The gentle breeze rustled through the treetops, leaving the surroundings in profound silence.

Li Muzhan frowned, glancing left and right, his eyes clear and sharp.

Though he heard no sound and saw no one, he sensed he was being watched—a feeling so esoteric, yet one he trusted implicitly.

After a moment of stillness, he continued his steps, his mind keenly attuned to his senses, pores open to the air, feeling the faintest breath of wind with absolute clarity.

After a dozen paces, Li Muzhan halted, turning back with a smile, "Heh heh, Senior Bai, why hide like a petty man?" "Heh heh..." A burst of laughter suddenly erupted, shaking the surrounding woods as if struck by a great gale.

Bai Qingshi, clad in a flowing blue robe, materialized elegantly, stopping four zhang behind him.

He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, stroking his long, clean beard beneath his chin, smiling slightly, "Little Master, your internal energy is formidable, to actually detect this old man.

Truly, the younger generation is fearsome!" Li Muzhan smiled, his gaze sweeping around.

Slowly, a dozen figures emerged around him—some stood on the narrow path, others perched on treetops, and still others concealed in the undergrowth, forming a circle that enveloped him.

Most of these dozen were youths, with only four being middle-aged men.

The four middle-aged men possessed ordinary features, their spirits deeply contained, their gazes detached; were it not for the high prominence of their temples, they would easily be mistaken for commoners.

The dozen youths, however, were anything but ordinary, each radiating vigor and possessing distinguished bearing.

Their eyes were bright, faint glints of sharp energy visible; their internal power had reached mastery—they were certainly experts.

Li Muzhan surveyed them and shook his head, "I did not expect that for a mere insignificant person like myself, such a host would be troubled.

I am truly ashamed!" He could tell these youths were the elite of the Bai family.

It seemed Bai Qingshi was certain of capturing him, treating him like a chick for the eagle to train its young upon.

He felt a flash of annoyance in his heart, which he swiftly suppressed, allowing his mind to become as placid as a lake, illuminating everything around him.

Bai Qingshi scrutinized him, taking him in from head to toe, then sighed, "You are so young, yet your martial arts are profound, your temperament fierce and bold.

You possess limitless potential, which makes it such a pity..." Li Muzhan smiled faintly, "Preventing trouble before it starts, snuffing out danger in its infancy—you intend to eliminate me, is that it?" Bai Qingshi nodded, "Clever! ...

The last time we clashed, this old man gained no advantage.

In a few more years, would I not simply have to wait for death?!!" He continued, "Circumstances compel us, it is Heaven’s will.

Little Master, do not blame me for my ruthlessness!" Li Muzhan chuckled, setting down the wooden casket and dusting his hands, "No need for more words.

Make your move!" Bai Qingshi stroked his beard and smiled, "Then I must be rude.

...

Guards, escort the Little Master on his way!" His expression darkened, and he waved his hand forcefully.

With a soft clang, two youths on the path drew their swords and advanced on him with cold smiles, their steps slow, their mocking attitudes palpable.

Li Muzhan watched them calmly.

Their Jing-Qi-Shen was vibrant, their eyes subtly blazing with sharp light.

At their age and with such cultivation, they would certainly rank among the foremost talents in the Mei Residence. "Kill!" one of them shouted, his sword light tracing a streak of white silk, sweeping across horizontally. "Kill!" the other roared, his sword light coalescing into a single point of cold radiance, thrusting out abruptly, aimed straight for Li Muzhan's chest.

The two moved from left and right, sealing off any space for Li Muzhan to evade.

Li Muzhan smiled, flickered instantly, and appeared before one of the men.

He drove his right fist forward, simultaneously using his left hand to sweep and, following the momentum, snatch the opponent’s long sword.

Struck in the chest, the youth was sent flying diagonally upward, yanked abruptly as if by a string from behind, and landed twenty zhang away in the grass beside the path.

This maneuver was executed in the blink of an eye, swift as lightning and flint.

The silver arc of the sword play ceased as quickly as it appeared, the weapon now in new hands.

Li Muzhan had merged the Wuying Sword Heart Method into his boxing, making his hand techniques unimaginably fast—even surpassing the speed of the Wuying Sword itself.

Combined with his Fuguang Lüeying movement technique, the youth was struck like a puppet, sent flying without any chance to react.

The other youth’s face hardened, and he twisted his body around, stabbing again with a sharp chi sound.

Li Muzhan smiled, taking a quick step forward.

He blocked with his left hand holding the sword vertically, then immediately thrust his flat sword forward.

With a low weng sound, the blade vibrated as if suddenly alive.

Wielding a sword with his left hand was no different from using his right.

The youth felt an immense force surge toward him, like an unstoppable tide.

His palm went instantly numb, followed by half his body losing sensation.

His sword flew out of his grasp.

Immediately, a point of cold light appeared.

He tried to dodge, but the sword was too fast, and his body unresponsive.

He could only watch helplessly as the tip reached his flesh.

He felt a sharp pain in his chest, and his vision darkened instantly, the gloom growing thicker until he slowly collapsed backward, facing the sky, losing consciousness.

Li Muzhan withdrew his sword and stood straight, shaking his head with a soft sigh, looking toward Bai Qingshi.

Bai Qingshi’s expression changed; his eyes flickered with cold killing intent.

These young men he brought were all elites; losing even one was a major blow to the Bai Residence.

He had brought them for tempering, never expecting two to fall in the time it took to draw a breath. "Go check on them!" He waved a hand.

The two middle-aged men floated over, one to each fallen figure, crouching to examine them.

They stood up, shook their heads, their faces grim, glaring intensely at Li Muzhan.

Li Muzhan sighed, shaking his head, his expression full of mock pity, "What a pity..." This phrase was an exact echo of Bai Qingshi’s earlier words, making it intensely sarcastic in this context.

Bai Qingshi's face darkened further, his eyes radiating a sharp, icy brilliance, sharp as sword light.

Gritting his teeth, he waved his hand again, "All of you, attack together!" The group slowly advanced, closing the circle from all sides, the ring gradually shrinking.

Li Muzhan met them with a smile, his sword tip pointed down, motionless.

Only his grey monk's robe fluttered in the sudden breeze that had picked up moments before.

Chi! Chi! Chi! Chi! Four streaks of sword light pierced the air, aimed at his brow, his Danzhong acupoint, his lower abdomen, and his shoulder.

Li Muzhan swept his long sword in a downward 'S' curve, resembling a silver serpent winding and gliding.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Four clashes sounded.

The four long swords flew away.

He leaped into the air, released his grip, and caught one of the falling swords.

The sword hit the ground and shattered into pieces.

Mid-air, he swung his sword, scattering a screen of light.

Amidst the continuous crisp dinging, darts and hidden weapons rained down, faintly flashing blue—mostly poisoned needles.

He landed simultaneously, frowning.

These fellows were truly insidious; surrounding him with so many attackers and still resorting to hidden weapons—they spared no means.

The four youths retreated, watching him with astonishment.

Bai Qingshi stroked his beard and sneered, "Well done, Zhanran, truly living up to your reputation.

Keep pressing the attack!" This time, eight men attacked at once, their sword lights continuous and perfectly coordinated, as if one person wielded eight swords.

The force of their attack was like a torrential downpour, dense and impenetrable.

Li Muzhan's swordplay was calm and measured; his sword light cascaded like a waterfall, surrounding him.

No matter how fast the eight men attacked, he managed to block them steadily.

This was the Zhenyue Eight Swords, the secret technique passed down by Jin Kaitai, immense in its power.

As he unleashed it, his sword movements appeared relaxed, yet ceaseless.

The eight men attacked relentlessly, but could not break through, leading to a stalemate for the moment.

Bai Qingshi stroked his beard and frowned, staring at the action in the center.

After a long moment, Li Muzhan showed no sign of breaking.

He nodded toward the four middle-aged men.

The four middle-aged men nodded back, slowly drawing their swords and advancing with grim expressions. "Ugh..." A muffled groan suddenly sounded, and one youth slowly collapsed. "Ugh..." Another muffled groan, and another youth fell.

The continuous sword light momentarily faltered.

Taking advantage of this pause, a cold glint flashed at Li Muzhan's waist, and two more men dropped.

He used the Zhenyue Eight Swords with his left hand, and his own sword, the Wuying Sword, with his right—one steady and orthodox, the other strange and swift, one slow, one fast, employed seamlessly and in perfect coordination.

Any other person could not manage this fluency, but with his Xinzhu condensed, he could perform two tasks simultaneously, making it appear as if two masters were fighting in perfect harmony.

In the span of a few breaths, only four youths remained. "Stop!" the four middle-aged men roared, lunging forward.

Their sword light was like a white rainbow piercing the sun, enveloping Li Muzhan.

Li Muzhan shifted, shedding his robe and changing position in an instant, appearing behind a youth.

His sword light swept out, blood splattered, and the youth collapsed.

The four middle-aged men were furious; their sword lights twisted and converged on him.

Li Muzhan flickered again, appearing behind another youth, following the same procedure, and then instantly reappeared behind a third. "Get out of the way!" the four middle-aged men bellowed, their eyes bloodshot, faces contorted with rage.

They were maddened by Li Muzhan's actions.

Li Muzhan’s movement technique was astonishingly fast.

He had not only mastered Fuguang Lüeying but had also managed to learn Yunlong Jiuxian in passing, combining the strengths of both to change his movement at will.

One moment it was Fuguang Lüeying, the next it was Yunlong Jiuxian; his speed was bewildering, and while the four men’s sword lights streaked like rainbows, Li Muzhan consistently positioned himself behind the youths.

By this time, only two youths remained.

Compared to Li Muzhan’s agility, they were like inanimate wooden stakes.

Hearing the shout to "get out of the way," the two desperately retreated toward Bai Qingshi.

Bai Qingshi floated forward, his face grim.

He had brought the Bai Residence elites this time specifically for tempering, to teach them that even geniuses could meet death easily if they were careless.

He had not anticipated that this Zhanran would be so formidable, nearly wiping out the Bai Residence elite in moments.

Even if he managed to kill Zhanran now, he would have no face to return to the Family Head! His expression turned icy, his eyes flickering with boiling killing intent.

No matter what, Zhanran had to die today! Seeing this, Li Muzhan ceased his pursuit, stopped, and let out a long laugh, "Haha...

that is all! That is all!" He flickered, leaping onto the treetops, skimming swiftly along the canopy, heading directly south.

He was like a wisp of light smoke, vanishing thirty to forty zhang away in an instant. "Chase—!" The word was squeezed through Bai Qingshi’s teeth.

His movements were ethereal and incredibly fast, trailing Li Muzhan about thirty zhang behind, yet unable to close the gap.

The four middle-aged men and the remaining four youths were falling further and further behind.

The two raced on, one chasing, the other fleeing, skimming just above the treetops.

In moments, they entered a mountain valley where the forest grew denser, the leaves lush and overlapping, completely obscuring the ground from above.

At this point, Li Muzhan suddenly dropped from the treetops, plunging into the depths of the woods.

Bai Qingshi’s heart sank; his brow furrowed tightly.

Avoid forests, never pursue a cornered foe—in such dim light and dense cover, ambushes were easy.

But the arrow was already loosed, he had to proceed.

If he failed to kill this bald donkey today, after losing the Bai Residence elites, his old reputation would be utterly ruined! He gritted his teeth, floated downward, his body taut like a drawn bow, ready to strike back at any moment.

He listened intently; there was no sound, nor any discernible presence.

PS: I apologize for missing yesterday’s update.

I have been low on energy and feeling overwhelmed lately.

Sorry.

I will try to manage two updates today as compensation.

Forgive me.