Chapter 216
"When can we invite Miss Xia over as a guest?" Liu Wujun smiled. "As a mber of the Rain Palace, I naturally hope to see her join us in the future—join the Shayue Sect."
"I'll ask her," Lin Hui replied with a chuckle.
"Speaking of which, to have drawn a monstrous talent like Xia Si to the Clear Wind Temple, your martial arts comprehension must be truly extraordinary, Third Brother. My colleagues have been discussing the unusual nature of your temple's arts lately, and it's piqued my interest. Do you have ti to walk
through them?" Liu Wujun asked, his smile never fading.
"If Big Brother wants to hear it, I'm happy to oblige." Lin Hui was more than willing. The stronger his eldest brother beca, the greater the benefit to him and their family.
"Excellent. As for her future—if you trust —leave the arrangents to . The stir Xia Si has caused will draw invitations from every major faction. Negotiating terms with them takes considerable experience, and I've navigated these situations before. I know what to do," Liu Wujun said.
"If Xia Si is willing, I naturally have no objections." Lin Hui gave a nod. He genuinely didn't believe Xia Si would leave him for another master or faction. But what if she did? If she failed her Bestowal Seal appraisal, he couldn't forcibly bind her to his side regardless.
"The world grows more dangerous by the day," Liu Shenglan sighed from the side. "In the past, this whole Outer City district was quiet enough. Now... High Divine Officers turning up out of nowhere. Everything around us has grown increasingly absurd these past few years."
"You can say that again. Back in Xinyu Town, a High-Tier Called One showing up was major news. Now..." Lin Shunhe trailed off, sharing her sentint.
"Anyway—Shanshan, you ntioned earlier that soone gave you a VIP card for the Inner City's Yupingxuan. Do you still have it? I need to entertain a sister of mine in a few days and thought to put it to use; a forty percent discount is nothing to scoff at." Liu Shenglan looked at Yao Shan.
"I do. I actually have two—I'll give you one later. Whoever gifted them must have thought ahead and included a spare," Yao Shan said with a smile.
Once Liu Shenglan and Yao Shan drifted onto the subjects of food, health regins, and costics, there was no stopping them.
Liu Wujun, Liu Xiao, and Lin Shunhe turned their attention to Lin Hui, pressing him for every detail of how he had taken Xia Si as a disciple. They didn't want to miss a single thing about the girl.
Lin Xiaoliu sat to one side, eating with her head down, occasionally stealing glances at Lin Hui—every inch the well-behaved, timid, obedient child.
The whole scene was a portrait of dostic harmony.
…
After the al, Liu Wujun, Lin Hui, and Liu Xiao made their way to the Lin Manor's private drill grounds. A few household servants and their children were still out in the night air, running through their martial arts.
As live-in servants, they had the advantage of proximity—obtaining a decent martial arts manual here was far easier than it would have been elsewhere. Lin Hui had long since proven that the martial path could change one's fate, and his example had kindled a pervasive reverence for cultivation throughout the manor.
Seeing the three arrive, the practitioners stepped forward to pay their respects, then cleared the area and retreated to the sidelines. As long as they weren't chased off, they were content to watch from the periphery and perhaps absorb a move or two.
Liu Wujun began carefully inquiring about the sword arts of the Clear Wind Temple. Lin Hui walked him through the three foundational sword techniques in turn, omitting the Wild Wind Sword.
"But I heard you comprehended an ultimate technique on your own—the Wild Wind Sword Technique? The na Xia Si put to it has already spread far and wide," Liu Wujun said.
Those little brats... Lin Hui didn't need to think long to know it was the returning disciples. The Wild Wind Sword Technique had previously been little more than a rumor within the temple walls, but watching Xia Si wield it had given everyone quite a shock.
No one had expected such terrifying power from a technique that had existed only as a rumor—and Xia Si had placed no prohibition on spreading the word. Reports of the Clear Wind Temple's Lin Hui comprehending the Wild Wind Sword were accordingly placed on the desks of every major faction already reeling from her display.
"The Wild Wind Sword does exist, but at the end of the day, it is a sword technique suited to Internal Force martial artists. What makes it fearso isn't the sword—it's the one wielding it," Lin Hui said, unable to hide his resignation.
"That makes sense. Can you tell
what the Wild Wind Sword actually entails?" Liu Wujun asked.
"Naturally." Lin Hui held nothing back and gave a brief rundown of the technique.
The Wild Wind Sword Technique was exceptionally difficult to master and deeply esoteric. He had received the Blood Seal's enlightennt back when he first grasped it, giving him a clear understanding of the complete theoretical frawork along with practical experience. Yet it wasn't until he used it in actual combat that he discovered its Body Tempering requirents were far more grueling than those of the Clear Wind Sword Technique—and the effect of growing deadlier the longer a battle dragged on was sothing he had only confird through practice.
Upon hearing the theory behind this third path of internal and external Body Tempering, Liu Wujun could only marvel at its novelty. He didn't perceive anything particularly special in it.
Standing off to the side, Liu Xiao attempted to follow along and replicate the movents, but grasped nothing. Without the foundation of the preceding three sword techniques, practicing the Wild Wind Sword on its own was no different from swinging a generic blade.
After their brief attempts, the two siblings simply attributed the terrifying display to Xia Si's overwhelming natural talent.
Having painstakingly explained and demonstrated the technique only to watch their interest evaporate—their attention drifting entirely back to Xia Si—Lin Hui decided to leave it at that.
He began to weigh whether he should reveal his true strength to his eldest brother and the rest of the family. His initial reason for concealnt had been straightforward: breaking the limits of his shackles would attract too many covetous eyes. Every great family had juniors desperate to do the sa, and powerhouses who would go to any lengths to learn how.
That concern had since beco negligible. At his current level, he no longer had cause to fear any trouble from the great families. His real concern was the Blood Ancestors.
The devouring chanism of the Blood Heart ant the Blood Ancestors quietly monitored any rising talent strong enough to serve as their next al. Consuming others to grow stronger—that was the very core of a Blood Ancestor's existence.
There was no telling how many promising cultivators the Moon Tower's Blood Ancestors had consud over the years; their strength had long since reached an unfathomable depth.
A special, powerful system entirely distinct from both the Called Ones and martial artists—one capable of breaking the limits of a martial artist's aptitude—combined with a demonstration of formidable strength... Lin Hui hesitated.
He ultimately resolved to wait until his external base was established before revealing the truth. Once that was done, he could invite his family to relocate. Only with a secure line of retreat could he stop worrying about the coercion and threats they might face in his absence.
Having seen firsthand the Moon Tower's corruption and the unscrupulous nature of the Trueblood Nobles, he had absolutely no faith in the city's so-called upper echelons.
…
Following their late-night discussion at the Lin Manor, Liu Wujun returned to the Rain Palace the next morning. He then led a delegation directly to Xia Si's residence, intending to persuade her to join the Rain Palace and take his teacher, Vice Palace Master Jiang Zhixia, as her master.
After consulting Lin Hui, Xia Si accepted the invitation. Envoys from the governnt factions and the Chen clan had barely arrived at her door before they heard the news and turned back in regret, sighing as they left empty-handed.
Xia Si's agreent to join the Rain Palace, however, ca with one condition: she would not leave the Clear Wind Temple and must remain Lin Hui's personal disciple.
Vice Palace Master Jiang Zhixia accepted this without hesitation. In the wake of Xia Si's talent sending shockwaves through every faction in the district, the conflict between the Clear Wind Temple and the Carefree Pavilion quietly dissolved.
The Wanhua Sect's attempt to fra and attack them had provoked the Rain Palace's wrath. Uniting the other three top High Divine Officers under his banner, Liu Wujun led a joint task force alongside the governnt and the Chen clan to sweep the surrounding Mist Zone with overwhelming force. They eradicated three newly discovered Wanhua Sect strongholds, besieged and killed one High Divine Officer, and eliminated four Divine Officers—thoroughly dismantling the peripheral forces the sect had recently transferred into the area.
Thus, a week later, the sudden storm finally subsided. Once the dust settled, Lin Hui summoned Xia Si and Tao Xuehai to confirm the forr's qualifications for the Bestowal Seal.
…
The suburbs. The Wild Wind Plains.
A fierce wind howled across the vast expanse. The bare black ground was nothing but hard rock and deep, jagged crevices carved into the earth.
The long-term training of the Clear Wind Temple disciples had gradually intensified the ambient winds, scouring away anything light enough to be swept off the surface. What remained were massive, deeply anchored boulders too heavy to shift. Over ti, the area had earned the informal na of the Black Wind Plains—simply because the exposed earth was pitch black.
Lin Hui and Xia Si walked slowly across the desolate ground.
The sky hung hazy despite it being high noon. Strange bird cries drifted down from sowhere above the Mist. In the distance, a rchant's ox cart erged slowly from the Mist wall, its travelers battered and road-worn, limping toward the town.
"Master, I'll be heading to the Inner City to join the Rain Palace in a few days. Do you have any instructions for ?" Xia Si asked respectfully from behind.
"I have so questions that need answering first," Lin Hui replied.
"Please ask, Master."
"During your years in the Outer Mist Zone, did you ever encounter any experts venturing out from the city?"
"I did, but I hid every ti. I was afraid of being seen. It wasn't until you found , Master, that I had no choice but to show myself," Xia Si replied.
"Good. Assuming what you say is true—second question." Lin Hui continued walking. "Do you sincerely acknowledge yourself as my disciple? As a disciple of the Clear Wind Temple?"
"Without a doubt. This disciple wishes to beco a powerhouse just like you, Master!" Xia Si answered with absolute certainty. "I understand why you must conceal your strength. It ensures that those with hostile intentions always misjudge your true limits, leading to fatal miscalculations in their plans. When the mont cos, they will face a disparity they cannot overco—and die by your hand."
She exhaled slowly, sothing close to reverence in her voice.
"As expected of my Master. A hidden trump card is always the surest way to turn the tables, and you have taken that philosophy to its absolute extre. This disciple has already begun to learn from your example."
Lin Hui turned around.
"..."
He dearly wanted to tell her that he hadn't thought any of that through—that he simply hated attracting trouble. But the pure, earnest admiration in Xia Si's eyes stopped the words in his throat.
"Never mind." He raised a hand. "Since your conviction runs this deep, let
see exactly how deep it goes."
He reached out and pressed his index finger lightly to the center of Xia Si's brow.
The Blood Seal's appraisal materialized instantly at the edge of his vision.
[Xia Si — Ghost Face Clan, Pseudo-human Race, 108 years old. The leader of the Ghost Face Clan in Miyin Village was wiped out by Lin Hui. After being killed multiple tis by a passing powerhouse, her mind-spirit sustained severe damage from repeated extre ntal attacks during regeneration and revival, resulting in mory loss, cognitive confusion, and an identity crisis—leading her to believe herself a naturally born human child.
Cultivated thods: Seven-Section Swift Sword (perfected version), Nine-Section Swift Sword (perfected version), Clear Wind Sword Technique (perfected version), Wild Wind Sword Technique (Modified).]
"..." Lin Hui stared at the readout, utterly speechless.
He had known it.
He glanced at the evolvable branches displayed at the bottom of the panel. As expected: zero.
Biological entities with complex minds rarely possessed evolutionary potential. The last ti he had encountered one was the Shadowhound Clan princess, Li Yuanyuan—and Li Yuanyuan's mind had only been simple enough to generate a corresponding evolutionary path.
"Master, is sothing wrong?" Xia Si looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"It's nothing." The pure white light of the Righteous Body Law Seal ignited at Lin Hui's fingertip. "In that case—I hereby bestow upon you the Righteous Body Law Seal, an art reserved solely for the core disciples of this sect. It will enhance your overall physique by half, ensuring you have the resilience to weather whatever cos."
The law seal flared bright against Xia Si's brow before sinking into her skin.
Xia Si's body began to tremble violently.
An instant later, her entire fra rapidly expanded—muscle swelling, her height shooting upward in a matter of seconds. She stood five ters tall, a grayish-white humanoid of imnse bulk. The short hair on her head had hardened into steel, standing in rigid needle-like spikes, and dense plus of scalding steam blasted rhythmically from her nose and mouth.
"The power... Master, the power is extraordinary!" Xia Si murmured, staring at her massive hands in stunned disbelief.
"Rember: should you ever betray the sect, the Righteous Body Law Seal will automatically dissipate. It is a core law seal exclusive to the Clear Wind Temple—do not forget it," Lin Hui instructed.
He looked up at the towering figure before him, his gaze clouded with unreadable emotion.
He had no way of knowing what lay ahead for her once she entered the Rain Palace, nor could he be certain whether the powerhouses there would see through her true nature.
Regardless, Xia Si had to walk her own path from here. At the very least, at this mont—her dedication to him and to the Clear Wind Temple was absolute.
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