His opponent struck him mid-palm yet remained unharmed, which surprised him. He struck harder, using his full strength, and even faster this time. Amidst a sky of phantom palms and fists, Li Muzhan took blow after blow.

With every impact, his figure paused momentarily, only to be immediately assailed by a dense barrage of subsequent strikes. It was only the might of the Canghai Nine Palms that neutralized them one by one; otherwise, he would have fallen within ten moves.

Though protected by the Vajra Indestructible Divine Art, the four opponents’ palm strikes were immensely powerful and pure, like mountains, like cliffs, like lightning, like drills, raining down in a storm fierce enough to injure him severely.

Li Muzhan’s internal energy was both vast and refined. After five hundred moves, he began to feel the strain. While parrying the five opponents, he simultaneously activated the Tianyuan Breath Absorption Technique.

Every pore on his body opened, and the primal energy of Heaven and Earth streamed in like silk threads, like fine rain falling to the earth, all converging toward his Dantian, merging into the furiously swirling mass of his internal power.

Now, the sixth layer of the Canghai Divine Art had reached minor completion. The mist dissipated, transforming entirely into clear water. His Dantian was as limpid as the bright lake at the Mei Manor. When activated, the lake water formed a vortex, churning powerfully, brimming with majestic force. As the primal energy approached, it was instantly sucked in.

Time passed. With continuous thuds and crashes, the five men fought as one mass, yet no victor emerged. Li Muzhan, employing three skills at once, suddenly sensed a subtle advancement in his Vajra Indestructible Divine Art.

An ordinary person would find this minute, negligible progress difficult to perceive, but his spirit was like a dragon’s, capable of penetrating insight with extreme acuity.

He was overjoyed, realizing suddenly why his dedicated practice in recent days had yielded no improvement in the Vajra Indestructible Divine Art: he had been using the wrong method all along!

He continued to execute the Tianyuan Breath Absorption Technique while simultaneously employing the Canghai Nine Palms, and even the Vajra Indestructible Divine Art. Despite being constantly struck, he never collapsed.

The middle-aged man surnamed Zhao roared, "What kind of protective divine art is this, Zhanran?"

Li Muzhan smiled slightly. "The Vajra Indestructible Divine Art."

"The Vajra Indestructible Divine Art of the Divine Monk Hutu?" the middle-aged man asked.

Li Muzhan nodded. The Canghai Nine Palms became increasingly subtle. Possessing superior comprehension, the pressure from the four opponents deepened his understanding of the Canghai Nine Palms, refining his techniques further—he became stronger when facing the strong.

The man surnamed Zhao laughed heartily. "It was rumored to be lost. I never expected Zhanran to master it. The Vajra Indestructible Divine Art truly lives up to its name!"

Their palm strikes were potent enough to shatter stone and crack steles, yet as they fell ceaselessly, Li Muzhan appeared utterly unfazed, brimming with vitality. How could they not be astonished?

Li Muzhan smiled faintly. "My four martial uncles have made me look foolish."

The man surnamed Zhao roared with laughter, his spirit soaring like the clouds. "Good! Today, we shall break this Vajra Indestructible Divine Art! Junior Brother Song, Junior Brother Wang, Junior Brother Liu, show your true skills!"

"Good!" the three laughed in unison, and their techniques immediately shifted.

"Whoosh..." It was like a fierce tiger descending a mountain, roaring across the peaks.

All four switched to fist techniques, driving their right fists out fiercely. The fists tore through the air, producing sounds like a tiger's roar, their clothes whipping wildly, resembling a tiger pouncing.

Li Muzhan was startled and drifted backward.

Suddenly, the four opponents’ arms lengthened as if by an extra section, connecting with his body.

"Poof!" Li Muzhan's movement halted. A bitter smile spread across his face. Suddenly, he opened his mouth, spitting out a spray of bloody mist that scattered everywhere.

The first two punches landed on his chest, the latter two on his Xinyu acupoint. They struck through his body, palm against palm, with uncanny accuracy. The force of the fists collided, breaking through the Vajra Indestructible Divine Art.

Li Muzhan grimaced, never expecting their boxing style to be so vicious.

Though they appeared mighty upon impact, the force of their punches transformed into fine needles that stabbed downward, piercing the protective aura. When the needle-like forces collided, they intertwined, spinning like twin snakes coiling around each other.

The needle-like internal energies met and tangled, spinning wildly, ravaging his body like an electric drill.

Li Muzhan smiled bitterly. The surging power in his Dantian enveloped the invading energy, dragging it in and merging it into the vortex, where it dissipated instantly, becoming his own internal force.

His Dantian energy possessed all attributes; whatever internal energy entered it could always be dissolved.

He slightly closed his eyes, his hands swiftly forming a mudra. In an instant, an essence of the Sun descended from the void, shaped like a white city, drilling into his Baihui acupoint, flowing down the Ren channel, and entering both palms.

The four men, having driven their fist energies in, assumed this strike had sealed the deal. Even protected by the Vajra Indestructible Divine Art, Zhanran should suffer a major loss under the White Tiger Armor-Piercing Fist.

The White Tiger Armor-Piercing Fist specialized in shattering internal Zhenqi, making it an extremely sinister art. They would never have used it unless they were facing defeat.

Li Muzhan spat the bloody mist, and the four breathed a sigh of relief, thinking they were done.

Seeing Li Muzhan suddenly close his eyes to form a seal, they sensed danger and hastily retracted their fists, but an adhesive suction held their knuckles fast; the gripping force was so strong they couldn't pull back.

"Eh?" they murmured, exchanging glances, and struck out again, abandoning restraint. They knew he was deploying a powerful technique; if they didn't defeat him now, they feared they would be the ones to suffer. They had experienced too many instances of turning the tables unexpectedly during combat.

Li Muzhan suddenly opened his eyes, his palms blurring into a shadow, meeting the four incoming fists.

With a dull thud, Li Muzhan retreated a step, his face flushing briefly before returning to normal.

The four staggered backward, their faces bloated red as if drunk. They immediately sat cross-legged, closed their eyes to regulate their breathing and circulation, warding off Li Muzhan’s palm force.

Li Muzhan was using the Nine Luminaries Heart Method, drawing upon the Essence of the Sun, which was the ultimate manifestation of absolute Yang. Even with their profound cultivation, the four could not withstand it.

Li Muzhan let out a long breath. The meridians in his arms were slightly sore. Fortunately, having used the Nine Luminaries Heart Method extensively, his resistance to the Essence of the Sun had greatly increased, and he had drawn in only a small amount, so he felt little discomfort.

He turned his head and looked around. At some point, Lan Chunhe was already standing in the small pavilion, watching the proceedings calmly. His yellow robes fluttered, his beard and hair were snow-white, making him resemble an immortal.

Li Muzhan flashed forward, appearing before the pavilion, and clasped his hands. "Grand Uncle Master."

Lan Chunhe frowned, glanced at the four men, then at him. "What technique was that?"

Li Muzhan replied, "The Nine Luminaries Divine Sword. It is a Heart Method a disciple chanced upon."

"Hmm, no wonder..." Lan Chunhe nodded.

Li Muzhan looked surprised and quickly asked, "Grand Uncle Master knows the Nine Luminaries Divine Sword?"

Lan Chunhe said, "Three hundred years ago, there was an extraordinary figure in the martial world who called himself the Nine Luminaries Divine Lord. His martial arts were overwhelmingly tyrannical, and he wielded the Nine Luminaries Divine Sword."

Li Muzhan asked, "What was his standing then?"

Lan Chunhe shook his head. "He held sway for a time; no one could oppose him. Unfortunately, in his later years, he suffered a Zou Huo Ru Mo (a cultivation deviation), self-immolated, and vanished without a trace of bone remaining... I didn't expect his legacy to survive."

Li Muzhan sighed. "The Nine Luminaries Heart Method is indeed tyrannical. As a disciple, I cannot fully control it and dare not use it lightly."

"Hmph, the less you use it, the better," Lan Chunhe nodded.

His figure flickered a few times. One palm strike landed on the backs of the four men. They immediately spat out a mouthful of blood. The dark blood sizzled upon hitting the ground, emitting a foul odor before instantly evaporating.

The four men inwardly gasped at the terrifying palm force!

Lan Chunhe sneered and shook his head. "You four, hmph, what a disgrace! Begone!"

The four looked ashamed, awkwardly cupped their fists, and turned to Li Muzhan. "Zhanran, you are truly someone to be reckoned with in the younger generation. We shall meet again!"

With that, the four leaped into the woods and vanished.

Li Muzhan felt a little embarrassed.

Lan Chunhe flashed back to the small pavilion and snorted coldly, "Don't celebrate too soon. There's another match in four days!"

"Ah?" Li Muzhan was surprised.

Lan Chunhe explained, "Don't think that secluded training means staying still in a room... If you win the match every four days, you can eat. If you lose, you go hungry for three days!"

"Grand Uncle Master, this..." Li Muzhan hesitated.

Lan Chunhe waved his hand. "Enough chatter! ...Stay right here. Someone will bring food when the time comes. I'm leaving!"

Without waiting for Li Muzhan to speak, he vanished.

Li Muzhan looked in the direction Lan Chunhe disappeared, shaking his head with a wry smile, utterly helpless.

He walked to the stone table, lit the small red clay stove, then left the pavilion and began slowly practicing the moves from the recent fight in the open space.

His memory was flawless; every detail of the confrontation was stored in his mind. Now, he replayed it slowly, using one mind for two tasks: his left hand played the opponent, and his right hand played himself.

The four men's fist and palm techniques all possessed subtle wonders. Recalling them now, Li Muzhan realized the Canghai Nine Palms could be executed even better; certain intricacies had not been fully realized before.

Unconsciously, time slipped away while the red clay stove gurgled and white steam rose.

In the following days, Li Muzhan began a life of hardship. Every four days, the same four opponents appeared for a bout. He sometimes won, sometimes lost, and his Canghai Nine Palms advanced by leaps and bounds.

His opponents grew stronger too. They were all elite figures from the Martial Arts Hall, possessing a wide variety of skills, whether in palm techniques, swordplay, or saber arts.

As his understanding of the Canghai Nine Palms deepened, his swordplay slowly took shape, marking the beginning of his second sword technique.

When he lost, he endured three days of starvation. Lan Chunhe was true to his word and showed no mercy. However, being in the woods, it was not impossible to find food if he were truly desperate.

But he ate nothing else. Once defeated, he directly entered contemplation under the Guantian Renshen Zhaojing (Observing Heaven and Man’s Illumination Sutra), focusing within the Tianren Guanzhao Tu (Heavenly Being Observation Chart), where he felt no hunger.

To outsiders, it appeared as if he had been in deep meditation for three days.

Time flowed, and he progressed rapidly, advancing a thousand li in a day. Later, his opponents increased to five, then six, then seven, and finally eight.

After six months, he could hold his own against six opponents without defeat.

After nine months, he could overcome eight opponents, securing victory consistently.

By this time, he had completed the Canghai Nine Swords, adapting one sword technique per month. Though the pace was slow, Lan Chunhe praised his speed as rare.

For these nine months, he stayed entirely within this small pavilion, this stretch of forest, this miniature training ground, residing in the pavilion regardless of rain or wind.

Li Muzhan didn't find it particularly difficult; once he entered meditation, he felt no hardship at all.

When he finally completed the Canghai Nine Swords, feeling immensely satisfied, Lan Chunhe appeared one morning and tossed him a small booklet. Four large characters were written on the cover: "Canghai Nine Swords."

Li Muzhan was extremely surprised. He quickly flipped through it. The sword techniques written inside were different from the ones he had created for the Canghai Nine Swords, yet they were subtly superior—far surpassing his own efforts.

Lan Chunhe snorted, "Stinking brat, this is the true Canghai Nine Swords. Study it."

"Grand Uncle Master, between the Canghai Nine Palms and the Canghai Nine Swords, which came first?" Li Muzhan asked.

Lan Chunhe replied, "The Canghai Nine Palms was created by me, based on the Canghai Nine Swords."