Chapter 196

"Yun Xiazi is that strong?" Lin Hui’s heart jolted.

That old fellow, who always seemed so flighty, obsessed with acting young and painstakingly researching martial arts... was actually this formidable? It was unexpected.

"Very strong. But you can rest assured; my teacher is only a fraction weaker than him. If he advances in the future, he might even surpass him. It’s not a major problem." Liu Wujun’s tone was relaxed.

He looked over Lin Hui’s current appearance and aura.

"Your cultivation seems to have broken through significantly. You're still at the peak of Internal Force, but... I get the feeling your physical constitution has become much stronger."

"I can't hide anything from Big Brother. Since my Internal Force hit a bottleneck, I had to find other ways to improve my strength," Lin Hui explained.

"Indeed, that is a valid path. There’s another matter. About that Miss Han... I’m not joking. You should break it off with her. Consider Xiao-Xiao; she’s a much better match. I can tell she isn't opposed to the idea, either. Regarding Han Xiaoyue, I recently received news that her background and identity are quite complex," Liu Wujun said seriously.

"Don't worry, Big Brother, I know what I'm doing," Lin Hui nodded. "Sister Han is great. She's my type, actually, but you can’t force these things. It depends on fate."

He was largely indifferent toward marriage. As long as it didn't affect his cultivation, he was fine with either Han Xiaoyue or Liu Xiao. In fact, he would be perfectly accepting if he ended up with no one at all.

"As long as you know what you're doing. There is one more thing. In the wanted notices sent down from above, there’s a criminal from our Xinyu Town—a felon named Four Faces. I received the dossier; we need to hunt him down. You know the local turf, so help me keep an eye out."

"Alright, leave it to me!" Lin Hui nodded, his face impassive, though he was speechless inwardly.

"What did this Four Faces do? It sounds serious," he added.

"Mm, very serious matters. He robbed clan treasure vaults all over the Inner City, snatched beauties in broad daylight, trafficked contraband, and stole vital array components from the Moon Tower to sell... Rumor has it he even impregnated several Truebloods, swindled their fortunes, and then fled after stirring up trouble," Liu Wujun listed the crimes one by one.

"..."

As Lin Hui listened, the curiosity in his heart gradually turned into blank bewilderment.

I did what?

No matter how you looked at it, there was no way he had done those sordid, dirty deeds!

This was obviously someone impersonating him.

"He’s a disgusting piece of work. If you find any clues, notify me immediately," Liu Wujun said, waving his hand.

"Understood," Lin Hui nodded.

"With Liu Xiao back, I’ll be accompanying Master on an exchange visit and participating in an inter-city event soon. I’ll need you to watch over things at home. I’m always a bit uneasy about your Eldest Sister. You’re more reliable; she’ll still listen to you sometimes," Liu Wujun said. "To be honest, your Eldest Sister actually admires you somewhat. Climbing up bit by bit from the quagmire of the Outer City to where you are now—for anyone else, that would be an almost impossible task."

"Is that so? Big Brother, you overpraise me. I just fumble around blindly," Lin Hui smiled.

"You’ve already done very well." Liu Wujun patted his shoulder. "I’ll be gone for about ten days. Keep an eye on your sister for me."

"Okay!"

…

Tuyue District, Mist Zone Periphery.

Inside a gloomy underground palace buried deep beneath the earth.

Hazy mist drifted through the palace, wisps flowing like living things. In the center of the underground complex lay a great hall resembling an imperial court.

Figures in silver masks flickered into the room one after another, finding their designated spots on either side of the central aisle. Green illumination stones inlaid in the walls and ceiling cast a pale, ghostly fluorescence over the assembly.

Soon, eighteen figures gathered. Divided into two rows, they stood in silence.

Although they all wore masks, one could judge their gender and age from their figures; there were men and women, young and old.

Once everyone had assembled, they looked toward the seat of honor.

There, on a golden dragon throne, a black-armored figure wearing a dark gold mask had suddenly appeared.

"I am very pleased that not a single one of you is missing. After a lapse of two years, this is something worth celebrating." The voice of the black-armored figure was layered and overlapping, a chorus of men, women, and children speaking at once, making the true timbre indistinguishable.

"I have recalled everyone for three main purposes."

"First, regarding the upcoming Inter-City Exchange Meeting, we need to contact fellow believers in other urban districts. This is an opportunity. Are there any who wish to apply of their own accord?"

"I'll go. It has been a long time since I met my old friends; I miss them dearly," an old man with a white cat mask standing beside Elder Black Face spoke slowly.

"Good. Then Old Cat shall go. The second matter... the White Child Mist God has begun to show signs of activity again, quietly gathering followers in the suburbs around Tuyue. Is there anyone who volunteers to resolve this?"

"I'll do it. I didn't get my fill of killing last time." Black Face spoke up proactively. As Lin Shunhe's upline supervisor, he was a faction head within the Benevolent Heart Sect of Tuyue and commanded quite a few subordinates.

"Permitted." The black-armored figure nodded.

"Finally, regarding the new members—specifically Yun Feng, Hei Zhao, Bu Xiang, and Four Faces. Long Ji is the guide here; has the detailed evaluation dossier been prepared?"

"It is done. It can be sent to the secret vault for archiving," Long Ji stepped out and said respectfully.

"That is good. These four possess extremely strong potential. Among them, Four Faces has even established a relationship with the Nine Dreams Sect. After passing the assessment, his situation has been proven completely clean. Therefore, Long Ji, you are responsible for maintaining good relations with him. In the future, we may need him to help provide cover for some of our operations in the Inner City."

Long Ji hurriedly voiced his assent.

The meeting adjourned quickly. Long Ji handed over the secret dossiers of the four new members to Old Cat, who was responsible for receiving and verifying them.

The crowd dispersed one by one, and the black-armored figure quietly vanished from the dragon throne. Only a few people who had miscellaneous affairs to handle at the headquarters remained.

Old Cat took the four booklets Long Ji had given him and turned to leave.

"Brother Cat. Could I take another look at the data?" A woman wearing a white fox mask suddenly called out to him.

"That is against the rules," Old Cat said coldly.

"Rules are dead; people are living. Brother Cat, the favor you owe me isn't that easy to pay off," the fox woman said softly.

"...No matter what you want to do, this is the last time," Old Cat said in a deep voice.

"Agreed." The White Fox smiled.

The last time. In the future, she would never have to skulk underground like a rat again. With the addition of the new members, she now held in her hands the identity information of nearly half the entire Tuyue Benevolent Heart Sect.

It was a massive roster of several thousand people.

Once she returned to the Moon Tower and exposed this list, the merit she earned would surely be enough to win her a promotion and completely reverse her family’s decline.

…

Several days later. The Mist Zone.

A tall humanoid monster with three crow heads crashed to the ground. Its severed head rolled away, neck spraying green blood across the earth.

Lin Hui frowned as he looked at the Ruyi sword in his hand.

This is a High-Threat monster?

The Three-Headed Crow Man, corresponding to Divine Officers and High Divine Officers, was said to possess amazing power and extremely strong physical defense—so strong that even Void Force users had to strike the same spot multiple times to break through.

But Lin Hui felt that with just a casual strike, cutting through this so-called High-Threat monster was as easy as slicing tofu.

Sensing something amiss during his last outing, he had actively sought an opportunity to return, intending to test the Wind Disaster Affinity again while searching for suitable mist-free ruins.

Lin Hui flicked Ruyi and fell silent, carefully sensing the power within the blade.

Traces of a fine, transparent aura were continuously merging into the invisible, distorted wind around the sword.

This... seems to be... absorbing the Three-Headed Crow Man's power!?

A horrifying hypothesis flashed through Lin Hui's mind.

From the moment he left home, he had killed every monster he encountered, entering the Mist as if it were uninhabited land. Because of this, he clearly perceived that Ruyi and the Surrounding Wind on his body—even without using the Typhoon Sword Technique—were naturally increasing in density and intensity.

Moreover, according to his observations, this enhancement seemed to be permanent—a direct result of his slaughter.

This Wind Disaster Affinity is excessive...

Lin Hui lowered his sword and simply accelerated, sprinting along the Jade Sea away from Tuyue.

His speed had become downright terrifying. As he ran, even without activating the Wind Disaster Affinity’s special effect, the air detonated around him in a series of ear‑piercing blasts.

At the same time, the exterior of the Surrounding Wind covering his body turned red, discolored by the heat.

Various signs indicated he had broken the sound barrier, triggering sonic booms within the Mist.

The Mist ahead receded rapidly, parting before him. Trees, ground, and mountain forests flashed past on both sides. He ran in a straight line, daring not to turn lest he complicate his return.

After about an hour.

A massive black city wall spanning left and right gradually appeared ahead.

The wall was about a dozen meters high, its surface overgrown with withered moss and dead black vines.

Lin Hui quickly decelerated and stopped before the wall, looking up to size it up. He soon discovered a Scale Stone Stele stuck in the ground to the front right, near the Jade Sea.

The Scale Stone Stele was a marker left by the government specifically to provide directional guidance in the Mist Zone.

Lin Hui walked up to it, wiped away the gray mud, and carefully read the blurred writing.

[Ahead is the Boundary Wall. Beyond the Boundary Wall lies the Public Zone. The danger level exceeds Destructive Level. Mist Gods abound. Do not proceed without concealment Relics! — Taisu Alliance.]

Boundary Wall? This was the first time Lin Hui had heard of such a thing.

He looked up at the black city wall, finding it strange that a physical structure could divide the Mist Zone into two regions.

Since I can't find any monsters to test my limit right now anyway, perhaps I can go out and give it a try... I'll just test the waters nearby. If it feels okay, I'll go deeper.

Lin Hui understood that everything inside this Boundary Wall was likely the "safe area" around Tuyue purged by the Taisu Alliance.

Outside was the Public Zone—unpurged and wild.

That would be the most primitive landscape of the Mist Zone, and he was quite curious about it.