The Decaying World-Chapter 143 - 134: Gaze 2

Lin Hui appeared before the Divine Statue, looking up at the strange sculpture of the goddess.

"How about we make a deal? Can you remove this gaze you’ve placed on me?" he asked, attempting to communicate with the Divine Statue to see if it could respond.

’This world is full of all sorts of strange and supernatural things,’ he thought. ’Maybe this statue really can communicate. Otherwise, why would people this powerful be so reverently worshipping a Divine Statue?’

The Divine Statue gave no reaction.

"If you won’t remove it, then don’t blame me for taking matters into my own hands," he said again.

The Divine Statue remained motionless, and the status effect displayed by his Blood Seal remained unchanged.

SHINK!

The next instant, the entire Divine Statue was split in two, cleaved at the waist.

The heavy upper half of the statue slid slowly, tilted, and then slammed onto the cave floor.

SWISH!

Lin Hui swung his sword again, dicing the Divine Statue, which was made of some unknown material, into countless small chunks.

Once that was done, he quickly looted the bodies, tossed them out of the cave, and made a swift retreat.

As for the Purple Crystals, there were about ten boxes in total—more than he could carry in one trip. These Purple Crystals could significantly increase the speed of both his Body Tempering and Inner Strength cultivation, making them a top-tier training resource. He had to get them all back into his own repository for his personal use.

He secretly returned to Qingfeng Temple with two of the boxes, then made several quick trips back and forth to the Purple Crystal Ruins to transport the rest.

He had been lucky not to encounter any Priest or Grand Priest Level opponents on this trip. But being entangled by the so-called Fog Spirit’s gaze, which had cut his speed by about half, made the whole thing feel like more trouble than it was worth.

Fortunately, a few days after returning, Lin Hui discovered that circulating his Inner Strength could partially alleviate the speed reduction caused by the Fog Spirit’s gaze.

After a month of this persistent circulation, the troublesome speed penalty finally faded away. However, the "Fog Spirit’s Gaze" status remained on his Blood Seal’s display, showing no intention of disappearing.

’Does this mean that if I run into any trouble in the future, the Fog Spirit could just suddenly slow me down again? If it decides to mess with me at a critical moment, won’t I be as good as dead!?’

In the courtyard of his residence at Qingfeng Temple, Lin Hui’s brow was tightly furrowed. He was in a foul mood.

Although the speed penalty was gone, he was still irritated. All he’d done was clear out a Purple Crystal Ruin—a ruin his own disciple had found first, only to have others forcibly occupy it—and he had ended up afflicted with such a troublesome negative status effect.

Fortunately, it hadn’t all been bad news lately. Thanks to the accelerating properties of the Purple Crystals, he had finally completed the last stage of his Body Tempering a little after six o’clock this morning.

With that, the Ninth-Grade Body Tempering for the Gale Swordsmanship was complete.

And the Special Effect, Wind of Surrounding, had finally begun to show its true power.

His mood brightened slightly at the thought.

He held out his hand and mentally activated the Special Effect: Wind of Surrounding.

Instantly, a faint, transparent current of air materialized around his palm.

The current of air seemed faint, but its effect was incredibly potent.

It was like an invisible film, completely isolating his skin from the outside world.

Lin Hui reached out and pressed his hand toward the ground.

FWOOSH!

The fallen leaves and gravel on the ground were instantly forced aside by the invisible Wind of Surrounding. And yet, Lin Hui felt that his hand hadn’t touched the ground. Instead, it felt like he was pressing against a soft yet resilient, invisible cushion.

He applied a little more force but still couldn’t touch the ground.

He increased the pressure again and again, eventually even channeling his Inner Strength.

A clear indentation formed in the ground, and only then was he barely able to touch the cold flagstones.

’It’s like having an extra layer of invisible armor around me, and its defensive effect is quite good. It also seems to subtly enhance my perception.’

This Special Effect compensated for his current lack of defense and also enhanced his perception to a degree.

Most crucially, the Special Effect would grow stronger as his control over air and wind currents improved.

In short, it was a Special Effect from a Secret Technique with the potential for continuous growth. And once activated, it could be maintained automatically without any energy consumption.

’Body Tempering is complete, and my training in Gale Swordsmanship is finished. Next up... Typhoon Swordsmanship.’

At this moment, Lin Hui’s anticipation finally reached its peak.

He closed his eyes and mentally selected the entry for Typhoon Swordsmanship within his Blood Seal.

Instantly, countless familiar memories of training in Typhoon Swordsmanship flooded his mind.

Then, as if by instinct, Lin Hui circulated his Inner Strength with a level of astounding precision completely unimaginable to an ordinary person. He simultaneously shaped and condensed nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine minuscule cyclones, all of them rotating in unison within his body.

All the cyclones spun in the same direction, as if invisibly drawing upon an immense, ethereal force from the outside world.

Hooo...

In an instant, an invisible current of air spread out from Lin Hui, affecting a three-hundred-meter radius around him.

More than half of the estate was caught within its influence.

At first, the current was slow, rotating gently. But as time passed, its rotation grew faster and more urgent.

Gradually, a low whistling howl began to rise from the entrances to the corridors.

This effect wasn’t as dramatic, sudden, or explosive as a gale.

Yet it possessed a subtle, crushing pressure, one that felt as unstoppable and inescapable as destiny itself.

A moment later, Lin Hui slowly drew his sword and began to practice the basic Techniques of Typhoon Swordsmanship, one move at a time.

Similar to the perfected Qingfeng Sword, the Sword Techniques of Typhoon Swordsmanship had a more captivating effect. It was less like he was swinging a sword and more like he was stirring some terrifying, brewing atmospheric vortex.

’This isn’t a swordsmanship meant for fighting people, but for controlling the weather. To use one’s sword and Inner Strength to shape the climate until it achieves the desired effect... that is the true essence of Typhoon Swordsmanship. It’s more like... simulating a natural disaster.’

Only now, as he truly began to practice, did Lin Hui grasp the essence of this swordsmanship. Before, his Body Tempering had been incomplete, and any attempt to practice had resulted in excruciating, tearing pain inside his body, so he had never properly tried it.

But now...

He was finally getting the hang of it and gaining a firsthand understanding.

’The only problem is that practicing this swordsmanship causes too much of a disturbance,’ Lin Hui thought, pausing his practice. He could feel the partially formed cyclone around him and sighed internally.

If he were to truly continue practicing, he suspected an atmospheric vortex several hundred meters in diameter might actually form around him.

This scale was, of course, incredibly weak compared to a real typhoon.

The problem was, he had only just started the Body Tempering for this new style. If he were to reach Ninth-Grade Body Tempering... he couldn’t imagine how large the resulting vortex would be.

’The main point of this swordsmanship is to form a Wind Domain that I can completely control. It can suppress all enemies up to a certain strength, make me unafraid of group attacks, and weaken higher-level enemies stronger than myself... I wonder how this path differs from the higher echelons of Martial Artists?’

At this thought, the idea of visiting the Inner City resurfaced in Lin Hui’s mind.

The Outer City was still too weak, too small...

Also, he should ask his sworn brother, Liu Wu Jun, about the Fog Spirit’s gaze to see if there was a solution.

Just as he was contemplating his next steps, a disciple’s voice called out from the courtyard entrance.

"Observatory Master, a Miss Han Xiaoyue from the Inner City is here. She says she is your friend and has come to visit. She is waiting in the main hall." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

’Han Xiaoyue? What’s she doing here?’ The thought flashed through Lin Hui’s mind. "I understand. You’re dismissed."

"Yes, sir."

In a flash, Lin Hui effortlessly vaulted over the wall, crossed the corridor in an instant, and appeared at the entrance to the main hall.

The stronger his Body Tempering became, the faster he grew.

He was also beginning to feel that at this level, it was becoming increasingly difficult to gain even the slightest bit more speed.

The surrounding air itself had become the greatest obstacle to his acceleration.

Coming to a stop, he pushed the door open and stepped inside, just in time to see Han Xiaoyue standing before the landscape painting. She was admiring the rather unremarkable ink wash painting in the same posture as all his previous guests.

"You’re here."

Han Xiaoyue still wore a veil, concealing the ugliness on her face. Her figure wasn’t disguised this time; her chest was modestly curved, but her waist and hips were full, and her legs were long and slender. As the air currents swirled, they would occasionally part the slit in her long white dress, revealing legs as smooth and fine as jade.

"What brings you here today? Is something wrong?" Lin Hui asked as he entered, closing the door behind him. In a flash, he vanished, reappearing the next second seated in the master’s chair, looking up at Han Xiaoyue.

"Be careful of the Qinghe Sect," Han Xiaoyue said. "Their personnel from the Inner City have been venturing out frequently, apparently investigating something. That faction has deep roots and powerful backing. They’re a tool for certain powerful figures in the Inner City to amass wealth, so don’t get yourself burned."

"You came here just to warn me?" Lin Hui narrowed his eyes. He quickly ran through the events in his mind, confirming that he had taken all the Purple Crystals and that all traces of the killings, including the bodies, had been cleanly disposed of. He had tossed them all into the night fog to be devoured and carried off by some unknown monster.

"You could say that. There’s another matter. Someone is plotting against your sworn brother, Liu Wu Jun. Tell him to stay away from the Naiyun Mountain ruins for a while," Han Xiaoyue said softly.

"The Naiyun Mountain ruins... I understand. Thank you, Miss Han. I’ll go warn my sworn brother immediately." Lin Hui’s expression shifted. Though they hadn’t known each other long, he knew that for someone with Han Xiaoyue’s disposition to deliver a warning in person, the situation had to be several times more serious than her calm attitude let on.

"Mm. I’ve said what I needed to. I’ll be leaving now." Han Xiaoyue’s expression was calm as she turned to go.

"Please, wait a moment," Lin Hui quickly called out to her. "Since you’ve come all this way, why not let me extend some hospitality?"

"Do you mean a meal?" Han Xiaoyue asked.

"No. I know a good place where we can train together," Lin Hui said frankly.

"..." Han Xiaoyue paused, taken aback for a moment, before a gentle smile touched her lips. "Alright," she agreed softly.

"Then please wait here for a moment. I need to make a trip to the Inner City to warn my sworn brother, but I’ll be right back. At my speed, as long as I can find him, I should be able to make the round trip within a couple of hours," Lin Hui said earnestly.

"Alright." Han Xiaoyue nodded. She walked over to a nearby chair, sat down, closed her eyes, and was once again enveloped by faint wisps of a cold, gloomy aura. She had simply started to train, right then and there.

Lin Hui felt a flicker of admiration. Such discipline, to be able to sit down and train anytime, anywhere, was something he could learn from.

He stood up, checked the Inner City permit he carried, and was about to set off.

"Wait," Han Xiaoyue suddenly said, her eyes snapping open. "There’s something on you... It’s the aura of the Fog Spirit..."

"Yes..." Lin Hui paused, surprised. He knew she was a noble lady from the Inner City and was thus worldly and knowledgeable. Since she had noticed, he recounted the entire story—how he had gone to the Fog Area, luckily discovered an abandoned ruin, and found a large Divine Statue inside.

Of course, in Lin Hui’s version of the story, the ruins had been empty, and finding the treasure was simply a stroke of good luck. He had done nothing at all to provoke the Fog Spirit and had been targeted for no reason, making him out to be a completely innocent victim.

"The Fog Spirit’s Gaze... It’s not a major problem. It’s a negative effect generated from the Divine Statue as a focal point. Since you destroyed the statue, the effect will disappear soon, in about half a year. During that time, as long as you don’t go near another similar statue, your Body Technique won’t be slowed again. If you do experience the speed reduction again, search the immediate area for another statue. Their range of influence is limited, so for one to affect you, it must be nearby."

Han Xiaoyue explained, seemingly knowing and understanding everything.

"I see... So as long as I make sure there are no other statues nearby, I won’t be affected, right?" Lin Hui asked, the realization dawning on him.

"You could say that," Han Xiaoyue nodded.

"Thank you for explaining. This kind of information must be quite valuable. Are you sure it’s alright to just tell me directly like this?" Lin Hui said gratefully.

"It doesn’t matter. I have no family left, so there’s no one to tell me what to do," Han Xiaoyue said flatly.