After calming down for a while, Lin Hui carefully perceived the state of the Internal Force within his body.
He was immensely curious about this peculiar power—one capable of defense, enhancement, and elevating his entire constitution.
Extending his hand, he stared intently at his palm, channeling a wisp of Internal Force to flow into his fingertip.
Under the morning light, a faint white glow slowly ignited at the tip of his finger.
The white light was weak and pale, yet clear as mist, clinging stubbornly to his fingertip.
Lin Hui reached out with his other hand to touch it. The sensation was soft yet tough, carrying a warmth. No matter how hard he pressed, he couldn't touch the actual skin of the fingertip beneath the barrier.
'It resembles a high-strength gel or colloid,' he thought.
Then, he flicked his hand forward, attempting to launch the Internal Force outward. There was no reaction; the energy stuck to his hand like glue.
Withdrawing the Internal Force, Lin Hui glanced toward the distant martial drill grounds, where Little Hu had begun teaching the group of elderly students again.
"Alright, Master," Little Hu responded from afar.
He and Little Fatty had formally bowed to Lin Hui as their master, though they were technically registered as probationary disciples.
Honestly, in this Clear Wind Sword Sect, where only a few stray cats remained, the fact that Little Hu and his friend remained steadfast without running away showed remarkable character.
The reason they were probationary disciples was mainly that Lin Hui worried about holding them back. Until he could confirm that the Perfected Clear Wind Sword Technique could truly allow ordinary people to significantly increase their strength, he wouldn't accept any true disciples.
This way, if Little Hu really couldn't make progress, he could quickly transfer elsewhere without being viewed with suspicion or rejected by other sects due to his status as a formal disciple.
Currently, Little Hu was still practicing the Seven-Section Swift Sword. He was undergoing his first Body Tempering and, with the aid of medicine, had arduously reached the 2nd Rank.
Little Fatty was at the 1st Rank.
After giving his instructions, Lin Hui entered the main hall and walked into the small study on the right, searching through the rows of bookshelves.
These books were a miscellaneous collection accumulated by the Clear Wind Temple over many years. Anything involving martial arts or holding any value had already been packed up and sold or taken away by Mingchen and Mingxiu. What remained was what no one wanted.
Lin Hui came in because, shortly before leaving, Mingde had placed a booklet he wrote regarding Internal Force here.
It was basic knowledge intended for Lin Hui after he broke through to the Internal Force Realm. Originally, Mingde had planned to write it a few years later—after all, breaking through to the Internal Force Realm took a long time, at least two or three years.
He hadn't expected that Lin Hui would break through rapidly in just the second month. No need for second Body Tempering to reach the limit; simply by running the sword technique, Internal Force generated quickly and without difficulty.
Lighting an oil lamp, Lin Hui rustled through the shelves for a while. Soon, he pulled out a gray-white scroll, untied the thin string binding it, and gently unrolled it.
Rows of small characters written by his master, Mingde, floated into view.
‘In the Internal Force Realm, because the quality and intensity of Internal Force cultivated by various martial arts differ vastly, the disparity in strength within this realm can widen rapidly. Remember, never judge strength solely by the realm of Internal Force. Sometimes, those who have just entered the Internal Force can exhibit combat effectiveness comparable to the late stages. Do not be careless.’
This was a paragraph left by Mingde.
Below it was the specific classification of the Internal Force Realm.
‘The Internal Force Realm is externally referred to collectively as the Internal Style. Unlike the External Style’s nine ranks of Body Tempering, the Internal Style is divided into six layers. From the first to the sixth, each layer is thicker and more powerful than the last. The gap in Internal Force between each layer is at least double—a comprehensive disparity in quality. Furthermore, due to differences in constitution and the External Web, the amount of Internal Force each person can accommodate varies. Therefore, the Internal Force realm is only valid for oneself and can only serve as a rough positioning to measure one's own Internal Style development. In actual combat, judgment must be based on battle records.’
‘After the Sixth Layer of Internal Force, a minority of geniuses may step into the Circulation Realm before their bodies decline at sixty. If the Sixth Layer of Internal Force corresponds to the lower and middle tiers of Called Ones, then the Circulation Realm corresponds to the high-tier Called Ones. The strength of a high-tier Called One counts as a powerhouse in both the Inner and Outer Cities. And this is the limit of our Clear Wind Sword.’
‘The highest realm achieved by the Founding Ancestor back then was the Circulation Realm. It is impossible for your teacher to touch that level, but you, Ah Hui—if your luck is good and you can enter the Internal Force Realm before twenty, you might have a chance to touch the Circulation Realm before sixty... By then...’
Mingde hadn't finished writing the end; he had simply dragged out a long ink trail.
Lin Hui sighed lightly. Feeling the threads of ice-cold Internal Force within his body, he understood. No wonder the Perfected Version of the Clear Wind Sword had no special effects—this super-fast generation of Internal Force already surpassed all special effects.
Further down, the scroll recorded the distinguishing characteristics of each of the Internal Style Six Layers.
Specifically, Internal Force would go from initially only being usable in the limbs, to gradually covering the whole body, then extending to weapons and equipment, until finally reaching the limit of the body and the Web at the Sixth Layer.
When the Internal Force completely filled the body and the Web, unable to be absorbed further, that was the Sixth Layer of the Internal Style.
Lin Hui carefully memorized the content of each layer, then gingerly returned the scroll to its original place.
Walking out of the study, he arrived at the center of the main hall, looking at the headless statue of the nameless deity, and sighed.
In truth, ever since entering the Inner City, he had fallen into a strange confusion.
Life in the Inner City was safe and beautiful. Aside from Feather Blood, people didn't need to worry about any trouble. As long as they didn't actively cause issues, Called Ones and nobles wouldn't kill people randomly. They mostly lived in the Middle Ring and the Core Zone, separated from the commoners. They were completely different worlds.
And those high-and-mighty Trueblood Nobles lived at the top of the thousand-story Moon Towers, almost never touching the earth.
'The Outer City is just an abandoned dark corner...' Lin Hui lamented sincerely in his heart.
He walked to the window of the main hall, looking out through the tall vertical pane at the martial drill grounds outside.
On the martial drill grounds, Little Hu was distributing hot towels to a group of elderly students to wipe their sweat. Little Fatty, leading a donkey cart nearby, pulled over a pile of assorted snacks and pastries to replenish everyone's energy after exercise.
The service could be described as dedicated and wholehearted.
'In the Outer City, life hangs by a thread. One's safety is pinned on others. If one day you provoke someone from the Inner City, the whole family would mysteriously disappear overnight.'
'In the Inner City, everyone has to purchase enough Feather Blood; otherwise, they can only work for the Three Major Powers, striving to obtain permits and proof of identity. Before that, one has to spend a fortune to buy a house...'
Thinking of this, a wave of irritability naturally welled up in Lin Hui's heart.
He hated this kind of development where everything was planned by others. Entering the Three Major Powers in the Inner City, or becoming a wealthy person purchasing massive amounts of Feather Blood—both were unavoidable paths.
But for now, there was no other way. He could only endure.
'Do I really just keep going like this, step by step? Even if I reach the Internal Force Realm or the Circulation Realm, so what? Even if I become a high-tier Called One, there are plenty of those in the Inner City... What exactly is wrong with this world?'
Roar!
Just then, a furious beast roar drifted faintly from the distance outside the Daoist temple.
The roar echoed continuously, getting closer, shaking the main hall of the temple enough to dislodge faint dust.
Lin Hui rushed out of the main hall instantly. With a leap, he scrambled up a large tree beside the martial drill grounds and gazed into the distance.
To the west of the Daoist temple, a thick plume of black smoke was rising into the sky. The faint sounds of weapons clashing could still be heard.
'That direction... it should be where You Ying of the Rain Palace led her team...' Lin Hui had always paid attention to this investigation team from the Inner City. After finding a guide, they had gone out via the North Wind Forest Road, returning to the city every few days.
Right now, they must have clashed with some powerful monster in the mist zone.
The roaring continued for several minutes before stopping.
The old men and women in the martial drill grounds looked panicked. They stopped practicing swords and ran out of the Daoist temple one after another to check the situation.
Hearing the commotion subside, they breathed a sigh of relief, chattering and speculating about the situation.
Little Hu and Little Fatty arrived in front of Lin Hui.
"Master..."
"It's fine. I'll go check the situation. You wait here. Close the main gate tightly and lock it. Wait for me to come back."
Lin Hui ordered in a deep voice.
"Yes!"
"Ah Hui, should I go instead?" Weiwei also emerged from a corner at this time.
"No need." Lin Hui shook his head. He pushed the door open quickly and ran in the direction of the sound.
With the deepening of his Body Tempering, his running speed was now nearly seven or eight meters per stride; twenty meters passed in the blink of an eye.
Leaving the Clear Wind Temple, he passed through the surrounding woodland, then crossed vast swathes of lush, green seedling fields.
Square fields connected one after another, stretching to the end of his vision.
Lin Hui accelerated. After running forward for half a minute.
Soon, a collapsed area of buildings came into his view.
It was a gray, dusty temple. Half a plaque lay on the ground outside—Hongqu Temple. Black background, red characters, imposing in style.
Now, only half remained.
'Hongqu Temple...' Lin Hui knew this newly opened martial hall. It was one of the new halls opened alongside the Black Dragon Gate. The Hallmaster was also an Internal Force expert. Unexpectedly...
From a distance, he could see pools of blood amidst the bricks and stones of the collapsed temple. Severed arms and legs were scattered everywhere.
At the innermost main hall of the temple, a massive Black-Winged Tiger was locked in a chaotic slaughter with three figures wielding long weapons.
The walls and floor of the main hall were constantly being struck, looking like they were about to shatter and collapse.
Lin Hui looked from afar. Seeing that the three were gradually gaining the upper hand, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Judging by the rich white light covering the three figures, they were clearly Internal Force experts.
'Since that's the case, I don't need to intervene. I just broke through to Internal Force; even if I act, I won't have much effect on the battle situation.'
The Internal Force he had just generated could only cover his fingertips right now; he couldn't use it for full-body protection at all.
Without using his trump cards, he couldn't even break the monster's defense. He had already tested this on the Tree Scorpion during his last trip to the mist zone.
Thinking of this, Lin Hui retreated, returning toward the direction of Clear Wind Temple.
There were three people encircling and killing it over there; the problem wasn't big.
That monster had destroyed the entire Hongqu Temple, which showed how strong it was. Naturally, he wouldn't take the initiative to risk his life if he didn't have to.
Just as he left quickly.
On a slope on the other side of Hongqu Temple, two tall figures draped in gray robes that covered their heads were gazing at the battle inside the temple.
'A little guy came close, then ran away,' one said softly. "Need to lure him in to join the test?"
"No need. Three Internal Force martial artists are enough. The strength of the Black-Winged Tiger is roughly clear; three Internal Force martial artists are the limit," the other said softly.
"But, won't news leak out?" the first person reminded.
"This Black-Winged Tiger was a semi-finished product to begin with. It's an experimental product destined to be abandoned. Clean it up a bit later; it won't attract Chen Xunhai's attention," the other said indifferently.
"Understood."