The Decaying World-Chapter 92 - 87: Testing the Sword 1

Insights could shorten the Blood Seal’s evolution time.

This was something Lin Hui had never discovered before.

To meet this condition, there first had to be something in the process of evolving. Second, one had to gain a personal insight related to that very process, precisely as it was evolving.

It was actually a very demanding condition, as there was no clear standard for achieving it.

Coincidentally, Lin Hui had just met both of these conditions.

He stood there stunned for a good while, repeatedly confirming that the Blood Seal’s evolution time had indeed shortened. He was overcome with a sense of incredible joy.

Turning, he quickly hurried toward the Black Dragon Sect’s grounds within Qingfeng Temple.

’If this works, can I gain insights from other areas to actively shorten the evolution time?’

’For instance, what about contemplating other forms of Swordsmanship? The Typhoon Swordsmanship, for example. Though it’s called ’Typhoon,’ perhaps reflecting on my experiences with the actual sword techniques could bring about another epiphany and shorten the time again.’

As Lin Hui fell into a daily routine of Body Tempering, practicing his Inner Strength, reading, and studying...

「More than half a month later.」

"Observatory Master! Observatory Master! Something terrible has happened! Senior Brother Huang! Senior Brother Huang has been crippled!"

Lin Hui, who was in the middle of cultivating his Inner Strength, was abruptly interrupted by a series of frantic knocks.

He opened his eyes, sensing that his Inner Strength Cultivation had already reached the Third Layer, and his brows furrowed slightly.

In a flash, he opened the door. A disciple in white robes stood outside, his face stricken with terror and his forehead beaded with sweat, waiting anxiously.

"Where is he?"

"Outside the main gate! Senior Brother Chen and the others have already gone to check on the situation!"

Lin Hui nodded. With a sudden flash, he was out of his study and moving through the cloister.

Then he leaped straight into the air, vaulted over the surrounding wall, and took a direct path, landing in the Black Dragon Sect’s training grounds.

A number of disciples had already gathered in the training grounds.

Disciples who had been training and those who had been about to eat were all gathered in a crowd.

Seeing Lin Hui approach, everyone automatically parted to make a path.

"The Observatory Master is here!"

"Make way, let the Observatory Master see! Perhaps he can still be saved!"

"It’s horrible! Who could have been so ruthless!?"

The quiet murmurs reached Lin Hui’s ears.

He swept his gaze over the crowd. Wang Hongshi and Chen Sui were there, as was Xue Meng of the Intention Blade Sect.

When Xue Meng saw him arrive, his expression grew solemn, and he signaled for the surrounding crowd to step back a little.

"Huang Hai Seal was the one who went to Fu’an Town to handle the trouble at the apothecary. He accepted the mission you personally posted, for a reward of 200,000 coins. Now... see for yourself."

He sighed and stepped aside.

Lin Hui’s face was grim as he stepped closer and looked down. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

On a stretcher in the middle of the crowd, a weak man lay upon a white cloth. His face was as sallow as parchment, and the corners of his mouth and his chin were caked with dark, clotted blood.

The man’s chest was severely caved in, and his limbs were twisted at unnatural angles.

Lin Hui reached out and lifted one of the man’s arms. It was limp and utterly powerless.

He then checked the other limbs.

"His limbs have all been crushed by a powerful technique, the muscles and tendons torn. His internal organs, however, are intact. Only his sternum was broken from a direct blow, but strangely, it didn’t pierce his heart."

"Incredible control!" Xue Meng nodded, his expression grave. "To do this requires extremely precise control. What’s more, Huang Hai Seal is an expert in the Black Dragon Claw and has reached Seventh-Grade Body Tempering. His Hard Skills make him impervious to blades and spears against ordinary people. Even against someone of the same Body Tempering level, if he couldn’t win, he should have had no problem escaping. But..."

He didn’t finish, but Lin Hui already understood what he meant.

’Killing a man is a simple thing. Their intention is obvious,’ Lin Hui thought coldly, glancing at the surrounding crowd. ’This is a show of force.’

"Exactly. It’s a deliberate provocation against our Qingfeng Temple!" Xue Meng nodded in agreement. "To inflict such injuries but leave him alive to return—it was obviously meant as a message for us."

Lin Hui let out a breath. He looked at the pained yet hopeful expression in Huang Hai Seal’s eyes and stood up.

"Has the Pharmacist arrived?"

"I’m here. I’ve already examined him," Chen Meng said respectfully, stepping out from the side. "With our current resources, it’s impossible to heal his limbs. They’ve been pulverized. However, in the Inner City, they can perform a simple replacement surgery, swapping out the crushed parts for certain special materials from outside the city to replace the bone. But that will cost a great deal of money."

"How much?" Lin Hui asked.

"Around a million," Chen Meng answered. "The Three Greats of the Inner City and many of the major clans can perform this surgery. The average quoted price is around that figure."

"He was injured in the line of duty. The temple will cover eighty percent of the cost; he will be responsible for the rest. How do we arrange it?" Lin Hui asked.

"The Three Greats each have their own specialized medical halls, and they advertise publicly. You can go directly to their respective offices to apply," Chen Meng replied, clearly familiar with the process.

"Notify his family." Lin Hui glanced around. When he announced the temple would cover eighty percent of the cost, a visible shudder went through the surrounding disciples.

In this day and age, medical expenses were astronomical. For a sect to be willing to shoulder the majority of the cost was something few factions could, or would dare, to do.

The crowd instantly quieted down. Whether it was a calculated gesture or not, Lin Hui’s declaration had won him a great deal of goodwill.

For many of them, their sense of belonging to Qingfeng Temple grew immensely in that instant.

"Who found him first? How did he get back?" Lin Hui asked, his expression solemn.

"I did!"

A tall female disciple with twin ponytails raised her hand. It was Luo Qianshui.

She squeezed out from the crowd. There were still a few grains of rice by her mouth, suggesting she’d rushed over from a meal without even having time to wipe it.

"I was just about to go out for a bite to eat when I saw two thin men carrying him and running over. They said their merchant caravan had found him on the road. They found Senior Brother Huang’s identity token on him and brought him to the address on it."

"And the men who brought him?" Lin Hui asked.

"They were from a town caravan, from Huang’s Tavern. I gave them some silver coins as a reward and sent them on their way," Chen Sui chimed in from the side.

"Was Huang Hai Seal able to speak before?"

"No, he could only whimper. His tongue and throat might have been injured as well," Chen Sui continued. "He’s a Seventh-Grade Body Tempering expert of the Black Dragon Claw. His strength is considered quite good within the sect; otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared to take on this mission. I just never expected..."

"Do we still have anyone in Fu’an Town?" Lin Hui asked.

"No. After he was so grievously injured, the rest fled back here. Are you saying you want to summon the ones who ran away, Observatory Master?" Chen Sui asked, seeming to understand.

"First, treat Huang Hai Seal’s injuries. At least get him to a point where he can speak. Chen Meng, you’ll handle this. Any problems?" Lin Hui said, looking at the Pharmacist.

In this era, Pharmacists not only had to compound medicines but also acted as physicians, making them quite experienced.

"I can, but I’ll need to procure some more medicine for his wounds."

"The temple will cover all expenses. What’s the point of earning money if not for moments like this?" Lin Hui declared with a decisive wave of his hand, not hesitating for a second.

Soon, Huang Hai Seal was carried away for treatment.

Lin Hui, Xue Meng, Chen Sui, Wang Hongshi, and Chen Xiangzhi, the top disciple of the Intention Blade Sect branch, all gathered in a small hall for a meeting.

"For even someone with Huang Hai Seal’s strength to be injured this badly, sending another person alone is clearly not going to solve the problem. We must first find out who our opponent is and who is targeting Qingfeng Temple."

Lin Hui said calmly, his gaze sweeping over to Xue Meng.

"Elder Xue, you’re the most experienced. What are your thoughts?"

"It’s simple. This is a provocation aimed directly at us. They struck first and struck hard, which shows they’re extremely confident in their own strength. Sending more people in one by one would be pointless. Observatory Master, you need to hold the fort here. Qingfeng Temple’s main base of operations is here; you cannot leave lightly. If someone were to take it over in your absence, our reputation would be ruined and our name destroyed. Therefore, this time, allow me to lead a team to handle this."

Xue Meng stroked his beard, a trace of heroic spirit appearing on his sorrowful face. After all, he only looked mournful; he wasn’t actually a miserable person.

"With Elder Xue taking charge, I’m sure this will be handled perfectly," Lin Hui nodded. He couldn’t say for sure about others, but Xue Meng... that old fellow had held a lot back when they’d sparred. He was a true master at the Inner Power Perfection level. Across the dozen or so surrounding towns, besides the Baihua Sect Leader, Ou Tianrong, no one else could compare to him.

"There’s no time to waste. I’ll take my men and leave at once. This time, my Intention Blade Sect branch will handle everything. Rest assured, Observatory Master. Once I find the person behind this, I will personally crush their limbs and return the favor in kind, then deliver them back to our temple!"

Xue Meng said grimly.

"Good! Be careful!" Lin Hui nodded.

A few moments later, Xue Meng led three disciples out the gate, boarded a carriage that Lin Hui had purchased for Qingfeng Temple, and headed straight for Fu’an Town.

After Xue Meng left, Lin Hui sat alone in the main hall. After a moment of thought, he called over a nearby guard disciple, had him fetch a brush and paper, and personally wrote a letter to Ou Tianrong of the Baihua Sect to inquire about the situation.

When it came to intelligence gathering, the Baihua Sect was far more capable than they were.

Now that they were allies, he had to make full use of every available advantage.

After dispatching a disciple to deliver the letter, Lin Hui finally settled his mind and began to contemplate the incident and its potential repercussions.

’I still have too few capable people at my disposal...’ he lamented inwardly. With only Xue Meng around, they were short on Inner Power Realm experts. He couldn’t possibly send Elder Xue out to handle every single incident. That wasn’t realistic.

With this in mind, he had someone summon Wang Hongshi, Chen Sui, and the rest of the top ten disciples.

Now that the three branches had merged into one, there was no clear hierarchy among the so-called "top ten" of Qingfeng Temple. No one would concede to anyone else, and since there had never been an internal tournament, there was no consensus on who was actually stronger.

So when Lin Hui summoned the "top ten," the top ten disciples from the other two branches, excluding the Intention Blade Sect, all piled in.

Though it was called the top ten, the majority were former Black Dragon Sect disciples. From the original Qingfeng Temple, only Chen Sui, Huang Shan, and Qiu Yiren could make the cut. As for Zhao Jiang’an, he had long since fallen behind.

Soon, more than a dozen people had formed two rows inside the main hall.

"This incident with Huang Hai Seal has served as a wake-up call," Lin Hui announced. "Our disciples’ true strength levels are unclear, which makes it difficult to assign missions. Therefore, I plan to hold a small, internal competition to determine the top ten from our three branches. In the future, the top ten will receive a greater share of our resources. They will be the public face of our sect and will be responsible for handling external problems."

"Yes, sir!" the crowd replied in unison, cupping their fists. Fighting spirit ignited in their eyes.

While people might have been lukewarm about being in the top ten of the former Black Dragon Sect, being in the top ten of the current Qingfeng Temple was an entirely different matter.

This Observatory Master, Lin Hui, was known for his incredible generosity. Furthermore, thanks to the Perfect Seven-Section Swift Sword he had created, the speed of Body Tempering was extremely fast. Some of the disciples who had joined Qingfeng Temple only a few months ago had already reached First Grade in their Body Tempering by practicing the Perfect Seven-Section Swift Sword.

In the past, such a feat would have been completely unimaginable.