The Decaying World-Chapter 43 - 38: Measure 2

Watching Weiwei leave, Lin Hui remained expressionless. He folded the letter and went back to his room.

He hadn’t been lying. His parents’ business had taken off. His old man was a truly impressive businessman, with profits much higher than before. He had even opened a branch store.

And as for him, though Qingfeng Temple’s reputation had plummeted, he was still alive and well, and his martial prowess was intact.

He couldn’t beat the Black Dragon Sect, but dealing with common thugs was still no problem. His personal safety was still assured.

So, financially, the only difference was that he could no longer help support his family. That was all.

Back in his room, he sat cross-legged on a cushion, his gaze naturally falling to the Blood Seal’s information panel at the bottom of his vision.

’Nine-Section Swift Sword evolution complete.’

A line of small text had been floating there for several minutes.

Looking at the line, Lin Hui focused his mind and willed it to change, revealing the details of the Nine-Section Swift Sword.

’Nine-Section Swift Sword: Mastery Perfect. A Basic Sword Technique of Qingfeng Temple. Perfect mastery grants the Special Effect: Light Spirit.’

’The Light Body Effect can be merged with Light Spirit. Merge?’

The Blood Seal’s prompt appeared as soon as he pulled up the details for the Nine-Section Swift Sword.

’Merge,’ Lin Hui confirmed without hesitation.

Merging the two Special Effects would probably result in something stronger. He figured that since the Blood Seal was prompting it, the combined effect wouldn’t be a downgrade.

The next second, the blood-red text at the bottom of his vision melted and coalesced into a new line.

’Merge complete. Gained Special Effect: Feathering.’

’Special Effect Feathering: Stamina cost is greatly reduced. When active, your body weight is halved, and your base Sword Speed increases threefold.’

Three times!?

Lin Hui was startled. He’d had a vague feeling before that the Light Body Effect increased his speed by more than double. Now, the merged Special Effect, Feathering, not only confirmed that his Sword Speed was now three times its base, but the weight reduction also proved his previous suspicions.

’A great reduction in cost... Does this mean I can keep the effect active for a long time?’

Lin Hui took a deep breath.

’This is the true perfect version of the Nine-Section Swift Sword!’

With a Special Effect like this... once activated, his Sword Speed and Body Technique would instantly surpass his former Eldest Senior Brother by a huge margin.

He might even be able to catch up to the three members of the Ming Generation who were in the Inner Power Realm!

Lin Hui’s heart surged with emotion. All this time, all his bitter training and long waiting—it had finally paid off.

The Nine-Section Swift Sword...

He closed his eyes. In his mind, countless insights into the perfect techniques of the Nine-Section Swift Sword surged wildly, merging with his previous training memories.

At this moment, all the basic Martial Arts of Qingfeng Temple were rapidly integrating in his mind, coming together as a cohesive whole.

A subtle, warm current flowed out from his mind, spreading through every part of his body.

The warm current continuously transformed Lin Hui’s constitution, subtly refining it, making him lighter and more agile.

This transformation lasted for a good ten minutes before it slowly subsided.

Lin Hui, still sitting cross-legged on the floor, slowly opened his eyes.

Sensing the indescribable change throughout his body, he reached out his hand and slowly clenched it into a fist.

Instantly, a flood of memories about how to grip a sword for swift attacks rushed into his mind.

’With the Seven-Section Quick Sword, the Blood Seal didn’t adjust my body. But with the Nine-Section Swift Sword, it did. Does this mean only relatively high-level Martial Arts trigger a physical adjustment after being evolved by the Blood Seal?’

He didn’t know how strong he was now. Without a concrete benchmark, he had no idea what level of power the perfected Nine-Section Swift Sword had granted him.

Getting to his feet, Lin Hui took a moment to acclimate to his new body. He waited for the excitement coursing through his veins to cool before he began to ponder his current situation.

’This is what I wanted. Supreme speed... Now I just need the final piece: Qingfeng Swordsmanship...’

His initial goal in coming here was to learn speed and Body Techniques. Now that he had halfway achieved it, his sense of urgency lessened considerably.

’Alright, next up, I’ll learn Qingfeng Swordsmanship. Then I need to find a way to improve the safety of my parents and myself.’

As for how to improve their safety, it seemed the only choice was to move into the Inner City.

’There are only a few ways to get into the Inner City.’

’First, be selected to join one of The Three Greats.’

’Second, spend a fortune to buy a vacant house in the Inner City.’

’Third, obtain an official position in one of the outer towns and get promoted step-by-step until I’m transferred to the Inner City.’

’Of these, the second option is the most feasible for me right now. Many wealthy people from the Outer City District have their core family members living in the Inner City. They earn their money in the Outer City and spend it in the Inner City. This is how many people become new residents of the Inner City.’

Lin Hui calculated his options.

’But with Qingfeng Temple in its current state, making money will be difficult... Even in its heyday, holding various positions within the temple wouldn’t have earned enough wealth for my whole family to move into the Inner City. I’ll have to find another way...’

Lin Hui racked his brain, but most of the profitable industries in the Outer City District were backed by Summoners and other major powers. With his current strength, he was nowhere near powerful enough to get a piece of that action.

In those circles, the Inner Power Realm was just the entry level; the real competition was almost entirely between Summoners.

After thinking it over, he let out a soft sigh.

"It seems my strength is still not enough..."

He didn’t want to abandon Master Mingde and betray his principles, but he also wanted to earn enough money to move into the Inner City. To have the best of both worlds... there was only one way.

He had to increase the strength of Qingfeng Temple as a whole and make the sect great once more!

’First, I need to negotiate a profit-sharing agreement with Master. And right, the profits from the medicinal fields behind the Daoist Temple are currently in the hands of Daoist Mingchen. The two branches that split off also need to be brought back and re-merged. Then, I can expand the number of students, increase our sphere of influence, and, imitating the Mu Hua Bang, collect protection fees from local businesses. The income should quickly reach the amount I need!’

’But first, I need to find out the specific requirements for buying a house and moving into the Inner City.’

Having settled on a plan, Lin Hui took a deep breath and stood up. He ran through a list of people he knew, wondering who might have this information.

Faces flashed through his mind, quickly settling on one he knew very well.

’Of course. The best person to ask is my old man.’

After thinking it through, he realized that of all the people he knew, his own father was surprisingly the most knowledgeable on the subject.

Lin Hui was a bit exasperated with himself. He immediately stood, not even bothering to tidy up, and left with his sword in hand.

The moment he stepped outside, he felt a difference.

After perfecting the Nine-Section Swift Sword, his body seemed to have undergone a subtle change. Every movement felt inexplicably lighter than before.

He left Qingfeng Temple and picked up his pace on the dirt path heading back. The scenery on either side blurred past much faster than before.

Since he had no point of comparison, Lin Hui couldn’t tell exactly how fast he was going.

’Looks like I’ll have to buy a portable timer to calculate my speed...’

Tuyue wasn’t mechanically advanced, but basic timekeeping devices similar to clocks and watches did exist. They were all goods from the Inner City, however, and relatively expensive to buy.

Speeding along, Lin Hui didn’t go straight home but headed directly for the small shop his parents ran.

Before long, the number of houses on either side increased, and the crowds grew denser. Once he reached the main street, it was even livelier with people, carts, and horses. Farmers and peddlers had set up stalls everywhere, hawking their wares.

After crossing two streets, he finally arrived at his father’s little shop: the Mountain and River Grocery Store.

The shop was a little larger than before. In addition to groceries, fresh fruits, vegetables, and dried goods were displayed out front.

His father was lounging behind the wooden counter, engrossed in a comic book.

"Dad!" Lin Hui strode in. "Taking it easy? You got a minute? Let’s talk."

"Why is a brat like you back again?" Hearing the voice, Lin Shunhe scrambled to sit up. When he turned and saw it was his son, the words just tumbled out of his mouth.

"Talk about what? Have you finally seen the light? Planning to switch over to the Black Dragon Sect?"

"Switch? What are you talking about? Let’s go to the back room first." Lin Hui pulled his father into the storeroom.

"Dad, do you know how much the cheapest house in the Inner City costs?" he asked in a low voice.

"Buy one? The price went up again recently. A small house for a single person is about four million. And that’s the cheapest. Why are you asking?" Lin Shunhe replied, a look of confusion on his face.

"Nothing, just asking." Lin Hui’s heart skipped a beat. Four million. If he just earned a regular salary, how long would that take to save up?

"You’re not thinking of moving to the Inner City, are you?" Lin Shunhe saw right through his son. "To live there long-term, you need more than just money. You need residency papers, and it’s a huge hassle."

"What kind of residency papers?"

"An Inner City residency permit, issued by the Inner City itself. To get one, you have to pass an assessment to prove you have sufficient value to the city. Simply put, they don’t allow people who only have money but no skills to settle there. But..." Lin Shunhe paused. "Every system has its loopholes. I do have channels to... smooth the process, for a price."

"Someone like me shouldn’t have to worry about failing the assessment, right?" Lin Hui said hesitantly.

"It’s hard to say. The problem is that the issuance of residency permits isn’t exactly fair or transparent. Most of them are controlled by factions under The Three Greats. Unless you’re a high-level talent the Inner City desperately needs, you’ll have to rely on paying your way in," Lin Shunhe said, shaking his head.

He looked at his son, who was lost in thought.

"Why the sudden questions? Did you strike it rich?"

"I just had a bit of a breakthrough in my training, that’s all. It’s made me a little more ambitious," Lin Hui said with a wry smile.

"You’re still at Qingfeng Temple, so a breakthrough doesn’t mean much anymore. If this were the old Qingfeng Temple, a top-ten elite might have had a chance of passing the assessment. But now, Martial Artists from other city districts have swept through the martial arts schools here. Everyone’s heard about it. The overall standard of martial arts in the entire Tuyue Outer City has been forcibly raised by a huge margin. Even if you master Qingfeng Swordsmanship now, who can you beat? It just doesn’t have the same value on the market anymore," Lin Shunhe sighed.

"You’re right. The brand recognition we used to have is completely gone..." Lin Hui sighed.

"Brand what?"

"Nothing." Lin Hui thought for a moment. "Then, Dad, if I could rebuild the reputation of Qingfeng Temple’s Martial Arts, would that increase my chances of passing the skills assessment?"

"It’s possible. But the tide has turned against you. What can one person do?" Lin Shunhe shook his head.

"You’re right..." Lin Hui sighed as well.

Of course, those were just words. He wouldn’t tell his father what he was really thinking.

If Song Zhanlong of the Black Dragon Sect could come to their door and single-handedly crush Qingfeng Temple’s reputation, why couldn’t he?

With the Blood Seal in his possession, once he learned Qingfeng Swordsmanship and evolved it to its perfect version, reaching the level of the Ming Generation wouldn’t be a problem. And eventually reaching the level of Daoist Baohe was only a matter of time.

How old was he, anyway? Reaching his goal before he turned twenty was more than enough time.