The Decaying World-Chapter 55 - 50: Perilous Situation (2)

’In their eyes... the Qingfeng Sword has its limits. The entry level of the Inner Power Realm is its ceiling. A pity. In my eyes, the Qingfeng Sword has no limits...’

Lin Hui sighed internally.

’In the end, safety is something you have to secure for yourself. You can’t rely on others.’

He closed his eyes, regulated his breathing, and tried to sleep, but he felt restless and couldn’t drift off.

After tossing and turning for a while, he finally got out of bed, picked up his sword, and practiced a set of the Qingfeng Swordsmanship. Only then did he feel comfortable enough to fall right asleep.

The next morning.

Lin Hui had just gotten out of bed when he saw a young girl, maybe thirteen or fourteen, with her hair in buns. She was wearing a light blue, long dress with centipede-style buttons and was waiting in the small courtyard outside his bedroom.

"Young Master Hui, my name is Ding Ning. The Master has sent me to serve you. Please let me know if there’s anything you need." The young girl hurried closer and gave a deep curtsy.

"Ding Ning... a good name. I understand. Go brew the Full Essence Powder my father prepared for me and bring it here," Lin Hui ordered.

This was the Full Essence Powder Lin Shunhe had promised him yesterday, meant to boost one’s vitality. It was the perfect chance to test if it worked on him.

After all, since reaching the Body Tempering Limit, Lin Hui hadn’t felt his energy increase for some time.

The Blood Seal’s evolution speed of one move every four days had remained constant. If this medicinal powder was effective, it might be possible to shorten the evolution time even further.

"Yes. I’ll go ask in the kitchens," Ding Ning quickly replied.

Lin Hui, meanwhile, washed up, got dressed, and then began his sword practice.

Because the Blood Seal’s evolution took a long time, besides practicing his sword, he often spent his free time pondering the principles behind Body Tempering.

The Body Tempering principle of the perfected Seven-Section Quick Sword was miraculous. It was just a set of swordsmanship routines that was only slightly more difficult than the one from his past life, yet using the correct force application points could actually produce the magical effect of Body Tempering.

This made Lin Hui extremely curious about these so-called force application points.

After extensively comparing the differences in force application points between the original and perfected versions, he carefully recorded his findings, ran tests, and uncovered a clue to the Seven-Section Quick Sword’s Body Tempering secret.

He practiced the Seven-Section Quick Sword once more, mulling over his theories. Only then did Lin Hui begin practicing the Qingfeng Swordsmanship.

Half an hour later, Ding Ning hurried into the courtyard carrying a pot of medicinal soup. She had also brought a serving of exquisitely made soup dumplings and a small bottle of plum juice.

Lin Hui ate breakfast first, then picked up the pot of Full Essence Powder soup and drank it all in one go.

After resting for a moment, he waved for Ding Ning to go get her own breakfast. Lin Hui sat cross-legged on a stone stool in the small courtyard as a faint stream of heat gradually emerged from his abdomen.

The warmth spread throughout his body like ripples in water. The slight fatigue from his focused sword practice was swiftly washed away by this warm current.

A thought struck Lin Hui, and he quickly summoned the Blood Seal.

The Blood Seal’s characters appeared in his vision.

’Qingfeng Swordsmanship, forty-seventh move—Clouds Part, Mist Scatters, evolution complete.’

’It really works!’ Lin Hui’s face lit up with joy, and he shot to his feet.

He had only started evolving this move the day before yesterday. Now, on only the third day, the evolution was finished!

He had checked just after waking up, and it was still evolving. Now, not long after drinking the medicine, it was complete.

’Is it a coincidence?’

Feeling the warm current still spreading through his body, Lin Hui thought not.

Without another word, he proceeded to strengthen the next move of the swordsmanship.

Soon, the Blood Seal’s evolution time appeared.

Qingfeng Swordsmanship, forty-eighth move—Cloud Mist Sea, required evolution time: still four days, no change.

But the warm currents in his body seemed to have found a new target, rushing continuously toward his heart.

One minute, two minutes, five minutes.

WHOOSH.

Lin Hui watched, wide-eyed, as the remaining evolution time in the Blood Seal’s text rapidly decreased from four days to three.

Only then did the warm current in his abdomen slowly dissipate and disappear.

"One dose of medicine can save about two days of evolution time. Not bad, not bad at all!" Joy filled Lin Hui’s heart. After so long, he had finally found something that could reduce the Blood Seal’s evolution time.

He had actually taken other medicinal herbs that claimed to replenish energy before, but none had worked. It seemed now that they were likely too young and their effects too weak.

’Since the Full Essence Powder is effective, I’ll need to stock up on it...’

Lin Hui made up his mind.

Over the next two days, he took two more doses of Full Essence Powder from his father, saving another four days of evolution time.

Because he had consumed it so quickly, the ingredients ran out. Lin Hui then inquired about the recipe and confirmed that they were missing an ingredient called Tree Scorpion Tail. This was also the most expensive ingredient in the entire formula, taken from a Fog Area monster called a Tree Scorpion.

Immediately, without another word, he asked about the Tree Scorpion’s habitat and learned it was in the border Fog Area in the direction of another town.

This was also a good time to avoid You Ying from the Inner City, as well as the search parties from the Baihua Sect.

He rarely traveled to other towns, so he decided to take this trip. It would be his first time traveling so far from home.

The discovery that Full Essence Powder was useful for his Blood Seal’s evolution filled Lin Hui with great enthusiasm for hunting Tree Scorpions.

If he could take two doses of Full Essence Powder a day, wouldn’t that mean he could evolve one move per day? The remaining moves of the Qingfeng Swordsmanship could be completed in a very short time. Furthermore, with the acceleration from the medicine, he would even dare to attempt evolving things that had much longer Blood Seal evolution times.

Of course, he would eventually develop a resistance to any medicine. He would need to find other formulas to use as substitutes in the future.

He was a man of action.

Right away, Lin Hui bid his parents farewell and left home. After packing some food and silver notes, he headed toward the Fog Area where the Tree Scorpions were found.

The town adjacent to that area was a distant one called Shiqiao Town.

Shiqiao Town was three towns away from Xinyu Town, a considerable distance. For a long journey like this, he would have to buy an ox-cart.

Originally, Lin Hui had planned to rely on his Body Technique to dash there alone. But since he was unfamiliar with the route, for his first trip, he went to the market and bought an ox-cart. He joined a few traveling merchants who were also heading to Shiqiao Town, forming a small caravan, and they set off quickly.

Early in the morning, before the sun was fully up and just as the mist was starting to clear, a small convoy of five ox-carts set off at a steady pace along the dirt road out of Xinyu Town.

These ox-carts were entirely black, with enclosed carriages. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

The black oxen pulling the carts were also draped in thick leather coverings. The oxen looked as if they were wearing leather greatcoats. At night, a cap could be pulled forward to completely cover their heads.

Lin Hui sat in the driver’s seat of the last small ox-cart, whip in hand, following the four carts ahead.

The black ox he had bought was old and slow-gaited, but it was steady. It pulled the cart smoothly without jostling, which was perfect for him to sit cross-legged and rest.

On this trip, he only needed to get enough Tree Scorpion Tails. His father could supply all the other medicinal ingredients.

Actually, if he wasn’t in a hurry, he could have just waited for his father to get them. But since he could speed up the collection process himself, Lin Hui felt there was no need to waste time. Accelerating his evolution was the only way forward.

Coupled with the need to avoid trouble, he decided to go alone.

’I hope they don’t get into any trouble over at Master’s.’ On the road, he thought of the expedition team from the Inner City and the Baihua Sect’s search party, and grew somewhat worried that his Senior Sister might get into trouble.

He had warned them before he left, but they were still too close for comfort...

The journey was uneventful. After two days of driving the cart, Lin Hui arrived at Shiqiao Town.

After temporarily stabling his ox-cart at a carriage house, he took his sword and an empty bag and headed straight for the Fog Area on the outskirts of town.

*

*

*

Gray mist swirled around him. Lin Hui walked slowly within the spherical void created by the Ning Xiang, his sword held ready.

His expression was alert, constantly listening for any sound from his surroundings.

’A Tree Scorpion isn’t a Harmless Level monster, but an Invasion Level one. This level corresponds to an Inner Power Realm expert... As long as I kill one, I can mix it with the other ingredients to make ten doses of Full Essence Powder. That’s a great deal...’

The materials from a single Invasion Level monster could be exchanged for over a hundred thousand in cash. This was why the income of an Inner Power Realm expert from hunting far exceeded that of an ordinary Martial Artist.

However, the risks were just as great. Compared to the stable income from teaching at a martial arts hall, if one were to accidentally encounter a pack of monsters while out hunting, the consequences...

It was only because Lin Hui was confident in his Body Technique and speed that he dared to come alone.

On one hand, he was here for the materials; on the other, he also planned to test the full extent of his current strength.

Especially the Sealed Array Poison. He had never used this trump card in actual combat. If he didn’t test it in a real fight, he might fumble when he truly needed to use it against an Inner Power Realm opponent.

He had to first determine when to use it, how to chain its effects, and so on.

After walking slowly for more than ten minutes, Lin Hui faintly heard the clash of weapons in the distance to his right, but the sound quickly faded and disappeared.

He paused cautiously, and only after confirming that nothing was approaching did he continue forward.

This Fog Area was filled with dead black trees of varying thickness, forming a forest shrouded in mist. The ground was covered in withered leaves.

His footsteps made crisp sounds as he walked, and from time to time he had to push aside thin branches blocking his path.

Lin Hui placed the Ning Xiang into a special leather buckle on his belt with one hand, then gripped his sword with both hands and crossed an upward slope.

A massive fallen tree trunk appeared ahead. Over a meter thick, the huge trunk stretched into the mist, its full length hidden from view.

Many areas of its rough, black surface had rotted, sprouting grayish-white, unknown fungi.

The trunk blocked his path. To the right was a crooked wooden sign with sloppy, scrawled characters: "Valley of Ten Thousand Bloods ahead. Danger Level: Invasion."

The writing was in red, eye-catching and clear.

’This is the place.’ Lin Hui took a deep breath, tightened his grip on his sword, and lightly jumped over the trunk, heading inside.

He had only walked a dozen or so meters.

SHIIING!

A black streak of light shot out from his right, flying toward his chest.

The black light was incredibly fast. It shot out from the mist, crossed the void created by the Ning Xiang, and reached him in an instant.

This speed far surpassed any opponent Lin Hui had faced before. Even his master, Mingde, couldn’t strike as fast as this black light.

But he was a completely different person now. Having completed the Seven-Section Quick Sword Body Tempering, his reaction speed and Body Technique had reached a level unimaginable for an ordinary person.

The moment he saw the black light fly out of the mist, he simultaneously activated his Special Effects.

’Feathering!’

In that instant, the Qinghe Sword in his hand flicked upward, precisely striking the black light.

A tremendous impact force traveled up the blade, nearly knocking Lin Hui’s hand aside with it, but in the end, he managed to forcefully bat it away.

At the same time, a massive black shadow, a full four meters tall, slowly crawled out of the mist in front of Lin Hui.

It was a gigantic black scorpion, its body covered in Black Armor, its tail held high and swaying from side to side!

’So this is a Tree Scorpion?!’

Lin Hui’s eyes narrowed as the information he had gathered beforehand flashed through his mind.

This was his first time facing an Inner Power Realm opponent head-on, one that hadn’t been weakened. And it was a strong one at that. Perhaps this was a chance to test the true upper limits of his power...