Mei Ruolan reached out to take it, drew the sword, and found only a stump of the blade remained.

She glanced down, then looked back at Li Muzhan, nodding once. "Your strength is considerable; the Azure Edge Sword simply won't do."

She gave a soft instruction. "Xiao Yuan, please fetch Master Cheng."

"Yes, Miss." Xiao Yuan spared Li Muzhan a quick look and vanished with a soft movement.

Mei Ruolan examined the broken sword, her delicate brows slightly furrowed. "Though the Azure Edge Sword wasn't a treasured blade, it was certainly sturdy and sound... Who did you cross swords with?"

"My second elder sister," Li Muzhan replied.

Mei Ruolan nodded slowly. "That explains it... A master disciple of Xueyin Shenni, truly not to be underestimated!"

She raised her index finger, white as a spring onion shoot, and flicked lightly. With a sharp ding, the blade shattered into fragments, which rained down softly, leaving only the bare hilt.

Li Muzhan smiled inwardly. Though the young mistress remained calm, she was still young and possessed the competitive spirit of her age.

Yet, he too was curious: which of his second sister and her was the superior martial artist? In any case, both were far stronger than he was. To think he, a grown man, was inferior to women!

Footsteps sounded, and Xiao Yuan called out, "Miss, Master Cheng is here!"

Master Cheng, stout as a millstone, bustled in, laughing heartily. "Hah! The young mistress called old Cheng here, what orders do you have?"

Mei Ruolan smiled and rose. "Uncle Cheng, Zhanran's sword is broken. Would you please recast one for him?"

"Oh—?" Master Cheng approached Zhanran.

Zhanran clasped his hands in a bow and smiled gently. "Master Cheng."

"Broken already?" Master Cheng, clad in simple short hemp clothes with his chest bare, resembled a hearty farmer. He looked Li Muzhan up and down. "Hmm, this young fellow is truly good material; it would be a pity not to forge a sword for him!"

Mei Ruolan smiled sweetly. "Uncle Cheng, he possesses immense strength; the material was too brittle to withstand his power."

Master Cheng nodded, spread his arms, and beckoned with hands like bamboo fans. "Little monk, come, come, let's see who is stronger!"

Li Muzhan accepted without ceremony, extending his arm until their palms met.

Master Cheng's eyes widened, and he roared, "Ready, go!"

Both men planted their feet simultaneously, their bodies rooting like stakes, their arms pulled taut like drawn bows.

"Hnn...!" Master Cheng's eyes bulged wide, watching helplessly as Li Muzhan pushed him back a full (zhang). His legs dragged like rakes, carving two deep furrows a zhang long behind him.

Li Muzhan slowly released his grip, clasped his hands in a bow, and smiled. "Master Cheng, I concede!"

"What tremendous strength!" Master Cheng shook off his astonishment, praising him ceaselessly. "Little monk, stop with all this fighting and killing; it's too dangerous. Come forge a sword with me instead!"

Li Muzhan smiled but remained silent.

Master Cheng hurried on. "Don't look down on sword-forging! I have unique inner techniques; forging a sword is cultivation!"

Li Muzhan smiled, saying nothing.

"Ah... forget it, forget it. Young people always enjoy the fray. One day you'll tire of it. Come find me anytime!" Master Cheng waved his hand, suddenly disheartened, and turned to Mei Ruolan. "Young Mistress, I'll need two days. I must craft this one with true care!"

"We will trouble you, Uncle Cheng!" Mei Ruolan smiled.

"A small matter, I'm off!" Master Cheng waved his hand and clattered away.

Xiao Yuan looked at Li Muzhan, her bright eyes wide. "Zhanran, you actually pushed Master Cheng back! That's incredible!"

The Mei Manor had two titans of strength: Jin Kaitai and Master Cheng. Though Jin Kaitai was powerful, he was still a few degrees short of Master Cheng. Xiao Yuan knew Li Muzhan was strong, but she hadn't imagined him this formidable.

"Just brute strength," Li Muzhan chuckled dismissively.

Mei Ruolan said coolly, "Indeed. Your techniques still lag far behind; you must apply yourself diligently."

Xiao Yuan pouted, falling silent.

Two days later, Master Cheng sent someone to deliver a sword, along with its sheath.

The blade was silver-gray, utterly plain, without patterns or markings, matching the silver-gray scabbard in a seamless, dull finish.

When Li Muzhan first took it, he turned it over, finding it awkward. It looked like aluminum from a later age, yet it weighed heavily in his hand, like a meteorite, perhaps five or six times the mass of the Azure Edge Sword.

This substantial weight, however, offered a superb tactile feedback, and only then did he feel somewhat comfortable.

In the Quiet Garden, he was allotted a small courtyard just north of Mei Ruolan's, adjacent to hers, close enough to hear if he called out.

Mei Ruolan had two personal guards besides him: Gong Qingyun. Li Muzhan inwardly offered a wry smile—heaven seemed determined to tangle him further; he had severed emotional threads only to remain entangled. Gong Qingyun also had a small courtyard to the west of Mei Ruolan's, also neighboring.

The sun beat down fiercely, the heat venomous enough to crack skin. He sat cross-legged on the stone table in his small courtyard. The stone felt cool, transmitting a chill into his body through his legs, causing his pores to open and expel heat, rendering him utterly immune to the blaze. He had achieved the state where inner strength reached a certain level, making him impervious to the elements.

Within his dantian, the internal energy flowed according to the fourth diagram of the Vajra Sutra. His entire musculature immediately contracted, making him appear leaner, as if he had transformed into a different person. Then, it expanded again, puffing him out slightly, making him look like yet another individual. As the inner energy circulated, his muscles pulsed, contracting and expanding ceaselessly, like a ball being inflated and deflated, moving with a unique rhythm, rising and falling like the tide. This was the fourth layer of the Indestructible Vajra Divine Art: Muscle Refinement.

Simultaneously with the muscle changes, his skin subtly transformed, becoming whiter and smoother, until it shone with the brilliance of fine jade—he looked like a carving of jade. This was the third layer of the Indestructible Vajra Divine Art: Skin Refinement.

After forming two 'heart pearls,' he possessed the ability to multitask, cultivating two internal methods at once.

The Indestructible Vajra Divine Art comprised nine diagrams, requiring strict sequential progress; one had to master the first before beginning the second—there were no shortcuts or ways to cheat. However, the Art was purely skill-based, with no true ceiling. For instance, in the third layer, Skin Refinement, upon initial mastery, the skin became as tough as iron, capable of blocking blades and swords, but it would fail against divine weapons or overwhelming internal force. The longer one cultivated, the tougher the skin became; every increment of effort yielded a greater increase in resilience. Naturally, advancement slowed drastically in later stages, but eventually, the skin could withstand divine weapons.

The progress of the Indestructible Vajra Divine Art was astonishingly fast, entirely thanks to the heart pearls. With two pearls, his spirit grew incredibly potent, like a dragon dwelling in his heart. His divine will drove the internal energy, boosting its velocity and efficiency dramatically. Coupled with his dual cultivation, one hour of his practice was equivalent to five or six hours for others.

Cultivating inner strength drains the spirit severely. After two hours, others would be mentally exhausted, unable to continue, yet he remained vital, never tiring, needing no sleep. Previously, before his heart pearls formed, he too felt fatigue, recovering instantly after one hour of meditation, but now with two pearls, he didn't even need to meditate for recovery.

During his wall-gazing period, he practiced the Indestructible Vajra Art and the Six Sutras for ten hours daily, dedicating the remaining two hours to the Eight Swords of Suppressing Peaks. For any ordinary person, this schedule would induce madness. At this time, however, his meditative concentration was supreme; his mind was as calm as water, unruffled by external affairs. Furthermore, the cultivation of the Indestructible Vajra Art was intrinsically interesting. The first layer, refining the viscera, felt like a thousand cuts; the second, bones, like ten thousand ants gnawing; the third, skin, like being scorched by fire; the fourth, flesh, like being torn apart. Such constant, intense transformation prevented any feeling of monotony; his focus was completely internalized, oblivious to the world outside.

It was precisely this strenuous dedication that led to his current progress. In terms of natural talent, he was hardly superior, but his effort far exceeded that of others. The Eight Swords of Suppressing Peaks had become second nature, instinctive. The Six Sutras and the Indestructible Vajra Art mutually reinforced each other, leading to explosive growth. In this year and a half of training, he achieved what would normally require thirty years of arduous effort.

The human body possesses marvelous self-repair mechanisms, like a wound scabbing over and healing. While normally a good thing, this is detrimental to martial arts cultivation. Once training stops, the body ceaselessly recovers, nullifying the benefits achieved. Cultivating for two hours, then resting to recover, means that while the spirit rests, the body also heals; when training resumes the next day, less than a tenth of the previous effect remains. Li Muzhan maintained non-stop practice, refusing to allow his body to recover, ensuring zero dilution of the effect—hence his shockingly rapid progress. Moreover, his Celestial Origin Breathing Technique was perfected. If internal energy were water, his dantian would be a lake; normally, the lake is large and the water scarce, but for him, it was the reverse—the lake was small, but the water abundant. Expanding the lake is easy; storing the water is difficult. Once his dantian expanded, his internal energy rose proportionally, accelerating his progress even further. All these factors combined created his astonishing advancement in internal energy.

Under the scorching, fiery sun, Xiao Yuan drifted in, her feet making no sound. She wore a light green silk robe, her rounded hips and proud peaks distinctly visible. Upon entering, she remained silent, only gazing at Li Muzhan, her dimples shallow, her smile sweet.

The completion of his wall-gazing period should have been joyous, yet Xiao Yuan felt a touch of melancholy; she had grown accustomed to bringing him meals daily and seeing him every day. Unexpectedly, fortune favored her: Mei Ruolan appointed Li Muzhan as her personal guard, meaning she could see him anytime. Xiao Yuan was overjoyed, and seeing him now brought an immediate surge of happiness.

Li Muzhan opened his eyes and smiled. "Xiao Yuan, what happy news do you bring? Let me hear it."

Xiao Yuan pursed her lips and smiled.

"Found a sweetheart?" Li Muzhan asked teasingly. Among the four senior brothers in the Mei Manor, he was closest to Xiao Yuan, seeing her daily for a year and a half. Chatting with her was one of his rare moments of relaxation.

Xiao Yuan glared playfully. "Nonsense! ... The Miss is going out!"

"I see." Li Muzhan laughed, stepping off the stone table. "Are we leaving the compound?"

Xiao Yuan shook her head. "Not leaving the compound, we're going to the Plum Pine Residence in the east."

"Plum Pine Residence?" Li Muzhan continued walking without stopping, smiling. "Could that be for the Third Miss?"

"Exactly!... You call her Third Miss, I call her Third Sister!" Xiao Yuan nodded, stepping lightly to walk beside him, a wave of delicate fragrance wafting to his nose.

The two soon arrived at Mei Ruolan's courtyard. Mei Ruolan had just stepped out, clad in a light purple silk gown, offering him a slight nod without slowing her pace. Gong Qingyun followed behind her, her almond face as delicate as ever, but expressionless, giving him a cold glance.

Li Muzhan took his position behind Mei Ruolan, walking abreast of Gong Qingyun. His expression shifted, becoming solemn and grave—he seemed like an entirely different person. As he walked, he calmly shifted the prayer beads on his left hand, his monk's robe flowing; he exuded the dignified air of a high monk. Xiao Yuan watched him, secretly chuckling: this Zhanran, putting on an act! He was truly good at posturing!

Leaving the Quiet Garden, they proceeded straight east until they reached the very edge of the grounds. The willows disappeared, replaced by lush green pines, and the terrain rose and fell, forming a small forest where a pavilion was hidden among the foliage. Faintly, the crystalline sound of a qin drifted to them, clear as a spring.

The music grew louder as the four approached a delicate, magnificent three-story pavilion. It featured painted beams, carved rafters, and charmingly naive waterspouts on the eaves. A low fence surrounded the pavilion, enclosing several flower beds. In the center of the beds were two small pavilions; in the eastern one, amidst fluttering light gauze, a woman sat angled away from them, gently plucking the strings of her qin, the music mournful and distant.

"Is this the Third Miss?!" Li Muzhan quietly asked Xiao Yuan.

Xiao Yuan nodded. "Yes." Then she smiled, lowering her voice. "Are you surprised?... Did you think the Third Miss was much older?"

Li Muzhan nodded. Although he knew Mei Songwan was young, he hadn't expected her to be this young. Even with the sheer gauze obscuring the view, he could see clearly; judging by appearance, she was barely a year or two older than Mei Ruolan.

: This week feels like showing up naked; without everyone's support, I'll be finished. I need every single collection and recommendation from you all. Any tips would be an unexpected bonus. Without data, there's no chance for recommendations; without recommendations, I can't get on the charts; fewer people will know about it, and then I'm done for. I'll have to painfully end it—the shadow of my last book still haunts me, just thinking about it sends a chill down my spine!F