"Then you...?" Monk Xinjue frowned.

Li Muzhan chuckled, "First I was a disciple of the Mei Estate, and later I took instruction under the Canghai Sword Sect."

"I see." Monk Xinjue nodded, then said gravely, "Even if you are a disciple of the Canghai Sword Sect, killing my martial brother demands a life in return!"

Li Muzhan laughed and shook his head, "Your Lantuo Temple is truly overbearing. If I hadn't killed your martial brother, I would have been killed by him—forced into self-defense... You protect even a traitor; it truly befits the foremost sect under heaven. I am impressed! Deeply impressed!"

His words dripped with biting sarcasm.

Monk Xinjue shook his head, "Your martial brother’s skills were not insignificant, and you were never his match in an open fight, so you resorted to treachery. Naturally, I must seek justice for this."

Li Muzhan sneered, "Justice?! ... How many innocent people did your martial brother kill? Who will seek justice for them? Your Lantuo Temple indulges traitors who slaughter the innocent—who will seek justice for them?!"

Monk Xinjue frowned and said solemnly, "Our temple has been pursuing our martial brother, but he is cunning and has hidden too deeply for us to find him."

"Is that the capability of your Lantuo Temple?" Li Muzhan sneered.

Monk Xinjue frowned, "The world is vast. Even with the numbers our Lantuo Temple commands, we cannot search every single place."

"I killed your martial brother as an act of Heaven’s will. For your temple not only to remain ungrateful but to seek retribution on his behalf is utterly laughable!" Li Muzhan said coldly.

Xinjue said sternly, "Did you truly kill my martial brother as an act of Heaven’s will?!"

Li Muzhan shook his head, "I was merely defending myself. You must understand, he belonged to Lantuo Temple. As an unknown figure in the martial world, how would I dare to kill him!"

Li Yujiao said indignantly, "He deserved to die!"

Li Muzhan turned, a faint smile appearing, "Junior Sister Li, this is a matter between me and Lantuo Temple. It is best you do not involve yourself, lest it implicate the Holy Snow Peak."

Li Yujiao retorted, "Senior Brother Zhanran, you underestimate our Holy Snow Peak too much. No one who witnesses such a matter can simply stand by and do nothing!"

Li Muzhan shook his head. Though Junior Sister Li possessed formidable martial arts, she lacked worldly experience and did not comprehend the sinister nature of the human heart or the hardships of the martial world.

He let out a long, sky-piercing cry that echoed with a thunderous rumble.

Monk Xinjue slightly lowered his eyelids, watching him calmly, refusing to engage. As long as Li Muzhan did not move, neither would he.

After the shout faded, two tiny, sharp points appeared in the distance, moving incredibly fast, skipping across the snow like pellets. In moments, they were near—the two middle-aged women.

"Miss!" The two women glared at Li Yujiao, slightly exasperated.

………………

Li Muzhan said, "Seniors, please watch over Junior Sister Li. This is Master Xinjue, a disciple of Lantuo Temple. It is best if Holy Snow Peak remains uninvolved in the feud between him and me."

The two middle-aged women started, quickly nodding, and positioned themselves on either side of Li Yujiao, flanking her.

Li Yujiao stamped her foot and pouted, "Senior Brother Zhanran!"

Li Muzhan shook his head, "This is a personal grudge, and I wish to settle it alone. Junior Sister, please do not interfere; consider it a favor to me."

Li Yujiao pouted again, "Senior Brother Zhanran!"

Li Muzhan smiled faintly, "Besides, I may not necessarily be an opponent Master Xinjue cannot handle."

He turned around, "Master Xinjue, let us exchange a few moves today. I am eager to experience the secret arts of Lantuo Temple!"

Monk Xinjue nodded, "Very well." The two stood atop the mountain peak, surrounded entirely by snow.

Li Muzhan advanced slowly, the two maintaining a distance of about ten feet. Monk Xinjue cupped his hands in a salute, "Young Master Zhanran, please begin!"

Li Muzhan extended his hand and smiled, "Master Xinjue first, please!"

His palms turned luminous and white as jade; the Dragon Slaying Hand was his foundation, and he held no fear even against Monk Xinjue’s Great Strength Demon Subduing Fist.

"Good!" Monk Xinjue nodded and brought down a flat palm strike.

Li Muzhan met it with an equally flat palm. Their palm energies collided with a dull peng sound, and both retreated a single step, their stances steady.

"Good! Young Master Zhanran’s martial arts have indeed progressed. Canghai Sword Sect is not to be underestimated!" Monk Xinjue nodded, then said slowly, "This humble monk will no longer hold back. Be careful!"

Li Muzhan smiled faintly, "Please!"

Monk Xinjue slowly raised his right fist from his chest to above his head, then slowly brought it down to strike his left palm. Fist and palm met, then separated, the fist appearing to have grown slightly larger.

Li Muzhan’s expression grew grave as he stared intently at the right fist. He had experienced the Great Strength Demon Subduing Fist once before; it was overwhelmingly fierce. Re-experiencing it now filled him with excitement.

"Receive the punch!" Monk Xinjue roared, and his fist shot forward, swift as a meteor hammer, instantly reaching Li Muzhan's chest, leaving him no time to react.

Li Muzhan rotated his right palm, avoiding a direct block. Instead, he maneuvered it like a snake, coiling around the wrist and pulling backward. With another dull peng, it sounded like a taut rope snapping.

Monk Xinjue remained rooted, his feet sinking three inches deep into the snow, submerged past his ankles. Li Muzhan’s feet also sank an inch. Neither moved; it seemed they were perfectly matched.

"Good skill!" Monk Xinjue shouted, launching another punch that instantly arrived at Li Muzhan’s chest. Li Muzhan followed his momentum, once again employing the Silken Thread Hand technique to pull.

…………

This time, Monk Xinjue followed the momentum, driving his fist forward in a direct collision toward Li Muzhan’s chest.

With a muffled peng, Li Muzhan stepped back one pace, spinning his foot to regain perfect balance. Unbeknownst to anyone, his left hand was now held vertically at his chest, precisely blocking the strike, an apparent disadvantage that successfully neutralized the force.

Li Yujiao immediately grew anxious and moved to intervene, but was caught by the two middle-aged women.

"Miss, Young Hero Li is not at a disadvantage. Calm yourself!"

Li Yujiao insisted, "Don't hold me back!"

"Miss, Young Hero Li already said he doesn't want you involved in this matter; he would be displeased," one of the middle-aged women said gently.

Li Yujiao bit her lower lip, stamped her foot in frustration, but ultimately stopped.

Li Muzhan and Monk Xinjue had exchanged more than a dozen moves, appearing evenly matched. Li Muzhan had avoided hard impacts, instead using refined techniques to constantly deflect the force of the Great Strength Demon Subduing Fist.

Monk Xinjue seemed to possess inexhaustible inner strength; each punch was slightly heavier than the last, as if compounding his power. Li Muzhan was determined to understand the essence of the Great Strength Demon Subduing Fist and suppressed the urge to clash head-on, relying on grappling and evasion—meeting rigidity with flexibility, and brute force with technique.

After more than a dozen exchanges, Monk Xinjue's fists felt like tons of weight. Li Muzhan ceased evading and suddenly changed his tactic, striking directly at the incoming fist.

This was an offensive move. Monk Xinjue’s eyes lit up, and his fist trembled slightly.

Li Muzhan felt two streams of energy surge toward him consecutively, overlapping like ocean waves—one pulse had not faded before the next arrived, possessing tremendous, overwhelming power. Fortunately, Li Muzhan had cultivated the Dragon Slaying Hand; without it, he would have suffered a major loss. With a peng, the two separated. Li Muzhan retreated several steps, and Monk Xinjue also stepped back a few paces, staring at Li Muzhan with surprise and confusion.

He had not expected such a formidable rebound, especially a reflection of his own Great Strength Demon Subduing Fist’s energy—it felt truly bizarre!

"Again!" His spirit surged, and he lunged forward once more.

Li Muzhan let out a long laugh, his twin palms like jade as he unleashed the Eight Forms of the Dragon Slaying Hand.

With a resounding peng, Monk Xinjue was sent flying backward. The Eight Forms of the Dragon Slaying Hand, though appearing simple, contained profound principles. The strike landed squarely on the monk.

He rolled several times in the snow before scrambling up, a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth. The force from the Dragon Slaying Hand was strange; it was a spiraling energy that, once inside the body, drilled inward like a screw. Even powerful protective qi could not fully resist it.

Li Muzhan was also surprised. He hadn't expected Monk Xinjue to possess external martial arts training. While it wasn't as formidable as his own Vajra Indestructible Divine Art, it was still remarkable. If he had used a different move, that palm strike would not have injured him at all.

…………

Monk Xinjue wiped the blood from his mouth and gave a slight shake, sending the snow clinging to his clothes flying off.

Li Yujiao clapped her hands vigorously twice, her palms turning red. She felt immensely satisfied; Senior Brother Zhanran had finally gained the upper hand!

Li Muzhan laughed, "A powerfully refined external martial art!"

Monk Xinjue said grimly, "A powerfully fierce palm technique. What is this martial art?"

"Dragon Slaying Hand," Li Muzhan replied.

Monk Xinjue frowned, "You have already mastered the Dragon Slaying Hand?!"

Li Muzhan nodded, smiling, "I’ve only grasped a faint outline; I certainly haven't mastered it."

"Good. I wish to witness the true power of the Dragon Slaying Hand. Come again!" Monk Xinjue declared sternly, suddenly raising his right hand and poking forward lightly.

A sharp chi whistled through the air.

Li Muzhan suddenly shifted his body sideways; a small hole appeared behind him.

"Vajra Finger Strength!" the two middle-aged women cried out in alarm.

Monk Xinjue poked again. This time, Li Muzhan did not move. He flicked his sleeve, deploying the Heartless Sleeve technique, and the two streams of energy met mid-air.

With a crisp bo, the piled snow was churned up and swept away as if by a fierce gale.

"What martial art is this?" Monk Xinjue asked, then pointed a third time, letting out a sharp, hissing sound.

Li Muzhan said calmly, "Heartless Sleeve."

The original Heartless Sleeve technique could not successfully resist the Vajra Finger Strength. The Golden Net Finger Force was reputed to be unstoppable and unbreakable, and while the Heartless Sleeve was strong, it could not withstand such dense, unyielding finger energy. This time, however, he used the core principles of the Dragon Slaying Hand to guide the Heartless Sleeve. The inner force was peculiar, possessing both density and rotation. Upon contact, the Vajra Finger Force met an energy like an invisible buzz saw, instantly fractured into several pieces, its power entirely lost.

Seeing this, Monk Xinjue frowned, thrusting out another beam of Vajra Finger Strength with his right hand while raising his left, his hands positioned like blades, which he brought down slowly in a chopping motion.

Li Muzhan quickly flicked his sleeve again.

A drawn-out wu whistle sounded, and a fissure appeared in the ground, stretching from where Monk Xinjue stood all the way to Li Muzhan's feet.

With a loud peng, Li Muzhan’s left sleeve disintegrated into tatters, blown away by the invisible rush of force.

Li Muzhan looked surprised, "What martial art is this?"

"Dharma Blade!" Monk Xinjue said solemnly.

"Excellent skill! Again!" Li Muzhan laughed.

Monk Xinjue brought both palms together into blade shapes and cleaved out simultaneously. Two streams of formless blade energy surged forward fiercely.

Li Muzhan pressed his left thumb downward. A wu whistle sounded, followed by a deafening peng. The snow on the ground burst outward, sending a flurry of snowflakes drifting down, as if fresh snow were falling again.

PS Three chapters finished. I’ve been pushing myself to the limit these past few days. Sorry for constantly begging for votes with single chapters. (To be continued)