Decaying World

Chapter 211 211 Radiance Five

Behind Qingfeng Temple.

A gentle breeze blows, bringing a chill; the temperature is already extremely low at the end of November, and in some places, frost can even be seen covering the ground.

A camellia tree in the corner of the wall is a vibrant red, seemingly out of place in this perpetually gray and misty landscape.

"What's wrong with the mark?" Lin Hui stood up, stretched his body, and walked to the camellia tree.

A gentle breeze plucked a bright red camellia and brought it to him, where he gently caught it in his hand.

"Some things are better left unsaid if you don't understand them."

"Who exactly are you?" Mingxia was beginning to doubt her judgment of Lin Hui.

That so-called basic information was too perfect, too ordinary. It included everything, from family and friends to past details.

Such a detailed personal profile is so complete and perfect that it looks fake.

"I haven't changed at all, it's just that you've changed your attitude towards me," Lin Hui said with a smile.

He had actually anticipated that the bestowal of the seal might cause a great stir even before he did so.

After all, not to mention the Qingyuan Dharma Seal as the overall seal, even just the three main seals alone produce an amplification effect that no secret technique can match.

Judging solely from the amplification effect, many secret techniques can surpass the three seals.

The key point is that the three-seal treatment has no side effects.

Lin Hui has also assessed the current location of Qingfeng Temple.

For the inner city, they are a large martial arts school in the outer city, backed by the Amamiya Abyss Palace and protected by the deputy palace master Jiang Zhixia.

Therefore, Lin Hui would voluntarily give Amamiya a certain amount of kickback every year.

For the Lin family themselves, Qingfeng Temple was stronger than ordinary martial arts schools, but only to a limited extent.

Lin Hui has come this far because, in the eyes of outsiders, he has always relied on his own comprehension and the innovation of various martial arts techniques.

This is also his consistent image in the eyes of everyone outsiders—a genius of comprehension who missed the period of physical development.

With this established image, he can easily avoid suspicion in many situations.

In particular, there were many cases committed on all four sides of the inner city.

But because of this low positioning, there are always some clueless people who come to cause trouble.

After all, a strong background doesn't mean one is strong. Some short-sighted desperados make a killing before leaving, and they only want to mess with forces like Qingfeng Temple.

"It seems you've been pretending all along, but now you're not going to pretend anymore," Mingxia said in a deep voice, as if she had seen through something.

“I’ve never pretended,” Lin Hui replied. “It’s just that I haven’t had the right opportunity or the right opponent to show more of myself, that’s all.”

"Truly." Mingxia estimated Lin Hui's age, her heart filled with unparalleled emotion. If Lin Hui hadn't truly been replaced, then this person before her might be the strongest martial arts genius in Tu Yue City's history! Without a doubt.

"Then that seal technique, was it also something you came up with and created?" Mingxia asked again.

"Of course." Lin Hui replied without changing his expression or skipping a beat.

“I…” Mingxia’s mind was in turmoil, her beautiful eyes flashing rapidly, as if she were making a difficult decision.

"I also want the seal!" she said in a deep voice after a few breaths. "I don't believe that you can't obtain it without sincerity towards Qingfeng Temple. That's just your excuse, isn't it?"

"You can try it. Briefly clearing your mind should allow you to temporarily gain the seal, but once the thought of not agreeing with Qingfeng Temple arises in your mind, the seal will automatically disappear." Lin Hui had obtained the memories of Jiuxiao Sect, so he was naturally quite familiar with these things.

After all, Mingxia wasn't the first to raise questions about India's methods.

Seeing his certainty, Mingxia's suspicions began to waver.

Suspicion about Lin Hui and doubt about Yin Fa churned in his mind.

However, she quickly relaxed.

"Forget it, whether you are Lin Hui or not, whether the seal has any effect on verifying loyalty and sense of belonging, is none of my business. Since you have set the rules, this is probably the price to pay."

Her right hand gripped the hilt of the sword at her waist.

"I understand what you mean. However, if you want me to genuinely join Qingfeng Temple and become your disciple, that depends on your strength."

"I don't care whether you join or not." Lin Hui interrupted her before she could finish speaking.

Lin Hui smiled and gently twirled the camellia in his hand. With a flick of his wrist, the petals scattered and drifted away in the wind.

"Qingfeng Temple allows free movement of people, but now we plan to select a group of more loyal disciples for the next stage of core training. This is to prepare for the future inheritance of the seal techniques."

"Wait! Could there be other hand seals?!" Mingxia's hand, which was already on the sword hilt, recoiled as if she had been electrocuted.

"Yes, of course there are also comprehensive enhancements covering all aspects." Lin Hui nodded, answering honestly.

"Bang!"

Without saying a word, Mingxia knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Master, please accept my bow!"

"No matter what, my heart for Qingfeng Temple and my master is as clear as the sun and moon, pure and unwavering!"

Lin Hui had thought that Yun Xiazi was shameless, but he didn't expect her to be this shameless. "Shamelessness is the greatest virtue in the world," and this saying is absolutely true.

But he wasn't afraid of hand seals. As long as his mind wavered or he developed disloyalty to the sect, all the hand seals he had acquired would immediately become completely ineffective.

The reason why the Nine Heavens Sect split into three branches was because of this, which allowed external enemies to seize the opportunity, shake their resolve, and wipe out the three major branches from within.

"Forget it, give it a try. If you can truly submit to my Qingfeng Temple, then this seal-granting ceremony won't matter." Lin Hui raised his hand, and white light shone from his fingertips once more.

As Mingxia gazed at the white light, he silently repeated in his heart: 'I was born a member of Qingfeng Temple, and I will die a ghost of Qingfeng Temple!' Modifying cognition with divine techniques was not his forte.

Each person can only specialize in one divine technique, and the main focus of their divine technique is to disrupt the senses of time.

puff.

White light shines on the forehead.

The mark did not appear.

Mingxia remained unchanged. "It seems we've failed," Lin Hui said, withdrawing his hand.

"No! Give me another chance!" Mingxia cried out quickly.

As a martial arts fanatic and a peerless genius who is obsessed with martial arts, the seal technique is like a feast of food that has never been tasted before, but it is not allowed to be eaten by him.

This unpleasant feeling of being so close yet so far away was driving her crazy.

"The verification of the seal originates from your own heart. Do you truly consider yourself a disciple of Qingfeng Temple? Do you truly believe that you are my disciple and student? You can't fool it." Lin Hui shook his head.

Mingxia fell silent immediately.

Indeed, as the Supreme Elder of the Three Sects, her cultivation had reached the highest point outside of the Original Blood realm, and there was no way forward beyond the Palace Master realm.

She stood atop the mountain for far too long, so long that she came to believe, from the very depths of her heart, that she was the ultimate master of martial arts.

Although she was deliberately lowering her stance and showing her allegiance to Qingfeng Temple, she knew that it was all just an illusion.

Deep down, she didn't believe that the martial arts of Qingfeng Temple could compare to the core divine technique she was practicing.

For her, the martial arts of Qingfeng Temple were merely a supplement to her own system, though extremely excellent and mysterious. She would never truly rely on them as her primary focus, and therefore it was even less likely that she would genuinely consider herself a disciple of Qingfeng Temple.

Stand up from the ground.

She paused for a moment, then finally placed her hand on the hilt of the sword.

"Master." This was the first time she had addressed Lin Hui so seriously and formally.

"I need a reason."

“But I don’t need it.” Lin Hui smiled, turning his back to her.

"Aren't you afraid that I'll kill you right now and seize the seal technique you've comprehended?" Mingxia said, narrowing her eyes.

At this moment, she was no longer the frivolous and playful girl she had been before. Instead, her face was cold and pure, and an invisible devouring force naturally emanated from her. She was like a black hole, domineeringly absorbing and devouring all auras that dared to approach her.

"You can give it a try." Lin Hui had his back to her, his tone still calm with a smile.

A gentle breeze swirled between the two, flying silently past and stirring up a few fallen leaves.

"Let's have a fight. If you win, I will leave the Nine Dreams Sect and join your sect. If I win, I want you to teach me the process of comprehending the hand seal technique!" Mingxia said in a deep voice.

At this point, she no longer saw Lin Hui as Lin Hui at all, but as an unknown old monster wearing Lin Hui's skin.

“But I don’t care whether you join or not, this deal is not fair,” Lin Hui said again.

"..." Mingxia paused, then thought for a moment. "Here's the deal: if you win, I'll go to Tianchong City to purchase precious medicines for you free of charge for five years, and I'll cover all the costs myself!" She was really serious this time.

A trip to Tianchong City would cost you half your life; the price was undeniably high.

"Deal!" Lin Hui smiled with satisfaction.

This is exactly what he's been waiting for. Although Mingxia pretends to be harmless every day, she is still a top expert from one of the three sects. If such a top expert wanders around Qingfeng Temple all day long, the consequences would be unimaginable if she ever had any bad intentions.

Therefore, this time, it can be considered a natural way to eliminate this hidden danger.

“Then, come with me!” Mingxia immediately settled the terms and couldn’t wait to get started.

"lead the way."

laugh!
The two disappeared from the training ground in an instant, one after the other.

*
*
*
Huangjia Town.

The wind howled, and huge impacts came one after another, like thunderclaps.

The gray-white tornado resembled a giant python, constantly roaming, swirling, and gathering power across the land.

Then it crashed hard into the translucent mountain peak that was falling from the sky.

At the center of the tornado was a petite figure wielding a sword.

At the center of the mountain peak, a tall, elderly man with brown hair and beard could be vaguely seen.

His tin can had been torn to shreds by the fierce wind during the earlier fight, revealing his true identity.

Each collision between the giant python and the mountain peak creates countless bursts of air and debris, which fly out and affect surrounding areas.

By this time, the bystanders on both sides had been forced to move away from the battlefield and stand at least 500 meters away on high ground to watch the battle.

Moreover, in Huangjia Town, which was nearby, many powerful figures rushed out, stood on the rooftops, and looked over here with awe on their faces.

"Senior Sister Liu, can we win?" At this moment, Chen Sui looked at Liu Xiao anxiously from the Qingfeng Temple team.

"The opponent is too strong. He's a Grandmaster of the Three Harmonies, comparable to a High Priest! And he's also a Summoner who has cultivated the Overlapping Peaks Divine Technique! He's extremely difficult to deal with," Liu Xiao said in a deep voice.

"Aren't the Three Sects martial arts sects?" Chen Sui said through gritted teeth.

"Does a martial arts sect have to forbid those who can summon others from joining? There is no conflict between martial arts schools and those who can summon others. If you really want to reach the pinnacle, you must cultivate both summoning and martial arts. This is common knowledge in the inner city." Liu Xiao explained, watching the battle intently.

Chen Sui understood, recalling that Qingfeng Temple had previously arranged for people to cultivate inspirers, and it was clear that the inner city had done it even more thoroughly.

"But Senior Sister Xia Si, why?" He wanted to ask again, but saw Liu Xiao's face tighten. He quickly followed suit and looked towards the center of the battlefield.

At this moment on the battlefield, Xia Si and the brown-haired old man had entered a fierce and deadly battle.

Xia Si's speed had reached an incredible level. The gray-white giant python, tens of meters long, was like a white light, coiling and spinning on the ground before suddenly pouncing into the air.

Meanwhile, the elder of the Fushan Sect also used all his strength to condense a giant mountain that was even darker and larger than before. He was in the center of the mountain, with his arms outstretched and the blood vessels on his skin bulging and clearly visible, obviously using some secret technique.

“Young man, regardless of your status or background, you’ve fought this far for a mere Qingfeng Temple, that’s enough. Why don’t we stop here together?”

"You old codger, are you scared now?!" Xia Si laughed, gripping his sword with both hands and unleashing his full movement technique.

The two secret techniques were activated simultaneously and merged into a complete secret technique—Ascension.

"Those who retreat will die!!"

Xia Si laughed wildly, wielding his longsword with both hands, his speed increasing dramatically once again, instantly unleashing countless sword shadows.

These sword shadows formed a huge sword net, a silver sword net, with surging, turbulent gray-white air currents filling the mesh.

(End of this chapter)