Chapter 290: Chapter 276: Future 2
With the arrangements settled, they took a headcount. After confirming with everyone and finding no objections, they all agreed to head for Black Cloud.
After a wait of ten-odd days, the merchant ship meant to pick them up finally arrived.
A mid-sized vessel from the Hundred Seas Merchant Alliance, large enough to accommodate over a thousand people, docked at the nearby Jade Sea Bay.
Lin Hui escorted the group as they boarded the ship one after another, until only Han Xiaoyue and her two companions were left.
"I’ve given you the address. Don’t forget to write," Lin Hui said, his voice a soft transmission as he stood in the mist, watching the trio prepare to leave.
"Of course not." Han Xiaoyue nodded. "Don’t forget our promise."
"I’m already married," Lin Hui stated bluntly.
"It doesn’t matter. I never planned to marry you." Han Xiaoyue’s expression was serene. ’From the start, I’ve been someone without a future, so I never intended to marry Lin Hui and hold him back.’
’It would be best if I could leave a descendant behind, but if not, I don’t really mind.’
Most critically, in this world, it was commonplace for the powerful to have multiple partners. The times were hard and perilous; relying on a strong individual for a better life was a desire shared by many.
"Well then, see you in twenty years." Han Xiaoyue gave Lin Hui one last, careful look. Without any lingering attachment, she turned and strode away with a carefree air.
Perhaps for her, this journey in Tuyue was merely a brief interlude in her long life.
She had met many people and experienced many things. The powerful Lin Hui might have left a deep impression on her, perhaps even inspiring a hint of attachment, but their feelings for each other weren’t strong enough to make her stay by his side.
Besides, the existence of the "Destruction Key" forced her to keep moving onward.
The petite, green-haired girl, Qin Shishi, glanced at Lin Hui, then at her captain. ’What a pity...’ she thought, feeling a sense of regret.
"Let’s go. People like us, with no future, shouldn’t hold others back." Xue Yan gave her a light pat on the rear and followed Han Xiaoyue.
Lin Hui remained silent, standing by the ship’s railing. He watched the trio until their figures vanished completely into the distance before finally raising his hand.
Behind him, the enormous silver ship slowly turned and began to sail into the distance.
He, too, leaped into the air, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
In the end, neither he nor Han Xiaoyue mentioned the true origin of their promise: the deadline for replenishing the deep core near Tuyue.
Now that this restriction was gone, the deadline could have been extended, but neither of them brought it up...
*
*
*
Time flew by in a flash.
After Lin Hui led his people back to Black Cloud, the Qingfeng Daoist Sect was finally whole again. Everyone easily found positions for themselves within the prosperous Black Cloud City and settled in.
Sha Ye and An Ling joined the Qingfeng Daoist Sect as ordinary people, beginning their Swordsmanship training from scratch.
After rescuing everyone and reporting back to his sworn brother, Liu Xiao, Lin Hui returned to his regular routine of Cultivation.
He focused on comprehending the Annihilation Sacred Form and... using the Blood Seal to evolve toward a new goal.
Thanks to multiple supply channels, Lin Hui had no short-term shortage of aphrodisiacs.
Official high-end channels in Black Cloud City, purchases made by the Qingfeng Daoist Sect through the Hundred Seas Merchant Alliance, and newly opened procurement channels from the Good Heart Sect all allowed him to easily acquire the large quantities he required.
So, even though his tolerance had weakened the effects of the various drugs, he could simply increase the dosage. He still had no need to worry about supply shortages for the time being.
Thus, Lin Hui began to make his move.
「One day in late October.」
After lunch, he gave some casual pointers to Lin Xiaoliu, who was back from the martial academy. Then, he stood alone in the courtyard of their Daoist school, gazing blankly at the hazy gray sky.
He appeared to be daydreaming, but in reality, he was carefully pondering his next evolution.
In the lower part of his vision, the Blood Seal had already listed a row of evolution options. All of them were derived from Lin Hui’s own concept: an aura.
Through his continuous experiments, he had finally determined that the essence of an aura was an extension of a Fog Spirit’s Divine Power.
Since he lacked Divine Power, Lin Hui had tried numerous methods and eventually concluded that he just needed to create something with a similar effect. ’That should be enough!’
And so, he drew inspiration from the various science fiction works he had read in his past life. He tested and confirmed the existence of something called a "radiation field," and used that as the basis for his evolution.
’Every person, every thing, has a radiation field. If I can gather these fields, channel them back to strengthen myself, and then in turn strengthen the fields, wouldn’t I be able to achieve some of the effects I’m looking for?’
So, after several attempts, Lin Hui initiated the evolution using the radiation field naturally emitted by the Qingfeng Daoist Disciples as they practiced their Martial Arts.
From the Inner Power Martial Artist level onward, the Qingfeng Daoist Sect’s Martial Artists followed a path that diverged from traditional ones.
Their Inner Strength wove a new kind of web that guided Disaster Energy from the Wind Calamity, allowing it to gradually enter and strengthen their bodies.
At first, the concentration of this Disaster Energy was low—just a trickle.
As their bodies gradually adapted, the proportion of Disaster Energy increased, finally peaking after they mastered the Gale Swordsmanship.
From that point on, the Disaster Energy began to extend beyond the body, influencing the mind and spirit.
This was the reason, Lin Hui had researched, why he and his disciples all had different interpretations of the Gale Swordsmanship despite practicing the same art.
Every person’s heart and spirit is unique and multifaceted; when fused with Disaster Energy, it was only natural that they would bear different fruits.
Therefore, the Inner Strength radiation emitted by those who practiced the Qingfeng Daoist Sect’s Martial Arts was different from that of other Martial Artists from its very inception.
Lin Hui then combined this with the conceptual identity of the sect, targeting only the radiation from Qingfeng Daoist Disciples. This led to the current "evolution radiation field" options.
’1—Eye of Life: An organ for collecting radiation fields, originating from the Holy Night Sect. It can transform the eyes into special organs that gather one’s own radiation, which can be released when needed to grant a single opportunity for complete regeneration. The Eye of Life can be improved through self-cultivation, storing up to a maximum of ninety-nine opportunities for complete regeneration.’
’2—Scar of Eternity: A special organ originating from the Desolate Brain Demon. It collects one’s own emitted radiation and transforms it into a benign field that continuously enhances one’s physique. This is why the Desolate Brain Demon never has to cultivate; its power naturally grows stronger as it eats and matures. The rate of enhancement from the Scar of Eternity is related to the intensity of one’s own radiation—the stronger the physical foundation and digestive ability, the faster the improvement. Its ultimate potential is limited only by lifespan and the material upper limits of the world.’
’3—Curse Energy Crystal: An innate organ originating from the Curse Phoenix. It collects one’s own radiation and converts it into a special curse ability, which marks and curses any living being that kills the user. The curse’s intensity is directly proportional to the user’s emotional state at the moment of death.’
These were the three enhancement paths, the answer given by the Blood Seal.
Staring at the three evolutionary paths, Lin Hui sank into deep thought for a long while.
In the end, he chose the first one.
’In this world, as long as you’re alive, there’s always hope. Only by staying alive can I continue to grow stronger. Only by staying alive can I enjoy all the beautiful things life has to offer.’
He sighed softly.
He confirmed his selection of the first option.
’Eye of Life: Required Resources: 100 years of Vitality Reserve, 100 years of Heart and Spirit Reserve. Time Required: 200 years.’
’Note: The organ modification can be applied to all disciples of the Qingfeng Daoist Sect, but it is not automatically acquired upon joining. It must be personally activated by the Sect Leader.’
’Note: Upon completion of the modification, the initial number of regeneration charges is 1. The regeneration effect is mentally controlled. If one’s Heart and Spirit is lost and the ability is not actively triggered, death cannot be reversed.’
’Even with that limitation, it’s still incredibly powerful...’ Lin Hui thought with a sense of awe.
Two hundred years of evolution time was nothing to him now. More importantly, this ability addressed a critical weakness: the tendency for Qingfeng Daoist Disciples to die easily.
Most importantly, it narrowed the greatest gap between himself and the Fog People.
While it still couldn’t compare to the Fog People, a maximum of ninety-nine regeneration opportunities—stacked with other powerful, scaling abilities like Micro-flash and Wind of Surrounding—would elevate his survivability to a staggering degree.
’Confirm evolution of Eye of Life?’ The Blood Seal’s query appeared.
"Confirm!"
Lin Hui answered without hesitation.
Turning a naturally emitted radiation field into a powerful organ that provided an explosive boost to his vitality was his first step.
Next came the location and the formations!
Now that his progress in Martial Arts had slowed, he had plenty of time to address and shore up his various weaknesses one by one.
As he was patiently planning for the future, atop the first floating mountain peak, the three Fogman City Lords—Xie Chang’an, Zhang Yao, and Gongsun Xinlian—had already received the detailed battle report from Tuyue.
Within a disc-shaped, white jade formation on the mountain’s summit, the three of them wore grave expressions.
"The Duke of Purgatory... the Queen of Extreme Cold." Xie Chang’an’s voice was heavy. "For Lin Hui to escape from the Duke of Purgatory completely unscathed—even if the Duke didn’t use his ultimate form—is a feat beyond any ordinary Fog Person. This can’t be covered up. The relevant intelligence has surely reached the Council by now."
"For an ordinary mortal to rise to a level of power that now surpasses even common Fog People... you can imagine the fallout. Even with Brother Xie protecting him, we can expect all sorts of petty moves from the other major powers. This is going to be a headache," Zhang Yao said, shaking his head.
"So are we lucky, or unlucky?" Xie Chang’an asked with a wry smile.
"Good, of course." Gongsun Xinlian declared. "With Lin Hui holding down the fort in Black Cloud, the three of us are free to go on the offensive. We can combine our powers in a formation, expand Black Cloud’s territory, and seize more deep core locations! With more deep core locations, we can apply for a stable supply of Super Adaptables and build new city districts! That will attract other powerful experts to join us!"
"Indeed... The decay is accelerating. Without deep core locations to control it, lifespans are drastically shortened in any region far from them... there’s simply no foundation to build a city," Xie Chang’an agreed with a nod.
Only by building cities could they distribute the burden of the decay. It was an absolute necessity for them.
Otherwise, a Fog Person could theoretically only live for two to three thousand years before succumbing to the decay. The Wild Fog People had it even worse. Between infighting, chance encounters with Fog Spirit swarms, or being consumed and displaced by the night fog, their numbers were constantly dwindling.
So, becoming a Fog Person didn’t mean a life of carefree freedom; they were still shackled by the harsh realities of their existence.
"Now the Fourth Princess is here. Once the news gets out, more vultures will start circling. We have to tighten security within the city," Xie Chang’an said, turning to Gongsun Xinlian.
"About the Fourth Princess... was what she said before serious?" Gongsun Xinlian asked with a frown.
"She said she wants to test Lin Hui further. If he can pass her trials, she’ll make him her man," Zhang Yao replied.
"How arrogant! Lin Hui has already proven his strength and potential. What more of a test could she need?" Gongsun Xinlian said coldly.
"It’s understandable. It’s the Imperial Blood," Xie Chang’an said with a small laugh. "Her bloodline can grant immense benefits to her other half. A little coyness is to be expected. Given the Fourth Princess’s status and qualifications, if she were looking for a consort, there are plenty of Fog People far more qualified than Lin Hui. Remember, her original plan was to devour him outright. The fact that she’s changed her tune this much is already a huge improvement."
"But Lin Hui is already married!" Gongsun Xinlian said, annoyed.
"That Liu Xiao is just an ordinary Priest. She can’t possibly handle Lin Hui’s... normal needs. If there’s no one else to share the burden, she won’t last long. She’ll be completely assimilated by his essence, her body becoming a mere extension of his own flesh and blood, losing her sense of self," Xie Chang’an explained.
"That..." Gongsun Xinlian fell silent, recalling the miserable fate of ordinary humans who had coupled with Fog People in the past.
"Regardless, we’ll deal with whatever comes our way. I, Xie Chang’an, am not easily intimidated. In fact, this situation is rather interesting. At least it’s more exciting than the same old stagnant routine," he said, bursting into laughter.
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