Decaying World-Chapter 24

The tip of the sword remained steady, not harming the black ant in the slightest. Yet in that same instant, a wisp of transparent airflow—identical to the one before—shot from Lin Hui's finger. It surged along the length of the blade, rushing out from the tip and accurately plunging into the black ant's back.
Ka.
The black ant froze once more.
It remained motionless for a full second before scrambling away in terror.
Eh? That works too??
Lin Hui was astonished. He raised his sword again, pointing it at a black beetle nearby.
The beetle raised its massive pincers, ready to fight back, but the moment the sword tip touched it, it stiffened into immobility.
One second later, it turned and fled frantically, disappearing into the grass.
To think it's effective even through a weapon... This expands the range of application significantly. Although it's only one second, as long as my body touches them—or my sword does—that one second is enough for even the weakest disciple of Clear Wind Temple to strike twice! It's enough to decide victory and defeat!
Lin Hui was overjoyed.
This Sealing Array seemed to use poison gas as its core to paralyze the opponent, but in reality, it faintly touched upon supernatural phenomena.
At the very least, combining the knowledge of his two lives, he had never heard of a poison gas that could transmit instantly through a solid, non-porous metal longsword with such speed.
Delighted, Lin Hui attempted it several more times, letting the small insects in the surrounding grass experience what it meant to be frozen in time.
It wasn't until ten minutes later that he sheathed his sword and leisurely returned to the Daoist temple.
With this, aside from the Lightness special effect, he had gained another hidden move.
Next, he had to consider what the Blood Seal should evolve. He couldn't let it sit idle and go to waste.
After eating at the cafeteria, Lin Hui lay on the bunk in his room, pondering carefully.
Unknowingly, his thoughts drifted back to the scenes of ordinary, real civilian life he had witnessed while patrolling the town.
The reality of all that was built upon those seemingly fragile, pocket-sized black-purple jade talismans.
Wait... Jade Talisman!?
Lin Hui sat up abruptly, his gaze locking onto the jade talisman stone hanging behind his door.
What if I evolve the jade talisman?
He immediately got out of bed, reached out, and pinched the purple-black stone behind the door.
[Unknown Jade Stone: Can dispel the mist at night and drive away mist creatures. A highly targeted design product. Creator unknown. Evolvable Branches: 1.]
Lin Hui quickly clicked open the evolution branch.
[1 — Safeguard Stone: Capable of dispelling mist over a large range.]
[Required Resources: One Unknown Jade Stone, one drop of Insect Blood, 20 years of Reserve Energy.]
[Time Required: 20 years.]
The moment Lin Hui saw "twenty years," he helplessly released the jade talisman. And that "Insect Blood"—he had absolutely no idea what that was.
It seems that improving the body's overall energy is the true kingly way...
He exhaled, his gaze turning to the window. A strange, impulsive urge rose inexplicably in his heart.
Wait. Since my explosive speed has already surpassed that of the Eldest Senior Brother and the others, why not try approaching the mist myself?
If I could touch a wisp of the mist, maybe I could analyze it through the Blood Seal and uncover some clues.
But before that, I should talk to someone who has already entered the mist and learn more about their experience.
From what Lin Hui knew, within Clear Wind Temple, the Eldest Senior Brother, the teachers of the 'Ming' generation, and the Temple Master had all ventured into the mist. Additionally, the government office organized expert teams every year to explore it.
This thought sparked Lin Hui's curiosity. He had just benefited from the Sealing Array obtained from the insect egg. If he could acquire even more valuable things, perhaps...
But then he thought of his rapidly increasing Body Tempering grade.
No rush... no rush. I'll wait until I raise my Body Tempering to the extreme, increase my speed to the limit, and elevate my status within the temple. Only after acquiring sufficient data on the mist will I have more assurance.
Suppressing the impulse in his heart, Lin Hui calmed his mind. Holding the Qinghe Sword, he began to practice the Nine-Section Swift Sword once more.
This time, he didn't hesitate. He applied the Blood Seal directly to the evolution of the Nine-Section Swift Sword.
[Nine-Section Swift Sword: Advanced version of the Seven-Section Swift Sword. One of the practical combat sword techniques of the Clear Wind Temple. Evolvable Branches: 2.]
This time, Lin Hui didn't evolve it move by move. Instead, he attempted to evolve the entire set of sword techniques in one breath.
He clicked on the evolvable branches.
[1 — Nine-Section Swift Sword (Perfected Version).]
[2 — Clear Wind Sword Technique.]
The evolution effects were exactly as he had imagined. Lin Hui didn't hesitate and selected '1' directly.
Immediately, the required resources and time popped up.
[Required Resources: One metal longsword, nine months of Reserve Energy.]
[Time Required: Nine months.]
It shortened again!
Seeing this, Lin Hui was overjoyed.
Previously, every move of the Seven-Section Swift Sword required almost 2 months of evolution time. Now, a single move only needed thirty days—since the Nine-Section Swift Sword consisted of nine moves, nine months meant one month per move.
"Sure enough, persisting in tempering the body is effective!" A deep sense of satisfaction rose inexplicably in Lin Hui's heart.
Nine-Section Swift Sword. There are quite a few disciples in the Front Courtyard who haven't fully learned it, even after several years. I only need nine months to master it thoroughly—and not just that, but the Perfected Version. This is far beyond what ordinary Front Courtyard disciples can achieve. However, compared to geniuses like Huang Shan and Qiu Yiren, who mastered it in only two months, I'm still quite a bit slower.
Lin Hui silently warned himself not to be complacent. The shortening of this time made him suspect that his daily bitter practice, which gave him considerable proficiency in the Nine-Section Swift Sword itself, might have contributed to the reduction.
Immediately, Lin Hui confirmed the selection and began the evolution of the new sword technique. The Blood Seal on the back of his hand transformed from a rhombus back into a circle.
Lightness, Sealing, plus the newly started evolution of the Nine-Section Swift Sword—this triple harvest kept his mood agitated for a while, preventing him from calming down. He returned to his room to rest and settle his spirit.
Time passed day by day again. The temperature grew colder, and the weather became gloomier.
The disappearance cases in the Outer City continued to occur frequently.
Lin Hui practiced his sword in Clear Wind Temple. Unknowingly, he raised his Body Tempering by another rank, reaching the level of the 3rd Rank.
This was already approaching Chen Chong's 4th Rank, as well as Huang Shan and Qiu Yiren's 4th Rank. Yes, those two geniuses had also broken through during this period, reaching the 4th Rank level.
However, although he had improved, because there was no ranking competition for the time being, no one knew of his progress.
Instead, the disappearances in the Outer City made him worry, so he asked for two days of leave to go home and visit his parents.
….
Xinyu Town, Lin Shunhe's Home
"Father, Mother, I'm back."
Lin Hui pushed open the courtyard gate. Seeing Yao Shan collecting clothes in the yard, he hurried forward to help.
"Why are you back!? Isn't it not time for the holidays yet?" Yao Shan was startled to see him.
"Just wanted to come home and see you," Lin Hui answered casually. "Where's Father?"
"He went out to watch the shop. Our family has opened a small general store now, mainly selling wild goods, grain, oil, and sundries. The income is quite decent." Yao Shan smiled as she mentioned this.
"Let's go take a look." Lin Hui pulled his mother along, checked the sky, and walked out the door.
Yao Shan couldn't stubbornly refuse him, so she put down her work and led the way to the small shop.
The two talked as they walked.
"Speaking of which, we really have to thank that man from the Muhua Gang these days. He and his sister wander around our shop whenever they have free time. They don't collect protection fees anymore, and they actively step in to solve any trouble we encounter. If you see them, remember to thank them," Yao Shan instructed.
"Alright, I know. By the way, Mother, do you know about the disappearance cases causing a stir everywhere lately?" Lin Hui asked hurriedly.
"Of course I know, how could I not? When your father heard about the first disappearance, his face went pale with fear," Yao Shan sighed. "But later, he went out, found some old acquaintances to ask around, and finally felt at ease. In truth, these disappearances happen every year—we just didn't live near here before, so we never told you. Your father was anxious at first because the slums near the outermost ring are the places where disappearances occur most frequently."
"Every year..." The speculation in Lin Hui's heart became clearer.
Before long, the two headed into town. Following the rows of small shops along the street, they soon found the small shop opened by his father, Lin Shunhe—Shanhe General Store.
The storefront was very small, only wide enough for three people to enter and exit side-by-side. The depth was only five or six meters, and it was piled high with goods.
Lin Shunhe sat on a chair at the door, holding a small book in his hand, leisurely reading the pages.
Hearing footsteps, he turned his head to look, thinking business had arrived. But when the person approached, he revealed a joyful smile.
"A-Hui, why are you back??"
"Missed home, came back to see you."
Lin Hui smiled and sat down. He briefly asked his parents about their current situation, then quickly changed the subject to discuss the disappearances.
"I actually only inquired about whether it was safe or not. If you want to know more details, there is an invitation here. You can go take a look." Lin Shunhe stood up and fished out a simple black paper invitation from behind the counter.
"It was sent by your older female cousin, specifically for you."
"Eldest Cousin Sister?" Lin Hui was stunned.
"Of course. Who else besides her would remember you?" Lin Shunhe laughed. "She organized a small gathering herself. She heard you were working as a town patrol auxiliary and had entered the Clear Wind Temple Front Courtyard, so she sent this for you, too."
"What kind of people attend this small gathering?" Lin Hui asked.
"This is a small meeting held in your cousin's personal name. Those going are her friends with good personal relationships. Asking you to go is likely her trying to give you a hand. If you want to ask for information... she is in the Shayue Sect and has now received the Call. She is a hot figure in the surrounding area. The friends she approves of will definitely be of huge benefit to you. If you can make friends with one or two, it would be a truly great thing!" Lin Shunhe said seriously. "I intended to send it to the temple for you in two days, but since you happened to come back, just take it and go yourself."
"You mean to say the disappearances are related to the Inner City? So Cousin might know something?" Lin Hui said thoughtfully.
"I didn't say that; I just have this speculation. Anyway, Hongzhen has a good relationship with you. She obviously wants to help you up, so don't let down her good intentions," Lin Shunhe reminded him.
"I know, Father." Lin Hui picked up the invitation. A line of small characters was written on it: Green Ink Tower, Heaven-Earth Chamber, January 11th, 10:00 AM. We respectfully await your presence.
"Also, I heard that Lin Hongyu from the main branch is going to be engaged to a disciple of the Chen family. It's getting very lively over there. They sent someone to invite us before, but I declined." Lin Shunhe mentioned Lin Hongyu, and his tone instantly became bland.
"Engaged?" Lin Hui chuckled. He said nothing, simply placing the invitation into his inner pocket.