The Decaying World-Chapter 59 - 54: Exploration, Part 2

"Sir," the young man in blue said with a defiant frown, "if we’re just talking about background, our family has Summoners too. What’s the big deal?"

"Not all Summoners are the same. Lower, middle, and upper—the gap between each tier is enormous. And even among Upper-Tier Summoners, You Ying is one of the most powerful. Her father is a Shayue Sect Elder, her mother is from one of the Inner City Great Clans, and she herself is ruthless. She even studied under the Vice Sect Leader of the Fushan Sect, one of the Three Sects and Six Gangs. Her power and background are just absurd..."

Huang Shangying sighed. "And then there’s Lin Hui. He’s so young—only nineteen—and he’s already at the Body Tempering Limit. Although he still insists on using the Qingfeng Sword, which might make him a bit weaker in actual combat, his Body Technique is fast enough and his survival skills are strong enough. For someone with his background, that’s sufficient. The gap between a person like that and you all..."

He didn’t finish his sentence, but everyone understood what he meant.

The two young men’s expressions turned ugly, but they were still indignant. And Lin Hui was now firmly etched in their minds.

「Meanwhile.」

Mingde led Lin Hui out of the restaurant, and they walked slowly along the sidewalk.

"Alright, what did you want to see me about?"

"Master, I wanted to ask... how does one generate Inner Strength during Second-Time Body Tempering?" Lin Hui asked in a low voice.

"You’ve reached the limit of your first Body Tempering?" Mingde was taken aback.

"Yes."

"...Did you use any medicine?"

"I used some," Lin Hui answered honestly.

"Then it won’t have much of an effect." Mingde let out a breath. "For your Second-Time Body Tempering, are you really set on using the Qingfeng Sword? With your current background, your father should be able to get you into one of the Three Sects and Six Gangs in the Inner City. Once you’re in, you could learn a much stronger Inner Power Technique. It might not even be impossible for you to enter The Three Greats. You need to think this through before you decide."

"...I’m certain." Lin Hui’s expression was calm as he thought of the Gale Swordsmanship that was about to evolve.

"That’s fine too. It’s true that if you suddenly switched to practicing another Martial Art for your Second-Time Body Tempering, the transition would take a very long time. Besides, your family is on the rise now. Old Lin is riding high; he can even hire Inner Power Realm experts. All you need to do is make sure you can run fast enough to escape, and you’ll be fine. And when it comes to escaping, the Qingfeng Sword’s advantages are indeed significant," Mingde said with a nod.

He stopped and turned to look at his disciple.

"Actually, seeing you and Weiwei manage the Sword Sect so well lately... I feel quite ashamed. I’m supposed to be the Sect Leader, but the greatest pressure has fallen on you young people. I just can’t muster the energy to start over from scratch and rebuild the Sword Sect step by step."

He sighed.

"The Qingfeng Sword has already fallen too far behind other Martial Arts. Only by focusing on its advantage in sheer escape speed can we perhaps barely continue its lineage. But that kind of struggle is just too hard."

"Master..." Lin Hui opened his mouth to speak, but Mingde raised a hand to stop him.

"Don’t be hasty. Let me finish." Mingde’s gaze grew distant, as if he were looking at something far away and high above. His pupils lost their focus.

"Actually, turning the Sword Sect into a wellness class for the elderly was a great idea. We can’t grow that way, but at least we can survive. Therefore, I’ve decided to hand the Sword Sect over to you completely."

"Master, what do you mean by that?!" Lin Hui tensed, sensing something was wrong.

"Exactly what I said. From now on, I’ll step down and stay behind the scenes. You’ll be the Sect Leader of the Sword Sect, and Weiwei can be an Elder. I’ve seen you teach the disciples; you’re pretty good at it. The future of the Qingfeng Sword Sect is up to you now!" A relaxed smile appeared on Mingde’s face as he reached out and patted Lin Hui’s shoulder.

"...Master, you’re not planning to... run away, are you?" A bad feeling welled up in Lin Hui’s heart.

"How could you think that? Do you think I’m that kind of irresponsible person?" Mingde frowned. "I still want to watch you and Weiwei make the Qingfeng Sword Sect flourish on a different path!"

"...I understand." Lin Hui breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn’t expected his master to so decisively pass the position of Sect Leader to him after confirming he had no intention of leaving.

"Now, back to your earlier question: how is Inner Strength generated?" Mingde’s expression turned serious again. "Do you remember our sect’s Fundamental Diagram, the Bright Moon Mountain Range Painting?"

"I do."

"Do you think the essence of Body Tempering is just mastering how to exert force, allowing your body to absorb more food faster, and thus increasing your strength?" Mingde asked.

"Isn’t it?"

"Of course not." Mingde smiled. "In reality, mastering how to exert force during Body Tempering is just a way to naturally stimulate the body’s own intangible power, forming a special, woven net on the surface of your skin."

"An external woven net?" This was the first time Lin Hui had heard of such a concept, and a look of clear curiosity appeared on his face.

"That’s right. This woven net is created from the intangible power our bodies naturally emit. It’s intimately connected to us. The effects of Body Tempering are just a byproduct generated during the process of weaving this net," Mingde explained.

"Then why do we need to weave this net?" Lin Hui asked.

"For Inner Strength, of course." Mingde smiled. "You thought Inner Strength came from digesting and converting the food we eat, didn’t you? That’s not it... We capture and filter it from the outside world using that woven net."

"You know how a spider works? The woven net is like a spider’s web. As we practice our swordsmanship, it constantly attracts large amounts of various unknown energies from the outside into our bodies. Some of these unknown energies are useful, some are useless, and some are even poisonous and harmful. That’s why we need the net we weave to filter and screen them," Mingde explained simply.

"So, Inner Strength actually originates from these unknown energies outside the body?" Lin Hui realized.

"Yes. So, whether you can generate Inner Strength during your Second-Time Body Tempering has a lot to do with the net you’ve already woven, and also with the environment you’re in. I’ll tell you a secret." Mingde chuckled. "I first generated Inner Strength during a fierce storm. And it wasn’t just me. Your Martial Uncle, Daoist Baohe, also accomplished it in a gale."

"Also," he continued, "different Fundamental Diagrams, Heart Methods, and Techniques, when combined, weave different kinds of nets. They filter and let in different kinds of unknown energies. This is the key factor that determines the different properties and strengths of a Martial Art’s Inner Strength. Since you’re about to take this step, I’ll tell you about a widely known point of caution for those in the Inner Power Realm."

"A point of caution?" Lin Hui keenly picked up on the serious tone in his master’s voice as he spoke those words.

"Yes. Actually, choosing not to enter the Inner City and join the Three Sects and Six Gangs was the right choice. At least you have your father’s protection. If you inherit the family business and things go smoothly, you’ll live a lot longer than many Inner City Martial Artists. The competition in the Inner City is brutally fierce. Some residents who can’t make ends meet even willingly draw their own blood to condense and sell as Feather Blood. If even residents whose ancestors were once wealthy are doing this, you can imagine how much pressure the Martial Artists there are under."

A reminiscent look appeared on Mingde’s face.

"You must remember that once Martial Arts reach the stage of Inner Strength, it’s a completely new beginning. Above this dividing line, all Inner Strength Martial Arts are generally recognized as falling into two major categories: Extreme Martial Arts and Ordinary Martial Arts."

"What do you mean?" Lin Hui asked in a low voice.

"Just as the name implies, Extreme Martial Arts are those that pursue power, progress, and Cultivation by any means necessary, frantically pushing forward and repeatedly breaking one’s limits. Nearly all Martial Arts in the Inner City are Extreme Martial Arts. Their practitioners progress much faster and become far stronger than those of Ordinary Martial Arts, but the side effects are enormous. Basically all who practice them suffer from physical or mental problems, whether major or minor," Mingde explained.

"...Is there really any value in practicing such Martial Arts?" Lin Hui’s heart tightened as he asked.

"If they don’t, they won’t be strong enough, and Martial Artists are useless to the Summoners in the Inner City. So, everyone is forced to give it their all. If you don’t, you’ll be eliminated and driven out to the Outer City. And once you’re in the Outer City, trying to get back in is nigh impossible," Mingde replied.

"Are Martial Artists in the Inner City all in service to Summoners?" Lin Hui asked again.

"Not in essence. It’s just that Summoners are closer to the true nobility. The ones who rule the major city districts are still the extremely few Original Blood Nobility. They are the direct bloodline of the Fog People, the fundamental source that maintains the No-Fog Zones in each district. Summoners are merely servants to the Original Blood Nobility. Compared to Martial Artists, their relationship with the Original Blood is closer," Mingde responded.

Lin Hui had never heard of the Original Blood Nobility, nor had he ever heard any mention of the Fog People.

"Then why have we never heard of or seen them?"

"Because the Inner City is massive, and your father didn’t want to tell you about these things. How big do you think our Tuyue Inner City is?" Mingde smiled.

"I’ve heard my father mention that the Inner City’s population is over nineteen million..." Lin Hui answered with slight hesitation.

"Want to go take a look? I happen to have two temporary access permits that I applied for earlier," Mingde said, tempting him.

"...Can we?" Lin Hui was filled with curiosity about the Inner City. After all, with the experiences of his past life, he knew exactly what it meant for a city to have a population in the tens of millions.

"I know of over eighty towns on the outskirts of Tuyue, and the distance between each one is vast. These towns surround the Inner City at their center. How big do you think the Inner City is?" Mingde chuckled.

Without waiting for Lin Hui’s answer, he immediately led his disciple straight toward the enormous white wall that stretched out of sight.

The two of them crossed the street. The number of pedestrians and vehicles on either side began to dwindle.

Eventually, only a few ox-carts transporting goods were left, slowly making their way toward the city wall.

Before long, the two arrived at the base of the white wall, before a massive, white-arched gate.

The gate was ten meters high and eight meters wide, its surface engraved with markings that seemed to be a mix of text and patterns.

It appeared to be made of some kind of stone. At the very top of the gate, black crystals were inlaid to form three large words: South Nine Gates.

At the bottom of the main gate, a smaller, five-meter-wide gate was open for vehicle traffic.

To Lin Hui’s surprise, the gate was completely unguarded. Its doors were wide open, allowing people to come and go as they pleased.

"No one would be foolish enough to enter the Inner City on their own, especially without a permit. If you go in, it won’t be long before something happens to you," Mingde said, seemingly noticing his confusion.

"Feather Blood, permits—these are all things the Inner City issues to protect its residents. Even this incomparably tall wall has the effect of blocking certain radiant forces from within."

Lin Hui seemed to understand. He followed his master without stopping, taking the narrow, one-meter-wide gray stone walkway to the left of the small gate and quickly walking into the wall.

Beyond the gate was a somewhat dim tunnel.

The tunnel was about thirty meters long. Before they even reached the end, bright daylight streamed in from ahead. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Within that white light, they could hear the cries of birds, the clamor of a crowd, the lowing of livestock, and the calls of street vendors.

Mingde pressed a sky-blue piece of jade into Lin Hui’s hand.

"Stay close to me."

He instructed, then took the lead and stepped into the white light.