Testing II (Thanks to Alliance Leader Deep Crimson Moon)

Those bluish-black, petal-shaped substances.

They only covered the surrounding area, carving out black trenches in the ground before disappearing into the air.

It seems that it can only be maintained for a very short time.

Lin Hui sensed from afar that the petal-shaped substances had completely disappeared before approaching again, returning to the area to check the actual situation. "Gone..." The thing that seemed about to be completely replaced by Wind Energy was gone.

I don't know if it died or was revived and went somewhere else.

"It seems to have triggered a deeper backlash from the Wind Disaster... Could it be that it cannot completely replace the Disaster Energy's energy? Or is it that the recovery of cognition was forcibly snatched from the depths of the Wind Disaster, causing this change?"

He pondered for a moment, then sought out other human-headed birds for testing.

Soon, another explosion erupted, and a second wave of that eerie blue-black, petal-shaped substance appeared and dispersed.

This time, Lin Hui was prepared in advance. He unleashed a burst of wind Wind Energy, condensed it into a long sword, and threw it at the petals.

But in an instant, the hardened longsword he had condensed to its current level was completely destroyed by the petals.

Without the slightest hindrance, it was sliced into pieces as easily as cutting tofu, and then the fragments were swallowed up by some unknown force and disappeared.

Next, Lin Hui simply left behind one of his existing Wind Energy, which was now his External Source super-powerful Wind Energy after his advancement.

The biggest difference between External Source Wind Energy and ordinary Wind Energy lies in the fact that its spatial solidity has reached a level that cannot be improved further. After entering the void state through External Source spacetime distortion, although Lin Hui only passively and forcibly entered, the change in his own power was astonishing. The void state involves the manipulation and control of space, which is a rule-based ability that naturally arises from the fact that his own power is too enormous and the compressed mass is too exaggerated, reaching its ultimate limit.

In short, it's actually a ripple effect resulting from high cohesion.

However, Lin Hui was forcibly brought in by the Heaven Seed, so he first used the Heaven Seed to obtain the rules and reversed the compression to enhance his own Wind Energy. At this time, the External Source Wind Energy remained in place, and Lin Hui then used a human-headed bird to manipulate it.

Boom!!!

The dark blue light shield exploded once again on the ground.

He returned to his original spot a moment later, looking at the fact that his remaining power had vanished without a trace, his expression extremely solemn.

"As expected, that petal-like substance is far beyond my current level. It should be the core sustaining force of the Wind Disaster." It seems I'm not yet capable of completely rescuing people.

Then, he began to try them separately.

First, Wind Energy was used as a substitute, and nothing happened. However, after the process ended, the bird-headed creature whose entire body had been transformed into Wind Energy quickly degenerated and returned to its state as a Fusionist of Disaster Energy.

As soon as Lin Hui let go, he immediately retreated.

The same applies when using the Supreme Omniscience Seal alone, followed by using the Authority Shadow to continuously pull back and restore the body; once the Authority Shadow stops, the body immediately reverts to its original state. Combining the two would trigger the terrifying explosion mentioned earlier.

Although the blast radius is not large, the danger is extremely high.

The test ended, Lin Hui had no choice but to return to the Thunder King Sect.

Clearly, he understood that to completely rescue the people, he had to confront the deeper forces behind the Wind Disaster head-on.

It's far too early for him to achieve that now.

He immediately calmed down and focused on cultivating within the sect, consolidating his External Source level of Void Realm and first catching up on the relevant foundations of Void Realm. After the evolution of the Authority Codex, it was more like a special magic weapon, which could be filled with the abilities he needed at will. Moreover, each ability was a standard External Source level, extremely comprehensive and powerful.

However, it is not suitable as a primary cultivation method.

This thing was directly evolved into other types. There's actually not much content about External Source cultivation.

There are only a few accompanying empty-state and temporal techniques, all of which are content designed to enhance the effect of the Authority Shadow.

Fortunately, Lin Hui was only using it as the foundation for his evolution, not really hoping it would become his main cultivation technique.

Return to the sect.

This time, he wanted to continue his secluded cultivation as before, detached from worldly affairs. However, the level of External Source was completely different from before.

The message seems to have originated from Junchen Primordial Lord.

Cultivators came to visit in an endless stream.

Manager Hongyu Chun and others also came to see him one after another. Their attitude was completely different from before.

Next was the Vice Hall Master of the Guangxin Hall, True Feather Blood.

"I never imagined that such a prodigy as my junior brother could emerge from my own jurisdiction!"

Inside the courtyard, the three-eyed, white- Feather Blood Master Yu Xue was completely different from his previous arrogant demeanor. Instead, he greeted Lin Hui amiably, and the two sat facing each other.

"Now that Junior Brother Lin has advanced, as an External Source, he can no longer remain indifferent to worldly affairs as before. According to sect regulations, he must assume certain external guardianship or branch hall positions. Of course, the corresponding benefits will also be greatly improved. The amount of Calamity-Defying Pills, vital energy, and blood essence will all increase significantly." Seeing Lin Hui pondering without speaking,

Feather Blood continued.

"Actually, once you reach this level, you've basically escaped the predicament of the lower and middle classes and are considered a true high-level member of both sects. Even if my junior brother doesn't want to get involved in these trivial matters, trouble will inevitably come knocking on his door."

"Trouble? What kind of trouble?" Lin Hui had some guesses in his mind, but he still asked.

"Your power has already influenced the power dynamics within the sect, so naturally you'll be courted by various factions. If you refuse to join any of them, your benefits will definitely be reduced. After all, each faction needs to extract more resources for its own members. If you develop alone, you'll be weak and isolated," Feather Blood Zhenren explained. "My master is Junchen Primordial Lord, wasn't his faction already decided?" Lin Hui countered.

"Times have changed. You don't really take this fragile master-disciple relationship seriously, do you? We have endless years and infinite lifespans; do you really intend to cling to one tree until death?" Feather Blood smiled slightly. "Besides, you probably know better than I what the problems are with Junchen Primordial Lord's cultivation technique." "That's true." Lin Hui nodded. "Then, Senior Brother Feather Blood, which side are you representing?"

"Naturally, it's the lineage of the Nine Teachings True Lord and the Sect Master," Feather Blood laughed. "Junior Brother, having received guidance from the Sect Master, should know that the Sect Master is the foundation of everything for our Thunder King Sect. Moreover... do you really think that no one discovered the secret collusion between Junchen Primordial Lord and the Myriad Stars Tower?"

Lin Hui felt a chill run down his spine. This Thunder King Sect, seemingly composed of three factions, actually only had two major forces: Junchen Primordial Lord and the Sect Master. These old monsters who had lived for countless years were indeed not easy to deal with; they were all cunning and shrewd.

He had no idea how many conspiracies and schemes were hidden within.

Regardless of whether the sect leader's lineage or Junchen Primordial Lord's lineage wins, it would be unwise for him to rashly get involved.

Especially when he entered the Primordial Corpse, the sect leader's strange situation left him feeling uneasy.

This unease was even stronger than the feeling he had from Junchen Primordial Lord.

He had carefully analyzed the situation, and the best course of action was to stay away. Neither Junchen Primordial Lord nor the sect leader's lineage should get involved. He immediately declined.

"Thank you for the invitation, senior. I still plan to stay out of it and just do what I'm supposed to do."

"Unless one lives in solitude, what kind of neutrality is there in this world?" Feather Blood sighed. "Alright, I respect your choice, Junior Brother. So, next, it's about taking on a position. Which one do you choose, Junior Brother? If you're willing, you can stay in the Guangxin Hall and work with me. Otherwise, you can go to the outside world and guard the Black Tree Abyss. That's a passageway connected to the Primordial Corpse, where monsters constantly emerge from nourished by the Primordial Corpse. We need to kill and clear them out in time, otherwise, once they grow up, they will cause endless harm."

"Let's go to Black Tree Abyss." Lin Hui decided to leave immediately, without any hesitation.

The real-world combat experience will also allow him to adapt to the External Source levels and fighting styles more quickly.

"Alright! Junior Brother, you'll likely be in charge of a branch hall's deputy hall master. You'll be assigned a batch of tasks, so remember to find someone to help you complete them, otherwise you won't be able to finish them all by yourself. As for building your own subordinates, what are your requirements, Junior Brother? Do you want them all to be beautiful women? I do have some candidates here." After seeing off True Person Feather Blood, Lin Hui sighed and was about to return when he saw Xiling Ghost leading a group of slender, beautiful women of various styles, waiting not far away.

What are you doing here?

"We have met Senior Brother Lin. May we ask if Senior Brother Lin is capable of building a deployment system? Our Clear Jade Mountain core members now number 782, which is more than enough to establish a basic framework!" Xiling Ghost said quickly.

This means they've invested in the company ahead of time.

Lin Hui remained silent for a moment.

"Sure, just the people from Clear Jade Mountain will do. But let me make this clear first, I need to go to Black Tree Abyss to guard it. You..."

"Isn't that perfect? We'll wait for Senior Brother's arrival at Black Tree Abyss!" Xiling Ghost's face lit up with joy.

The others also showed joy on their faces. Having reached this level, they obviously couldn't truly show their emotions. Their expressions were clearly meant for Lin Hui.

"We await our senior brother."

The other women beside Xiling Ghost bowed to him in unison. All of them wore revealing dresses, and as they bent over, a dense expanse of white skin caught Lin Hui's eye.

His divine sense instantly detected the divine senses of the other cultivators around him looking in this direction.

Knowing that his reputation was most likely beyond redemption, he waved his hand speechlessly, signaling everyone to leave.

After quickly packing his things, which took only half a day, Lin Hui bid farewell to Hongyu Chun, left Guangxin Hall, and headed to Black Tree Abyss.

The Black Tree Abyss is a central passageway located above the Blacksoil Plain, roughly cylindrical in shape and millions of light-years in length. Two branch temples were built around it to defend against and eliminate any trouble or danger leaking from the Primordial Corpse.

One section of the Black Tree Abyss connects to a special dimension where the Primordial Corpse resides, while another section connects to the Thunder King Sect and the Myriad Stars Tower. Yes, the Myriad Stars Tower is also mining the Primordial Corpse there.

Both excavations targeted the same Primordial Corpse.

Lin Hui was transferred to the Clear Blood Hall in Black Tree Abyss. The hall master, Clear Blood, was also rarely seen. Only the deputy hall master Peach Mountain, was responsible for maintaining the daily operation.

This place is far from the Thunder King Sect's territory, located alone in the heart of Black Tree Abyss, making it the closest stronghold to the front lines and Myriad Stars Tower.

The entire staff in the palace numbered only a little over seven thousand.

From the outside, it appears as a small, solitary fortress nestled amidst the black storms of Black Tree Abyss.

Lin Hui didn't mind and led the people from Clear Jade Mountain to settle in. After a simple welcome ceremony by the deputy hall master, he settled down to cultivate. He didn't need resources; he simply assigned tasks, spread out the seals and Devil Incense to bless them, and let Xiling Ghost and the others develop freely. He focused all his attention on comprehending the temporal state and converting Wind Energy.

Although the descriptions of the next stage of tense in the Authority Codex were not extensive, they were enough for him to grasp the initial direction and enter a relatively simple tense realm. Tense happens to involve dimensions, and the Sentient Fangsheng Art is a ready-made application of techniques involving dimensions, which gave him a lot of inspiration for drawing parallels.

Time passed.

In the blink of an eye, a year had passed since he arrived at Black Tree Abyss...

That year, aside from his cultivation, he vaguely discovered that the Black Tree Abyss seemed to be quite different from what he had expected.

To be precise, both the Black Tree Abyss and the Clear Blood Hall gave him a strange feeling.

Aside from the initial welcome, the people here were mostly just going in and out to hand over missions; no one interacted with each other, and there was no contact with the members of Clear Jade Mountain. Moreover, although it was said to be more than 7,000 people, Lin Hui sensed that the number was actually less.

Often, only a dozen or so people come to the branch hall in a day, and at other times, apart from the members of Clear Jade Mountain, only a few people come and go.