Faint traces along the base of the wall suggested these people had been hiding here for a long time, constantly monitoring the apothecary. Their goal was likely to detect any reinforcements from Clear Wind Temple the moment they arrived and react accordingly.

With a flick of his sword tip, Lin Hui caught the cylinder from the woman’s hand.

"Let's see if your confidence is strong enough, or if my sword is sharper." He reached out, pinched the thin fuse at the bottom of the cylinder, and prepared to pull.

"Friend, you might want to think this through."

Suddenly, a white-bearded old man with messy hair walked out from the nearby shadows, holding a brown pipa.

One look revealed he was a martial artist, and certainly not an ordinary one. His pipa was not made of wood, but cast from solid metal. An ordinary person, or even an average martial artist, would hurt themselves just by wielding such a heavy instrument, let alone using it to defeat an enemy.

"Think what through?" Lin Hui paused his hand and looked at the stranger. "And who are you?"

"The New Martial Alliance isn't made up only of people from Xingdao. This old man is Wu Shinan. I have been observing the Flying Stone Sect for some time now. They haven't just provoked you; they've simultaneously moved against three other neighboring sects, encroaching on interests with extreme dominance." The old man spoke calmly, his gaze sweeping over the corpses on the ground.

"If you recklessly send the signal now and give away your position, they will spare no effort to send their experts to slaughter you immediately. That is why I said, think it through before you pull."

"Good, you have confidence! You are... Temple Master Lin Hui of Clear Wind Temple, correct? I had heard the rumors and didn't think much of them, but as it turns out, hearing a name is inferior to seeing the person," Wu Shinan praised.

Chi!

The next moment, a streak of fire shot out from the cylinder, soaring into the sky.

The streak exploded in mid-air, turning into a rain of orange sparks. It lasted for two seconds before quickly extinguishing and vanishing.

Tossing the cylinder aside, Lin Hui glanced at Wu Shinan. "Does the New Martial Alliance have a corresponding response to this matter? Or will you allow the martial artists of Xingdao to expand at will?"

"Naturally not. The New Martial Alliance was established on the foundation of the previously collapsed Martial Alliance. Nowadays, the Carefree Pavilion is frantically absorbing Xingdao martial artists, and their power is growing extremely fast. The Golden Goose Gate has already made preparations." Wu Shinan smiled.

"What preparations?"

Lin Hui had heard Xue Meng mention that the Golden Goose Gate and the Carefree Pavilion were currently the two strongest sects in the New Martial Alliance—the two giants within the union. The Carefree Pavilion was an outsider faction from Xingdao, while the Golden Goose Gate was composed of native Tuyue martial artists.

"It's actually quite simple." Wu Shinan casually strummed his pipa

"Openly suppressing the speed of their growth and expansion, and secretly, naturally, making moves to weaken their strength," Wu Shinan replied. "As for how to weaken them... don't you already have a justifiable cause? We can't simply let people get beaten without allowing them to resist, right?"

He pointed a finger at the corpses on the ground, wearing a knowing expression.

"So, you are also here to kill people?" Lin Hui asked bluntly.

"Don't say it so crudely. I am here to help wait for self-defense." Wu Shinan’s old face stiffened, and he hurriedly corrected him.

Lin Hui couldn't be bothered to pay him any more attention. He understood the old man's intentions; he was sent by the Golden Goose Gate of the New Martial Alliance to cause trouble for the Carefree Pavilion. As for the Flying Stone Sect, it was essentially the Carefree Pavilion pulling the strings from behind, contacting martial artists from Xingdao to establish forces.

Turning around and walking out of the corner, he saw Wang Hongshi and the other three waiting on the periphery, blocking passersby trying to get close to watch the excitement. The passersby here truly included some who didn't fear death; having eaten too much Myriad Blessings Meat, there were always those who were addled and crazed, so controlling the scene was necessary.

"Temple Master, just now...?" Wang Hongshi stepped forward and asked in a low voice.

"They're coming. Spread out a bit, don't cluster together. Leave the Internal Force martial artists to me; you handle the rest," Lin Hui said calmly, his gaze looking past a nearby street corner. He seemed to hear the movement of people approaching rapidly.

The opponents arrived even faster than he had imagined.

Before long, a squad of burly martial artists with cross-shaped scars on the backs of their hands, dressed uniformly in pale yellow combat attire and holding thick-backed sabers, appeared in the wind and snow.

The leader was a woman, tall and strong. If not for the exaggerated curve of her chest, likely no one would have been able to recognize her gender upon approach.

"Right here!"

This woman was none other than Yao Huan, the Internal Force martial artist who had fought Xue Meng previously.

Even from a distance through the wind and snow, she spotted Lin Hui's group of five at a glance, and likewise saw the several corpses leaking blood in the corner by the wall. But perhaps having long grown accustomed to such sights, Yao Huan merely swept a cold gaze over the bodies before immediately focusing her attention on Lin Hui's group.

"Clear Wind Temple? Someone finally came... Master!" Her footsteps paused as she looked toward the right.

To the right were residential houses, yet at this moment, two strange men wearing gray robes and black tiger masks walked slowly out from the roof of a two-story building. Judging by their hair color, these two eccentrics were not young; their hair was more white than black, indicating they were at least sixty.

"I see it. What a fast sword. This should be Temple Master Lin Hui of Clear Wind Temple in person, correct?"

One of the gray-robed men was precisely Bai Feihan, who had previously stepped forward to fight Xue Meng. He looked down at the five people from Clear Wind Temple, seeming somewhat puzzled, yet also appreciative.

"To dare rush over here with a mere five people, facing multiple Internal Force experts single-handedly... your courage is commendable, but you have more valor than strategy."

"I heard his movement technique is extremely fast. I made a special trip here just to see whether his Tuyue Clear Wind Sword is faster, or if my Xingdao Overturning Heaven Hand is faster!"

The other gray-robed man spoke in an icy voice, carrying a trace of arrogance.

Not only that, but at this moment, another person walked out from behind Lin Hui and his group.

This man was bald and eyebrowless, dressed in a black kasaya, and carried a rolled-up gray object resembling a fishing net. His gaze locked onto Lin Hui's group with precision.

"Then you had better be quick. Otherwise, once I cast this great net, no matter how fast his speed, he will be like a turtle in a jar—an easy catch!"

"Old Yan, you can wait for me to make the first move before you go up," the gray-robed man grumbled with dissatisfaction.

"Time is tight; we can talk after the job is done," the bald man grinned.

Talking and laughing in front of Lin Hui and his group, their expressions composed, they obviously did not take him seriously.

But attitude aside, judging solely by the formation they had set up, it was clear that not only did they not underestimate Lin Hui, but they had also taken their preparations to the extreme.

Four great Internal Force experts surrounding and attacking, hemming in the group from Clear Wind Temple like trapped prey, and they had even prepared a specialized fishing net to counter speed experts. For Lin Hui, who was not yet twenty, this was already a significant level of regard.

At this moment, four pairs of eyes stared tightly at Lin Hui, monitoring his every move. No matter how they thought about it, they couldn't figure out why Clear Wind Temple would just send one Temple Master with four disciples to charge straight into an ambush circle.

Still too young... too overconfident.

Concealed nearby, Wu Shinan shook his head in secret. With this lineup, they could take down even two Xue Mengs, let alone a Lin Hui who had only recently broken through to the Internal Force Realm.

Moreover, Lin Hui had been arrogant enough to bring four burdens along. Once the fighting really started, these four would become his constraints, binding his hands and feet. He really didn't know what the boy was thinking.

Wu Shinan could already predict the scene after today's battle: Clear Wind Temple would decline from here on out, like a meteor flashing by and vanishing in an instant.

Fine, fine. I'll put in some effort later and risk rescuing Lin Hui. As for the rest, if they die, they die. A genius like Lin Hui... after reaching the limit of Perfection in the future, he might have a chance to take revenge.

The events of today, the deaths of his disciples, may serve as the driving force for his future struggle to become stronger.

Having settled his plan internally, Wu Shinan slowly circulated his Internal Force while holding his iron pipa, ready to strike at any moment.

He wasn't the only one; at this moment, Wang Hongshi and the other three also sensed that something was wrong, and their expressions turned grim.

In the wind and snow, the aura of the Internal Force Realm was completely undisguised, erupting directly. Those layers of faint white Internal Force light shone like beacons, clearly distinguishing the Internal Force experts from ordinary martial artists.

One, two, three, four—a total of four Internal Force Realm experts!

How were they supposed to fight this!?

Wang Hongshi's heart wavered. He stole a glance forward, only to see Lin Hui's white-clothed back, still calm.

He didn't know what calculations the Temple Master had, but at this moment, one careless slip and all of them could die here. Clear Wind Temple had united its three branches, and the backbone was Temple Master Lin Hui. If something happened to Lin Hui...

He looked at Chen Sui and the other two beside him.

The three of them also had grim expressions, yet their faces were resolute, and they were already prepared to act. Clearly, compared to the three original disciples of Clear Wind Temple who had experienced great ups and downs, Wang Hongshi's mental fortitude was still lacking.

At this moment, Lin Hui casually twirled a sword flourish, his gaze sweeping over the four Internal Force experts one by one.

"Is everyone here?"

"??!!"

All four were stunned, unsure why he would suddenly say such a thing.

It was clearly four people surrounding to kill one, yet the other party still wore a look of calm confidence. This wasn't just arrogance anymore, was it? It was delusion! At a time like this, shouldn't he be decisively breaking out and finding a way to run for his life?

Sss.

Lin Hui extended a finger and gently wiped it across the blade of his sword, cleaning away the residual blood.

"Does anyone know where my sect's Elder, Xue Meng, is?"

"Is he dead, or alive? Or have you locked him up?"

"Since things have reached this point, Temple Master Lin should worry more about himself." Bai Feihan laughed. After his surprise, he guessed that Lin Hui probably thought he could use his high speed to disengage at will, so he remained unperturbed.

But unfortunately, this time, they had made complete preparations targeting high-speed movement techniques.

At that moment, Xue Meng’s words from when he had rushed into the mist zone while being chased involuntarily flashed through Bai Feihan’s mind.

"You simply don't understand how fast the Temple Master's sword is." Xue Meng's mocking expression at that time still rankled him.

Speed that could make an old veteran at the Perfection of Internal Force praise it to such a degree... no amount of caution could be considered excessive.

So he had invited two old friends to join him and his disciple in ambushing Clear Wind Temple. They absolutely had to annex Clear Wind Temple in this battle and take over the large swathes of property in the surrounding area.

Wind and snow swirled.

By now, Lin Hui understood that he wouldn't get any answers.

Lifting his sword, he held it slantwise in front of him.

"Living a good life... wouldn't that have been nice?"

A layer of faint white light lit up from his arms, extending to his shoulders.

"That is a line I should be saying. Your four sect members are so young, yet they must die here with you. Pitiful, lamentable." Bai Feihan laughed loudly.

Likewise, the white light of Internal Force on his body grew increasingly bright.

The two locked eyes, and both saw absolute killing intent in the other's gaze.