The tragedy that had befallen his family, coupled with the conflict between Chen Zhishen and Chen Chong, fueled Lin Hui's intense craving for more power.
'Mingde's protection is only temporary. It was Chen Zhishen who got into trouble this time, but who knows when I might face something similar? If I don't prepare now...'
In the aftermath of the incident with Chen Chong, Lin Hui became even more reserved. He spent his days in silent, arduous swordsmanship practice, and his physical stamina gradually increased. Finally, his fifth technique also finished evolving.
Two months per technique, plus the initial month of training—he had now been at the Qingfeng Daoist Temple for over half a year.
He hadn't dared to relax for a single moment during that time. And now, his efforts were about to bear fruit...
On the training grounds, Lin Hui stood with a wooden sword in hand, blending in with the other students practicing their swordsmanship. He was utterly inconspicuous. However, if one were to look closely at his seemingly casual movements and techniques, they would discover a stark difference between him and everyone else.
The techniques were the same—everyone was practicing the Seven-Section Quick Sword. Yet Lin Hui's first five techniques possessed a feeling of rigid precision, as if every single stroke was the most standard, most perfect answer.
Only when he reached the sixth and seventh techniques did this sense of perfection abruptly give way to mere proficiency.
Proficiency wasn't bad, of course. Months of painstaking practice had given Lin Hui a deep understanding of the final two techniques. But compared to the first five, the difference was night and day.
The slender wooden sword in Lin Hui's hand swished through the air with ease. Even though these were just practice forms, they inexplicably projected a powerful aura.
Unfortunately, no one around him paid any mind to his transformation. Geniuses could master the force application points of the Seven-Section Quick Sword in a matter of weeks. Lin Hui, on the other hand, had been practicing for nearly a year without fully grasping them. For that reason alone, no one cared how perfectly or beautifully he executed his swordsmanship.
While Lin Hui was still working on the sixth technique, geniuses like Huang Shan and Qiu Yiren had already mastered half of the Nine-Section Swift Sword and could unleash its power in real combat.
SWISH. SWISH.
Before long, Lin Hui finished another run-through and wiped the sweat from his brow with the towel slung around his neck.
From a distant corner of the training grounds, the faint sound of weeping drifted over.
Some of the senior students at the Daoist Temple were leaving.
Lin Hui gazed into the distance and saw a group of five. They were all strong and able-bodied, clutching bundles in their hands. Their eyes were brimming with tears. One was even trembling as he knelt and kowtowed in the direction of the main hall.
"They're all old-timers. Practiced for three years and still never mastered the force application points for the Seven-Section Quick Sword," Chen Zhishen said softly, approaching from the side. "Maybe a lot of us will end up just like them..."
"Which technique are you on?" Lin Hui asked.
"The fifth. I've figured out that the earlier techniques support the later ones. I've mastered the force application points for them," Chen Zhishen replied.
"That's good. I'm only on the sixth myself," Lin Hui replied calmly.
"..." Chen Zhishen forced a bitter smile. "I've been thinking a lot lately. First Ah Hua, then Xie Li... To be honest, I'm only now realizing they were more mature than I gave them credit for. They just want to climb the ladder. Ah Hua is with Chen Chong now. A few days ago, someone from the Daoist Temple saw her bringing him a meal. She doesn't train here anymore."
"It's good that you understand," Lin Hui nodded. "In this world, if you want to live a good life, you have to climb."
'If I didn't have the Blood Seal, I might also be trying to climb my way up by any means necessary.' That was why he hadn't resented Xie Li back then. It was just human nature.
"Ah Hui," Chen Zhishen said again, "I'm planning to leave once I've mastered the Seven-Section Quick Sword."
"..." Lin Hui froze. He watched as the kowtowing senior students in the distance got to their feet, changed into the uniforms of household guards, and followed the person who had come for them, departing without a backward glance.
He was silent for a moment.
"No matter how well I train, I'll just end up as a guard, a hired thug for some rich family... My family can't afford to support my studies anymore," Chen Zhishen said. "Only after I've fully mastered the Seven-Section Quick Sword will I be considered an Official Disciple of Qingfeng Temple. With that status, I can find a post at the town's Government Office or with one of the great families. After all, an External Martial Artist who has completed Body Tempering is much stronger than a common person, even with just a few simple techniques. The pay should be decent."
"That's why a lot of disciples come here. The temple has arrangements with many of the great families. The Mu Family, the Zhong Family... we have connections with all of them," he continued.
"Are you satisfied with that?" Lin Hui asked.
"Heh... I've trained like a man possessed. But so what?" Chen Zhishen gave a bitter laugh. "Do you know what it feels like to train until you cough up blood? If it weren't for the Healing Medicine you gave me, I might not have pulled through a few times. I could've easily died in some forgotten corner of the training grounds..."
Lin Hui fell silent.
He listened as Chen Zhishen rambled on about the hardships of his training, and a complicated feeling welled up inside him.
He had two techniques left—the sixth and seventh—before he would completely master the flawless version of the Seven-Section Quick Sword. By his calculations, that would take another four months. To others, this pace was utterly mediocre. His future would, at best, be a high-level guard.
But only Lin Hui knew the truth... He was different.
By the time he snapped out of his thoughts, Chen Zhishen was gone.
More people gradually left the training grounds. It was nearly noon, time to head to the dining hall for lunch.
Suddenly, a commotion echoed from the distance.
Lin Hui sheathed his sword and drew closer. A large crowd of students had parted to form a path, their curious gazes fixed on a tall young man who was slowly entering the dining hall behind the Observatory Master.
The young man was a stranger. His features were handsome, but his skin was a bloodless white.
But what was most startling were his eyes.
They weren't the round pupils of a human. They were a pair of amber, slitted pupils, like those of a reptile, with a mottled pattern.
From a distance, they radiated a cold, ruthless air.
"His eyes... what's with that pattern? I've never seen anyone with eyes like that..."
Whispers rippled through the crowd.
"Quiet down! That's a powerhouse from the Python Race, here to visit the Observatory Master!"
"The Python Race? They aren't human?"
"I heard they're a Non-human Race that can transform into giant pythons. One of the few non-human peoples we actually trade and communicate with."
Lin Hui watched the young man with equal curiosity. Judging by the way he and the Observatory Master were interacting, they were clearly old acquaintances. The young man only appeared young; he was definitely not in his teens.
"The Python Race... Are they here to investigate the clan member who went missing?" Not far away, First Senior Brother Chen Sui stood with Daoist Mingchen, whispering the question.
"Most likely. The recent Gate-Breaking Ghost case harmed many innocents. The Inner City won't be able to suppress this so easily. It's not just the Python Race; people have come from other city districts as well," Daoist Mingchen confirmed with a nod. "But that has nothing to do with us. Just focus on your swordsmanship. If you can reach the Third Realm of the Qingfeng Sword, then Qingfeng Temple will have a worthy successor."
"I will do my best," Chen Sui replied, his expression strained as he lowered his head slightly.
Once the Observatory Master and the member of the Python Race were seated and began to eat, everyone else found their own seats. The novelty quickly faded. The students realized the Python Clan member ate the same food and spoke the same language. Aside from his eyes, he was just like them. The fascination vanished, and the dining hall soon returned to its usual boisterous scramble for food.
Lin Hui withdrew his gaze, found an empty corner, and sat down to wait for his meal.
The Python Race youth's visit was brief. Soon, the Daoist Temple returned to its usual tranquility.
Time flew by in a flash, and the sixth technique was on the verge of its final evolution.
The long wait had tempered Lin Hui's anticipation, leaving him with a sense of calm.
He rose early as always, fetched water, washed up, and checked his Jade Talisman. If it was damaged, he would have to find the Daoist in charge of logistics to get a replacement.
After washing up and having breakfast, he was about to begin his daily training when a Daoist Child informed him that he had a visitor from home.
Lin Hui found this strange. His parents hadn't visited the Daoist Temple once since the family's misfortune. 'For them to show up now without any warning... I'm afraid something has happened.'
But the Daoist Child's expression and tone were normal, which put him slightly at ease.
He followed the Daoist Child to the main gate. Before long, he saw his father, Lin Shunhe, waiting outside.
Beside his father stood a hunchbacked old man with salt-and-pepper hair, holding the hand of a young woman in a white dress who had a cool, detached air about her.
The three of them stood together, and at the sound of footsteps, they all turned to look his way.
"So this is your son," the hunchbacked old man said, sizing up Lin Hui. He seemed relatively pleased. "His looks are average, but he has a very steady temperament. And he's working as a deputy accountant at Qingfeng Temple, which is a stable position."
"That's right," Lin Shunhe said with a smile. "If our two families agree to the match, I'll prepare one hundred thousand coins as a nest egg for them to start their own family."
"That's quite good! I'm surprised you could still scrape together such a sum after everything that's happened. Impressive!" the hunchbacked old man said, looking at Lin Shunhe with surprise.
"Sigh... it's a long story," Lin Shunhe said with a sigh, shaking his head. He was about to explain further.
Suddenly, the aloof young woman, who had been standing quietly, finished sizing up Lin Hui and, without a word, turned to leave.
"Huan'Er?" the hunchbacked old man called out hastily. "What's wrong!?"
"It's nothing. I just feel unwell and don't wish to tour Qingfeng Temple. Father, let's go home," the young woman in white said calmly, pausing in her steps.
She knew her father and Lin Shunhe were close friends. Now that Uncle Lin's family had met with disaster, all the families who had previously been eager to arrange a match were avoiding them like the plague.
Only her father had honored his promise, coming to arrange the engagement with Lin Shunhe.
'Father is demonstrating the virtue of keeping his word, but what about me?'
'Must I sacrifice my entire life's happiness just to help him keep his promise?'
The more she thought about it, the more miserable she felt.
"Huan'Er!" The hunchbacked old man could see that his daughter was unimpressed with Lin Hui. He immediately pulled her aside to speak with her privately.
But no matter how he tried to persuade her, the young woman just kept shaking her head. The old man grew so angry he raised his hand as if to strike her, but Lin Shunhe, who had been watching from the side, quickly intervened.
"There's no need for that, Brother Guan!" Lin Shunhe said with a sigh. He looked at his son, who had now joined them, then at the Guan Family's beautiful, aloof daughter. Before his family's downfall, with his vastly superior connections and wealth, this marriage would have been a sure thing, and then some.
But now, based on his son's prospects alone, he really wasn't a worthy match.
"Sigh... Since Huan'Er isn't taken with my Ah Hui, let's just forget about it for today. We can just pretend we're here for Ah Hui to give you a tour of Qingfeng Temple. You really can't get inside to look around without someone on the inside."
"Let's skip the tour. Sigh, what a mess this has turned out to be..." the hunchbacked old man sighed. "It's a shame. I suppose my Huan'Er just isn't fortunate enough to be fated with your Ah Hui."