Li Muzhan paused, considered for a moment, and finally shook his head with a sigh. "Forget it, now that I'm here at the Mei Residence, how can I give up halfway?"

Li Yurong retorted, "If you stay cooped up in the Mei Residence your whole life, you'll amount to nothing significant."

Li Muzhan managed a wry smile, shaking his head. "In this world, nothing is perfect. One can't expect to reap all the benefits."

"You really won't leave the Mei Residence?" Li Yurong frowned.

Li Muzhan nodded. "Yes, Second Sister, there's no need to say any more."

"Sigh... you are truly stubborn," Li Yurong shook her head and sniffed. "Wouldn't it be better if you mastered your martial arts and then helped the Mei Residence?"

Li Muzhan merely smiled and shook his head, saying nothing.

Li Yurong turned to Qingsi with a laugh. "Senior Sister, look at my third brother—what an absolute blockhead."

Qingsi's bright eyes twinkled, and she smiled. "It is rare."

"Fine, you stubborn mule, I won't waste any more breath on you!" Li Yurong shot Li Muzhan a sidelong glance.

Li Muzhan chuckled softly. "I need to master the skills I currently possess, build up my inner strength, and then talk about other things."

The four chatted for a while longer, recounting the perils of his journey. Li Yurong listened with evident envy.

"Venturing into the martial world is indeed quite something," Li Yurong admitted with a sigh. "It's a shame it's impossible for us. Our martial practice is merely for strengthening the body."

Qingsi nodded in agreement. "Mhm, Master won't allow us to step into the martial world." A trace of regret flickered across her expression too.

Li Muzhan understood; they had trained in profound skills but were forbidden to display them. It was like learning the art of slaying dragons only to be kept from battle—it bred deep unwillingness.

"Second Sister," Li Muzhan asked, "I heard there's a Grand Martial Arts Gathering every ten years, and a Minor Gathering every five years. You don't attend those either?"

Li Yurong sighed. "Master forbids it."

Li Muzhan chuckled. "What a pity. Otherwise, you could surely win the title of the 'Jade Maiden.'"

"There's a Minor Gathering next year. You should go; it's in Penglai City."

"Me..." Li Muzhan shook his head with a smile.

The Grand Gathering was open to all martial artists, while the Minor Gathering was exclusively for those under thirty—both were major events in the Wulin. Li Muzhan had heard the news while chatting with the Mei Residence guards and felt a strong pull. He wanted to participate, not to gain fame, but to witness the different martial styles of the world and integrate the best aspects into his own practice.

However, he now understood that apart from swordsmanship, other techniques, like the Great Strength Demon-Subduing Fist or the Golden Engraving Finger, were impossible to steal by mere observation. Thinking of this, he sighed and shook his head.

After bidding farewell to the three women, he returned to his room, sat cross-legged on the couch, formed his hand seals, and activated the Nine Luminaries Heart Method. A stream of moonlight pierced the roof and shot straight into his Dantian, flowing into his Purple Elixir.

The Purple Elixir spun, ceaselessly absorbing the moon essence, slowly swelling. After an hour, it had grown by a full circumference, but then, despite the continued infusion of moonlight, the Purple Elixir ceased to change.

Li Muzhan let out a long breath, slowly opening his eyes, which spat out arcs of purple lightning that momentarily illuminated the room.

Indeed, this method had hit a bottleneck.

After condensing the Purple Elixir, he had an inspired idea to rapidly boost his strength: using the Nine Luminaries Heart Method to draw down moonlight and inject it into the Purple Elixir, causing it to expand. Then, he would use the expanded Purple Elixir to circulate through his meridians, strengthening and widening them.

Initially, this method was extremely effective. The Purple Elixir grew rapidly, expanding by more than half by the time he returned to the Mei Residence, significantly increasing his internal power. But he also realized that the Purple Elixir, like the Dantian itself, had a limited capacity. Now that it had reached its current size, no amount of infusing it with the essence of the sun or moon made any difference.

He stepped off the couch and walked to the writing desk, pushing open the window to gaze at the crescent moon, offering a wry, helpless smile. To ascend to the heavens in one leap was truly impossible.

At this stage, further progress was agonizingly slow. To truly strengthen his martial arts, he could only rely on gradual accumulation and diligent practice over time.

He stood up and sighed. Rejecting his Second Sister's suggestion and declining the opportunity was regrettable, but letting martial arts disturb his peace of mind was not worth the cost. It was beneath him. Destiny was hidden in the unseen currents; opportunities would eventually surface, and one must seize them. If a chance was not meant for him, he must learn to let it go.

He took a deep breath, casting aside distracting thoughts. To become the world's foremost master, arduous cultivation was the only path. When destiny allowed, higher martial arts would appear; until then, he would endure relentless practice.

He returned to the couch, sat cross-legged, quickly adjusted his breathing, and began cultivating the Vajra Indestructible Divine Art. He dimly suspected that the capacity of the Purple Elixir was inextricably linked to the strength of the spirit. To increase its volume, he had to enhance his spirit, and the way to enhance the spirit was to condense another Mind Pearl.

Once another Mind Pearl was condensed, his spirit would surge, and presumably, the Purple Elixir would grow larger, his internal power deeper, allowing him to surpass his current self even without the Great Strength Demon-Subduing Fist.

The method for condensing a Mind Pearl was through cultivating the Vajra Indestructible Divine Art, using excruciating pain to temper and stimulate the spirit, thereby strengthening it enough to form another Pearl. However, his current practice of the Vajra Art had significantly increased his tolerance for pain, making him somewhat numb; there was no sign of a new Mind Pearl forming.

It seemed everything had reached a bottleneck. For the immediate future, his martial arts could not advance further; he could only rely on the cumulative effect of daily practice.

The next morning, he rose, ate breakfast, said goodbye to his family, and arrived at the Mei Residence.

Entering the Tianshu Courtyard, Zhao Yuzhen and the others rushed out to greet him with great enthusiasm. The four of them wore deep blue fitted tunics, looking vibrant and spirited. Ji Muzhan felt an instant kinship. After they exchanged greetings, Wei Chimin pulled him towards the lakeside corridor and insisted he recount his entire journey.

Li Muzhan did not refuse, happily recounting the events with a broad smile. Everyone listened, full of praise and yearning in their expressions.

Zhao Yuzhen laughed. "That was truly perilous, Fifth Junior Brother. You certainly have a tough hide; anyone else in such danger would have been dead long ago."

Li Muzhan laughed in return. "I was forced into it. When trouble looms, there's no choice but to brace yourself and charge forward; there's no other path."

Zhao Yuzhen nodded repeatedly. "Good, good. Fifth Junior Brother, seeing your martial arts advance so much is truly cause for celebration. Your hard work wasn't in vain!"

"Alas... what a pity, what a pity we didn't get to go," Wei Chimin slapped his thigh, sighing relentlessly.

Cheng Xiaofeng stated coolly, "Worry about mastering your own skills first."

Wei Chimin glared at him. "Hmph! Senior Brother, did you get to go?"

Cheng Xiaofeng turned away, seemingly deeming the question beneath his notice to answer.

Zhao Yuzhen and He Nanshan exchanged wry smiles. Li Muzhan felt a pang of confusion—had Third Senior Brother and Fourth Junior Brother fallen out? That was rare. He didn't dwell on it; they bickered all day but were the closest pair.

"Senior Brother," Li Muzhan asked Zhao Yuzhen, "how have things been around here lately?"

"Sigh..." Zhao Yuzhen shook his head wryly and slapped his thigh. "Don't even mention it!"

Li Muzhan was startled. "Why?"

"It's enough to suffocate a man!" Wei Chimin exclaimed fiercely, drawing his sword, flourishing it a few times, and then sheathing it. "Being confined to the residence day after day, letting the Bai family run rampant in Jinyang City—it's infuriating!"

Li Muzhan understood at once and smiled. "It's better now that everyone is back. The Bai family's good days are over."

"We've been waiting for this day!" Wei Chimin flexed his fists, eager for action.

Li Muzhan smiled and shook his head. "Fourth Senior Brother, the Bai family isn't a pushover. If a real fight breaks out, you must be cautious."

"We aren't pushovers either, don't worry," Wei Chimin dismissed the advice with a wave of his hand.

Li Muzhan chuckled a few times and offered no further persuasion.

Just then, light footsteps sounded—it was Xiaoyuan.

Xiaoyuan was clad in a pale pink silk dress, looking lush and exquisite. Standing on the steps, her radiance illuminated the courtyard. She spoke in a delicate voice. "Zhanran, Miss is summoning you."

Li Muzhan smiled. "Good, I'll be right there." He smiled at Zhao Yuzhen and the others, then followed Xiaoyuan to the Qisu Garden. ………………………………’……，’…………

In a small courtyard within the Qisu Garden, Mei Ruolan, dressed in court attire, possessed an elegant, refined, yet nobly aloof aura that inexplicably made one feel inadequate and hesitant to look directly at her.

Li Muzhan entered. She remained focused on the lilies, her back to him, motionless.

"Miss?" Li Muzhan asked with a slight smile.

Mei Ruolan turned, waved a hand at Xiaoyuan, who quietly retreated. As she left, Xiaoyuan cast a worried glance at Li Muzhan—the Miss was surely about to reprimand Zhanran!

After Xiaoyuan departed, Mei Ruolan spoke indifferently. "Zhanran, you should leave the residence and lie low for a couple of days."

Li Muzhan paused, then shook his head. "That's unnecessary."

Mei Ruolan's delicate brows furrowed, her gaze momentarily hazy as she looked deeply at him. Li Muzhan met her eyes, neither one yielding, simply staring directly.

After a long moment, Mei Ruolan withdrew her gaze and sighed. "I received word that the Li family has finally made contact with the Helian family."

Li Muzhan inquired, "When will they arrive?" He had anticipated this; after striking the servants, the masters were bound to appear.

"In five or six days at most," Mei Ruolan replied.

Li Muzhan nodded, silent.

Mei Ruolan deliberated for a while, then slowly stated, "The Helian family is not like the Li family; they are filled with supreme masters. Even if your martial arts advance by leaps and bounds, you won't be a match. Don't hold onto any (lucky chance)."

Li Muzhan nodded. With his profound inner strength now, he could hold his own against the Li family's enforcers, but the Helian family... that was indeed out of the question.

Mei Ruolan suddenly laughed at herself, shook her head, and sighed bitterly. "Alas... it's my own powerlessness."

"When things like this happen, we can only blame unfavorable fate," Li Muzhan said with a smile.

Mei Ruolan gazed far into the sky. After a moment, she murmured sadly, "In this world, it is survival of the fittest, where strength reigns supreme. If your strength is inferior, and you suffer indignity, you must find a way to endure it, unable to act purely on whim."

Li Muzhan smiled. "Miss, if such a thing happens again... I will still kill people."

"You—!" Mei Ruolan frowned, a hint of anger emerging.

Li Muzhan asked, "If there is nothing else, I shall take my leave."

"...Go then," Mei Ruolan watched him for a while, then waved her hand, returning to her composed demeanor.

Watching Li Muzhan's receding figure, Mei Ruolan's bright eyes flickered, her gaze distant, and she sighed softly. Her beautiful face betrayed a whirlwind of emotions. She understood: Li Muzhan refused to leave because he feared the Helian family, upon arrival, would take out their frustration on the Mei Residence if they couldn't find him. But if he stayed, he was walking into certain death. Even if the Wang family from Penglai arrived, it would be too late based on the projected timeline.

Li Muzhan had just returned to the Tianshu Courtyard when Xiaoyuan appeared again, speaking sweetly. "Zhanran, this is Miss's official dispatch. She orders you to set off tomorrow for Tiannan to pay respects on Old Master Lu's birthday." (To be continued)