Qiao Zaixian said, "Palace Lord, Junior Brother, you two chat slowly. I'll head back to my room; I need to start practicing my swordsmanship from scratch!"

"Go ahead." Qin Yeqiu gave a slight nod.

Watching him enter his room, Qin Yeqiu turned to Li Muzhan, who smiled, "I told Eldest Brother to practice the left-handed sword. He's naturally left-handed, so it'll be twice the result with half the effort."

"Left-handed?" Qin Yeqiu frowned, glanced back toward Qiao Zaixian's main room, and shook her head. She had never noticed he was left-handed; he always used his right hand normally.

Li Muzhan chuckled, "Eldest Brother's left hand is quite agile. If he masters it, it will surpass his right-hand sword techniques."

"That's a shame for him..." Qin Yeqiu sighed.

Li Muzhan smiled, "Fortune and misfortune are intertwined; who knows if this isn't a blessing in disguise?"

Qin Yeqiu asked, "Have you seen his injury?"

Li Muzhan replied, "It was quite severe. The Wansheng Sect's sword techniques are truly vicious!"

Qin Yeqiu nodded, "The martial arts of the Wansheng Sect have always been treacherous and venomous; those struck are hard to save. It's fortunate he returned in time this time, or his life would have been forfeit."

Li Muzhan's expression sobered, and he slowly nodded. That was why he showed no mercy, killing those two outright—they intended to kill, so they couldn't be allowed to live.

Qin Yeqiu's graceful eyes swept over Li Muzhan's face, and she said lightly, "Is his hand truly beyond saving?"

Li Muzhan paused in thought. Qin Yeqiu quickly interjected, "It can be cured?"

Li Muzhan slowly nodded, "It can be cured."

"Then why not cure it?" Qin Yeqiu stared at him intently, frowning.

Li Muzhan said, "Let's delay it a bit."

Qin Yeqiu's bright eyes flickered, deep in thought. After a moment, she understood, shook her head, and said, "You can't keep a secret wrapped in paper forever. If Junior Brother Qiao finds out later, aren't you worried he'll hate you?"

Li Muzhan smiled, "That depends on Senior Brother Qiao."

"You..." Qin Yeqiu shook her head, "Do you really think he can master the left-handed sword?"

Li Muzhan affirmed, "If focused, it takes ten times the effort, and he already has the foundation. He can certainly achieve it!"

"I hope so." A faint, gentle smile touched Qin Yeqiu's lips as she shook her head, "Otherwise, all your painstaking effort will be wasted!"

Li Muzhan laughed, "It's up to individual fate... Senior Sister, I need to go guard over there; I should go into seclusion there!"

"Are you worried the Wansheng Sect will pursue us?" Qin Yeqiu frowned, gesturing toward the courtyard gate. The two stepped out of the courtyard and onto the path leading to the main hall, talking as they walked.

Li Muzhan said, "We can't underestimate the Wansheng Sect. I expect they will definitely come."

"Mmm..." Qin Yeqiu looked up, sweeping her gaze over their surroundings. The valley was vibrant with life, and crisp laughter echoed from the training grounds. This place held more vigor than the original Zishang Palace.

Li Muzhan continued, "Senior Sister, we are having a string of bad luck—first the Longshan Sect, now the Wansheng Sect. I suspect the Linhai Pavilion is also in jeopardy!"

Qin Yeqiu quietly agreed, "Yes, we are indeed facing numerous hardships."

Li Muzhan asked, "Senior Sister, are you thinking that perhaps Heaven intends to destroy our Zishang Palace?"

Qin Yeqiu let out a soft laugh and shook her head, "This is only because we are too weak. This world operates on the principle of the strong preying on the weak. It's my failing as the Palace Lord!"

Li Muzhan frowned, "Why must you blame yourself, Senior Sister?"

Qin Yeqiu replied, "It's a good thing we have you; otherwise, our Zishang Palace would have already been destroyed."

Li Muzhan smiled, "This trouble was also caused by me. If I hadn't urged Senior Sister to kill Wan Chongshan, this disaster wouldn't have happened!"

Qin Yeqiu shook her head, "I've always wanted to kill Wan Chongshan; fundamentally, it's because my strength is insufficient, Junior Brother. Did you obtain the secret manuals from the Longshan Sect?"

Li Muzhan pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded.

Qin Yeqiu frowned, "Don't you dare harm Miss Liu!"

Li Muzhan laughed and shook his head, "Senior Sister worries too much. How could I be so despicable?!"

"That's good," Qin Yeqiu nodded. "Although Miss Liu comes from the Longshan Sect, she is gentle and elegant—a rare good girl. Her affection for you is your good fortune. Cherish it well!"

Li Muzhan laughed, "Even I find it baffling, why would she take a liking to me?"

He had once asked Liu Biyun this question. Her looks were average, her demeanor mild; there was truly nothing outstanding about him, save for his martial arts, which weren't even the best under heaven.

Liu Biyun had rolled her eyes at him then, giving him a charming, pouting glare, saying she must have been bewitched, not knowing how she gradually became drawn to him. She felt he was like a deep well, impossible to see the bottom of; the more she looked, the deeper he seemed, fueling her curiosity until she could no longer control her thoughts of him.

Qin Yeqiu smiled, "Everyone's taste is different. You might look ordinary to some, but perhaps you seem handsome and dashing in Miss Liu's eyes!"

Li Muzhan chuckled, "Is that really so?"

Qin Yeqiu pursed her lips and smiled, "She is a rising star from a prestigious sect, with limitless prospects and countless suitors, yet she fell for you, a poor boy. Love truly is strange!"

Li Muzhan smiled, "Has Senior Sister ever had someone she held dear?"

"No." Qin Yeqiu answered tartly, "Alright, stop with your flirtatious talk. How did you get the Longshan Sect's secret manuals?"

Li Muzhan smiled enigmatically and shook his head, "It cannot be spoken of, it cannot be spoken of."

Qin Yeqiu shot him a look but asked no further. She composed her expression, "Focus on the Chaoxia Gong and Yingyue Gong. See if you can improve them to accelerate everyone's cultivation progress."

Li Muzhan nodded, "Senior Sister, I understand."

"You are going into seclusion over there; do you need me to guard you?" Qin Yeqiu inquired.

Li Muzhan smiled, "No need to trouble Senior Sister. For the time being, everyone should stay inside the valley and not leave, lest the Wansheng Sect notices anything."

"Yes, the Wansheng Sect must not be underestimated. Be careful!" Qin Yeqiu gave a light nod.

Adjacent to that valley were continuous peaks. Li Muzhan chose the eastern neighbor of the valley and built a small hut on the mountaintop. Li Muzhan estimated this mountain was about three hundred meters high.

He usually sat on the hut's roof, watching the sun and moon rise and set, absorbing the natural aura, and meditating upon the secret manuals imprinted in his mind.

Every two days, he would visit the Shenwu Tower of the Longshan Sect, silently. After leafing through a manual each time, he would restore it exactly to its original position, even reapplying dust if it had been disturbed.

He possessed extraordinary memory, allowing him to clearly recall the previous state and restore things flawlessly, thus avoiding any mishaps.

One by one, the secret manuals were imprinted in his mind. He bypassed the manuals on fist and leg techniques, focusing only on mental cultivation methods and swordsmanship; otherwise, with countless manuals in the Shenwu Tower, it would take up too much time.

He gradually discerned a pattern. The shelving system in the Shenwu Tower categorized the manuals in two ways: by type and by quality.

Racks for sabers, swords, palms, fists, and kicks were separate, and manuals of supreme power were not on the same racks as those of ordinary potency. He quickly located the most powerful martial arts.

Unfortunately, things rarely went as one wished. The manuals for the Thirty-Six Arts were not located there. He had searched the entire Shenwu Tower, sweeping over every manual in a flash of light, certain he had not seen the Thirty-Six Arts.

At noon, he sat cross-legged on the hut's roof. The faint scent of pine needles enveloped him. He looked up at the sky; the sun blazed down—it was already the height of summer.

The sunlight warmed him comfortably. He had already reached the state of being impervious to cold and heat. Looking at the sun, he shook his head. Truly, worldly affairs are unsatisfactory nine times out of ten. He had always wished not to have to go to the Longshan Sect, but it seemed that wish would not be granted; he had to make this trip.

Since he must go, he might as well make it a grand affair. A smile touched his lips.

His smile vanished abruptly. He quietly focused on a patch of forest at the foot of the mountain. A woman in white drifted forward, stepping lightly over the treetops like ripples on water, captivatingly graceful.

He activated his Void Eye to observe; the scene was as if right before him. This woman wore a white robe, her figure plump and graceful. Even through the loose white fabric, one could discern the undulating curves as she moved.

Li Muzhan assessed her, thinking she appeared to be twenty-four or twenty-five. In his past life, she would still be considered a young woman, but in this life, she was nearing the maturity of a ripe peach.

However, this peach carried an icy temperament, radiating an overwhelming arrogance, like a glacial fairy.

Li Muzhan shook his head. He knew instantly this woman would be difficult to deal with—sharp, capable, and her resolve, judging by her eyes, was unshakeable.

Could she also be a disciple of the Wansheng Sect? What a pity!

Wansheng Sect disciples were indeed insidious and cunning—a fact. This trait was likely induced by their martial arts, and combined with their practice, it easily molded such personalities.

The Wansheng Sect's martial arts held their own profound mysteries. Despite their venomous nature, each practitioner possessed a respectable bearing. Li Muzhan observed the woman and nodded in approval.

He watched her drift forward like treading on water, swiftly entering the valley. She found the corpses of the two men. After killing them, Li Muzhan hadn't paid them much mind, only reburying them and erecting a small grave upon arrival, out of respect—the dead deserve peace.

The white-robed matron seemed unaffected by the valley's formation, proceeding directly to the grave. Li Muzhan deduced that the Wansheng Sect must possess a method for disciples to sense one another, and it likely wasn't a mental connection, but rather something tangible.

Li Muzhan frowned, thinking hard. He had buried the two, and he knew everything on their persons, examining each item mentally. After considering everything, he concluded it must be a jade token.

Both wore a palm-sized jade token hanging around their necks. One side was engraved with a name, the other with the characters 'Wansheng Sect' written in a bold, sweeping calligraphy.

He had suspected the token might be the key, so he hadn't dared to move it, burying it intact. He hadn't expected that even buried, and from this distance, she could find it.

She wasn't seeing through the formation; she located the two bodies via sensory connection.

The white-robed matron stood before the grave, pondering for a moment, looking around. Her slender eyebrows furrowed, and her bright eyes shifted with concentration.

Li Muzhan watched quietly and smiled, wondering what discrepancies she could possibly notice. The two men hadn't even managed to fight back before he dispatched them; no traces were left besides their fallen forms.

The white-robed matron suddenly squatted down, looking intently at something. Li Muzhan focused his Void Eye and saw what she was observing: his footprints.

To make a sword strike faster and more powerful, one couldn't rely solely on the arm; total body power needed to unify, rising from the Yongquan acupoint (on the sole of the foot) and exiting through the right hand, achieving incredible speed.

His cultivation was profound, and this method of wielding the sword hadn't changed—he still utilized his entire body's strength, thus leaving footprints. However, relying on a single footprint to track him down seemed too unrealistic.

The white-robed matron stared at the footprint for a long time, then suddenly stood up, turned back to the grave, and pressed her slender jade palm onto the mound. With a muffled thump, dirt scattered explosively.

The two corpses were revealed in the disturbed earth. Although the weather was warm, the valley's topography was peculiar, keeping the area cool. The bodies were perfectly preserved. She waved her delicate hands, slightly disgusted by the smell.

She plucked a branch from a nearby pine tree, using it to brush away the dirt on their robes. Seeing the wounds on their throats, she examined them closely. She then used the pine branch to turn the bodies over, peering into the distance behind them. Finally, with a flick of the branch, she knocked the jade tokens from their necks, sending them skittering to her feet.

From her bosom, she drew out a silk handkerchief, wrapped the two jade tokens, wiped them clean, then wrapped them again in a different piece of silk before placing them into a pouch tied at her waist.

She suddenly bent low, sniffing Li Muzhan's footprints, then swiftly floated away.

Li Muzhan's expression changed slightly. It seemed this woman was highly skilled in tracking and possessed an exceptional sense of smell. She was heading straight for him, completely unhindered by the formation.

The formation's power wasn't overwhelming, and most people couldn't withstand it. The fact that she was unaffected showed her spiritual fortitude was far superior to the average person's—not to be trifled with.

Li Muzhan shook his head. Thankfully, he had been cautious enough not to let her chase him into the valley. He sat quietly on his small wooden hut, watching the white-robed matron drift toward him.

The white-robed matron's movement technique was exquisite. Though she appeared leisurely and relaxed, she was incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, she arrived before the small hut and spotted Li Muzhan. She stopped on a treetop, silently observing him.

Li Muzhan remained seated, cupped his hands in salute, and smiled, "May I ask the young lady's purpose for visiting?"

The white-robed matron ignored him, her bright eyes scanning the surroundings one by one. Only after sweeping over everything did her clear, water-like gaze settle on his face. She said faintly, "Are you alone?"

Li Muzhan nodded, "That's right. I prefer solitude. May I ask why the young lady has come? Have you lost your way?"

The white-robed matron pointed toward the valley below, "Have you seen what's happening down there?"

From his vantage point, looking down at the valley was like standing at the base of a slope looking up—everything was visible. Although the valley floor was dense with trees, looking down from above, he could see clearly.

Li Muzhan smiled, "What situation?"

The white-robed matron stated coolly, "Two of my junior brothers were killed. Did you see who killed them?"

Li Muzhan chuckled and shook his head, "I didn't notice."

The white-robed matron drifted forward, landing lightly on the roof, approaching Li Muzhan. A faint, delicate fragrance drifted to his nose on the breeze.

She stared intently at Li Muzhan's face. Seeing her approach, Li Muzhan showed no signs of defensiveness or tension, remaining composed and showing no hostility.

She frowned slightly, her gaze dropping to Li Muzhan's feet, and she let out a soft hum, "It really is you!"

Li Muzhan smiled, "What does the young lady mean by that?"

"You killed my two junior brothers, didn't you?" the white-robed matron asked.

Li Muzhan shook his head, "I don't understand what the young lady is saying. I kill people?"

The white-robed matron stated coolly, "You don't need to argue. The footprints below are yours."

Li Muzhan gave a wry smile and spread his hands, "The young lady has truly wronged me!" Alright, I'll tell the truth—I did go down there and saw the two men killed, but I only went to take a look; I didn't kill anyone!"

"It had nothing to do with you?" the white-robed matron asked coldly.

Li Muzhan quickly nodded forcefully, and the white-robed matron asked, "Then who killed them?"

Li Muzhan hurriedly shook his head, "I genuinely didn't see. Earlier, when I saw them fine, I went back to the room to get some water. When I returned, they were already down. I didn't see anyone else."

The young woman in white said coldly, "Did they commit suicide by killing each other!?"

Li Muzhan started, then quickly replied, "That's highly possible!"

"Nonsense!" the white-robed matron sneered, "My two junior brothers had an excellent relationship; how could they kill each other!"

Li Muzhan shook his head, "One can never predict matters of fate. They might have had a good relationship, but it doesn't rule out mutual slaughter. Perhaps they found some treasure? Otherwise, why would they venture into these deep mountains and old forests?"

"Treasure?" The white-robed matron frowned, never taking her eyes off Li Muzhan.

Li Muzhan smiled, "I'm just speaking nonsense; don't take it as fact."

If this were an ordinary disciple of the Wansheng Sect, he would have killed them without a word and tossed the jade tokens elsewhere—it would have been easy.

But seeing this white-robed matron, his tendency to pity delicate beauties resurfaced; he didn't want to kill her.

He didn't want to kill her, which was why he was talking so erratically, hoping to derail her train of thought and make her leave on her own. However, this white-robed matron was exceptionally astute; it would likely be difficult.

The more he spoke, the less credible his stories became; this white-robed matron was not easily fooled, and he feared he might backfire.

The white-robed matron stared at Li Muzhan thoughtfully, pondered for a moment, then looked him directly in the eyes and said in a deep voice, "Did they truly kill each other?"

Li Muzhan quickly waved his hands and laughed, "No, no, no! I was curious too about how they died, so I went to check, but I couldn't figure it out. I even helped bury them!"

"Thank you for your trouble!" the white-robed matron replied. "I have yet to ask your honorable name!"

Li Muzhan smiled, "Why don't you tell me yours first?"

"I am Yi Xiaoru," the white-robed matron replied.

Li Muzhan nodded lightly, "Yi Xiaoru... a fine name!"

The white-robed matron gazed at him quietly. Li Muzhan smiled, "My name is Li Guanhai, Li Guanhai from Qingmei."

"You are Li Guanhai?!" Yi Xiaoru started, frowning as she examined him. "Junior Brother Yin mentioned you to me!"

Li Muzhan smiled, "Junior Brother Yin?"

"Yin Zhaojiang," Yi Xiaoru stated, scrutinizing him even more closely. "Junior Brother Yin never conceded to anyone, but you are the only one."

Li Muzhan laughed, "So it's Brother Yin. We have crossed paths before."

"Young Master Li, it seems my two junior brothers were indeed killed by you," Yi Xiaoru said plainly.

Li Muzhan blinked, then quickly waved his hands, laughing, "Miss Yi truly misunderstands me!"

Yi Xiaoru continued, "I was wondering earlier which master of the current generation possessed such swordsmanship that they could slay two junior brothers with a single strike. It turns out it was Young Master Li!"

Li Muzhan gave a bitter, wry smile, "Why must Miss Yi make things difficult for me?"

Yi Xiaoru stated sternly, "Junior Brother Yin told me your swordsmanship is peerless and your cultivation profound, even surpassing his. I wish to test it!"

Without waiting for Li Muzhan to speak, she flashed forward, her slender, white hand moving toward his chest.

Li Muzhan's instincts flared a warning—this woman was dangerous, especially her exquisite palm technique and deep internal energy. Taking one hit might genuinely threaten his life.

He sighed helplessly, flicked his hand, and shot out a small pebble. Yi Xiaoru frowned, meeting the pebble with her jade palm. With a bang, she was sent flying backward.