Li Muzhan laughed heartily, shaking his head. "The Three Wonders of Luochuan? Never heard of them. Just some nobodies, I suppose. Asking to take you as disciples? Absolutely impossible!"

The elder in the center snorted coldly. "You insolent brat! Ignorant and clearly simple-minded! We'll deal with you first!"

"Second Brother, hold on. Make him hand over the Nine Revolutions Marrow Cleansing Scripture first!" the short, stout elder grumbled.

Li Muzhan smiled faintly, shaking his head. "Gentlemen, are you after the Nine Revolutions Marrow Cleansing Scripture, or are you truly set on taking me as a student?"

"We want both!" the stout elder blinked his small eyes wide. "Take him as a disciple and get the Scripture—two birds with one stone! Wouldn't that be delightful? Hahaha! Hahaha!"

Li Muzhan rubbed his forehead and sighed, shaking his head with a growing sense of headache. These three possessed profound internal energies, surpassing even his own, yet they were hopelessly tangled in their demands. They seemed to lack some fundamental thread of common sense, speaking in bizarre logic that defied understanding. Despite their utterly strange reasoning, they presented it as absolute fact, which made Li Muzhan deeply uncomfortable. Opponents like this, whose moves were always unpredictable and impossible to gauge, were dreadfully difficult to handle. He shook his head again, thinking that even if they were martial arts masters, taking such people as teachers would only dull his own mind and lead to needless suffering.

Seeing Li Muzhan constantly shaking his head, the central elder snorted again. "Big Brother, Third Brother, let's move. Settle this boy first, then we can talk to the two young ladies!"

"He hasn't given up the Nine Revolutions Marrow Cleansing Scripture yet!" the stout elder quickly interjected.

"How can he hand it over if we haven't beaten him? ... We need to subdue him first!" the central elder insisted.

"No! If we subdue him, and he's dead, how will he give it up? ... What if he hasn't brought it with him, but hidden it somewhere else? A dead man can't come back to life!" the stout elder hurried to argue.

"That's easy to solve!" the central elder chuckled, grinning slyly. "We'll just beat him half to death! Right?"

"Yes, Second Brother is right!" the tall, thin elder finally spoke, his voice deep. "Let's strike!"

"Right, let's go!" the other two elders nodded in agreement.

Their figures blurred simultaneously, and they instantly appeared surrounding Li Muzhan, forming an equilateral triangle. They began to spin rapidly, dissolving into a collective shadow, their true forms indistinguishable.

Immediately, countless palm strikes descended upon Li Muzhan, saturating the air, covering every direction, leaving no space untouched, completely dominating his surroundings. Though Li Muzhan was fast, he couldn't outpace the torrent of palms. They packed together densely like a sphere, squeezing him in the center, and he began taking heavy hits in succession. His body trembled uncontrollably, as if being electrocuted, his face rapidly paling to the hue of fine white jade. He desperately forced his Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill to its limits. At this moment, no matter how swift his movement technique, escape from this cloud of palm shadows was impossible. His only path to self-preservation was to activate the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill to resist the crushing weight of the palm force.

He inwardly cursed; the internal energies of these three elders were profound, and their palm strikes were heavy. Every blow felt like a massive stone crashing down. Though momentarily blocked by the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill, the force still burrowed deep into his body. With his four Heart Pearls, his internal energy circulation speed was four times that of an ordinary person, his qi surging through his meridians, steadily dissolving the invading force. Fortunately, his body had been tempered by the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill, rendering it incredibly resilient. Any ordinary expert would have already suffered internal injuries, their viscera displaced. He had to divide his attention: activating the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill, channeling his qi to counteract the invading palm force, and simultaneously plotting a way out.

Seeing him reduced to merely taking blows, Li Yujiao and Wang Shuangfeng were greatly alarmed. They hadn't expected these three strange old men to be so formidable. On their journey, Li Muzhan had effortlessly dealt with every pursuit and ambush; this situation was unprecedented, and they couldn't help but worry. Wang Shuangfeng tugged urgently at Li Yujiao's sleeve. "What should we do? What should we do? ... Sister Li, please help him!"

Li Yujiao frowned, staring intently at the scene. "These three old men are very peculiar. Even if I step in, it won't help much. Their movement technique is too fast!"

Wang Shuangfeng cried out anxiously, "Then what can we do? Just stand here and watch Martial Uncle get beaten?"

Li Yujiao shook her head. "Don't fret. He has the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill protecting him; he won't be injured easily... Let's wait and see. He's cunning; he always has a trick up his sleeve!"

Wang Shuangfeng let out a breath, her face flushing slightly with embarrassment. Worry had clouded her judgment; she had momentarily forgotten Li Muzhan’s protective skill. In her panic, she had become too agitated, and she knew Sister Li would likely tease her about it later. Seeing Li Yujiao’s focused expression, her bright eyes locked onto the action, Wang Shuangfeng exhaled, then immediately grew anxious again, watching Li Muzhan, desperate to see if he was truly unharmed.

Li Muzhan flicked his sleeves outward, unleashing the Ruthless Sleeve. The overwhelming palm shadows instantly faltered, showing signs of breaking apart. He flicked his sleeves again, and the shadows vanished. He took a deep breath; his face was even paler now. Those two quick movements had drained a significant amount of internal energy and mental focus. Disrupting and dissolving the massive field of palm strikes had been incredibly difficult. The three masters' palm forces were solid, and their qi signatures were identical and similar, unlike forces from others; pushing them apart required immense effort. In that single maneuver, a third of his internal energy was spent.

The three figures instantly became phantoms again, surrounding him like a band of gray smoke, their forms invisible, leaving only a gray haze. Their palm strikes began to spread once more. As the palm force was just coalescing, he suddenly thrust a finger forward. With a sharp 'chi' sound, his finger force erupted, piercing through the resistance of the air, aimed squarely at the gray shadow.

With a muffled 'bang!', the three figures reappeared. The stout elder stepped back a pace, his small, bean-like eyes wide. "Hmph," he grunted, staring at Li Muzhan with surprise. "Not bad, boy! Your finger force has some strength!"

Li Muzhan smiled slightly, saying nothing. He simultaneously brought both hands together, fingers extended like arrows, pointing forward in a distant salute. "Chi! Chi! Chi! Chi!" Four streams of finger force shot out. Three streams targeted the three elders individually, and the fourth shot toward the space between the tall, thin elder and the stout elder, its momentum powerful, sounding like hidden projectiles slicing through the air.

The Mighty Sea Finger was originally launched using the index finger, but now he could project it from the middle finger—this was not inherently difficult for him. The challenge was controlling four streams of finger force simultaneously, requiring him to apply four distinct intents at once. He had trained in the techniques of all Six Meridians, ensuring his meridians were uniformly robust, unlike many martial artists who specialized in only one. For others, the Mighty Sea Finger was limited to a single meridian, but for him, channeling energy through others was not difficult; it was simply that in the past, even if he could adapt the technique, the execution was cumbersome. On this journey, amidst contemplating the Nine Revolutions Marrow Cleansing Scripture, he had occasionally reflected upon the Mighty Sea Finger to enhance his defensive capabilities. Now, it proved invaluable. Waving both hands, four streams of finger force shot out, one wave immediately following the next. The finger force was robust, hard as iron; striking the body, it felt like being hit by a massive sledgehammer.

The three elders possessed deep internal energy and parried with their palms, but Li Muzhan's internal energy had been refined into pure essence—the firmest and most refined possible, far surpassing ordinary masters. Though the three elders' qi was vast, its purity lagged behind. This refined finger force, solid as actual iron rods, overwhelmed their powerful palm defenses, prompting the stout elder to let out a strange cry: "Good heavens!"

The three staggered back a step, then furiously slapped out two more times to neutralize the incoming finger strikes. Li Muzhan's finger force, however, was continuous and unceasing, one strike chasing the next like a string of firecrackers. His body rotated, sending torrents of finger force in all directions. At a glance, this resembled a modern-day machine gun.

The three elders ceased retreating, driving their palms forward rapidly. Each stream of finger force required three or four palm strikes to dissipate. Li Muzhan suddenly understood his inherent advantage. His energy was pure; he should not engage in close combat but utilize his finger strikes, which proved superior. Even if their internal energy was vast, they could not completely neutralize his finger force. His qi acted like a drill piercing into them; even if their energy was greater than his, resisting it remained difficult and required immense effort. But in close combat, their immense, incoming energy felt like a gigantic stone pressing down; while his refined qi had an advantage in attack, it was insufficient for defense and dissipation. In summary, he needed to enhance his finger strikes, employing offense as the primary defense—that was the optimal strategy. These insights flashed through his mind with lightning speed. He seized upon them immediately, intensifying his finger strikes. Streams of 'chi' sounded incessantly as the finger force spread everywhere.

The three elders looked somewhat battered. They had not anticipated that Li Muzhan possessed such refined finger force. Under this barrage, coordinated attacks were impossible, and closing the distance was out of the question. They could only attempt to withstand several strikes directly and rush in, but they lacked Li Muzhan's body-tempering skills; they had no choice but to carefully evade the wild torrent of incoming force.

While launching his attack, Li Muzhan concurrently considered improvements. He devoted his full attention to driving energy through one meridian, used two meridians with partial intent, while the remaining two were dedicated to contemplating ways to refine his finger force and circulating the Heavenly Origin Qi Absorption Technique to recover his internal energy. After all, this rapid projection of finger force, though satisfying, consumed energy rapidly. Fortunately, the energy cost for finger strikes was far lower than for palm strikes or the Ruthless Sleeve; it focused on refinement and precision, like a needle or spike, rather than the broad magnitude of palm energy, thus conserving more qi. Once the Heavenly Origin Qi Absorption Technique engaged, a continuous influx of Heaven and Earth qi poured in through his pores. The energy consumed by his finger strikes immediately balanced the energy replenishment—neither increasing nor decreasing. Li Muzhan felt a touch of surprise; he now realized that after acquiring the four Heart Pearls, not only other abilities had improved, but the speed at which the Heavenly Origin Qi Absorption Technique absorbed the primal energy of heaven and earth had greatly increased.

Time slipped by amidst his focused thoughts, and the two women relaxed slightly. The three elders jumped about, shouting curses, yet they were helpless. No matter how swift their movement techniques, they could not evade Li Muzhan's comprehensively covering finger force. They were forced to use palms to defend, which immediately slowed their footwork, preventing them from transforming into shadows.

Suddenly, Li Muzhan’s hand gestures shifted. What had been a concerted attack using the index and middle fingers now incorporated the little finger as well, adding two more streams of force. With six streams of finger force unleashed simultaneously, the coverage became even denser and more airtight. The three elders were forced backward, retreating two zhang away, their palms continuously meeting every point of attack from the ubiquitous finger force. The surrounding stones suffered greatly: some were flung away, some shot into the air and exploded into powder with a 'bang'; larger stones shattered into several pieces, and the resulting fragments flew out, disintegrating into dust in mid-air before they even hit the ground.

The stout elder shrieked, "Big Brother, we can't let this continue! Let's use our ultimate moves!"

"Yes, there is no other way!" the tall, thin elder agreed.

These words startled Li Muzhan. He had been contemplating a fourth finger technique, aiming for something like the legendary Six Meridian Divine Swordsmanship of later generations. Hearing the elder's words, he instantly became alert. His six streams of finger force, though issuing from different fingers, all shared the same pure internal energy, yet they manifested different qualities. The index finger, tied to the Yangming Meridian, produced hard, rigid force; the middle finger, tied to the Jueyin Meridian, produced soft, wind-like force; the little finger, tied to the Shaoyin Meridian, produced nearly silent force, fine as drizzle. These six distinct forces wove together into a net, some icy and yin, others strong and yang, some dense—making defense extremely difficult for the three elders.

They were quickly injured. The tall, thin elder took a strike to his waist, blood welling out sluggishly; the stout elder was struck on the head, his hair disheveled, looking utterly wretched; the burly elder took a hit on the shoulder, but due to his immense physical fortitude, he seemed largely unharmed.

"Unite!" the three shouted in unison.

Their figures flashed, aligning themselves into a dragon formation, one behind the other. The tall, thin elder was in front, the burly elder positioned directly behind him, pressing his palm to the back of the leader's heart, and the stout elder behind the burly one, his palm pressing against the second elder's heart. The myriad finger strikes shot past, hitting nothing. The tall, thin elder pushed forward gently, and a roar erupted, like a fierce tiger descending a mountain. The palm force surged forth with terrifying momentum, slamming directly toward Li Muzhan. Mid-flight, the penetrating finger strikes encountered this powerful palm force, dissolving instantly, vanishing as if a mantis were trying to stop a chariot. The palm force reached Li Muzhan unimpeded.

Li Muzhan's form wavered, and he suddenly pulled his arms back, striking out with his middle finger towards a pine tree a zhang behind him. With a muffled 'bang,' the pine needles rained down, as if the tree had been struck by a giant bear. Li Muzhan frowned, withdrew both hands, and slowly pushed out with his middle finger.

"Chiiii—!" A sharp whistle split the air, like a meteor falling, visible waves rippling through the atmosphere—the power of this single strike was apparent. With this thrust, his Yangming Meridian felt a subtle swelling, caused by the full exertion of his internal energy stretching it to its limits.

The tall, thin elder focused his qi and slowly thrust out his right palm.

"Bang!" a dull thud sounded, and the ground beneath them exploded into dust. Li Muzhan retreated one step, while the tall, thin elder staggered slightly but remained rooted, his face flushed red as if drunk. Li Muzhan frowned. The combined force of the three in this single palm strike was immensely powerful. Although his finger force had pierced through, it hadn't entirely shattered the attack, and the residual wave that washed over him was heavy and monumental. This technique was clearly a straightforward application of overwhelming force trumping finesse. Even his most exquisite finger techniques were useless against such a devastating palm strike.

He suddenly flickered, reappearing two zhang away, pressing both palms forward, sending several streams of finger force shooting towards the two elders behind the leader. The two responded by slapping out with their palms, instantly neutralizing the finger strikes, and they watched Li Muzhan with smiling faces. Clearly, the three shared their internal energy; it wasn't centralized in just one person. This merger made them function as a single entity, with their combined power amplified threefold.

Li Muzhan managed a wry smile and turned. "Feng'er, Junior Sister, let's go!"

Hearing this, the two women swiftly utilized their movement skills and shot forward. Just as the three elders prepared to intercept, Li Muzhan's finger force arrived, covering their retreat, allowing the two women to surge ahead.

PS: I was distracted playing yesterday and fell behind on my quota. I need to catch up today; I'll do my best. V