Qin Yeqiu waved her hand, rose, picked up the Dawn Sword, and sat before the writing desk, preparing ink and brush to begin writing; she was immensely confident in her calligraphy.

Li Muzhan cupped his hands: "Senior Sister, should I pass this on to the other Senior Brothers?"

Qin Yeqiu did not turn around, saying flatly, "Practice for a while first."

Li Muzhan nodded, turned, and left the Dawn Hall.

Upon returning to his small courtyard, he sealed himself off, diligently cultivating the mental method he had grasped. He felt certain in his heart that this was almost certainly the Dawn Art.

He had already simulated the Dawn Art in his mind, secretly amazed; it indeed deserved the reputation of a peerless technique. His progress began quickly, and later, it accelerated until it reached a bottleneck, rushing downward like a great river.

No wonder Senior Ma could leave his path halfway through to become an unrivaled master, forging a legend; the Dawn Art was profoundly instrumental.

However, the Dawn Art was not without its flaws. This technique was firm internally yet soft externally; it appeared pliable, but it was fiercely potent and deceptive.

Cultivating this method did not place a great burden on the meridians, and internal energy increased rapidly. However, it was insufficient for expanding the meridians; talent often determined the ultimate achievement.

Some people had broad meridians, others narrow; practicing the Dawn Art yielded fast results, but being too quick inevitably led to an unstable foundation. Without a mental method that was both fast and steady, this was an unchangeable law of nature.

The progress of the Dawn Art was astonishingly quick, growing ever faster, soon reaching the limit of the meridians. At this point, it became a bottleneck; continuing to practice yielded slow progress, and further advancement was difficult.

The next step was to use internal energy to expand the meridians. In this regard, the Dawn Art offered no advantage; the internal energy generated by the Dawn Art had only limited effect on meridian expansion.

At this juncture, one should cultivate a different mental method to expand the meridians, preferably one focused on body refinement. He wondered if this world possessed such body-refining techniques.

Yet, the mental energy of the Dawn Art was fierce and dominant. Internal energy cultivated by other methods would struggle to survive and would soon be assimilated. Even the best body-refining mental technique would require the internal energy of the Dawn Art to power it.

And the internal energy of the Dawn Art, precisely because its effect on the meridians was limited—like flowing water hitting a stone—naturally resulted in slow progress.

Li Muzhan deduced that the optimal method was to refine the body first, and then cultivate the Dawn Art, much like building a pond before letting water in.

Unfortunately, body-refining techniques progressed slowly, especially meridian cultivation, which was a higher level of body refinement. Aspiring to reach this level required not less than a dozen or twenty years of arduous effort; one shouldn't even dream of less.

One capable of patiently cultivating body refinement first, and then the Dawn Art, could eventually become a top master—a late bloomer. But most people lacked such patience.

Fame should be sought early; most people practiced martial arts to achieve success, build a reputation, and make their lives worthwhile, thereby earning beauty and respect. Gaining fame at seventy or eighty years old held little meaning.

Li Muzhan’s current body-refining prowess was unrivaled in this era. He had forged his physique to be incredibly formidable by alternating several body-refining methods; the breadth and resilience of his meridians were almost unmatched.

This was why Qin Yeqiu was so determined to take him as a disciple the moment she assessed his aptitude.

Cultivating the Dawn Art under these circumstances, the realms Li Muzhan could reach were unattainable for ordinary people even after a lifetime of practice—it was the difference between a small bottle and a large jar, or a small pond versus a vast lake.

For the following month, he secluded himself, cultivating the Dawn Art intensely. Indeed, his progress was rapid; his internal energy surged forward by a thousand li a day.

In the early morning, he stood practicing zhan zhuang (posture training) and regulating his breath in the courtyard. The Dawn Art was not confined to sitting postures; it also included standing postures, each possessing its own subtle merits. Standing posture zhan zhuang at dawn while breathing in the morning mist of the dawn was the most wondrous method for accelerating the progress of the Dawn Art.

A light "ding-ding" sound came from the door. Li Muzhan did not alter his posture, raising his voice: "Enter!"

The courtyard gate opened. Qin Yeqiu, clad in a purple robe, slowly approached Li Muzhan and watched him stand in silence, not disturbing him.

Li Muzhan remained motionless, turning his head: "Senior Sister."

"How is your practice going?" Qin Yeqiu asked.

"Mmm, quite well." Li Muzhan frowned: "Senior Sister, why do you look so haggard? Are you facing some difficulty?"

Qin Yeqiu let out a soft sigh, shook her head, advanced two steps closer to Li Muzhan, and raised her palm toward his back. Li Muzhan quickly said: "Senior Sister!"

Qin Yeqiu said: "Steady your mind; let me see how you are practicing."

Li Muzhan could only hold his body steady, feeling a surge of her internal breath enter his body, circulate once, and then return, soft as the wind.

"What formidable Dawn Art," Qin Yeqiu withdrew her hand.

Li Muzhan said: "I haven't gone astray, have I? This is the true Dawn Art, right?"

Qin Yeqiu nodded lightly: "With such progress, it is undoubtedly the Dawn Art!"

Li Muzhan smiled: "That’s a relief! Oh, Senior Sister, did you gain the same insight as me?"

Qin Yeqiu gently shook her head. Li Muzhan turned to look at her: "Different?"

"I haven't achieved comprehension," Qin Yeqiu shook her head and sighed. "I practiced calligraphy diligently for a month, but it had little effect; I failed to grasp any mental technique."

Li Muzhan frowned: "That can't be! Senior Sister, you are exceptionally intelligent; how could you not grasp it?"

Qin Yeqiu said: "I tried your method, but it was useless."

Li Muzhan pondered: "I first practiced Senior Ma's calligraphy, and then used his writing to learn the two characters on the sword, writing while sensing the sword's aura."

Qin Yeqiu said: "I followed your method too."

Li Muzhan suddenly relaxed his posture, completing a closing movement, exhaling a plume of white vapor, and frowning: "How could this be? It shouldn't be this difficult?"

Qin Yeqiu shook her head: "I failed to gain any insight."

Li Muzhan said: "Senior Sister, you don't think I was deceiving you, do you?"

Qin Yeqiu waved her hand: "Forget it. If it were that easy to comprehend, it wouldn't be the Dawn Art!" ... "Junior Brother, are you truly going to pass the Dawn Art on?"

Li Muzhan nodded: "Yes, Senior Sister, my mind is set; I intend to transmit the mental method to the other eight Senior Brothers."

Qin Yeqiu sighed and shook her head: "It’s a pity women cannot cultivate it."

Li Muzhan pretended not to understand: "Cannot cultivate it?"

"Yes, this technique is too masculine; if a woman cultivates it, it will actually harm her constitution," Qin Yeqiu shook her head and sighed. "Now you don't need to worry, do you?" Li Muzhan directly stated his intention to pass the technique to the eight Senior Brothers, clearly unwilling to teach female disciples. Qin Yeqiu understood immediately and inwardly shook her head at his stinginess.

Li Muzhan gave an embarrassed laugh: "Senior Sister, please forgive me. We have truly been bullied too severely; it is time for us to stand tall."

Qin Yeqiu said: "That is fine too; they have been lazy as well."

She then fell into contemplation. Li Muzhan could not bear it, and said helplessly: "Senior Sister, if you have any other instructions, please tell me now."

He knew well that the difficulties Qin Yeqiu faced would not be simple, yet he couldn't help but ask; if he didn't ask, his heart would remain uneasy.

Qin Yeqiu shook her head: "Forget it. You joined too late. Although your internal energy is not shallow, your swordsmanship is still lacking; you won't be much help."

Li Muzhan’s interest was further piqued, and he quickly pressed her. Qin Yeqiu finally said helplessly: "I need to kill someone, and I need to send someone out to gather intelligence."

Li Muzhan quickly offered: "I will go as the advance scout."

Qin Yeqiu shook her head.

ps: Writing two thousand characters first; I'll write more tomorrow.