The four wandered through Xiushui City, stopping frequently, with Xu Xiaorou and the others lingering at every stall, wishing they could buy everything in sight.
Li Muzhan carried a bundle in his left hand, another in his right, one draped around his neck, and clutched three more to his chest—he was loaded down.
He gave a wry internal smile; no wonder they asked him to come—he was being used as manual labor.
He Ruoshui occasionally glanced back at him with an apologetic look. Xu Xiaorou was ecstatic, knowing Li Muzhan possessed astonishing divine strength and wouldn't tire easily. Zhang Qiaoyi watched them with a serene smile, amusement twinkling in her eyes.
The four walked from the south of the city to the north, browsing dozens of small stalls. They then found an inn in the city center; it was already noon, and the sun shone brightly.
After lunch, they browsed from the east side of the city to the west. Li Muzhan’s collection of bundles had increased by four more. They left the city as dusk settled.
Once aboard the small boat, Li Muzhan set the bundles down and let out a long sigh.
Xu Xiaorou laughed, “Junior Brother Li, are you tired?”
Li Muzhan took up the oars and chuckled, “Though the goods are many, they aren't heavy. I'm not tired.”
“To reward you, we’ll spar with you these next two days. How about it?” Xu Xiaorou suggested playfully.
Li Muzhan rowed the boat, which shot forward like an arrow leaving a bowstring. He glanced at the three women and smiled, “I couldn't ask for more. I only fear my martial arts are too low, and you three Senior Sisters will find it dull.”
“Even though you lack internal energy, your divine strength is amazing; it shouldn’t be too dull,” Xu Xiaorou replied with a smile.
No sooner said than done. When the four returned to the small residence, they immediately led Li Muzhan to a small pine grove on the mountain. In the center of the grove was a circular clearing, about ten meters in diameter.
Li Muzhan stood in the center, his twin sabers hanging at his waist, and said with a smile, “Please, Senior Sister Xu, instruct me!”
Xu Xiaorou approached him with light, nimble steps, smiling brightly, “Are you looking for a soft persimmon to squeeze? Watch me beat you until you’re utterly defeated!”
Li Muzhan smiled, drew his sabers, and held them before him: “Please come in—!”
Xu Xiaorou cast him a sidelong glance, snorted, and the sash at her waist suddenly flashed—a streak of sword light shot toward the sky, transforming into pinpricks of starlight raining down upon Li Muzhan.
Li Muzhan swung both sabers simultaneously. The left saber was light and swift, becoming a blur of light; the right saber moved as slow as a tortoise’s crawl, feeling as if weighed down by a thousand pounds, labored and sluggish.
“Clang, ding, clang, ding…” A continuous series of crisp chimes rang out like rain beating on banana leaves.
Li Muzhan stood smiling, his feet rooted to the ground like iron spikes. His dual sabers, one fast and one slow, managed just enough to block the myriad streaks of sword light.
In the blink of an eye, more than twenty moves had passed. The pervasive sword light vanished abruptly, and the surroundings dimmed. Xu Xiaorou was already two zhang away, staring at Li Muzhan with wide, astonished eyes.
Li Muzhan retrieved his sabers and said with a half-smile, “Senior Sister Xu, how was that?”
…………………………………………”,…………
Xu Xiaorou tilted her head, looked at him, and then burst out laughing: “What a formidable Sunset Saber Technique!”
Ji Muzhan smiled.
Xu Xiaorou said, “Mastering it in two months, and the heat is already considerable—truly not easy. Again!” Li Muzhan shook his twin sabers, raising an eyebrow.
Xu Xiaorou flickered, instantly appearing before Li Muzhan. Her sword light condensed into a single point of cold light, arriving at Li Muzhan’s chest in an instant—too fast for the eye to catch.
Li Muzhan retreated diagonally, slashing with his saber; a silver torrent collided with the cold light—“Ding,” a crisp sound lingering melodiously.
Xu Xiaorou’s movement paused, then she lunged forward to continue the attack—the single point of cold light was so fast it seemed to tear through the void, utterly unreachable. Every strike aimed unerringly at Li Muzhan’s heart.
Li Muzhan coordinated his twin sabers with his footwork, sometimes blocking, sometimes evading. In the time it took to draw a breath, they had exchanged over fifty moves, achieving a stalemate with no victor decided.
Zhang Qiaoyi and He Ruoshui exchanged glances, seeing the surprise reflected in the other’s eyes.
Xu Xiaorou was a Sixth Grade master. Li Muzhan had only been training for just over two months—he probably wasn't even considered a First Grade disciple. For two individuals with such a vast gap in cultivation to fight a hundred moves without separating proved that nothing in this world was stranger than the reality before them.
“Ding…” another crisp sound rang out. Xu Xiaorou leaped back two zhang, sheathed her sword, and waved her hand: “No more fighting, no more!”
Li Muzhan held his sabers across his chest and asked with a smile, “Senior Sister Xu, can I challenge the Black Rank arena?”
Xu Xiaorou rolled her eyes at him, “If you’re lucky, maybe you can get in!”
She turned and said, “Senior Sister He, you go next.”
He Ruoshui nodded softly, slowly approaching Li Muzhan, pursing her lips into a slight smile: “Junior Brother Li, your saber technique is excellent. To master it this quickly is truly impressive.”
“Please, Senior Sister He, instruct me!” Li Muzhan held his saber before him and said solemnly.
“Be careful,” He Ruoshui said, drawing her sword. She stepped diagonally and slid forward, unleashing a sweep of sword light that formed a curtain of water rushing toward him.
Li Muzhan felt a blinding brilliance before his eyes, accompanied by a chilling coldness. He quickly wielded his twin sabers to guard himself so tightly not a gap remained.
“Clang, ding, ding, ding…” Amidst the continuous clear ringing, streams of internal energy flowed from the sword into his sabers—soft and continuous, like clear water seeping into his wrists.
These two streams of internal energy were mellow and rich, not intended to harm, but they ceaselessly drilled into his meridians, like a small stream finding gaps in rock fissures, seeking entry.
Li Muzhan sighed inwardly. If he had the Dragon Slaying Hand technique, no matter how pure these two streams of energy were, they wouldn't penetrate his meridians. But now, without hindrance, they flowed downward along his channels.
At that moment, his spleen suddenly grew warm, spitting out a wisp of internal energy, fine as silk. The two pure streams of energy encountered this faint wisp and were immediately neutralized.
Li Muzhan marveled inwardly while wielding his sabers, pondering the secret. The internal energy expelled by the spleen was the Earth Qi he had been cultivating. Why could it dissolve Senior Sister He’s internal energy?
A thousand thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, and he grasped the answer: In the Five Elements, Earth conquers Water. Senior Sister He’s internal energy must belong to the Water element, and it was being overcome by the extremely pure Earth Qi.
………………………………………………
He Ruoshui’s sword light flowed like water, continuous and pervasive, yet Li Muzhan’s twin sabers, one slow and one fast, one Yin and one Yang, formed a dense barrier of light that offered no opening.
In the time it took for a few breaths, they had exchanged a hundred moves. He Ruoshui bit her lower lip, her bright eyes growing clearer, her sword moving faster.
Li Muzhan slowed his right saber and sped up his left. The contrast between the slow and the fast created a dynamic tension of stillness and motion. At first glance, it looked like a silver dragon elegantly swimming.
He Ruoshui’s water-like sword light was blocked by the saber flashes. His slow right saber consistently targeted the flaws in He Ruoshui’s swordsmanship. Initially, He Ruoshui paid it no mind; her sword was fast, and the opening vanished instantly. Li Muzhan’s blade was slow, and he couldn’t strike before she changed her move.
As the exchanges continued, Li Muzhan’s right saber grew increasingly sharp. That slow cut always made He Ruoshui deeply uncomfortable, as if he knew the flaw in advance. A single strike from that blade would land exactly when she needed to shift her technique, forcing her to change her moves helplessly.
After another fifty moves or so, He Ruoshui’s sword light faded, becoming nearly imperceptible—the essence of flowing water was gone. Li Muzhan’s right saber strikes consistently managed to break the coherence of her forms.
Cutting water only makes it flow more, but Li Muzhan’s saber was different; it could sever the water-like sword light.
He Ruoshui suddenly floated backward and glared fiercely at Li Muzhan.
Stared at by her clear, dark eyes, Li Muzhan felt an inexplicable panic. He quickly withdrew his sabers, scratched his head sheepishly, “Senior Sister He, hehe, I offended you!”
“What a Li Junior Brother, your saber technique is truly exquisite!” Zhang Qiaoyi applauded, a smile on her face, “Junior Brother Li, such perception!” She saw clearly how Li Muzhan transitioned from defense to offense, seeing through He Ruoshui’s swordsmanship in just a hundred moves. Such comprehension was beyond ordinary people.
Xu Xiaorou asked, “Senior Sister He, were you holding back?” He Ruoshui stared at Li Muzhan, examining him up and down, and then asked, “Junior Brother Li, you didn't feel any discomfort, did you?”
Li Muzhan laughed, “I feel perfectly fine.”
“Hmm?” He Ruoshui’s delicate eyebrows moved slightly.
Xu Xiaorou exclaimed, “Senior Sister He’s Weak Water Force is no joke—you didn’t feel it?” She turned and teased He Ruoshui, “Senior Sister He, you truly held back!” He Ruoshui stared at Li Muzhan and shook her head, “I clearly used the Weak Water Force.”
Zhang Qiaoyi asked, “Junior Brother Li, what happened?” Li Muzhan chuckled, “This is quite a coincidence. My Qi Cultivation practice over the past two months has just reached the threshold, and it happened to neutralize Senior Sister He’s internal energy.”
“Really?” Xu Xiaorou asked curiously, stepping forward and reaching out to grab Li Muzhan’s wrist.
Li Muzhan realized her intent but made no move, allowing her to grasp him as he closed his eyes and concentrated internally.
…………………………………………”,………………
She sent in a thread of internal energy. Li Muzhan’s spleen heated up, expelling a wisp of breath to meet Xu Xiaorou’s energy. The two streams of internal energy intertwined, fighting like two serpents.
Xu Xiaorou, afraid of injuring him, used only a small amount of energy. Li Muzhan’s energy was pure, and the two forces tangled together, battling fiercely.
A moment later, both streams of energy canceled each other out, dissipating into a clear vapor that drifted through his meridians before vanishing quickly.
Xu Xiaorou opened her eyes and looked at him in astonishment.
Li Muzhan smiled, “Senior Sister Xu, how was it?” Xu Xiaorou nodded, “Indeed interesting!... Again!”
She sent in another stream of internal energy, slightly thicker this time, aggressively drilling into his meridians. Li Muzhan’s spleen heated up again, and another wisp of Earth Qi emerged to meet it.
The two energies fought again. Li Muzhan’s energy was weaker but possessed tenacious resilience, refusing to retreat even in death. Ultimately, both his energy and Xu Xiaorou’s dissipated.
Xu Xiaorou released her grip and smiled sweetly, “Truly worthy of being a Supreme Grade martial art! When you perfect it, it will be astonishing!” She turned to He Ruoshui, “Senior Sister He, Junior Brother Li’s internal energy is very pure, but not strong. If you had been ruthless, you certainly could have defeated him!” Li Muzhan smiled, “Thank you for yielding, Senior Sister He!” He knew He Ruoshui had pulled her punches; the internal energy in her sword was weak. If they had been fighting to the death, his Earth Qi would have been utterly unable to withstand the Weak Water Force.
He Ruoshui pursed her lips, her face flushing slightly, and turned her gaze elsewhere.
Zhang Qiaoyi smiled broadly, “Junior Brother Li, it’s my turn!”
Li Muzhan smiled, “Please!”
Zhang Qiaoyi warned, “I won’t go easy, Junior Brother. Be careful!” “Yes,” Li Muzhan nodded solemnly, holding his twin sabers before his chest, his gaze fixed on her delicate eyes.
“Clang, clang, clang, clang…” Streaks of sword light descended like a volley of sword rain covering him. Li Muzhan met them with his twin sabers, the clash of metal and steel sharp and dense.
Li Muzhan was forced backward continuously, his face flushing. Immense force came through the sword; if not for his astounding divine strength, he wouldn't have been able to block even one strike.
The Sunset Twin Sabers were profoundly mysterious, Yin complementing Yang, their forces neutralizing each other. Furthermore, he was skilled in the Art of Controlling Force, able to deflect the kinetic energy transmitted by the sword.
However, the internal energy embedded in the sword could not be deflected; it flooded in tyrannically, like a surging flood. Fortunately, his meridians were wide and robust, remaining entirely unharmed; anyone else would have been directly injured by the shockwave.
Li Muzhan struggled desperately, like a small boat in a storm.
A dozen exchanges felt like a hundred. While maneuvering his attacks, he desperately sought a solution. After a moment, he bent his waist slightly, squatting down, his feet turned slightly inward—a strange stance.
Once he adopted this posture, the internal energy in his meridians surged like a bursting river, rushing downward toward his feet and pouring out through his soles. His feet instantly sank slightly into the earth. This was him employing the Crouching Dragon Stake technique, using posture to channel the force, guiding the internal energy out of his body through the Yongquan acupoints.
…………………………………………………………………………
He was trying it purely as a gamble, yet to his surprise, it worked immediately.
Xu Xiaorou and He Ruoshui exchanged a glance, unable to suppress smiles. Li Muzhan’s stance was too odd—squatting while swinging his sabers, yet his expression was solemn, which only made it funnier.
Zhang Qiaoyi, however, couldn't laugh. She felt her internal energy disappearing as if into a bottomless pit. No matter how dense her sword light or how potent her energy, Junior Brother Li stood firm like a reef against the sea.
Li Muzhan realized that the internal energies of the three Senior Sisters were all distinct: Xu Xiaorou’s was like Wind, He Ruoshui’s like Water, and Zhang Qiaoyi’s like Fire. Zhang Qiaoyi’s energy was the deepest, followed by He Ruoshui’s.
Their internal energies differed, and so did their fighting styles: Xu Xiaorou was bizarrely fast, He Ruoshui was continuous and fluid, and Zhang Qiaoyi was swift and fierce. Their respective powers were roughly similar.
Li Muzhan resisted the internal energy, his twin sabers harmonizing Yin and Yang in an impenetrable defense, just managing to withstand Zhang Qiaoyi’s onslaught.
After a hundred moves, Zhang Qiaoyi floated back, shaking her head with a wry smile.
Li Muzhan let out a long breath, pulled his feet free, and shook off the clinging dirt, saying with a laugh, “If we kept fighting, I’d be buried alive.” Xu Xiaorou snickered, “Junior Brother Li, what were you doing?”
She mimicked his bent-waist, crouching posture, giggling, “That’s hilarious!”
Zhang Qiaoyi shook her head, “What a magnificent ‘Plucking Flowers to Replace the Branches’ move, Junior Brother Li! Where did you learn it?” Li Muzhan smiled sheepishly, “That’s my Stake practice. I didn’t expect it to actually work.”
“Stake practice?” Zhang Qiaoyi slowly nodded, “Yes, excellent. To conceive of using it in this way is rare!”
Li Muzhan asked, “Senior Sister Zhang, can I make it into the Black Rank arena now?”
Zhang Qiaoyi pondered, “It still depends on luck.” Li Muzhan shook his head; it seemed this arena was hard to enter.
Zhang Qiaoyi explained, “Junior Brother, your biggest issue is insufficient internal energy. While your physical strength is great, it can’t compare to the subtle uses of internal energy.”
Li Muzhan offered a bitter smile, “I really can’t do anything about that.” “Silly! Why aren’t you using the Primordial Cultivation Pills!” Xu Xiaorou sighed.
Li Muzhan’s brow arched, “Can my Qi Cultivation Technique utilize Primordial Cultivation Pills?” Xu Xiaorou huffed, “Just try it! There’s always a chance, and if it doesn't work, we’ll know!”
Li Muzhan nodded, “Alright, I’ll try as soon as I get back.”
Zhang Qiaoyi advised, “Junior Brother Li, the medicinal power of the Primordial Cultivation Pills is strong. Don’t use too much at once.” Li Muzhan replied, “I understand.”
Impatiently, he returned to his room, took out a Primordial Cultivation Pill, swallowed it, closed his eyes to meditate, and began cultivating his Qi.