Due to an accident, a portion of the Shu Mountain Sect's strength was exposed, a fact unknown to Xu Xian, the individual involved. After discussing the reconstruction of the inn with Ye Wen, he returned to his room to meditate and practice his martial arts.

Now, Xu Xian realized the vast gulf in internal energy cultivation that still separated him from his senior brother. Especially concerning the great battle from the day before—though he hadn't witnessed it firsthand, he had managed to glean the precise details of what transpired. Setting aside other matters, the mere fact that Ye Wen could protect himself with a burst of internal energy aura to deflect incoming projectiles was something Xu Xian could never manage.

Not only could he not manage it, but even attempting to mimic it with great effort proved completely inadequate! Neither his current level of internal energy attainment nor the sophistication of his cultivation techniques could support such a flamboyant display.

The depth of his internal cultivation manual was a problem he couldn't immediately solve. Although his natural talent was considerable and he possessed significant literary aptitude, in the path of martial arts, he was truly a novice. While this didn't hinder him in direct combat, discussing profound theories was entirely beyond him.

Even after completing the Huifeng Luoyan Jian (Returning Wind and Falling Wild Goose Sword) under the careful guidance of Niu Wen, Xu Xian did not believe he had truly become a grandmaster. Instead, through continuous discussions with his senior brother, he recognized the immense disparity between himself and Ye Wen—not just in raw power, but in the very comprehension of martial arts!

Whenever Ye Wen discussed swordsmanship with him, the sudden insights that surfaced invariably left Xu Xian awestruck. He would often find that the things he had painstakingly figured out himself paled in comparison to his senior brother's spontaneous flashes of inspiration. Although the Huifeng Luoyan Jian was supposedly his achievement, the majority of its crucial breakthroughs relied on Ye Wen’s timely guidance.

Xu Xian was naturally sharp and certainly noticed this. Consequently, his admiration for his senior brother was genuine and deep-seated. Ye Wen's occasional brilliant and unconventional ideas—that imaginative, boundary-pushing thinking—were far beyond his own reach. Creating martial arts, he understood, required not only cultivation but also a tremendous amount of imagination.

At the very least, he couldn't imagine himself suddenly conceiving martial arts ideas out of the blue and crafting entirely new techniques! If his external skills were like this, how much more complex and inscrutable must the internal cultivation arts be?

In truth, although Xu Xian had mastered the Xiaoyao Xinfa (Carefree Heart Method) to a high degree, he was only intimately familiar with that specific manual. To expect him to deduce higher-level techniques from it was asking too much.

Therefore, he couldn't devise a solution regarding cultivation methods in the short term. Perhaps the only path was to seek out his senior brother for any suitable suggestions. Alternatively, he could wait for his brother to master the Zixia Gong (Purple Haze Skill) he was currently practicing and then directly ask to learn it. He trusted that Ye Wen would not refuse if he formally requested instruction.

Beyond that, the only thing he could do was to raise his own cultivation level before his senior brother taught him or guided him toward higher techniques. Ye Wen had once told him that for any technique, having a sufficiently deep foundation before learning it would yield twice the result with half the effort.

He had used his current practice of the Zixia Gong as an example: "If I possessed deeper internal energy when practicing this technique, then with the aid of the Cold Pond, I might reach the Great Completion or near-Great Completion stage in a very short time. As it stands now, I must accumulate internal energy bit by bit while slowly advancing my Zixia Gong cultivation."

"This is like filling a cistern with water using a bucket. If the bucket is already full when you start, you naturally need fewer trips. If the bucket is empty, you are bound to make an extra journey."

"Of course," Ye Wen had added with a smirk, "if what you are holding is already a cistern, then filling another cistern in the blink of an eye is hardly surprising!"

However, Ning Ruxue had countered this analogy sharply: "Since you already have one cistern, why bother filling another?"

This left Ye Wen momentarily speechless.

He could only manage a reply: "I was merely making an analogy!" to smooth things over.

Thanks to this vivid explanation, Xu Xian paid close attention to improving his cultivation. Unbeknownst to him, Ye Wen was simultaneously contemplating whether he should start teaching the Zixia Gong to his junior brother and sister. It wasn't intentional secrecy; he hadn't taught them before for two reasons: first, he needed to secure a head start by mastering it himself, as it was his creation; second, at that time, both Ning Ruxue and Xu Xian were still slightly below the required cultivation standard for practicing the Zixia Gong.

But now, after months of continuous dedicated practice and the benefit of the snake gall, their internal energy cultivation had advanced significantly. From a strength perspective, they now met the prerequisites for practicing the Zixia Gong.

Yet, due to certain considerations, Ye Wen felt that if a sect's techniques were too singular, it might hinder long-term development. After all, everyone possessed different aptitudes; what suited Xu Xian might not suit Ning Ruxue, and a technique Ye Wen could cultivate to its peak or completion might only allow Xu Xian to reach the introductory level.

For example, among the Shu Mountain Sect’s current arts: Ning Ruxue’s self-developed Tianluo Diwang Shi (Heavenly Net Earthly Web Stance) was something Xu Xian practiced well, benefiting from his already strong foundation in lightness skill and its compatible style, resulting in rapid progress. Ye Wen, however, fared poorly when he tried; he only managed the entry level by relying entirely on his deep internal power.

As for Ye Wen's current specialty, the Mian Zhang (Soft Palm), both Ning Ruxue and Xu Xian executed it only ordinarily. Although they could perform the moves flawlessly, the essence changed once they applied them. Ning Ruxue unconsciously shifted the movements toward the trajectory of the Tianluo Diwang Shi, while Xu Xian, mid-move, would transform it into a set of sword techniques. On several occasions when Ye Wen was sparring with his junior brother, had he not reacted quickly, he would have been struck by Xu Xian’s fingers acting as swords.

The disparity in their aptitudes was vividly displayed through these few martial arts; how much more so with the more subtle and complex internal cultivation methods? Ye Wen truly didn't know if what suited him would suit the other two.

Although Ye Wen possessed only one copy of the Zixia Mi Ji (Purple Haze Secret Manual), he had the reliance of the ring that could summon secret manuals. Even if he lacked a suitable one immediately, he could slowly 'grind' until he summoned the perfect match to give to his junior siblings.

Moreover, he had now dismantled a significant portion of the True Fist Sect’s power, and there seemed to be no force left on Shu Mountain capable of challenging him. He appeared to have ample time to slowly 'grind' for manuals. Yet, for the past few days, he felt restless, as if something significant was about to happen.

After all, both Ning Ruxue and Xu Xian returned safely from their daily excursions, bringing back news mostly favorable to the Shu Mountain Sect.

For instance, regarding the dozen or so local landlords, while most were unwilling to accept the unfamiliar Shu Mountain Sect to replace the True Fist Sect as their protectors, they expressed willingness to pay compensation to redeem their contracts—these landlords understood that anyone capable of putting the True Fist Sect in its place was not to be trifled with. Paying money to avert disaster was seen as building goodwill.

Following Ye Wen's advice, they did not overcharge the breach-of-contract fines, taking only a token amount. After all, making things convenient for others now would benefit Shu Mountain when its influence grew later; taking a step back now meant better interactions later.

Among them, one substantial landlord agreed to honor the contract. Ye Wen immediately dispatched two outer disciples for garrison duty, requiring them to rotate out after one month so that other disciples could take over the assignment.

Only one or two minor landlords refused to honor the contract and would not pay compensation. Ye Wen didn't value such people highly. In his view, these small landlords lacked foresight and utterly failed to gauge the situation; it wouldn't be long before their meager assets were swallowed by others without Ye Wen lifting a finger—if everyone else pays, why should you be exempt? Who else would you target if not you?

Furthermore, the former base of the True Fist Sect at the foot of the mountain had now been converted into a branch manor for the Shu Mountain Sect, specifically tasked with receiving visitors who came to call or seek discipleship. Xu Ping was primarily responsible for affairs there, with outer disciples rotating shifts for security duty.

Xu Ping didn't need to stay there permanently, but he had to conduct regular inspections. The reason he wasn't stationed there full-time was that Ye Wen planned to accept him into the inner sect. When Ye Wen last saw him, he had subtly hinted at this intention. Xu Ping had been visibly excited then; entering the inner sect, especially as the direct disciple of the Sect Leader, was worlds apart from his current status as an outer disciple. Setting aside the dramatic shift in status, the opportunity to learn higher-level martial arts was the dream of every practitioner.

Fortunately, he knew the Sect Leader valued him and had more work to assign him; only by excelling in these tasks would he earn greater regard, so he quickly calmed himself and continued listening to Ye Wen's arrangements. Finally, Ye Wen revealed that if everything went as planned, his formal initiation into the inner sect would occur around the New Year.

After wrapping up these matters and taking over the True Fist Sect’s properties, Ye Wen could finally refocus on his junior siblings' internal energy issues. Meanwhile, with the aid of the Cold Jade Pool, he had managed to heal about seventy to eighty percent of the injuries to his meridians. Circulating his true qi no longer caused sharp pain, but since the injuries had just healed, he dared not engage in overly strenuous activities.

His days were spent helping Liu Qingfeng regulate his meridians, slowly recovering his injuries, and simultaneously continuing to build his Zixia Gong cultivation as his meridians grew more resilient.

Ten days passed in a flash. Ye Wen felt fully recovered and turned his gaze back to the golden finger on his right hand. That peculiar ring had been quiet for quite some time.

Actually, Ye Wen had thought of the ring when planning to acquire internal arts for his junior siblings, but since he was injured then, he hesitated to use his true qi recklessly, forcing him to hold off. Now that his injuries were healed, he was certainly not going to delay any longer. He immediately circulated his internal energy, intending to summon a suitable internal art.

Of course, what he summoned was entirely beyond his control; his only hope was that something dependable would appear, something useful even if it wasn't an internal cultivation method.

Alas, the ring paid no heed to Ye Wen’s intentions and lacked any enthusiasm for his prayers; it simply ignored what Ye Wen wished for!

When a book that looked suspiciously like a martial arts manual appeared in Ye Wen's hand, the excited Ye Wen looked at the cover with a mix of anticipation and dread. Upon clearly reading the title, he nearly choked and passed out! "Damn it! Could it be any more utterly ridiculous?"

With teary eyes, Ye Wen looked at the booklet, his right hand trembling uncontrollably. The pose and dynamic expression—reminiscent of Wu Lao Er—made it clear to anyone how conflicted he felt inside.

The reason was the four large, flamboyant characters written on the cover: 《》 (Seven-Colored Fighting Spirit). Staring at the object in his hand, Ye Wen genuinely didn't know what to do.

Ye Wen opened the booklet with what he ironically called an "excited" feeling, clinging to a sliver of hope, constantly telling himself: "Just read it first. Maybe it's a good thing by surprise!"

Unfortunately, after finishing the book—which wasn't thin but certainly not thick—that small hope completely evaporated. This Seven-Colored Fighting Spirit was exactly the one he knew, and its power was indeed enough to make everyone envious. However, the internal cultivation requirements within left Ye Wen utterly vexed.

According to the book’s description, Ye Wen was currently capable of practicing what it contained, and due to certain fundamental similarities in methodology, he didn't have to worry about being unable to cultivate it—at least that was better than that ridiculous Lion's Roar Bomb, Ye Wen grumbled inwardly. But there was one major problem: if Ye Wen cultivated this Seven-Colored Fighting Spirit, all the internal energy and the trace amount of Zixia Zhenqi he had painstakingly accumulated would completely dissipate.

Or rather, they would be directly converted, and from then on, he would never be able to cultivate any other internal energy art, being permanently confined to this single path.

The cultivation method for the Seven-Colored Fighting Spirit wasn't actually complex; it involved mobilizing all energy within the body and converting it into Dou Qi (Fighting Spirit), storing it in the Dantian. Because of this characteristic, virtually any energy appearing within the practitioner's body would be assimilated by the Dou Qi, naturally preventing the practice of other techniques.

The power of the Seven-Colored Fighting Spirit increased purely through the intensification of the Dou Qi; the running method remained unchanged. In essence, once one grasped the fundamentals, they wouldn't need to worry about future cultivation formulas—the only hurdle was how to enhance the Dou Qi's intensity.

Although the peak power of the Seven-Colored Fighting Spirit was enticing, it came with severe side effects—setting aside the disgusting premise that cultivating it to the 'Black Dou Qi' level would turn one into an idiot, the prerequisite for advancing to 'Illusory Dou Qi' was impossibly high. He couldn't exactly cultivate it himself while simultaneously nurturing an expert in Black Dou Qi just to kill them, could he?

In short, with so many issues, even with its immense potential power, Ye Wen had to treat it with extreme caution. Furthermore, its true effectiveness was hard to judge. If, after dissolving his current energy to practice it, his abilities ended up inferior to his current Zixia Gong, there would be no chance for regret—once Seven-Colored Fighting Spirit was cultivated, unless one entirely dissipated all their power, they could never escape it; any other technique practiced would be absorbed and converted by the internal Dou Qi.

This meant if Ye Wen practiced the Seven-Colored Fighting Spirit and the results were unsatisfactory, he would have to cripple his own martial arts and start anew—he simply didn't have that much time to waste on such turbulence.

More importantly, Ye Wen sensed something from this Seven-Colored Fighting Spirit: the summoning range of the ring was incredibly broad. As long as he could provide sufficiently powerful internal energy, the ring could manifest anything that met that intensity standard, even bizarre and illogical secret manuals. Of course, whether one could actually master the technique was irrelevant to the ring.

If he could summon the Seven-Colored Fighting Spirit now, what might he summon once his power grew stronger? The Turtle Sect Qigong? The Spiritual Wave Fist? The Huantian Baojian (Primordial Chaos Treasure Tome)? These possibilities seemed very real!

If he could potentially obtain those devastatingly powerful, world-shattering techniques, wouldn't practicing the problematic Seven-Colored Fighting Spirit now be like abandoning a watermelon to pick up a sesame seed?

"Hmm! Better not practice it!"

Placing the Seven-Colored Fighting Spirit aside, Ye Wen was once again conflicted. He had decided against practicing it, but how should he dispose of it? Burn it? That seemed too wasteful!

"Forget it, I'll keep it! Maybe it'll be useful someday!"

He scanned the contents of the booklet one more time—a habit of Ye Wen’s; every time a new manual was summoned, he would read it thoroughly. Thanks to his exceptional memory since traversing worlds, he could usually retain the essence after just one reading.

Then, opening a secret compartment, he stored the book away. Having completed all this, Ye Wen leisurely walked into the courtyard to clear his head.

The sky was gradually darkening. Since the Shu Mountain Sect was sparsely populated, the remote areas inevitably felt somewhat eerie, but Ye Wen didn't care; it was the home he had built himself, so he felt no fear.

After circling around, Ye Wen suddenly stopped in front of a small dwelling. A slight curve touched his lips, and he smirked coldly, "My esteemed guest arriving late at night, may I ask your purpose?"

As he finished speaking, the night breeze rustled, but there was no reply.

"...Heh heh! It seems you are very confident in your lightness skill. Did you think I was just trying to trick you with words?"

When he spoke again, there was still no answer. If anyone else were present, they would surely think Ye Wen was talking to himself. However, in the darkness, a figure broke out in a cold sweat, repeatedly telling himself: "Impossible! He couldn't have discovered me! How could the leader of some unknown, minor sect detect me?"

Seeing that there was still no response, Ye Wen grew slightly impatient: "It seems I will have to invite you out personally!"

With that, without any visible movement, a flash of purple energy flickered across his face. His sleeve trembled, and with a flick of his sky-blue cuff, a deluge of yellow-orange objects rained down upon the building. After a series of crackling sounds, a dark shadow leaped from the darkness, executing several swift movements toward the main gate...