"Data collection is complete. We can wrap this up."
"I'll handle the traces."
"Be cautious."
"Don't worry."
One of the figures responded, taking a step forward. Abruptly and silently, his body dissolved into a mass of gray liquid, shooting toward the few people still locked in slaughter within the temple.
As the liquid neared, it rapidly dispersed into countless grit-like gray worms, swarming over the Black-Winged Tiger and the three Internal Force martial artists.
Accompanied by a few terrified screams, everything returned to silence.
The gray worms flew back to their original position, re-aggregating into a tall human form that bowed slightly to the other figure.
"Cleaned up. The new specimen had a fine flavor."
The other figure cast a nonchalant glance toward the distance, then turned around. His body disintegrated into countless grains of black sand, collapsing to the ground and vanishing.
The remaining figure followed the other’s gaze, then also decomposed, turning into gray sand that melted into the earth.
Only after the two had departed did a grim-faced middle-aged man emerge from a large pile of rubble.
"It's them again... the Clear River Sect...! They were the ones who snatched the Imitation Longevity Wheel before. What exactly are these people trying to do? Are they mad?"
Hongqu Temple had vanished. Rumor had it that a mist zone monster had charged in and completely destroyed it. To besiege and kill that monster, the town government office had reportedly joined forces with the New Martial Alliance, mobilizing multiple hallmaster-level experts. Even then, they paid the price of three dead and one injured before finally slaying it.
Lin Manor.
At noon, in the central courtyard garden of the estate.
Lin Shunhe stood respectfully, bowing before a white-haired figure wearing a pitch-black mask.
"The foundation has been laid. You have a very good head for business. I thought this operation would incur significant losses, but I didn't expect you to maneuver these funds so skillfully. Very good," the black-masked, white-haired figure praised, his voice sounding aged.
"It all relies on Your Lordship's trust. Otherwise, no matter how capable I am, without funds, I would be powerless to perform," Lin Shunhe said humbly.
"Heh... merit is merit; what is yours is yours. Rest assured, I have that much tolerance. Your contribution in successfully avoiding the Rain Palace's search this time was significant. Speak—what do you want?" the black-masked man asked gently.
"This subordinate..." Lin Shunhe paused. "This subordinate desires a Call quota for my son, Lin Hui."
"That is impossible," the black-masked man shook his head slightly. "You can obtain a Call quota—your merit this time is sufficient. But the quota cannot be given to your son; it can only be used by you personally. This is a rigid rule within the sect."
"Dare I ask..."
"Direct blood relatives can also leak secrets. He is not you—do you understand?" the black-masked man reminded him.
Lin Shunhe fell silent. But if he were to undergo the Call himself, doing so at his age would be truly too conspicuous. Moreover, with his aptitude, the probability of passing was simply too low.
After thinking for a moment, he asked again.
"Then, dare I ask Your Lordship, is there any way for this subordinate to also obtain sufficient power for self-preservation? Recently, some forces from the Inner City have begun experimenting with and capturing people in the Outer City again. If I am unfortunately selected, I fear it will delay the important tasks ordered by the organization."
The black-masked man pondered for a moment.
"At your age, if you wish to obtain sufficient power for self-preservation... unless you obtain an Imitation Evil Weapon or an Imitation Insect Codex—which might allow you to ascend to the heavens in a single step—you can only rely on external objects."
"Imitation Evil Weapon? Imitation Insect Codex? What are those?" Lin Shunhe asked in surprise.
"Do you know the origin of the Mistborn?" the black-masked man asked in a deep voice.
"I do not... there are no records of this in the outside world," Lin Shunhe shook his head.
"Indeed, no records dare to involve them," the black-masked man sighed. "Because the Mistborn did not originate from cultivation. They did not put in effort step by step, nor did they study bitterly, research, or perfect themselves to achieve their status. They... all ascended to the heavens in a single step. From the moment they touched an Evil Weapon or Insect Codex and survived the initial fusion, they became invincible, undying Mistborn."
"The Trueblood Nobles spawned by the Mistborn are the same. They are born powerful, born noble, and are nearly immortal. Such innate ability makes countless people tremble, but it also makes countless people jealous and covetous."
"Thus, the imitation of Evil Weapons and Insect Codex began. Peerless geniuses found the original cause of the formation of Evil Weapons and Insect Codex from the deepest parts of the mist zone, then imitated them, finally and arduously discovering the method to create imitations." The black-masked man paused, then continued. "In our Tuyue, an imitation appeared a while ago—the Imitation Longevity Wheel. It attracted quite a few forces to fight for it at the time. The slaughter of some people fighting in the Inner City caused aftershocks to spread, which is what caused the rumors of the Door-Breaching Ghost in your area previously."
"So, you're saying so much, in such detail, to mean...?" Lin Shunhe hesitated, afraid to confirm his guess.
"Yes. As you guessed, Imitation Evil Weapons do indeed exist within the organization. But because the materials are extremely rare and the production difficulty is immense, you need to achieve even greater merit to obtain one," the black-masked man answered.
Lin Shunhe's eyes trembled, and hope rose in his heart.
He knew very well that the lord before him had guided him to join the organization when he was at his lowest point. From their acquaintance until now, the other party had never spoken a single untruthful word.
If he said it could be exchanged, then it could definitely be exchanged.
"What kind of merit is needed to...?"
"Fully utilize your talents. If you can extend the industry to more than half of the Outer City towns, or even hook up with the lines of the Three Major Powers in the Inner City... When the time comes, and the organization can obtain sufficient support funds from you, your merit will be just about enough," the black-masked man smiled. "After all, this is equivalent to you taking a sum of money and creating a vast swathe of highly profitable, high-quality industries in the Outer City out of thin air."
"This subordinate understands," Lin Shunhe nodded.
"That is good. However, you were right to remind me—these are eventful times. Take this for self-defense first." The black-masked man raised his hand and tossed out a dark, round ball.
Engraved on the surface of the ball was a pattern of a dark purple Narcissus flower.
"This is a Mind-Confusing Ball. Smash it when you encounter danger. Once it is two meters away from you, it will automatically explode, releasing a large amount of hallucinogenic, mind-confusing smoke. Non-High-tier Called Ones cannot be immune to it. Additionally, this item is a signature product of the organization. Once exposed, the Three Major Powers will target and pursue it. You must use it with caution," the black-masked man warned.
"Many thanks, My Lord!"
….
Time flowed by.
In the blink of an eye, another half-month passed.
The progress of Lin Hui's Internal Force far exceeded his imagination. Almost every day, he could clearly feel the Internal Force within his body growing by several strands.
At this rate, he estimated that in less than two months, he might break through the First Layer of the Internal Force Realm, accumulating enough Internal Force to sheath his four limbs.
According to Master Mingde's records, this step had taken him and his 'Ming' generation martial brothers four years back then.
While his Internal Force developed rapidly, the Clear Wind Sword Sect, on the other side, was also developing well.
More and more elderly men and women were joining. By now, the number had reached over twenty. Firstly, their fees were cheap; secondly, word of mouth spread. Although the health benefits of the slow-motion Perfected Seven-Section Swift Sword couldn't temper the body, it was many times faster than other exercise methods.
Some old men who exercised effectively clearly felt their bodies become lighter and walked with a spring in their step, so they went back and advertised it vigorously.
Consequently, more and more people were attracted. If not for the vicious incident at Hongqu Temple nearby, even more people would likely have come.
Quite a few elderly folks simply moved into the Clear Wind Temple. With Weiwei and Lin Hui, the four of them guarding the place, it was safer than their own homes. Little Hu also brought his parents over to help with miscellaneous chores. Weiwei paid them a monthly salary, so the whole family benefited.
Lin Hui didn't remain idle either. After entering the Internal Force Realm, he traveled to the Shiqiao Town mist zone again and resumed hunting Tree Scorpions.
He did not intend to expose his entry into the Internal Force Realm for the time being. His speed was simply too fast. Others took three years to break through; he succeeded in two months.
If word got out, it would attract too much attention.
So he planned to forcefully drag it out until two years later before revealing it. By then, although it wouldn't be three years, it would still be within a reasonable range.
….
Shiqiao Town Mist Zone.
A massive, four-meter-tall Tree Scorpion, still clad in black armor, looked down from above at Lin Hui before it.
Hiss!
It waved its twin pincers, its small black eyes rolling constantly, fixed tightly on the sword in Lin Hui's hand.
It sensed a faint danger radiating from the sword.
"Although I can't cover the sword yet, covering both hands is close to the First Layer. It's enough..."
Lin Hui slowly raised his sword.
This was the first time the Perfected Version of the Clear Wind Sword Technique was being used in actual combat with the amplification of Internal Force on sword speed.
"Theoretically, the faster the speed, the stronger the cutting and piercing force. When speed reaches a sufficient degree, there is nothing in the world that cannot be pierced."
His eyes narrowed slightly as streams of Internal Force flowed continuously from his dantian into his hands.
"Wind."
Whoosh!
In an instant, Lin Hui shook the longsword in his hand. Centered on him, a breeze curled up out of thin air beside him, blowing toward the Tree Scorpion.
Hiss!
Just then, the Tree Scorpion slammed its right pincer down toward him viciously. It seemed to sense something was wrong and was determined not to let the opponent complete the execution of the sword move.
The giant black pincer smashed down from overhead. Such a pouncing smash should have whipped up a massive gust of strong wind.
But strangely, the airflow at this moment was actually blowing in reverse toward the Tree Scorpion.
The airflow blew stronger and stronger. Lin Hui stood motionless, making no movements—no swinging the sword, no shifting steps—merely standing there.
Yet that invisible airflow continued to strengthen, surging and blowing toward the Tree Scorpion.
The giant black pincer smashed down fiercely, fighting against the strong wind, hammering toward Lin Hui's forehead.
However, the interference and obstruction of the strong wind still weakened the Tree Scorpion's original strength by thirty percent.
Watching the giant black pincer getting closer and closer, looming larger and larger right before his eyes.
Featherweight Ascension.
Lin Hui bowed abruptly, a flash of white light lighting up on his arms for an instant.
Chi!
A silver light flashed.
A crisp silver line sliced straight across the Tree Scorpion's massive body from left to right.
Everything fell still.
The Tree Scorpion's giant body stiffened, then crashed rigidly to the ground, bereft of breath.
On the side of its body, on the originally hard black carapace, a clear, deep, bloody gash was constantly oozing black-red blood.
Behind it, Lin Hui gently flicked the blood off his sword. He ran a finger along the blade, feeling a tiny nick.
When Internal Force drastically amplifies sword speed, and then Featherweight Ascension stacks its amplification on top, the effect is indeed terrifying. But without Internal Force protecting the blade, a lesser weapon would likely shatter in a single strike.
Sighing, he looked back at the Tree Scorpion's corpse and walked straight toward the massive scorpion tail.
Regardless, from today on, his strength had fully surpassed his teacher, and perhaps even surpassed Daoist Baohe, reaching the true, current peak of the Clear Wind Temple.
Next, every step he took forward would create new history for the Clear Wind Temple.