Chapter 209

Fu Chunxing watched the Clear Wind Temple disciples closing in from a distance, his gaze fixed on the short girl at their head.

"It's the woman out front. Her strength is frankly terrifying—I don't recognize her martial arts, and I'm not even sure she's a Called One. From a distance, I watched her cut down every last man I'd brought with a single move." As he spoke, his hands clenched into fists, his expression taut.

"It doesn't matter. Lin Hui of the Clear Wind Temple is well-connected; he likely hired outside help. But no matter how strong an outsider is, there are limits. Experts at the High Divine Officer level are all accounted for—they don't simply emerge from thin air. Therefore, the experts Liu Wujun's branch can recruit are essentially all within our purview." A deep male voice resonated from the heavily armored figure beside him, who looked for all the world like a walking iron barrel.

"What are your plans?" Fu Chunxing asked in a low voice.

"We eliminate them. My time out here is limited. It's only because Jiang Zhixia's attention is entirely fixed on the Su family and the Liu family's main branch that she hasn't yet realized we'd intervene. But after making our move today, there will be no concealing it. Launching another surprise attack after this will be considerably harder." The armored man spoke with calm deliberation.

"Therefore... we must capture Liu Xiao this time. Of all people, those who matter most to Liu Wujun are his mother and Liu Xiao." He paused, resting a hand on the hilt of the massive single-edged saber on his back.

"Excellency, what should your subordinate do afterward?" Fu Chunxing asked quickly.

"Your identity will inevitably be exposed after this. When the time comes, you will evacuate Tuyue with me," the armored man replied.

"Understood... With Liu Xiao taken and several Carefree Pavilion members dead, Liu Wujun will hate the Liu family's main branch and the Su family to his very bones. The feud between the two sides will escalate, and they'll be too consumed in the fighting to examine the finer details." Fu Chunxing began to smile.

"Alright, wait on the perimeter," the armored man said, raising a hand. "We end this in one minute. Everyone, prepare."

Behind him, two figures dressed entirely in black—faces masked, heads crowned with bamboo hats—stepped silently forward.

"...I wish Your Excellency victory." Fu Chunxing bowed his head, performing a rather peculiar salute.

Had anyone familiar with it been present, they would have instantly recognized it as the Wanhua Sect's internal salute.

"They are merely two common Divine Officers. Even if one of them is concealing their true strength, it amounts to nothing before an absolute gap in cultivation realms." The armored man chuckled. His figure blurred, reappearing to block the path of the approaching Clear Wind Temple group.

"Xie Yunsheng of the Hongfei Sect is here to test the Clear Wind Temple's finest arts!"

…

Meanwhile, in the rear courtyard of the Clear Wind Temple.

Lin Hui watched the next disciple step forward. This time, it was Li Yuanyuan.

He hadn't expected that, aside from Wang Hongshi, the second person to step forward without hesitation would be this princess of the Shadowhound Clan—a girl of mixed blood, part human, part not.

"Li Yuanyuan greets the Temple Master. This disciple has cultivated faithfully within the sect and harbors no wayward thoughts, so I have nothing to fear. Whatever I have done, I am not afraid of it coming to light!" Li Yuanyuan possessed a voluptuous, alluring figure, yet her demeanor was remarkably aloof and cold, creating a striking contrast. Because of this, her popularity within the temple had always been considerable.

Her stepping forward immediately drew the eyes of a large swath of the male disciples present.

Watching from the wall, Mingxia immediately perceived that Li Yuanyuan wasn't fully human. She clicked her tongue twice but said nothing, watching with keen interest to see what Lin Hui intended to do.

"Good." Lin Hui reached out and tapped a finger lightly in the air half a meter before Li Yuanyuan.

The Blood Seal's appraisal surfaced.

[Li Yuanyuan: Current Eldest Princess of the Shadowhound Clan, 19 years old, Clear Wind Temple disciple. Practiced martial arts…]

Li Yuanyuan's profile showed no abnormalities; it was identical to what Lin Hui already knew. However, at the very end, under Evolvable Branches, two selectable options had appeared for the first time.

He was mildly curious but ultimately did not select them.

After all, the drastic shift in a person's worldview following an evolution still gave him pause. If he wanted subordinates of absolute loyalty, he could easily choose other targets—there was no need to use it directly on his own disciples, especially since the method sacrificed their future potential.

"That's enough. In your regular cultivation, be sure to pace yourself. Overexertion takes a toll on your lifespan." With a final word of advice, Lin Hui let her pass.

"Next."

Huang Shan stepped forward without prompting.

"I'll go."

Beside her, Little Hu also moved forward, but upon seeing Huang Shan, he respectfully stepped back to let his Senior Sister go first.

Lin Hui didn't mind, conducting his inspections one by one down the line.

Time slowly trickled by. In the queue, Xue Yanxiu watched as his turn drew closer, his heart growing increasingly tense.

Fortunately, his Divine Method had a remarkable capacity for self-hypnosis. Suppressing the palpitations in his chest, he waited quietly.

"Xie Lin, step out of line and stand to the left." Lin Hui suddenly gestured toward a female disciple.

The female disciple named Xie Lin froze. Deep down, she felt no real sense of belonging to the Clear Wind Temple—she was simply paying tuition to learn a martial art. For someone from a Called One family, a hall like this had never warranted her regard.

To her, this place was merely a stepping stone.

She had never let any of this show, however. Within the sect, she had always conducted herself as a harmless, unfailingly obedient young woman. She hadn't expected to be singled out.

"Temple Master, has this disciple done something to displease you, or...?"

Being the first to be called out, Xie Lin felt a flicker of indignation.

"You don't have any major issues—you simply lack a sense of belonging to this sect, that's all. I am about to transmit a powerful secret art exclusive to our sect, but it is reserved for those with genuine loyalty. Someone like you, who will inevitably leave sooner or later, has no place in it," Lin Hui said plainly.

The moment they heard secret art, every eye lit up—especially Mingxia's, crouching on the wall above.

Hearing this, the indignation in Xie Lin's heart dissolved at once into amusement.

A mere martial hall, however capable, putting on airs with talk of a secret art—and even borrowing the Inner City noble clans' methods to screen for loyalty? What an utter farce. She cupped her fists toward Lin Hui.

"Since this disciple has no part in this, may I take my leave?"

"You may." Lin Hui gave a flat nod.

After Xie Lin left, two more disciples were quickly identified, one of whom was Xue Yanxiu.

"Like Xie Lin, the two of you no longer need to be here," Lin Hui instructed.

"Ah? Temple Master, this—!?"

"Temple Master, this disciple has never harbored any thought of betraying the Clear Wind Temple!"

"Get out." Lin Hui's brow furrowed slightly.

The two wanted to plead further, but an invisible gust of wind forced its way into their mouths, instantly rendering them speechless.

In the end, they could only walk out in resentful silence.

"Wait. Xue Yanxiu, stay." Lin Hui's voice rang out again.

Even with his Divine Method fully circulating, Xue Yanxiu's heart skipped a beat.

He had recently leaked and sold a significant portion of the Clear Wind Temple's internal intelligence—and hadn't even reported it to his Inner City superiors. It had been an entirely private venture.

Being stopped by Lin Hui now made his heart leap to his throat.

If his physical state weren't currently under the strict governance of his Divine Method—forcibly sustaining a composed exterior to conceal any tell—he would have broken already.

"You're the one who's been leaking the temple's intelligence, aren't you?" Lin Hui's voice came without pause.

Xue Yanxiu's expression cracked. In the same instant, he vaulted into the air at full speed, executing his movement technique to clear the wall.

He possessed the cultivation of a Divine Officer, and with the Clear Wind Temple's movement technique compounding it, his speed far exceeded that of an ordinary Divine Officer.

He was confident no one present could hold him.

In the next instant, a streak of blood flashed by.

Mingxia materialized in front of him, smiling, and casually drew her index finger through the air.

Still in mid-flight, Xue Yanxiu dropped from the sky as a puppet with its strings cut. His bisected body twitched and convulsed several times before going completely still.

"You betray your sect and still think you can run? Where did you get the nerve?" Mingxia laughed.

Blood spread across the ground, and the disciples—who had been relatively at ease until now—went rigid with shock.

They had come here assuming nothing serious would happen.

But to think...

Lin Hui glanced at Mingxia and gave a small nod.

He quickly finished appraising the remaining disciples, confirming there were no other potential traitors among them.

His gaze came to rest on Mingxia.

"Mingxia, what is your stance?"

Mingxia was Yun Xiazi. She couldn't harbor any genuine loyalty toward the Clear Wind Temple. Lin Hui's purpose in asking was simply to prompt her to withdraw on her own.

"A sense of belonging and loyalty to the Clear Wind Temple... If the secret art you're transmitting is powerful enough, Temple Master, it's not as if I couldn't..."

"Not this time." Lin Hui cut her off before she could finish. "This secret art does not depend on my approval. Rather, one must genuinely acknowledge the Clear Wind Temple in the depths of one's heart—must truly consider themselves a part of it—in order to successfully cultivate it. That is an innate attribute of the art itself."

An innate attribute of the art itself?!

Hearing this, Mingxia's eyes lit up even further.

She had practiced countless martial arts, but had never encountered one so extraordinary.

"I don't believe it!"

"You don't have to." Lin Hui paused. "Given the contributions you've made recently, I'll allow you to observe from the sidelines." He turned his attention toward the Bestowal Seal.

Righteous Body. Righteous Virtue. Righteous Heart.

Of the three Bestowal Seals, he had chosen to confer Righteous Body first—it was the seal whose enhancement in strength was immediately visible.

A direct fifty-percent increase across all attributes. That magnitude of amplification was enough to make any Clear Wind Temple disciple's practical combat ability surge dramatically.

Nor was it a simple fifty-percent increase in speed alone; the traits compounded one another. Righteous Body appeared to boost attributes by half, but in actual combat, the tangible effect could represent a manifold increase in overall fighting power.

"First up: Wang Hongshi. Step forward and stand before me." Lin Hui shifted his attention away from Mingxia, his gaze settling on Wang Hongshi.

"Yes!" Wang Hongshi nodded and stepped forward with solemnity.

The next instant, a cold fingertip pressed lightly against the center of his brow.

"In the name of the Temple Master of the Clear Wind Temple, from this day forth, I grant you our sect's law seal—Righteous Body."

Hiss!

Lin Hui's fingertip erupted with a brilliantly piercing white radiance.

The light had appeared from nothing—it was not Internal Force, nor Void Force, nor even any of the myriad void powers from beyond the Web.

Mingxia confirmed this in the same instant.

She had never sensed the aura of this power anywhere outside the Web.

Even she watched with eyes wide, not daring to blink.

To say nothing of the core Clear Wind Temple disciples gathered around her. Huang Shan, Li Yuanyuan, Qiu Yiren, and the rest—every gaze was drawn to that single blazing point of white light.

In the next moment, their attention shifted entirely to Wang Hongshi, who had been wholly consumed by the white radiance.