Decaying World

Clear Wind Temple.

Little Hu guided Yun Xiazi slowly along the corridor beside the drill grounds, gesturing as he made introductions.

"This is the area our temple uses for disciple martial arts practice. The grounds aren't huge, but since most people only come to the temple when they need pointers and choose their own preferred spots for the rest of the time, it's generally sufficient. If you decide to join, you'll be coming here in the future as well."

"The venue is nice, and the people are full of vigor." Yun Xiazi nodded with a smile.

"That's only natural. Our Clear Wind Temple is the strongest martial arts hall in all the surrounding towns! Our Temple Master is the strongest sword expert in the entire Outer City! People call him the Formless Sword!" Little Hu's adoration for Lin Hui was evident in his expression.

"Not bad, not bad at all. But what about the previous seniors of the Clear Wind Temple? How did they let someone so young become the Temple Master? I see other martial arts halls are all run by older people." Yun Xiazi asked with a beaming smile, hands clasped behind his back.

"I'm not clear on that myself. One day, the original elders just ran off overnight. At that time, the few remaining people struggled to keep things going. The current situation only stabilized because the Temple Master managed to hold it all together with great difficulty, preventing us from dying out," Little Hu said hesitantly.

"I see."

Yun Xiazi asked no more. As the two walked past the drill grounds, his gaze swept across the area. He paused slightly upon seeing a group of disciples practicing the Perfected Seven-Section Swift Sword.

"This sword technique... seems a bit different from the style of other martial arts halls." He couldn't help but voice his thoughts.

In that brief instant, he compared it with the countless sword techniques he had seen over hundreds of years, yet not one was as peculiar as this Seven-Section Swift Sword.

Compared to the more potent martial arts of the Inner City, the Perfected Seven-Section Swift Sword had absolutely no side effects. It was like a gentleman who strictly adhered to a code of principles, refusing under any circumstances to let the cultivation process harm its practitioner.

In contrast, the current martial arts of both the Inner and Outer Cities blindly sought powerful combat strength at the lowest possible cost.

"You could tell? Our Temple Master perfected and recreated all the previous sect sword techniques. I didn't expect you to be quite knowledgeable," Little Hu laughed with a touch of pride.

Yun Xiazi said no more, simply following along to visit the central courtyard, the corridors, the disciples' living quarters, and the pharmacy that dispensed pills.

Soon, they returned to the edge of the drill grounds.

This time, Yun Xiazi's gaze fell upon two disciples practicing the Nine-Section Swift Sword.

The Nine-Section Swift Sword was a combat technique used by low-ranking disciples in real combat. It had also been perfected by Lin Hui, making it several times more powerful than the original version.

Most importantly, starting from the Perfected Nine-Section Swift Sword, the sword techniques of the Clear Wind Temple began to exert a strange pull on the mind and spirit.

The more one practiced, the stronger this pull became—even animals were affected by this power.

"That... what sword technique is that?" Yun Xiazi discerned some depth in it. The smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by traces of curiosity, shock, and happiness.

Yes, this path of constantly perfecting the martial art itself was far removed from Extreme Martial Arts. The shock it brought him was immense.

He had never imagined that after a martial art was perfected, it would naturally produce such wonderful sensations and miraculous abilities.

"That is the Nine-Section Swift Sword, another technique perfected by the Temple Master. When striking an enemy, it’s as swift and fierce as thunder, with tremendous explosive power. Most importantly, the martial arts of our Clear Wind Temple do not damage the body. Don’t be misled by that overwhelming explosiveness—no one who cultivates it will injure themselves from the strain."

Having now squeezed into the top ten disciples, Little Hu naturally spoke with far more authority than before.

He was simply in urgent need of Contribution Score, and guiding new guests for introductions counted as one Common Mission after three days of work, so he was especially eager to explain things and prompt Yun Xiazi.

"I see... Then what about the Clear Wind Temple's strongest Clear Wind Sword Technique?" Yun Xiazi asked softly.

His outing this time was purely on a whim. He hadn't looked at any information and had just rushed over directly.

He liked this direct, primitive approach—seeing with his own eyes, touching with his own hands, sensing things for himself. Only then could he avoid most deception and wasted time.

"The Clear Wind Sword? That’s a core martial art and generally won’t be demonstrated here casually. Disciples who learn it will find their own places to cultivate and are unlikely to come here to practice. The tempering movements of the perfected Clear Wind Sword Technique are quite large and naturally stir up the airflow. If beginners or those lacking proficiency gather to practice together, they’ll inevitably interfere with one another."

Little Hu laughed. "Of course, there’s another reason. Not long ago, the Temple Master took to going out to the forest, to the Wild Wind Plains, to practice his martial arts. Following his example, the formal disciples also began seeking their own spots with the right atmosphere and artistic conception for cultivation."

"How nice..." Yun Xiazi revealed a smile once again.

"Yeah. Alright, that’s about all there is to say. Sister, when do you plan to sign up? I’ll give you a discount! You’re so good-looking—if you really join the sect, the male disciples will go crazy welcoming you!"

Little Hu laughed. He had already noticed that while he was leading the way and making introductions, covert glances from the male disciples on the drill grounds were frequently cast in this direction. All eyes were fixed on the girl who called herself Yun Xia.

"Mm, let me take a look. Also, I’m not a sister; I’m a man," Yun Xiazi corrected with a smile.

"Eh?" Little Hu froze for a moment, then quickly examined him more closely. Once he noticed the slight protrusion at Yun Xia’s throat, his expression instantly turned odd.

The other party’s voice was neutral, his features even more delicate than a girl’s, and his bearing held an indescribable, ethereal beauty... How could this be...

Still, there were all kinds of people these days. After the initial shock, he quickly composed himself.

"Sorry... I didn't pay attention," he quickly apologized.

"It doesn’t matter. You’re a good child; I don’t blame you," Yun Xiazi said, shifting his gaze away. "I’ve always been very magnanimous."

"Uh… then many thanks." Little Hu felt that the other party’s tone was a bit strange, but he didn’t dwell on it.

He guided the guest to the reception hall, had someone serve a cup of tea, and brought over the temple's schedule and fee standards for the guest to review.

But no matter how he hinted, Yun Xia simply wouldn't register.

This made him somewhat helpless, and he could only arrange for a student to come over and replace him.

When he returned after some busy work a while later, he found that Yun Xia was actually still there!

Furthermore, the receiving student told him that this person had been sitting in the reception hall the entire time, leisurely drinking tea—he had already finished six cups—and still refused to leave, merely watching the students practicing on the drill grounds outside with a beaming smile.

Midway through, he even asked why old men and women were practicing martial arts in the temple.

After learning that these people were practicing martial arts for wellness, he seemed even less in a hurry to leave.

Little Hu was speechless.

Looking at the scene outside, where it was almost late afternoon, he pondered what method to use to get the other party to state his intentions...

But as time ticked by, the sky outside gradually began to dim. Yun Xia was actually still sitting in the original spot, steady as Mount Tai. He had even asked the student responsible for him for a portion of the temple's small snacks.

It had to be said that being good-looking made a difference; that student immediately brought out his own stash of high-end snacks without a second word, just to make the beauty smile.

Little Hu saw the high-end snacks on the table and understood the situation at a glance, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

He took a towel to wipe the sweat from his forehead and walked forward, about to ask what the other party actually planned to do.

Suddenly, a wave of suppressed cheering came from the temple gate.

"The Temple Master is back!"

"Greetings, Temple Master!"

"The Temple Master feels like he's gotten stronger again!"

"Temple Master, could you give a pointer or two on what problem I have with this combat movement skill!?"

Dense shouts overlapped into a jumble, turning into a noisy welcome.

Little Hu's heart warmed, and he hurriedly rushed to the door, looking out.

He saw his master, Lin Hui, gripping a long sword, dressed in white, tight-sleeved attire, walking slowly through the door.

Compared to before, Lin Hui's hair seemed a bit longer, and his temperament had also changed slightly. No wonder some disciples shouted that he had become stronger again.

Most importantly, before, Lin Hui's brows and eyes were simply sharp. But now, they were narrower and more acute, making his eyes seem elongated and enlarged.

This subtle change also somewhat improved Lin Hui's looks.

It was just that this improvement gave people an inexplicable feeling of awe, as if looking at him a few times more would result in him drawing his sword and hacking them down.

Little Hu only looked twice before he dared not look directly, hurriedly lowering his head to avoid eye contact.

At this moment, Yun Xiazi also slowly stood up, his eyes instantly falling upon Lin Hui, who had just entered the door.

Coincidentally, Lin Hui’s gaze also fell on Yun Xiazi at the same moment.

In that instant, both of them paused.

“Friend, from the Inner City?”

The moment Lin Hui saw Yun Xia, he felt the other party was like a massive black hole, silently devouring all the surrounding aura.

This person emitted absolutely no aura.

That was extremely strange.

Any living being, after all, radiated at least some form of energy. Humans had heat, faint electrical signals—though weak, they were always present.

Having cultivated martial arts to his current level, Lin Hui’s perception was razor-sharp. At this distance, he should have been able to clearly sense the other party’s subtle aura.

Yet the moment he stepped through the door and saw Yun Xiazi, his heart trembled, and he immediately sensed that something was off.

His sound transmission at that moment was meant to confirm the other party’s purpose and identity. Because of his elder brother’s background and the Rain Palace, he wasn’t particularly afraid.

He was simply puzzled about why the other party had come.

“Formless Sword Lin Hui?” Yun Xiazi transmitted back. “Let’s change locations.”

“Good.” Lin Hui’s figure flickered and vanished into the crowd.

Yun Xiazi’s figure also blurred and disappeared, leaving Little Hu and the others staring in shock.

…

Wild Wind Plains.

Howling gales raged here all year round, never once dispersing.

Lin Hui and Yun Xiazi’s figures flickered into existence, appearing on this dim plain that had been scoured almost flat by endless sword practice.

Within a range of several thousand meters, not even a single pebble remained. All the original gravel had long since been blasted into the distance by Lin Hui during his training.

The saying “big stones become small stones, small stones become nothing” described the transformation of this place perfectly.

Because the ground was so smooth and flat, this area had even become an occasional destination for tourist couples looking for a quiet place to stroll and relax.

At this moment, the two stood facing each other.

Lin Hui narrowed his eyes and sized up the other party.

"Please state your purpose directly. Pardon my bluntness, but we haven't met before, have we? With an outstanding appearance like yours, if I had seen you, I definitely wouldn't have forgotten."

"Indeed, we haven’t met," Yun Xiazi replied with a smile. "I simply grew curious and decided to come take a look at the Clear Wind Temple."

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