The days passed, and Ye Wen's life settled into a comfortable, predictable rhythm. Upon waking, he would first engage in light activity, followed by a period of seated meditation and Qi cultivation. Once this was complete, it was time for a meal.

After breakfast, Ye Wen would tour the entirety of the Mount Shu Sect grounds, as if inspecting his domain—a ritual he never tired of, no matter how often he performed it. His walk concluded, he would either instruct Xu Xian on the fundamentals of swordsmanship or dedicate time to mentoring the outer disciples. Since joining the Mount Shu Sect, these outer disciples had thrown themselves into mastering everything they could learn.

These seasoned individuals understood that such an opportunity was like a pie dropping from the heavens; if they didn't reach out quickly, someone else would devour it, leaving not even a crumb behind. Moreover, practicing internal arts and higher-level techniques was the dream of every martial artist. Although Ye Wen knew the techniques he offered were not the absolute best, for many, they were already extraordinary.

These twenty individuals managed to fully digest the basic swordsmanship, Mount Shu Basic Swordsmanship, and the Mount Shu Introductory Fist Style (Taizu Long Fist) that Ye Wen had initially prepared in less than two months. Simultaneously, they all mastered the introductory breathing technique, allowing all twenty to sense their Qi within two months, ready to advance to deeper internal cultivation. Seeing this progress, Ye Wen did not hold back; he directly introduced the Basic Internal Art for them to practice.

Since the inner disciples of Mount Shu already had suitable primary cultivation methods, the Basic Internal Art was no longer something that needed to be concealed. Furthermore, as these twenty progressed, five of them achieved a notably high level of skill. Coupled with their solid foundation in blade work, Ye Wen promptly taught them the Five Tigers Severing Gate Saber technique.

These five are now the strongest among the outer disciples, three having been sent by the Yue Shan Escort Agency, and the other two being guards dispatched by the Xu family. What troubled Ye Wen now was the remaining fifteen. Though their skill lagged behind the top five and their progress wasn't as swift, they were steadily improving.

When their own cultivation reached a certain level, what more would he have to teach them? Should he admit them to the inner circle? Ye Wen had considered this, but while their progress was respectable, it wasn't yet at a level that truly impressed him.

Especially when he observed his two personal disciples absorbing everything he taught at an even more staggering pace, Ye Wen certainly didn't regard those twenty as martial prodigies. Since there was little new material to teach, remaining sequestered on the mountain risked creating issues. Therefore, Ye Wen granted these outer disciples an open door, allowing them to descend the mountain, provided they returned periodically for check-ins.

Several of the ten escort agency riders from Yue Shan had already become full escorts, particularly those who learned the Five Tigers Severing Gate Saber. Thus, they had no uncertainty about their path once they left the mountain. The ten guards, however, were unsure what they should do down below.

Finally, Ye Wen advised them: "Go travel a bit. Don't stray too far—just wander around Pingzhou. Gaining worldly experience is also a path to improving your cultivation." The ten outer disciples ultimately agreed that descending to experience the world was a fine choice, and they set off together.

However, four disciples remained behind to guard the sect gate; they would have to wait for their fellow disciples to return before they could leave. Of those who departed, some traveled alone, some in small groups, and others sought out their martial brothers at the Yue Shan Escort Agency, hoping to gain experience there for a time. Naturally, Ye Wen had no reason to object to this arrangement.

His current hope was that these disciples would bring greater renown to the Mount Shu Sect after leaving. Although the sect was gradually becoming known as the Yue Shan Escort Agency grew in influence, their fame remained limited. Ye Wen himself felt the urge to descend and pull off some massive feat to elevate their standing.

Even as the outer disciples' training fell into a regular pattern, Ye Wen’s daily duties did not lessen, as he still had two personal disciples awaiting his instruction. Zhou Zhiruo had now begun practicing the Quanzhen Core Art. Since this Taoist martial art could serve as the foundation for any other technique, what she would ultimately study depended on what her ring provided in the future.

She had finished learning the Drifting Snow Piercing Cloud Palm; its true power would manifest as she aged and her internal energy grew. Conversely, she had barely touched upon swordsmanship. Ye Wen felt she was still young and her body underdeveloped, so focusing on basics for now was sufficient, and he wasn't rushing the instruction.

Yue Ning's situation was different. Within a month of becoming a disciple, he was already practicing Quanzhen Internal Arts. Ye Wen also passed on the Mian Palm to his eldest disciple, and he didn't even hold back the Quanzhen Sword Style he later acquired.

Ye Wen showed his first disciple no reservations, teaching him virtually everything he knew; he was a truly diligent master. Essentially, Ye Wen's mornings were spent this way. After noon lunch, he would send his disciples off to practice independently while he found a secluded spot to cultivate his own martial arts.

Internal energy cultivation was absolutely non-negotiable. Since realizing his internal realm was lacking, Ye Wen began seeking various methods to enhance his internal power. Snake gall was the first to be tested, as this method only required catching a snake to experiment with.

First, he adjusted his internal circulation and prepared various antidotes. Only then did Ye Wen seize a snake gall freshly extracted from a live serpent. He had heard that swallowing a snake gall improperly risked severe poisoning, necessitating thorough preparation.

Even so, he remained uncertain if this course of action was truly correct. "For the sake of improving my cultivation, I must risk it." Eyes squeezed shut, mouth open, Ye Wen swallowed it as if taking medicine. He felt the slippery object slide down his throat, followed by a bitter, fishy taste that almost made him gag.

Yet, he had to endure it, needing to maintain mental stillness to perceive the changes within his body. If it truly aided his internal energy, he would then need to circulate his Neigong to digest it thoroughly. The final result brought him both joy and sorrow.

Joy stemmed from the fact that consuming the snake gall did indeed offer some benefit to internal power growth. Sorrow arose because not all snake galls proved beneficial; sometimes, after swallowing one, he gained nothing and instead suffered a full day of debilitating diarrhea. After two weeks of experimentation, Ye Wen had to admit that the snake gall method was largely not worth the effort.

If he utilized the time spent suffering from stomach ailments for actual practice, his improvement might rival, or exceed, the benefits from the gall itself, especially since some galls had zero effect. "Instead, it just leaves my stomach churning constantly, making me miserable all day." Enduring the frustration of another day spent suffering from an upset stomach, Ye Wen finally abandoned this highly unpredictable method, particularly given the constant dread of poisoning and sudden death accompanying each ingestion. With the first plan a failure, Ye Wen moved to his second strategy.

The item he had commissioned from the blacksmith through Aunt Zhao for delivery had finally been brought up the mountain. Looking at the massive, sword-shaped object before him, Ye Wen was very pleased. "How many jin does this thing weigh?" "Fifty-seven jin, eight liang, and four qian.

As Sect Leader Ye requested, this item is absolutely solid," replied the blacksmith owner who delivered it. He couldn't fathom why Ye Wen required such a large hunk of iron, and why he insisted on making it as heavy as possible, but it wasn't his concern; as long as the client paid, he delivered. Ye Wen nodded, settled the payment with the blacksmith owner, and waited until everyone else was gone before attempting to lift the object.

Its shape was much wider and thicker than a normal longsword, featuring a robust hilt and being entirely unsharpened—it resembled a massive iron club more than a sword. Ye Wen's inspiration was to forge a heavy sword, mimicking Yang Guo's Coiling Iron Sword. Due to material constraints, it couldn't match the sheer weight of the Coiling Iron Sword, but it satisfied Ye Wen's current needs.

Weighing nearly sixty jin, this was already an unbearable weight for Ye Wen at present. His plan was to carry this behemoth around all day while training, forcing himself to use formidable arm strength and consistently channeling internal energy to control it, indirectly achieving the goal of strengthening his Neigong. "If I use this thing long enough, even if my internal energy doesn't increase much, my sheer strength will surely grow significantly, which is a form of becoming much stronger." Indeed, Ye Wen's scheme was to utilize a concept akin to weight training to enhance his combat prowess.

According to his thinking, if he could wield this nearly sixty-jin monster proficiently while executing the Quanzhen Sword Style, then using a normal longsword would result in dramatically improved accuracy, speed, and stability in his strikes. The very first time Ye Wen attempted the Quanzhen Sword Style with this heavy sword, he was thankful that he had started by learning the stable and weighty Quanzhen Sword Style. If he had learned the light and graceful Hengshan Sword Style instead, he likely would have felt the desperate urge to die...

But having committed to such a resolution, there was no thought of quitting halfway. In fact, if there hadn't been a waterfall on Mount Shu, he would have already been training beneath one—remembering that many novels depicted using the force of waterfalls to temper internal energy. "It's a pity Mount Shu isn't by the sea.

If I could practice against the ocean tide, my internal energy would probably improve even faster..." Ye Wen briefly considered leaving Mount Shu to train by the coast for half a year or so. However, after lugging the custom-made heavy sword for less than half a day, he realized that if he actually tried training against the ocean tide in his current state, the likely outcome would be being knocked over by a single breaker and instantly embraced by the sea mother's watery arms. Recognizing that some methods he knew were currently beyond his station to attempt, Ye Wen began diligently training while carrying the heavy sword.

He even strapped the massive sword to his back while practicing his movement techniques (Qinggong), hoping to elevate that skill set as well.