Li Muzhan ignited his inner force, transforming it into a bolt of lightning, reaching Zhiba Hou in Jin Yang City in the blink of an eye.
The internal energy surged and burned fiercely, illuminating his entire dantian.
In his internal vision, his entire being had become a conflagration, blazing like a torch, utterly beyond his control.
Fortunately, his profound composure allowed him to forcefully suppress the urge to vent it, maintaining a façade of normalcy.
He strolled along the streets of Jin Yang City, ambling his way towards the Mei Residence.
He nodded and smiled at the four guards, offered a greeting, and stepped inside.
Upon entering, he was met by a clear, mirror-like lake.
He yearned to plunge in immediately, to extinguish the raging fire in his dantian.
His inner qi felt vastly more robust than before; no matter how much he burned it, it seemed inexhaustible.
The sphere within his dantian, which he mentally named the Sarira, was encased in two layers: one as clear as water, the other shrouded in hazy mist.
It was this mist that was currently burning.
He deliberately lingered on the streets, moving slowly, stopping to inspect the small stalls lining the avenues.
It took him a full two ke (about thirty minutes) to walk from the city gate to the Mei Residence.
In the past, in the time it took to walk one ke, his inner force would have been completely consumed.
Now, after more than two ke, it still burned fiercely, showing no sign of abatement.
He discovered the root cause: the clear water surrounding the Sarira continuously transformed into hazy mist, fueling the combustion.
In this short time, the clear water had visibly diminished by one circle.
However, at this rate, it would take over an hour to burn through all the clear water.
He had learned this Candle Lighting Technique; there was only a method to ignite it, but no method to extinguish it—it was designed to burn through all one’s inner force.
He hadn't anticipated his inner force being so deep this time.
He struggled to maintain control; with his inner force burning so intensely, had he made a single misstep, he would have lost control entirely.
Glancing at the clear lake, he turned toward the Tianshu Courtyard, intending to return to meditation and find a countermeasure.
“Master Zhan Ran?” A party approached from beneath a distant willow tree.
The person in the lead wore snow-white robes, possessing a handsome and noble bearing—it was the Fifth Young Master of the Wang family.
Li Muzhan strained to contain his internal energy, slowly brought his palms together in the heshi gesture, and smiled faintly, “Fifth Young Master.” “Is the Master returning to the residence?” The Fifth Young Master asked, fanning himself with a light smile.
He reached them in a few steps, followed by four individuals.
Three men and one beautifully mature middle-aged woman.
He recognized the dark-skinned, swarthy man, having sparred with him before.
He had also seen the middle-aged beautiful woman, Aunt Zhou.
The other two were unfamiliar: one was an elder in brown robes, tall and lean, with eyes like lightning capable of piercing the soul.
The other was a burly middle-aged man, thick-backed, whose arms hung nearly to his knees.
Among the four, he was the most imposing.
At first glance, he resembled a standing black bear.
He possessed an imposing appearance, thick lips, and eyes like bronze bells, which were wide open, scrutinizing Li Muzhan up and down.
Hostility radiated from his gaze.
Li Muzhan nodded.
“Indeed, I have just returned from home.
Is the Fifth Young Master heading out for a stroll?” The Fifth Young Master tapped his folding fan against his palm and smiled.
“Although Jin Yang City isn't vast, it is still prosperous.
A turn about is a fine way to pass the time.” Li Muzhan nodded, offered a heshi salute.
“Then I shall not disturb the Young Master’s leisure.
Farewell.” Saying this, he moved to leave but stopped.
A man resembling a black bear blocked his path, his large, bronze-bell eyes fixed on him.
He chuckled gruffly, “Little monk, you are Zhan Ran?” “Old Xu!” The Fifth Young Master frowned.
The bear-like man chuckled heartily.
“My Lord, rest assured.
You know my weakness—whenever I see a master, my hands itch unbearably, and I simply must exchange pointers.” The Fifth Young Master shook his head and sighed.
“This is not our residence; we must maintain some decorum.” “Heh heh,” the bear-like man laughed with simple honesty.
He turned.
“Little monk, how about it? Do you dare to test a few moves with Old Xu?” Li Muzhan shook his head, smiling faintly.
“My skills are meager; there is no need for me to disgrace myself.
Farewell.” “Hold on.” Old Xu moved sideways, once again blocking his path, his face hardening.
“Little monk, are you looking down on Old Xu?!” Li Muzhan frowned.
Though generally good-tempered, dealing with such unreasonable stubbornness ignited his ire.
Furthermore, he was already exerting considerable effort to suppress the fiercely burning internal energy.
His patience wore thin dealing with this incessant chatter, and he turned to look at the Fifth Young Master.
The Fifth Young Master smiled faintly.
“Master Zhan Ran, this Old Xu is simple-minded and fanatically devoted to martial arts.
Would you humor him with a few pointers? How about it?” Li Muzhan’s eyes narrowed slightly, a flash of golden light vanishing instantly.
A slight curl appeared on his lips, and he laughed, extending his hand.
“Senior Xu, please, make your move!” Aunt Zhou tugged the Fifth Young Master’s sleeve, exchanging a meaningful glance.
The Fifth Young Master nodded, his expression becoming serious.
When Li Muzhan’s eyes flashed just then, the air around them seemed to shift, almost solidifying.
Though the solidification was momentary and almost imperceptible, they were all masters with keen senses.
They detected the anomaly and grew inwardly surprised and solemn.
Old Xu roared with laughter.
“Good! Little monk, you are straightforward! The Young Master praised you to the skies; I must see if you truly live up to the hype, little monk!” Li Muzhan remained silent, gazing at him calmly.
“Take this punch!” Old Xu’s bronze-bell eyes widened, and he drove a fierce punch forward.
The air whistled as the punch swept past, sounding like a fierce tiger roaring as it descended from the mountain.
His demeanor instantly changed, transforming into that of a ferocious tiger, its aura commanding and overwhelming, capable of subduing a hundred beasts—the king of the mountains.
The Fifth Young Master tapped his fan lightly, nodding.
“Old Xu’s mastery of the Fierce Tiger Fist has indeed improved.” Aunt Zhou nodded gently and said softly, “Though Old Xu is simple-minded, his talent for martial arts is exceptional.
He is ready to cultivate the Mysterious Tiger Divine Fist.” The Fifth Young Master nodded.
“When we return, I shall beg Father for the secret manual.” While they spoke, Old Xu and Li Muzhan exchanged several moves.
Old Xu’s punches were overwhelmingly fierce, like a descending tiger.
Li Muzhan, however, did nothing but evade, moving with effortless grace.
Old Xu grew angry and shouted, “Little monk, why do you only dodge?!” Li Muzhan smiled faintly, holding his hands in heshi, his footwork subtle, shifting and gliding with composure.
Old Xu’s powerful punches struck like flashing lightning, yet failed to connect.
“Damn it! If you have the guts of a man, stop dodging!” Old Xu was furious.
Li Muzhan let his smile fade, lowered his hands, and sighed.
“Senior Xu, be careful!” With that, he threw a punch.
Bang! Old Xu flew backward.
His thick back slammed against a willow tree, causing the branches to tremble incessantly.
After a moment, the shaking stopped.
Old Xu slid down the tree trunk, sitting on the ground.
He used his right hand to push himself up and wiped the corner of his mouth with his left.
“Old Xu!” The dark-skinned man rushed forward to help steady him.
Old Xu shoved him away, used the willow tree for support to stand up, and stared at Li Muzhan, his bronze-bell eyes shining with a fierce, somewhat terrifying light.
Li Muzhan smiled back gently.
“Senior Xu, my apologies.” Old Xu shook his head and roared with laughter.
“Little monk, you truly have some skill! Let’s go again.” Li Muzhan said, “Senior’s fist technique is excellent.
Let us cease for today.
We shall meet again!” Saying this, he offered a heshi salute to everyone and turned to leave.
“Wait!” Old Xu called out, again blocking Li Muzhan’s path.
Li Muzhan did not stop.
With a flicker, he vanished from in front of him, reappearing several zhang behind, and in another flash, he was gone deep within the willow branches.
The Fifth Young Master stared blankly at the direction Li Muzhan disappeared, lost in thought.
The others remained stunned for a long moment before regaining their composure.
Aunt Zhou murmured, “Young Master, it seems Master Zhan Ran was holding back his true strength.” The Fifth Young Master snapped his folding fan shut with force, exclaiming in admiration, “What incredible Qinggong (Lightness Skill)!” Old Xu grumbled, clearly displeased.
“Hmph, this little monk looks down on me.
Next time, I will certainly teach him a proper lesson.” The dark-skinned man shook his head, patted Old Xu’s shoulder, and sighed.
“Enough, Old Xu.
You couldn't even block one punch, and you still have the nerve to talk!” “Who said that? I was careless! I didn’t expect his strike to be so fast!” Old Xu retorted stubbornly.
The dark-skinned man shook his head.
This Old Xu always had this flaw—a stubborn mule, refusing to admit defeat even after being thoroughly thrashed, always scrambling for excuses.
Aunt Zhou spoke.
“Young Master, with Master Zhan Ran here, and the Eldest Miss joining the Canghai Sword Sect, the Mei Residence is not to be trifled with!” The Fifth Young Master nodded thoughtfully.
A moment later, he snapped his fan open with a xi sound, fanned himself with a smile, and said, “Let’s go.
We shall take a proper tour of Jin Yang City!” Returning to the Tianshu Courtyard, Li Muzhan pondered his journey.
He hadn't expected that igniting the inner force via the Candle Lighting Technique would so vastly increase his fist’s power; the punch he delivered was so fast that even he hadn't anticipated it, directly sending Old Xu flying.
Under normal circumstances, even with his refined techniques, it wouldn't have been easy.
He entered the Tianshu Courtyard, quickly greeted Zhao Yuzhen and the other three, and immediately went inside.
He sat cross-legged on the couch, focusing intently on his interior.
At this time, his dantian was still burning.
Only half of the clear water surrounding the Sarira remained, constantly transforming into true qi and fueling the fire.
An intangible power surged within him, like air inflating a ball.
He felt as if his body was constantly swelling, on the verge of exploding.
Li Muzhan thrust out his hand, and a whoosh of palm wind tore out, generating a gale across the room, making the curtains billow and the books on the low table rustle violently.
Li Muzhan unleashed punch after punch.
Each subsequent palm strike was heavier than the last, the force compounding.
A howling wind raged inside the room; a teacup on the table fell and shattered into pieces.
Li Muzhan paid it no mind, frowning as he continued to push out his palms, striving to vent the power building inside him.
He struggled like this for half an hour before finally calming the situation.
The inner force in his dantian had been completely burned away.
However, his expression changed.
After the white mist and clear water vanished, the crystal sphere was exposed, but it showed signs of disintegration.
He felt true danger.
His mind raced.
After a moment of thought, he split his consciousness in two.
One half formed hand seals, activating the Nine Yin Heart Method.
The other half attached itself to the crystal sphere, using mental power to consolidate it.
He vaguely felt that this bead was similar to the Purple Elixir, both being composed of refined essence, qi, and spirit (jing, qi, shen).
To stabilize it, he naturally had to work from this angle.
After a while, he slowly opened his eyes, exhaling deeply.
A flash of golden light flickered in his eyes, revealing an expression of surviving a great ordeal.
This method proved effective.
The Nine Luminaries Heart Method circulated, infusing solar essence, which transformed into hazy white mist.
Threads of white mist then transmuted into clear water, re-enveloping the crystal sphere, stabilizing it.
The conversion from white mist to clear water was extremely slow.
After the time it took to brew a cup of tea, only a thin layer coated the crystal sphere.
To restore it to its original state would require continuously circulating the Nine Luminaries Heart Method for two or three days.
He got down from the couch, shook his head.
The Candle Lighting Technique was indeed miraculous, but it was also perilous to use, and difficult to recover from.
It was best avoided if possible.