Chapter 183:

Having completed the preliminary Blood Seal testing, Lin Hui ultimately chose to establish a safety point first. Only then would he proceed with evolving the sect residence.

Choosing the location for this safety point was a problem in itself.

After the testing, he had circled the surrounding Mist Zone, examining the various ruins where monsters roamed. He discovered a significant issue: although the ruins contained Mist-Free Zones, monsters spawned endlessly within them. He didn't know the source of this proliferation, but living there would inevitably be troublesome.

After scouting the area, he decided to initiate the evolution of the Clear Wind Temple first. The evolutionary path he selected was the Nine Skies Gate.

Once the fifty-year evolution time was locked in, the Blood Seal was occupied again. Lin Hui immediately felt a sense of emptiness; he was in no mood to do anything for the entire day. Even after consuming his remaining stock of Spirit-Enriching Reishi in one go, the timer only dropped to forty-seven years, which made him feel even worse.

Mostly, he missed the exhilaration of having the Blood Seal ready to identify and evolve anything, anywhere—it gave him the illusion that his future held infinite possibilities.

But alas... the future required more "aphrodisiacs" to truly be infinite.

He decided to acquire more medicine. Throwing another paper ball into the burrow to signal a trade, Lin Hui summoned Wang Hongshi to inquire about the acquisition of medicinal herbs.

"Well... the batch we just acquired is everything currently available. Although more of these herbs have been planted over the last two years due to your demand, they require many years of growth and cannot be harvested annually. So... there is no new stock for the time being," Wang Hongshi said with difficulty.

As the Chief Steward of the Clear Wind Temple, he was intimately familiar with Lin Hui's need for "aphrodisiacs." The acquisition channels were few to begin with, and once bought out, they were gone. He truly had no other options.

"No Spirit-Enriching Reishi, no Purple Cloud Reishi... what about other types?"

Lin Hui was currently relying on Black Emperor Pills stacked with other combination medicines just to maintain a speed where one month of evolution time equaled eight months of waiting. To accelerate further, he had to find precious medicines.

What worried him most was that he had been popping too many Black Emperor Pills recently. He faintly felt a resistance building up; his body was adapting, and the efficacy was trending downward. This forced him to plan ahead.

"Gone, Temple Master. Last time, this disciple sent personnel—especially those residing in the Inner City—to scour the area around the Core Zone, but there were no similar medicines. There are plenty of other drugs, but this specific category is truly sold out," Wang Hongshi said helplessly.

Dismissing Wang Hongshi, Lin Hui stood up and paced around the courtyard, deciding to ask his father and eldest brother for ideas.

"What do you need those medicines for?"

Suddenly, Mingxia's voice came from outside the door. "I've gained almost all the comprehension I can from the perfected version of the Clear Wind Sword Technique. I heard you created a Wild Wind Sword Technique as well; can you teach it to me?"

Mingxia walked in slowly, a long sword on her back. She wore the plain white combat uniform of the Clear Wind Temple, which accentuated her curvaceous figure. From the outside, she looked like a pure, beautiful swordswoman with a fresh, bright temperament. Her long, beautiful black hair was tied in a high ponytail that swayed behind her head, reaching down to her waist. The satin-like strands reflected a faint luster under the skylight, catching the eye.

"You have a way?" Lin Hui's eyes lit up; he had almost forgotten about this old fellow.

"I have a way, but it's limited. You went too far—you've cleared out everything sellable in the city markets. I can't get any within the city either. So..." Mingxia pursed her lips and paused, revealing a smile.

"So what? You mean... other urban districts?!" Lin Hui reacted immediately.

"Correct! Right now, if you want this type of medicine, there are only two ways. One is to go to other urban districts. The other is to find large clans and trade for their private collections. But even their collections are limited. The only way to open a true source is to go elsewhere—a place with a large volume of such medicines." Mingxia was indeed an experienced veteran; she came up with a new idea immediately.

"But a round trip to other urban districts is too far. Xingdao District is the closest, but over there..." Lin Hui hesitated.

"Xingdao City doesn't have any; they have even less than here. Don't bother. Too many people died over there, and they sold everything valuable long ago to rebuild the Inner City and repopulate," Mingxia answered. "But aside from Xingdao, the second closest, Tianchong District, might still have some..."

"Tianchong District? How do we get there?" Lin Hui was stunned.

"Transfer to a ship from Xingdao and cross the entire Jade Sea. If the round trip goes smoothly, it takes about half a year. If you don't want to go yourself, you can send someone. Bringing back medicine within a year is doable. But the personnel sent cannot be weak; otherwise, they will definitely be robbed halfway."

"Let me think..." Lin Hui frowned.

"I gave you the method. Now, tell me, can you teach me the Wild Wind Sword Technique?" Mingxia's large eyes revealed incomparable longing.

"Why should I teach you? You aren't my personal disciple, nor do you have any sense of belonging or loyalty to my Clear Wind Temple," Lin Hui retorted.

"I can have belonging, and I can have loyalty!" Mingxia said hurriedly. "How about I kowtow to you right now?"

She immediately knelt and prepared to kowtow, but Lin Hui dodged instantly.

Her utter lack of shame made Lin Hui’s skin crawl.

"I need a guarantee. The Wild Wind Sword Technique is the core heritage of my Clear Wind Temple. Since I created it, I have never taught it to any outsider."

"This..." Mingxia stood up, furrowing her brows. "How about... I sleep with you? I can even help you bear children?"

"..." Lin Hui felt a wave of nausea.

Knowing full well that the other party used to be a man, even if "she" looked beautiful now, he couldn't accept it internally... let alone using this method of trade.

"It seems you aren't willing." Mingxia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Her lack of dignity wasn't a new development. Having messed around for so many years, shame was something she had lost track of long ago. When "he" was a Grand Elder of the Three Sects, plenty of people had risked their lives and run errands to support him. Having slept with so many people, his network of relationships had grown with every partner. The fiercest part was that he swung both ways.

"To be honest, the Perfected Clear Wind Sword you created inspired me greatly. I originally thought my strength had reached its limit, but I didn't expect that after studying it for such a short time, I would improve again. Therefore, I am determined to get the Wild Wind Sword Technique. Name your terms. I'll do whatever I can!" Mingxia said solemnly.

Lin Hui clapped his hands; he was waiting for those words.

"Good, you said it! Then go buy medicine for me. Go to that Tianchong City you mentioned!"

"..." The expression on Mingxia's face froze instantly.

She had only offered a suggestion; she hadn't planned on actually going herself!

"It's fine if you don't go yourself—find someone to help me go. Regardless, get this done for me. Bring back medicines equivalent to the value of at least one hundred Purple Cloud Reishi, and I will begin teaching you the Wild Wind Sword Technique," Lin Hui said decisively.

"..." Mingxia's pretty face was stuck. She looked at Lin Hui, unsure of what expression to make.

One hundred Purple Cloud Reishi—she could accept that. To her, the value of the Wild Wind Sword Technique was far greater. The main issue was that the journey was too troublesome...

She was a rather lazy person; otherwise, she wouldn't have stayed secluded on the peak of the Nine Dreams Sect for so many years.

"Speak. Yes or no?" Lin Hui asked in a deep voice.

"...Fine! It's a deal!" Mingxia gritted her teeth and made a prompt decision. She knew she had trapped herself this time.

Tianchong City was a port city slightly smaller than Tuyue. The journey was distant and fraught with danger. Even for her, she would have to be extremely careful to arrive safely. This trip abroad would require thorough preparation.

She turned and ran immediately, intending to prepare for the travel arrangements right away. Before leaving, she had to delegate the sect affairs properly so they wouldn't fail to find her when needed.

Watching Mingxia leave, Lin Hui exhaled. He glanced at the sky; there was still time. With this new channel for medicine arranged, his heart felt somewhat settled.

He immediately felt the urge to practice the sword again.

Picking up Ruyi, his figure flashed as he left the Clear Wind Temple. He ran all the way to the Wild Wind Plains, only to find that quite a few disciples from the sect were already practicing martial arts in the area. Considering that this sword practice was also to test the characteristics of his new Internal Force, he decided to change locations to avoid being seen.

He took out a map to check and confirmed a new spot: Mist Zone, Yanshan Ruins · Tianzhan Cliff.

…

Huge black birds with human heads flew back and forth in the Mist, circling and looking down.

On the massive black cliff, wild winds howled, and the mist rolled and surged like ocean waves. This was the place with the strongest winds around Tuyue, and also the new cultivation spot Lin Hui had found on the perfected map.

Located in the Mist Zone within the dangerous Yanshan Ruins, the area was devoid of people—only monsters remained. He didn't have to worry about being disturbed, nor did he have to worry about accidentally injuring anyone. If any strange phenomena occurred, the mist would conceal them.

Lin Hui sat cross-legged at the edge of Tianzhan Cliff, watching the mist churning at the bottom of the dark abyss below.

He raised his hand, and a point of faint white Internal Force fluorescence lit up on his finger.

This was his Internal Force after consuming the Extreme Cold Heaven Ginseng King. It looked unremarkable, just slightly whiter than ordinary Internal Force.

But...

In the next second, he gently touched his finger to the ground.

Chi!

In an instant, a massive sheet of white frost spread frantically in all directions, centered on where he sat. In just one second, it froze the surrounding area of over a hundred meters into a sheet of pure white.

A Human-headed Bird, five meters tall, couldn't dodge in time as it swooped past just over ten meters above Lin Hui's head. Caught by the invisible chill shooting skyward, it merely grazed the edge of the energy.

Immediately, its body froze rapidly, turning into an ice sculpture and crashing down.

Bang.

The ice sculpture of the Human-headed Bird shattered on Lin Hui's right, turning into a ground full of broken shards.

"..."

Lin Hui stared blankly at this scene. Although he had tried to estimate the exaggerated power of this 'Extreme Cold Heaven' before testing, seeing a Dangerous-level Human-headed Bird turn into ice fragments in the blink of an eye still delivered a huge psychological impact.

After all, the Dangerous level corresponded to the Internal Force Realm and the Circulation Realm.

"This ‘Extreme Cold Heaven’... really is a bit over the top." Lin Hui exhaled. He finally understood why the purgatory flames could be sealed so obediently beneath it.

He carefully observed the frozen ground, reached out to dig up a piece of ice, and weighed it. It didn't seem different from ordinary ice. Its appearance was crystal clear, and the cold energy was heavy; its temperature should be lower than regular ice.

Now that he had retracted his Internal Force, the ice chunk began to slowly melt in the ambient temperature.