The Decaying World

He had personally carved onto it the cultivation essentials for the perfect versions of the Seven-Section Quick Sword and the Nine-Section Swift Sword.

He also added a Heart Method of his own creation to aid in comprehending the perfect swordsmanship, which he named the Formless Heart Art.

The name was said to be inspired by the one the Daoist Master had given his own courtyard.

Black-face and his companion were led over, and they saw many people queuing up for a test.

The basic aptitude test involved watching the Martial Arts demonstrated on the stone stele, then performing an imitation.

Since arrangements had been made for them in advance, the two of them were allowed to skip the test and were provided with lodging and robes.

The disciple who had led them there then prepared to leave.

With no other choice, Black-face quickly stopped him to ask when they could have an audience with the Daoist Master.

"The Daoist Master manages countless affairs; how could he possibly have time to see you? Just get settled in for now. Remember this: if you can’t master the Seven-Section Quick Sword within a month, get off this mountain. Stay far away, lest you get into trouble," the disciple warned impatiently. Then, he activated his Body Technique and was gone in a flash.

"His Body Technique... is very unique!" Yuanhe said softly from beneath his hood, gazing in the direction the disciple had departed.

"Indeed. This is the perfect place for you to exercise your talents... You just... saw it. What did you think?" Black-face asked via voice transmission, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"It’s fine. The Swordsmanship on the stele... it’s not a problem," Yuanhe said with a nod.

Hearing this, Black-face felt a great weight lift from his heart.

He knew Yuanhe never boasted. If he said it wasn’t a problem, it generally meant he could learn and master it within a single day.

He was, after all, the most terrifyingly talented individual in the history of the Good Heart Sect.

He wasn’t of the Sect Hierarch’s direct bloodline, but was an illegitimate child, born to a member of a distant collateral branch and an outsider.

The fact that he had become the last ember of the Good Heart Sect, viewed as their final hope, and gifted with immense wealth and precious Treasure Medicines... was simply because he was worth it.

Yuanhe possessed a terrifying aptitude for Martial Arts and a pair of incomparably terrifying eyes.

His eyes possessed an absurdly powerful ability to replicate and simulate. For any Martial Arts technique within his ability to learn, a single glance was enough to commit it to memory forever. Furthermore, he could constantly simulate its cultivation within his mind.

The results of this mental cultivation would then automatically manifest in his physical body.

He had named this wondrous and terrifying ocular ability himself—the Shan Fa Yan.

The name took "Shan" from the Good Heart Sect and combined it with the meaning of being adept in "ten thousand Fa," or all techniques.

Thus, despite being only thirteen, he had already learned numerous top-tier Martial Arts.

However, his eyes were far too conspicuous, so he kept them covered with a hood to avoid attracting trouble.

Even after arriving at Qingfei Mountain, they still had to be careful.

The Qingfeng Dao’s governance was lax, with many disciples forming their own factions in the outside world. If the abilities of his Shan Fa Yan were exposed, attracting plots to have his eyes gouged out, the danger would be immense.

Therefore, they had to remain carefully hidden and could not afford to be rash.

After all, during the era of the Fog People, the Shan Fa Yan was nothing special; its potential was capped by the limits of Martial Arts. But in this new age, its value was immensely greater.

*

*

*

"How do you feel? Has the Power of Decay been suppressed?"

At that moment, Lin Hui and Pang Jiu were floating in mid-air above the Jade Sea.

Lin Hui gripped the Tai Chi Divine Sword, his eyes narrowed as he stared intently at Pang Jiu across from him.

Signs of decay had been appearing on Pang Jiu for some time. However, because he cultivated the Martial Arts of the Qingfeng Dao and had obtained a Dharma Seal, he had managed to withstand the previous tide of decay from the Fog People by repeatedly activating his Qingyuan Body.

Although his own Evil Soldier had disintegrated and his bloodline had degenerated, he himself had merely suffered the equivalent of a severe illness, leaving him gravely injured and depleted.

Perhaps this was also related to his higher Martial Arts Realm. A high Realm could extend one’s life on its own, and coupled with the fact that he was much younger than the Third City Lord, it was understandable that he had managed to hold on until now.

But now, he too was reaching his limit.

That was why Lin Hui had called him out. He had just struck him with the Tai Chi Divine Sword, attempting to see if the sword’s divine properties could suppress the progression of the decay.

"There is... some effect." Pang Jiu said, sensing the level of decay within him. After being swept by that single sword strike, he did feel a bit of relief.

But the relief wasn’t much. Once the golden light from the sword strike faded completely, the Power of Decay quickly returned with a vengeance.

’It seems the results aren’t ideal...’ Lin Hui knew the outcome just by seeing his reaction.

The Tai Chi Divine Sword clearly had some effect, but Pang Jiu’s own power was simply too great—far surpassing Liu Xiao’s.

Therefore, the intensity of the Power of Decay he was enduring was on a completely different level.

The Tai Chi Divine Sword might be effective on someone at the Priest level like Liu Xiao, but for an expert like Pang Jiu... someone who was several major Realms higher, its effect was negligible.

"Unless you do that a few hundred more times, it might be able to temporarily suppress the progression of my decay... Or perhaps it’s because my decay is already reaching its final stages," Pang Jiu sighed.

"Do you have any unfinished business?" Lin Hui asked calmly.

"Nothing. I’ve already made all the necessary arrangements. I have no lingering ties, nothing holding me back."

"Then how about you accompany me to the Royal Capital and act as my guide?" Lin Hui offered.

"This disciple obeys." Pang Jiu replied with a carefree smile. "Come to think of it, the last time I was in the Royal Capital was over a hundred years ago. I wonder how much it has changed."

"As long as you remember the general layout, it’s fine," Lin Hui said, unconcerned.

He glanced at the Tai Chi Divine Sword, which had once again grown dim in his hand, and sighed internally. ’I’ll have to try evolving it again next time. Maybe that will strengthen its ability to suppress the Power of Decay.’

But in truth, he had a strange feeling. ’It’s not that the Tai Chi Divine Sword’s power is insufficient to deal with Pang Jiu’s decay... but rather that there’s a fundamental limit to how much the decay can be suppressed at all.’

’And then there’s the backlash... Using the Tai Chi Divine Sword causes a backlash.’

’I wonder how the backlash will manifest for Liu Xiao, and for Pang Jiu.’

After asking for a few more details about suppressing the Power of Decay, Lin Hui returned to the Qingfeng Dao Academy. His Heart and Spirit swept over the newly arrived Black-face and Yuanhe. After confirming they posed no hidden threat, he headed for the Lin Mansion to inform his family of his impending trip to the Royal Capital.

His father’s health had fully recovered. He had now started practicing with the sword, and thanks to the effects of the Indestructible Saintly Eyes, he was in high spirits, with a healthy, ruddy complexion.

The function of the Indestructible Saintly Eyes had changed from active use to a passive effect, which put Lin Hui’s mind greatly at ease.

As long as no one knew that the eyes were the core of the indestructibility, his family would have the greatest possible chance of survival.

This way, once the subsequent, evolved version of the Destruction Eye was complete, he could once again bestow it upon his family via a seal. Their security would be drastically improved then, no longer limited by a set number of uses or a recovery period.

Furthermore, the unique nature of the Destruction Eye dictated that only he possessed the authority to bestow the seal. This prevented others who received the Destruction Eye from indiscriminately spreading the ability. It also ensured that no second person could master the Destruction Eye itself.

Thus, if anyone with the eyes had them gouged out, he could remotely expel that person from the Qingfeng Dao, thereby retracting the seal and rendering the stolen Destruction Eyes useless.

This served as another layer of security.

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