Body Tempering Two (Thanks to the Moon Knight, Alliance Leader Moon)

Lin Shunhe nodded repeatedly in agreement.

After dealing with Xu Dao and the other two, he shut and locked the door. Turning around, he saw that his wife had somehow come to stand before the inner room's door, wrapped in an outer robe and watching him.

"Ahe..." Yao Shan called softly, worry in her voice.

"It's fine. I'm here. Go back to sleep." Lin Shunhe waved a hand, speaking calmly.

With his past connections still in place, Xu Dao's attitude had been fairly mild just now, and everything had been handled according to the rules. That was good. He wasn't afraid of too many rules; he was afraid of having no rules at all.

As for the proceeds, after managing an oil mill for so many years, cooking the books was nothing more than an effortless little matter to him.

But that wasn't the real crux of it. The key was the support they would need once the shop was up and running.

Connections dwindled the more they were used. Things were still alright now, but after enough time had passed, favors would run thin.

When that time came... what would he have left to guarantee their current life?

At that thought, Lin Shunhe's mind spun rapidly as he considered how to break the deadlock in the future.

Yet the moment he entered, his wife Yao Shan could not help asking in a low voice.

"Ahe, people from the Wood Flower Gang came by once today too. Why have people from the Fortune Peace Gang come again?"

"Hm? The Wood Flower Gang sent people too?" Lin Shunhe sharply sensed that something was wrong. This usually only happened when two gangs began fighting over territory, yet Xinyu Town had always been Fortune Peace Gang turf.

"For the next few days, we'll stay home and not go anywhere. We'll talk after those two gangs sort things out." He cautioned her.

"I'm just afraid the Fortune Peace Gang won't be able to hold them off. The Wood Flower Gang's people are overbearing—they opened their mouths and took five thousand coins from us." Yao Shan said worriedly.

"It's fine. If anything, that proves the Wood Flower Gang has no intention of settling in for the long haul. This is just a one-shot deal. I imagine they'll leave soon enough," Lin Shunhe judged, comforting her.

Though he said that, he still sighed inwardly. This was what it meant to lose the protection of a powerful patron and have no safeguard. In the past, even the Fortune Peace Gang's stewards would have come to his door politely to share a drink with him.

How could it be like now... Lin Shunhe had to count himself lucky that, back when he had been riding high, he had treated people smoothly and handled affairs properly. Otherwise, if he had offended too many people, now that he had fallen from power, a whole crowd would surely have kicked him while he was down.

His current circumstances were no different from those of ordinary commoners. It was already the best outcome amid misfortune.

December.

The weather grew colder by the day.

All around Qingfeng Temple, withered leaves swirled through the air, carpeting the ground in yellow.

Amid the howling cold wind, the disciples assigned to go out formed squads, like centipedes one after another, slowly patrolling the area around the temple and driving off wild animals.

Lin Hui silently gripped his sword and stood in a somewhat empty corner of the training ground, beside a wooden weapon rack, gradually immersing himself in his comprehension of the final move of the Seven Section Fast Sword.

Just moments ago, the final move of the Seven Section Fast Sword had finally evolved successfully.

In its place, a massive flood of memories—of his comprehension of the fast sword—came surging madly into his mind.

The wooden sword in his hand grew ever more familiar, as though it were joined to his flesh and blood. Lin Hui's eyes were clouded now, his pupils rapidly contracting and expanding as if shocked by lightning.

Only after about half a minute did he finally let out a long breath.

He raised his sword again and pondered for a moment.

Ssh!

Suddenly, he slashed diagonally forward, beginning the Seven Section Fast Sword with movements incomparably practiced.

Move after move, every technique in the sword art seemed to sprout a kind of life in his hands at this moment—nimble and graceful.

At this moment, his whole body seemed to transform into a brown blur, a blur enveloped by the shadows of his brown wooden sword.

Seven moves in all, more than fifty points of exertion—he executed them without the slightest hindrance, completing the entire set in barely half a minute.

Swish.

Lin Hui withdrew his stance and stood still, holding the sword upright along the centerline of his body. He closed his eyes and did not move.

A clear, icy current shot up swiftly from the soles of his feet as he remained motionless, following his calves, thighs, waist, and abdomen before rushing straight toward the crown of his head.

For a moment, Lin Hui felt as if he were soaking in a cool spring, yet he did not feel cold in the slightest.

Only an indescribable sense of relaxation and comfort welled up within him.

It worked! He opened his eyes, and a huge stone in his heart finally crashed to the ground.

More than a year of bitter training had finally borne fruit today.

That icy current of Body Tempering was so distinct that he had almost mistaken it for something else.

After all, he had previously asked Chen Zhishen in a letter about it. Under normal circumstances, the icy current that appeared during Body Tempering should have been only a faint thread, something one could notice only by calming down and sensing it carefully.

But that current just now had been truly exaggerated. The icy flow had practically filled the blood vessels and muscles of his entire calf. How could that have been merely a thread? It was likely more than ten times as much.

Lin Hui sensed his body's condition for a moment, then lowered his sword again and began a new round of Body Tempering.

The Seven Section Fast Sword had no limit on the number of Body Tempering sessions one could perform each day. But it consumed the body's stored energy, so at most, a person could only temper their body ten times a day.

Of course, under normal circumstances, even geniuses like Huang Shan and the others could not manage ten Body Tempering sessions.

With more than fifty points of exertion, getting even one wrong meant having to start over. And in the later stages, it became impossible to maintain total concentration, making mistakes even more likely.

So, according to what Chen Zhishen had learned, managing Body Tempering six or seven times a day was already considered impressive.

Ordinary people managed four or five times, while the poor ones could only do it once or twice.

This was the hierarchy among Qingfeng Temple's formal disciples.

"Body Tempering is basic training that must be done every day. If you're behind by several sessions every day, then over time, that gap truly piles up day by day, until it becomes an ever-widening chasm..."

Only now did Lin Hui feel the immense gulf created by talent—a terrifying disparity that ordinary people were powerless to chase down.

After completing his Body Tempering, he continued practicing the Seven Section Fast Sword until he had made up ten rounds before finally stopping slowly.

It was not that he did not want to continue, but a faint stabbing pain had clearly arisen in his chest. He had obviously pushed himself past his limit.

Once he stopped, the disciples who had gone out on patrol also began filing back into the temple.

Lin Hui immediately picked up his wooden sword, headed toward the main hall at the front, and strode quickly over.

Having completed Body Tempering, he needed to register and change his status. Formal disciples enjoyed quite a few benefits. Aside from improved living conditions, their tuition fees were much lower each month, and their names would also be entered into Qingfeng Temple's annual recommended disciple list—a catalog from which many factions selected people to hire.

Tuyue's martial arts halls and sects had long been highly practiced at this sort of arrangement.

Passing through the main hall, Lin Hui quickly spotted the old Daoist Ming Chen, the duty steward overseeing disciples practicing their swordsmanship in the front courtyard.

He had met this man once at the entrance to the Mist Zone behind the temple. Later, as Ming Chen gradually took on responsibilities teaching martial arts, they had run into each other several more times.

Lin Hui recognized him at once.

Ming Chen was currently stroking his goatee, his gaze sweeping back and forth over the disciples below.

Anyone who did not know better might have been intimidated by his immortal, sage-like bearing and felt admiration for him.

But disciples like Lin Hui, who had spent over a year at the temple, knew perfectly well that his gaze was surely fixed on the voluptuous female disciples below.

"Disciple Lin Hui pays respects to True Person Ming Chen." Lin Hui did not waste words, stepping forward and bowing.

"Mm, what is it?" Ming Chen had clearly long forgotten the boy he had met alone back then. He came back to himself slightly and glanced at him.

"This disciple completed his initial Body Tempering today and has come to change his status in the registry," Lin Hui said directly.

"You've tempered your body? Not bad." Ming Chen nodded absentmindedly. "How long did it take?"

"A little over a year."

"Not bad. Huineng, take him to amend the registry." Ming Chen pointed to a half-grown Daoist boy nearby and gave the order.

"Yes."

The Daoist boy was only thirteen or fourteen, standing a full head shorter than Lin Hui. But boys like him were the people closest to the True Persons, so Lin Hui did not dare look down on him. He immediately greeted him with proper respect.

The Daoist boy smiled and led Lin Hui to a small side room within the main hall. He pulled out the registry and carefully entered Lin Hui's name.

"Senior Brother has a contract with the temple, so there's no need to put you on the recommendation list. That saves some trouble," the Daoist boy said with a smile.

"Indeed." Lin Hui nodded and smiled along with him.

"Next, Senior Brother can train in the front courtyard as usual. The front courtyard is where us formal disciples practice. We mainly train the Nine Section Fast Sword and the Clear Sword, so everyone is allotted a larger area. Space is limited, so you'll have to wait until others finish before you can use it. Of course, you can also go out and find a nearby place to practice swordsmanship. After entering the front courtyard, many senior brothers and sisters choose to leave the temple and train at home, only returning on teaching days to gather and seek guidance."

The Daoist boy offered a brief explanation.

"In short, once you enter the front courtyard, you'll have much more freedom than before. Some impressive senior brothers and sisters can even take posts with minor gangs and earn money. They live quite comfortably. So if you run into members of minor gangs in the city, ask about their background before fighting. Of course, they will generally ask first as well. Once they know our background, those with some connection will usually give us face and go around us."

"Thank you for the guidance, Junior Brother." Lin Hui clasped his hands, lost in thought.

"Not at all. I've just heard everyone talk about it often enough to know a little more," the Daoist boy said with a smile.

After the change was made, Lin Hui received a hard black wooden waist token again. The two characters Qingfeng were simply carved into it, representing his status as a formal disciple of the front courtyard.

"You have three days of leave next. How you arrange them is entirely up to you," the Daoist boy added.

"I'll go home for a visit. It has been a long time since I last returned," Lin Hui replied.

After finishing the status change, he turned and headed toward the rear courtyard. As he left the main hall and passed the entrance to the dining hall, he ran into a large group of disciples gathered together on their way in to eat.

Among them, several girls walking together happened to see him emerge from the side room where the registry was kept.

One of the girls, the long-braided one on the left, was none other than Xie Li, who had previously been in the same circle as Lin Hui and Chen Zhishen.

Seeing that Lin Hui's posture and movements had become noticeably more upright, she guessed that he had completed Body Tempering as well.

"He broke through too. I suppose he'll be leaving the temple soon, just like Chen Zhishen?"

She herself had completed Body Tempering last month, and she understood the situation in the front courtyard. There was a reason the front courtyard had always maintained only around twenty disciples.

On one hand, many disciples had set their sights solely on Body Tempering, and once they achieved it, they immediately left to earn money.

On the other hand, the front courtyard had a competitive system as well. Only those ranked near the top were qualified to enjoy the benefits provided in return. Those at the bottom still had to spend heavily on resources for cultivation. With more going out than coming in, few could keep that up.

"That's Lin Hui, right? He finally tempered his body. Actually, he was fairly quick," a friend beside her said casually with a grin. "So, Xie Li, do you regret it even a little? Maybe he's a minor genius too?"

"It's nothing remarkable. Cultivation after Body Tempering is harder and far longer—that is the real situation one has to face. With his aptitude and talent, he won't be able to stir up any waves." Xie Li remained calm. "Now that I'm following Eldest Senior Sister, even though we have both completed Body Tempering, I can enjoy first-rate benefits with the Mu Family. My Body Tempering speed far surpasses that of ordinary front-courtyard disciples. If I were still the same as before, that would be something to regret until it was too late."

"True enough. Eldest Senior Sister is such a good person. You really are lucky," her friend teased with a smile.

"Let's go. Before long, he'll understand just how important resources are for people like us who aren't geniuses." Xie Li said no more. Compared to Lin Hui, whose family had fallen into decline, she was already no longer in the same league as him.

At most, within a year, the gap between them would be stretched to the point of despair for him.