Decaying World

Chapter 118

Chapter 118

Decaying World

Clear Wind Temple.

"Wanderer Tao Xuehai challenges the Master of Clear Wind Temple, Formless Sword Lin Hui, today. I ask the Temple Master not to be stingy with his instruction. These three Concentrating Heart Red Sun Pills will serve as the stake. Regardless of whether the Temple Master wins or loses, these pills are a gift to Clear Wind Temple."

On the drill grounds, a man wearing a navy blue cloak and carrying a curved saber stood with a medicine-holding pageboy behind him. Facing the hundreds of onlookers from Clear Wind Temple, his expression remained unchanged, and his heart did not race as he declared his challenge to Lin Hui.

Many disciples gathered around to watch the excitement. Ever since Lin Hui had taken action several times to display his strength, the reputation of his formless sword had grown increasingly thunderous, spreading throughout the surrounding Outer City.

As a result, more and more challengers were attracted.

Many of them were new martial artists trying to use the Formless Sword's reputation to make a name for themselves, while a small portion actually possessed true skill. To show goodwill, they would often cater to Lin Hui’s preferences and present precious aphrodisiacs as stakes.

This led to Lin Hui’s title of "Formless Sword" being privately referred to by some as the "Formless Aphrodisiac Sword."

At this moment, Tao Xuehai’s verbal challenge immediately drew the idle and bored disciples to crowd around.

"What is your cultivation base? You actually dare to challenge our Temple Master? Don't you know that even Circulation Realm martial artists can only fight to a draw with our Temple Master?" a loud-voiced female disciple spoke up.

"My master is naturally also at the Internal Force Perfected stage. He has traveled from a distant town, hoping to borrow the pressure of a challenge to break through to Circulation!" The pageboy behind Tao Xuehai didn't wait for him to speak and shouted proudly.

Internal Force Perfected!?

As soon as this realm was reported, everyone quieted down significantly.

Regardless of anything else, within the entire Clear Wind Temple, only Xue Meng had reached this level of cultivation.

He was indeed not someone they could mock.

After reporting his cultivation, Tao Xuehai closed his eyes to rest, standing quietly in the center of the drill grounds to wait.

Meanwhile, disciples had already gone to report to Lin Hui.

Chen Sui, Wang Hongshi, and others were also in the crowd, observing this person.

"What strength do you think the Temple Master is at now? This person knows clearly that the Temple Master fought a Circulation Realm expert to a draw, yet he still dares to come challenge. He must have something to rely on," Chen Sui said in a deep voice.

"He should be at a level comparable to Circulation. He wants to break through but doesn't dare to find a real Circulation expert, so he came to find the Temple Master. He likely fancied exactly that: not Circulation, yet comparable to it. Just suitable for a martial artist like him who needs pressure but doesn't want to be crushed while tempering himself," Wang Hongshi whispered.

"The key is, this person is a bit young..." Huang Shan narrowed her eyes. She was a genius herself, so she was somewhat sensitive regarding age. She could see at a glance that this Tao Xuehai seemed quite young.

"He is young. I guess he won't be over thirty," Zhao Jiang'an, the former Second Senior Brother of Clear Wind Temple who had been invisible for a long time, chimed in with a whisper at this moment.

He had hidden at home for a long time, but seeing Clear Wind Temple becoming stronger and stronger, he finally couldn't withstand the persuasion of his family elders. He came to Clear Wind Temple to admit his mistakes to Lin Hui, effectively re-entering the sect.

"Then you all guessed too high. My master just turned twenty this year," the medicine-holding pageboy actually heard their conversation and turned his head to shout loudly.

Just turned twenty?!

As soon as these words came out, everyone’s heart skipped a beat.

There had been challengers before, but none as exaggerated as this person.

Internal Force Perfected at just twenty years old!? What kind of concept was this? This was practically on par with the aptitude of the Liu siblings.

Back then, Liu Xiao broke through to Internal Force Perfected at twenty, and afterwards spent several years before breaking into the Circulation Realm. Now, this Tao Xuehai was the same. Those who understood the implications felt a shiver in their hearts.

Shua.

Suddenly, Xue Meng appeared on the drill grounds, looking at Tao Xuehai. His brows furrowed tight.

"If you want to challenge the Temple Master, you must first pass my test."

As the current face and final trump card of Clear Wind Temple, if just anyone could challenge Lin Hui whenever they wanted, it would be beneath his dignity, and Lin Hui himself would be annoyed.

So, as the gatekeeper, he needed to step out and filter them.

Many challengers had been beaten back by him before, but this time, Xue Meng sized up Tao Xuehai and felt uncertain.

"Acceptable. I am also aware of Senior Xue Meng, the second-in-command of Clear Wind Temple," Tao Xuehai smiled gently, his bearing graceful.

"Everyone move back! Leave some space to avoid accidental injury." Xue Meng raised his hand to signal everyone to retreat to a safe distance.

As everyone retreated, a circular area was left alone for the two to exchange blows.

Xue Meng and Tao Xuehai stepped forward, facing each other; one drew a saber, the other drew a sword.

Seeing that Xue Meng also drew a sword, Tao Xuehai frowned.

"Senior Xue Meng founded the Intent Blade Sect; his saber techniques were outstanding. Why...?"

"That was before meeting the Temple Master. Now I have long abandoned the saber to learn the sword, following the Temple Master on the Great Dao," Xue Meng said in a deep voice. He didn't care at all that he was decades older than Lin Hui.

But this attitude of his actually won Tao Xuehai's respect.

The two held their weapons, confronting each other for several breaths.

"Senior, be careful. The martial art I cultivate is called 'Cloud Mist Nine Appearances.' It shifts between void and reality, every move is a killing stroke, and it is extremely dangerous," Tao Xuehai explained earnestly.

"You also must be careful. The sword technique I use is the Perfected Clear Wind Sword refined by the Temple Master. Its moves explode with extreme power," Xue Meng reciprocated, responding with an explanation.

After another silence of several seconds.

Tao Xuehai suddenly stepped forward.

Pu!

A cloud of white mist abruptly exploded from his entire body. The white mist, like real fog, instantly shrouded the surrounding area of more than ten meters, enveloping Xue Meng within it in a flash.

For a moment, the crowd on the outside couldn't see what was happening inside at all. They could only hear the sounds of countless dense saber and sword collisions ringing out rapidly—ding ding dang dang.

Clearly, both were fighting speed with speed, the rhythm extremely fast.

After about ten breaths or so, a muffled groan suddenly sounded.

Xue Meng flew backwards, sweeping out of the mist to land and stand firm at the edge of the drill grounds.

On the wrist of his right hand holding the sword, at some point, an extremely tiny bloody cut had appeared.

His expression was unsightly as he stared in bewilderment at Tao Xuehai, who was slowly walking out of the mist.

"No wonder you dare to challenge the Temple Master. Such a fast saber technique... You should be from the Inner City, right?"

"This is indeed Extreme Martial Arts." Tao Xuehai smiled and nodded.

Only the Inner City would possess such formidable saber techniques, capable of contending even with the Perfected Clear Wind Sword.

Evidently, this guy was likely a martial fanatic or a similar character. This challenge just happened to find Clear Wind Temple.

"I lost... Thank you for showing mercy," Xue Meng fell silent for a moment, then spoke with difficulty.

"Now, I should be qualified to challenge the Temple Master, right?" Tao Xuehai smiled.

"The Temple Master is here!!"

"Quick, make way!"

"Look quickly, the Temple Master seems better looking than before. I wonder if it's my illusion!?"

"Why do I feel the Temple Master's aura is even stronger than before!?"

"I have that feeling too..."

Disciples, students, and even Elders hurriedly made a path at this moment.

At the end of the crowd, Lin Hui held a black longsword, his expression calm as he strolled closer.

His mood wasn't very good. This challenge had interfered with his cultivation of the Wild Wind Sword Technique Body Tempering. However, the opponent had defeated Xue Meng and had very politely presented aphrodisiac pills beforehand.

So regardless, he still had to treat people with courtesy and come out to deal with it.

I still need to nurture a disciple who can handle matters... This thought rose in his mind at this moment.

Walking up to Xue Meng and Tao Xuehai, he stopped at a distance of seven or eight meters and glanced at the wound on Xue Meng's hand.

"Elder Xue has worked hard. Go rest first."

"Alright." Xue Meng's heart settled. Seeing Lin Hui come out, a smile appeared on his face.

He didn't go to rest completely, but instead flashed to the side into the crowd to watch the battle with several disciples.

Everyone firmly believed Lin Hui could win; it was just a matter of how he would win.

Lin Hui sized up this Tao Xuehai.

This person had average features, slightly heroic in spirit, without a hint of femininity. Under the cloak he wore was a suit of purple-black, tight clothing.

In Tuyue, a saying circulated: to see a man's background, identity, and status, first look at his belt.

For this belt, commoners of ordinary status mostly used cloth belts or grass-woven belts. Those with a bit of money used pigskin belts.

Those slightly better off used tanned cow, deer, rabbit, or mink skin. Among them, cow leather was the most common.

And the most important item of the belt, the belt hook, further highlighted the differences in male aesthetics, wealth, and status.

Tao Xuehai's belt was a scarlet cow leather belt, added with a belt hook shaped like a bat made of gold-inlaid black jade.

Hung on the side and back of the leather belt were a jade pendant, a money bag, dart pouch, medicine pouch, and so on. Each was exquisitely patterned; one look showed he was not from an ordinary family.

Lin Hui remembered that Wang Yueheng's belt wasn't as exquisite and particular as this person's.

One had to know, what was Wang Yueheng's status? A High-Tier Called One!

And the person before his eyes was only at the Internal Force Realm, Perfected stage.

"Actually, challenging me won't be of any help to you," Lin Hui spoke softly after finishing his assessment.

"Why?" The smile on Tao Xuehai's face faded. He gripped his saber with both hands, bowed his body, lowered his head, and assumed a stance to launch a move.

"Because." Lin Hui paused. "If you cannot suppress me with pure cultivation, then you are destined to fall into a duel of finding flaws."

"So?" Tao Xuehai frowned.

Lin Hui gazed at him, spoke no more, and turned to leave, carrying his sword.

"Wait!!" Tao Xuehai started, then immediately shouted loudly, chasing forward.

But his right foot had only taken one step.

Pu!

A faint snapping sound rang out from his hair.

The crown binding his hair atop his head instantly split in two. Following that, his full head of long hair abruptly scattered, blown backward by a powerful current of air.

"!!!?" Tao Xuehai was stupefied.

Xue Meng was also stupefied.

Not just them; among the hundreds of spectators surrounding them, unexpectedly, not a single person saw clearly when Lin Hui drew his sword, nor when he returned to his original spot.

This sword strike—unexpectedly, no one perceived it!

Standing blankly in place for a moment, Tao Xuehai watched Lin Hui's receding back. The expression on his face constantly changed and twisted.

Seeing the person about to completely leave his field of vision, he suddenly quickened his steps to chase after him.

"I want to learn! What sword technique is this? Temple Master Lin!?"

Even now, he couldn't recall any details or any outline of that sword strike just then.

It was as if his crown had split open by itself, and split open with an incomparably smooth and neat cut at that.

That sword overturned all the cognition and concepts of martial arts he had held since he began practicing!

It turned out that the martial path could also be walked like this!?

In this instant, the astonishment and doubt in Tao Xuehai's eyes instantly turned into fanaticism—incomparable fanaticism.

"I don't want to teach. If you really want to learn, sign up to enter the temple yourself," Lin Hui paused and replied without looking back.

"Sign up??! Such a sword technique... surely the Temple Master wouldn't pass it on to everyone in the temple?" Tao Xuehai was stunned again.

For such extreme speed sword techniques, shouldn't they be hidden away and passed down as a legacy martial art from generation to generation?

How could...

"My sword is perfect. Apart from me, no one can reach it. Even if passed on, no one can achieve my height." Lin Hui said casually. "Could it be you think I would fear others learning my sword technique and then surpassing me?"

He glanced back at the other party, his figure flashed, and he instantly disappeared from the spot.

Tao Xuehai stood where he was. Seeing such movement techniques—unexpectedly, he couldn't even see the movement clearly—the fanaticism in his eyes grew thicker and thicker.

"Sure enough... I made the right choice coming out of the city this time!!"

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