Li Muzhan shook his head: "Forget it. I'll take my time to comprehend it later; I shouldn't delay everyone's journey..." "Master's affairs are more important.

We can wait a day!" General Hua insisted. Li Muzhan smiled: "This kind of thing cannot be rushed.

It might take a day or two to gain insight, or it could take years of effort for naught. Let's just drop it." Seeing his resolute expression, General Hua knew further persuasion was useless.

He chuckled, "Master, I've agreed to something on your behalf. Please don't take offense." "Let's hear it," Li Muzhan replied with a smile.

General Hua recounted the matter concerning Jiang Yuyan and said, laughing, "Master, this time, you must agree. I truly won't feel at ease if she isn't looked after." Li Muzhan shook his head: "Miss Jiang?

Perhaps not." General Hua pressed on: "Miss Jiang is outwardly delicate, yet quite astute. With her in attendance, Master can rest assured." Li Muzhan laughed: "She is hardly someone who allows others to rest easy!" ………… With his ability to perceive the thoughts of others deepening, Li Muzhan’s skill in discerning character grew profoundly.

He saw immediately that Jiang Yuyan possessed a strong will and great ambition, unlike ordinary women; in terms of sheer ambition, most men couldn't compare. Having such a woman nearby was truly a recipe for worry; bringing Xiao Yuan along would have been less troublesome.

General Hua smiled slyly, "I have already promised Miss Jiang. Surely, Master wouldn't want me to go back on my word?" "Sigh..." Li Muzhan shook his head, letting out a slow sigh.

"Since it is so, let it be. General, you have brought me a major headache!" General Hua chuckled, offering no rebuttal, eager to witness the spectacle Li Muzhan was in for.

Miss Jiang was certainly not one to play second fiddle; she was indeed a complication. He turned and exited the room, calling out loudly for Jiang Yuyan.

Jiang Yuyan drifted in, bowing gracefully to Li Muzhan: "Master." Li Muzhan nodded lightly and said in a gentle voice, "Miss Jiang, if you do not mind, you may stay by my side. There is no need for you to serve tea or sweep; just be as you wish." Jiang Yuyan lowered her gaze and softly assented.

Li Muzhan waved his hand, and she retreated with practiced knowledge, closing the door softly behind her. Her light, silent steps betrayed exceptional Qinggong skill.

General Hua also withdrew, following behind Jiang Yuyan as they descended the steps into the woods. Ji Wuming and the others trailed at a distance, forming a loose circle.

"Miss Jiang, there are a few things I must make clear to you first," General Hua said thoughtfully. A light breeze swept through the sparse trees.

Jiang Yuyan, her azure robes fluttering, brushed a stray lock of hair from her temple and looked back: "General, please speak." General Hua gazed into the distance and sighed, "Master's martial arts are profound, and his understanding of Buddhism is equally high. He is truly a rare marvel in this world, yet he remains deliberately obscure.

Your conduct must follow this same style." Jiang Yuyan nodded slowly: "Yes, this humble one understands." General Hua continued, "Though Master is a man of high virtue, he is very particular about his diet. How is your culinary skill?" "It is passable," Jiang Yuyan replied.

"Master is extremely discerning. If your cooking is not up to par, it might not work out," General Hua frowned.

He glanced at her a few times. Jiang Yuyan, being sharp as ice and snow, spoke up, "I will certainly work hard; please do not worry, General." "Good, I shall look forward to it.

Also, Master does not abstain from meat or fish," General Hua added. Jiang Yuyan nodded: "Yes." "The rest is up to you to grasp.

If you manage to please Master, the benefits will be boundless, affecting your very destiny. Cherish this opportunity, and conduct yourself well!" General Hua concluded.

Jiang Yuyan nodded solemnly: "Yes, thank you for your guidance, General!" ……………… After eating breakfast, they departed soon after. Li Muzhan settled into the carriage, his mind still preoccupied with the temple statues.

He felt there was some profound mystery there, yet he couldn't grasp it—like trying to see a distant mountain through fog: vague and indistinct, yet impossible to clarify. He pondered for a while before setting the matter aside.

He turned his attention to finding a cure for the Xuexiang San poison, continuously employing the Tianyuan Breathing Technique to dilute the poison's toxicity and slow its progression. Fortunately, the Xuexiang San had a weakness...

it was methodical, first consuming internal energy before proceeding to devour flesh and blood. It wouldn't move to the next stage until the inner power was completely gone—a rather rigid mechanism.

This afforded Li Muzhan a way to use the Tianyuan Breathing Technique to inhibit its advance. Last night, he had conducted an experiment: stopping the Tianyuan Breathing Technique to fully activate the Guantian Ren Shen Zhao Jing.

Upon awakening this morning, he found his internal energy entirely consumed, though his flesh remained unharmed. However, using the Guantian Ren Shen Zhao Jing could not purge the Xuexiang San from his internal energy, nor could it offer a complete cure—a frustrating impasse.

An idea surfaced: use the Dispersion Art to completely dissipate his internal energy, and then immediately practice the Guantian Ren Shen Zhao Jing. This way, it might be possible to drive out the Xuexiang San.

He mulled it over repeatedly, deducing the steps, and concluded that the method was viable. He tugged a thin cord near the carriage wall, and a bell rang outside.

The carriage door opened, revealing Jiang Yuyan's beautiful, fair face: "Master?" Li Muzhan instructed, "Yuyan, I need to enter deep meditation. Do not allow anyone to disturb me." "Yes, Master," Jiang Yuyan acknowledged.

Li Muzhan waved his hand, slightly closing his eyelids. Jiang Yuyan withdrew, shutting the door.

The carriage interior returned to silence, broken only by the rhythmic sound of the horses' hooves outside. Jiang Yuyan sat at the front of the carriage, holding the carriage beam, curiosity stirring within her.

General Hua, riding his horse beside the carriage, looked refined and elegant. Seeing her, he smiled slightly, "Miss Jiang, what did the Master command?..." "The Master said he needs to enter meditation and not be disturbed," Jiang Yuyan replied.

General Hua chuckled, "Yes, meditation indeed requires no disturbance. However, no one would dare disturb the Master anyway.

No need to worry." "Yes," Jiang Yuyan nodded slowly. ………… In her heart, she harbored doubt: could the Master truly meditate in this situation?

Having devised a solution, Li Muzhan felt settled. Yet, he was in no hurry to implement it, preferring to wait until they reached the capital to slowly detoxify, wishing first to unravel the mystery of the Buddhist statues.

He regulated his breathing for a time until his mind was serene. Then, he assumed a peculiar posture—strange sitting position, odd facial expression—and formed an unusual hand seal.

A moment later, a flash of excitement crossed his eyes. The pose he struck was identical to one of the eighteen Arhat statues; he was like a living embodiment.

As time passed, a strange emotion slowly began to germinate and strengthen, erupting from the bottom of his heart like an unstoppable spring. He strove to restrain it, using his profound concentration to suppress the urge to lose control.

After enduring for a while, nearly reaching his limit, he suddenly shifted his posture, and the hand seal changed correspondingly. This initial emotion gradually dissipated, replaced by another.

Just as the new emotion threatened to overwhelm him, he changed his stance and seal again, morphing into yet another feeling. With the continuous shift in postures and seals, the emotions followed suit, until finally, he settled into a cross-legged position, hands forming the Touching Earth Seal, precisely matching the central statue.

Instantly, all manner of feelings vanished, receding like a tide. His mind became utterly clear, his spirit exceptionally refreshed, as if he had enjoyed a deep, profound sleep.

Although he no longer needed sleep now, substituting it mostly with meditation, and greatly favoring the practice of the Guantian Ren Shen Zhao Jing—which was more pleasant than sleep—this feeling of vibrant energy and perfect clarity was superior even to waking from that practice, more enjoyable, and utterly intoxicating. He performed a brief internal scan and quickly realized his spiritual focus had grown substantially stronger.

His spirits immediately lifted. He hadn't expected this sequence of hand seals to cultivate the spirit; it was miraculous.

His heart pearls had coalesced primarily due to the Vajra Indestructible Divine Art. Each heart pearl was forged from suffering.

The more intense the pain, the greater the chance of condensing a pearl after surviving it. Despite the agony, he had always welcomed it.

But as the Vajra Indestructible Divine Art advanced, his tolerance for pain grew stronger, making the condensation of heart pearls increasingly difficult—it seemed to have stalled. Apart from practicing the Vajra Indestructible Divine Art, there was no other method to enhance his spiritual focus, and he couldn't control the growth of his heart pearls; it relied entirely on chance encounters.

This set of hand seals, though difficult to execute, possessed the power to strengthen the spirit. Overjoyed, he immediately began practicing it again.

He completed one cycle, then immediately started the second, continuing for five full rounds before stopping due to a slight headache. Afterward, he entered meditation to practice the Guantian Ren Shen Zhao Jing.

After a while, when he awoke from his trance, he noticed the surroundings seemed brighter, and his senses were sharper. The feeling of a light breeze brushing against his pores registered with startling clarity.

He was delighted, carefully examining the exquisite principles. He realized that as he became proficient with this set of seals, he could eventually perform them without physical movement, relying solely on the seals themselves.

It wasn't possible at first; the skill level was too low, requiring the body's full coordination. Later, however, once the movement of the hands triggered an automatic reaction—a conditioned reflex—he could transcend the physical body.

He wasn't rushed. Along the journey, he practiced constantly.

The hand seals became quicker; one moment he was still, the next, a blur of shadow flashed, and the seals were already complete—it took only an instant. Moreover, the corresponding bodily postures also manifested almost instantaneously, lasting only a flicker of time.

Three days later, through continuous practice, he achieved the ability to break free from bodily constraints, needing only to form the hand seals. Each type of seal generated a specific emotion; as the seals shifted, the emotion changed.

After several transformations, he stopped, finding he could endure no more. Great joy or profound sorrow damages the body and severely drains spiritual energy.

However, for him, his physical form was robust enough to resist harm. His spirit, once depleted, would regenerate stronger.

Thus, through depletion and renewal, his spirit grew. His spiritual essence was like a dragon; normally, his essence, energy, and spirit were brimming, leaving him unfatigued even by the most taxing endeavors—there was simply no limit to what could be drawn upon.

With this set of peculiar hand seals, his spiritual focus could now be easily exhausted. Upon recovery each time, it experienced a slight increment in strength.

By exhausting and replenishing it repeatedly, he kept advancing. In the blink of an eye, over ten days passed.

Li Muzhan had relentlessly practiced this sequence of seals, mastering them until fluid. He had gained significant benefit and felt that another heart pearl was imminent.

He continued to increase the speed of his seals, sensing a deeper layer of mystery that he had yet to uncover, requiring dedicated exploration. Now, he could execute the seals with lightning speed; a flicker of shadow, and a complete set of seals was formed.

The faster he went, the greater the gain, and the quicker his spiritual focus strengthened. Risking his very life for this!

It's been a long time since I pulled an all-nighter like this. Can everyone give me some monthly tickets for encouragement?

(To be continued)