Chapter 173

In the Mist Zone.

Lin Hui stood at the spot where his disciple said he had buried the medicine.

The surrounding earth and rock had been pulverized into fine gravel. This black gravel covered everything nearby.

"This was when I executed my sword technique..." Lin Hui recalled the situation during their spar, a trace of helplessness flashing through his eyes.

The precious medicine Tao Xuehai had worked so hard to find had likely been overturned along with the rocks and trees, crushed into dust.

"It doesn’t matter, it’s fine, Master." Behind him, Tao Xuehai was also a bit speechless, but he quickly collected himself. "There’s still more of that medicine. I traded for it from the Mystic Eagle Sect. The Sect Master has deep foundations and vast supernatural powers. I don’t know where she gets such large quantities of resources, but that’s how she managed to establish the Mystic Eagle Sect and hold her own against the Clear River Sect in such a short time, without falling into disadvantage."

He paused, continuously stuffing healing pills into his mouth. As a martial artist who had fused with an Imitation Insect Canon, the medicine he required seemed to be specially customized; the medicine Lin Hui tried to give him had no effect at all.

Clearly, they had already transcended the physical constitution of ordinary humans.

After all, what normal person could shatter their body into a massive swarm of insects?

"I will exchange for more next time I come; there is no need for you to worry, Master," Tao Xuehai said earnestly.

At this moment, he looked much recovered. In just over an hour, he appeared to be fine.

This gave Lin Hui a new understanding of the recovery capabilities of martial artists fused with an Insect Canon.

"Fine. Just pay attention to your own safety," Lin Hui sighed. "Now that your Wild Wind Sword has embarked on its own path, your future and how high you reach depend entirely on yourself. I look forward to you bringing me even more surprises the next time you come... You should know, your insights might also spark new inspiration for me."

He did not hide the fact that his disciple provided him with inspiration in return, which made Tao Xuehai admire him even more.

As expected of Master—his dedication to learning truly knows no bounds. He can set aside all pride and formalities, willing to learn even from his own disciple. No wonder he was able to create such a peerless, powerful martial art like the Wild Wind Sword Technique at such a young age… He feels no shame in seeking guidance from those beneath him. I should take Master as my role model as well: skill comes first, not status, and I must push myself relentlessly to improve at all times.

Hearing this, a look of even deeper respect appeared in Tao Xuehai's eyes.

He cupped his fists. "Thank you for your help this time, Master. This disciple will definitely cultivate with concentration and bring my Wild Wind Sword Body Tempering to the peak as soon as possible."

"Good. When that time comes, return; I will wait for you at the Clear Wind Temple." Lin Hui turned around and tossed him a sword.

Tao Xuehai caught the sword, bowed, and turned to leave.

Watching his figure disappear into the Mist, Lin Hui suddenly felt a marvelous sensation, as if he had scattered seeds that would grow into great trees belonging to him.

"I should also continue on my path..." He smiled faintly, his body flashing as he vanished.

The evolution of the Blood Seal only gave him a pile of cultivation memories, allowing him to forcibly master the sword technique, but the understanding of the sword technique was truly his own realization. The deeper this realization, the faster his Body Tempering speed with the sword technique would be.

The same Wild Wind Sword Technique, with different understandings, determined that the executed effects and combat power would differ.

With the help of the Blood Seal, he had merely crossed the threshold of entry more easily; for the rest, he was just like his disciple, needing to cultivate slowly.

"The world is full of great perils. Perhaps I can first use the Blood Seal to evolve a conceptual aggregate, then combine it with the concept of a sect... to comprehensively increase the cultivation speed of myself and those around me." This thought flashed through Lin Hui's mind.

Of course, for now, he still had to wait for the Blood Seal to complete the evolution of the Star Breath Sword Canon. His preparations for traveling far were also mostly complete.

It was time to rendezvous at Yunbian Town. That was a small, peripheral town quite far from Xinyu Town. The distance was several thousand kilometers; if he took a horse carriage or ox cart slowly, it would take too long.

But Lin Hui's movement speed was extremely fast now. Even if he wasn't familiar with the road, with a few adjustments, he could arrive within a single daylight period.

…

Yunbian Town.

This was a town much smaller and more deserted than Xinyu Town.

Unlike Xinyu Town, which was close to the Inner City and clung to the city walls as one of the hubs for entering and exiting the Inner City, this place was situated in a wasteland outside the hub towns.

It was named so because it bordered the Yunbian River, which flowed out from the Mist Zone.

The town was built right by the river.

Lin Hui wore four white masks, perfectly shielding his head in the center.

At this moment, he stood on a high cliff by the river outside the town, overlooking the entire small town.

Birds circled in the air. Inside the dark town, box-like houses stood one after another, all built from a special black rock.

The entire town had only four streets—two horizontal and two vertical—forming a "well" (井) character shape. In the very center stood a ten-story black stone spire, exuding an ancient and vicissitudinous aura, its exterior marked by the smooth traces of wind and sand erosion.

The entire spire was the greatest landmark of Yunbian Town, and everyone had built their various houses around this tower.

The sky was bright, and the air was fresh. Not far below the tower, the water of the Yunbian River was clear. Large silver fish, one or two meters long, swam back and forth, occasionally leaping out of the water.

Fishermen were casting nets on the shore, frequently pulling up a good catch. However, what puzzled Lin Hui was that he saw all the fishermen only catching small fish, completely ignoring the large fish that were jumping so happily.

"Is it very strange?" A gentle male voice came from behind him.

"The fishermen here aren't stupid. It's because those large fish are a humanoid race called the Wuxi Clan. They have a treaty with the Wuxi Clan: the clan drives safe schools of fish toward the town, and in return, the government office of Yunbian Town permits them to live in the nearby Mist-Free Zone. It is a strategy that benefits both sides. Only here can you see such a wondrous sight."

A burly man wearing a pale yellow robe and a white ox mask slowly walked to Lin Hui's right side. He stood still, also gazing toward the Yunbian River with some emotion.

"Captain Yellow Ox?" Lin Hui called out the other party’s codename.

"It’s me. Four Faces, your reputation has spread even to this branch. Everyone’s saying you’re practically the most talented martial artist of the last thirty years. I hope we can work well together this time." Captain Yellow Ox nodded.

"Captain, my talent isn’t bad either. How come Four Faces is the only one getting famous?"

With a sound of whistling wind, a petite figure appeared.

The figure was only about 1.5 meters tall, but her chest was quite prominent—clearly a female. A head of jet-black long hair was tied into two long braids hanging at her sides; frankly, the braids were a bit too long, almost reaching the ground, nearly matching her height.

The girl wore a white fox mask, and the small bit of skin visible at its edge was extremely fair. She had on a simple, pale red, form-fitting combat suit, over which she wore a set of black, hard-shell Vital Armor.

Vital Armor was a type of equipment Lin Hui had only recently learned about.

For Called Ones and certain martial artists, most of their bodies were no longer afraid of ordinary injury; only their vital points remained true weaknesses, where their Fatal Gates lay.

Although these vital points were also very resilient, any wound to them would be a grave injury, unlike damage to other parts of the body. Over time, this created a demand for specialized protection, and thus Vital Armor came into being.

Men’s Vital Armor generally protected the heart, groin, and head or neck.

Women’s Vital Armor included a breastplate. Because larger breasts would shake violently during combat, they had to be secured with rigid armor to prevent injury from the force of impact.

At this moment, the fox-masked girl was wearing a set of external, black, hard-shell Vital Armor that protected her overly prominent chest.

"First time meeting. Four Faces, I am Fox. Just call me Ah Li." The fox girl greeted Lin Hui very friendlily.

[TN: Ah Li’s name literally uses the character for “fox” (húli).]

"Okay. Please look after me hereafter," Lin Hui nodded.

"It'll just be the three of us this time. Fortunately, I've been to the Xingdao District quite a few times and am fairly familiar with it. You two just follow my lead," Fox laughed.

"That works. Everything depends on Miss Fox this time," Yellow Ox laughed. "Now that we are all here, how should we go?"

"Going to Xingdao from here isn't actually the closest route, but going from here is the safest," Fox said. "I've arranged a Moth Carriage to cross from here. We'll fly over."

Moth Carriage?

Lin Hui’s heart shivered slightly. He immediately knew that Fox’s status and background were definitely not low—at least originating from the Core Zone of the Inner City. Otherwise, she couldn't have arranged a Moth Carriage so easily.

"That's wonderful. Looking at it this way, we're benefiting from Miss Fox's influence." Yellow Ox seemed to know a bit about Fox and wasn't surprised at all.

"What else? Otherwise, why would the higher-ups group me alone with you two?" Fox laughed.

"True. When do we leave?" Yellow Ox asked.

"Everyone's here. I've already sent the notification. About ten minutes." Fox raised her hand and checked a black wristwatch on her wrist.

This sight made Lin Hui narrow his eyes slightly.

It was his first time seeing a watch in Tuyue. In the Outer City, even clocks were rare; those were expensive items found only in the Inner City.

He hadn't expected to see such an expensive gadget on Fox.

"Good, good, good. I can’t even remember the last time I rode a Moth Carriage—I’ve actually missed it a little. Many thanks, Miss Fox." Yellow Ox cupped his fists.

"You’re too polite." Fox waved her hand. "Alright, follow me."

She turned around and headed straight away from Yunbian Town, rushing directly toward the Mist Wall of the Mist Zone.

The other two followed closely behind.

The three quickly entered the Mist. After running for a short while, the terrain ahead slowly climbed and rose.

Soon, Fox stopped. She stood on a black cliff and snapped her fingers.

Snap.

Flap, flap, flap.

Suddenly, the loud sound of beating wings came from above.

The sound approached rapidly, then burst out of the mist. It was a giant gray moth.

The moth was simply a super-sized version of a common moth, over ten meters long and covered in gray fur. A pair of round black eyes was like black gemstones, particularly eye-catching in the mist.

The wings on the moth's back formed an arrowhead shape, concave in the middle, creating a wide, oval-shaped recessed space.

Amidst the flap, flap sound of beating wings, the moth landed on the open ground to Fox's right. It folded its wings and lay prone on the ground, motionless.

A pair of slender antennae swayed slightly, as if conveying some information.

Fox stepped forward, stroked the moth's forehead, and then fed it something.

"Let's go! Get on the carriage!" She turned her head, waved her hand, and shouted loudly.

Then she leaped first, landing accurately in the central groove.

Yellow Ox and Lin Hui also leaped up lightly, landing in the groove.