With a slight wave of his sleeve, Li Muzhan let out a muffled thump, and the dense swarm of shadows vanished, revealing the four figures who staggered back a single step each.

This sweep of Li Muzhan’s hand generated a circular layer of Gang Qi around his body. When their palms struck the Gang Qi, its purity instantly jolted them, causing a momentary arrest that forced the illusions to dissipate and reveal their true forms.

They exchanged a glance, excitement surfacing in their eyes. The Grandmaster truly lived up to his reputation; this single palm strike revealed the depth of his power, his internal energy purer than they could have imagined.

They gently clapped their hands, a motion like a lover's caress. The spectators around the combat area suddenly lurched, feeling as if an invisible force was pulling at them, compelling them to lunge forward. Fortunately, the ones at the front were all high-level cultivators; after a brief sway, they stabilized themselves, astonished, wondering what palm technique they were using that carried such devastating power, effective even across a distance of ten feet.

Li Muzhan felt a vortex forming around him, barely a step away, generating a fierce pulling force determined to drag him in and consume him.

Li Muzhan gently stomped his foot, emitting a muffled thump. The clothes of those nearby whipped and fluttered wildly as the vortex was scattered. Their bodies shook briefly before they quickly regained their footing.

"Good, good! Young Master Li is indeed extraordinary!" the beautiful woman said with a dazzling smile. Her form flickered, and all four accelerated, instantly transforming into a single white torrent, circling Li Muzhan and tightening their embrace.

Li Muzhan shook his head. "Four esteemed Seniors, overcoming me through sheer force is impossible. Please try a different approach!"

As he spoke, he swept his sleeve once more. The white torrent vanished, and the four women retreated a step, their faces flushed, their white robes billowing incessantly.

The surrounding women spectators were utterly baffled—this Li Wuji merely waved his sleeve, using no discernible exquisite technique, yet he neutralized the exquisite martial arts of the four Ancestors, which was truly infuriating to watch.

The four women slowly nodded, then suddenly pressed their hands down, instantly merging into one entity. The beautiful woman led the way, pushing her palm forward with a gentle smile: "Receive our strike!"

Li Muzhan pushed his palm out. With a soft pop, the four women’s robes fluttered violently, and Li Muzhan himself stepped back a single pace, smiling lightly. "A fine palm force!"

The palm force of these four was singularly strange: a single strike contained eight layers of crushing energy, one succeeding the other like ceaseless ocean waves, stacking up to create immense power.

However, Li Muzhan excelled in the art of managing force, systematically dismantling each of the eight layers. Amused, he asked, "What is this palm technique?"

"Mountain Shifting Palm (Yi Shan Zhang). What do you think of its power?" The beautiful woman pushed another palm forward, smiling sweetly.

Li Muzhan praised him: "A truly excellent palm technique, I am impressed!"

He met it with a palm strike of his own. With a muffled thump, he retreated one step, yet the four women stood their ground, though their robes billowed more fiercely. This sight drew cheers from the assembled women, who felt their Ancestors had gained the upper hand.

Sect Master Zhao, standing at the great hall entrance, frowned as she watched. She knew this was bad—he was indeed a Grandmaster. Her decision to marry Fu Feihong under his coercion had been correct; engaging him now without preparation meant certain defeat. Luckily, she now had a contingency plan.

She flashed away, vanishing into the hall. A moment later, Li Muzhan’s expression shifted slightly as he turned toward the structure. A Sacred Artifact had appeared, suppressing his spirit!

"Sect Master Zhao, is this your maneuver?" Li Muzhan called out with a smile, shaking his head lightly.

Sect Master Zhao emerged from the hall, smiling sweetly. "What do you mean by that, Young Master Li?"

Li Muzhan chuckled. "I wonder where the Sect Master acquired a Sacred Artifact. Truly, among those who possess such artifacts, only the Four Great Families, the Heavenly King Temple, and the Imperial Palace inner court remain!"

Sect Master Zhao smiled. "Young Master Li knows of Sacred Artifacts as well?"

Li Muzhan smiled and shook his head. "Sect Master Zhao is truly meticulous. If you use the Sacred Artifact, what exactly do you intend to do to me?"

Sect Master Zhao smiled coyly. "Nothing much. This seat only wishes to know if a Grandmaster can, in the end, be defeated!"

Li Muzhan smiled and shook his head. "Is there anyone invincible in this world? However, even if I were not a Grandmaster, Sect Master Zhao would be powerless against me!"

"Is that so? We shall see then!" She smiled sweetly, flickered, and suddenly appeared behind Li Muzhan, pressing a palm onto his back. The movement was gentle and graceful, like a lover's touch, causing one’s spirit to stir involuntarily.

Li Muzhan smiled and allowed her palm to rest on his back, absorbing the force while simultaneously channeling it into his right palm, meeting the beautiful woman’s attack once more.

Thump! The beautiful woman staggered, and the four simultaneously retreated a step. Li Muzhan smiled at Sect Master Zhao. "Well?"

Sect Master Zhao frowned at him, her smile fading. Her eyes flickered; she hadn't expected Li Muzhan’s internal energy to be so pure, far exceeding her imagination.

For a martial artist to refine internal energy to such a degree was nothing short of miraculous. After Li Muzhan killed a Grandmaster previously, pushing his spirit to exhaustion, his recovery had led to a further increase in cultivation; his internal energy was now so pure it seemed tangible.

When her palm struck, a reactive force nearly repelled her hand; it felt as though her inner strength could not penetrate. It was truly profound.

She had never encountered such a situation, and seeing Li Muzhan unaffected suggested the blow had failed. With a soft hmpf, she struck again.

Thump! Li Muzhan met it with his left hand. As the two palms connected, Sect Master Zhao shot backward, landing in the midst of the crowd. The women rushed to catch her, but an invisible, wave-like force emanated from her, one layer after another, turning them into tumbling gourds that rolled a great distance.

Li Muzhan had learned from the four women’s palm strength, condensing eight layers of force into a single strike. As a Grandmaster with innate genius in force manipulation, after two exchanges, he had implicitly grasped their methods and turned the technique against Sect Master Zhao.

Sect Master Zhao was quite disheveled, feeling weak and limp, unable to stand up, pinned beneath two of her disciples, unable to roll over.

The two women pinning her were even more terrified, desperate to leap away, but they were equally limp, unable to stir. They cried out, "Hurry and help us up!"

The other women rushed forward in a flurry of hands to assist them. Sect Master Zhao’s face flushed crimson. She tightly pursed her lips, her bright eyes captivating, but everyone was too frightened to stare, quickly turning their gaze to Li Muzhan.

Li Muzhan smiled. "Sect Master Zhao, how was that?"

"Good, good!" Sect Master Zhao gritted her teeth, her voice squeezed out from between her lips. "A truly formidable Grandmaster. I want to see just how far your power extends! Great Luo Heavenly Cycle Divine Sword!"

The women started momentarily, then sprung into action, flying out to find their positions amidst the fluttering of their robes, each drawing their sword. They surrounded Li Muzhan.

Li Muzhan raised an eyebrow. Over two hundred people formed a sword formation. Within it, he felt a chilling cold slowly rising, drilling ceaselessly into his pores.

The beautiful woman shook her head. "Young Master Li, we are no match for you. We take our leave!"

She nodded toward Sect Master Zhao. "Sect Master, we are still far from reaching the Grandmaster level. We will not overreach ourselves. We depart!"

"Thank you, four Ancestors!" Sect Master Zhao clasped her hands in salute. The four women dipped their heads lightly and floated away, leaving only the rest of the disciples surrounding Li Muzhan.

Li Muzhan smiled. "Sect Master Zhao, forget it. You ambushed me once; I’ll ambush you back. We are even now."

Sect Master Zhao pursed her lips and laughed lightly. "Even? How can that be? We still wish to personally experience the might of a Grandmaster. Don't you agree, everyone?"

"Yes—!" The excited chorus of the women answered in perfect unison.

Li Muzhan sighed. "Why the trouble?"

Sect Master Zhao chuckled lightly. "Is Young Master Li afraid?"

Li Muzhan shook his head and sighed. "I am afraid."

"If Young Master Li begged me, I might be merciful and spare you this once!" Sect Master Zhao smiled sweetly, maneuvering him into begging for mercy.

Li Muzhan sighed. "I'm afraid you will all be too humiliated."

Sect Master Zhao’s sweet smile vanished, replaced by a cold snort. "What arrogance! ... Great Luo Heavenly Cycle Divine Sword, when the Divine Sword appears, the world turns cold!"

Instantly, over two hundred long swords were raised simultaneously, flashing a severe, chilling light under the sun. The cold intensified, as if winter had arrived.

If it were truly winter, Li Muzhan would not feel cold; at his level of cultivation, he was impervious to heat and cold. But the chill emanating from them was uniquely pervasive, piercing straight to the heart.

Li Muzhan frowned. This was exerting pressure through sheer momentum, not technique. The greater the number of people, the stronger the power. He quietly observed, waiting to see what subtle move they possessed.

The women stood with swords raised. After a moment, they began moving their feet, each following a different pattern. In moments, the previous chilling air slowly coalesced.

Li Muzhan’s eyebrows twitched, but he did not interrupt their execution.

"Sword condensed!" Sect Master Zhao sharply commanded. "Hah!" They shouted in unison, raising their swords diagonally. The air above suddenly shimmered, as if space itself distorted, or water rippled.

The chilling cold abruptly retracted, and a snow-white long sword materialized out of thin air, an unparalleled marvel.

This long sword was otherwise indistinguishable from normal blades, yet it possessed an inherent mystery. Li Muzhan saw through it at a glance: it was condensed from pure cold energy, hanging in the air with an imposing, stern air of slaughter.

Sect Master Zhao leaped into the air, clutching the sword, and descended before Li Muzhan. She snorted. "Li Wuji, today I shall let you witness the true ultimate skill of our Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden Sect!"

Li Muzhan laughed. "Truly enlightening! So the ultimate skill of the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden Sect is this? I truly never knew. Please, commence!"

Sect Master Zhao huffed lightly and drew a slight arc. A crescent of cold energy shot toward him. Li Muzhan extended his right hand, and instantly, a long sword flew to him. He gave it a slight shake, and with a low hum, the crescent arc of cold light instantly dissipated into the air.

Li Muzhan smiled. "Sect Master Zhao, just use your strongest move; no need for step-by-step displays!"

"He does have some skill," Sect Master Zhao narrowed her bright eyes, her body suddenly moving in a dance. Amidst the flashes of sword light, streams of swords condensed from cold energy shot toward Li Muzhan.

Li Muzhan’s sword light flashed, forming a silver sphere that instantly transformed into a burst of sword light shooting out, meeting these cold swords. Clang, clang, clang—like metal striking metal, the sword light and the swords condensed from cold energy collided, emitting sharp cracks before vanishing one by one.

Li Muzhan shook his head and smiled faintly. "Mediocre."

Sect Master Zhao sneered and gave another shake. "Condense!"

The cold energy that had just dissipated suddenly re-condensed, quickly forming streams of sword light that shot toward Li Muzhan again, with incredible speed.

This time, Li Muzhan was genuinely surprised. As the sword light reached him, he swept his own sword light into a silver flood dragon enveloping him, colliding with those streams of light.

Clang, clang, clang—amidst the crisp sounds of metal striking metal, Li Muzhan's single sword blocked every single beam of light, none escaping.

Sect Master Zhao sneered and waved again. Suddenly, another wave of cold energy condensed into streams of sword light shooting toward Li Muzhan. Before Li Muzhan could dispel them, she waved her sword again, condensing yet more cold energy into sword light that shot toward him.

The space around Li Muzhan was now filled with dense, crisscrossing sword lights condensed from cold energy. His sword work was incredibly fast, maintaining an impenetrable defense. Only the incessant clanging could be heard as he remained perfectly still.

Li Muzhan secretly groaned. He saw the danger: these sword lights continuously attacked him while simultaneously consuming each other to grow stronger, as if they possessed awareness. Two streams of light would merge into one, then three would become one, four would become one. Under normal circumstances, the sword light should thin out, but Sect Master Zhao did not pause, frequently waving her sword to unleash another wave of cold energy swords, keeping the attack dense.

Li Muzhan could initially block the assault, but these swallowed sword lights became stronger, brimming with potent force. It was impossible for him to maintain absolute flawlessness.

If this continued, the sword lights would grow exponentially stronger while he weakened. The Great Luo Heavenly Cycle Divine Sword was indeed powerful, its technique bizarre, containing infinite mystique. Sadly, he could not sustain it indefinitely. The cold energy contained within the swords pierced directly to his core, unlike regular internal energy, and he could barely resist it.

"A truly excellent Great Luo Heavenly Cycle Divine Sword!" Li Muzhan shouted suddenly. With a violent sweep, his figure vanished and reappeared behind Sect Master Zhao.

Seeing him disappear, Sect Master Zhao swung her sword backward. Clink—Li Muzhan’s long sword struck her Great Luo Heavenly Cycle Divine Sword.

Crack! The sword in his hand shattered into pieces, falling to the ground with a clamor. The Divine Sword instantly flashed back toward him. With no choice, he lightly pressed a palm against it.

Ding… A clear, drawn-out chime echoed, lingering like the striking of a jade chime.

He floated backward and looked down. His right palm was covered in a layer of white frost, which rapidly spread up to his elbow. He quickly used his left hand to grasp his right, and as the two palms met, white mist billowed, and the frost vanished quickly.

"Impressive!" he exclaimed, then smiled. "I wonder if this Great Luo Heavenly Cycle Divine Sword originates from the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden Heart Sutra?"

"It does." Sect Master Zhao stood proudly holding the sword, snorting. "The Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden Heart Sutra is infinitely profound; we cannot fully grasp it, but it is more than enough to deal with you."

Li Muzhan shook his head and smiled. "Sect Master Zhao, I disagree. If it weren't for so many people, just you alone, the power of the Great Luo Heavenly Cycle Divine Sword would be limited, wouldn't it?"

"You are a Grandmaster; how could I face you alone!" Sect Master Zhao retorted.

Li Muzhan laughed. "I am not a Grandmaster now!... Very well, consider this a point scored by Sect Master Zhao. I bid farewell!"

Sect Master Zhao snorted. "Where do you think you're going!"

She flung her hand out violently, and the cold sword in her grasp shot toward Li Muzhan. Li Muzhan shook his head and smiled, suddenly vanishing. The cold sword followed suit, disappearing as well.

When Li Muzhan reappeared at the entrance of the great hall, the chilling aura followed closely behind him. Li Muzhan let out an 'Oh,' surprised that this sword was so insidious, pursuing him relentlessly.

With no other option, he beckoned with his hand, and another long sword flew over, meeting the pursuing cold sword.

With a ding, the cold sword recoiled back into the great hall. Li Muzhan looked down at the sword in his hand; it had transformed into a Frost Sword. He loosened his grip, and the sword shattered on the ground.

He smiled. "Sect Master Zhao need not see me off."

He vanished again. Sect Master Zhao had already reached the front of the hall. She summoned with her hand, and the fallen cold sword instantly flew to her grip. She frowned immediately and quickly let go.

Bang! She staggered back two steps, nearly tumbling down the steps. The cold sword contained an immense, layered surge of force that forcefully flooded into her body.

"Sect Master!" The women rushed to catch her. Although catching her the previous time had been chaotic, none of the women showed any fear.

It was the same this time; if they hadn't caught her, it would have been better, but the moment they touched her, the latent force erupted, knocking over a crowd of people. This time, she was slightly better off, falling from the steps onto them.

"Sect Master…" The women were filled with indignant fury.

Sect Master Zhao slowly stood up, brushing off her white robes. The cold sword in her hand slowly dissipated; it had been condensed from sword intent, and it naturally vanished once her will withdrew.

"Sect Master, that fellow is too detestable!" someone shouted.

Sect Master Zhao sighed, turning to them. "Now you understand the might of a Grandmaster, don't you? I even used countermeasures, suppressing his Grandmaster cultivation, forcing him down to the level of a (Zongshi, Martial Master)!"

"How did he become a Zongshi?" someone asked, confused.

Sect Master Zhao explained, "A Grandmaster can manipulate the energies of heaven and earth. A martial artist who is not a Grandmaster is like a child before him, easily molded with no power to resist. I obtained a Sacred Artifact; once it appeared, his ability to manipulate the energies of heaven and earth was rendered unusable, reducing him to a Zongshi."

"There is such a Sacred Artifact?" Someone marveled, then shook their head. "It's a pity it was useless; even as a Zongshi, we couldn't defeat him!"

Sect Master Zhao offered a wry smile. "That is what makes him terrifying! ... But fortunately, no matter how powerful he is, he fears our Great Luo Heavenly Cycle Divine Sword!"

The women immediately burst into laughter, elated. "That’s right! No matter how powerful he is, he cannot defeat our Great Luo Heavenly Cycle Divine Sword!"

Sect Master Zhao laughed along with the crowd for a while, then raised her hand. "Alright, hurry back to practice. If we don't want to be bullied by this fellow, we must train desperately!"

"Yes, Sect Master! We must train with all our might!" The women responded with high spirits, energized by having such a concrete goal, filled with determination.

Watching them disperse to begin their practice, Sect Master Zhao entered the hall, shaking her head and sighing, her smile gone.

She understood that after this encounter, the Great Luo Heavenly Cycle Divine Sword might no longer work on Li Wuji. His supreme movement technique placed him in an unbeatable position.

She had intended to surprise him, at least injure him, but despite all her planning and elaborate schemes, she had failed to achieve her goal, allowing him to depart unhindered.

Thinking of this, she tightly pursed her red lips, deeply resentful. Her bright eyes shifted, and she conceived another plan.