The Daoist Qingxuan nodded. "Master said the sun is the greatest and easiest to sense. But because of this, I always stay here cultivating during the day. Hearing your whistle today was rare enough for me to emerge."

Li Muzhan looked up at the sky and shook his head. "That sounds easy, but I suspect it's quite difficult. Daoist Master, have you reached the second step?"

Daoist Qingxuan nodded. "Yes, but I had an advantage; Master helped me cleanse my marrow, so my progress was smooth, far from your own experience."

Li Muzhan smiled and shook his head.

He too, had a stroke of luck. Without the Vision of Heavenly Specters Shining Scripture, he wouldn't have achieved what he has now, but he would never tell anyone about the Vision of Heavenly Specters Shining Scripture. He had an accurate intuition, faintly sensing that revealing it would bring about immense calamity.

After touring Jade Dragon Mountain, he finally decided to leave as soon as possible. He was uneasy about Zhang Jinglan, fearing that Shangguan Hong’s healing method might be too potent, allowing him to recover quickly and seek trouble again.

Daoist Qingxuan and Daoist Fengling did not stop him, only asking him to visit whenever he had time.

Li Muzhan bid farewell to the two, descended Jade Dragon Mountain, and hurried toward Heavenly Dragon City.

As he walked, he pondered the Dragon-Tiger Elixir Art taught by Daoist Fengling, studying it closely and feeling immense admiration. It was truly exquisite, far beyond what an ordinary person could conceive. He would never have devised such a brilliant technique on his own; his current knowledge and learning were far from sufficient. To think so profoundly, he needed to thoroughly study the supreme arts and methods of various schools. Daoist Fengling imparting the Dragon-Tiger Elixir Art to him meant he saw potential in him, wishing to forge a good karmic connection. Nevertheless, possessing such insight was certainly not ordinary.

At noon in Heavenly Dragon City, Li Muzhan returned to the Ming Estate. A sweep of his Eye of the Void took in both the Ming Estate and Zhang Jinglan’s residence to the east, all laid bare before him. His brow arched; he detected something amiss—more than a dozen masters were hidden within the estate. Judging by their auras, they belonged to the Thunder Sword Peak lineage. On closer inspection, Li Tianlei had already disguised his appearance and merged with the group of masters.

In the eastern residence, Zhang Jinglan was meditating and circulating his energy in his quiet room. Not wanting to disturb him, Li Muzhan entered the Ming Estate, gliding in weightlessly and silently. His Ocean of the Vast Sea Divine Art was now complete, his inner force dense and smooth as mercury, his martial arts having elevated significantly. When circulating it, his movements were more fluid and natural; his lightness skill flowed like water, achieving an extraordinary realm. He had long been stuck at a bottleneck, but seeing the character 'Stillness' () at the Upper Purity Monastery provided him with sudden enlightenment, allowing him to break through. That character was merely the catalyst; without the preceding arduous contemplation, the breakthrough would not have come so naturally.

Drifting silently into the estate, he arrived at the rear garden. On the small lake, in the central pavilion, five people were seated; every small pavilion held occupants.

The moment Li Muzhan appeared, they instantly noticed him, leaping up, gliding out of the pavilions, and landing around him, surrounding him, their eyes shooting out sparks of cold lightning.

Li Muzhan smiled faintly. "Sect Leader Li, back again?"

A burly man with a thick beard floated forward, stopping before Li Muzhan, his gaze sharp as a sword. "You recognize me?"

Li Muzhan smiled. "I judge people not by appearance, but by their aura. Sect Leader Li, your aura rolls like thunder—unique."

"A fine way to judge!" Li Tianlei sneered, stroking his beard. "This time, without the backing of Holy Snow Peak, we need to settle our accounts properly."

Li Muzhan smiled. "Feng Baishan struck first. I was merely defending myself. Must we escalate this out of proportion?"

"Out of proportion?" Li Tianlei chuckled and shook his head. "What arrogance. Your backing is the Azure Sea Mountain, I presume?"

"Indeed," Li Muzhan nodded.

A middle-aged man beside him sneered. "What is Azure Sea Mountain? If you have the guts, come here!"

Li Muzhan’s brow twitched, and he smiled. "You look down on Azure Sea Mountain? Do you perhaps think the martial arts of Azure Sea Mountain are inferior to those of Thunder Ridge Peak?"

"The Azure Sea Sword Sect is nothing but rotten chickens and dogs!" The middle-aged man was tall and thin, with a narrow face and triangular eyes looking upward, utterly dismissive of everything.

Li Muzhan snorted. "Very well, then I shall have to request a lesson or two from you!"

"Come then!" the middle-aged man sneered.

Li Tianlei frowned and said in a deep voice, "Senior Brother Zhao!"

"Sect Leader, leave it to me!" the middle-aged man waved his hand dismissively.

Several others’ faces darkened, their expressions agitated. They watched Li Tianlei's face as if awaiting a single word from him to attack. A few others puffed out their chests and stood behind the middle-aged man, glaring, positioning themselves to protect him.

……………………………………………………………………

A thought stirred in Li Muzhan’s mind, and he instantly understood. He cursed inwardly: What a scoundrel, this Li Tianlei, employing the strategy of borrowing a knife to kill!

His mind connected, and Li Muzhan grasped the inside story. This middle-aged man was the son of the previous Sect Leader, possessing considerable influence within Thunder Sword Peak and supported by many factions. Although Li Tianlei managed the sect well, he could not completely unify Thunder Sword Peak. The middle-aged man had always subtly opposed his authority. Out of respect for his status and his Master’s favor, Li Tianlei could not resort to killing him and had been enduring.

Time passed, and the middle-aged man’s son had grown up, possessing superior aptitude compared to Li Tianlei's own son. Murmurs of succession began circulating within the sect: the next leader should not be passed from father to son but chosen based on merit. Li Tianlei could not object, as his own Master had passed the leadership on merit; otherwise, the position would belong to the middle-aged man, not him. Out of respect for his Master, he tolerated insolence, but for the sake of the next generation, he could not back down—he had to eliminate him. However, the method of removal had to be careful; leaving any evidence would invite endless future trouble.

The middle-aged man was also cautious, always keeping his loyal subordinates near to guard against a lethal strike from Li Tianlei. Furthermore, he had mastered a divine art of formidable power, surpassing even Li Tianlei, so he did not fear him.

………………………………，……………………………………

"Senior Brother Zhao, let's attack him together; there's no need for a one-on-one duel!" Li Tianlei said gravely.

The middle-aged man smiled slightly. "A mere stinking little monk, and we need to use a group attack? Has Thunder Sword Peak become so incompetent?"

Li Tianlei frowned. "Though he is young, he is extremely troublesome. If he manages to escape again and retreat to his military camp, we'll never have another chance, and it will bring great shame to Thunder Sword Peak!"

The more anxious he became, the more certain the middle-aged man felt. He waved his hand lazily. "Relax, relax. I guarantee I'll take care of him!"

"Senior Brother Zhao," Li Tianlei still wouldn't agree.

Li Muzhan laughed heartily. "I didn't expect Thunder Sword Peak to be so interesting!"

His words were laced with mockery, immediately drawing angry glares from everyone.

Li Tianlei said coldly, "Little monk, Feng Baishan’s revenge will be settled today!"

Li Muzhan stroked his bald head, smiling indifferently. "In my opinion, you should settle your internal conflicts first before boasting about such things!"

"Watch my move!" The middle-aged man suddenly flashed forward, striking with his palm.

Li Muzhan gracefully drifted back a yard, narrowly evading the incoming strike. He sensed faint sounds of wind and thunder emanating from the palm, its momentum breathtaking. The palm wind carried warmth. He focused his gaze: the center of the middle-aged man’s right palm was tinged with purple, as if holding a sphere of vital energy that continuously circulated, like mist or smoke, vibrant with life force.

"If you have guts, don't dodge!" the middle-aged man sneered, utterly contemptuous, and then brought his palm down again.

Li Muzhan’s eyes flashed. This man appeared frivolous but was deceptively cunning. This Little Thunder Yang Palm was extremely forceful and purely Yang; it could not be confronted head-on. Li Muzhan once again drifted slightly to the side and evaded it.

"You are so cowardly, perhaps you should crawl back into your mother’s womb!" the middle-aged man scoffed, growing more cutting.

The people beside him joined in the ridicule.

"Exactly! You stinky brat, just surrender honestly, and we'll give you a quick death!"

"In my opinion, someone with such little courage can't be a real man. We'll see later!"

"Come on, act like a man and take the hit!"

Li Muzhan remained unmoved, continuously dodging and refusing to block the middle-aged man's palms, as if having perceived some profound subtlety. In the blink of an eye, over a dozen palms had passed. The middle-aged man’s strikes grew faster, like a snowball rolling downhill. Under the canopy of palm shadows, the sound of wind and thunder roared, the momentum becoming increasingly imposing.

As Li Muzhan drifted to the left, he suddenly extended a single finger.

"Pfft!" "Ah!" Two sounds rang out almost simultaneously.

Li Muzhan pointed again, shooting toward the middle-aged man who was recoiling while clutching his hand.

"Hmph!" Li Tianlei suddenly flashed forward, blocking in front of the middle-aged man, raising his sword to guard his chest.

With a muffled "Bang," under the force of the finger strike, he staggered back two steps, his eyes shining with divine light as he stared at Li Muzhan in disbelief. He was astonished by the sheer power of Li Muzhan's finger strike, which felt almost irresistible. Although he had noticed Li Muzhan’s martial arts had greatly advanced, he hadn't expected him to become so formidable—his finger force was like a mountain, impossible to block head-on, forcing him to retreat and avoid its sharpness. The Ocean of the Vast Sea Divine Finger had now transformed into the Ocean of the Vast Sea Divine Sword, its power drastically increased, entirely different now.

"You, you," the middle-aged man clutched his palm, his face filled with shock and disbelief as he glared at Li Muzhan. Blood streamed like a column from the center of his palm, a small hole pierced through the flesh from palm to back, as if truly pierced by a sword. He had already sealed the pressure points to stop the bleeding.

Li Muzhan smiled faintly. "Thunder Sword Peak, nothing more than this."

The middle-aged man’s face grew grim, and he suddenly roared, "All of you, attack him! Tear him into ten thousand pieces!" The Thunder Yang Palm he had practiced with such painstaking effort was now broken. How long it would take to repair it was unknown. Endless resentment surged through him, his blood nearly igniting.

Li Muzhan smiled and raised both hands, directing his movements toward the group behind Li Tianlei.

"Ah!" "Ah!" Two piercing screams sounded. Among the seven men, two were struck in the fingers, while the remaining five reacted quickly enough to evade. These two men had their shoulders pierced and hurriedly sealed their acupoints to stop the bleeding. The others charged forward, closing in on Li Muzhan to prevent him from launching another finger attack.

Li Muzhan smiled and drifted backward, sending out finger strikes one after another. Screams rang out continuously. (To be continued)