Li Muzhan of the Dragon Mountain Sect sat motionless on the couch, two plumes of white vapor escaping his nostrils, swirling before his face like twin dragons, condensed and unmoving.

After a long moment, the two plumes slowly re-entered his nostrils, and Li Muzhan's eyes snapped open, his gaze piercing the room with the force of lightning.

The room was dim, the sun already sinking low, dusk gathering. Li Muzhan’s gaze illuminated the space. He let out a soft breath, and an arrow of qi shot from between his lips, striking the carpet before the couch and leaving a small indentation.

Li Muzhan smiled. This Yuan Jian Jue (Primal Sword Art) was indeed profound. Despite his deep internal energy and formidable spirit, it had taken him only ten days to reach the fifth layer, during which his internal energy had been purified three times.

His internal energy had already been pure, and after these three purifications, further refinement became difficult, preventing him from advancing as smoothly as he had in the beginning. The Yuan Jian Jue truly possessed a unique method for purifying internal energy; otherwise, Li Muzhan’s energy could not have been refined even once, given how powerful his spirit was and how inherently pure his original energy had been.

The first two layers of Yuan Jian Jue were also incredibly subtle, allowing internal energy to advance far beyond ordinary people, but the initial hurdle was steep, requiring a level of comprehension most people could not attain. To practice it, one needed deep knowledge of other sects' cultivation methods and a thorough understanding of the human body's mysteries—one had to exhaust the principle and realize the nature before one could even begin.

Starting with Yuan Jian Jue was difficult; while one might force their way in after achieving great skill, the cost outweighed the benefit. It was best to build a solid foundation first. This suggested that this sword canon was an elite, high-level technique requiring a profound base, unsuitable as an introductory art; forcing it without a foundation would only waste time.

"Squeak..." The door was pushed open, and Liu Biyun drifted in, bringing a wave of faint fragrance.

"Big Brother is out of seclusion, I presume?" she said, approaching and examining Li Muzhan.

Li Muzhan nodded. "How many days?"

"Ten!" Liu Biyun sighed. "Big Brother remained in meditation for ten full days! It’s terrifying... Was it successful?"

Li Muzhan chuckled. "Not bad, slight progress. How is your Duotian Zhang (Heaven-Seizing Palm) coming along?"

Liu Biyun immediately broke into a smile, excited. "Big Brother, how about we spar?"

Li Muzhan smiled back. "Alright."

Liu Biyun was overjoyed. "Junior Sister Wu refused to spar with me except for sword techniques—so stingy!"

Li Muzhan said, "It seems you’ve mastered it. Let me test it!"

The two floated out of the room as the sun dipped below the horizon, shrouded in heavy twilight.

They stopped in the center of the courtyard. Liu Biyun asked, "Big Brother, have you mastered the Duotian Zhang?"

Li Muzhan shook his head and smiled. "I practiced it a little, didn't pay it much mind."

"Then watch this move!" Liu Biyun cried out, rushing forward, her fair hand striking toward Li Muzhan's chest.

Li Muzhan met it with his own palm. With a dull thud, Liu Biyun recoiled a step, looking at Li Muzhan in surprise.

————

Li Muzhan laughed. "As expected, you've nearly mastered it. Remarkable!" To bring the Duotian Zhang to this level in just over ten days showed fierce dedication and extraordinary talent; Liu Biyun, as one of the Four Prodigies of the Dragon Mountain Sect, possessed excellent aptitude.

Liu Biyun looked stunned. "It had no effect?!"

Li Muzhan smiled. "The Duotian Zhang isn't effective against everyone."

"Is it because your internal energy is too deep?" Liu Biyun asked.

Li Muzhan shook his head. "It’s the purity of the internal energy. When it's pure, the Duotian Zhang doesn't fear deep internal energy; it only fears encountering something this pure. Against someone like you, it’s better to save your energy."

"I don't believe it, again!" Liu Biyun huffed, extending her fair right hand.

Li Muzhan met it with his left palm, and they began to test each other’s strength. Liu Biyun commanded, "Big Brother, use internal energy equal to mine!"

Li Muzhan nodded. Liu Biyun’s jade-like face hardened as she stared at him, pouring all her effort into the Duotian Zhang cultivation method. Waves of powerful force emanated from her palm. The Duotian Zhang method was subtle; once unleashed, it could bypass external energy and enter the opponent’s meridians, directly siphoning off the internal energy within—a technique hard to resist.

But against Li Muzhan, she might as well have been trying to shake a mountain. No matter how hard she struggled, Li Muzhan’s internal energy remained unmoved, like wind sweeping over a ridge.

Li Muzhan shook his head and smiled. "Biyun, it’s useless."

"Hmph, I refuse to believe it!" Liu Biyun insisted, increasing her palm force.

Li Muzhan nodded, watching her with appreciation. Having cultivated to this level, she had truly grasped the essence of the Duotian Zhang, which was no small feat.

After a while, her jade face flushed as if drunk, beautiful as a flower. Her bright eyes flickered with mild annoyance as she glared at him. Li Muzhan shrugged helplessly. "How was it?"

"Hmph, I'm done!" Liu Biyun pouted and withdrew her palm. Faced with Li Muzhan’s solid, unyielding internal energy, she felt a sense of despair, her confidence entirely shattered.

Li Muzhan laughed. "The Duotian Zhang is profound, but there is no invincible martial art in this world; everything has a weakness. You just need to be careful!"

"If I meet someone like that, I run!" Liu Biyun huffed.

Li Muzhan nodded. "That’s best! ...Those with pure internal energy are often ruthless characters. If you encounter one, don't fight head-on. If you can strike, do so; if you can't win, flee!"

"Big Brother, why is your internal energy so pure? I don't think even the Sect Master is as refined."

Li Muzhan smiled. "Perhaps it’s because I put in more effort."

"That’s not something you achieve just through hard work!" Liu Biyun shook her head.

Li Muzhan laughed. "Well, perhaps it’s the cultivation method. I am currently a disciple of the Sword Sect of the Myriad Saints Sect; their methods are profound."

"Big Brother actually joined the Sword Sect?" Liu Biyun pouted and huffed. "Isn't that the Hidden Sect?"

Her tone clearly carried a hint of jealousy.

Li Muzhan smiled. "The Sword Sect’s techniques are said to be the best under heaven. I wanted to witness deeper sword arts, so I joined.

"The Hidden Sect agreed?" Liu Biyun pursed her lips.

Li Muzhan nodded. "Of course."

Liu Biyun huffed. "That Miss Yi is quite generous, isn't she!"

Li Muzhan smiled and changed the subject. "What did the Sect Master say?"

"The Sect Master didn't say much; I think she tacitly agreed," Liu Biyun frowned, showing a trace of worry. She had always feared Li Muzhan would clash with the sect. If that happened, she would be caught in the middle, unable to betray the sect or stand by and watch Li Muzhan suffer a loss.

————

Li Muzhan said, "Don't mention the Duotian Zhang to the Sect Master; just say I failed."

"What if someone genuinely gets in and finds no secret vault? Won't the lie be exposed?" Liu Biyun countered.

Li Muzhan chuckled. "Feng Batian was just messing with everyone! ...I wrote a few words inside; I guarantee no one will recognize them."

"What words?" Liu Biyun quickly asked.

Li Muzhan replied, "I included a poem, mocking everyone for their wasted effort."

"Brilliant!" Liu Biyun clapped her hands in admiration. Everyone who had worked so hard to get inside would surely go mad upon reading that poem, leaving no time to wonder if someone had entered earlier. Furthermore, this trick aligned perfectly with Feng Batian’s personality.

Li Muzhan shook his head. "I doubt anyone can get through. The final hurdle is too malicious, like an impassable chasm." That giant crocodile was terrifying—invulnerable to blades and spears, swift as lightning—truly a match for the top experts of the age. Unless someone possessed his instantaneous movement ability to bypass the inky lake entirely, facing that creature meant certain defeat.

Liu Biyun asked, "What about the Sect Master?"

Li Muzhan shook his head and smiled. "She couldn't get in either."

"What if she used the Demon Sword?" Liu Biyun persisted, unwilling to accept it.

Li Muzhan still shook his head. "Useless."

"What kind of mechanism is it, that it’s so powerful?" Liu Biyun insisted.

Li Muzhan described the giant crocodile and smiled again. "Even the Demon Sword is useless. That crocodile’s hide is too thick and tough. Besides, the Sect Master would never use a demonic artifact." The successive Sect Masters had a limited number of times they could activate such artifacts; they would never use them except in the most critical moments. Overuse led to demonic corruption, turning a person into something neither man nor ghost. To use the Demon Sword for a mere secret vault would require madness.

"Sigh..." Liu Biyun sighed. "I really hope they go in and see that poem!"

Li Muzhan pointed at her, smiling. "So mischievous!"

Liu Biyun pursed her lips and giggled. "Who is more mischievous than Big Brother?... Big Brother, were you practicing that sword canon while you were secluded?"

Li Muzhan nodded. Liu Biyun asked, "Is it really that formidable?"

Li Muzhan smiled. "We’ll see if you can survive three moves!"

"Alright!" Liu Biyun eagerly nodded and immediately drew her sword to stab.

Li Muzhan did not draw his sword; he merely flicked his finger lightly. Liu Biyun’s delicate body trembled as if struck on a vital pressure point, and her long sword dropped instantly.

Liu Biyun frowned and complained, "Big Brother, you're using internal energy to bully me!"

Li Muzhan shook his head. "I didn't use much internal energy at all."

Liu Biyun frowned, paused for a moment, then looked up and huffed, "Again!" Her internal energy had recovered and was flowing smoothly; her wrist regained its strength. She thrust her sword again, almost a sneak attack, incredibly fast, like lightning, instantly reaching Li Muzhan’s chest.

Li Muzhan shook his head and smiled, extending his finger, flicking it again lightly.

"Clang..." The blade rang softly before dropping again, its tip pointing toward the ground, as if bowing in submission to Li Muzhan.

"Bi—g—Bro—ther—!" Liu Biyun stomped her foot in protest.

Li Muzhan laughed. "I didn't use any internal energy that time either!"

"Impossible!" Liu Biyun snorted.

Li Muzhan explained, "A sword, like a person, has breath—it's the rhythm of the internal energy flowing through it. If you strike the rhythm accurately, it’s like making a person choke on their food."

"Really?" Liu Biyun tilted her head, considering. The concept was too abstract. While she knew Li Muzhan’s cultivation was unfathomably deep, she had never heard of this before; it felt unreal.

Li Muzhan smiled helplessly. "Then one more time. I absolutely will not use internal energy!"

"Watch my sword!" Liu Biyun attacked again with a swift thrust.

Li Muzhan curled his index and middle fingers and lightly tapped the sword’s body. "Clang..." The blade dropped once more, automatically changing its trajectory. This time, Liu Biyun concentrated on feeling the sword. There was no internal energy, but a strange force was transmitted, causing the tip to dip involuntarily. It was bizarre. She could feel the strange force was subtle, yet highly effective.

"Big Brother, what is this?" Liu Biyun asked, responsibly sheathing her sword.

Li Muzhan smiled. "Isn't it what I just explained?"

"It’s too mystical!" Liu Biyun shook her head.

Li Muzhan replied, "You'll believe it when you reach a certain level of cultivation."

"Can Big Brother stop anyone in one move?" Liu Biyun asked.

Li Muzhan shook his head. "It won't work if I’m unfamiliar with their sword style. What other sword techniques does your Dragon Mountain Sect possess?"

"The sect has many sword arts." Liu Biyun shook her head. "Big Brother probably hasn't seen most of them."

Li Muzhan smiled. In truth, he had seen almost all of them, including the Thirty-Six Arts; he had quietly studied them all. "If you don't understand the style, it won't be so easy," Li Muzhan noted.

"Is that so..." Liu Biyun tilted her head in thought.