Having obtained the Beidou Divine Sword manual, Li Muzhan returned to his small courtyard and eagerly flipped through it. This volume was thicker than the last, containing one hundred and eight sword forms.

Indeed, just as he had suspected, the core cultivation method within this manual relied entirely on stellar energy, detailing intricate methods for manipulating it—something ordinary internal energy simply couldn't manage.

His body was suffused with stellar energy, yet it hadn't completely assimilated his internal energy, primarily because his internal energy was already exceedingly pure, imbued with spiritual power, and could regenerate instantly at a mere thought.

He attempted to channel his internal energy to activate the Beidou Divine Sword, but the process was strained and laborious; the sword’s might was drastically reduced, making it no different from an average swordsmanship style.

The one hundred and eight forms of the Beidou Divine Sword were exquisitely profound—the finesse lay not just in the movements themselves, but in the channeling of stellar energy. A similar move, when paired with the proper mental cultivation technique, possessed immense power; without the synergy of stellar energy, it was merely ornamental and ineffective.

As if finding a priceless treasure, he began practicing immediately. Half a month flew by; the Beidou Divine Sword showed slight mastery, and his command over the Tiangang Divine Sword deepened further.

One morning, feeling restless and eager for action, he decided to descend the mountain to investigate. Before leaving, he paid his respects to Elder Chen Daotang, only to find he had already departed.

He sought out Huang Ningtian and learned that the Purple Star Hall had grown increasingly audacious over the past month, having slain another disciple of the Bright Mirror Sect. Consequently, Chen Daotang had gone down the mountain again to gather intelligence.

This time, his mission wasn't a direct clash with the Purple Star Hall, but rather to ascertain their true strength and origin—to know the enemy thoroughly.

He granted Li Muzhan permission to leave the mountain and return to Tianyuan Pavilion, with the strict instruction to respond immediately to any summons from the communication talisman. Once Chen Daotang mapped out the enemy's vulnerabilities, the Bright Mirror Sect would launch an all-out assault, and Li Muzhan would undoubtedly be crucial then.

Li Muzhan nodded in agreement, departed the Bright Mirror Sect, and headed back to Tianyuan Pavilion. He deliberately avoided using instantaneous movement, instead traveling slowly, stopping often, fully immersed in the profound mysteries of the Beidou Divine Sword.

The scenery along the way stimulated his mind, deepening his comprehension of the sword art. He practiced the Beidou Divine Sword by day and the Tiangang Divine Sword by night, finding satisfaction in both.

The Tiangang Divine Sword focused on drawing in stellar energy, while the Beidou Divine Sword focused on its application; thus, practicing the former at night yielded better results.

One evening, instead of entering the city, he built a bonfire by a forest at the foot of a mountain. Though the weather was turning cold and he was impervious to temperature changes, the fire offered a sense of warmth and allowed him to roast something to eat.

He hunted two roe deer and set them to roast over the flames. The golden-brown meat glistened with dripping fat, sizzling as it fell into the fire, releasing an intoxicating aroma.

The firelight illuminated his smiling face, the smile deepening along with the richness of the scent. Just as he reached to take the meat, he suddenly turned and smiled faintly: "Come out!"

Ten figures emerged silently from the woods. They wore tight black uniforms, their faces masked, revealing only a pair of sharply penetrating eyes.

Their footsteps made no sound upon the thick, soft layer of fallen leaves, as if they were floating above them. They silently encircled Li Muzhan.

Li Muzhan slowly took down the roasted deer, his gaze flicking to the long swords sheathed at their waists, each wrapped in black cloth.

He set the deer down and said calmly, "You are looking for me?"

"Li Wuji?" A hoarse voice issued from beneath one of the black masks.

Li Muzhan nodded: "Looks like you found the right person. No need for pleasantries. Come on, then!"

He sized up the black-clad man speaking—his physique was powerfully built, towering like an iron pagoda, and while his voice was raspy, it resonated deeply, indicating a profound level of cultivation.

"Do you recognize this?!" The man suddenly drew a white jade hairpin from his embrace. When struck by the firelight, it shimmered with a gentle, warm red glow.

Li Muzhan’s gaze sharpened, his expression immediately turning grim; his previous ease vanished entirely. He asked coldly, "What do you want?!"

"Surrender yourself," the tall black-clad man grunted.

Li Muzhan sneered: "Trying to scare me with a hairpin? ... How am I to know it isn't a forgery?"

"See for yourself!" The tall man threw the hairpin, which shot towards Li Muzhan like a streak of light, no different from a hidden weapon.

Li Muzhan reached out, and the jade hairpin settled into his palm. He closed his eyes, stroking it carefully.

The black-clad men watched him with patience, showing no hurry, allowing Li Muzhan to keep his eyes shut for quite a while before the tall figure said heavily, "It’s genuine, isn't it?"

Li Muzhan opened his eyes and gave a slight smile: "It is indeed my senior sister’s."

"If you submit, we will not harm her. If you resist, even death will be difficult for her!" the man rasped, letting out a cold hum.

Li Muzhan scoffed: "This is my senior sister's personal adornment; it wouldn't be hard for someone with ill intent to steal it."

"Believe it or not, it's your choice!" the man sneered: "You choose!"

Li Muzhan smiled: "For you masked men to resort to such underhanded tactics, you must be from a reputable school. Could you be from the Huaqing Sect?!"

The eyes of the black-clad man flickered momentarily, and he said coldly, "It seems you don't care if she lives or dies. Very well, let everyone here properly attend to you!"

Li Muzhan’s face darkened as he drew his sword. Stellar energy from the void poured down into it, and the divine light in his eyes retracted, leaving him looking like an ordinary man.

His surging anger slowly subsided, like cold water poured into boiling liquid. He fixed his gaze unblinkingly on the foremost black-clad man and, in a flash, appeared behind him.

The tall black-clad man made a choked sound— "Uh..."—as he clutched his throat and slowly crumpled, falling heavily to the ground with a "thud" like a stone. His limbs twitched faintly before falling still.

Li Muzhan slowly turned, sweeping his gaze over the remaining figures. His sword blade remained unstained by blood. He sneered: "Anyone else care to try?"

A short, stocky black-clad man pointed at him and barked angrily: "You, Li! Just wait for the Tianyuan Pavilion to be wiped out!"

"Oh—?" Li Muzhan's eyebrows twitched slightly. He vanished in a flicker and reappeared instantly behind the short man.

The short black-clad man looked down as blood began to bubble sluggishly from his heart—not spurting like the victims of his own past killings, but oozing like water from a spring.

The surging power within him instantly dissipated, as if flowing out with the blood. He managed to turn halfway, desperately drawing his sword. Only halfway drawn, he tilted his head back and fell straight down.

Blood continued to seep from his chest cavity, unhurriedly, steadily.

A chill struck the hearts of the other black-clad figures. Having killed countless people, they instantly understood: a force was controlling the blood flow. This Li Wuji’s sword was like lightning, his movement like a ghost, and his internal energy unfathomably deep, far exceeding their expectations.

They had been cautious, using the jade hairpin to destabilize his mind, creating unease and hesitation. They never expected their Fifth Brother to fall at the first exchange, quickly followed by the Fifteenth Brother, neither managing to withstand a single move.

Leaderless, they hesitated. After a moment, one of them said solemnly, "Use the killing move!"

The figures flashed, and the ten arranged themselves in a line, hands pressed against the back of the person in front of them. Their robes billowed instantly. Then, five of them sat down cross-legged, forming seals to meditate in an elevated position.

The other five merged with their swords, transforming into a single streak of white light that shot toward Li Muzhan.

The five white streaks approached from five different directions, moving with incredible speed. Li Muzhan vanished in a flicker, reappearing behind the five seated figures. Just as he was about to draw his sword, he flickered away again. The five figures had, at some unknown point, unleashed a palm strike.

"Pop!" Like a small stone dropped into a deep well, a deep pit appeared where he had just stood, nearly a person deep, as if the space had exploded from within.

Li Muzhan appeared behind one swordsman. Before the man could fall, he reappeared behind another. The remaining three streaks of light aimed at the five cross-legged figures, but Li Muzhan intercepted them mid-flight.

Li Muzhan seemingly dispatched the five attackers with ease, yet he secretly inhaled sharply. He had nearly been tricked; he had assumed they used an internal energy transfer method, channeling power from the five seated figures to the five striking swordsmen. The reality was the opposite: the five seated figures had received the power, unleashing a strange palm technique. If he hadn't been fast enough to evade, he would certainly have taken a blow, the outcome of which would have been unpredictable.

This killing move exploited a fundamental weakness in human nature and was truly vicious. Had his intuition not been so sharp and his movements so swift, he might be lying on the ground now.

The five cross-legged black-clad figures suddenly flew towards the forest. Li Muzhan smiled faintly; their strike had expended all their internal energy in one burst—they were likely powerless now.

He flashed behind one of the remaining black-clad men and thrust his sword forward. He stopped momentarily; a tremendous force seemed to lodge in the man's chest, preventing him from withdrawing the blade.

"Bang!" The man struck by the sword exploded. His stellar energy spun rapidly, but it couldn't entirely dissipate the explosive force. He cried out, spitting a mouthful of blood.

The other four returned, charging toward him. "Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!" Before they could close the distance, all four detonated. His stellar energy stuttered for a moment, unable to fully evade the resulting blast.