Huang Shan's affair was merely a fleeting interlude, a ripple that soon smoothed over.
As time flowed on, another month passed in the blink of an eye.
This time, quite a few people had mastered the full set of sword techniques, and some had even completely grasped the eight Force Nodes of the first move.
As for those who couldn't master it, Lin Hui watched with his own eyes as the young Daoist attendants of the temple notified them one by one to return home. They were told not to come back.
Among them was the skinny student who had previously boasted about his vast knowledge.
Upon receiving the notice, the skinny youth's expression—already fraught with anxiety—instantly collapsed.
After returning home, he would likely be forced to walk the hardest and most bitter paths. Perhaps he would become a bottom-tier mist zone explorer, or take on the filthiest, most grueling labor, or even farm for others on the edge of the mist zone.
After three months of living together, everyone in the communal sleeping quarters had developed some bond.
Chen Zhishen and a few others saw him off. Before he left, they agreed to visit him if they ever had the chance, but everyone knew clearly in their hearts that this "future chance" might well be never.
Lin Hui didn't go. Apart from his good relationship with Chen Zhishen, he wasn't close with the others. He simply went to his old spot to continue practicing the sword, just as he always did.
He had now figured out the function of the Blood Seal. As long as he confirmed an evolution and consumed the necessary Reserve Energy and time, he would thoroughly master the evolved ability.
All he had to pay in the interim was a little bit of daily energy and patience.
It was as if he didn't need to work hard or practice at all; he could just lie back, and time would rapidly make him stronger.
But...
Lin Hui believed that while lying back could make him strong, the purpose of practicing the sword wasn't just to learn the techniques, but also to form muscle memory. Merely possessing sword moves that could evolve was not enough.
He needed to make holding the sword an instinct. The connections, transitions, and variations between moves all required flexible application. These were things the Blood Seal couldn't necessarily give him.
Moreover, by exercising his body daily, his physical stamina would increase. He speculated that this might reduce the amount of Reserve Energy consumed in the future.
In a flash, two months had passed. The evolution of the second move, Hundred Turns, Thousand Intents, was also finished.
Just as Lin Hui was alone in the shade of a tree outside the Daoist temple, familiarizing himself with the Force Nodes of the second move, a student from his room suddenly ran over in a panic.
"A-Hui! A-Shen is in trouble! Quick! Quick! Come help!"
"Mn?" Lin Hui frowned, recognizing the runner. He immediately put down his wooden stick and ran back into the temple with him.
"What happened!?" he asked as he ran.
"It's Chen Chong! Chen Chong... he ruined Baihua..." The student was sweating profusely, gritting his teeth as he spoke.
Lin Hui's heart skipped a beat. He knew this was bad.
The two rushed into the Daoist temple and headed straight for the square in front.
Before they even arrived, they heard a roar of fury from Chen Zhishen. The sheer rage in his voice was audible even from dozens of meters away.
"I'll kill you!!"
"Hold it back!! A-Shen!"
"Don't be impulsive!!"
The others were grabbing onto Chen Zhishen, holding him tight to prevent him from charging at the triumphant-looking Chen Chong opposite them.
Chen Zhishen's face was purple-red, veins bulging, charging forward on the mud like a mad bull, yet he couldn't break free from the seemingly loose restraint of the people around him.
Not far away, Lu Baihua stood quietly in the corner. The upper half of her face was obscured by the shadows of the eaves; only her pale chin and lips were visible.
Lin Hui slowed his pace. He watched Chen Chong sneer, cast a sideways glance in his direction, and then walk over to wrap his arm around Lu Baihua. He then swaggered away with his entourage of sycophant students.
"Boring. I thought he'd actually dare to charge over. Is that it?"
That parting remark struck Chen Zhishen like lightning.
He froze instantly. The people around him didn't need to hold him back anymore; he stopped struggling. He simply collapsed to the ground right there, biting his lip tightly, his fists clenched until the joints cracked.
Time passed, minute by minute.
"Sigh..." A student beside him sighed, watched for a while, then turned and left.
This seemed to be a signal, causing the others to leave one after another.
Soon, only Lin Hui and Chen Zhishen remained on the muddy ground.
Rain began to fall, drop by drop, gradually growing heavier and denser.
"Let's go. Time to head back," Lin Hui said, stepping forward to stand in front of him.
If Chen Zhishen had actually charged, Lin Hui might have tried to help him. But now...
Thud.
Chen Zhishen suddenly knelt on the ground, head lowered, a faint whimpering sound escaping his nose.
"A-Hui... am I... useless?"
"You have parents, too," Lin Hui said calmly.
Chen Zhishen choked back a sob and fell silent.
He had really wanted to charge. But...
"Let's go. Before you have enough strength, any so-called revenge will only destroy you," Lin Hui said softly.
He stepped forward to help the other boy up. The two walked slowly back toward the communal sleeping quarters in the light rain. Neither spoke again.
Lying in the communal quarters, Lin Hui pondered silently.
Chen Zhishen is not an isolated case. This world is just like this: the strong devour the weak. Before anyone notices you, perhaps everything can be peaceful, but that is only because you are sufficiently lowly. If you possess even a tiny thing that is useful to someone else...
"Say, A-Hui... why didn't A-Hua resist?" Chen Zhishen asked softly from the side.
"Perhaps she saw things clearly. Or perhaps she couldn't," Lin Hui answered.
"Then what does it take... to protect the people you want to protect?" Chen Zhishen asked again, his voice trembling. He turned his face to look at Lin Hui, tears flowing silently like a broken string of pearls.
"Chen Chong isn't strong. Do you know the realms of martial artists?" Lin Hui asked in return. Without waiting for an answer, he continued.
"Perfected Mingxiu said that our Clear Wind Temple primarily cultivates the Clear Wind Sword Technique. The Seven-Section Swift Sword is for foundation building, the Nine-Section Swift Sword is for actual combat, and finally, after the Clear Wind Sword Technique is cultivated to Great Accomplishment, one can be considered an expert in all of Tuyue—excluding the three major powers' middle management and above, which number a few hundred people."
Yes, this was a real world; there were no rigid "levels" that equated perfectly to combat power. Lin Hui had investigated this in detail over the past few days.
Factions like the Clear Wind Temple divided their internal strength rankings according to the mastery of their own martial arts.
As for where one stood in the outside world after mastering the sect's arts, it depended mainly on the battle records of the teachers.
The Temple Master, Daoist Baohe—the strongest in the sect—had once used a killing move of the Clear Wind Sword Technique, Wind-Riding Three Points, to defeat the masters of several martial halls in the Inner City. Although he was ultimately defeated by the likes of the Flying Cloud Hallmaster, his Lightness Art allowed him to retreat unscathed and with ease.
Of course, these were the publicly circulated battle records. Naturally, they mostly publicized the wins. No one had the face to actively spread news of their losses.
"If I master the Clear Wind Sword, can I suppress Chen Chong?" Chen Zhishen asked in a low voice.
"Perhaps. Chen Chong is just a distant relative from some obscure branch of the Chen family. There are eight hundred, if not a thousand, people like him in the city. If you can rise to the status of a 'Ming' generation teacher, you should be able to suppress him. After all, look at how respectful his attitude is toward the 'Ming' generation teachers on normal days," Lin Hui answered.
"At the end, he looked at you. I know... he let me go because of you. I'll remember this debt," Chen Zhishen said haltingly.
"Why?" Lin Hui was puzzled. "I shouldn't have anything that makes him wary, right?"
"You are from the Lin family. The Lin family has three people who have entered the three major powers of the Inner City. One of them even entered the main Chen family. And your eldest cousin sister received the Call a few days ago, formally becoming a Rain-Palace Disciple. That's an elite congregant of Shayue... You might not pay attention to these backgrounds yourself, but we outsiders remember them clearly. We dare not ignore them."
Chen Zhishen's emotions seemed to have stabilized somewhat, and he lowered his voice. "This is the power of a clan..."
Lin Hui fell silent.
He thought of the old patriarch, his grandfather, Lin Chaoyi.
He said no more, his mood somewhat complicated. He lay back on his bunk, his mind replaying everything that had happened these past days.
Unknowingly, he drifted off to sleep.
The second day.
As soon as the mist dispersed, bursts of noise and laughter echoed through the Daoist temple.
In the communal quarters, students rose one after another, packing their things with cheerful moods, preparing to head out.
"We can go home today. Is your family coming to pick you up?" Chen Zhishen was also packing. His face was calm; it seemed impossible to see any trace of his previous rage and pain.
But Lin Hui knew he had simply buried everything deep inside.
"Don't know. I'll know when I go out and look," he replied.
"A-Hui, you and I are going back the same way. Want to go together?" someone from the same room asked enthusiastically.
"Thanks, but no. You go ahead," Lin Hui politely declined.
He simply packed up his things: dirty clothes he hadn't had time to wash, boots that were somewhat worn, socks, a porcelain cup with a chipped rim, and the wooden stick that had been gripped so often it was almost polished to a patina.
Pushing the door open and stepping out, two logistics Daoists of the temple were maintaining order, arranging inspections for the disciples and students leaving one by one.
They only released people after confirming that their families had arrived.
As Lin Hui walked forward, several people immediately took the initiative to greet him.
Among those greeting him were even a few students from Huang Shan's small clique—a circle with some background. After the Chen Chong incident yesterday, everyone had asked around and learned of the recent changes in the Lin family.
To have three members enter the Inner City—specifically into the three major powers—and for one to receive the Call and become an elite cultist... the implications were significant.
For a moment, it was as if Lin Hui had transformed from the invisible figure he was before into a center of attention, just like the genius Huang Shan.
Not far away, the genius Qiu Yiren, who was equally as famous as Huang Shan, followed behind First Senior Sister Mu Qiaozhi. She gazed at this scene from afar, somewhat puzzled.
"Senior Sister, is that Shayue Sect 'Call' really that formidable? Even a distant relative of the Chen family like Chen Chong has to give face?"
"The Shayue Sect's Call depends heavily on aptitude. Within the entire sect, there are only about a thousand people qualified to receive the Call. Basically, after a successful induction, sooner or later, they will be sent out to serve as managers. Their status and strength are not much worse than our Temple Master. What do you think?" Mu Qiaozhi said calmly.
"The Call is a leap over the dragon gate—an ascent to the heavens in a single bound. Copper skin, iron bones, a greatly extended lifespan... plus, rumor has it that Lin Hui has a good relationship with Lin Hongzhen. If Chen Chong didn't give face, he'd be reprimanded when he went back. That kid is glorious on the outside, but inside the Chen family, he's just an ostracized good who only dares to vent his temper on outsiders," Mu Qiaozhi said coldly.
She stood quietly at the very rear of the students, watching the shifting human relationships before her. Her pale blue eyes were indifferent.
Compared to Qiu Yiren beside her, she wasn't beautiful. But years of martial arts and sword practice had made her upper body extremely strong and her chest magnificent. Her legs were long and well-proportioned. Clad in a fitted pale blue long robe, she looked like a female leopard—agile, powerful, and filled with the beauty of vitality.
"Looking at it this way, who else in our temple has similar background figures in their families? Could Senior Sister enlighten Yiren?" Qiu Yiren asked softly.
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