After a long while, a thread of warmth spread from his stomach, slowly circulating throughout his body, making him feel utterly comfortable and languid, as if submerged in a hot spring.

His mind-lake was like a mirror, undisturbed by ripples, merely observing the circulation of this warmth, his breathing regulated by the eighteen-character mantra: "One exhale, one inhale," one breath out, one breath in.

After nine rounds of exhalation and inhalation, a wisp of yellow Qi drilled into his spleen, causing it to warm slightly. His internal sight was clear; he could see the color and shape of the earth element—the earth Qi formed by the nine turns of inhalation and exhalation drifted into his spleen like a strand of fine silk.

The heat transformed from the Peiyuan Pill circulated through his meridians, rapidly diffusing into every limb and bone before vanishing. It had no discernible effect. He sighed, slowly withdrawing from his meditative state.

He felt as if only an instant had passed, but when he opened his eyes, the room was dim. Looking through the window, the few houses opposite had all lit their lamps; the night was pitch black.

He sighed again, shaking his head. It seemed this shortcut was impossible. The Peiyuan Pills procured by Senior Sister Xu and the other two were now useless.

He rose from the mat beneath him, stepped out of the room, crossed the training ground, passed the courtyard gate, and followed the small path down to the jetty. He boarded a small boat and rowed toward a waterside pavilion on the east side.

Before this waterside pavilion, there was also a small kiosk. As he approached the kiosk, four women were seated inside. Four lanterns—east, west, north, and south—illuminated the kiosk as brightly as day.

Under the light, the four women were as vibrant as blooming flowers, seated together, happily examining the items they had bought and chatting animatedly.

"Senior Sister Zhang?" Li Muzhan guided his small boat alongside.

The four women turned their heads to look. Xu Kangrou quickly stood up. "Junior Brother Li, come quickly!"

Li Muzhan leaped forcefully, landing inside the kiosk. He now possessed a trace of internal force, and with exquisite control, he could already employ movement techniques.

Xu Xiaorou quickly asked, "How was it? Is the Peiyuan Pill alright?"

Li Muzhan shook his head. "Senior Sister, you will likely be disappointed. The Peiyuan Pill is useless to me." "Truly useless?" Xu Xiaorou questioned.

Li Muzhan nodded.

Zhang Qiaoyi remarked, "It's nothing, the Peiyuan Pill enhances vital energy and accumulates internal force. Junior Brother Li, what you practice is not internal force."

Xu Kangrou frowned. "Then is there any way?"

Zhang Qiaoyi shook her head. "Junior Brother Li's cultivation method is too unique; there's nothing we can do."

Xu Xiaorou thought for a moment, unwilling to give up, but ultimately could not devise a good solution.

Zhang Qiaoyi said, "Rourou, training must always be gradual, step by step. Where is there a shortcut? If you always try to be lazy, you will never master martial arts!"

Xu Xiaorou countered, "But the arena competition is almost here."

"It’s just fun and games; don't take it too seriously," Zhang Qiaoyi commented.

Li Muzhan said, "Senior Sister Xu, Senior Sister Zhang speaks sense. I won't take the arena competition too seriously. I'll do my best and leave it at that; winning a prize is irrelevant."

"So unmotivated!" Xu Xiaorou pouted, and Li Muzhan smiled. …………………………………………”,…………

On New Year's Eve, the arena was set up—located on the peak of a mountain, a massive, cylindrical stone, one meter high with a cross-section diameter of over ten meters, perfectly forming a natural fighting platform.

This peak was the third mountain from the south, quite far from the South Lake shore. Li Muzhan had to cross two mountains to get here.

The mountains on this island were continuous, resembling a giant dragon lying prostrate. There were over twenty such peaks in total; Li Muzhan had only heard of them but never seen them personally.

The giant stone sat precisely at the summit, allowing onlookers to watch from below.

At this moment, an old woman in black stood on the stone, holding a dragon-headed cane. Her round face was as cold as iron, her narrow eyes slightly narrowed, occasionally flashing with a cold glint that sent chills down the spine.

Her round face possessed fine features. In her youth, she must have been a great beauty. Her hair was streaked with white, but she had very few wrinkles, and her complexion was ruddy.

The sun had just risen, bathing everyone in ten thousand rays of golden light, tinting them all gold.

The old woman in black stood coldly amidst the golden light, her eyes narrowed and motionless, like a statue. Li Muzhan whispered, "Why is Elder Sheng not moving?"

Accompanying him were the three Senior Sisters Zhang. Xu Xiaorou whispered back, "Speak softly, Elder Sheng's power is astonishing; she can hear us speaking."

Li Muzhan nodded slowly, glancing at the old woman. If Senior Sister Xu said so, there was no doubt. This elder, whose name was Sheng Juan, was ruthless and cold-faced.

As one of the Four Great Elders, she governed the Disciplinary Hall. Her dragon-headed cane gave her authority to strike the Lake Lord above and the Elders and disciples below. Her prestige was immense; no disciple dared to offend her.

The Small Lodge only had four Elders. A Ninth-Rank disciple who wished to become an Elder first had to defeat all other Ninth-Rank disciples to become a Provisional Elder. A Provisional Elder could only become official by defeating one of the Four Great Elders.

Elder Sheng suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze sweeping over the crowd like an icy, cold wind, and she stated gravely, "Little brats, the year's end has arrived again."

The crowd below immediately fell silent, looking up at her.

"Time flies so quickly; another year has passed in the blink of an eye!" Elder Sheng sighed and shook her head. "In a few more years, this old woman will be in the coffin; I don't have much life left. But as long as I live another year, don't even think about me showing any mercy!" The crowd remained motionless, staring at her, feeling helpless internally.

Elder Sheng waved her hand, paused, and tapped her dragon-headed cane. "Enough small talk. Little brats, let the competition begin! The old rules apply: first, Yellow Rank sparring, then Profound Rank, then Earth Rank, then Heaven Rank... Who wants to go first?"

No one moved; they looked at each other.

Li Muzhan raised his voice. "Elder Sheng, I will go first!" ……………………………………………… He smiled at the three surprised women, bent his knees, leaped, and landed on the stage. He approached Elder Sheng, cupped his fists in salute. "Elder Sheng, this disciple, Li Zhu, wishes to cast a paving stone to attract jade!"

"Hmm, Li Zhu, the young fellow who just arrived. Courageous!" Elder Sheng nodded approvingly, waving her hand. "Very well. Stand in the center, and see who challenges you!"

Li Muzhan took a step back, turned to face the crowd, and smiled, cupping his fists. "Greetings to all Senior Brothers and Sisters. I am new here, and my martial arts are weak. I presumptuously seek to experience the profound techniques of all my Senior Brothers and Sisters to broaden my horizons!"

Xu Xiaorou stamped her foot below. "Isn't Junior Brother Li seeking death!"

She glared at Li Muzhan anxiously, looking disappointed that he couldn't see the situation clearly. Zhang Qiaoyi shook her head and smiled. "To be pushed into a desperate situation and find a way out—this Junior Brother Li has extraordinary courage!"

He Ruoshui nodded slightly. "This move is quite clever."

Xu Xiaorou turned to look at the other two in confusion, thought for a moment, and slowly nodded.

Indeed, after Li Muzhan finished speaking, the reaction below was muted. No one came up to challenge him. Li Muzhan was a newly joined disciple; they did not wish to fight him—winning would be dishonorable, and losing would be embarrassing, yielding no worthwhile gain. Moreover, they did not want to bully a newcomer.

After a while, there was still no movement. A hint of a smile appeared on Elder Sheng's icy face. "Hmm, very good. The first match is passed. Next, the second match!"

Still, no one moved for the second match. Elder Sheng quickly announced, "Good, no one for the second match, so onto the third!" ... If no one challenges him further, Li Zhu will win the prize money and advance to the Profound Rank arena!"

Xu Xiaorou's eyes lit up, grabbing Zhang Qiaoyi's arm and shaking it. "Junior Brother Li is amazing! Truly amazing!"

Zhang Qiaoyi shook her head. "Don't celebrate too early. Someone should challenge him in this round."

Xu Xiaorou retorted, "They can't possibly skip every match! If others underestimate him, he might win!" She guessed that even if someone did step up, they wouldn't be of a very high rank, as the higher-ranked practitioners would be too lazy to bother with a newcomer. She figured only those ranked Third or Fourth might make a move, and given Junior Brother Li's saber technique, anything below Sixth Rank should be manageable.

Elder Sheng swept her gaze across the crowd below and stated grimly, "Is there anyone to challenge? If not, Li Zhu wins!"

"I will!" A crisp, clear shout rang out from below. A yellow silhouette darted up and landed in front of Li Muzhan—it was a young girl in a pale yellow silk dress with delicate and pretty features.

Li Muzhan cupped his fists. "May I ask Senior Sister's name?"

"Luo Xiuhua!" The girl in yellow cupped her hands, drew the long sword at her waist. "I am here to experience Junior Brother Li's saber technique!"

Li Muzhan drew his twin sabers. "Senior Sister Luo, please!"

"You strike first!" Luo Xiuhua beckoned.

"Then I won't be polite!" Li Muzhan stepped forward and slashed down with his right saber. …………………………………………”,……………………

Ding-ding-ding-ding sounded within his core. All that could be seen was the flash of sabers and swords merging into one. Li Muzhan wielded his twin sabers with the same astonishing speed, matching Luo Xiuhua's long sword move for move.

Xu Xiaorou remarked, "This Junior Brother Li is quite cunning; he held back a move!"

The other two women chuckled. The saber technique Junior Brother Li was currently using was the Setting Sun Saber Art, but he was only using half of it, unable to unleash even half of its true power. Only by having one hand yin and the other yang, one fast and one slow, could the true Setting Sun Saber Art be employed; only when yin and yang unified could its true might be revealed.

Xing... Suddenly, a crisp sound echoed, lingering melodiously. A long sword tumbled in the air, rising to its apex before falling—with a swoosh, it pierced the stone, landing precisely between the two.

Li Muzhan sheathed his twin sabers and cupped his fists. "Senior Sister Luo, I yield!"

Luo Xiuhua bent down to retrieve her sword, sheathing it. She looked at Li Muzhan with surprise. "Junior Brother Li, I misjudged you. I am impressed!"

"I don't deserve such praise," Li Muzhan replied very humbly. He understood that within the Small Lodge, his martial arts skill was modest; it was truly a place where hidden masters dwelled.

Elder Sheng walked forward, tapped her dragon-headed cane, and stated gravely, "Good, Li Zhu has won three matches and earns the bounty. He advances to the Profound Rank!"

Li Muzhan cupped his fists in thanks, turned, stepped off the stone, and returned to where Xu Xiaorou and the other two women stood.

Xu Xiaorou stepped forward and vigorously patted his shoulder. "Junior Brother Li, well done!"

Li Muzhan pretended to be in pain and laughed. "Just sheer luck, sheer luck!"

"Junior Brother Li, you must have calculated this outcome, right?" Zhang Qiaoyi asked, smiling at him.

Li Muzhan shook his head. "I didn't calculate it either. I just wanted to finish quickly to stop feeling uneasy and be able to observe in peace."

Xu Xiaorou said, "Junior Brother Li, you had good luck, but this is probably as far as you'll go. Once you reach the Profound Rank, don't expect to win anymore."

Li Muzhan smiled. "Perhaps my luck is still quite good."