"What idea do you have?" Abbess Zhuzhao snorted.

Li Muzhan scratched his head, "How about we put on a show? Pretend to kill him, then change our appearance and settle down here at Canghai Mountain?"

He knew the idea was a bit wicked, but Li Tianlei wasn't exactly a good person. If he let him go, Li Tianlei wouldn't necessarily be grateful. Better to cut off future trouble.

Abbess Zhuzhao glared at him irritably, "Nonsense! He's mad now! He's practically itching to sacrifice his life for Lei Jian Peak, desperately wanting to bring glory to it and fulfill his master's dying wish! Anyone who stands in his way is the enemy!"

"What about you, Master?" Li Muzhan asked.

Abbess Zhuzhao’s face darkened, and she snorted, "I'm no exception!"

"He truly is insane!" Li Muzhan frowned.

"Sigh." Abbess Zhuzhao shook her head and sighed, her expression complicated. "Forget it. Just pretend I never had such a brother. Ignore him!"

Li Muzhan gave a wry smile, "I don't want to bother with him, but he wants to kill me!"

"With your current skills, he can't kill you!" Abbess Zhuzhao snorted.

Li Muzhan shook his head, "Master rates me too highly! Without the Great Bright King Scripture, I am no match for him."

"Oh?" Abbess Zhuzhao raised her delicate eyebrows.

She pondered for a moment, then looked up with a radiant smile, "Zhanran, let's spar briefly. I want to see how far your cultivation has progressed."

Li Muzhan hesitated, looking at her.

Abbess Zhuzhao snorted, "What? Afraid you might hurt me?"

Li Muzhan smiled, "Very well then, I ask for your guidance, Master!"

"Hiss!" With a light whistle, Li Muzhan pointed his index finger, and a thread of internal force shot out. They were barely ten feet apart, and the strike was impossibly fast.

Li Muzhan wore a half-smile. The strike was incredibly quick and at such close range; he purely wanted to see his Master put on a good show. He felt eager to witness his Master's embarrassment.

Abbess Zhuzhao let out a delicate hum, and her meditation cushion suddenly shifted sideways, narrowly evading the attack. With a crisp "Ding!" the finger force struck the jade statue behind her.

Li Muzhan jumped in surprise, then paused. The jade statue flickered faintly, so subtly it was almost imperceptible, but his sensory perception was far sharper than ordinary people, and he noticed the anomaly.

Abbess Zhuzhao's fair face flushed, her bright eyes flashed, and she chided him playfully, "Naughty boy, such a mischievous mind!"

Before her words finished, her horsetail whisk transformed into a silver dragon and coiled around Li Muzhan. He felt nothing but silver light overwhelming his vision, an icy chill sinking him as if into an ice cellar, leaving no gap visible.

Li Muzhan hadn't learned much of the martial arts of the Canghai Sword Sect.

Besides the Canghai Divine Art, there was the set of Canghai Nine Palms, from which the Canghai Nine Swords derived, and the Canghai Divine Finger taught by Wen Yinyue, plus the Heartless Pomelo taught by his Master.

Counting them up, it was only four or five techniques, yet every single one of these ultimate skills was marvelous.

He swung his saber horizontally, then was astonished. He had expected that with one downward slash, even the mighty horsetail whisk would be severed into several pieces, as his Mountain-Splitting Saber was a treasured weapon, capable of cutting fine hair and slicing through iron like mud.

But when the saber struck, the whisk felt surprisingly pliant; it didn't break the delicate silver threads.

Clearly, his Master's horsetail whisk was also a treasure, impervious to blades and iron. With this realization, he completely relaxed, changing his saber motion from a slash to a thrust.

He had only grasped one form of the Mountain-Splitting Saber Technique, but it was enough. The essence of the Mountain-Splitting Saber Technique lay not in its forms, but in its internal energy circulation methods.

The power of every strike he delivered was firm and solid, like a mountain, unshakeable. Furthermore, his internal energy was as pure as liquid mercury, and when combined with this mental method, its power was even greater.

Abbess Cunzhao's delicate eyebrows furrowed with intensity, and she gave a sharp twist with her wrist.

The horsetail whisk, imbued with a strange power, should have wrenched the long saber from Li Muzhan’s grip, no matter how formidable he was. Yet, Li Muzhan's saber remained unmoving, stable as a mountain.

Abbess Zhuzhao let out an "Oh," and applied more force, but it was like striking empty air—a hollow, unsatisfying feeling. Li Muzhan’s Heartless Pomelo was superior to the original teaching; it was in no way inferior to hers.

The Heartless Pomelo Abbess Zhuzhao had taught him initially was her signature technique; what she was employing with the whisk was a mastery of the Heartless Pomelo, though its power was even stronger.

Li Muzhan possessed extraordinary comprehension; his cultivation of the Heartless Pomelo had reached its peak, surpassing the original. Abbess Zhuzhao, aided by the whisk, wielded formidable power. With this back and forth, they were evenly matched.

He wielded the Mountain-Splitting Saber Technique, making him stubbornly unyielding. The whisk could not budge his concentrated force; the Heartless Pomelo technique was entirely useless against him.

"Naughty boy, you really have improved!" Abbess Zhuzhao gave a delicate snort, and the whisk shifted again, scattering lotus petals like a celestial maiden scattering flowers.

Li Muzhan secretly praised it. He had never imagined such martial arts. Where did these lotus petals originate? Were they psychic energy? Like some form of mesmerizing spell?

His thoughts raced like lightning, ideas rising and falling in an instant, yet his movements were not slow. The Mountain-Splitting Saber swept out in a plain, even slash, annihilating every single lotus petal.

Each lotus petal existed tangibly, transmitting a strange wave of energy that drilled into his body, immediately triggering marvelous changes. His surrounding internal energy felt as if it were on the verge of collapse.

He was greatly alarmed. Since his Canghai Divine Art reached the sixth layer, his internal energy had been condensed, and he had never felt such a sensation. This was the sign of qi deviation—internal energy losing control, like an unbridled horse—which caused this feeling.

He retreated abruptly, holding his saber, looking toward Abbess Zhuzhao in astonishment.

Abbess Zhuzhao watched him with a knowing smile, chuckling, "Naughty boy, now you know the danger, right?"

"Master, what is this technique?" Li Muzhan asked.

"The Wonderful Lotus Scripture," Abbess Zhuzhao replied.

"This is truly the Wonderful Lotus Scripture?" Li Muzhan frowned. He had experienced the Wonderful Lotus Scripture before, but it wasn't this powerful. A mere touch destabilized his breath; it was truly formidable.

Abbess Zhuzhao seemed to read his mind, smiling sweetly, "You're allowed to advance your Canghai Divine Art, but I’m not allowed to advance my Wonderful Lotus Scripture?"

Li Muzhan suddenly understood. Abbess Zhuzhao smiled radiantly, "After more than ten years, you've finally broken through the sixth layer. You're the first person to sample the sixth layer of the Wonderful Lotus Scripture! Come, again!"

Li Muzhan gave a wry smile, "Master, I'm no match for you. How about I use the Great Bright King Scripture?"

"Foolish boy, the Great Bright King Scripture cannot be used frequently; it changes your temperament, making you colder and colder," she snorted. "Unless you truly wish to become a Buddha, it's best to use it sparingly!"

"Then why did you teach it to me initially, Master?" Li Muzhan was confused.

Abbess Zhuzhao replied, "Although it cannot be used often, employing it at a critical juncture can decide life and death, altering destiny. Though our Canghai Mountain is vast, we might still encounter supreme experts one day." Li Muzhan nodded. The Great Bright King Scripture was indeed formidable; at a crucial moment, a supreme expert could turn the tide.

Abbess Zhuzhao continued, "Back then, I thought you couldn't control it and wouldn't use it anymore... It seems you use it often, don't you?" Li Muzhan chuckled twice and nodded.

Abbess Zhuzhao looked at him, her delicate eyebrows knitted in deep thought.

After a long pause, she sighed, "Our sect's martial arts cannot counter it. You must not act rashly again, understand?"

Li Muzhan smiled and nodded gently.

Seeing his nonchalance, Abbess Zhuzhao snorted, "Silly boy, you don't know the weight of things. Using the Great Bright King Scripture too much will slowly assimilate your mind with the Bright King's will, and you will become a living Bright King!"

Li Muzhan laughed, "That would be the best outcome."

"Hmph, without yourself, it's no different from being dead!" Abbess Zhuzhao glared at him.

Li Muzhan rubbed his nose and quickly changed the subject, "Master, this jade statue is a bit strange."

Abbess Zhuzhao dismissed him irritably, "Stop changing the subject! Unless I permit it, you are not to use the Great Bright King Scripture again. Do you agree?"

"Ah, Master, that won't do," Li Muzhan immediately shook his head repeatedly.

Abbess Zhuzhao's almond eyes widened, "Why not!"

Li Muzhan explained, "Master, my luck is terrible; I often run into supreme experts. Without the Great Bright King Scripture to save my life, I would have died several times over!"

"If you can't beat them, run! Why are you trying to show off!" Abbess Zhuzhao snorted, glancing sideways at him. "Why don't you use your Lamp-Lighting Art? Stop the nonsense! It's settled. If you defy this decree, I will expel you, my unworthy disciple, from the sect!"

Li Muzhan gave a bitter smile, knowing she meant well, but without the Great Bright King Scripture, it was tantamount to cutting off one of his arms.

Abbess Zhuzhao looked at him, her heart softening slightly, and she huffed, "Fine, I’ll compromise. In life-or-death situations, you may activate it, but when life is not at stake, you absolutely must not use it!"

"Yes!" Li Muzhan hastily agreed, chuckling, "Master, what about the jade statue?"

Abbess Zhuzhao waved her hand, "That's a secret passed down orally among generations of sect leaders. Don't pry into it!"

Li Muzhan quickly asked, "Then can I examine it?"

Abbess Zhuzhao pondered for a moment, and seeing the eagerness in his eyes, she suddenly pursed her lips into a smile, her complexion radiant like snow, "Very well. You may only touch it lightly, look at it, but do not move anything carelessly."

Li Muzhan nodded repeatedly, stepped forward, and placed both palms against the statue's right leg.

This jade statue of a maiden was very tall and lifelike. Her legs were elegantly slender, round and soft, stirring the heart upon viewing. Li Muzhan calmed his mind and slowly rested both palms against it.

With a dull "Bang," Li Muzhan was violently thrown backward. He flipped once in the air and rolled several times after landing, only stopping at the entrance of the hall.

He lay sprawled on the ground, utterly disheveled.

"Hahahaha." Abbess Zhuzhao covered her mouth, laughing delightedly, unable to contain herself.

Li Muzhan sat up after a while, shaking his head with a wry smile. This was clearly the Master deliberately teasing him.

"Naughty boy, now you know the power, right?" Abbess Zhuzhao laughed for a long time, her peach-colored cheeks flushed.

Li Muzhan slowly rose, forcing a bitter smile, "I truly didn't expect that."

"This is our Canghai Mountain's secret weapon!" Abbess Zhuzhao warned with a smile.

Li Muzhan said, "Let me try again."

He walked forward slowly, his steps light and unsteady, like someone who knew no martial arts, approaching cautiously.

When he had touched the statue earlier, a torrent of immense power had surged toward him. This power was extremely strange, like a powerful electric current; his entire body went numb, rendering him motionless, his internal energy paralyzed. (To be continued)