Lin Hui understood that with Qingfeng Temple’s growth, it was inevitable that spies had infiltrated their ranks. After all, they recruited openly, making it incredibly easy for someone to slip in.

The process of granting the seals was now the perfect opportunity to screen and purge their ranks.

Wang Hongshi quickly reported that five individuals were still inside the temple. Lin Hui wasn’t selective; since the number was small, he decided to have all Official Disciples currently on the grounds come and undergo the Blood Seal identification one by one.

Just as the temple began to carry out Lin Hui’s orders, news from Chen Sui’s forward party returned, leaving Lin Hui, who was in the midst of preparations, momentarily stunned.

’Someone actually dared to attack one of our teams?!’ He found it hard to believe. But his expression quickly turned grim.

Given Qingfeng Temple’s public backing, influence, and power, anyone who dared to attack them now could not be some minor faction.

"This is a battle report handwritten by Senior Brother Chen. Please review it, Observatory Master." The messenger disciple presented the letter with both hands.

Lin Hui took the letter and opened it.

’So it’s our old friends from Carefree Pavilion. And the Su Family, along with the main branch of the Liu Family.’ After a moment of analysis, Lin Hui immediately concluded that this was an operation targeting his Big Brother, Liu Wu Jun.

"Observatory Master, they’ve shown their hand. Is sticking to our original plan too conservative? Shouldn’t we notify the Rain Palace immediately?" Wang Hongshi’s cautious nature took precedence.

"Of course, we need to inform Big Brother, but there’s no rush. Big Sister has likely already written to him as well," Lin Hui replied, setting the letter down. "Besides, with Xia Si on the scene, it won’t be a major problem."

"Senior Sister Xia Si is indeed very reliable," Wang Hongshi nodded. "Then, Observatory Master, you mean...?"

"Since Carefree Pavilion has made its move, then..." Lin Hui mused for a moment. "If an operation like this fails, they can’t possibly mobilize even stronger masters. Doing so would mean open war between the two great Rain Palace factions, which the Palace Master would never permit. Therefore, Xia Si is more than enough to handle any overt threats."

Now that the labyrinth base was on the agenda and showing promise, Lin Hui was losing his desire to manage the Qingfeng Temple in the Outer City District.

This incident presented a perfect opportunity.

"Let Xia Si and Chen Sui handle things out there. We’ll continue with our own tasks."

Lin Hui had considered going into the city to eliminate Carefree Pavilion directly, but he dismissed the idea. First, Carefree Pavilion was not like the Qinghe Sect; it was a legitimate major power within the New Martial Alliance. Its internal network of masters and connections was complex and deeply entrenched, involving many people from within The Three Greats.

Some core members of The Three Greats even held key positions within Carefree Pavilion.

A surprise attack might succeed in a single blow, annihilating most of the enemy, but Carefree Pavilion was merely a glove worn for appearances. The true powers behind them, the Su Family and the main branch of the Liu Family, were far more difficult to handle.

Both were powerful families boasting top-tier High Priests, and they might even have some old fossils at the Palace Master level hidden away. If one of those old fossils had a powerful relic or a formidable Evil Soldier Insect Scripture...

...their combined power would be absolutely terrifying.

So Lin Hui chose to lie low. This was not his battle to fight; it was his Big Brother’s.

Just as he was waiting for the Core Disciples to assemble, a messenger arrived from the Rain Palace in the Inner City.

His Big Brother, Liu Wu Jun, had urgently dispatched men to Carefree Pavilion. The two sides had clashed en route. After mediation from the Palace Master’s faction, a temporary truce was called.

However, an inter-city exchange event Liu Wu Jun was attending was affected by the news. A single misstep cost him two games, resulting in a significant loss for his master.

In the letter, Liu Wu Jun urged him to stay put in Qingfeng Temple, assuring him they would be safe. The temple had already earned some renown in the Inner City and had been added to the Inspectorate’s list of cooperative partners. Because of this connection to the Inspectorate, many of the Moon Tower’s Original Blood had taken notice of them.

This effectively made them a semi-official partner organization on the periphery.

Lin Hui understood instantly. They were benefiting from their connection to Hong Ling, the head of the Inspectorate. Her mother was an elder in Extreme Desire Heaven, a rank higher than anyone in the Su or Liu families, so those families wouldn’t dare to touch them.

He hadn’t expected that, by a strange twist of fate, he had ended up under Hong Ling’s protection.

"Observatory Master, your next orders?" Wang Hongshi was still waiting.

"Deal with the elders who fled during the battle according to the rules for treason. Revoke all their benefits, including those for their families," Lin Hui ordered.

"And their disciples?"

"Them too."

"Understood."

"As for the disciples who died in battle and those who were seriously injured, compensate them strictly according to the rules. We’ll deal with everything else after we’ve settled matters here at the temple."

"Yes, sir!"

A short while later, the Core Disciples who could be quickly gathered began filing into the courtyard.

The number of people in Qingfeng Temple who could be considered Core Disciples had now expanded to thirty.

Every one of these thirty individuals enjoyed free Body Tempering resources, Martial Arts instruction, protection for their families, stipends, and many other benefits.

Of course, per their contracts, they were also required to devote their time and energy to Qingfeng Temple, completing a set number of missions within a given timeframe.

Aside from Chen Sui and the others on assignment, everyone who could make it was now here.

Once everyone had entered, there were exactly twenty people in total. Among them were Huang Shan, Qiu Yiren, Xiaohu, and other disciples from the temple’s early days.

Also present were later recruits, such as Princess Li Yuanyuan of the Shadow Hound Clan and the prodigy Xue Yanshuo.

Finally, there was Mingxia, who had run over to see what all the excitement was about.

No one could stop her. Hearing the commotion, she had assumed some new Martial Arts were about to be taught and had eagerly rushed over to investigate.

"Greetings, Observatory Master." All twenty bowed to Lin Hui in unison.

"Very good." Lin Hui’s gaze swept over each of them. "I’ve gathered you all here today for a very important matter. A deployed team was ambushed en route, which leads us to believe there is a mole in our midst, secretly passing on detailed intelligence about the temple. Therefore, I’m going to conduct an internal screening."

At these words, the expressions of most people present changed slightly. The hearts of several, including Xue Yanshuo, skipped a beat.

This was especially true for Xue Yanshuo. The last time he and Li Yuanyuan were summoned for their exceptional talent, he had heard Lin Hui mention that they would have to wait. Only after he had a new method to verify their backgrounds would they be taught any further Martial Arts.

He had assumed that after so much time, Lin Hui might have forgotten. He never expected to be suddenly summoned for an internal screening today.

Lin Hui’s perception was now incredibly sharp. As he scanned the group, he already had a faint idea of who was who.

"I cannot reveal the specific screening method, but I can guarantee that it will reveal the true allegiances of certain individuals with one hundred percent accuracy. No one will be falsely accused."

"Now, who would like to be first?" Lin Hui looked at the twenty people in the courtyard.

The words had barely left his lips when the first person to step forward was none other than Wang Hongshi.

"I’ll go first, Observatory Master."

As a Core Disciple, he was naturally subject to the screening as well.

"Very well. Stand still before me, close your eyes, and wait," Lin Hui instructed.

"Yes." Wang Hongshi had great faith in Lin Hui. He immediately rose, walked to within a meter of Lin Hui, stood still, and closed his eyes, unmoving.

Lin Hui sat cross-legged on a cushion, his gaze fixed on Wang Hongshi as the Blood Seal on the back of his hand coalesced and dispersed.

’Wang Hongshi: Human, 28 years old. Steward of Qingfeng Temple, Inner Power Martial Artist. Cultivated Martial Arts: Perfected Qingfeng Swordsmanship. Cultivated Secret Techniques...’

A series of other cultivated Martial Arts followed. Besides the Qingfeng Swordsmanship and his original Black Dragon Claw from the Black Dragon Sect, the man had apparently also practiced a slew of Hard Skills. But...

Lin Hui glanced over the list and saw that he hadn’t mastered a single one of them. They were all half-practiced, at a half-baked level.

Furthermore, the information from the Blood Seal indicated that his drug toxicity and resistance had reached their peak. Apparently, the man had been secretly consuming large quantities of drugs, trying to follow the same path as him, the Observatory Master.

Lin Hui was speechless. He knew he’d set a bad example and couldn’t really say anything about it.

Finally, he looked at the section for evolutionary branches.

Sure enough, it read: 0.

There was also an additional warning.

’Warning: The more intelligent the lifeform, the more stray thoughts and the greater the potential for change, resulting in stricter evolutionary conditions. Post-evolution, the subject’s mind will be reshaped by the seal, rendering them completely loyal to the master of the Blood Seal. This may result in a loss of some growth potential. Please decide with caution.’

"...Observatory Master, is... is there a problem with me?" Seeing Lin Hui staring at him, unblinking and with a serious expression, Wang Hongshi’s heart began to pound.

Observatory Master Lin Hui had always been an enigma, always calm and composed no matter the situation. For him to show such an expression just from a simple inspection...

"The level of drug-related toxins in your body is too high," Lin Hui replied. "You can’t take any more, or it will undoubtedly affect your lifespan."

"I... I understand." Wang Hongshi’s face flushed red. He knew he’d been found out. He had seen the Observatory Master grow stronger by consuming pills and had decided to try it himself. He never thought...

"Also, cut back on your... dalliances," Lin Hui added via voice transmission.

Among the reams of information from the Blood Seal was even an assessment of Wang Hongshi’s reproductive health. Due to his excessive carnal activities and his frantic drug-fueled cultivation, the man’s fertility had plummeted to the point of near sterility.

"Yes, sir!" Wang Hongshi started, lowering his head. He was shocked that Lin Hui had even seen through his... extracurricular activities, which he had pursued by taking advantage of his official position.

As the steward of Qingfeng Temple, his current status and power in the Outer City were far greater than most people imagined—far, far greater.

He simply hadn’t been able to resist the temptation...

"Alright, you’re clean. Step aside. You’ll be in charge of recording the roster. Note down everyone who passes," Lin Hui ordered.

He was going to formally bestow the seals this time. He would start with one person; he couldn’t grant them to everyone at once. It had to be done in tiers, step by step.

There was a wondrous aspect to this seal-bestowal process: if the recipient did not, from the bottom of their heart, consider themselves a true disciple of the sect, the seal could not be conferred.

This also served as a method for identifying spies.

"Yes, sir." Wang Hongshi heaved a long sigh of relief. He walked to one side, called over a disciple to fetch a brush and paper, and prepared to start writing.

What he didn’t know was that from this day forward, Qingfeng Temple was about to enter a completely new era, one of truly transformative change.

The granting of the Three Seals, in addition to the master Qingyuan Seal, would drastically increase the power and influence of the entire Qingfeng Temple.

And as for a freak of nature like Xia Si, even Lin Hui couldn’t predict what heights she might reach by relying on the four seals.

Meanwhile, the team led by Xia Si, sent to deal with the Hongfei Sect, finally reached their destination: Huang Family Town.

This was the same place where Qiu Yiren had clashed with them previously.

And there, the Hongfei Sect had already positioned a number of experts, who had been waiting for some time on the main road just outside of town.

The fugitive Fu Chunxing was there, accompanied by a mysterious figure encased in silver full-body armor—a veritable tin can.