Decaying World

Chapter 129

The efficacy of the first option, the Spirit-Sealing Array, came as a shock to Lin Hui.

A single use meant nine hundred years of sealing. Viewed in that light, he feared the time required to accumulate the necessary power would be immense.

Lin Hui’s heart stirred slightly as he reviewed the requirements.

[Resources Required: Five years of Reserve Energy, five years of Reserve Spirit.]

[Time Required: Eleven years.]

Only eleven years?!

He was surprised. For such a powerful ability to require so little time... it made him suspect there might be a drawback.

Exhaling, he continued reading.

[2—Evil-Sealing Array.]

This was no different from the previous description;

it was an array for sealing Evil Qi, and the duration was also nine hundred years.The third option, the Fire-Sealing Array, was similar—an array for sealing flames. The duration was the same as above.

However, the final one, the Life-Sealing Array...

[4—Life-Sealing Array: The ultimate secret art of the Sky Vulture Sect. It can attract a mysterious force to forcibly seal any life form, compressing it into a Life Orb that follows the caster. However, it cannot seal consciousness. This method has extremely low consumption and a very short recovery cycle. It can be activated upon contact within one meter of the target.]

[Sealing Duration: Ten thousand years.]

[Note: This secret art has almost no recovery cycle and consumes only a tiny amount of Internal Force and mind-spirit. Its activation speed is extremely fast. The only restriction is that the sealed target must be someone defeated head-on by the user. But all things must eventually find balance;

why has the Sky Vulture Sect, which mastered such a powerful secret art, long since vanished into the endless universe without a trace? The more this method is used, the stronger the mysterious force it attracts…]

[Resources Required: One year of Reserve Energy, one year of Reserve Spirit.]

[Time Required: Two years.]

Isn’t this just a strengthened version of the Sealing Array? Lin Hui immediately spotted the special nature of this fourth option.

Back then, the Sealing Array had been the same: it required few resources and little time, and its effects were strong, but its shortcomings were obvious. The Sealing Array Toxin required physical contact, and the sealing duration was extremely short—only one second.

This one was slightly different. The drawback wasn't the duration, but rather the potential attraction of some special, mysterious force...

But even so, it’s still an extremely strong trump card. It can be used at any time, and once used, it seals for ten thousand years. Ten thousand years is practically forever, isn't it?

Lin Hui calculated mentally.He looked back at the first option, the Spirit-Sealing Array. The first one seemed much more normal. The fourth one, the Life-Sealing Array, was stronger, but it required defeating the target head-on first.

Both were seals, but the Spirit-Sealing Array was safer, and the consciousness of the sealed life form would also fall into slumber.

The Life-Sealing Array was different. After being compressed into a Life Orb, there was no guarantee the sealed individual would sleep or lose consciousness. Clearly, this method lacked that function.

This could bring hidden dangers. After all, many abilities might operate purely on consciousness.

Lin Hui weighed the pros and cons of both.

Which one do I need right now? Which one can enhance my current system and perfect my overall strength? Facing the mind-spirit attack moves of a Divine Officer...

His gaze ultimately settled on the Spirit-Sealing Array.

The Spirit-Sealing Array could lock down consciousness. Although the accumulation might take a long time, once activated, it didn't have the prerequisite of defeating the opponent first, and it could thoroughly eliminate the threat of an opponent using abilities through their consciousness.

He checked the conditions.

It required a total of eleven years. With the Phantom Dragon Lotus in hand to support it, the evolution should be completed very quickly.

Pausing for a moment, he hesitated no longer. To deal with the mind-spirit attacks of Divine Officers in the later stages, reserves in this area were indispensable. The Spirit-Sealing Array could be activated from a distance and had a high safety factor;

it was indeed a formidable offensive method.

Wait. What I need most right now is the ability to defend against mind-spirit attacks...

Just as he was about to confirm the selection of the Spirit-Sealing Array, a thought flashed through Lin Hui's mind, stopping him.

Defense, protection... I should be able to evolve that from certain defensive equipment, defensive martial arts, cultivation methods, or secret arts.

After tentatively listing the Spirit-Sealing Array as a reserve evolution project, Lin Hui quickly gathered items related to protection and influencing the mind-spirit.

Under his instructions, Ding Ning and several disciples worked together and soon brought a row of items, laying them out on the floor of the study. After sending everyone out, Lin Hui examined the collection.

From left to right, the first category was mind-calming medicines, including pills and raw medicinal materials. There were a dozen or so bottles and jars of various sizes, carefully labeled by Ding Ning. These were reserve medicines obtained through the Wang family and Hundred Flowers Sect channels, long stored in the warehouse. They were mostly used by sect members to regulate mood and relieve stress, so their effects were very weak.

The second category, right next to the medicines, consisted of heavy black, silver, and white metal armor, helmets, greaves, and vambraces.

The third category was incense and lamp oil. These had similar effects to the medicines but with lower efficacy, and were generally used daily for calming the mind and relaxing the mental state.

The fourth category was books, recording various small tricks and methods to calm the mind and strengthen the mental state, mostly excerpted from secret martial arts manuals. This part was proactively provided by Tao Xuehai after he heard about the request.

Lin Hui thought for a moment, reaching out to touch the items in each category one by one. Finally, after quickly screening them with the Blood Seal, he kept three items. These were the only ones that, under the Blood Seal's appraisal, possessed true mind-spirit protective effects.

A small jar of gray-brown lamp oil and two small booklets.

The lamp oil had a label: Divine Form Oil (Mind-calming lamp oil used within the Shayue Sect).

A product of the Shayue Sect's Rain Palace;

it was indeed potent. Out of the pile of medicines and incense oils, this was the only one identified by the Blood Seal as having a genuine protective effect on the mind-spirit.

As for the booklets, one was the False Fright Art, derived from an Internal martial art. The other was the Bright Light Art, derived from a Call-cultivation technique.

A Call-cultivation technique was a preparatory method for nurturing prospective Called Ones. Its purpose was to train ordinary people, allowing them to gradually meet the basic conditions for awakening the Call.

For Tao Xuehai to get his hands on such goods made Lin Hui took the family background behind him even more seriously. Clearly, the Tao family was not on the same level as outer-suburb families like the Wangs.

Mind-spirit protection to keep myself unaffected. Coupled with the Spirit-Sealing Array to lock down the target instantly upon activation, causing them to lose consciousness and the ability to resist. With this, Divine Officers shouldn't be a big problem.

He reached out and gently touched the lamp oil.

This Divine Form Oil had only two evolution branches.

[1—Divine Peace Oil.]

[2—Divine Form Oil (Enhanced Version).]

The latter was self-explanatory;

it strengthened the calming effects of the oil itself, which wasn't very useful for Lin Hui's needs. The description of the former, Divine Peace Oil, was somewhat interesting.

[Divine Peace Oil: A disposable item. After being lit, a mysterious Lamp Spirit can emerge within the mind-spirit. The Lamp Spirit can guard the safety of the mind-spirit and will disperse on its own after being consumed.]

[Note: This Lamp Spirit is from a mysterious world capable of granting a wish. It will disperse after the wish is made, but whether this wish can be realized—and in what manner—requires careful consideration before wishing.]

The Divine Peace Oil required only one year of resources and time;

clearly, disposable items were cheap.

This disposable item from the Rain Palace, after evolution, simply becomes a higher-grade disposable item, nothing more. The part about granting a wish sounds like a trap just listening to it.

Lin Hui shifted his focus to the latter two methods: the False Fright Art and the Bright Light Art.

These two were simple. The training method of the former was to constantly visualize and experience things that terrified oneself, and then repeatedly recall them to defeat and overcome those fears. This achieved the effect of strengthening the mind-spirit.

The Bright Light Art involved constant self-hypnosis, reciting a "Self-Sutra" of self-affirmation every day. Judging by the description, it was all about "I am the strongest," "I am the best," "I fear nothing," "I am invincible," and "As long as I will it, I can do anything!"

It was basically a collection of autosuggestion techniques from his previous life.

Reading it, Lin Hui lamented that the Great Dao was indeed universal;

no matter the place, similar paths led to similar destinations.

He finally settled on evolving the False Fright Art into the False Enactment Art as his core.

[False Enactment Art: An enhanced version evolved from the False Fright Art, fused with a Daoist tempering method from a certain mysterious world. It can gather various elements you fear and dread to form a Void Terror Spirit. By constantly defeating the Terror Spirit, you can strengthen your own mind-spirit, enhancing its toughness and defensive power.]

This method was the orthodox path of training, unlike the Bright Light Art, which was essentially a form of self-hypnosis and self-deception. Although self-deception pushed to the extreme would certainly be strong, Lin Hui didn't like that path. He preferred to keep his feet on the ground and walk a solid road, step by step.

The reinforcement goals were set.

Two items in total: the False Enactment Art and the Spirit-Sealing Array. One offense, one defense, perfectly balanced, completing his means of dealing with Divine Officers and their subsequent systems.

Immediately, Lin Hui took out the Phantom Dragon Lotus and started by enhancing the False Fright Art. Only by defending could he be fearless of sneak attacks, increasing his margin for error.

This method required a considerable amount of resources and time, but Lin Hui thought it was worth it.

After confirming the evolution, stalk after stalk of Phantom Dragon Lotus was consumed and swallowed as time passed. Soon, the False Fright Art was completed. The small booklet turned into a brand-new yellow-covered square book with the three characters for "False Enactment Art" printed on the surface.

Lin Hui didn't stop;

he continued to confirm the evolution of the Spirit-Sealing Array.

Judging from the description, he deduced that an accumulation-type secret art like the Spirit-Sealing Array would likely have power exceeding his expectations. This suited his plan of hiding and accumulating over the long term, waiting for the critical moment to explode and reverse a disadvantageous situation.

After all, he wanted to live a quiet life;

those irritable, restless secret arts that required constant fighting to sustain were not suitable for him.

The Phantom Dragon Lotus was consumed continuously, one stalk after another. Before long, the last stalk was completely swallowed, but the remaining evolution time was not yet finished;

it was still a little short. The False Enactment Art had consumed a bit too much Phantom Dragon Lotus earlier, resulting in a deficit for the Spirit-Sealing Array now.

Fortunately, Lin Hui found the Black Emperor Pill and took it, then added the "aphrodisiac" pills Tao Xuehai had given him, barely managing to bridge the remaining time gap.

By now, it was already midnight. Outside, the Mist permeated the air.

Lin Hui hadn't even eaten dinner. He sat cross-legged on the floor of the study, a trace of red light flashing past his eyes.

Looking at the False Enactment Art in front of him and the Spirit-Sealing Array appearing in the lower part of his vision, he let out a long sigh of relief.

Finally done.

Standing up, Lin Hui suddenly felt his body go weak, and his head spun. He knew this was the result of taking too much medicine.

Fortunately, by circulating his Internal Force, the Purgatory-aspected energy seemed to have the effect of dissolving toxins in the body. After rotating it dozens of times, he finally suppressed the dizziness.

After the Purgatory Internal Force devoured that goat, it strengthened my constitution, but this only raised my upper limit for drug tolerance. If I take too much, I still can't handle it.

His dosage today had met the standard long ago. The subsequent consumption of the Black Emperor Pill, plus the potent pills sent by Tao Xuehai, had once again pushed his body to its limit.

Perhaps going to the Mist Zone to infect some creatures into Purgatory forms, then killing and devouring them to enhance my constitution, can further increase my tolerance for medicine...

A thought rose in Lin Hui's mind. But right now, the more important thing was to try out the Spirit-Sealing Array and the False Enactment Art.

Just as he was about to pick up the booklet for the False Enactment Art—

BOOM!!

A deafening sound, like a thunderclap exploding near the ground.

The entire house shook violently. Everything in the room was shaken loose or toppled over. The doors and windows rattled, and dust rained down from the walls, ceiling, and beams.

A few seconds later, a pained, beast-like howl came from outside, seemingly drifting over from the direction of the Inner City.

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