Decaying World

Chapter 56 056 Exploration Four (Thanks to Alliance Leader Battle Tornado)

“Go back? There’s no way to solve the problems with the tribe, so there’s no point in me going back.” The black-haired lion-man released him and sighed.

It is over two meters tall. Standing next to Mingde, who is 1.8 meters tall, the size difference is too great, making it seem like an adult and a child.

“I thought you had gone back long ago. Last time I ran into Donghao and the others in Qinglefang City, they said they hadn’t seen you for a while.”

Mingde and the black-haired lion-man seemed to have a good relationship. The two stood together and began to chat in hushed tones.

Lin Hui, standing to the side, was only briefly introduced by Mingde with his name, and that was the end of it.

He simply ate the chilled white fungus soup served by the stall owner by himself, waiting for his teacher and friend to finish their conversation.

While eating, he observed the man who was still kowtowing on the ground.

"That guy's been here for two days now," the cold drink vendor casually explained as he wiped down the tables and chairs.

"Be careful, sir, don't get too close, or he might have an attack."

"Are people like this common?" Lin Hui asked.

"It's alright, there's one every few days." The shopkeeper nodded. "These days, everyone is struggling. When people are so poor that they can't afford Feather Blood, they'd rather die in the inner city than be driven out to the black market. There are too many people like that."

"The Black Zone?" Lin Hui asked, taken aback. "Does it refer to the outer city?"

"Yes. Once you get there, life and death are just a matter of life and death in other people's eyes, and you have no control over your own destiny," the boss sighed.

"Then, how can someone like you, running a small business, possibly gather enough Feather Blood Medicine?" Lin Hui asked, puzzled.

“This isn’t enough.” The shopkeeper laughed upon hearing this. This middle-aged man, with a full beard and looking to be in his forties, carefully sized up Lin Hui. “My ancestors were Summoners, and our bloodline can support my son and me to continue living in the inner city for the time being. We don’t need Feather Blood for now, but my grandson’s generation will have to rely on their own efforts. The money I’m earning now, besides what I use for myself, is also to save up Feather Blood money for my grandson in advance.”

He paused for a moment, then continued.

"Young man, you must be from another district. In Tu Yue, most people are just ordinary people like me, earning money honestly, supporting their families honestly, and buying Feather Blood."

Lin Hui remained silent, glanced at the teacher who was having a lively conversation, and then continued chatting idly with the boss.

From the boss's words, he gradually gained some understanding of the lives of people in the inner city.

"Usually only wanted criminals, homeless people, and scumbags are sent to the Black Zone," the boss said in a low voice. "The Black Zone is extremely dangerous, dark, and savage. It is said that huge monsters hunt living people everywhere at night, and you can't survive without a jade talisman. In addition, it is full of scumbags and bad people. If ordinary people like us go in, we will probably be eaten and die there immediately."

"But aren't there other people here who might get sick? Aren't they also in danger?" Lin Hui sensed a strong sense of stereotype and prejudice in the other person's words.

Although the outer city was indeed dangerous, it wasn't as dangerous as the other side imagined.

So he couldn't help but retort.

"How can that be the same?" The shopkeeper shook his head. "This is just the outermost edge of the inner city. Go further in, you haven't been to the Moon Tower District. That's where the real nobles live. There are towering Moon Towers, thousands of stories high, like giant trees reaching the sky, standing on the ground. The Moon Towers are connected by wide passageways with shops, streets, gardens, and residences. The nobles live up there and rarely come down to earth. They get in and out by flying around in huge moth-shaped carriages."

"Those of us in the outer ring are just like those in the middle ring; we can only live on the ground. We'll never dream of going up to the Moon Tower to see the world," the boss said, his words filled with longing.

This made Lin Hui realize that the inner city was also divided into the outer ring, the middle ring, and the central Moon Tower area.

The original nobles who live in buildings thousands of stories high never have their feet touching the ground in their entire lives. He couldn't imagine what such people would be like.

Then he asked about the boss's family situation and learned that the man had given birth to ten children, both boys and girls. He was stunned.

According to the owner, supplies here are very cheap, no one will starve to death, and seeds scattered in the fields will grow into abundant fruits. In addition, everyone here receives 20 catties of premium Wanfu meat every month.

It's a highly nutritious meat with no side effects; eating a fist-sized piece can keep you full for a whole day.

So most people here make money for only two purposes: to buy feather blood and to enjoy it.

After finishing their cold drinks, Mingde said goodbye to his friends, and the two masters and apprentices got up and left the stall, heading back in the direction they were going.

"How is it? How does it feel here?" Mingde asked, walking ahead with his hands behind his back.

“Very good. Really very good.” Lin Hui sighed. “There’s no fog here at night, food and drink are cheap, and you can feed a whole family with just a little money. You don’t have to worry about people going missing or monsters rushing in from the foggy areas outside.”

“Yes, that’s why so many people are willing to risk everything to move into the inner city,” Mingde sighed.

The two remained silent for a moment, simply continuing their journey in quiet contemplation.

If one has never experienced true peace, that's one thing, but when one actually sees the inner city, where the living environment is far better than one's own, the sense of injustice and the yearning in one's heart are simply uncontrollable.

Before long, the two returned to the South Ninth Gate exit of the city.

Looking at that tall and wide arched gate.

Lin Hui turned around, stood atop the cliff, and once again gazed down at the vast plain of pavilions and towers below.

At this moment, some places in the pavilion were already lit up with yellowish-white lights, and wisps of smoke were rising from the chimneys.

"It's time to go back, it's getting dark," Mingde reminded him from the side.

"Mm." Lin Hui nodded.

“If you want to come in, you can buy a permit from your father. Temporary permits aren’t expensive, but you need certain connections to apply for them,” Mingde said. “I understand,” Lin Hui nodded, finally turning away and striding into the South Ninth Gate.

This doorway makes it seem like there are two different worlds inside and outside.
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After entering the inner city, Lin Hui returned to his original daily routine of teaching, sword practice, and secondary body tempering.

According to the teacher, it normally takes about three years from the second tempering to the generation of internal energy. Those who can succeed will succeed in three years, while those who cannot will most likely never succeed after three years.

Many people have been stuck at this step for over a decade without making any progress.

The ratio of one in seven or eight people who reach the inner strength realm from the second tempering limit is approximately 1.

Just after Lin Hui confirmed that the Blood Seal would continue to evolve into the Gale Sword Technique, a major event suddenly occurred in the town the following month.

A poor girl named Yan Wanqiu was found to have the qualifications of a superior summoner during the qualification verification process. She was immediately taken into the inner city and entered the Chen family of the three major schools.

It is rumored that Yan Wanqiu is even among the top-tier summoners in terms of aptitude.

The entire town of Xinyu hasn't produced such a genius for many years.

Even when Lin Hui was teaching a health and wellness class, he could hear the elderly people discussing this topic.

He remained unmoved, continuing to take his medicine daily to shorten the progress of the blood seal, and continuing to temper his body and practice his swordsmanship.

After passing on the leadership of the sect to him, Mingde indeed broke his promise, left without a word, and mysteriously disappeared, his whereabouts unknown.

Leaving behind Weiwei, Lin Hui, Xiaohu, and Xiaopang, they single-handedly supported the entire Qingfeng Sword Sect.

Not long after Mingde left, the other two branches, Mingchen and Mingxiu, also fled.

They originally saw that the Qingfeng Sword Sect's health preservation classes were still barely surviving, so they planned to start one as well.

As a result, the sword techniques they taught were completely useless, no different from other ordinary martial arts, and far inferior to those of the Qingfeng Sword Sect, so no one came to learn them.

With the health and wellness classes unable to continue, the two branches finally couldn't hold on any longer. They sold their land to Lin Hui at a discounted price and then disappeared from Xinyu Town.

Thus, the once thriving Qingfeng Temple was reduced to only the Qingfeng Sword Sect, where Lin Hui and his three companions resided, along with a group of elderly people who moved into the entire temple.

"I will gradually deduct the money from the tuition fees to pay you back for the other two acquisitions."

Inside the Qingfeng Temple's training ground, Weiwei explained to Lin Hui with a serious expression.

"Although you are the sect leader, one thing is one thing. This time, the money was all borrowed from your father, so it can't be mixed up!"

"It's alright, I'm not in a hurry," Lin Hui said calmly.

"I'll remember," Weiwei said earnestly. "By the way, how are you getting along with your father's new second wife? Is everything alright?"

She had heard that Lin Shunhe, the master of the Lin family, had married another woman from the inner city. She was said to have a very powerful background and her family was very wealthy.

"It's alright. My second aunt's name is Liu Shenglan. She's a very nice person. She's not particularly beautiful, but she has a very gentle and generous personality," Lin Hui replied.

He didn't meet this stepmother very often, but she didn't have the arrogance typical of people from the inner city. She was very easygoing and respectful to both him and his mother, Yao Shan.

His senses have been working well so far.

"That's good." Weiwei nodded. "But, your second aunt is pregnant, right? She's from the inner city. Do you think the child she gives birth to will be born with inner city blood?"

Lin Hui paused for a moment, then nodded.

In fact, because of this, he and his mother Yao Shan lived completely separately from his stepmother and the others. Apart from mealtimes, they never saw each other at other times.

Yao Shan told him privately that his second aunt, Liu Shenglan, and her child would eventually return to the inner city and could not stay in the outer city for long. They and the others were ultimately from two different worlds.

All these signs, along with his mother's reaction, made Lin Hui involuntarily think of a possibility.
So, could it be that Dad is temporarily taking the blame for a big shot in the inner city?

The more he thought about it, the more suspicious he became.

After talking with Weiwei, he picked up his sword and went to a corner to practice more, executing the perfect version of the Qingfeng Sword Technique with graceful movements.

Soon, the session ended, and a familiar warm current welled up in my chest and spread throughout my body.

Just as Lin Hui was about to finish his practice, a thin, icy thread suddenly appeared out of thin air from his dantian.

The thin thread spun rapidly, forming a small vortex on the abdomen, and then it settled there.

Immediately afterwards, a second, cold, thin line appeared and converged into the abdomen in the same way.

Then the third, and the fourth.
'This is... internal force!?' Lin Hui had already learned about the characteristics and sensations of Qingfeng internal force from his master in detail. Now that he noticed the changes in his body, he knew he had succeeded.

But... wasn't it said that the minimum period would be three years?!

Moreover, isn't it possible to gather an internal force line only once?
He stood frozen in place, stunned. Less than two months had passed, and he'd already reached the Inner Strength Realm?!

(End of this chapter)