Xinyu Town, Inner City Entrance.
On the desolate street, the massive gates set within the white city walls slowly opened.
In the early morning hours, an unremarkable brown carriage drove out at a leisurely pace.
The coachman was shrouded in black, his head bowed low as if wishing to avoid notice. Even his hands were hidden inside thick gloves.
The sky was dim, the mist having only just dispersed. Yet, a group of people had been waiting outside the gate for a long time, spotting the carriage the moment it appeared.
The crowd swarmed forward, everyone jostling to peer into the carriage cabin.
"Where is Ah Xue? Is she here? Is she inside?!"
"Dongdong?! If you're there, say something!"
"What about Lin Shuang? Has Lin Shuang returned?"
Lin Shuntao squeezed through the crowd, standing alongside members of other large clans. He was a bit unsteady on his feet, but he didn't dare make a sound.
Never mind that the Lin family was currently in decline; even at their peak, they couldn't compare to these other clans.
He struggled to turn his head, glancing at the Patriarch, Lin Chaoyi, and the others waiting not far behind.
Then he continued to squeeze forward.
Finally.
The carriage door slowly opened.
One by one, slender women wrapped tightly in black gauze hopped down from the carriage and were whisked away by their respective families.
Almost all of them covered their faces and lowered their heads, not exposing a single inch of skin.
The only way to identify them was by the copper tags they held.
Names and numbers were written on the tags.
Soon, Lin Shuntao spotted his daughter's number: 19.
"Ah Yu! Over here!" He instantly became agitated, waving his hands repeatedly. He accidentally bumped into a middle-aged woman to his right and was cursed at a few times.
But he couldn't wait any longer. Shoving his way to the front, he reached the side of the carriage and extended a hand to support his daughter as she slowly descended.
"Dad..." Number 19 greeted him in a low voice.
"En, it's good that you're okay, it's good that you're okay!" Lin Shuntao gripped his daughter's hand tightly in excitement.
"I won't be staying long this time. I have to leave soon." Lin Hongyu gently touched her abdomen.
"Rest assured, I haven't disappointed everyone, haven't disappointed you, Father... and haven't disappointed myself..."
"You... what do you mean!?" Lin Shuntao pulled his daughter out of the crowd and walked toward the waiting Lin family group.
Right now, the hopes of the entire Lin family rested on Lin Hongyu.
They had gone to Lin Shunhe's branch a few times, but they could no longer count on him. After being shut out so many times, even someone as thick-skinned as Lin Chaoyi couldn't bring himself to visit again.
"I applied for a mission with the Mist Zone Cleanup Squad," Lin Hongyu answered. "I set out in a few days, heading for the outer mist zone."
"What!?" Lin Shuntao was stunned.
Mist Zone cleanup? Wasn't that a path chosen only by those who had offended people and had no other way out?!
Why would Ah Yu choose such a dangerous path!?
The two had returned to the Lin family carriage by this point. Lin Chaoyi and the others heard this sentence and were instantly stupefied.
The Mist Zone Cleanup Squad—even if it was organized by the three major powers of the Inner City—had an extremely high mortality rate. Almost every time they went out, only half the people returned.
Lin Hongyu was a newcomer who had only been cultivating the main branch's technique for a few years; how could she be assigned to such a team!?
"Hongyu! Think this through again. You have aptitude. If you work hard and cultivate in the city for a few years, it's not impossible to find another chance to settle in the Inner City... If it really comes down to it, the family can pool resources to support you a bit longer..." Lin Chaoyi looked at the calm-eyed Lin Hongyu, his heart truly trembling with fear.
At present, Lin Hongyu was the entire Lin clan's only hope for the Inner City.
The other one was completely unreachable. If something happened to Hongyu... he didn't dare imagine how hard life would become for the Lin family in the Outer City.
"Grandfather, I'm not young anymore..." Lin Hongyu raised her head and looked at Lin Chaoyi. Her eyes were far, far more mature than when she had returned previously.
This trip... not only had the pregnancy failed, but she had suffered retaliation. She had harmed her older cousin, and she herself had been given the cold shoulder and suppressed, her days in the Chen clan main branch passing like years.
From her initial smug ambition to the successive blows she faced now, Lin Hongyu had thoroughly realized that she truly couldn't rely on others. She only had herself.
The only strength was a true reliance.
That was why she actively applied to join the Mist Zone Cleanup Squad. Although the identity was dangerous, the returns were immense.
Many resources in the mist zone were pristine; very few people could harvest them.
Only their Cleanup Squad was qualified to make first contact.
Although the resources the Cleanup Squad obtained would be bought at suppressed prices, the portion they earned still far exceeded any job within the city.
Myths of overnight riches often circulated within the Chen clan's main branch.
"In another two years, if I still can't break through the Inner Heart Realm, it will be too late. So, I have to take advantage of the now. After entering the Cleanup Squad, as long as I have a chance to find Grade 2 Intrusive materials, or go to the ruins to get rare relics to exchange for Guidance Pills... there's still a chance! Those pills can only be obtained through the Chen clan's internal contribution points; money outside can't buy them."
"Didn't they say that being selected into the Chen clan's main branch meant a future chance to rival a Called One!?" Lin Chaoyi asked tremulously.
"I can't wait anymore! Grandfather!" Lin Hongyu's voice rose. "If this goes on, I will die!"
Her emotions suddenly became agitated, jumping from her previous calm to a state that seemed to release a long-brewing rage. It was extremely bizarre.
This intense reaction startled the surrounding Lin family members.
Everyone unconsciously took a step back, opening up some distance.
They were all of ordinary constitution. With Lin Hongyu's current limits in mind tempering, if she really got physical, no one could stop her.
"Could something have gone wrong with the mind tempering?" Lin Shuntao quickly grabbed his daughter's other hand, asking worriedly.
"No... nothing's wrong. The Mind Secret Art was passed down from the Chen clan's main branch; it's the most authentic technique with minimal side effects. I'm just... not regulating myself well..." Lin Hongyu sighed, saying no more.
"She must be tired. Let's go back first. Rest well after we get back, then we can discuss this at length," Lin Shunchong of the Second Branch hurriedly smoothed things over. He had messy connections and numerous channels, making him well-informed; naturally, he understood a bit about the internal cultivation of the Inner City's three major powers.
Unlike the martial artists outside, the three major powers of the Inner City walked the Orthodox Path.
The Call was the primary path. If the Call didn't work, they selected those with high mental quality to temper their minds via acquired secret methods, simultaneously cultivating Internal Force to achieve the aptitude for the Call.
During the process of tempering the mind, the practitioner needed to constantly take medicine and train in basic combat skills so they could be put to use immediately after a successful Call.
After a successful Call, one could choose to accelerate Internal Force cultivation, advancing both side-by-side. Or, one could walk the path of the Call purely, aiming straight for the rank of Divine Officer.
At this moment, Lin Hongyu had clearly realized that if things continued as they were, she had no hope for the Call, forcing her to make this desperate move.
Lin Shunchong saw the clues and felt gloomy.
He wasn't the only one; the worldly-wise Lin Chaoyi also sensed the problem. But what could he do? What else could be done?
Things having reached this point, they could only support this single seedling, Lin Hongyu.
The group boarded the carriages, heading back to the Lin clan grounds one after another.
Inside the carriage.
Lin Shuntao looked at his daughter's haggard, pale, beautiful face. His heart ached, yet he couldn't help. In this moment, he hated himself immensely—hated his own incompetence for forcing his daughter to bear everything alone.
"Right, Dad, do you know why I came back this time?" Lin Hongyu suddenly spoke.
"What?" Lin Shuntao paused, asking.
"I remember that Grandfather still has a Stone Snake Gall he picked up by luck when he was young, hidden away, right?"
"Yes... but your grandfather said it can't be used unless the family is in a life-or-death crisis!" Lin Shuntao shook his head.
"Isn't this life or death?" Lin Hongyu sneered. "I'm going to die, Dad. Someone has openly put the word out that they want to kill me. I can't stay in the main branch anymore. That place looks beautiful, but in reality, people suffer Qi deviation or get beaten to death in sparring matches every year. If I die, the Lin family will definitely face retaliatory revenge!"
"...Who is she exactly!?" Lin Shuntao was startled and asked hurriedly.
Until now, they didn't know who was harming them from behind the scenes.
"There are several. It's unclear. I've offended quite a few people..." Lin Hongyu's voice dropped.
"You!" Lin Shuntao sighed, lowering his head in bitter thought. "The Stone Snake Gall can only help you improve a portion of your constitution for the Call; it won't be much use for entering the mist zone. Besides, your grandfather's temper..."
"I know. That's why I have one other matter for this trip back," Lin Hongyu said solemnly.
"What is it?"
"I heard from newcomers just selected from the Outer City that Fourth Uncle's branch seems to be doing very well... and they've even established a connection with a big shot in the Rain Palace. If we can ask them to put in a good word, maybe..."
This was Lin Hongyu's true purpose for coming home.
She had nowhere else to turn. In the Chen clan's main branch, she was initially targeted by the original wife of a Chen clan collateral disciple whose bed she had climbed into.
Later, to avoid further danger, she seduced two other disciples who seemed to have potential and strength, but as a result, she offended even more people.
Now, even if she wanted to offer herself up, no one in the Chen clan's main branch dared to touch her. In fact, no one was even willing—they thought she was dirty.
After all, for the Chen clan's main branch, sex was a resource available almost anywhere in the open atmosphere of the Inner City.
For Lin Hongyu, who only had a face and body to offer, this was a massive disaster.
After all, everyone selected for the Inner City had similar aptitude, and some even had better aptitude than her.
"You mean Lin Hui's father's family... It's useless. They cut off contact with us long ago," Lin Shuntao said helplessly.
"I'll go try again later. Regardless, we are still one family. Who knows, maybe we can find a way," Lin Hongyu said earnestly.
She was about to die; what did she need face for?
Clear Wind Temple.
Lin Hui sat cross-legged in the main hall, feeling the cool airflow surging incessantly within his body. The airflow was like a fountain, pouring endlessly from his heart, dispersing to every part of his body, and then rapidly soaking into his flesh until it vanished.
This phenomenon lasted for a full ten minutes or so before stopping.
He gazed at the red text of the Blood Seal in the lower part of his vision.
The previous evolution progress for the Wild Wind Sword Technique had completely disappeared. Replacing it was a brand-new line of introductory text.
[Wild Wind Sword Technique: Evolved from the Perfected Version of the Clear Wind Sword Technique. Drawing the sword can whip up wild winds. The sword technique consists of three styles and nine moves. It primarily utilizes the high-speed flow of Internal Force to draw upon the External Web, forming wind pressure to interfere with the opponent.]
[Upon successfully mastering all sword moves, repeated cultivation can gradually complete the third Body Tempering. Eventually, one can obtain the special effect: Surrounding Wind.]
[Note: This evolution is completely based on the host's constitution, mind, and environment, synthesized for adaptation. Evolvable Branches: 3.]