Decaying World

Chapter 114

"Later, someone within the tribe accidentally merged with the Evil Weapon and Insect Canon (Codex) from the most ancient era, becoming the first generation of Mistborn. Thus began the history of clearing territories and establishing human settlements."

"The Mistborn possessed incomparably powerful martial force, but they also had a limited lifespan. The descendants born to the first generation of Mistborn were called Truebloods, but this Trueblood status was not permanent. When the progenitor Mistborn passed away, the Trueblood lineage would degrade, and the nobles would revert to ordinary people. Therefore, to maintain and extend the rule of the Truebloods, the Inner City was established."

"But I heard that Mistborn are not limited to just the human race. Is that true?" Lin Hui asked.

"Yes." Han Xiaoyue nodded. "Other races also have Mistborn, though generally not as many as humans."

"Returning to the earlier topic, you said the Inner City was built to extend their rule. How so?" Lin Hui asked.

"Because the greatest drain on a Mistborn is the constant resistance against the external Mist. Therefore, building the Inner City with special materials to block out most of the mist minimizes this consumption. Of course, the methods of extension are not limited to this. There are also things like the Imitation Evil Weapon and Imitation Insect Canon, created to forge Imitation Mistborn that can share the pressure. But overall, their effects are not significant."

Han Xiaoyue paused, then continued.

"The Trueblood Nobles' research discovered that besides the Mistborn bloodline, there is another method that can truly withstand the Mist: The Call."

"The Call?"

"Yes. The Call is actually a type of activation—a lower-tier ritual mimicking the Imitation Mistborn. A Called One can also share the burden of resisting the Mist for the Mistborn to a certain extent. Thus, the Inner City began increasing the population on a large scale to screen candidates for The Call.""I roughly understand." Lin Hui nodded in realization. "Then what about those sealing fortresses I encountered when I entered the Inner City?"

"Countless dangers exist within the Mist. Even a small area outside can have two ruins, let alone a region as large as the Inner City. Therefore, the Truebloods locate the source of all anomalies, then classify, restrain, and seal them. They dispatch guards to watch over them;

these are the so-called Inner City sealing fortresses," Han Xiaoyue explained seriously.

Next, Lin Hui asked various questions about the Mist Zone and the Inner City. She answered them all with ease, quoting classics and citing historical events. Her breadth of knowledge seemed to exceed Lin Hui's expectations.

Unknowingly, the two became engrossed in their conversation.

"Then what about the lifespan of a Mistborn? Since a Mistborn determines the lifespan of an urban district, then what is the lifespan of Tuyue now..." Lin Hui suddenly asked.

"The record of Tuyue's construction goes back about four thousand years. There are no specific written records of a Mistborn's lifespan, but calculating from the earliest recorded district history, it should be around ten thousand years," Han Xiaoyue replied calmly.

"Since there are no records, how did you deduce this?" Lin Hui asked curiously.

"The Xingdao District is about to be destroyed. Their Mistborn entered senescence very early on. Not long ago, he was injured by the shockwaves of two passing Mistborn fighting. Now, he can't even maintain stability in his Inner City;

evidently, he is failing. I went to Xingdao, looked up the historical records there, and reached this conclusion," Han Xiaoyue answered.

She looked at Lin Hui, her eyes somewhat strange. "You are very special. Ordinary people wouldn't care about these things because they are too distant from them."

"Just curious." Lin Hui smiled.

"Sometimes, excessive curiosity leads only to pain," Han Xiaoyue said.

"Then I would rather suffer pain than remain ignorant," Lin Hui said.

These words were not something the impoverished educational environment of the Outer City could teach.

Han Xiaoyue's eyes lit up;

she faintly felt a difference in Lin Hui that was distinct from the surrounding environment. She didn't know it was the subtle aura of a civilization from another world, but at this moment, she indeed felt the difference.

If it were anyone else, they likely would have only asked why curiosity would bring pain. But Lin Hui understood instantly and gave his own answer.

"One more question. I wonder if Miss Han knows how a Mistborn merges with the Evil Weapon and Insect Canon?" Lin Hui was quite curious about this.

How exactly is a Mistborn, who ascends to the heavens in a single step, formed? Why can they reach the apex without any cultivation?

"By being chosen," Han Xiaoyue said calmly. "Since they are named Evil Weapons, you should have guessed what the existence of a Mistborn actually implies."

"Chosen by the Evil Weapon and Insect Canon?"

"Yes. This selection is one-way. In fact, according to my understanding, Mistborn face different tribulations every so often;

only by passing them can they continue to live. This distinguishes Mistborn into two classes: City-Founding Mistborn and Stray Mistborn. Only those capable of stably passing tribulation after tribulation can build a city. This also represents that their strength is extremely terrifying," Han Xiaoyue spoke without reserve.

"So that's how it is. After merging with the Evil Weapon and Insect Canon, can a Mistborn still continue to cultivate martial arts?" Lin Hui asked again.

Han Xiaoyue smiled immediately. "This question is a bit funny. After all, the limit of a martial artist is something a Mistborn can obliterate with a mere thought. But you have asked a key point. A Mistborn's power depends on the development of the merged object. The higher the upper limit of the Evil Weapon and Insect Canon, the stronger the Mistborn. As for whether a Mistborn can cultivate other systems after merging, I don't know."

She restrained her smile. "I only know that once one becomes a Mistborn, their foundation of strength is far beyond comparison with any other system. Even the apex of the Internal Force path in the Inner City is just an ant that can be wiped out casually in the eyes of a Mistborn."

"What about a High Divine Officer?"

"The Palace Master realm above the High Divine Officer is the same. Their power compared to a Mistborn is like a raindrop to a river. Like an ant to a human. The gap between them is indescribable," Han Xiaoyue said solemnly.

Lin Hui's heart shivered, and he asked no more.

He now considered himself knowledgeable about the strength of Circulation martial artists and understood part of the strength of Divine Officers and High Divine Officers. Yet even such strength was no different from an ant in the eyes of a Mistborn;

he could hardly imagine what kind of height that was.

Then, Han Xiaoyue asked for some of his private information, seemingly intending to use it when acting as a shield.

Near dusk, the two stood up to part ways, exchanging contact information. Han Xiaoyue gave a mailing address, while Lin Hui left the location of the Clear Wind Temple.

Leaving the Inner City, he quickly recorded the content Han Xiaoyue had spoken of, waiting to verify it later. Through today's description, the overall outline of the Inner City gradually emerged.

The next day, early in the morning, Lin Hui packed his things and entered the Inner City once again.

Determining from the map, his destination this time was a place in the Outer Ring called Mystic Fang District. The Inner City was divided into nine districts, and each district was further divided into nine towns.

Mystic Fang District was a large district with most of its area in the Outer Ring. It had numerous medicinal herbs, mineral deposits, and trading markets. According to the Wang family's map records, the population census fifteen years ago was around four million.

Before going, Lin Hui asked for intelligence from his father's side and learned that the main residents of the Mystic Fang District were an ethnic minority called the Gray Stone Clan. Aside from the Three Great Powers, the most influential force was the Mystic Fang Sect of the Three Sects and Six Associations.

After learning some taboos, Lin Hui took the twenty vials of Feather Blood sponsored by his father and set off.

The sky was bright. Around nine in the morning.

Lin Hui entered the Inner City through the South Ninth Gate once again with ease.

Passing through the cliffs and arriving at the fork in the road, he chose the main road heading toward the Mystic Fang District according to the signpost.

No convoy, no entourage;

just him alone, carrying a sword, bringing gold notes and Feather Blood, plus a little dry food. With a push of his feet, he rushed forward along the main road like the wind.

It had just rained, and the ground was somewhat moist. Flanking the dusty mud road were simple bamboo fences. Beyond the fences were vast stretches of emerald-green rice paddies.

In the paddies, men and women dressed as farmers held hoes, weaving back and forth through the fields at high speed. It was like ordinary people sprinting at full speed on flat ground.

The pure white sky, the gray earth, and the emerald green on both sides made Lin Hui's mood increasingly pleasant. He could smell the fresh scent floating in the air.

After traveling at normal speed for about half an hour, another fork in the road and a signpost appeared ahead.

He slowed down to a stop and looked carefully at the signpost.

'Left: Red Stone Fortress.'

'Right: Horse Manure Mountain.'

"There's no marker... how should I go from here... let me think..." Lin Hui now regretted not bringing a guide. He thought this journey would be like the last one, but he didn't expect the distance to be so far.

He recalled the approximate orientation in his mind and dashed toward the left again.

Not long after, a stone bridge appeared on the road ahead. Below the bridge was a crevice cliff, with water glistening at the bottom.

Several saber-wielding men wearing light leather armor guarded the bridgehead, chatting out of boredom. A bonfire was still burning on the right side. Lying beside the fire were two large black dogs with goat horns, creatures of unknown origin.

Lin Hui slowed down, intending to ask for directions to confirm if he was going the right way. The terrain route on this map felt somewhat mismatched when he actually walked it.

"Halt!" The two men guarding the bridge ahead spotted him and raised their hands to speak.

"A case has occurred ahead, and a lockdown investigation is underway. You can detour through here," a man with a mustache explained.

"A case? What case? Can you talk about it?" Lin Hui frowned slightly.

"Two bandits intercepted and killed at least three merchant caravans passing through here. The Pacification Corps is pursuing and has issued a warrant for them. You cannot pass through here for the time being," the other party replied.

He sized up Lin Hui, recalling his movement technique just now. "Your movement technique is not bad, but the bandits inside killed over a hundred people in caravans guarded by Circulation Realm martial artists. You'd best be careful going through alone."

"Many thanks!" Lin Hui's heart shivered. The Inner City was indeed different;

even the bandits were in the Circulation Realm. This was completely different from the Outer City, where a Circulation Realm expert could dominate over a dozen towns.

Bidding farewell to the two, Lin Hui ran along the bank for a full thirty li before finding a second wooden bridge.

This wooden bridge was broken;

the wooden planks in the middle had rotted away, leaving only a few scattered randomly on both sides.

Moreover, this place had no signposts, and the surroundings were desolate. Not a single person could be seen.

Lin Hui hesitated;

he no longer knew where he had run to. If he got lost and couldn't go back... No amount of permits on him would be useful.

Immediately, he turned around and headed back toward the stone bridge, intending to ask for a detailed route.

Not long after returning to the stone bridge, to his astonishment, the two leather-armored men who were at the bridgehead just now had fallen to the ground.

Fresh blood spilled all over the ground. Beside them, the two goat-horned black dogs had also been cut in half at the waist, dead as could be.

He immediately sensed something was wrong and turned to flee.

"It's him! Catch the murderer!!"

Suddenly, a furious roar rang out from not far away.

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