Chapter 189

"A martial arts hallmaster... how interesting. To think an ordinary hallmaster is actually qualified to enter this place."

Su Yaping smiled, dropping the subject. He turned to leave the floor, chatting idly with two other Truebloods.

Lin Hui let out a breath and thanked Hong Ling. "Thanks to Brother Hong’s support; otherwise, that would have been truly dangerous. As expected, this isn't a place I should be visiting yet. My strength is too weak; I lack the confidence to do anything..."

Hong Ling patted him on the shoulder. "You aren't weak. It’s just that the situation here is rather special."

The competition ended.

Attendants brought up large quantities of wine and tea, and the music shifted, becoming soft and melodious. The atmosphere calmed accordingly.

Hong Ling pulled Lin Hui away from the venue, intending to head back early to show him the evening's Extreme Bliss Time. The two exited the teahouse and headed toward the Moth Carriage parking area.

However, they hadn't gone far before they were intercepted by a somewhat familiar figure.

"What a coincidence... Hallmaster Lin Hui."

Su Yaping had appeared from somewhere, dressed entirely in white, smiling as he looked at Lin Hui and Hong Ling. He stood on the straight avenue leading to the Moth Carriages, his body unabashedly radiating a dense aura—a blend of Void Force and Internal Force.

In addition to that, a formless power coiled around him like a serpent, causing the Void Terror Spirit in Lin Hui's mind to tremble slightly.

"Indeed, very coincidental... Greetings, Palace Master Su." Lin Hui clasped his fists and bowed earnestly.

"Palace Master Su, the gathering is over. If you're in the mood to stroll around, let's make an appointment for another day. Tonight, Hallmaster Lin and I have a prior engagement. What do you say?" Hong Ling spoke up proactively with a smile.

His mother was an Elder of the Extreme Desire Heaven. On this basis, even if Su Yaping’s strength far exceeded his, the Palace Master had to show at least a modicum of respect.

"I understand. I just have some small matters I want to confirm with Hallmaster Lin. I wonder if Young Master Hong could lend him to me for a moment?" Su Yaping said with a faint smile.

"Palace Master Su..." Hong Ling noticed something was off and wanted to speak further, but a formless force rushed at his face. The words died in his throat.

The opponent was a Palace Master-level powerhouse, while he was merely a Divine Officer. There were two major realms of difference between them—it was essentially the difference between an elephant and a mouse.

Crucially, Hong Ling had long since reached the limit of his aptitude and could not grow stronger. The gap between them was something he could never bridge in this lifetime. Moreover, for the Moon Tower—and even for his mother in the Extreme Desire Heaven—if a conflict arose, his mother might not blame Su Yaping. Instead, she might beat Hong Ling to appease the man.

Lin Hui saw Hong Ling's predicament. The other party still stood in front of him. This wasn't about friendship—they hadn't reached that level yet—but clearly a matter of Hong Ling’s own principles.

He sighed and gently patted Hong Ling's arm.

"Brother Hong, you go back first. I'll be there in a while. Since Palace Master Su wants to chat, how could a lowly Outer City martial arts hallmaster like me be qualified to refuse?"

Hong Ling looked at him helplessly, then glanced at Su Yaping. "Alright... I'll wait for you by the Moth Carriages. Don't take too long; Mother might be waiting for us."

He emphasized the last sentence.

"I'll try my best." Lin Hui nodded.

After sending Hong Ling away, only the two of them remained.

In the distance on this level, the teahouses and taverns were still clamorous with noise, and music drifted over. The scent of wine and tea lingered in the air. But here, at the edge, the surroundings were peaceful. Only occasionally would a few blurry shadows flash toward the Moth Carriages, passing in the blink of an eye.

"Palace Master Su, what do you wish to say? I am all ears," Lin Hui said earnestly and respectfully.

"That was you that day, wasn't it?" Su Yaping said indifferently. "Very fast speed, very fast movement technique."

"I don't understand Palace Master Su's meaning. What 'that day'?" Lin Hui looked puzzled.

“Heh.” Su Yaping couldn’t be bothered to waste words. He slowly raised his right hand, his index finger glowing with a semi-transparent Mind Spirit aura. “Ever since last time, I went back and made thorough preparations. This time, I just happened to want to test them out…”

Previously, he hadn’t dared to make a move because he’d been inexplicably shaken by the aura he sensed. After returning, he had deliberately acquired isolation Relics so that he wouldn’t be cowed by that presence again.

"Palace Master Su, what are you doing?!" Lin Hui looked shocked and took two steps back. "Where have I offended you? Why block my path for no reason and attack without warning?"

Su Yaping said no more and pointed his index finger directly forward.

"What are you doing? This isn't Xingdao."

Suddenly, a crisp and melodious female voice came from behind Lin Hui.

Su Yaping paused slightly and looked past Lin Hui.

There, under the dim, soft yellow light, a petite figure only half the height of the two men walked out slowly. It was a half-grown child with short hair and red eyes. Her head was round, somewhat like a little turnip, and she was dressed in a white robe with gold borders and intricate patterns—far more luxurious than what Hong Ling and his peers wore.

Especially her pair of eyes—in the dimness, they emitted a distinct red glow.

Trueblood Noble.

Su Yaping narrowed his eyes and slowly lowered his raised finger. “Young lady… this Palace Master was merely joking with him. I had no intention of actually making a move.”

"I was watching from a distance, and it certainly didn't look like a joke. Are you planning to bully people in my Tuyue?" The "little turnip" frowned deeply, staring at Su Yaping and questioning him unceremoniously.

"Not at all." Su Yaping smiled.

He understood very well that in any district, bloodline nobles below the Mistborn level were extremely rare and heavily protected. If this were Xingdao, with his power and strength, he might still be able to challenge ordinary Trueblood Nobles. But this was Tuyue. Here, these Trueblood Nobles, who had awakened Evil Energy, were each a mobile core of the Moon Tower.

They could not be offended.

"It had better be a joke," the little turnip said in a low voice. "Alright, since it's a joke, then let's disperse. It's so late; if you don't go back and relax, it would be a pity to waste the time."

"Young Lady is right." Su Yaping retreated, vanishing from his spot in the blink of an eye, his aura rapidly speeding away without stopping.

Clearly, he had given up.

Lin Hui finally let out a sigh of relief. He didn't want to fight Su Yaping. This wasn't a suitable place for combat. If he accidentally exposed his Internal Force attributes or Purgatory-aura, it would invite even more trouble and danger. A powerhouse like Su Yaping wasn't someone he could deal with while hiding his strength.

Fortunately, the little girl had helped him out of the predicament.

He looked at her then.

"You are... Lady Sha Ye?" Suddenly, he recognized her. Wasn't she the kind-hearted Trueblood Noble he met the first time he came to the Moon Tower?

Yes, the little turnip who sat in the cart was entering the city.

Sha Ye immediately laughed. "Right, right, it's me. I saw you in the teahouse just now, but I got held up by something, so I didn't go over to identify you. After coming out, I specifically came looking for you just to see if you were the person I met last time. I didn't expect it to really be you. It truly is fate."

She spoke with a crisp voice.

"What did I say last time? If your strength is weak, don't wander around the Moon Tower. People like you—with a little background but not much—are the most likely to get into trouble here. If you've only barely reached the threshold to enter the tower, it's best not to come in. There are plenty of monsters here who do whatever they please. See? If I hadn't stepped in just now, something definitely would have happened to you."

"Yes, I will engrave Lady Sha Ye's great kindness in my memory," Lin Hui said solemnly.

"It's not really a great kindness." Sha Ye seemed a bit embarrassed by his words. "No need to thank me either. Hurry back. There are too few good people in this place. It was fine this time because I helped you out, but if I don't happen to be there next time, you might really meet with a mishap."

"Mm, you are right." Lin Hui looked emotional. "This is indeed not a place a weak person like me should come to. To meet a kind-hearted Trueblood Noble like you is truly my luck. I wonder if we could exchange a correspondence address, so it's convenient for me to send a thank-you gift in the future."

"Thank-you gift... hmm. That is acceptable. If you can get some living things from the Mist Zone—the cute kind—and send them over, that would be okay. My family doesn't let me go out..." Sha Ye pondered.

She took a string of moon-white beads from her wrist and tossed it to Lin Hui.

"This is a token. If you want to send things, address it to the Fifth Tower, Floor 1744."

"Okay!" Lin Hui caught the bead chain. "I am the Temple Master of Clear Wind Temple in the Outer City. If Young Miss asks around slightly, you'll know the address. I still have some reputation in the Outer City."

"Mm, alright then, hurry and go. Don't stay too long," Sha Ye urged, waving her hand.

Lin Hui responded, turned around, and deployed his movement technique, rushing toward the Moth Carriage stop.

Over there, Hong Ling was waiting in the carriage. Seeing him arrive safely, he immediately heaved a sigh of relief.

"Let's go, quickly. Glad you're okay. The people from Xingdao are just barbaric, always fighting and killing at the drop of a hat. Too uncivilized. I don't know why Sister Han invited him to the meeting."

Lin Hui didn't speak, just smiled and boarded the Moth Carriage, flying out of the level together.

Outside, night had already fallen. The sea of Mist rolled like a gray carpet below, while above was a deep night sky, vast and boundless, dotted with an infinite number of silver-blue stars. The cold night wind blew against the Moth Carriage's shield, stirring up transparent ripples.

Soon, they returned to the Hong family's location on the 1400th floor. Large swathes of dark pavilions were already lit up. Amidst the dim yellow lights, the night wind howled, carrying faint bursts of groans.

Hong Ling's expression remained unchanged. He got off the Moth Carriage, instructed the handsome male attendants who approached to settle things, and then led Lin Hui quickly into a square black stone building.

"Before entering Extreme Bliss Time, let me give you some instructions. The so-called Extreme Bliss Time is effectively a dream space. After you enter, influenced by the Extreme Bliss Mind Spirit gathered and transported from the lower layers, it becomes extremely easy to fall into carnal desires. In that state, time passes very quickly, so there is a massive bell chime specifically within the space to remind you that time is about to end, and you need to withdraw your mind-spirit and wait to wake up." Hong Ling said seriously.

"Is it all related to lust inside?" Lin Hui asked curiously.

"It depends on you. Whatever you crave most, it will satisfy. At the same time, it drastically enhances your sensory sensitivity," Hong Ling laughed. "Also, because Extreme Bliss Time is something everyone enters, anyone you conjure in the dream will appear with every detail and measurement perfectly consistent with reality."

“Looked at from another angle, if this Extreme Bliss Time were used to cultivate Mind Spirit–type techniques, wouldn’t it be…?” Lin Hui suddenly mused.

“I knew it!” Hong Ling clapped his hands and laughed. “As expected, you caught on. Indeed, within Extreme Bliss Time, everything is under your control, so the progress of cultivating Mind Spirit–type Divine Methods is extremely fast.”