The incident with Huang Shan was just a minor, chance occurrence that was soon forgotten.
As time went on, another month passed in the blink of an eye.
This time, quite a few people had mastered the full set of swordsmanship, and some had even completely grasped the eight force-application points of the first technique.
As for those who couldn't, Lin Hui personally watched as the temple's Daoist Children notified them one by one to go home and not come back.
Among them was the skinny student who had previously been shooting the breeze and acting like he knew it all.
When the skinny guy got the notice, his already anxious expression completely collapsed.
After he returned home, he would likely have to walk the hardest, most bitter path. Perhaps he'd become a low-level explorer in the Fog Area, do the most arduous and dirtiest jobs, or even end up farming for someone on the edge of the Fog Area.
After spending three months together, everyone in the large dormitory had developed some camaraderie.
Chen Zhishen and a few others saw him off. Before he left, they agreed to visit the skinny guy when they had the chance, but everyone knew that "when they had the chance" might as well mean never.
Lin Hui didn't go. Aside from his good relationship with Chen Zhishen, he didn't know the others well. He just went to his usual spot to continue practicing his sword, same as always.
He had now figured out how the Blood Seal worked. As long as an evolution was confirmed, he only needed to spend energy and time to completely master the evolved ability.
The only price he had to pay was a bit of energy each day, and time.
It was as if he didn't need to work hard or practice. He could just lie back and get stronger rapidly over time.
But...
Lin Hui believed that even though he could get stronger by doing nothing, the purpose of practicing wasn't just to learn swordsmanship, but also to build muscle memory. Simply knowing the evolved Sword Techniques wasn't enough.
He also needed to make wielding a sword instinctual. The transitions, transformations, and variations between techniques all required flexible application, and the Blood Seal couldn't necessarily give him all of that.
Besides, by training his body daily, his physical stamina would also increase. It was possible the reserve energy he needed to expend would decrease as a result. This was his own theory.
In the blink of an eye, two months had passed, and the evolution of the second technique, Hundred Turns and Thousand Hearts, was complete.
Just as Lin Hui was familiarizing himself with the force-application points of the second technique under the shade of a tree outside the Daoist Temple...
Suddenly, a student from his room came running over in a hurry.
"Ah Hui, Ah Shen is in trouble! Quick! Quick! Come help!"
"Hm?" Lin Hui's brow furrowed. He recognized the person, immediately dropped his wooden stick, and ran with him back into the Daoist Temple.
"What happened!?" he asked as they ran.
"It's Chen Chong! Chen Chong... violated Baihua..." the student said through gritted teeth, his head covered in sweat.
Lin Hui's heart skipped a beat. He knew this was bad.
The two of them rushed into the Daoist Temple and headed straight for the front plaza.
Before they even arrived, they heard Chen Zhishen's furious roar. The extreme rage in his voice was clear even from dozens of meters away.
"I'll fucking kill you!!"
"Hold back!! Ah Shen!"
"Don't be rash!!"
The others were holding Chen Zhishen back, restraining him from charging at the gloating Chen Chong opposite them.
Chen Zhishen's face was purple with rage, veins bulging on his forehead. He was charging forward on the muddy ground like a crazed bull, but he couldn't break free from the seemingly loose grip of those around him.
Not far away, Lu Baihua stood quietly in a corner, the upper half of her face hidden by the shadow of the eaves, showing only her pale chin and lips.
Lin Hui slowed his pace. He watched as Chen Chong sneered, glanced in their direction, then walked over, put his arm around Lu Baihua, and swaggered off with a few of his followers.
"How boring. I thought he'd actually dare to charge over, but this is all he's got?"
Those parting words struck Chen Zhishen like a bolt of lightning.
He froze instantly. The others no longer needed to hold him back; he stopped moving completely. He just remained hunched on the spot, biting his lip so hard his fists were creaking.
Time ticked by, second by second.
"Sigh..." A student to the side sighed, watched for a moment, and then turned and left.
This seemed to be a signal, and the others began to leave one after another.
Soon, only Lin Hui and Chen Zhishen were left in the plaza.
Raindrops began to fall, one by one, gradually growing larger and more frequent.
"Let's go. Time to head back," Lin Hui said, walking up to stand in front of him.
If Chen Zhishen had actually charged, he might have tried to help him, but now...
PLOP.
Chen Zhishen dropped to his knees, head bowed, the faint sound of sobs coming from his nose.
"Ah Hui... am I... am I completely useless...!?"
"You have parents too," Lin Hui said calmly.
Chen Zhishen choked up and said no more.
He really wanted to charge forward, but...
"Let's go. Before you have enough strength, any so-called revenge will only destroy you," Lin Hui said softly.
He went forward and helped the other man up. The two of them slowly walked back toward the large dormitory in the light rain. Neither of them spoke again.
Lying in the large dormitory, Lin Hui thought silently.
'Chen Zhishen isn't an isolated case. This is just how the world is—the weak are prey for the strong. As long as no one pays attention to you, you might be safe, but that's only because you're insignificant enough. If you have even one little thing that's useful to someone else...'
"Tell me... Ah Hua... why didn't she resist...?" Chen Zhishen asked softly from beside him.
"Maybe she understood the situation, or maybe she couldn't," Lin Hui replied.
"Then... what does it take... to protect the people you want to protect?" Chen Zhishen asked again, his voice trembling. He turned his face to look at Lin Hui, tears streaming down silently like a broken string of pearls.
"Chen Chong isn't strong. Do you know about the realms of a Martial Artist?" Lin Hui asked in return. Before the other could answer, he continued.
"Master Mingxiu once said that we at Qingfeng Temple major in Qingfeng Swordsmanship. The swordsmanship uses the Seven-Section Quick Sword for Foundation Establishment and the Nine-Section Swift Sword for combat. After achieving Great Success in the core Qingfeng Swordsmanship, you would be considered an expert throughout all of Tuyue, second only to the few hundred people at the middle tier or higher within The Three Greats."
Yes, this was the real world; there was no direct equivalence between realm and strength. Lin Hui had learned this in detail over the past few days.
For a power like Qingfeng Temple, internal strength was ranked according to the realms of their own Martial Arts.
As for what level you were at in the outside world after mastering the temple's arts, that was mainly judged by the combat records of the masters.
The strongest in the temple, Observatory Master, Daoist Baohe, had once used a Qingfeng Swordsmanship killing move—Wind Manipulation Three Points—to defeat several martial arts hall masters in the Inner City. Although he was eventually defeated by the master of Feiyun Hall and others, his exceptional Light Body Techniques allowed him to retreat unscathed with ease.
Of course, these were the combat records promoted to the public, which naturally focused on the victories. No one had the gall to actively spread the news of the losses.
"If I master the Qingfeng Sword, can I overpower Chen Chong?" Chen Zhishen asked in a low voice.
"Maybe. Chen Chong is just a distant relative from some obscure branch of the Chen Family. There are a thousand, if not eight hundred, people like him in the city. If you can reach the status of a Ming Generation master, you should be able to overpower him. After all, you see how respectful he is to the Ming Generation masters on a daily basis," Lin Hui replied.
"At the end, he glanced at you. I know he let me go because of you. I'll remember this favor," Chen Zhishen said, his words halting.
"Why?" Lin Hui asked, confused. "I shouldn't have anything he'd be wary of, right?"
"You're from the Lin Family. Three people from the Lin Family entered The Three Greats of the Inner City. One of them even joined the main branch of the Chen Family. And a while ago, your older sister, Lin Hongzhen, received the Summoning and officially became a Cultist of the Rain Palace. That's one of Shayue's Elite Cultists... You might not have paid attention to this background, but we outsiders remember it clearly and don't dare to ignore it." Chen Zhishen seemed to have calmed down a bit, his voice growing softer. "This is the power of a family..."
Lin Hui fell silent.
He thought of the old patriarch, his grandfather, Lin Chaoyi.
He didn't speak again. His feelings were complicated as he lay on his bunk, his mind replaying everything that had happened recently.
Before he knew it, he slowly drifted off to sleep.
「The next day.」
Just as the fog began to dissipate, waves of boisterous laughter echoed through the Daoist Temple.
In the large dormitory, the students got up one after another, cheerfully packing their things and preparing to head out.
"We can go home for a visit today. Are your family members coming to pick you up?" Chen Zhishen was also packing, his expression calm. It was as if he showed no sign of his previous anger and pain.
But Lin Hui knew he had just buried it all deep inside.
"I don't know. I'll find out when I go outside," he replied.
"Ah Hui, you're on my way home. Want to go together?"
one of his dorm mates asked enthusiastically.
"Thanks, but no. You go on ahead," Lin Hui politely declined.
He did some simple packing: dirty clothes he hadn't had time to wash, some worn-out boots and socks, a porcelain cup with a chip in it, and the wooden stick that he'd held so much it was developing a patina.
He pushed the door open. Outside, two of the Daoist Temple's logistics Daoists were maintaining order, arranging for the disciples and students to be checked before leaving one by one.
They only let people go after confirming that someone from their family had arrived.
When Lin Hui walked over, several people immediately took the initiative to greet him.
Among those who greeted him were even a few students from Huang Shan's little clique, a group with some background. After yesterday's incident with Chen Chong, everyone had been asking around and had learned about the recent changes in the Lin Family.
To have three people enter the Inner City, and into The Three Greats no less, with one of them even receiving the Summoning and officially becoming an Elite Cultist—that had a completely different meaning.
For a moment, it was as if Lin Hui had transformed from a nobody into a genius like Huang Shan, attracting everyone's attention.
Not far away, Qiu Yiren, a genius on par with Huang Shan, followed behind her senior sister Mu Qiaozhi, watching this scene from a distance with some confusion.
"Senior Sister, is the Shayue Sect's Summoning really that powerful? Even a distant relative of the Chen Family like Chen Chong has to show respect?"
"The Shayue Sect's Summoning is usually very dependent on talent. Within the entire sect, only a thousand or so people are qualified for it. Basically, once you're successfully Summoned, sooner or later you'll be sent out to become a Steward. Their status and strength won't be much different from our Observatory Master Qingfeng. What do you think?" Mu Qiaozhi said calmly.
"The Summoning is like a carp leaping over the dragon gate, a single-day ascension to the heavens. You gain Copper Skin and Iron Bones, and your lifespan is greatly extended. On top of that, I heard that Lin Hui and Lin Hongzhen have a good relationship. If Chen Chong didn't show him respect, he'd be reprimanded when he went back. That kid acts all high and mighty outside, but within the Chen Family, he's just an ostracized nobody who only dares to take his temper out on outsiders," Mu Qiaozhi said coolly.
She stood calmly at the very back of the students, her light blue eyes filled with indifference as she watched the shifting social dynamics.
Compared to Qiu Yiren beside her, she wasn't as pretty. However, years of practicing Martial Arts and swordsmanship had made her upper body extremely strong, her chest prominent, and her legs long and well-proportioned. Dressed in a form-fitting, light blue robe, she looked like a leopardess—agile, powerful, and filled with the beauty of vitality.
"In that case, are there any others in our temple with similar family backgrounds? I wonder if Senior Sister could enlighten me?" Qiu Yiren asked softly.