The loose cultivation inheritance model was essentially a master leading five or six apprentices. This model didn't scale for profit and had low resource demands, so it posed no threat to the martial hall system. Because of this, it was no longer targeted by the Xingdao martial halls.
Since it wasn't a martial hall anymore, Mingde no longer relied on tuition as his main inco. When short on money, he would go to Wang Yun's Wang family to work part-ti as hired muscle. After all, he was in the Internal Force Realm. Even if the Clear Wind Sword was a bit weak, he was a genuine Internal Force expert; earning so food money was effortless.
The students scattered further. Only Lin Hui, Little Hu, and Little Fatty remained to practice the sword seriously.
Seeing that Weiwei didn't co to teach much, the initial enthusiasm of the others quickly faded, and they withdrew one after another. In the end, only six or seven people remained, treating sword practice as an idle physical exercise, barely persisting.
By this point, the true Clear Wind Sword Sect effectively consisted of only Lin Hui, Weiwei, Little Hu, and Little Fatty—four people. Wang Yun also returned to her family and no longer ca often.
As ti passed, the Black Mist period passed quietly, and the season entered sumr.
The evolution of Lin Hui's Clear Wind Sword was nearly half complete. His Body Tempering had reached the peak of the 9th Rank. This ant he had finally reached the limit of the Seven-Section Swift Sword. The next step—using the Clear Wind Sword for Body Tempering—could only happen after the Clear Wind Sword Technique evolved.
Due to the Black Mist period, Lin Hui hadn't hunted for materials in the mist zone for a long ti. He had been living off his savings. But regardless, he persisted daily, practicing the sword continuously through wind, sun, and rain. This gradually made his parents view his sword practice as physical exercise, and they no longer tried to dissuade him as before.
Since the establishnt of the Xingdao martial halls, the newly ford New Martial Alliance had thoroughly stabilized the entire martial arts market in Tuyue. The environnt stabilized rapidly. Boundaries between martial halls were clearly defined; the open and secret infighting of the past ceased, and profits were portioned out distinctly.
Consequently, the entire market solidified completely. Seeing no hope, Mingde and Weiwei rarely practiced the sword anymore. Occasionally, passing by the drill grounds and seeing Lin Hui still persisting, they also felt he was practicing for exercise, rather than with his initial seriousness.
In the blink of an eye, it was August.
Clear Wind Sword Sect Drill Grounds
Lin Hui led Little Hu and Little Fatty, waving longswords gently together. Resembling a health exercise, their movents were graceful and eye-catching.
Since abandoning the martial hall business, the Clear Wind Sword Sect had unexpectedly made a splash in the elderly health exercise market not long ago. Because when Lin Hui taught Little Hu and Little Fatty using the Perfected Seven-Section Swift Sword, its graceful posture and unhurried movents attracted two old n who ca to the forr site of Clear Wind Temple to relax.
The old n beca interested and tried to learn. The result spiraled out of control. Upon returning ho, they found their health had improved, and so old ailnts had been alleviated significantly.
Thus, the elderly spread the word amongst themselves. Five or six arrived in one go, unexpectedly building a reputation for the "Clear Wind Sword Sect Elderly Wellness Class." These elderly people were mostly from well-off families. Plus, with the Outer City becoming more peaceful and stable recently, they couldn't handle the fatigue of real martial arts training.
But the Perfected Seven-Section Swift Sword of the Clear Wind Sword Sect—this slow version modified for demonstrating to Little Hu—suited them perfectly.
At this mont on the drill grounds, after demonstrating three tis and answering detailed posture questions for two old n, Lin Hui walked toward Weiwei on the side.
"Senior Sister, didn't you go out to stock goods with Senior Sister Wang Yun? How do you have ti to co here?" Lin Hui asked softly, pulling a towel from the wooden rack to wipe his sweat.
Now, Weiwei and Master Mingde mainly followed the Wang family, living as semi-guest elders. Weiwei guarded Wang Yun, and Master Mingde would step in to fight when the Wang family needed it, acting as a stabilizing force for his disciple's business. After all, as an Internal Force expert, handling the Wang family's affairs was no problem. Besides, the Wang family didn't rely solely on one Internal Force expert; it was just that Wang Yun's branch lacked one.
"Just got back, on break. You're still practicing? Sister Yun wants to take
to Lushan Lake in two days to attend the Lushan Fair. Are you going? She bought entry quotas for all of us," Weiwei said softly.
As his Senior Sister, she had watched Lin Hui persist in practicing the Clear Wind Sword Technique silently without missing a day. Regardless of the rumors outside, such perseverance gradually gave her a better impression of Lin Hui. Although she didn't approve of this behavior, she still respected people with such perseverance.
Especially since the Clear Wind Sword Sect had turned into this so-called wellness class, finding a new path and unexpectedly carving out a sliver of hope. It was just that this hope wasn't what she and her father wanted.
"The fair at Lushan Lake? What is it for?" Lin Hui asked.
"To make connections and see if there's anyone you like," Weiwei laughed. "You're nineteen, too. Apart from practicing martial arts every day, don't you have a girl you like?"
"Practicing the sword already takes up a lot of my ti; I have no spare energy to care for others," Lin Hui shook his head.
"Fine, I knew it," Weiwei sighed.
"However, in a few days, I might really have to go out," Lin Hui suddenly changed the subject.
"Go out? Where?" Weiwei paused.
"The Black Mist has dispersed. It's a good ti to go find so materials," Lin Hui replied.
"You're going to the mist zone? Be careful. Is it necessary to take such risks now?" Weiwei frowned.
"It's alright. Actually, my dad needs manpower for protection while stocking goods," Lin Hui replied.
During this ti, his father, Lin Shunhe, had opened two more branch stores, expanding extrely fast. He had also brought in two powerful shareholders. With connections in both the official and gray circles, the business was booming.
Although this was partly due to the modern business ideas Lin Hui occasionally gave his dad—like mbership cards, points redemption, lucky draws, and so on—the key was still Lin Shunhe's high profitability, strong capability, and extrely accurate judgnt of the market.
"Your family really is..." Weiwei had also heard about the changes in Lin Hui's family. It was truly changing day by day.
They had now opened branches in several other towns and even launched a new business model called the "united supermarket," which quickly gained popularity. Lin Hui watched with complicated feelings as his family, who had fallen to ordinary status just two years prior, was now unexpectedly on the verge of regaining their position as wealthy second-generation heirs...
Speaking of his dad, Lin Hui was also speechless. He had just casually ntioned a few suggestions, and as a result, the family inco rapidly swelled from ten thousand a month to over two hundred thousand, maybe even more.
His dad's general store quickly changed to a supermarket model, expanding the operation massively. Relying on flexible tactics and strong market-grasping ability, the new Lin Family Shanhe Supermarket had ford a good reputation in several surrounding towns.
And the connections, relationships, and background pulled in behind Lin Shunhe beca increasingly substantial. A blessing in disguise—after his fall, he had reflected deeply and summarized many lessons, which he now applied one by one.
Not long ago, when Lin Hui returned ho, his mother told him that his father had paid a hefty price, purchased lavish gifts, and personally visited again to seek forgiveness from that powerful Patron from the past. Through these efforts, he managed to regain the franchise rights from that person. With this regained support, Shanhe Supermarket was set to continue its rapid expansion.
Lin Hui himself was a bit dazed. Especially since he inexplicably hadn't reacted yet, only to go ho and find himself a rich second-generation. The feeling was sowhat speechless.
"Speaking of which, do you really not consider switching to cultivate the Yuanshan Sword?" Weiwei's inquiry pulled Lin Hui back from his thoughts.
The Yuanshan Sword was a special defense-oriented sword technique she had found separately. This sword technique was also passed down by an External Style expert from Xingdao.
"That's not necessary. My abilities—and my ti—are both limited. Practicing like this is good enough. Besides, our family's situation isn't what it used to be. Just last ti I went ho, my dad had actually hired two experts to guard our courtyard," Lin Hui remarked.
"I heard about them. The Steel Fist Brothers, right? They're also from Xingdao, and both are External Style experts at the limit of Body Tempering. They excel in combined attacks and are very strong. If not for their age, they probably wouldn't have co from Xingdao to mix in the Outer City," Weiwei nodded.
"My dad wants
to co ho and learn the business with him. He says I've trained in martial arts enough for now—money is what really matters. With enough money, he can hire Body Tempering experts to handle security whenever he wants; there's no reason for
to put myself through relentless training anymore," Lin Hui said with a sigh. "But honestly, I'm just so used to practicing that I can't bring myself to quit."
"Your dad has money; why do you still run off to hunt materials?" Weiwei asked, puzzled.
"His money is his; mine is mine," Lin Hui answered.
"You're the only son, right? Isn't his yours?"
"My dad is still young. How he uses it is his own business. Maybe I'll inherit it in the future, but those funds will only be mine after I inherit them. It has nothing to do with
now," Lin Hui distinguished clearly.
"You... are really strange," Weiwei shook her head.
"Maybe..." Lin Hui smiled.
"Forget it, let's not talk about this. But there's sothing you should pay attention to. Recently, many people from the Hundred Flowers Sect have co. They seem to be searching for sothing in the mist zone behind us. If you encounter them, rember to stay far away," Weiwei instructed.
"Mn, understood." Lin Hui nodded.
Hundred Flowers Sect?
He silently recalled the two people he had killed in the mist zone before. They had the custom markings of the Hundred Flowers Sect on them. Now it seed the Hundred Flowers Sect had finally realized they couldn't find the people and had traced the clues here.
"There's another thing. You also have to be careful. The Inner City recently sent out a new exploration team. The leader is a person nad You Ying from the Rain Palace. If—I an if—she brings people to the temple to ask about the situation, you must maintain absolute respect. Do not show even a shred of disrespect!"
Weiwei's face went sowhat pale when ntioning this person.
"Is this person very strong?" Lin Hui frowned.
"Inner City Called One. Very strong and extrely cruel. She kills or cripples people at the slightest displeasure. Of course, if you can avoid her in advance, that would be best," Weiwei said.
"Thanks for the reminder," Lin Hui nodded.
"Alright, since you're not going, I'm leaving. I have a premonition that this ti I might really find my true love!" Weiwei smiled charmingly, turned, and walked away quickly.
After she walked far away, Little Hu beside him finally couldn't help but speak.
"Senior Brother, why don't you get together with Senior Sister Weiwei? I feel you two are really a good match."
"Kids shouldn't think about these things all the ti." Lin Hui patted Little Hu's head.
His master had ntioned it to him before. Originally, when he saw his Senior Sister, there was still a trace of fluctuation, but after discovering she had no such intention, it faded.
Now his daily joy was seeing where the Blood Seal had evolved. Expecting that after the completion of the Perfected Clear Wind Sword Technique, he could break through to the Internal Force Realm in one fell swoop with his second Body Tempering.
Body Tempering could only possibly generate Internal Force from the outside in after truly reaching one's own limit. But this wasn't inevitable. Many people reached the limit of Body Tempering without generating Internal Force.
In Lin Hui's mind, only by breaking through to the Internal Force Realm would he truly possess even the slightest power to protect himself in the Outer City.
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