Tests II

Lin Hui originally wanted to refuse decisively, but he was momentarily stunned by the other party's strange body adjustment.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Xu Lingfei spoke again.

"Furthermore, I have cultivated a special Thousand Faces Divine Art, which allows me to imitate any appearance you desire, absolutely guaranteeing that the temperament and demeanor will be exactly the same." "Uh, it seems that Junior Sister has misunderstood me." Seeing that she was getting more and more outrageous, Lin Hui quickly interrupted her.

"Misunderstanding? Senior brother needs so many Star Butterfly Fish Eye. Aside from decoration, those things do have a bit of aphrodisiac effect... You say this is a misunderstanding? I'm afraid it's hard to explain." Xu Lingfei sat down again, a smile on her face.

"Moreover, your junior sister Xiling Ghost, who was in the same class as you, always says outside that you make her feel very comfortable, and that you two make love every few days..." Lin Hui's smile froze slightly. "She... she said that outside?"

"Yes, and there's that Clear Jade Mountain organization she created for you. Men have to transform into women to join. Being pretty isn't enough; you also have to have a good temperament. With your needs being this big, what's the point of hiding it?" Xu Lingfei continued.

Lin Hui was speechless. Although he didn't care much about his reputation, this...

What's even more intriguing is that he actually had an indirect relationship with Xiling Ghost.

It's inconvenient to completely deny or clarify; it will only make things more complicated.

"How about we do it once?" Xu Lingfei asked tentatively.

"... No need, let's talk about those mutants. Since we're talking about expulsion, could you tell me where they usually go?" Lin Hui changed the subject. "Naturally, to barren lands. These mutants suffer from severe cognitive deficiencies, yet their strength has conversely increased. Leaving them in their current locations would become a huge threat, so we need to join forces to expel and kill them. Once they're killed, it doesn't matter where they revive," Xu Lingfei explained earnestly. "Then won't they revive within the courtyard? What if they randomly appear in some sensitive areas... wouldn't that be even more troublesome?" Lin Hui asked. "Firstly, sensitive areas are isolated by corresponding formations. Secondly, mutants aren't inexhaustible. Once killed a certain number of times, they'll even forget the hatred of being killed, completely turning into monsters and slumbering deep within the Disaster Energy. However, because we keep recruiting, and some people suffer from excessive cognitive deficiencies, problems arise, so we need to clean them up periodically. To be honest..."

She suddenly unbuttoned her blouse, revealing her snow-white curves.

"I actually have a feeling something's not right... Maybe, in a few years, I'll become one of those to be eliminated... So, I really, really have no other choice."

She wasn't lying. Having lived for millions of years, her cognitive abilities had actually deteriorated considerably. She had once been a celestial fairy with exceptionally high standards, pure and immaculate, but now... facing the danger of losing herself, after countless internal struggles, she compromised, just as she had when choosing between resistance and fusion... "If you want to be with me, you can, but you need to demonstrate other values. This alone isn't enough." Lin Hui narrowed his eyes, his tone still calm. "Value?" Xu Lingfei closed her eyes, pondering for a moment, "I'm just an ordinary sect cultivator whose cultivation has materialized and hasn't even reached the Dao realm. I'm right here; you can choose whatever I have."

She was clearly determined to get on the ship with Lin Hui.

"Please leave," Lin Hui said calmly.

The other party had absolutely nothing he needed, and he couldn't possibly support a worthless Fusion Faction for nothing.

Most people who Fusion Faction have low moral standards and are not worth investing in out of kindness.

Xu Lingfei stood up and pulled up her skirt. A deep sadness flashed in her eyes.

She was once born into a prominent family, possessed extraordinary talent, and had an impeccable appearance and figure, attracting countless suitors.

But now, having become a member of the Fusion Faction, even self-degradation and the desire to become someone's servant are met with disdain.

She had heard that cognitive deficiencies are generally imperceptible to oneself. And once one begins to realize there's a problem, it means they're about to be removed from the cognitive ladder.

so

She turned around and slowly walked towards the courtyard gate.

Even though she moved slowly, there was no sound of her stopping behind her.

Until she was completely gone and the courtyard gate closed, everything returned to calm.

Lin Hui remained calm; the interruption had cleared away his restlessness.

Compared to the predicament faced by Fusion Faction like Xu Lingfei, he is already far better off.

He immediately entered into the practice of the new Dharma formula once again.

Time flows slowly by, and a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

Lin Hui finally succeeded in formally mastering this new technique, but it was only the beginning; the subsequent difficulties would be even greater.

At this level, no cultivation method is less than a thousand years old; they all take thousands or tens of thousands of years to complete.

Although the new method didn't mention a specific timeframe, based on his own estimation, at his current cultivation speed, it would take at least seven or eight thousand years. This speed was still hard for him to accept; although the side effects were gone, the cultivation speed was still too long.

He pondered that perhaps his evolutionary approach was flawed. Evolutionary techniques, the more advanced and powerful, naturally require longer training times—this is normal. For cultivators with exceptionally long lifespans, the intensity of a technique practiced for ten thousand years is certainly different from that practiced for a hundred years. Therefore...

After much painful reflection, Lin Hui realized that what he should really focus on was improving his cultivation speed, rather than shortening the lifespan of his cultivation technique.

Therefore, he set his sights on the Flash Extreme Seal.

Before evolving the Flash Extreme Seal, he went out for a walk to clear his head and adjust his condition.

While passing by Xu Lingfei's yard, I was surprised to find that it was empty.

"Xu Lingfei?"

From inside the communication card, the voice of Hongyu Chun, the guardian of Dan, could be heard as she ate something.

"Yes, it's that senior disciple from the sect who lives next to me. A woman with a cool and aloof demeanor. Do you know where she went?" Lin Hui asked. His relationship with Hongyu Chun had recently improved considerably. They were different now; both were disciples of Junchen Primordial Lord, trained by the same master, so their relationship was naturally much closer. Both were also keen to cultivate the other's connections, so they started asking for small favors. That's what social interaction is all about—creating needs even when there's nothing to do, and finding small favors that the other person can help with without finding them annoying. This way, there's give and take, and the more they interact, the closer they become.

"Her? She died twice during a cleanup mission half a month ago, and then suffered severe cognitive impairment and mutated. Her mission is now listed. What? You know her well?" Hongyu Chun said casually.

"It's mutated?" Lin Hui was taken aback.

"Yes. She has severe cognitive impairment, and both her body and soul have become distorted. Now, let me check for you. Ah, she's wandering in the public area of Yafura Plain. That area is full of spacetime traps, and many mutated beings are driven there." Hongyu Chun said seriously, "What is her relationship with you, Junior Brother?" "Neighbors, we've met a few times. There's nothing much between us." Lin Hui sighed.

"That's good. If you need it, I can help you find a way to pull her up; she might regain some consciousness, but don't expect much," Hongyu Chun said softly. "For Fusionist like her, whose natural deficiencies account for a larger proportion, there's basically no hope."

"Natural loss? What does that mean?"

"It's the natural loss of knowledge over time, and the loss due to death, which is caused by dying too many times. The former is equivalent to our lifespan limit; our cultivation level before becoming Fusion Faction determines our maximum lifespan. There's basically no way to reverse it. The latter, however, can salvage some knowledge, but the cost is very high, and there's a limit to the number of times it can be done," Hongyu Chun explained.

Lin Hui fell silent for a moment. This was the first time he had witnessed the alienation of the Fusion Faction around him.

It feels somewhat like the red-eye transformation from the old Mist Man World.

After losing contact, he got up and flew away from the alchemy furnace and the Guangxin Hall. He then used the black hole in the square to apply for permission to go directly to the outside of the sect.

Normally, sect disciples are strictly restricted from going out. But now that he's a core disciple, his treatment and privileges are different. He easily obtained permission to travel.

After passing through three teleportation black holes, Lin Hui finally arrived at the public area of the courtyard once again.

A vast blue gale swept across the sky, blowing relentlessly.

The earth was black, riddled with potholes. Indistinct figures wandered and strolled across the ground.

In the air, an oval-shaped black vortex suddenly appeared, from which flew a tall man in a blue and white robe with electric patterns.

The man had a golden sword hanging at his waist, and his eyes were ablaze with blue flames.

Hovering high in the air, he glanced around and his gaze fell on the blurry humanoid figure slowly drifting on the ground.

He took out a token from his pocket and tapped it lightly.

A flash of blue light appeared on the token.

A semi-transparent thread flew out, passed through the air, and landed on a blurry humanoid figure below.

"It really is her..." The man carefully examined the human figure and sighed slightly. He was none other than Lin Hui, who had just come from the sect.

After returning to normal size, he immediately asked Hongyu Chun for Xu Lingfei's belongings, using them as clues to accurately locate the mutated Xu Lingfei.

He didn't actually have many thoughts, it was just that someone he had only met once suddenly became completely alienated.

This inexplicable feeling stemmed from the fact that he could have easily saved this person simply by lending a hand.

Aside from these complex emotions, another reason he took the initiative to investigate was that he wanted to better understand the entire process of the Fusionist losing their consciousness. If possible, he planned to try to see if there was a way to bring back the consciousness of this mutant. For example, the Flash Extreme Seal.

His future goal is to pull Teacher Seven Extinctions out of the Wind Disaster. And Xu Lingfei might be a good test subject.

Floating gently closer, Lin Hui once again stood before Xu Lingfei.

After the mutation, Xu Lingfei was almost unrecognizable as human.

She is still wearing the same blue dress she wore before, but her body beneath the hem is covered with blue and white growths. Her once aloof face is now covered with countless blue holes of varying sizes, like a honeycomb, numbering in the hundreds at a glance.

Her eyes were lifeless, and her height and size remained about the same as before. It seemed she was maintaining the habits she had before she died.

Lin Hui increased his size to be the same as the other person's before continuing to approach.