Decaying World

A natural-born leader.

Seated in the audience, Lin Hui assessed the woman standing on the teahouse’s central platform. The stage seemed to have been constructed specifically for her. She wore a tailored white tunic and skirt trimmed with gold, her long hair naturally streaked with golden strands. A flame pattern marked the center of her forehead—the manifest sign of a cultivated Divine Method.

Her aura was incredibly potent. She gave Lin Hui a sense of immense strength, similar to the pressure he felt from his Big Brother.

No, she is definitely stronger than Big Brother. Much stronger... This mental pressure...

After cultivating the False Enactment Art, Lin Hui could gauge an outsider's mental strength by the reaction of the Void Terror Spirit condensed within his mind. The Void Terror Spirit represented the current limit of his own mind-spirit power. If an external presence could startle it, that person posed a genuine mental threat; their Divine Method likely possessed the power to modify their cognition and spirit.

This was a threat.

At that moment, Lin Hui, Hong Ling, and everyone else sitting off-stage were under the sway of the Trueblood woman named Hou Xihan. To affect over a hundred people simultaneously and still trigger his threat instincts meant her mind-spirit power was intense—almost certainly the strongest he had ever encountered.

Inside the dimly lit teahouse, a guqin player in the corner plucked a soft melody. The music, combined with Hou Xihan’s speech and the subtle mental influence of her Divine Method, created a powerful emotional contagion. It stirred the hearts of everyone present, prompting them to stand one after another to voice their depression and vent the pressure built up in their hearts.

Watching this, Lin Hui finally understood why someone like Hong Ling enjoyed coming here.

Although he felt the influence, he was not a Trueblood. He could not empathize with their plight, so he remained in his seat, observing coolly from the sidelines.

"We call Hou Xihan 'Sister Han'," Hong Ling explained via sound transmission, having calmed down considerably after his own outburst. "Her strength is formidable. Two hundred years ago, she was a genius on the level of your brother, possessing a top-tier bloodline concentration. She has just entered the Taisu Primal Disk as an Elder. Unlike the Elders of the Extreme Desire Heaven, the Taisu Primal Disk manages supervision and ideological coordination. It is only because of her protection that so many dare to vent their opinions here quietly. Without her, at least half the people in this room would have been taken away to have their memories wiped and their cognition reshaped."

Hong Ling sighed.

Lin Hui felt a chill run down his spine.

If they could wipe memories... looking at it that way, these marginalized Truebloods lived in constant terror. The psychological pressure here was far greater than below the tower. It was like living with a tiger; from a distance, a tiger is dangerous but manageable, but Hong Ling and his peers slept beside the beast every night. One careless slip, and they would be devoured.

Wiping memories—was that not equivalent to erasing the person entirely?

As the two conversed, Hou Xihan suddenly shifted the topic on stage.

"Today, we have the rare occasion of welcoming three guests from below the tower. Compared to the marginal bloodlines we carry, their abilities, aptitude, comprehension, and backgrounds, if calculated carefully, might surpass most of us."

Hou Xihan’s gaze swept over the three outsiders in the audience. Lin Hui was one of them.

"I am very happy to have such friends participate in our activities," she said in a clear, resonant voice. "After careful consideration, I have decided to invite these three to visit the Moon Tower often and join our daily gatherings. To facilitate this, I am personally gifting each of these three guests a Moth Carriage."

Lin Hui, who had been listening passively, froze when he heard he was being gifted a Moth Carriage. He saw Hong Ling anxiously nudging his back, signaling him to stand.

He hurriedly rose and clasped his fists toward Hou Xihan.

"I am humbled by Sister Han's great affection. Lin Hui of Clear Wind Temple accepts this gift with gratitude. I will certainly visit to offer my thanks in the future."

"Feng Chan of Black Cloud thanks Sister Han." Not far away, a green-eyed man with a single emerald horn on his forehead stood and clasped his fists.

"Su Yaping of Xingdao thanks Sister Han." A third person rose from a distant corner. It was Su Yaping, the Vice Palace Master of the Xingdao Rain Palace, whom Lin Hui had seen once before.

Like Feng Chan, Su Yaping had green eyes, but unlike Feng Chan's waist-length black hair, Su Yaping’s hair was a translucent white.

The three remained standing, sizing each other up.

Lin Hui was surprised to find he recognized them all. Feng Chan was actually the stall owner he had shared a drink with in the Fine Wine District during his first trip to the Deep Domain. At the time, the stall owner had kindly warned him not to stay in the Deep Domain too long. He hadn't expected to meet him in a place like this.

Feng Chan also recognized Lin Hui. The crude mask Lin Hui had worn back then offered no disguise against his eyes. He nodded at Lin Hui with a faint smile, then sat back down.

Su Yaping, on the other hand, scrutinized Lin Hui, feeling a vague sense of familiarity. He couldn't quite recall where he had seen him.

After the three sat down, Hou Xihan continued to speak on current events.

A Trueblood named Chen Shuying could no longer remain in the Moon Tower due to the thinning of her family's bloodline over generations. They planned to move out. However, before the move, their youngest daughter had caught the eye of an Elder from the Extreme Desire Heaven and was to be taken into his household.

"On the surface, this looks normal, right?" Hong Ling whispered, a trace of indignation in his voice. "But in reality, that Elder has his eyes on the Treasure-grade Relic passed down in Chen Shuying's family, as well as their self-perfected Divine Method inheritance. This is essentially 'stripping the assets of a dying line'."

"It can even be like that...?" Lin Hui was speechless.

"Naturally. You didn't think everything among the Truebloods was sunshine and rainbows, did you?" Hong Ling sighed. "You can't disagree with this kind of thing; otherwise, it's labeled a 'cognitive issue,' and you'll be arrested and taken to the Taisu Primal Disk for reshaping. Bloodlines cannot flow outward, and neither can Treasure-grade Relics. Even if it is your family's property, it is not allowed to leave. The higher-ups claim they are keeping it safe for the family to be returned later, but everyone knows retrieval is impossible. If you try to smuggle it out and get caught, the Extreme Desire Heaven will sentence you to death."

He paused, then continued darkly.

"And don't think agreeing settles it. Usually, once the Elder gets what they want, they simply find an opportunity to wipe out the entire branch to prevent a bad reputation. That is why many Truebloods, before their decline, actively sell off their Relics and Divine Method inheritances—to avoid this exact fate. They are the only channel in the market from which Rare Relics and Treasure Relics flow out."

Lin Hui fell silent.

Listening to Sister Han recount recent cases of marginalized Trueblood families—all victims of inheritance seizure—the crowd's emotions ignited once again. They broke into angry, chaotic cursing.

Watching this scene, listening to the Truebloods curse like common market folk, Lin Hui suddenly understood why the Benevolent Heart Sect could move so freely around the Moon Tower's Core Zone.

Look at these internal contradictions... The pressure within the Trueblood society had reached a point where it could barely be concealed. Perhaps among the hundred people present, there were already members of the Benevolent Heart Sect.

After a round of venting grievances, Sister Han announced the next segment: combat exchange.

Simply put, they ranked status by strength. The stronger you were, the greater your right to speak.

"If your strength ranks at the very top, everyone will tacitly mobilize their own power to give you a push and help you rise. This is the unspoken rule within our group. Sister Han entered the Taisu Primal Disk this way back in the day," Hong Ling transmitted softly.

Lin Hui understood. These marginalized Truebloods had essentially formed the beginnings of an underground society. From this perspective, Hong Ling bringing him here… his intentions might not be as simple as mere hospitality.

A probe? Lin Hui thought. Or did he really find something out?

The competition took place in the open space outside the teahouse. Several attendants brought out a set of Relics resembling golden crystals. Once activated, a golden cube immediately materialized in the center of the grounds. Rows of spectator seats condensed around it from semi-transparent golden energy.

"This Relic set is called the 'Victory Battlefield'. After victory or defeat, the venue automatically restores its state. Even death inside is false; everything is reset upon exiting," Hong Ling introduced. "How about it? Want to go in and play?"

Lin Hui smiled. "What's the benefit if I win?"

"There's definitely a prize. Sister Han and everyone pooled some Feather Blood, about five thousand Blood."

"That much!? If converted to gold and silver, wouldn't that be..."

"Of course, you can't convert it directly. The market price for gold and silver is a 'scarcity price'. Because the amount of Feather Blood released is small, the price remains high. But if you release too much in one breath, the exchange rate will crash. You wouldn't get such a high price later," Hong Ling laughed.

Lin Hui nodded. Feather Blood was a consumable resource; everyone hated to part with it casually, which maintained its high value.

The competition began quickly.

The Truebloods entered the ring one after another to pair off and slaughter each other. Their moves drew blood with every strike, frequently involving beheading or heart-gouging, but in the end, everything was restored to its original state.

Through observing the majority of the combatants, Lin Hui gained a preliminary understanding of this group. These marginalized Truebloods formed the main body of grassroots officials responsible for the Tuyue Inner City. Ninety percent of their strength hovered around the level of a Circulation Realm Divine Officer. This was their ceiling, the limit of what could be achieved by piling up resources and environmental benefits.

Reaching the level of a High Divine Officer or a martial Grandmaster was not something resources alone could create.

There were two High Divine Officers among the crowd who went up to exchange moves, but they exercised restraint and didn't go for the kill. Even within this marginalized group, High Divine Officers were considered upper-middle tier. They all needed to save face.

By evening, the battles were nearing their end. The Feather Blood prize was claimed by a bald man with a record of seven consecutive victories.

Just as Sister Han was about to announce the conclusion, a figure suddenly flashed into the Victory Battlefield.

"Since there's a chance, I'll join the fun too." Su Yaping from Xingdao instantly locked his gaze onto Lin Hui.

"Friend, I don't know why, but I feel you look somewhat familiar. Why not come up and play?"

Lin Hui narrowed his eyes. Before this, he had felt quite safe. After all, he was surrounded by Divine Officers and Circulation Realm cultivators—threats he could easily handle. A casual swing of his sword could kill a swath of them, so he naturally felt secure. He had come here with the mindset that even the weak have value, holding no arrogance despite his ability to kill High Divine Officers.

But the moment he was targeted by Su Yaping, that leisurely sense of safety slowly faded.

"Are you speaking to me?" He pretended to be puzzled.

"Of course." Su Yaping smiled.

"Palace Master Su, is there a misunderstanding?" Hong Ling, startled, hurriedly interjected to mediate. "Brother Lin is a friend of mine. He's just a martial arts master from the Outer City. His strength is meager; how would he dare to take the stage and cross hands with Palace Master Su? You honor him too much."

"Yes, I am just a martial master. My strength is meager. Palace Master Su must have mistaken me for someone else," Lin Hui said with a smile and a nod.

"Is that so?" Su Yaping stared at Lin Hui, his eyes filled with scrutiny.