzhen is your own business."
"I understand." Lin Hui nodded.
"This is reality. Everyone has their own fortune. Life must go on; the sun rises as usual. Just like that mist—it won't change for tens of thousands of years..." Lin Shunhe lamented.
Next, he asked about Lin Hui's martial arts and sword practice. Hearing that progress was still slow, he stopped worrying. Clearly, in his eyes, practicing the sword too well was actually a bad thing. Being an auxiliary accountant, calculating bills honestly, and eventually becoming a full-time accountant to earn a living was the correct path.
"When you become a formal accountant, we'll find you a wife. Then you can give birth to a few brats. Consider it spreading the branches and leaves for our independent line, boosting our numbers," Lin Shunhe said with a chuckle.
"Dad seems to be in a good mood?" Lin Hui noticed something.
"Yes, I just did a big business deal and made quite a bit. But I can't talk about it. Just know it yourself; don't spread it." Lin Shunhe nodded.
The ox cart slowly drove onto the main road. The surroundings were no longer remote. Through the half-open window, Lin Hui saw patches of golden rice fields being harvested on both sides of the mud road.
Flocks of black birds hovered in mid-air over the fields. It was unclear how they had gotten there.
"I heard birds are unaffected by the mist and can enter and exit freely. Is that right, Dad?" Lin Hui asked.
"How is that possible? These are birds living in the urban area. Once they go out, they basically can't come back. However, for short trips, if they are lucky, they can rely on speed to return," Lin Shunhe answered.
With a thought from Lin Hui, dark red blood text floated at the bottom of his vision.
Hundred Turns, Thousand Intents had completed its evolution. He was now seamlessly transitioning to evolving the third move—Dissolving West Wind.
It was still sixty days. The cost was energy and time, nothing else.
It's less 'evolution' and more 'deduction.' When the time is up, the idle deduction is completed automatically, allowing me to thoroughly master the strengthened and perfected moves derived from the deduction. This Blood Seal seems more like a deduction device.
Lin Hui pondered in his heart.
When they returned home, his mother, Yao Shan, had already prepared a large table of dishes. The family had also hired an extra helper to assist with chores. His mother called her Sister Luo; she was from a nearby farming family.
Outside the courtyard, workers were starting to build a second outer wall, expanding the already sizable compound to double its area toward the back.
Obviously, now that his dad had money, he had started expanding the home.
After the morning's busy work was done, his dad took Lin Hui out to visit old friends, attempting to build a network of connections for the next generation.
However, looking at his father's triumphant face, Lin Hui felt an inexplicable worry in his heart.
Although they had separated from the clan, because his father lacked the martial power to support the family wealth, they relied entirely on the shelter of a Noble. Right now, with the Noble care, it was fine. But if one day that relationship ceased to exist...
At that time, without the ability to stand independently, how would his family position themselves? Rely on these so-called connections and old friends?
He mentioned this worry to his father, but the other party waved it off dismissively, telling him to relax. He would handle these matters; Lin Hui only needed to be responsible for doing his own part well.
The holiday lasted a total of three days and ended quickly.
Lin Hui got back on the ox cart and returned toward the Clear Wind Temple.
This time, he didn't force himself anymore. Instead, he found Huishen, Perfected Mingde's young Daoist attendant, and arranged for a single room to live in.
What followed was the dull daily sword practice and body tempering. Day after day, regardless of wind or rain.
Chen Zhishen still walked with him as usual, but after the Lu Baihua incident, he became taciturn. The determination in his eyes was heavier than before.
He didn't get distracted at all during sword practice every day. When others rested, he practiced. When others played, he practiced. When others chatted, he squeezed out time to practice.
Lin Hui worried he would ruin his body with overtraining, so he often bought some nourishing and healing medicines from the temple logistics for him. For Lin Hui, who had started earning money, this was nothing.
But for Chen Zhishen, it was undoubtedly support as timely as rain.
Lin Hui himself only needed to wait for time to pass to improve step by step. And once he improved, he would never regress.
So when he practiced the sword, it was more about training his body's reactions. He didn't really need nourishing healing.
In the blink of an eye, the third move was successfully evolved. Then came the fourth.
During this period, Lin Hui formally took over part of the Daoist temple's auxiliary accounting work. His status shifted from a disciple to a half-disciple, half-logistics member.
His interactions with Huishen and Perfected Mingde increased significantly compared to before.
And during this time, another batch of people left the Daoist temple, and a batch of newcomers arrived.
Tuition paid, the enlightenment teaching for newcomers began anew. This time, Lin Hui no longer stood among them but stood in the area for senior disciples at the front.
Huang Shan and Qiu Yiren, the two geniuses, had completely mastered the Seven-Section Swift Sword and its Force Nodes, and had begun learning the second set—the Nine-Section Swift Sword. Rumor had it they had already finished learning the Nine-Section Swift Sword as well, and the two had started formally sparring with the senior brothers and sisters.
No geniuses like them appeared among the new students. There were only a few with relatively decent talent, but they were far behind.
After the newcomer's teaching ended.
Daoist Baohe, unseen for a long time, made an unexpected appearance. He simply toured the rear grounds once to check everyone's progress.
However, although it was called a tour, his gaze constantly lingered on Huang Shan and Qiu Yiren. Clearly, he had come specifically for the two girls.
He didn't care how the others were practicing.
Lin Hui stood in the back row, practicing the Seven-Section Swift Sword methodically. The wooden stick in his hand had been replaced by a thick wooden sword. As he turned it with a backhand grip, his movements were proficient and fluid. The first three moves were perfect, but the following four moves instantly reverted to their original form—merely mediocre standards that were incredibly painful to watch.
After finishing a set of sword techniques, he stopped briefly to catch his breath.
"Alright, everyone, stop for a moment. Since the Temple Master is here, let's have a temporary small competition today. Let's see everyone's progress." Daoist Mingxiu clapped his hands, attracting everyone's attention.
There were over a hundred disciples scattered across the huge rear courtyard practicing swords. Hearing the voice, some of the newly entered disciples immediately got excited.
Everyone liked watching a show, but the senior disciples' progress looked grim.
Mingxiu didn't care about that. He clapped his hands again.
"Disciples who have mastered the Nine-Section Swift Sword, step forward."
The Seven-Section Swift Sword was merely a training method, so it couldn't be used for combat. Only the Nine-Section Swift Sword and the Clear Wind Sword Technique were the temple's true combat sword arts.
Immediately, out of the hundred-plus disciples, twenty people stepped forward one after another.
This group included First Senior Brother Chen Sui and the others.
These twenty people were obviously the true essence of the current Daoist temple disciples.
As for the remaining students, before they completely mastered the Seven-Section Swift Sword, they all faced the possibility of leaving in dejection.
So none of them were formal disciples.
Only these twenty were the true core of Clear Wind Temple.
"Since it's a small competition, old rules apply. A little prize. The top five can receive a portion of Clarifying Body Powder refined by the temple," Mingxiu said with a smile.
The duels quickly began by drawing lots. Disciples stepped forward one by one, holding wooden swords to execute the Nine-Section Swift Sword in combat.
Lin Hui watched from the periphery, keenly discovering that the movement speed of these disciples was significantly faster than the average person.
"The body-tempering lightness effect of the Seven-Section Swift Sword is showing," Chen Zhishen whispered from the side.
"Mn. It is said that performing the Seven-Section Swift Sword correctly and completely once has the effect of tempering the body for lightness once. Looking at it now, it really is so." Lin Hui looked at the senior brothers and sisters on the field, who were lighter and faster than apes, and finally gained a more intuitive understanding of Clear Wind Temple's life-saving skills.
To be honest, after entering the temple for so long, this was the first time he had seen with his own eyes that the sword technique he practiced actually had this effect.
"However, fighting like this is nothing more than comparing everyone's proficiency with the Nine-Section Swift Sword and the degree of tempering from the Seven-Section Swift Sword. If one really goes outside, what needs to be increased is experience in dealing with other types of martial arts and enemies," Lin Hui said softly.
"That's true, but as long as the body technique is fast enough to save one's life, isn't it okay to slowly observe and accumulate experience afterward?" Chen Zhishen said. After learning for so long, everyone was no longer the rookie they were at the start. They frequently exchanged information with others and knew much more than before.
At this moment in the cleared open space, the two sword-fighting people were locked in a stalemate, hard to distinguish victory or defeat. One of them finally couldn't hold back and changed moves abruptly, switching instantly from the Nine-Section Swift Sword to the One-Handed Cloud Sweep of the Clear Wind Sword Technique.
Pa, pa, pa. Three continuous strikes.
The opponent's wooden sword was abruptly entangled and sent flying by this move, escaping their hand and falling to the ground.
"Wu Cheng, victory!" the scoring Daoist immediately shouted.
Outside, Lin Hui narrowed his eyes as he watched this scene.
"Is the Clear Wind Sword Technique that strong?"
"Of course it's strong. Otherwise, why would our Daoist temple be called Clear Wind Temple?" A light female voice came from the side.
The speaker was a delicate female disciple with beautiful features and a pitiful temperament.
Lin Hui recognized the newcomer. She was one of the new batch of disciples who had entered the temple, named Xie Li, and possessed relatively good talent.
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