Thoughts III (Thanks to Alliance Leader Scarlet Flowing Light)

After leaving his teacher's home, Lin Hui returned to the training ground and saw the other two newly recruited groups in the distance practicing their swords amid laughter and chatter.

Xiao Hu and Little Fat were earnestly rearranging the stones that served as boundary markers.

Wei Wei had found these stones specifically to divide the entire Qingfeng Temple grounds among its three branches.

Whichever area belonged to whom was clearly marked by the lines formed from these stones.

"Black mist... The environment outside is so dangerous. Then what force is protecting the entire city? And where does such a force come from?"

One thought after another kept surfacing in Lin Hui's mind.

He had thought the Inner City would be a safe place, but now it seemed that the Inner City had its own hardships as well.

As he lifted his sword, Lin Hui could see what his master was thinking.

To live a stable life, without any particularly lofty ambitions; to eat and dress well, and live plainly—that was enough.

At the very least, the dangers around them had already been cleared away. To Mingde, that was the greatest relief.

But...

Lin Hui turned his head slightly and looked toward the enormous white wall of the Inner City, soaring into the clouds with no end in sight.

Then he looked at the boundless gray mist in the opposite direction.

The area where the people of the Outer City lived was limited to the long strip of gray sky above their heads, through which sunlight filtered down.

The spring rain was gradually letting up, and the sunlight shining through the gray mist had turned grayish white.

Lin Hui looked up. The sky was still gray mist; the sun was nowhere to be seen, nor were any clouds. The entire city was like a giant sphere, centered on the Inner City, forcibly pushing aside the mist and holding up a vast spherical hollow.

"Perhaps I should enter the Inner City first and take a look. Once I confirm whether it truly is as the rumors say, I can decide whether the whole family should move in."

Having made up his mind, Lin Hui no longer hesitated and continued practicing his swordsmanship.

Days passed one after another.

As the Blood Seal continued to evolve without end, the completion level of the Clear Sword Technique also kept advancing.

And as Lin Hui continually tempered his body and strengthened his physique, the time needed to evolve each move of the Clear Sword Technique began to shorten as well.

By the time he evolved the sixth move, the required time had already dropped from five days to four.

This gave Lin Hui even greater motivation to strengthen his physique and temper his vigor.

In the blink of an eye, the spring plowing had passed, and waves of farm work came one after another. The black mist period arrived as well.

Just as Lin Hui quietly waited for the Blood Seal to evolve, Daoist Baohe finally woke up.

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Qingfeng Temple, the temple master's bedroom.

Cough, cough...

Daoist Baohe's face was like gold paper as he lay half-reclined on his sickbed, looking sideways at the three junior brothers standing in the room.

Ming Chen, Mingde, and Ming Xiu.

The three waited respectfully, awaiting his words.

A heavy medicinal smell hung in the room. Even the strong incense burning on the table could not suppress the faint yet distinct bloody scent emanating from Daoist Baohe.

"Feiyun Fist... Shangguan Fei... how is he?" Baohe covered his mouth and coughed up another thread of blood as he asked weakly.

"The master of Feiyun Hall has been dead for more than half a month... He was gravely wounded by the Hundred Flowers Sect and died from it..." Ming Chen sighed.

"Is that so... It seems... all of this was fate..." Baohe sighed.

"Senior Brother..." Ming Chen hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself.

"Say no more. Our Clear Sword Sect has reached this point. We had our glory; that is enough." Baohe coughed several times. "I can't hold on any longer... After I'm gone, Qingfeng Temple will be handled by the three of you. The situation now... is difficult. Wait until the black mist... passes. You all... should leave this place... and seek somewhere else... As for my children at home... tell them not to open any more halls..."

Baohe and his three junior brothers all had clans behind them, and Baohe's own clan was especially numerous. Once he fell, his clan's situation naturally became grim.

By this time, they had long since scattered in all directions to flee. No one was willing to care about the unconscious Daoist Baohe at all.

"You... you..."

Baohe pointed at the three of them, still wanting to say something, but in the end he could not draw another breath. He tried three times in succession, yet his right hand finally dropped with a thud, and he had no strength left.

"Senior Brother!!" Mingde cried out, rushing forward to grip the edge of the bed, tears streaming down his face.

The other two stepped forward as well. Looking at Daoist Baohe's corpse, their eyes too brimmed with tears.

Outside the bedroom, the core disciples of the three branches silently lowered their heads. Listening to the sounds inside, countless thoughts filled their hearts.

Lin Hui stood with Wei Wei and Wang Yun. Hearing the cries from within, he too sighed inwardly.

"Junior Brother, what are your plans for the future?" Wang Yun asked softly from beside him. "Practicing swordsmanship costs money too, but with Qingfeng Temple in this state, I'm afraid it won't be able to support your continued sword training."

"It's fine. I can just go to the Mist Zone and hunt for materials," Lin Hui said calmly.

"That is not a long-term plan. You are young and strong now, with no burdens holding you back, so naturally you can say such things. But what if you fall ill one day, or something delays you? Or if you marry and have children in the future? Your safety alone will concern the safety of your entire family. Once you grow older, going out to take such risks will be far too dangerous," Wang Yun said softly.

"What do you mean, Senior Sister?" Lin Hui looked at her.

"You're a loyal and righteous person," Wang Yun said. "Your talent isn't bad either. Why not join the Wang Family with Huang Shan, Qiu Yiren, and the others? Stop muddling around in the martial arts school world."

Lin Hui understood what she meant.

Not being able to make it in the martial arts school world did not mean Clear Sword could not make it elsewhere. With their movement techniques and strength, they would not be considered weak if they moved to other lower-tier circles.

"Once you leave the circle, no one will gossip if you also study some other martial arts," Wang Yun said, lowering her voice even further. "After that, I can help introduce you to a marriage match. Once it is settled, you can build a family and career, pass on your bloodline. Your family will be at ease, and you yourself will have no worries hanging over you."

"..." Lin Hui fell silent.

Listening to the crying drifting out from the bedroom inside, he lowered his head.

"And then? What about practicing the sword?"

"What sword practice is there left? Your current Body Tempering movement speed is enough. Even if you keep practicing Clear Sword, what level can you possibly reach? Isn't the purpose of martial arts to live well, to live safely? So long as the goal is achieved, isn't any method the same?" Wang Yun said softly.

After a pause, she looked toward Huang Shan and Qiu Yiren at the side.

"Look at them. Several of them will be leaving soon too. They've signed agreements with the Mu Family. A-Hui, remember this: practicing martial arts is for the sake of living, not putting the cart before the horse—sacrificing your life to fulfill your martial arts practice. Look at Mu Qiao Zhi and Zhao Jiang'an. Their heads are very clear."

Lin Hui remained silent.

He admitted that what Senior Sister Wang said made sense. Wang Yun had already done very well to persist until now.

She did not care about Qingfeng Temple. The only person she cared about was Master Mingde. So she did not care what became of Qingfeng Temple; there were plenty of replacements.

For them—or for ninety-nine percent of the disciples—practicing the sword was merely a means, a tool for achieving their goals.

"Yes... People have limits. Once the period of rapid growth has passed, the returns from continuing to practice become far too small compared to what you put in... It isn't worth spending so much more time and energy on it..." he sighed.

"Aren't you perfectly clear-headed?" Wang Yun said. "Think it over carefully. Once you've made a decision, you can come find me at the Wang Family anytime."

"Thank you, Senior Sister." Lin Hui nodded. "Oh, right—what about Senior Sister Wei Wei?"

"She agreed long ago. And Master has actually given his tacit approval as well." Wang Yun lowered her voice.

Lin Hui fell silent again.

Even Master's own daughter...

Looking at the bedroom door ahead, that antique dark-red wooden door, his thoughts had already flickered far, far away.

From Wang Yun, Master, and Senior Sister Wei Wei's words and actions, he knew that even they themselves had given up hope of Qingfeng Temple's martial arts returning to glory.

Even Master Mingde believed it was impossible to rise again.

Clear Sword was more than a step behind the martial arts of those new martial arts schools.

A faint thought of giving up rose in Lin Hui's heart, but when he saw the words that the Blood Seal displayed in his vision—Seven Section Fast Sword, Nine Section Fast Sword—he remembered how much time, cost, and effort he had spent just to reach the Clear Sword Technique.

If he gave up now, would not everything he had invested before be wasted?

Besides, if he switched to other, stronger martial arts, would that not take even longer?

Daoist Baohe's funeral lasted three days. Very few people came to pay their respects. The former splendor of Qingfeng Temple had already vanished.

In the end, three Daoists of the Ming generation carried the coffin down into the grave.

And from that point onward, Qingfeng Temple was thoroughly divided into three branches, no longer merely temporarily.

Taking the opportunity, Lin Hui returned home and told his parents about it.

Old Man Lin Shunhe's reaction caught him completely by surprise.

"What do you think?" Old Man Lin Shunhe carried over a small stool and sat beneath the shade of a tree in the courtyard, looking at Lin Hui.

"I just think... I've practiced for so long already... I don't really want to give up," Lin Hui answered.

"Since you like practicing the sword, why not choose a stronger one? Clear Sword is no good now. That is a fact. You spend the same money, time, and effort, yet in the end what you learn is still inferior to others'. Is it worth it?" Old Man Lin was unexpectedly rational and realistic.

"But Master..." Lin Hui hesitated.

"Mingde himself holds no hope anymore. Otherwise, would he agree to let his own daughter study other martial arts alongside it?" Lin Shunhe said. "Think about it. When it's time to turn back, turn back decisively. Don't sink deeper and deeper, only to fail completely in the end... leaving an utter mess."

He rose to his feet, patted his son on the shoulder, then turned and left.

Lin Hui was left sitting where he was, staring at the muddy path outside the courtyard where people came and went, lost in thought.

He sat there from morning until noon. Only when his mother, Yao Shan, came out to call him in for lunch did she notice that Lin Hui's eyes were different from before.

"What? Have you made your decision?"

"Yeah. I'm going to keep practicing." Lin Hui nodded. "It's not like I'm short of money, and things at home are better now. I just want to keep practicing and see where it leads. I like the Clear Sword Technique."

"You... you really are stubborn to the bone. Fine, treat it as a hobby if nothing else." Yao Shan sighed helplessly. "Come on, go in and eat."

"Alright." Lin Hui smiled, rose to his feet, and followed her into the house.

In truth, if not for the Blood Seal, he might have switched to another martial art long ago. But since the Blood Seal was there, once the Clear Sword Technique had fully evolved, he could evolve the sword technique once more...

That way, although evolving it again might take a great deal of time and effort, starting over with other martial arts would likewise consume a great deal of time and effort.

In that case, it was better not to change. It would save him the process of learning everything anew.

After making this decision, Lin Hui returned from home to his master's place once more.

Master Mingde and the other two had spent several days splitting Qingfeng Temple into three, constructing thick dividing walls through the middle.

Master Mingde's branch was renamed the Clear Sword Sect, considered a return to its former name.

But after the renaming, Mingde himself only worked in fits and starts, tossing everything to his daughter and Lin Hui. Every day, he was either fishing or going to drink with Steward Huang, living a leisurely and carefree life.

As for practicing the sword? He had given up on that long ago. Cultivating a little internal strength to keep his condition stable was the busiest thing he did.

And the Clear Sword Sect was no longer classified as a martial arts school. It could only be regarded as an independently practiced lineage.