The sheer scale of it, something unseen elsewhere, was clearly the result of millennia of accumulation—far beyond any ordinary sect. Furthermore, it was to keep an eye on her recently, lest she truly acted recklessly, slashing and killing indiscriminately with her saber.

With her current mastery of the throwing knives, killing someone without anyone noticing was far too easy. What he truly feared was the Nine Heavens Profound Maiden Sect reappearing.

By then, Leng Chaoyun would certainly not be as easygoing; once her pride was stung, acting without reservation, she would kill—no matter how many came, they wouldn't be enough for her to slay. The two ate breakfast in the main hall, a round table set up.

Li Muzhan sat at the south end, she at the north, facing each other. Li Muzhan watched her lift the red gauze scarf slightly to eat slowly.

Though he felt such an action was unnecessarily cumbersome, he was nonetheless drawn by the occasional glimpse of her sharp chin, smooth and flawless like fine ivory. Her movements were graceful; even lifting the veil was done neither too hastily nor too slowly, showing no sign of impatience, as if she were utterly accustomed to it.

Li Muzhan smiled, "When you usually eat, Palace Mistress, do you not remove your veil?" Leng Chaoyun shot him a glance, replying casually, "I usually do not remove my veil." Li Muzhan asked, "And when you sleep?" "I do not remove it," Leng Chaoyun stated. Li Muzhan inquired curiously, "Then when do you remove it?" "When I get married," Leng Chaoyun replied.

Li Muzhan shook his head and sighed, "Your Master is truly strict. Wearing a veil constantly must be very inconvenient." "You get used to it," Leng Chaoyun said, leisurely picking up food and sipping porridge, her expression relaxed, her movements elegant—a considerable degree above Li Muzhan's own.

Li Muzhan was unconcerned with trifles, acting as he pleased, focused only on thoroughly enjoying the meal. As the two spoke and ate, Xiao Yan and the other three maids stood nearby serving, occasionally exchanging glances, giving rise to the illusion that they were a young couple.

They quickly dismissed this notion. In this world, what man could possibly be worthy of the Young Mistress?

Even if this Li Wuji was formidable, his appearance was ordinary; he could not match the Young Mistress's breathtaking beauty! Once they thought this, their attitude toward Li Muzhan immediately cooled.

Xiao Yan was somewhat better, finding Li Muzhan rather amiable and interesting, perhaps worthy of the Young Mistress after all. Li Muzhan’s thoughts were entirely consumed by Leng Chaoyun; he paid no mind to the speculations of the four young maids, instead continuously pondering Leng Chaoyun's true intentions for keeping him.

He would never delude himself into thinking it was love at first sight, or that she had taken a liking to him because of his help. A woman like Leng Chaoyun, haughty and dismissive of others, whose entire focus lay with the Floating Cloud Palace, had no leisure for romantic attachments.

She must have ulterior motives, but as to what those motives were, he couldn't guess, nor did he wish to expend the effort trying to figure it out; he preferred to see what game she was playing. After finishing breakfast, Li Muzhan prepared to depart, and Leng Chaoyun did not press him to stay.

Just as Li Muzhan was about to leave the main hall, a heaven-shaking roar suddenly echoed: "Palace Mistress Leng, Ye has arrived! I have come to witness the ultimate saber skills of the Floating Cloud Palace, ha ha ha…" This great shout was like a clap of thunder in a clear sky, exploding directly within the hall, as if the speaker were standing right before them—a testament to the profound depth of this man's internal energy.

Li Muzhan paused, turning to look at Leng Chaoyun: "Who is this...?" Leng Chaoyun replied, "It is Ye Zhennan from the Divine Spear Sect!" "Divine Spear Sect?" Li Muzhan pondered for a moment, then recalled—they specialized in spear techniques, renowned as the Spear God, rumored to have few equals in the world. He also understood spear techniques; back in the military barracks of his original world, he had learned the Flying Dragon Spear, a supreme military art, arguably a top-tier spear technique globally.

Weapons were rare in this world; most favored fist and palm arts, with swords and sabers seen more often, but spear techniques were truly scarce. He immediately grew interested.

He smiled at Leng Chaoyun, "Palace Mistress Leng, is this Ye Zhennan truly the Spear God?" "Yes," Leng Chaoyun nodded slowly. Li Muzhan raised an eyebrow.

This Ye Zhennan was also a legendary figure, one whose successors surpassed the masters before him, perfecting spear arts to a near-divine level. His martial prowess placed the Divine Spear Sect among the great sects.

It was said he possessed a natural affinity for the spear, as if born knowing how to practice it. No matter which lineage of spear art he encountered, he mastered it instantly and perfected it quickly.

In his prime, he surpassed all previous masters of the Divine Spear Sect, mastering the Eighteen Forms of the Divine Spear and pushing the spear to its utmost limit. Li Muzhan asked, "Why is Ye Zhennan looking for Palace Mistress Leng?" Leng Chaoyun replied, "He issued a formal challenge; I cannot refuse to fight!" "Ye Zhennan challenges the Floating Cloud Palace?" Li Muzhan chuckled, "He certainly has spirit!" Leng Chaoyun glanced at him lightly, "Does he have enough spirit?" Li Muzhan laughed, "Dare to challenge the Floating Cloud Palace, is that not enough spirit?" "If he had enough spirit, why wouldn't he challenge your Cloud Heaven Sect?" Leng Chaoyun scoffed.

Li Muzhan laughed and shook his head, "Spirit is spirit, but he isn't a fool. Which one in the world today dares challenge our venerable sect?" "Our Floating Cloud Palace!" Leng Chaoyun huffed.

Li Muzhan shook his head, smiling slightly, "Palace Mistress Leng, it won't be too late for him to challenge my sect once you have defeated me!" "Don't get smug, I will defeat you!" Leng Chaoyun said coldly. A flash of insight struck Li Muzhan, and he finally understood her true intentions: the reason she kept him in the Floating Cloud Palace was none other than to study him, find his weaknesses, and thus defeat him!

Li Muzhan let out a hearty laugh. Leng Chaoyun frowned, "What are you laughing at!" Li Muzhan smiled, "Then I shall await Palace Mistress Leng's challenge and see when you can defeat me!" "You need not be so pleased," Leng Chaoyun said coldly, greatly annoyed by his smile.

"Wait until I have completely perfected my throwing knives..." Li Muzhan shook his head and smiled, "Can Palace Mistress Leng evade my throwing knives?" Leng Chaoyun fell silent, her delicate eyebrows knit tight. Just then, a loud shout rang out again near their ears: "Palace Mistress Leng, are you hiding on the mountain, afraid to come down?" "Silence!" Leng Chaoyun spat out two words, dropping like stones.

"Ha ha, I'll be quiet, then Palace Mistress Leng, come down! I can hardly wait!" A loud, hearty laugh followed, sounding like successive muffled explosions.

Li Muzhan shook his head, "Such formidable cultivation. Palace Mistress Leng, do you need my assistance?" "Watch how I defeat him!" Leng Chaoyun huffed, lightly drifting out of the main hall, leaping straight down the cliff, vanishing like a red cloud.

Li Muzhan followed closely behind. As they landed softly, they saw eleven burly men standing amidst a ring of disciples dressed in green and black.

Li Muzhan had already swept his gaze over the eleven men while in mid-air. Leading them was a tall, straight, handsome youth, holding a long spear, standing proudly, exceptionally distinguished.

His sword-like eyebrows reached his temples, his eyes were like bright stars, and his nose was high and well-formed—truly a rare handsome man. What was most admirable was that although he was handsome, his spirit was vibrant, as if breaking through a canopy; his imposing aura was truly unmatched by few.

When Li Muzhan stood beside him, he was like a tiny star eclipsed by the bright moon, instantly losing his luster. People’s gazes were naturally drawn to the youth.

For such a magnificent and spirited figure, Li Muzhan had only ever seen one equal: Dugu Heng. No other young man had surpassed those two.

The other ten burly men were all middle-aged, standing behind the leader like stars orbiting the moon, leaning on their spears with a stern, imposing air. Li Muzhan immediately guessed that this youth was Ye Zhennan.

Observing their cultivation levels, Ye Zhennan's eyes were clear without any other unusual signs. The ten middle-aged men all had bulging temples, like hidden small walnuts, and slightly sunken crowns.

Li Muzhan praised them inwardly: these ten were all masters who had reached the Profound Stage, Grandmasters of their art. Li Muzhan sighed in admiration again.

Ye Zhennan's cultivation had reached the state of Returning to Simplicity; it seemed he too had an extraordinary encounter, otherwise, it would be impossible to reach this level at such a young age. Leng Chaoyun and Li Muzhan landed simultaneously.

He stood behind Leng Chaoyun; at first glance, he appeared to be her subordinate, though everyone’s eyes were fixed on Leng Chaoyun. She was enveloped in a red gown, graceful and elegant—the red veil covered the lower half of her face, but the upper half revealed eyebrows like distant mountains and eyes like autumn water.

Just looking at her eyes and brows marked her as a peerless beauty, capable of stirring the heart. Ye Zhennan stood proudly, holding his spear, his entire person seemingly merged with the weapon—straight, upright, with astonishing sharpness.

"Ye Zhennan?" Leng Chaoyun asked. Ye Zhennan clasped his fist and bowed proudly, "Palace Mistress Leng, forgive my abrupt arrival!" "Since you have come to challenge me, there is no need for pleasantries.

Let us fight?" Leng Chaoyun said, slowly extending her jade hand. Xiao Yan and the four maids also drifted down, having arrived in a basket.

Seeing her reach out, Xiao Yan quickly offered a long saber with both hands, extremely respectfully. Li Muzhan glanced at Xiao Yan, smiling slightly—truly a well-behaved girl.

They usually weren't this formal with Leng Chaoyun; they were quite relaxed. But in front of outsiders, the four maids were exceptionally respectful, displaying a god-like reverence toward Leng Chaoyun, moving cautiously and deferentially.

"Wait!" Ye Zhennan waved his hand, revealing snow-white teeth, and smiled faintly, "Ye has come down the mountain this time to exchange martial arts, not to seek fame!" "What's the difference?" Leng Chaoyun's willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed, impatiently, "Whether exchanging arts or using it as an opportunity for fame, let's fight first!" "...Very well." Ye Zhennan nodded helplessly, "If so, I must offend, Palace Mistress!" Li Muzhan stepped back a pace. Leng Chaoyun then swung her saber with a light arc—with a soft "Chi," a curved arc of saber energy shot out.

"Chi!" A flash of cold light pierced the saber energy, rushing toward Leng Chaoyun like an emerging flood dragon, the spear tip instantly at Leng Chaoyun's throat. "Ding!" Leng Chaoyun brought her saber down to block.

Saber met spear, and they separated. Li Muzhan’s brow twitched slightly—what a formidable spear technique, possessing a certain spirit reminiscent of the Flying Dragon Spear.

Judging by their cultivation, Leng Chaoyun had the upper hand. This Ye Zhennan was no easy opponent either; after forcing the spear back, he shook his wrist.

The spear shaft swung away, but the tip whipped back like a dragon's tail, attacking unexpectedly. Leng Chaoyun met it with ease again with another strike—with a crisp "Ding..." sound, the spear tip was deflected once more, as if a snake’s head had been struck on its crucial spot, shattering the momentum of the spear attack.

Ye Zhennan’s face showed astonishment. He possessed extreme confidence in his own cultivation, never expecting to be at a disadvantage upon clashing with the young Palace Mistress of the Floating Cloud Palace!

He had achieved his current cultivation through a marvelous encounter, something heaven-bestowed, leading him to believe he was chosen by fate, blessed with excellent fortune and astonishing talent—Heaven must have molded him to become the world's best. He had originally intended to defeat the Floating Cloud Palace and make his name known throughout the world, but now it seemed it would take significant effort; it wouldn't be as easy as he had imagined.

The Floating Cloud Palace was one of the absolute top sects in the world, the patriarch of saber arts. Although not as prestigious as the world's foremost sword sect, its reputation was considerable.

If he could defeat them, the Divine Spear Sect would instantly soar to prominence, joining the ranks of the world's supreme sects. This ** was significant, and he had been fully confident, but he never expected Leng Chaoyun, so young, to have even higher cultivation than himself!

While encouraging himself, his spear moved like a supple dragon, agile and unpredictable. Looking at Leng Chaoyun, her movements were relaxed, her expression calm.

Her attacks consisted only of one saber strike after another, each one aimed precisely at the juncture between the spearhead and the shaft, like striking a snake’s vital spot, nullifying all the force in the spear. Watching her saber technique, it wasn't exquisitely fancy—rather, it was the skill of great clumsiness made artful, transforming brilliance into simplicity.

That placid strike contained inexplicable variations that were utterly unavoidable. His spear technique was extremely fluid, changing like a dragon, contracting and extending with ease.

If an ordinary person had blocked his thrusts, they would have easily evaded it, but they couldn't evade Leng Chaoyun's simple saber strike. Li Muzhan also nodded inwardly upon seeing Leng Chaoyun's saber work.

Such a technique was indeed worthy of the Floating Cloud Palace Mistress; she had refined the saber art to its ultimate state, with few rivals in the world. He glanced at Ye Zhennan.

If he didn't bring out his ultimate move, he wouldn't have the slightest power to resist; his famed reputation as the Spear God would be forfeit. "Good, good!

Truly worthy of the Palace Mistress of the Floating Cloud Palace, your saber art is exquisite. I am deeply impressed, deeply impressed!" Ye Zhennan laughed heartily several times, and his spear technique immediately shifted.

Instantly, thousands of spearheads attacked like a swarm of snakes, dazzling the eyes and overwhelming the sight. Leng Chaoyun calmly swung her saber, still striking once with each move.

As one saber fell, the vast array of spearheads vanished, and the long spear was struck. Leng Chaoyun’s ability to locate the real spear amidst the dense spear shadows and strike it easily was not due to exquisite saber skill, but exceptionally keen eyesight—clearly honed through genuine combat experience.

After more than ten exchanges, Ye Zhennan grew anxious. At this rate, there was no chance of victory.

He gritted his teeth and shouted in a deep voice, "Good, good! You have forced me to use the Eighteen Forms of the Divine Spear!

Palace Mistress Leng, be careful!" Leng Chaoyun swung her saber as if embroidering, relaxed and at ease, "Sect Master Ye, cease this trifling talk! Attack if you wish!" "Watch the spear!" Ye Zhennan suddenly withdrew his spear and thrust it out again.

Leng Chaoyun brought her saber down, instantly sensing something amiss. This spear carried a violent rotational force, like a spinning top.

The saber energy, upon meeting it, was immediately flung aside. Furthermore, as the long saber cut down, the spear’s forward momentum sharply accelerated, the tip instantly reaching her throat.

She had no time for other thoughts, tapping her toes and rapidly retreating, carving a shape that barely dodged the spear tip. Yet, she knew that if not for the red gauze scarf, the spear’s energy alone would have pierced her throat.

Her delicate eyebrows were tightly locked as she focused on Ye Zhennan. She had indeed underestimated him; this move was truly formidable, and she had been careless.

She glanced back at Li Muzhan, wondering if he would have been careless and fallen into such a perilous situation. She saw Li Muzhan smiling, with an encouraging look.

Anger immediately surged within her. Since when did she need his encouragement?

What did he take her for? Was she his disciple?

Annoyed, her saber technique instantly changed—with a soft "Weng," the saber light suddenly flared, like a blazing sun descending before people's eyes, forcing them to shut their eyes. Ye Zhennan inwardly cried, "Not good!" and quickly swung his spear like a millstone to guard himself.

Amidst the continuous "Ding ding ding ding..." sound of metal clashing, Ye Zhennan retreated step by step. He wanted to block but couldn't.

With no choice but to retreat and dissipate the force, Leng Chaoyun’s saber strikes descended like a torrential downpour, endless and impossible to fully ward off. With a dull "Chi" sound, Leng Chaoyun floated backward, and the dazzling light instantly vanished.

People’s vision momentarily blackened before slowly recovering. Li Muzhan squinted his eyes, unaffected, and inwardly shook his head.

Ye Zhennan was simply unlucky that Leng Chaoyun’s saber technique perfectly countered his spear technique. Moreover, while his spear technique was marvelous—relying on its moves—his application of internal force was still lacking by a margin.

The mastery of spear arts hinges on force; compared to saber or sword arts, it requires a more exquisite application of internal energy. He had originally mastered the technique of deflecting force through his practice of spear arts.

Ye Zhennan couldn't withstand the momentum of Leng Chaoyun’s saber, especially retreating step by step under the frantic blade, unable to properly dissipate the energy. This showed he hadn't practiced enough.

He shook his head; it seemed the skill of the Divine Spear Sect had its limits. That last spear thrust did possess a hint of the true spirit, using a spiraling force, but unfortunately, he only used it to attack and not to defend himself—this was due to impure force and impure intent, meaning he hadn't grasped the true essence of spear arts.

He shook his head repeatedly, filled with regret. Seeing this, Leng Chaoyun grew even more annoyed.

She turned and glared at him. Li Muzhan smiled, smoothed his expression, and regarded the scene with solemn attention.

Ye Zhennan clutched his shoulder, looking at Leng Chaoyun with astonishment. He looked down at his shoulder, then back at Leng Chaoyun, his face a picture of disbelief: "You...

you...?" Leng Chaoyun stated, "Sect Master Ye, you have lost!" "...A fine saber art!" Ye Zhennan’s expression slowly faded, and he sighed dejectedly, "I never thought... I truly underestimated the heroes of this world!" Li Muzhan smiled, "Sect Master Ye, it wasn't that you underestimated the world's heroes, but that you underestimated Palace Mistress Leng.

Palace Mistress Leng, though young, has surpassed her predecessors. It is not unjust that you lost to her!" Ye Zhennan frowned and looked over, "May I ask who you are?" Li Muzhan cupped his hands and smiled slightly, "Li Wuji of the Cloud Heaven Sect!" "Li Wuji?!" Ye Zhennan's expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed, "Divine Sword Li Wuji?!" Li Muzhan raised an eyebrow slightly, "Divine Sword?" Ye Zhennan shook his head and laughed wryly, "I truly never expected such fortune, to see Divine Sword Li Wuji, Brother Li!

I beg your pardon for my lack of courtesy!" Li Muzhan smiled, "Sect Master Ye, I have a title like 'Divine Sword'? I truly didn't know." "Divine Sword Li Wuji is the foremost young expert of the Cloud Heaven Sect; I, Ye, have long heard the name, but regretfully never had the chance to meet him.

I never thought we would meet under these circumstances!" Ye Zhennan said with a smile. Li Muzhan waved his hand and laughed, "Sect Master Ye flatters me; I dare not claim to be the foremost expert." "It's a pity I am injured, otherwise, I would certainly ask Brother Li for some pointers!" Ye Zhennan said proudly.

Li Muzhan smiled, "Sect Master Ye has excellent spear skills; it's just a pity you encountered Palace Mistress Leng." Ye Zhennan chuckled, "Victory and defeat are common occurrences in martial arts. I am inferior in skill, and I have nothing more to say!

I shall return to practice diligently before calling again to seek guidance!" "Ye, you wish to spar with his sword skills?" Leng Chaoyun asked. Ye Zhennan replied, "The foremost young expert of the Cloud Heaven Sect is naturally not to be missed." Leng Chaoyun glanced at Li Muzhan, "With your martial arts, you are unworthy to exchange moves with him!" Ye Zhennan's expression shifted slightly, and he chuckled, "What do you mean by that?

Though I lost a move or two, the outcome of the next exchange is still uncertain!" "If you don't believe me, try it next time!" Leng Chaoyun retorted. Li Muzhan shook his head, "Palace Mistress Leng, I haven't offended you, have I!"