Lin Hui thought about relocating, and that's what he did.
A few days later, after the final farewell dinner at the Pine Breeze Sword Hall, he announced the academy's dissolution. Except for the core disciples who needed to be selected, all other disciples were free to come and go.
Of the core disciples, apart from Wu Anning, all the others also chose to leave.
Only Wu Anning had no worries. He moved the sword hall with Lin Hui and entered the remote mountain forest where Yin-Yang Pavilion was located. They built a small courtyard next to Plum Heart Hermit and settled down there.
After the core disciples dispersed, many of them joined the uprising. Liu Xuezhen, as the daughter of a high-ranking member of the New Revolutionary Army, was extremely reluctant to part with Lin Hui, but she had no choice but to go into seclusion with him and could only bid him farewell with tears in her eyes.
Suddenly, the once bustling sword hall became deserted.
As the times changed, Lin Hui constantly felt the pulsating Time String of the Great Yin Yang Time Reversal Sword Technique, and his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds. Just two years later, he broke through the second level of perfection once again and began to cultivate the third level.
This sword technique can reverse the course of a battle in a short time under normal circumstances, and when the time reversal ability is used, it can directly reverse one's own state for an entire day. After Lin Hui reached the second level of perfection in his cultivation, he gained two opportunities for time reversal.
He didn't use it; he simply kept it, waiting for the right opportunity.
"Young friend... It's a real pity that you've chosen to move to the deep mountains at such a young age to keep this old man company..." Inside the deep mountain sword hall, Lin Hui and Plum Heart Hermit sat facing each other, with a black and white chessboard between them. The game was more than halfway through, and the outcome was still unknown.
Fallen leaves were fluttering all around, and it was already late autumn.
"I'm just waiting for something," Lin Hui said calmly.
"It seems you still haven't found what you care about. If this continues, I'm afraid you'll run into big problems sooner or later," Plum Heart Hermit sighed. "Why would I run into big problems?" Lin Hui placed a black stone, his expression unchanged.
"Life is driven by desire, but my young friend is becoming increasingly detached from desires, peaceful and serene. This may seem good on the surface, but in reality, it lacks the most fundamental inner Source Energy," sighed Plum Heart Hermit.
"I've said this a million times." Lin Hui smiled.
"It's a cliché, but we still have to be careful. Life and death, existence and nothingness, are always intertwined." Looking at Lin Hui in front of him, Plum Heart Hermit felt a sense of unease for some reason. It was as if this man might cause something terrible at any moment. "Speaking of which, things should be calming down outside soon, right?" Lin Hui changed the subject.
"Yes, the battle is basically over. Zhang Yi'an and Le Sui repelled the armies of Aixin and Dosini Kingdom from two different directions, suffering heavy casualties, but ultimately they were victorious. Good days are finally coming for ordinary people." Plum Heart Hermit was clearly not completely unaware of outside information.
"This Le Sui is quite a remarkable person." Upon hearing the name, Lin Hui smiled and shook his head.
This person was none other than the celestial being that the Three Greats Buddhist temples had been vying for.
This person is extremely intelligent. He didn't join Three Greats Buddhist temples, but instead entered the Great Golden Cloud Temple. After studying there for two years, he betrayed the temple and joined the rebel army. With the help of that magical flame, his cultivation level soared, and in just a few years, he became one of the strongest cultivators in the country. "However, we're approaching a critical moment. Now that the foreign forces have been defeated, divisions have emerged within the rebel army. Zhang Yi'an and Le Sui both have the heart to save the country, but after that, huge ideological differences have arisen. I'm afraid there will be more chaos in the future," sighed Plum Heart Hermit. "It'll be soon. Internal divisions are always easier to resolve than external crises," said Lin Hui.
"Perhaps. This can't go on forever, young friend. Perhaps you should cultivate some hobbies or interests you desire; that would be better," Plum Heart Hermit tentatively suggested.
"Then what should I do?" Lin Hui had indeed recently realized that something was wrong with him.
I have no interest in anything, I'm indifferent to everything, and my temperament is becoming increasingly unpredictable. Although I still remember my initial goals, for some reason, I'm finding myself increasingly lacking motivation.
"Life and death are not fundamentally different. If life is nothing but exhaustion, pain, and boredom, then living beings will inevitably choose the opposite: death," Plum Heart Hermit. "Therefore, to sustain life, one must discover places where life is more joyful, more valuable, and more meaningful."
He glanced at Lin Hui and continued.
"From my observation, since you moved here, young friend, aside from your secluded cultivation, you have had no other way to pass the time. Living for the sake of living, you will inevitably fall into a state of contemplating the meaning of life. Cultivation is inherently tiring, and over time, you will inevitably begin to think, to contemplate and try the other side of life, the possibility of death." Lin Hui paused, realizing that he had indeed been having such thoughts lately.
Many times, I've begun to ponder the meaning of life. This Plum Heart Hermit is truly different from everyone else I've met before.
"But is there really such a huge difference between life and death?" he asked rhetorically.
"I don't know," Plum Heart Hermit shook his head and placed another chess piece. "But I do know that since we've come into this world, if we don't fully appreciate the beauty and wonder of life, what if we never have the chance to come again? Wouldn't that be a huge waste?"
"Does the hermit mean I should actively seek out some amusement?" Lin Hui finally understood.
"Young friend, don't underestimate the power of amusement. It's a cornerstone of your existence. Some people are drawn to good food, some to beautiful scenery, some to beautiful women, and some are simply obsessed with things that seem mundane to others. But little do they know, these might be the ballast that makes their lives more meaningful and interesting..." Plum Heart Hermit said solemnly.
Lin Hui fell silent.
He was already a man of few desires, and now that the sword technique had severed the burden of flesh and blood, many of his physical desires began to diminish further.
Flesh and blood determine many basic desires. Now that he has no flesh and blood, life seems even less interesting to him.
Seeing him deep in thought, motionless for a long time, Plum Heart Hermit sighed, looked at the chess game he was about to win big, shook his head, got up, turned to Wu Anning, nodded to him, and prepared to leave.
When I reached the courtyard gate...
Suddenly, Wu Anning's question came from behind.
"Master, is your master spacing out again?"
"Yes, it's alright. Take good care of your master. He'll understand soon. Find him something interesting to do. Don't just sit around doing nothing. The joy of life can't be found by spending all day in seclusion," Plum Heart Hermit advised.
Wu Anning retreated to the courtyard. At this moment, the sunlight slanted, shining on his master's fair face, reflecting a layer of flawless, jade-like luster. But this luster was lifeless, giving people a faint sense of death.
Wu Anning looked helpless and began sweeping up the fallen leaves in the courtyard.
The soft sweeping sounds continued for a while before Lin Hui snapped out of his reverie.
"Peaceful."
"Here!" Wu Anning immediately stood at attention and put down the broom.
"What motivates you to live in this world? Can you tell me?" Lin Hui turned around and faced his most loyal disciple.
"Disciple... as long as I can follow Master and the Headmaster and live a peaceful life, I have no other desires. I already feel very happy with that," Wu Anning said honestly.
She had suffered hardships since childhood, and had only recently settled down, but a lingering sense of danger and uncertainty still remained in her heart.
"Is that so... But I feel... life... seems really meaningless..." Lin Hui recalled the hint given by this sword technique. All those who cultivated the Great Yin Yang Time Reversal Sword Technique eventually became terrifying avengers and destroyers, invincible and unstoppable. But in the end, these invincible beings lost the meaning of life and chose self-destruction.
Now, even though he's only at the second level of perfection, he's already sensed something is wrong.
He had no interest in anything, and everything he did felt meaningless. Severing the first layer of flesh and blood spiritual burden and the second layer of bone spiritual burden was enough to make him feel utterly hopeless.
"Master!" Upon hearing this, Wu Anning's expression changed drastically. He knelt down with a thud, his forehead deeply pressed to the ground. "Please stop saying such terrifying things. Look at this peaceful and gentle life, where I can quietly enjoy delicious food and have time to explore all sorts of interesting things. Isn't that something to be happy about?"
"But right now... it seems like there's nothing to be happy about..." Lin Hui said calmly.
"Then... Anning will go and hire the best chef and the most Beautiful Women for you! It will definitely cheer you up, Master!" Wu Anning's body trembled even more.
"It's alright. The fading of life's joys may simply be the inevitable path to another side," Lin Hui said with a smile.
"Master!!" A strong sense of foreboding rose in Wu Anning's heart, so much so that her tone carried a hint of despair. "Don't worry. I still have things to do, and I still have reasons to stay..." Lin Hui replied.
"Please, Master, do everything you can to find something that interests you, even just a little bit!" Wu Anning cried out, tears welling up in her eyes.
Lin Hui didn't speak again, but fell silent once more.
As time passed, he gradually stopped mentioning such matters of the meaning of life, which slowly put Wu Anning at ease, thinking that he had finally come to his senses. She also kept her word and went out to hire the best chef to cook the most delicious meals for Lin Hui.
Then he snatched a beautiful Beautiful Women, but Lin Hui, feeling helpless, released her.
What she didn't know was that as time went on, Lin Hui's sense of weariness and exhaustion grew stronger and stronger.
Without the offsetting pleasure, even the slightest fatigue from daily practice will accumulate over time, unable to dissipate, until it grows ever stronger.
In the blink of an eye, another three years have passed. With the acceleration of a large number of drugs, the progress of the Blood Seal is now only two hundred years away.
Lin Hui's sword technique cultivation began to rapidly ascend towards the third level, about to sever the last physical part of his body—his internal organs.
Removing this layer has both advantages and disadvantages.
The advantage is that all physiological issues are eliminated, and there will be no more problems such as drug resistance or drug toxicity.
The downside is that most of the precious medicines Precious Medicine will no longer be digested and absorbed, thus failing to produce any medicinal effect.
In other words, apart from some top-tier Precious Medicine that can directly affect the mind, soul, and cultivation energy, all other medicines will be ineffective for Lin Hui. He no longer worries about any non-energy, non-mind, or non-soul type of poisons, but he also cannot enjoy energy-boosting formulas made from ordinary combinations of medicines like the Black Emperor Pill.