"The normal way is to take a boat from Xingdiao. It’s about a month at sea, passing through the Jade Sea and Crystal Sea. There are dangers, but they’re generally manageable," Lin Hui replied.

"..." Wang Hongshi fell silent.

The others—Xiaohu, Huang Shan, Qiu Yiren, Chen Sui, and so on—were all lost in thought.

Soon, after half a minute, Qiu Yiren raised her hand.

"I’m going! Wherever the Daoist Master goes, I’ll go!" Her gaze burned as she stared at Lin Hui, making no effort to hide her admiration and worship.

"What about your family?!" Huang Shan couldn’t help but ask from the side.

"My family listens to me. They all came out with the group this time. Leaving will be very simple," Qiu Yiren said, patting her small chest.

She was now the pillar of her family and had immense authority. If she said east, it was east; if she said west, no one dared go west.

Huang Shan fell silent.

It was different for her. Her family was large and had developed in Xinyu Town for many years, giving them much deeper roots. To give it all up would mean that the hard work of her entire family would be wasted in a single day.

It was the same for Chen Sui, as well as Chen Xiangzhi, Xiaohu, and Zhao Jiang’an.

"Those who are willing to come with me, compile a list and bring it to me in a bit. I won’t force anyone who is unwilling. As long as you still consider yourselves members of Qingfeng Dao, you can stay here and guard the headquarters," Lin Hui said magnanimously.

He wouldn’t expel people from the sect just because they weren’t willing to follow him.

Huang Shan, Chen Sui, and the others silently bowed to him, their minds in turmoil as they temporarily departed.

They needed to think this through and make a decision. At the same time, they had to inform everyone of this major event.

In truth, Lin Hui’s plan had always been to manage both sides.

Although Black Cloud was far, it was a prosperous city where it would surely be easier to trade for more Treasure Medicines, so he had to go. Meanwhile, the station here at the labyrinth ruins, with its new Purple Cloud Ganoderma garden, also needed people to maintain it.

It just so happened that the disciples who didn’t want to leave could help him guard the station and keep the labyrinth ruins operational.

"Yunxia, I’ll be counting on you to look after things here." After Wang Hongshi and the others left, Lin Hui sent a voice transmission to Master Yunxia, who was sitting cross-legged in the distance.

"Understood. Don’t worry, Daoist Master. I’ll just have the Nine Dreams Sect look after them from time to time." Master Yunxia was definitely not leaving. Her roots were here, and for other reasons, she couldn’t leave, nor did she want to.

As for breaking through her limits in Martial Arts, ever since she learned Gale Swordsmanship, she had been studying and practicing it diligently day and night. She treated it like a priceless treasure, her attitude bordering on fanaticism.

Her progress was also extremely rapid.

Of course, that was extremely rapid compared to normal geniuses like Tao Xuehai. Compared to Lin Hui and Xia Si, however, it was still the difference between a monster and an ordinary person.

To this day, she hadn’t even completed a single Body Tempering; she had only mastered all the Techniques.

"And what about you, Su Yaping?" Lin Hui turned his head to look at the other end of the group in the distance.

A hundred meters away, Su Yaping was sitting cross-legged on a large boulder, guarding the perimeter for the entire group.

Hearing the voice transmission, Su Yaping opened his eyes.

"This subordinate has long since abandoned everything. I am all alone, with no other possessions. My only wish is to pursue the pinnacle of Martial Arts!"

Compared to Master Yunxia, his heart of a true expert was actually purer.

On the surface, Master Yunxia was also obsessed with getting stronger. She could be shameless and give up anything for the sake of power.

But in reality, she had another, deeper reason compelling her to madly pursue greater strength.

In contrast, Su Yaping was a true martial arts fanatic.

Because from what Lin Hui knew, Su Yaping had not been a lone wolf in Xingdiao. Yet now he claimed to be all alone...

"What about your friends, relatives, disciples, and followers?" Lin Hui asked softly.

"Some ran away. Others were personally killed by me for betraying and hindering me," Su Yaping stated calmly.

Lin Hui was speechless.

’This guy... a lot must have happened in Xingdiao. If it weren’t for some major upheaval, he wouldn’t just kill people close to him for no reason. After all, even if he was pursuing strength, he could have just left by himself. The easiest, most selfish approach would have been to ignore them and leave directly.’

’But killing his own followers, disciples, friends, and family... that’s far more troublesome and complicated. No normal person would do that without a special reason.’

"Alright," Lin Hui nodded.

Soon, the list of those willing to leave together was finalized.

Only sixty-some people from the entire Qingfeng Temple were willing to follow Lin Hui out to sea and journey to Black Cloud.

These people had no ties holding them back, as their families were already with them in the group.

They knew how incredibly fortunate they were to be able to follow an expert of Lin Hui’s caliber. Their will was unshakable, and they quickly convinced their families to burn their bridges and forge ahead together.

The rest, having confirmed they could remain in Tuyue to practice their swordsmanship without leaving Qingfeng Dao, chose to stay behind.

Lin Hui didn’t mind. To each their own.

As for the Purple Cloud Ganoderma garden, he just needed to come back and harvest it once in a while after the plants had matured. With Master Yunxia and the others standing guard, it wouldn’t be a problem.

After all, while Purple Cloud Ganoderma was a Treasure Medicine, its value to others was far less than other rare and expensive Treasure Medicines that aided cultivation.

The market for this aphrodisiac really wasn’t that large. The recent price hike was only because of his aggressive acquisitions. Once he left, it would naturally return to its original price range.

Among the sixty-odd people willing to go were Wang Hongshi, Xia Si, Qiu Yiren, and Xiaohu. Including their families, they totaled just over sixty people. It could be said that most of the Core Disciples were unwilling to leave.

The sky gradually brightened.

Everyone took down the canvas shelters and began to form groups.

Master Yunxia led the members of Qingfeng Dao who were not leaving. They bowed in unison to Lin Hui, bade him farewell, and remained where they were.

Among them were also the servants and martial artist guards from the Lin Mansion who did not wish to leave.

The remaining group, those willing to leave, numbered just over a hundred people from both Qingfeng Dao and the Lin Mansion combined.

The two groups parted ways. Master Yunxia and the others watched as the convoy carrying Lin Hui’s group gradually disappeared into the mist, their hearts unsettled for a long time.

"The Daoist Master is only traveling far away, not leaving forever. Our duty is to safeguard this foundation for him, so why worry?" Master Yunxia said, turning to look at Huang Shan and the others.

"Also." She looked toward a corner of the mist not far away and tossed an object over.

"The Daoist Master ordered me to give this to you personally. Remember to take it."

From within the mist, Tao Xuehai reached out and precisely caught the object. Looking down, he saw it was a jade box, one he had previously used to deliver medicine to his teacher.

Opening the box, he saw a withered white grass emitting a faint green fluorescence lying quietly inside.

Beneath the grass was a slip of paper.

’Extreme Frost Withered Heart Grass: Consume with one liang of Dragon Source Incense to extend life by twenty years and temporarily halt decay.’

Tao Xuehai closed the box, took a deep breath, and tilted his head back, closing his eyes as they stung with tears.

A moment later, he set down the jade box, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed heavily in the direction Lin Hui had departed.

"Disciple... I will not disappoint you!"

Leaving behind this voice, which was more a promise than an oath, the gentle breeze swept by, and Tao Xuehai had vanished from the spot.

*

*

*

「Three days later.」

Within a desolate bay on the Jade Sea.

The Qingfeng Daoist Disciples led by Lin Hui, along with the people of the Lin Mansion—a total of one hundred and thirty-seven people, including family—officially boarded the Black Cloud fleet that had come to meet them.

Han Xiaoyue was the only one left to see them off.

"I wish you a safe journey. Perhaps we will meet again someday," Han Xiaoyue said, standing on the shore and watching Lin Hui walk up the gangplank.

In the jade-green bay, the fleet from Black Cloud, flying a black flag with the characters for ’Heaven’s Gift,’ consisted of more than ten large ships. They slowly raised their gangplanks, preparing to set sail.

Lin Hui stood by the ship’s rail, gazing down at Han Xiaoyue, who was faintly visible in the mist below.

"Why don’t you come with me?" he sent via voice transmission.

"I have a mission that I must complete." Han Xiaoyue shook her head. "We’ve known each other for a while; we can be considered friends. If you have the heart, you can come back here in thirty years, return to Tuyue to see me."

"Thirty years?" Lin Hui narrowed his eyes. He had never understood why Han Xiaoyue came to Tuyue. As a Super Adaptable, why would she travel thousands of miles to a remote city like this?

Yes, in the grand scheme of the Taixu Federation, Tuyue was considered a relatively remote place.

Han Xiaoyue’s status in Tuyue was also strange.

The Moon Tower turned a blind eye to her, providing her with good food and drink. And Han Xiaoyue truly lived like an ordinary person, doing nothing but cultivating and reading books each day.

Judging from what he had previously overheard from Han Sanmian, Han Xiaoyue and the others had likely come here for a mission they needed to complete. It was a matter concerning the Federation, not just the city of Tuyue.

But Han Xiaoyue never said anything, and no one else knew, so Lin Hui could only guess.

"If you ever need help, you can send someone with a letter to Number Forty-something, First Grade, Liuxiang District, Black Cloud," Lin Hui said in a low voice.

That was the address of the residence his old man had purchased.

"Okay!" Han Xiaoyue nodded seriously. "Take care."

"You too." Standing at the rail, Lin Hui watched as Han Xiaoyue’s figure gradually faded, swallowed by the vast mist.

Although he would definitely be back to harvest the Purple Cloud Ganoderma, for some reason, at this moment, he felt a touch of sadness.

The Blood Progenitor’s pursuit had been too sudden, forcing him to expose his strength to eliminate the future threat.

Everything felt too rushed.

But on second thought, the initiative had always been in the hands of the Blood Progenitor, Han Sanmian.

From the moment he decided to strike and devour, Lin Hui knew that his peaceful life was over.

Turning around, he saw his old man chatting with a fat, heavily bearded man. The atmosphere was harmonious.

This bearded man was the captain of the Heaven’s Gift merchant fleet, Huang Dadan.

His dad was laughing and joking with the man, and they seemed to be getting along well. Lin Hui knew he didn’t have that knack, so he decided not to interrupt.

His gaze swept across the deck.

The deck was brownish-yellow, blackened and faded in places, with large dents and cracks. In one corner, some sailors were slacking off, secretly drinking and playing cards.

The atmosphere of the entire fleet was quite lax.

Right now, apart from the thirty-some people from their group who had just boarded, the deck was filled with brawny sailors wearing tight, gray, waterproof clothing.

These sailors were all men, without a single woman among them.

A quick glance revealed about fifty or sixty sailors, not counting those in the cabins below deck.

The ship was over a hundred meters long, a true behemoth. It was brownish-yellow and resembled a traditional galleon. However, a strange vibration came from the stern, suggesting a power source other than sails.

Something at the bow parted the mist, keeping the entire deck clear.

As Lin Hui was sizing up the ship, Liu Xiao quietly walked up beside him.

"You didn’t forget to have someone pass on the letter to Big Brother, did you?" Liu Xiao asked softly.

"Of course not. I wonder what Big Brother’s reaction will be when he gets home and finds no one there." Lin Hui found the thought amusing.

The whole family had run off, leaving only Liu Wu Jun behind.

But it couldn’t be helped. At the Lin Mansion, both his father and he had been exposed. If they didn’t leave, it would attract a great deal of trouble later.

It was better to just leave.

"I’m a little worried..." Liu Xiao showed a rare hint of vulnerability.

"What’s there to worry about? Big Brother is one of the best among the High Priests, and his master is the Vice Palace Master of the Rain Palace. The Rain Palace is directly under the Federation’s jurisdiction. As long as there’s no evidence he’s done anything wrong, everything can be resolved," Lin Hui reassured her.

"No, that’s not it. I’m worried about what expression Palace Master Jiang Zhixia will have when she finds out we’ve whisked Xia Si away right after she became her disciple..." Liu Xiao explained.

"..." Lin Hui was suddenly at a loss for words.

’Looks like Big Brother is in a really tough spot...’

"I guess I’ll just have to explain it properly when I come back," Lin Hui sighed. Fortunately, after he cut down Han Sanmian, his understanding of Typhoon Swordsmanship had deepened. Coupled with over a year of hard practice, he now had a clue about the final grade of Body Tempering.

He estimated that once he arrived at their destination and found a stable place, he could complete the final stage of Body Tempering in one or two months at most.

It made him reflect that growth really was fastest in actual combat.