Knowing she couldn't win, Ou Tianrong remained wary but pretended nothing had happened. She ordered her disciples to quickly clean up the remnants of the battle while she endured the pain and led Lin Hui to a temporary study used for receiving guests.
After thinking about it repeatedly and still not knowing how she lost, Ou Tianrong gradually straightened her mindset. As long as Lin Hui's demands weren't too excessive, she would agree to all of them, treating it as ceding territory and paying reparations.
No matter how large the Hundred Flowers Sect's business was or how many connections it had, in reality, as long as it remained a martial arts hall, it had to follow the rules of a dojo challenge.
Even if a challenge succeeded, the Hundred Flowers Sect might continue unscathed; after all, business and connections wouldn't change just because the Sect Master changed.
But she, Ou Tianrong, would be finished.
If she were defeated or heavily injured, she wouldn't be able to hold the position of Sect Master anymore. Her so-called confidants wouldn't retain much loyalty either; if one collapsed, they would all collapse.
Her heart was clear on this point, and Lin Hui knew it just as well.
The moment he saw the Hundred Flowers Sect's operating model, Lin Hui knew that if he wanted to annex this martial hall indirectly and turn it into a vassal, he had to start with the Sect Master.
As long as he subdued the Sect Master, even if the fact that he killed two Hundred Flowers Sect members in the mist zone back then was exposed, it wouldn't matter.
Thus, under the friendly negotiation of both Sect Masters, the Clear Wind Temple and the Hundred Flowers Sect signed a mutual assistance and cooperation agreement.
Although there was no explicit intention of annexation, many parts of the agreement were extremely biased toward the Clear Wind Temple. It could be considered giving up benefits in exchange for peace.
Lin Hui proved with practical action that if one wanted to continue operating a martial hall on this turf, they had to cough up benefits.
By the time all the agreements were handled, it was almost afternoon.
Ou Tianrong invited Lin Hui to the pharmacy to check on the energy-enhancing drugs he needed most.
"Whatever medicine Sect Master Lin needs, as long as my Hundred Flowers Sect has it, feel free to take it!" Ou Tianrong now just wanted to send this plague god away quickly.
Since she couldn't beat him, she could only feed him full of benefits, just like she had with the previous few people. For the Hundred Flowers Sect to open such a large establishment on this ground, they naturally had their own methods for facing stronger individuals.
Inside the pharmacy.
Female disciples successively placed boxes containing precious medicines in front of the two, arranging them in a row on a long table. Under the dim candlelight, this row of rosewood boxes all had corresponding names pasted on their surfaces.
"My Hundred Flowers Sect has a total of twenty-three types of energy-enhancing drugs. Removing those with overlapping effects leaves fifteen types. What do you think?" Ou Tianrong said in a low voice.
Lin Hui's gaze swept over them one by one. If nothing unexpected happened, these boxes were all good stuff that could greatly accelerate the Blood Seal in the future!
Three Suns Powder, Divine Chicken Pill, Nine Flowers Pill, Dragon-Tiger Pill, Spring Return Pill...
The names of the corresponding drugs, along with their effects and usage taboos, were written on the stickers on the box surfaces.
"Can all of these be eaten together?" Lin Hui suddenly asked.
"Uh..." Ou Tianrong froze. "No, it will cause a deficit in the body. However, if Sect Master Lin wants to take them continuously for a long time, the combination with the least side effects involves three types. Taking them no more than three times a month, while nourishing Qi and blood daily and increasing meat intake in your diet, shouldn't be a big problem."
She quickly put together a few common long-term medication regimens for Lin Hui.
Among them, the combination plan of Three Suns Powder, Toppling Dragon Pill, and Spirit-Enriching Reishi appealed to Lin Hui the most. The other combinations would overlap with the medicinal properties of the Spirit-Enriching Reishi, accelerating the development of drug resistance.
Lin Hui used the safe method on the spot to test the effects of the first two drugs. They couldn't compare to the Spirit-Enriching Reishi and were quite a bit worse than the All-Essence Powder.
But they were already the two with the best medicinal effects among these drugs. After all, this stuff was just used for aphrodisiac purposes, while the All-Essence Powder could be used for martial arts training. The grades were completely different.
Besides these, Lin Hui's other harvest was obtaining five Spirit-Enriching Reishi mushrooms from the Hundred Flowers Sect's pharmacy that were prepared to be ground into powder for medicine.
Now, according to the agreement, the Clear Wind Temple could also use the Hundred Flowers Sect's channels for free. Furthermore, every month, a fixed amount of medicinal ingredients for the Three Suns Powder and Toppling Dragon Pill formulas would be prepared and sent to the Clear Wind Temple.
As a condition, the Clear Wind Temple's drug demand would be combined with the Hundred Flowers Sect's to negotiate business with the Myriad Medicine Villa. Additionally, ten percent of the Hundred Flowers Sect's internal drug sales would be sent directly to Lin Hui's personal account.
Don't look down on this ten percent; the Hundred Flowers Sect's profit scale was large, and it had long been divided up by several people.
Judging from the documents Ou Tianrong showed, Lin Hui determined that the subordinate forces of the Chen clan were involved in this business behind the scenes. They first took thirty percent of the profits, then ten percent was distributed to the various local yamen, and ten percent to the Rain Palace. These three major players took half. The rest was then divided among the numerous disciples, students, and employees within the Hundred Flowers Sect.
Ou Tianrong herself only occupied twenty percent, but she was responsible for daily management, teaching martial arts, dealing with strong enemies, negotiating cooperation and business, maintaining channels, and so on.
Lin Hui's ten percent was forcibly cut out from Ou Tianrong's share.
Originally, he didn't plan to take it, intending to exchange it directly for corresponding drugs. But Ou Tianrong, on the condition that she could invite him to help resist strong enemies when encountering dangerous threats, still added it for him.
When leaving the Hundred Flowers Sect, Lin Hui and Ou Tianrong actually both knew that agreements and such weren't important. How long the content on that paper would remain valid depended on how long he, Lin Hui, could remain powerful.
If the Clear Wind Temple failed, no agreement would be useful; it would just be a stack of waste paper.
But if the Clear Wind Temple became stronger, the agreement might not necessarily stop there; more content could be added.
Ou Tianrong endured the pain throughout the whole process, leading Lin Hui to complete all affairs. It wasn't until this moment, watching Lin Hui's carriage gradually go away and disappear at the end of her vision...
That she let out a long sigh of relief.
"Finally sent this one away."
Behind her, the two Elders who had their injuries bandaged also heaved a long sigh of relief.
"Sect Master, is this Sect Master Lin's strength perhaps already unrivaled in the surrounding area?" Elder Li Zhaohan asked aloud.
"Pretty much. An average Internal Force Realm cultivator is about the same as a low-tier Called One. As for top-tier Sixth Layer experts like us, we are only below high-tier Called Ones. In the dozen or so towns surrounding the Outer City, the numerous martial halls, sects, and schools are not my match," Ou Tianrong sighed.
"But this isn't the reason I actively surrendered to him. The real reason is that he's too young... In a place like the Outer City, resources are far inferior to the Inner City. If the Called Ones of the Three Major Powers and the martial artists of the Three Sects and Six Gangs could enter the Inner City, who would be willing to run over here to eat these meager scraps of resources? So, the top strength one can encounter is pretty much someone like me..."
She paused and continued.
"He can beat me. In this Outer City district, as long as he doesn't provoke the Three Major Powers, basically no one can restrain him. Moreover, he is a top-tier speed-type expert... This type is the most troublesome."
"Looking at it this way, youth is indeed terrifying. This Sect Master Lin is only nineteen now, right?" Li Zhaohan was also a little shocked. "Calculating it like this, doesn't that mean he will suppress everyone in this Outer City district for at least fifty years!?"
"Yes. For External Style transitioning to Internal Force, the limit is the Sixth Layer Perfection. Entering the Inner City would be useless too. Plus, his combat ability is so formidable, and speed-types have extremely high survival rates. As long as he isn't stupid enough to fight recklessly, suppressing the Outer City for fifty years after reaching the peak would be considered a short time..." Ou Tianrong sighed.
Those geniuses qualified to enter the Inner City were taken inside very early on. Once sent in, they wouldn't want to come out again.
Only someone like Lin Hui—strong in actual combat, high in talent, but not high enough to enter the Inner City—was the true suppressive figure of the Outer City district.
"Those in the Inner City who look down on our little bit of meat aren't our opponents, so naturally, they can't come out to compete. And those stronger than us look down on the meager resources of the Outer City. For some precious medicines, the daily output of certain special areas in the Inner City exceeds the monthly amount outside. The things we fight for, others might have already developed drug resistance to... Indeed, calculating it this way, we really must maintain a good relationship with the Clear Wind Temple." Li Zhaohan revealed a look of understanding.
"It's good that you understand once it's pointed out. Ah-Ying, don't hold a grudge in your heart either. Your injury is nothing; when it heals, I'll buy you a tube of Scar Removal Liquid from the Inner City later, guaranteed to be the same as before." Ou Tianrong looked at Elder Xiang Ying on the other side and comforted her softly.
"Ah-Ying doesn't dare. At that time, he should have shown mercy. Otherwise, he only needed to come up and add another sword strike..." Xiang Ying recalled the situation at that time and still felt lingering fear.
"Nineteen years old... tsk tsk... such a strong person actually didn't have the aptitude for the Call... Which bastard was responsible for auditing aptitude?" After comforting her two confidants, Ou Tianrong looked up again, gazing in the direction Lin Hui had left, unable to resist shaking her head and smacking her lips.
….
Next day, noon.
Xinyu Town, Clear Wind Temple.
Lin Hui sat cross-legged alone in the main hall, looking at six medicine boxes lined up neatly in front of him.
Five of the rosewood boxes contained five Spirit-Enriching Reishi, and the remaining box contained the aphrodisiac pills packed to go.
Five Spirit-Enriching Reishi... This time, the Wild Wind Sword Technique should be about completed... Lin Hui felt emotional.
What is called "getting rich overnight"?
This is it!
Honestly, staying at home and bitterly cultivating—how could it compare to going out to "beg for alms"?
It wasn't in vain that he used the sealing toxin to deal with Ou Tianrong. At that time, he actually kept the Featherweight Ascension special effect on and could have slowly worn the opponent down to death. But his goal was to deter and subdue the Hundred Flowers Sect, so he had to end the battle quickly.
Thus, the moment he broke through the opponent's defense, he activated the sealing toxin.
Just as he expected, the sealing toxin took effect the instant it touched the skin. What he hadn't expected was that the seal sealed consciousness, and once consciousness was cut off, the Internal Force was actually cut off, too.
Not only that, but the tightening force of Ou Tianrong's fat and muscles was also instantly lost, causing their toughness to plummet.
Therefore, she was pierced by his sword and defeated.
Calculating it this way, if the sealing toxin can directly break through the Internal Force barrier, it almost completely counters Internal Force experts... The moment the barrier is broken is the time of the opponent's death.
Lin Hui picked up a box of Spirit-Enriching Reishi, opened it gently, took out the jade-like reishi, and slowly put it into his mouth to chew.
He wanted to completely push the Wild Wind Sword Technique to completion within these few days, and then continue with the next evolution.
Dealing with one Ou Tianrong forced him to use his trump card, the seal. If he encountered a stronger Inner City expert... wouldn't he only be able to stretch out his neck and wait for death?
One had to know that within the New Martial Alliance, there were still Circulation Realm experts...
Just like this, Lin Hui stayed quietly alone in the Clear Wind Temple for five days.
During these five days, he wasn't just eating Spirit-Enriching Reishi; he was also thinking about his current development direction.
Actually, starting from the Clear Wind Sword, there was already no road ahead. The Wild Wind Sword Technique was a new path forcibly deduced and evolved by the Blood Seal as a continuation of the Clear Wind Sword.
This path was unknown. Lin Hui himself didn't know what effects the Wild Wind Sword Technique would have once specifically evolved.
He only knew that he couldn't walk the path of the Call, nor could he enjoy the massive resources from childhood to cultivate Internal Force.
So he could only walk one path to the end.
If he didn't have the Blood Seal, perhaps he would be like those martial artists in the Inner City, engaging in frantic, cutthroat competition, pursuing extreme lethality, and not caring about slightly weaker side effects.
Short lifespans, madness, and possessing various weird and extreme hobbies—these were all attributes inherent to martial artists.
But fortunately, he had the Blood Seal.
Clang, clang, clang...
The bell of the Clear Wind Temple, struck by the toothless old man, emitted a clear and resounding echo.
Early morning on the sixth day.
Lin Hui opened his eyes inside the main hall.