The Decaying World

Lin Hui had thought the Lin siblings wouldn’t stay for long, but he never expected them to decide to leave so soon.

Over the past year, he had been gathering intelligence on the Qinghe Sect, but unfortunately, ever since their two branch halls were annihilated, the sect had vanished without a trace.

This only intensified Lin Hui’s desire to build his own intelligence network.

But without enough trustworthy people, he couldn’t leverage his financial advantages.

Aside from that, everything else was going smoothly.

His Body Tempering through Typhoon Swordsmanship had smoothly reached the Third Grade. His Illusionary Performance Technique had also broken through the introductory level, allowing him to successfully form the so-called Void Shocking Spirit and greatly enhancing his Consciousness Power.

Furthermore, the evolution of his Star Breath Sword Manual had successfully been shortened, moving the completion date from February of year 35 to January of year 24.

This was because, in addition to his regular regimen of accelerator drugs, Lin Hui had also been consuming medicines like Yun Lingzhi and Purple Cloud Ganoderma whenever he could find them.

His body, strengthened by Purgatory, had also shown an increased tolerance for these medicines. The effects of what he could consume in one month were now enough to offset eight months of the Blood Seal’s countdown.

These were all positive developments, indicating that Lin Hui’s power was steadily and significantly increasing.

But there was always a downside to everything...

He sighed once more.

Lin Hui’s figure flickered. He left the banquet hall, passed through a corridor and a garden, and arrived outside a bedroom reeking of strong medicinal herbs.

"Where’s Brother Xue?"

He looked at Chen Xiangzhi, the disciple standing guard at the door. He was Xue Meng’s eldest disciple and the one to whom he was closest.

"Master... just had his medicated meal..." Chen Xiangzhi’s eyes were swollen, a clear sign that he had just been crying.

"I’ll go in and see him," Lin Hui said.

"Okay." Chen Xiangzhi stepped forward, opened the door, and let Lin Hui inside.

Xue Meng was lying on the bed, looking utterly withered. Compared to his robust appearance from over a year ago, he now looked even more frail than an ordinary elderly person.

His condition had appeared suddenly six months ago. At first, he hadn’t paid it any mind, assuming it was a common illness. He had simply gotten some medicine from an apothecary and taken it for a while.

But the medicine had no effect. He could only watch as his vitality rapidly drained away, day by day.

Xue Meng panicked. He went to Lin Hui, who searched far and wide in the Inner City for a cure, but even after spending tens of millions, there was still no effect.

So Lin Hui reached out to Rain Palace, but the answer he received was...

"So this is Corruption?" Xue Meng managed to force his eyes open and looked at Lin Hui as he entered.

"I thought... with my strength, I could hold on for a few more years... It’s a good thing I already found a home for my disciples... With you here, I can rest easy..."

"Why is it like this? Why is it that the stronger you become, the faster the Corruption sets in, and the shorter your lifespan?" Lin Hui walked over and sat on the edge of Xue Meng’s bed, his heart filled with helplessness.

He once heard Tian Long of the Good Heart Sect say that to resist the Corruption, the Fog People divided themselves into countless pieces, becoming Wanfu Meat for all to consume, thereby letting everyone share the burden.

He never thought that this legendary Corruption would strike so close to home... so close that, in just over a year, it was about to claim the life of his friend.

"I don’t know either... I’ve just seen it before. Some of the stronger martial artists of my generation... they also ended up like this. One day, they would suddenly begin to rapidly decline and age... It wasn’t until I heard about the intelligence you gathered that I learned it was called Corruption..." Xue Meng said softly.

"There are people in the Inner City who have lived for a very long time. They must have a way to solve this," Lin Hui said grimly.

"It’s no use... It’s too late..." Xue Meng managed a faint smile. "I had someone ask around. Breaking through to a major realm can extend one’s life for a long time, but the final outcome is still the same... In the end, you still turn into one of those... those monsters wandering outside."

He paused.

"Actually, if you think about it differently... just think of it as a predetermined death. It’s much easier to accept that way."

Lin Hui fell silent.

He still refused to believe it. He had seen with his own eyes that there were truly Martial Artists in the Inner City who had lived for over a hundred years.

’If they’re fine, there must be a way...’

"If I hadn’t practiced martial arts, I never would have lived this long. All things considered... this life was worth living..." After saying just a few words, Xue Meng’s eyes grew hazy and his consciousness began to fade.

Lin Hui stood up. Looking at his friend’s emaciated form, his heart was filled with a sense of incomprehension.

He quietly extended a hand. A trace of Inner Strength, tinged with a faint red, swirled at his fingertip, but he stopped himself from touching his friend.

’Purgatory Transformation might save Xue Meng, but I’m not sure... I’m not sure if the man who comes back would still be the same person he once was.’

He stayed and talked a while longer, but as Xue Meng’s consciousness continued to fade, Lin Hui finally left the room.

After instructing Chen Xiangzhi to take good care of Old Xue, Lin Hui didn’t go to the apothecary. Instead, he left Qingfeng Temple, found a nearby teahouse, and got a private room. He ordered a pot of fine tea and began to drink slowly, all by himself.

He disliked alcohol, but tea was another matter. It offered the same contemplative atmosphere as wine, but with the added benefit of clearing his mind.

「A short while later.」

CREAK. The door to the private room was pushed open gently.

A tall man wearing a silver Evil Dragon Mask stepped quietly inside, closing the door behind him.

The man walked to the table, placed a black bundle he was carrying beneath it, and sat cross-legged on the cushion across from Lin Hui.

He let out a long breath.

The air that escaped his lips was heavy with the smell of garlic.

"Apologies. I just had some sliced pork with garlic paste. The smell’s a bit strong."

"Can’t you use your Inner Strength to clear it out?" Lin Hui asked, looking up.

"It’s coming up from my stomach, not my mouth. Nothing to be done. It’s a constant supply," Dragon Maiden shrugged helplessly.

"Fine. Regarding the Corruption, have you found a solution?" Lin Hui asked in a low voice.

"There is no solution," Dragon Maiden said, shaking his head. "The Inner City may have its own methods. Martial Artists can alter their constitution by consuming Feather Blood over a long period and exposing themselves to the radiation of the Core Area. This can delay the onset of Corruption, but it only buys a little time. When the moment truly arrives, what’s fated to happen will happen," Dragon Maiden replied.

"..." Lin Hui picked up the teapot and poured his guest a cup of tea.

Dragon Maiden picked up the cup and took a small sip.

"Breaking through to the Circulation Realm extends one’s life. So does taking a Lifespan Extension Pill. Then there’s entering the Moon Tower... that grants another twenty years. Those last two are the only ways to extend your life without breaking through to a new realm. But the man you’re talking about can’t do any of them. I saw him from a distance once. He’s already taken a Lifespan Extension Pill; otherwise, he would’ve been dead ten years ago. He must have suffered a severe injury that depleted his life force, shortening his lifespan. As for the other method... to extend one’s life via the Moon Tower, you have to go through an Original Blood to the Paradise Platform and on to the Extreme Desire Heaven. Given his current state, you know how difficult that would be..."

"...Yes. You’re right. But what exactly *is* Corruption? Why are the seventy- and eighty-year-old men in my temple fine, while Old Xue..." This was still what Lin Hui couldn’t understand.

"That’s just how lifespan works. The more you cultivate, the shorter it becomes. But if you break through to a major realm and undergo a qualitative transformation, you get a new lease on life. Simply being in the Inner Power Realm isn’t enough to extend your life; you haven’t reached that stage yet," Dragon Maiden replied.

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"As for what Corruption actually is, I don’t know for sure. I only know that Corruption isn’t death. From its onset to its conclusion, the victim transforms step-by-step, becoming like the monsters in the Fog Area outside—a special entity that has completely lost its mind. This process is irreversible... I suggest you end his life before a full month has passed. Otherwise, a corrupted monster at the peak of Inner Power Perfection will be enhanced by a full realm, becoming a Danger Level creature that only a Circulation Realm expert could handle."

Lin Hui said nothing. He just closed his eyes, his mind flashing back to the state Lin Hongyu was in when she was captured.

He hadn’t been able to understand it then, but now, he thought he finally did.

Lin Hongyu had also been undergoing the transformation from Corruption. It was just that she had been so young, no one had even considered the possibility. Besides, at the time, he hadn’t understood the signs of this phenomenon.

"Then what about those with the blood eyes and blood bodies... are they also...?" Lin Hui asked quietly.

"You’ve guessed correctly. They’re all the same thing. They just ate too much Wanfu Meat, which made it manifest prematurely. In fact, a normal person who doesn’t eat Wanfu Meat can, barring illness or injury, commonly live to be eighty or ninety. That’s the natural limit of a human life. But if you eat too much Wanfu Meat, you can start to Corrupt in your twenties or thirties," Dragon Maiden said softly. "This is the way of the world, this is reality. Whether you feel helpless or angry, it doesn’t change a thing. This is how it is, and how it has always been."

Hearing this, Lin Hui lost all desire to speak. He simply sat there, lost in silent thought.

His thoughts were in turmoil. He didn’t even notice when Dragon Maiden left.

Before he knew it, the pot of tea was empty. He rose, settled the bill, and stepped out of the teahouse. A blast of cold wind made him shiver, the chill jolting his senses.

He suddenly thought of the Wheel of Longevity, and of Tuyue, the Fog Person who gave their own flesh and blood for all to consume. He thought of the countless people who risked everything just to get into the Inner City, and of those in the Deep Domain who would abandon all their principles just to extend their lives.

At that moment, he understood another reason why the Original Blood Nobility could reign so high above everyone else.

Back at Qingfeng Temple, Lin Hui continued his training while silently observing the changes in Xue Meng.

Another week passed in the blink of an eye. Xue Meng’s body stopped wasting away and, surprisingly, began to swell.

As if he were an inflating balloon, he grew fatter and more bloated with each passing day.

His consciousness began to cloud over. His speech became nonsensical, his eyes were shot with blood, and sometimes he would stare off into space, remaining frozen and motionless for long periods.

Lin Hui continued to desperately search for a cure, but among all his contacts and resources, there was no method that could save Xue Meng at this advanced stage.

By mid-September, Xue Meng’s body had become so heavy that his bed could no longer bear his weight. He had to be moved to the floor.

He spent most of each day in a coma, lucid for only an hour or two at a time.

After listening to Wang Hongshi’s routine report, Lin Hui was about to head to the Gale Plain to continue his swordsmanship practice and Body Tempering.

Without Xue Meng to share the burden, he now had to spend part of his time overseeing the operations of Qingfeng Temple.

Although he was training some of the top ten senior disciples to take on these responsibilities, nurturing them would take time.

After Wang Hongshi took his leave, Lin Hui was about to get up and go, but before he could even activate his Body Technique, he heard a faintly familiar voice call out from the main gate.

"Wait, don’t go! I’ve come to ask you to be my master!"

The voice had a unique, rich quality that was hard to forget once heard.

Lin Hui was no exception. He slowed the circulation of his Inner Strength and looked toward the entrance.

There at the main gate stood a beautiful woman wearing a black veil. Dressed in a black gown with a longsword strapped to her back, she walked in gracefully.

"Mingxia greets Observatory Master Lin. Master Yunxia sent me to study under you as your disciple."