Patrol I (Thanks to Demonfire Fox, Alliance Leader)

At night, Lin Hui stood alone in the center of the inner room. This was the private cabin allotted to him after he became a formal disciple.

The room was spacious enough for sword practice without any fear of running out of space.

Holding the black sword Mingde had given him, Lin Hui focused all his attention on the red text in Blood Seal's vision.

As his concentration gathered, information related to the Seven Section Fast Sword swiftly surfaced.

"Seven Section Fast Sword: Qingfeng Temple's foundational training method, a basic sword art. Prerequisite for the Nine Section Fast Sword. Evolvable branches: 2."

"Current state: Complete."

"Once Body Tempering reaches a certain stage at the Complete realm, the special effect—Lightness—can be activated. Current special effect available for activation."

"Lightness... I thought this special effect was gone before. Looks like it's still here after all."

Lin Hui drew a breath and mentally confirmed the activation of the special effect.

Sssht.

In an instant, he suddenly felt his entire body grow lighter. This was not the illusion brought on by Body Tempering—his body truly seemed to have become much lighter all at once.

He raised his sword and unleashed the Nine Section Fast Sword.

A burst of air-rending sounds exploded. His sword moves were now more than twice as fast as they were in his normal state!

The sword shadows were almost impossible to see. Though he had been unable to see them clearly before due to Body Tempering, he could at least glimpse himself within the afterimages.

But at this moment, the shadows had completely turned into a curtain, wrapping him up tightly.

He had never seen such outrageous speed before, not even during the earlier disciple bouts.

Though speed did not represent absolute strength, if one was fast, one's strength was bound to be formidable.

Lin Hui carefully recalled the formal disciples' previous matches. Aside from the movement speed enhanced by Body Tempering, they seemed not to possess any special effects that explosively boosted their abilities.

Otherwise, they could not possibly have hidden them so well back then.

By his own estimate, after using the Lightness special effect, his speed could probably only compare to that of the senior brother and senior sister when they launched attacks with their sword arts.

"What a powerful effect..."

Of course, if he truly faced the senior brother, his Nine Section Fast Sword was a complete mess, and he did not know a single move of the Clear Sword Technique. He definitely would not be able to win.

But with this speed alone, he could already crush seventy or eighty percent of the formal disciples.

Yet before long, Lin Hui immediately felt his heartbeat quicken and his mind grow weary.

"Looks like the special effect consumes quite a lot too. I can't keep it activated all the time; I can only use it at critical moments."

"The limits of my physique mean the special effect can't remain active for long. I still need to learn the Clear Sword Technique as soon as possible. The Nine Section Fast Sword is the offensive killing move of the Seven Section Fast Sword, while the Clear Sword Technique is an entirely separate sword art encompassing Body Tempering and offense alike. Its Body Tempering effect is an advanced form of the Seven Section Fast Sword's."

Having settled on his goal, Lin Hui immersed himself in Body Tempering practice once more, wholly focused.

Inside the inner room, the lamplight was faintly yellow, and the shadow of his swinging sword flickered rapidly beneath it.

Outside the room, within the gray mist, long, strange shadows vaguely slithered like snakes, letting out hissing cries.

Before long, after completing ten rounds of Body Tempering, Lin Hui quickly regulated his breathing, extinguished the lamp, and lay down to rest.

His gaze swept across the window, and he saw the hazy moonlight outside reflecting long, slender snake-like shadows crawling over the exterior of the house, like enormous vines.

And the only thing blocking all of it was a small purple-black stone hanging on the wall inside the room. It was the Jade Talisman he had obtained from Yugong in the inner city.

With just such a tiny thing, it could keep out those grotesque Mist Zone monsters beyond the house.

Lin Hui did not understand. Whenever he looked at that tiny Jade Talisman, he always felt a vague unease in his heart.

"What if... what if one day the Jade Talisman suddenly fails? What then?" The thought abruptly flashed through his mind.

This was not the first time he had had such a thought, but there was nothing to be done. Aside from the Jade Talisman, there was no way for a living person to survive in the nighttime mist.

At least, he had never heard of anyone like that.

With a soft sigh, Lin Hui forced himself to close his eyes and rest.

The next day.

After packing his belongings and eating breakfast, he continued practicing his sword. The newly learned Nine Section Fast Sword still required a great deal of time to familiarize himself with.

These moves had a completely different style from the Seven Section Fast Sword before them—one could say their styles were opposites.

If the Seven Section Fast Sword was like compressing a spring, then the Nine Section Fast Sword was the violent release of that compressed spring.

The intensity of that instantaneous eruption was inseparably tied to the Seven Section Fast Sword.

Lin Hui tempered his body again and again. In one morning, he completed the day's ten rounds of Body Tempering and his Nine Section Fast Sword practice. After lunch at noon, he continued training the Nine Section Fast Sword, but when he had only reached the third round, several people appeared nearby to watch.

The spectators seemed to be a small group of three. Their leader was none other than Chen Chong, who had previously clashed with Chen Zhishen.

He and his two lackeys narrowed their eyes as they watched Lin Hui practice, their gazes flickering as though they were plotting something.

Swish.

Lin Hui abruptly sheathed his sword and looked toward the three of them.

"Do you three senior brothers need something?"

"Nothing, really. We just came to see what virtues and abilities this newly promoted junior brother possesses, to be chosen for the patrol team alongside me. After all, the entire outer courtyard only needs five people." Chen Chong smiled, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Senior Brother. I got in through Ming De Zhenren's connections, not through my own abilities," Lin Hui replied earnestly.

Uh...

Chen Chong was choked by his utterly undisguised frankness. He stared at Lin Hui for a moment, not knowing how to respond.

He had originally intended to seize on the weakness of Lin Hui being a connection hire and mock him a little. But the other man had said right to his face: I got in through connections. I'm weak. Please bear with me, Senior Brother.

That left him with no move to make.

"I've seen thick-skinned people before, but never a junior brother quite as remarkable as you..." Chen Chong said speechlessly, feeling he might have underestimated Lin Hui in the past.

"Is there anything else you want to say, Senior Brother?" Lin Hui asked blandly.

"Well..." Chen Chong still wanted to speak, but Daoist Ming De in the distance began clapping his hands to gather everyone.

"Those leaving tomorrow, come over and get ready. Get to know the people in your own teams." Daoist Ming De had the young Daoist attendants cordon off an area as the team assembly point.

Before long, all five had gathered: eldest senior brother Chen Sui, the two prodigies Huang Shan and Qiu Yiren, and then the two connection hires, Chen Chong and Lin Hui.

Everyone quickly assembled and stood before Daoist Ming De.

"I called you here so you can first get a general sense of your teammates' abilities. That way, at critical moments, you can distribute your responses properly and bring out the team's full strength," Daoist Ming De said.

"So, we're fighting? That's easy." Chen Chong spoke directly. This was not his first time taking part in such a cushy assignment, so he was thoroughly familiar with the process.

"Since the last patrol, we have three new faces this time: Huang Shan, Qiu Yiren, and Lin Hui. So the main subjects of assessment are you three. Chen Chong, you'll conduct the tests. Your strength is just right for it." Ming De showed no courtesy.

Chen Chong nodded, drew his sword, and walked into the open space.

He had been at Qingfeng Temple for five years. His current strength ranked thirteenth in the outer courtyard—not high, not low—making him a suitable benchmark for comparing the three newcomers.

"I'm ready. Who's first?" Chen Chong's gaze swept over the three before swiftly settling on Huang Shan.

He had had his eye on this girl for a long time, yet had no way to get his hands on her. He had even been warned by Ming De because of it. Now, during the match, his eyes roamed over Huang Shan's pert, shapely backside, and his heart began to itch again.

"You asked for this!" Huang Shan's anger flared under his disgusting gaze. She immediately drew her sword and stepped forward to stand opposite him.

Their wooden swords pointed diagonally at the ground as their eyes met, and they swiftly entered fighting stance.

An indescribable aura clashed and tangled between them.

"Begin!" Ming De gave the order.

With a swish, two piercing whistles burst forth at once.

Both were at Body Tempering, and both used the Nine Section Fast Sword. Now they met speed with speed, their wooden swords colliding in an instant with a sharp crack.

Bang!

They passed one another, planted their feet once more, then turned and slashed diagonally back with their swords.

This was Turning Back to Gaze at the Moon, a killing move within the Nine Section Fast Sword.

It was most suited for turning back to launch a sneak attack after an inconclusive exchange. Unfortunately, both had the same idea, and their swords collided again with another crisp crack.

This second collision made it obvious that Chen Chong was stronger. His strength overwhelmed Huang Shan, who had only recently reached Body Tempering, and easily forced her back.

But Huang Shan was worthy of being called a genius. Her comprehension and application of swordsmanship clearly surpassed Chen Chong's.

She followed the force, wheeled around, retreated, and turned sideways. Her wooden sword curved like a venomous snake, darting from another angle toward Chen Chong's waist.

The strike caught Chen Chong, who had been preparing to press his advantage, completely off guard. He had intended to attack, but with his waist unprotected, he could only hastily change moves and block the wooden sword.

The two exchanged attacks and defenses. In just a few short seconds, they had traded more than ten moves, swift as lightning.

Lin Hui stood to one side, watching alongside Qiu Yiren and Chen Sui.

"It looks like Senior Brother Chen's thirteenth place won't hold for much longer. Junior Sister Huang has improved greatly since last time," Chen Sui said calmly. His strength was the greatest among all the disciples, and he was also one of the temple's foremost experts closest to joining the Ming generation.

He had long since mastered the Clear Sword to perfection and had begun pursuing the realm of swordsmanship beyond mere techniques. Naturally, his vision was already on an entirely different level from that of ordinary disciples.

To be precise, the top three—him, second senior brother Zhao Jiang'an, and third senior sister, who was also the eldest senior sister, Mu Qiao Zhi—had formed a complete gulf between themselves and all the outer courtyard disciples below them.

The three of them had long since embarked on the path of pursuing the realm of the Clear Sword, rather than merely mastering sword techniques.

Even in Body Tempering, their Clear Sword Body Tempering cultivation had nearly reached the limits their bodies could withstand. After all, they had been at Qingfeng Temple for many years and were all extraordinarily gifted. The time they had spent cultivating was simply beyond compare with the others.

"Senior Brother, do you think Junior Sister Huang will win?" Lin Hui asked softly.

"That depends on how they perform. Junior Brother Chen is stronger, while Junior Sister Huang is faster, more perceptive, and more flexible in her moves. Their momentum is evenly matched; the difference between them is very slight," Chen Sui assessed.

Just then, the two in the field had already exchanged over a hundred moves. Chen Chong was visibly running out of strength, while Huang Shan remained as nimble as ever.

When Chen Chong took a step and his wooden sword move slowed by the slightest fraction, Huang Shan seized that fleeting opening in an instant. Her sword shot in, viciously striking Chen Chong's left shoulder.

Thud!

Chen Chong fell flat on his back with a cry of pain.

"Enough. Huang Shan wins. I have a rough idea of your standards now. Chen Chong still hasn't improved—same as always. Huang Shan has improved greatly. Not bad." Ming De spoke calmly, then turned his gaze toward Qiu Yiren and Lin Hui at the side.

"You two, step up."

Lin Hui and Qiu Yiren stepped forward, raised their wooden swords, and cupped their fists toward each other in salute.

This was Lin Hui's first proper spar with another person, and he was somewhat nervous. But when he remembered that his Nine Section Fast Sword was a complete mess and that he had only practiced it for a few days, he decided it did not matter even if he performed poorly. He gradually relaxed.

He looked at Qiu Yiren across from him and noticed that she seemed a little nervous as well.

"Begin!" Mingde gave the order.

The two thrust at each other's torsos simultaneously. This was the Thousand Mountains Thrust of the Nine Section Fast Sword.

Though they used the same move, Lin Hui's sword was clearly somewhat off from the proper trajectory, far from standard.

As a result, his strength was unsteady from the very first move. Qiu Yiren changed her stance and slashed downward with her sword, easily making his palm tremble. He nearly failed to hold onto his wooden sword.

In just a few seconds, the two exchanged blow after blow, their wooden swords clacking continuously. Lin Hui was soon suppressed and forced back again and again.

Then—

With a whoosh, the wooden sword in his hand was knocked flying. It shot into the crowd of front courtyard disciples watching nearby, where someone caught it out of the air.

"Junior Brother Lin, your sword." The man gave a light laugh, casually tossing it back to Lin Hui.

Lin Hui hurriedly caught it, his face flushing red. With a bitter smile, he cupped his fist toward the man, then cupped his fist to Qiu Yiren in salute.

"Thank you for going easy on me, Junior Sister." He had entered the sect before her, so it was perfectly natural for him to call her Junior Sister.

"You're not even familiar with the Nine Section Fast Sword..." Qiu Yiren sounded helpless, yet did not know what else to say.