’Purgatory and extreme cold?’

Lin Hui’s heart went cold. Though he had used the Wind Disaster Power to shed the troublesome aftereffects of those two forces, the memory of Purgatory’s corruption remained vivid.

"Is there any news of Liu Wu Jun from the Rain Palace?"

"Not yet. However, there have been no reports from the Rain Palace about any incidents involving a Grand Priest Level expert. I’ve already asked someone to look into it," Li Yuanyuan replied.

"Good," Lin Hui nodded.

"Third, another local wants to join the Clear Wind Dao. They’re hoping to obtain a Dharma Seal to break through their bottleneck. They seem very sincere. Originally, they went through Junior Sister Qiu Yiren. Since Junior Sister Qiu was too embarrassed to bring it up with you, they came to me instead," said Li Yuanyuan.

"What’s their background?"

"She’s the Ninth Miss of the Fang Family, which runs a wine business in the Inner City. She was sent to the Inner City Rain Palace as a child and is now stuck at the Circulation stage, unable to advance. It’s been three years."

"Find a time to bring her over. Explain the conditions to her clearly. A year has passed; it’s about time we started recruiting local Disciples."

Lin Hui didn’t actually feel a strong need to expand the Clear Wind Dao. The current number of Disciples was sufficient to support him with intelligence and resources.

Once his plans were set and his background faction was established, he had no intention of causing any more stir. He would just live a quiet, peaceful life and focus on his cultivation.

He had never been an ambitious man.

Most of the time, it was external pressure that forced him to keep moving forward.

After dismissing Li Yuanyuan, Lin Hui strolled alone through the back garden of Clear Wind Courtyard.

The grand mansion, large enough for a hundred people, was now occupied only by him, Li Yuanyuan, and a few servants.

The entire place felt increasingly desolate.

As he meandered through a bed of golden blossoms, the faint, elegant fragrance of the flowers slightly improved his mood.

He often contemplated the meaning of life. Cultivation was a means to protect his peaceful existence, but what was the purpose of that peaceful existence?

Procreation? Family? The indulgence of desire? The exploration of the unknown?

He didn’t know.

He just felt that having the time each day to do as he pleased, not being forced by outside pressures to do things he detested, not worrying about his next meal or his personal safety... that was more than enough to be content.

Just like now. He wanted to walk and admire the flowers in the garden, and he had the time to do so.

This was contentment.

And now, it was time to evolve a new Martial Art.

The last evolution of the Star Breath Sword Manual had taken several years. Without enough Treasure Medicine to speed things up, it probably would have taken a decade or more.

Judging from the completion of his Body Tempering with Typhoon Swordsmanship, his physique and Heart and Spirit were at least two or three times stronger than before. On top of that, there was the Special Effect, Micro-flash, with its unknown properties, and the complete form of Typhoon Swordsmanship, which he had never truly tested in combat. Now, even Lin Hui himself didn’t know how powerful he was at full strength.

The likes of Han Sanmian were merely a slightly more difficult target for him. With no other opponents for comparison, he was uncertain about his own strength.

From that perspective, the evolution of the Star Breath Sword Manual this time was bound to be even more demanding than the last. If he didn’t start early, he feared he’d master the sword manual only to find its evolution lagging far behind. That would be awkward.

He stopped walking and closed his eyes. Information from the Blood Seal materialized in his vision.

’Star Breath Sword Manual: Initiate (Four levels total. Requires the condensation of four major forms, which ultimately merge into one to grant the Special Effect: Breath of the Stars.)’

’The Four Major Forms: Divided into Life, Annihilation, Heaven, and Earth. Condensing each form requires a specific, corresponding resource.’

’Life Form—After initiation, you must save ninety-nine different types of living creatures. Upon completion, you can perceive the Pulse of Life and condense the Sacred Form of Life.’

’Annihilation Form—After initiation, you must destroy ninety-nine different types of living creatures, after which you can condense the Annihilation Sacred Form.’

’Heaven Form—After initiation, you must assume the perspective of an incarnation of Heaven’s Will and stabilize the atmosphere over a planetary region of more than one million square meters.’

’Earth Form—After initiation, you must assume the perspective of an incarnation of the Earth’s nature and manage and stabilize the geography of a planetary region of more than one million square meters.’

’This is so complicated?’ Lin Hui had assumed it would be like before, where he could successfully cultivate just by staying home. But from the looks of it, the process required him to attempt four different paths to condense four sacred forms.

It seemed this Swordsmanship could no longer be mastered simply by training in seclusion.

"It seems I’ll have to carefully consider how to approach this training in the future..."

With a flicker of intent, Lin Hui confirmed the evolution project centered on the Star Breath Sword Manual.

The Blood Seal on the back of his hand gathered and then dispersed.

Soon, new information appeared.

*

*

*

Tuyue · Moon Tower.

"Have you found any trace of the missing elder?"

On another Moon Tower, one that housed the Taixu Origin Disk, a vast, moon-white disc slowly rotated within an empty circular hall at the tower’s peak. Silver, root-like cracks spread across the floor, extending to nine evenly spaced points around the disc’s circumference.

At each of the nine points where the roots terminated, a spacious, high-backed emerald chair was set.

Eight figures in black robes occupied the chairs, but one seat remained conspicuously vacant.

"It’s more or less confirmed," one of them said in a low voice. "Just as the Hong Yin army arrived, the Eighth Elder went to the Fog Area to act alone. He wasn’t there to confront the Celestial Goose Army’s general, but had some other objective."

"Indeed," another said. "Though it’s a bit late to only be finding a trace now, it will all be worth it if we can clear up this misunderstanding with the Celestial Goose Army."

’It was definitely not because we couldn’t beat them and were forced to find an excuse to move past this.’

This was the silent consensus among all present.

A year had passed. After all this fighting, neither Taixu nor Hong Yin wanted to continue. Hong Yin had lost three generals, and Tuyue had replaced three elders. Both sides had suffered devastating losses.

But the generals of the Celestial Goose Army could be resurrected from their preserved flesh and blood... which put their side at a significant disadvantage.

"Hong Yin has reported the same; they’re already withdrawing their troops," someone said softly. "The Matriarch is about to return, so it’s useless for them to remain. Their original objective is now impossible to achieve. By that logic, we’ve actually won."

"Indeed... Now that the war is stabilizing and nearing its end, who is willing to investigate Han Sanmian’s disappearance?"

An elderly male voice, seemingly the leader of the eight, posed the question.

"Whoever killed Han Sanmian... one of us alone might not be enough to bring them to justice," one of them said. "Even if the Eighth Elder was more of an administrator and his strength wasn’t formidable, he was still a Blood Progenitor of our rank."

"Then I will ask again: who is willing to go? Based on the remaining traces, there are two suspects. First, Elder Chen of the Chen Family from Extreme Desire Heaven, who vanished for a short time. Second, the mysterious person suspected of impersonating Lin Hui of the Lin Family, who fled far away to Black Cloud."

"The former disappeared from the battlefield for roughly two hours, which corresponds to the period Han Sanmian was shielded. The latter suddenly erupted with power exceeding the Palace Master level while being pursued. It’s questionable whether this power is enough to defeat Han Sanmian, but this person is a suspect because Han Sanmian had been frequently monitoring him. Therefore, even if this Lin Hui isn’t the killer, he is likely closely connected to the killer," the elderly male voice analyzed.

"My lord speaks wisely."

"That is a reasonable deduction."

The others nodded in agreement.

"Hou Xihan, you once gifted that Lin Hui a Moth Car. What do you know of him?" an elder suddenly recalled, turning to Hou Xihan, who had been promoted to elder only a few years ago.

"He is indeed a rare prodigy. To have comprehended special Martial Arts and Secret Techniques that transcend the common Martial Dao at such a young age... I admired him. I admit I didn’t see his hidden strength at the time. Suppose Han Sanmian knew of Lin Hui’s hidden power all along. Could it be...?"

Hou Xihan’s speculation immediately drew nods of agreement from the others.

’If it was a matter of Blood-Heart Devour, that would certainly be possible.’

"This man has a connection to you, Hou Xihan. Why don’t you make the trip yourself? Capture him and bring him back," the elderly voice said gravely.

"If this man is indeed connected to the killer, then even though my strength far surpasses Han Sanmian’s, I am not confident I can succeed," Hou Xihan said, shaking his head slightly.

"For this matter, the Chief of Extreme Desire Heaven will act personally. He will go with you."

Ning Qianzhi?!

The collective breath of the room hitched.

A man’s reputation precedes him, like the shadow of a tree.

Since the founding of Tuyue, the few elder defections that had occurred were all personally handled by Ning Qianzhi, who hunted down and killed the traitors.

His strength was rumored to be approaching the level of a Marshal. Even if the other seven elders of Extreme Desire Heaven attacked him together, they might not be his match.

Over thousands of years, the number of powerful enemies he had defeated and devoured was unknown. This had made his power like an ancient, deep pool—utterly bottomless.

"Then I have no objections," Hou Xihan nodded.

"Chief Ning is the main force this time. Your primary responsibility is to record his words and actions after arriving in Black Cloud," the elderly voice continued. "Tuyue’s recent movements have me on edge. Black Cloud is not like our Tuyue. Their three masters hang high in the sky, each one more powerful than Tuyue. They are also the front line against Hong Yin and the Fog Spirit pantheon, so you must be extremely cautious. If you accidentally break a taboo and get devoured by one of their elders, we will have no recourse."

"Understood." Hou Xihan’s expression grew solemn, and he nodded quickly.

"Besides monitoring Ning Qianzhi, there is one other thing you must do," the elderly voice continued.

"Please, speak," Hou Xihan said gravely.

"Find out if that Lin Hui is the genuine article. If not, never mind. But if he truly reached such heights on his own in just a few short years... find a way to uncover the secret behind him. Don’t let Ning Qianzhi kill him outright. Keep him alive and bring him back."

"Understood!"

Meanwhile, within Extreme Desire Heaven.

Ning Qianzhi knelt on one knee, his head bowed to the white-robed woman seated upon a crystal throne.

"Mother, I am about to depart for Black Cloud. Do you have any instructions for my journey?"

Judging by appearances, Ning Qianzhi was strikingly handsome, with a perfectly proportioned physique and a cold, severe aura. He wore white armor edged in gold, with a long white cape trailing behind him. A colored crystal in the center of his forehead emitted a faint, multicolored glow that shimmered against his shoulder-length white hair.

The woman on the crystal throne, however, looked like an ordinary peasant girl. Her features were plain, her skin slightly tan, and her proportions average. Her hands even bore the rough calluses of farm labor.

Yet, as she sat upon the throne, she inexplicably radiated an immense, oppressive aura that seemed to merge with her very surroundings.

"I will be returning soon. Hong Yin’s Marshal-Incarnation has already withdrawn. But I don’t plan on returning to the city. I will rendezvous with you halfway to Black Cloud," the woman said casually.

"You... You’re coming as well!?" Ning Qianzhi exclaimed, unable to stop himself from looking up at her in shock.

"Why? Am I not allowed? There are far too few interesting things in this world. Most everything is just meaningless repetition. But this Lin Hui... he’s somewhat interesting..."

Tuyue smiled.

She had lived for nearly ten thousand years and had seen almost everything in the world countless times. She could often grasp the entirety of a situation from a single detail.

This was why most things held no interest for her.

But this time, Han Sanmian’s death caught her attention, leading to her accidental discovery of the little fellow, Lin Hui.

And judging by the various traces surrounding this little fellow, the secrets he was hiding were likely substantial.

This thrill of uncovering a mystery stirred a ripple in Tuyue’s heart, which had remained placid for so long.

The death of a single elder was of no consequence to her.

In fact, she wouldn’t care even if all of Extreme Desire Heaven and the Taixu Origin Disk were to vanish.

But the prospect of something "interesting" was enough to give her the slightest inclination to travel to Black Cloud and explore the unknown.