The Decaying World-Chapter 118 - 111: Fame 3

On the way back to Qingfeng Temple with his team, the procession attracted many townspeople who came out to watch the spectacle.

From the continuous rows of single-story houses and courtyards on both sides, curious townspeople kept emerging.

"Everyone has seen exploration teams before, but this is the first one flying the banner of Qingfeng Temple. ’I bet they’re all curious about what treasures we brought back...’" Chen Sui said with a resigned sigh.

Lin Hui, walking beside him, slowed his pace to match the others.

He nodded in agreement.

"There are still too few exploration teams in the Outer City. This sort of thing is commonplace in the Inner City; no one would bat an eye."

He glanced at the Purple Crystal that everyone in the team was guarding.

"You’ve used this Purple Crystal. What’s it like?"

"Just holding it in your hand speeds up your training. It’s useful for both Outer Strength and Inner Strength cultivation, but it’s especially effective for Outer Strength," Chen Sui replied.

As he spoke, he handed a small piece to Lin Hui.

Taking the Purple Crystal, Lin Hui carefully examined its texture. The object seemed to generate its own heat; it was warm to the touch and slightly soft, not at all like the hard texture of a crystal.

Holding the Purple Crystal, he circulated his Inner Strength and immediately felt a difference.

If his Inner Strength circulation speed was normally a 1, right now it was nearly a 2.

"It really works." Lin Hui’s spirits lifted. ’Although my Inner Strength has already reached the Sixth Layer and can’t advance any further, this thing is even more effective for Outer Strength. The third stage of Body Tempering with Gale Swordsmanship is my main focus now.’

’If it’s effective for the third stage of Body Tempering, then this Purple Crystal will be a complete game-changer for me.’

"As long as the Observatory Master approves. And... about this stuff, how does it convert into Contribution Points...?" Chen Sui asked, voicing the most critical question under everyone’s attentive gaze.

Having truly experienced the power of Qingfeng Temple’s current martial arts, he and the rest of the team were now incredibly eager to learn Lin Hui’s Perfect Clear Wind Sword and the legendary Gale Swordsmanship.

They were especially curious about the Gale Swordsmanship. The preceding Seven-Section Quick Sword and Nine-Section Swift Sword were already so powerful; they couldn’t imagine how strong the Gale Swordsmanship might be.

He wasn’t the only one thinking this; Huang Shan, Qiu Yiren, Chen Xiangzhi, and the others felt the same.

All eyes focused on Lin Hui.

"I’ll decide after I’ve tested it thoroughly, but based on its effect on Inner Strength alone, it should be worth at least two Contribution Points per pound."

There were over twenty pounds here, which meant a minimum of forty-odd Contribution Points. When added to the base points they received for the expedition itself, plus what little everyone had saved up, it would be enough for everyone present to exchange for advanced martial arts and Secret Techniques.

Hearing this, everyone quickly calculated their potential earnings and burst into cheers.

Even Chen Sui’s face flushed with excitement. He had completed the most missions, so he knew better than anyone how hard Contribution Points were to come by. The main issue wasn’t that missions gave too few points, but that there simply weren’t enough missions to go around.

Often, they had to compete just to get a mission when one became available. As a result, not many people in the temple could actually afford to exchange for advanced martial arts.

Of course, this was precisely Lin Hui’s intention. ’Slower redemptions mean they have more time and energy to temper their Seven-Section Quick Sword and Nine-Section Swift Sword, strengthening their foundation.’

Soon, they were back inside the temple. Lin Hui took stock of all the Purple Crystal—twenty-eight pounds in total. According to Chen Sui’s description, one pound of it would last for about three days.

’The effect is great, but it gets used up a bit too quickly.’

Fortunately, they had already mapped the location, which would make returning much more convenient.

"The Chi Mi Bang definitely knows about the Purple Crystal. If they discover the location of the ruins..."

Chen Sui voiced his concern in the assembly hall.

"Don’t worry," Lin Hui said calmly. "Weren’t all the people who knew... taken care of? There was just that so-called Hall Master Yuan, but he didn’t have time to report to anyone. He shouldn’t know the location of the ruins."

Xue Meng and the others present felt a chill run down their spines. They now understood why Lin Hui had risked angering the Chi Mi Bang to annihilate the other exploration team.

’Perhaps Lin Hui had planned this from the very beginning.’

"The Observatory Master is wise!" Chen Sui quickly cupped his fists. "By that calculation, my Contribution Points have now surpassed twenty. I would like to redeem the Perfect Clear Wind Sword!"

"I want to redeem it too!"

"Me too!"

Huang Shan, Qiu Yiren, and the others all chimed in.

"Very well. Since you all wish to redeem it, come with me," Lin Hui said, rising with a smile.

’Having some disciples master the Perfect Clear Wind Sword will be good for Qingfeng Temple’s overall strength.’

"I... I wonder if I might...?" Xue Meng, standing to the side, was also itching with anticipation. He had Contribution Points as well, having saved up quite a lot by not using them.

"You just need the Contribution Points. I’ve priced the Perfect Clear Wind Sword at ten points," Lin Hui said with a small smile.

"Then I want to redeem it too!" Xue Meng declared, slapping his thigh decisively.

He had recently found Lin Hui’s strength increasingly unfathomable, which only deepened his curiosity and longing for the Perfect Clear Wind Sword. Now that Lin Hui wasn’t objecting, he would of course redeem it without a second thought!

Flying Dragon Hand and Crazy Leg, standing nearby, were rather envious. But they had only recently joined and hadn’t completed many missions, so their Contribution Points were nowhere near enough.

They remained silent.

"Follow me to the training grounds in the rear manor."

Lin Hui rose, and in a flash, he appeared before the main gate. He opened it, flashed again, and vanished from sight.

「One hour later...」

Lin Hui left the training grounds, feeling a bit frustrated.

Based on the results of his instruction, even the most talented of the group, Huang Shan and Qiu Yiren, encountered significant difficulties in mastering the Perfect Clear Wind Sword.

No matter how they tried to replicate it, they just couldn’t achieve that perfect state that generated the strange, attractive force. Moreover, the Body Tempering effect they experienced was far inferior to what he himself had felt.

The goal of the Qingfeng Sword’s Second-Time Body Tempering is to generate Inner Strength. Now that Chen Sui had already broken through to the Inner Power Realm, that aspect was less effective for him. The crucial parts were still tempering the body and the power of the swordsmanship itself.

The only silver lining was that the Perfect Clear Wind Sword was, indeed, much stronger than the original version.

With the Purple Crystal in hand, Lin Hui quickly entered a state of Body Tempering cultivation.

Over the next three days, he was thrilled to find that his Body Tempering progress with the Gale Swordsmanship was more than twice as fast as before!

Although he had broken through to the Fourth Grade of Body Tempering less than two weeks ago, the bottleneck was already starting to loosen again.

This caused his valuation of the Purple Crystal to skyrocket.

He immediately tasked Chen Sui with compiling all the expedition members’ accounts to gather intelligence on the Purple Crystal Ruins, including information on the monsters inside.

Just as he was in the middle of cultivating with the Purple Crystal, Wang Yueheng arrived.

"Your expedition team finds something good and you don’t tell me? That’s not very friendly of you," Wang Yueheng said, pointing at Lin Hui from his seat in the pavilion.

"I saved some for you. As per our agreement, you get a share of the profits," Lin Hui said casually. "The main thing is, this stuff helps with Outer Strength and Inner Strength, but since your Inner Strength is already maxed out, it’s not as useful for you."

"Purple Kite Crystals are still in high demand. You can’t find them in the Inner City markets; they only show up in trade markets. Even if we can’t use them, they’re great for trading for other things." Wang Yueheng clearly recognized the item.

"Purple Kite Crystal?"

"Mhm, it’s a product from the ruins—a relic, for short. They’re considered a unique resource of the ruins in this area, but the ruins are often crawling with Purple Crystal Elements, which are a real hassle," Wang Yueheng nodded.

"Are Purple Crystal Elements those special monsters that roam the ruins? The ones with semi-transparent bodies that can turn ethereal or solid?" Lin Hui, having gathered some information beforehand, asked with a serious expression.

"Yes. Purple Crystal Elements are generally divided into common Elemental People and Elemental Beasts. Stronger than them are High-level Elements, and the strongest are Elemental Lords. Most elemental-type monsters are classified this way. Typically, these monsters are at least at the Dangerous level, while the Lord-level ones can reach the Highly Dangerous level. They’re a huge pain," Wang Yueheng explained simply.

This was information that only the Inner City Great Clans would know, but since he wanted to stay on good terms with Lin Hui, he shared it casually.

"In the fifth-class division, the Dangerous level generally corresponds to the Inner Power Realm up to the Circulation Realm. That’s manageable; we can barely handle that. But once you get to the Highly Dangerous level, you’re talking about threats on par with Priests and High Priests. It’s extremely perilous, which is why no one really bothers to mine Purple Kite Crystals."

"Priests and High Priests probably have no need for this stuff anyway, right?" Lin Hui said, nodding in agreement.

"Exactly. The people who need it aren’t strong enough to get it, and the people who are strong enough can’t be bothered. So for the Qingfeng Temple expedition to bring back these Purple Kite Crystals at the cost of only eight lives... you can count yourselves very lucky," Wang Yueheng sighed.

"Then it looks like we’ll have to put that on hold for now. I was hoping we could establish a stable, long-term mining operation," Lin Hui said regretfully.

"Don’t dwell on it. By the way, did you hear the Wanhua Sect got into another fight with your older brother’s people?" Wang Yueheng asked.

"No, what happened?" Lin Hui’s heart skipped a beat, but he kept his expression neutral as he asked.

"Seems like there was some prior conflict. Your brother-in-law cut down some of their people, and things got pretty nasty. He got an earful from a Vice Palace Master for it. But afterward, two Vice Palace Masters led a team and wiped out the Wanhua Sect’s group entirely. I guess their attitude was, ’If we’re going to offend them, let’s offend them completely.’ The higher-ups are still very supportive of Liu Wu Jun. He is, after all, one of the most famous top-tier geniuses of recent years." Wang Yueheng’s tone held a trace of envy.

"What about your sister?" Lin Hui knew Wang Yueheng had a sister who was also a top-tier genius and was constantly at odds with his own older brother and sister.

"My sister is still a step behind. To be honest, among all the High Priests, Liu Wu Jun’s strength ranks in the top ten." Although reluctant, Wang Yueheng answered truthfully.

"High Priest?! Your sister is a High Priest?? Then my brother is one too?!" Lin Hui exclaimed in shock.

He was only now realizing that the terms Wang Yueheng had been using didn’t match his own mental estimates.

"Yeah, you didn’t know? Ever since your family was joined with the Liu Family by marriage, You Ying herself paid a visit to your father not long ago to retract her mark. Now you all interact as equals. Your Lin Family has really hit the jackpot by connecting with them!" Wang Yueheng said in surprise.

"...I honestly had no idea... I don’t really go back home much anymore," Lin Hui said, at a loss for words.

"Have you... have you trained yourself into an idiot? Your Inner Strength is at its peak, right? What’s there to train so hard for? Hurry up and start making some babies! Pop out eight or ten kids, and what if one of them turns out to be another Liu Wu Jun? Your whole family will ascend to the heavens!" Wang Yueheng said, exasperated.

"Besides, aren’t you supposed to be a lecher? You’ve taken so much of that medicine and haven’t produced a single heir? Is there something wrong with you?"

"...I just use that medicine to suppress the side effects of my training! I haven’t been messing around!" Lin Hui retorted.

"Not messing around? In that case, how about I introduce you to someone?" Wang Yueheng’s eyes glinted as he broke into a mischievous grin.

"Don’t you dare! I just want to live a quiet life by myself. Don’t go making trouble for me!" Lin Hui said hastily.

"How is this making trouble? Let me tell you, in your situation, if you don’t settle down with someone soon, everyone you meet is going to try to play matchmaker for you. That’s where the real trouble is," Wang Yueheng chuckled.

"Then what’s your solution?" Lin Hui frowned. This was indeed a problem. His sister had the same idea, now Wang Yueheng was doing the same, and even his mother, Yao Shan, had been probing him about it.

"I have an idea... hehehe... Oh, I wasn’t laughing. It’s just, this is a great idea!" Wang Yueheng wiped a bit of drool from his mouth, his face twisting into a strange expression, as if he had just thought of something absolutely brilliant.