Xu Bo said, “Master, once we pass Baihuai City and head further south, we’ll be safe. The Mohu Gang won’t dare enter the Qingzhu Gang’s territory.” Cao Ya stroked his beard and snorted, “The Mohu Gang, such a mighty Mohu Gang!

It’s all my fault for not nipping them in the bud back then, leading to this mess!” Xu Bo said, “Master is blessed by heaven; these trifling clowns are not worth mentioning!” Cao Ya chuckled, “Old Xu, stop trying to comfort me. I’ve lived this long; dying is nothing, but if I go, Miao’er will have no one to look after her, left only to linger on through medicine.” “Father, what are you saying!” Cao Miao chastised him.

Xu Bo said, “Master, don’t speak such ill omens. You have achieved much wisdom; look, Young Master Li possesses extraordinary skills, the Mohu Gang is nothing!” Li Muzhan smiled, “I dare not claim extraordinary skills, but as long as I draw breath, I will never stand by and watch others harm Lord Cao and Miss Cao.

The favor of saving my life is like rebirth; I have no way to repay it adequately.” He truly felt indebted to Cao Miao for saving his life; he had truly been unconscious before, unaware of his surroundings, and without Cao Miao’s rescue, he might never have woken up. Although his internal strength vanished upon waking, as if completely devoured by the vortex, his spirit remained, perhaps even sharper than before, and the power of his flying knives was even greater.

He had been studying this for the past few days, trying to understand why his internal strength disappeared. After much thought, he concluded that the lingqi here was different from that of the Second World; his original internal strength dispersed instantly.

This was not intended as concealment, but for self-preservation; having an extra trump card provided extra security. He heard this world was too dangerous, and now was not the time to abruptly rise to prominence; he needed to lie low for a while and slowly figure things out first.

Rashly revealing all his cultivation might attract powerful adversaries, and being completely in the dark, he could easily perish. Many Grandmasters had perished in this realm; its terrifying nature was evident, and he must not be careless.

As a newcomer, he needed to appear weak, but not too weak. Having once been a Grandmaster, he couldn't simply live miserably.

Coincidentally, his flying knives had been discovered, so he might as well display that ultimate skill and go with the flow. In the previous two worlds, the flying knives were his ultimate secret technique, only deployed at critical moments.

In this world, he intended to reverse that: treating his martial arts as the hidden trump card while displaying the flying knives outwardly. In these few days, his internal strength had recovered, but the lingqi in this world was thin, making progress slow.

If not for his Void Qi Drawing Art, it would have been difficult to recover his internal strength so quickly. For the same expenditure, in the previous world, it took only one shichen (two hours); in this world, it required a day and a night, twelve shichen.

With such thin lingqi, progress in cultivation methods should be slow, yet Li Muzhan noticed that the internal strength of these people was not weak. Li Muzhan quickly deduced that they followed a different path.

The essence of internal strength is jingqi, and jingqi has two sources: the essence of the five grains, obtained through food, and the lingqi of heaven and earth; both are converted through breathing techniques. In the previous world, people’s cultivation methods mostly involved drawing in and converting the lingqi of heaven and earth, while this world focused on converting the essence of the five grains.

Although the methods differed, the results were similar. However, Li Muzhan discovered one anomaly: in this world, internal strength could not be projected externally; it could only remain within the body.

Once it left the body, it dissipated immediately. Even with his Grandmaster cultivation, a push of the palm only resulted in a slight breeze, posing no threat and unable to injure anyone.

In this world, the function of internal strength was to enhance the physical body, providing amplification; strength, speed, and endurance could all be enhanced, but internal strength could not injure others from a distance. This being the case, the level of martial arts skill hinged more critically on the techniques themselves.

No matter how deep the internal strength, one could still fall to a sword strike if one lacked gangqi protection, and no matter how strong the body, it couldn't withstand blades and swords. This applied to Li Muzhan, however, who had tempered his body.

His flesh and skin had already transformed. With his current cultivation, blades and swords would find it difficult to harm him, unless a master wielded a treasure sword capable of cutting iron like mud.

…… “Father, perhaps we should send a letter to Uncle Hu?” Cao Miao suggested. Cao Ya shook his head, “Forget it.

Your Uncle Hu is likely struggling to protect himself now; let’s not trouble him.” Cao Miao said, “No matter what, Uncle Hu could still dispatch some experts.” Cao Ya sighed and shook his head, “He is being suppressed by the Baojian Xuan to the point where he cannot breathe; he can’t spare a single man.” Cao Miao frowned, “The Baojian Xuan is going too far!” Cao Ya stroked his beard and sighed, “This is why the court continuously suppresses the martial arts world. A disagreement leads to drawing swords, old grudges are settled with slaughter everywhere—truly a source of chaos!” Li Muzhan asked, “Miss Liuhe, who is this Uncle Hu?” Xiao He replied, “Li Wuji, this Great Hero Hu is the master of the Yin Hu Zhai, named Hu Ruilin.

He is a famous expert under heaven. Haven't you heard of him?” Li Muzhan shook his head, “I can’t remember any of them right now.

The master of Yin Hu Zhai?” Xiao He said, “Yin Hu Zhai is located in Jibei; you might not know it. Even if we ask Great Hero Hu for help now, it will take several days, and by then, we will have already passed Baihuai.” Cao Ya nodded, “Xiao He is right.

You can’t quench a thirst from afar; let’s just drop the matter.” “Hmph…” Xu Bo shook his head, “Great Hero Hu was heroic his whole life, yet to be driven to such a desperate state by the Baojian Xuan—it’s truly infuriating!” Cao Ya smiled faintly, “This is the Jianghu, this is the Wulin. … Young Master Li, I advise you not to step into the martial world; the turmoil of the Jianghu is vicious!” Li Muzhan smiled, “Yes, thank you, Lord.

I will not enter the martial world.” “Master.” Xu Bo glanced at Li Muzhan and laughed, “Young Master Li’s skill with those flying knives, it would be a shame not to venture into the Wulin. Not just anyone can practice that!” Cao Ya waved his hand, “The Jianghu is treacherous; only the experts die!” … “Young Master Li, do you wish to make a name for yourself in the martial world?” Li Muzhan shook his head and smiled, “Lord, you may just call me Wuji...

I have no such ambition; a simple, peaceful life is best.” “Heh, rare, truly rare.” Cao Ya stroked his beard and laughed, “Young people nowadays are so restless, wishing to become famous overnight. A state of mind like yours, Wuji, is rarely seen.” Li Muzhan smiled, “My nature is somewhat lazy; it’s not that I don’t want fame, but I know my own limits—I’m simply not cut out for it, so I’ve given up the thought entirely!” “Your frankness, Wuji, is also rare,” Cao Ya chuckled.

“He who knows himself is enlightened. From now on, you shall stay with us.

You can read books during the day, and I will personally instruct you in the classics. In a few years, you can sit for the imperial examinations.

If you wish to serve as an official, you may; if not, you can be a wealthy gentleman, living quite freely.” Li Muzhan was momentarily stunned. Cao Miao glanced over with bright eyes, “Young Master Li, Father hasn't taken a student in a long time.

Why don’t you hurry up and pay your respects as a student?” Xu Bo chuckled heartily, “Congratulations, Young Master Li! Master is a Zhuangyuan (top scholar)!” Li Muzhan rose, cupped his hands, and bowed solemnly, “I pay my respects to my teacher!” He had already decided to conceal his martial arts behind literary pursuits.

Being a figure in the martial world was too perilous; he needed a layer of protection, or camouflage, to achieve his great goals. His objective in this world was to find the Demon Artifacts, and obtaining them would not be easy, much like Sacred Artifacts, which he could only truly access after reaching the Grandmaster level.

In this world, to gain access to Demon Artifacts, he would likely need to reach an exceedingly high level. Though his current cultivation was not weak, he heard from those Grandmasters that reaching the Xuanqing Heaven level only made one a second-rate expert.

The most crucial thing now was to hide his capabilities and accumulate strength. Having the identity of Cao Ya’s student would greatly mask his true nature.

Cao Miao picked up a teacup, poured a serving, and handed it to Li Muzhan. Li Muzhan approached Cao Ya, knelt on the ground, supported the teacup, and presented it.

A man’s knees hold gold, but honoring one’s teacher is a great principle; to fail to kneel before a master is extreme impiety. Moreover, Li Muzhan was sincere; Cao Ya’s scholarship was profoundly comprehensive, far surpassing his own—mastering astronomy, geography, classics, history, philosophy, and even military strategy, being versed in all and excelling in all.

Furthermore, his planning was meticulous and his wisdom profound. With such a brilliant mentor, he would benefit immensely.

Although Cao Ya practiced no martial arts, his innate power was not inferior to that of martial arts experts, perhaps even surpassing them. One general can hold off a hundred thousand troops; a martial arts expert can hold off ten men, but what Cao Ya studied could contend with ten thousand.

Cao Ya smiled as he accepted the teacup, took a small sip, placed it aside, and smiled faintly, “Good. You are now officially part of my lineage.

You must study diligently from now on, and do not waver!” Li Muzhan said deeply, “Yes, your disciple obeys.” Cao Ya waved his hand, “Rise. You don’t need these excessive formalities from now on...

Your learning is excellent, but it is too scattered and lacks structure. Over the next few days, think carefully about all the books you have read—write them all down, organize them, and structure your knowledge.” Li Muzhan nodded, “Yes, your disciple obeys.” Cao Miao smiled, “Father, congratulations!

You have gained a good disciple!” Cao Ya stroked his beard, smiling as he assessed Li Muzhan, “Wuji has exceptional innate talent. Even though he lost his memory, his knowledge remains.

With careful polishing over two more years, he will be ready for the examinations!” Cao Miao smiled sweetly, “Then I wish Brother Li success in the Gold List.” Li Muzhan smiled, “Junior Sister overpraises me.” Naturally, their relationship changed; from this moment on, they were like family. Xiao He joyfully exclaimed, “Miss, what should I call Li Wuji?” “Just call him Young Master,” Cao Miao replied.

Xiao He smiled, “Young Master, I truly never expected Master to take him as a disciple!” She had witnessed Li Muzhan’s supreme flying knife skills and assumed he would roam the martial world. She hadn't expected him to seek tutelage, which meant he wouldn't be roaming the martial world—what a pity.

Though young, she longed for the life of the Wulin: free, unrestrained, moving wherever he pleased—truly dashing and exhilarating, something to yearn for. As they were talking, a dull thud suddenly sounded—peng—from the adjacent room, followed immediately by the clash of metal on metal.

Xu Bo’s expression changed, and he said gravely, “I’ll go see!” With that, he shot out of the room like a gust of wind. Xiao He drew her sword and stood behind the door, her sweet face tightly drawn.