As soon as his voice fell, ten elders in purple robes shot out from the deep pool, gliding across the water’s surface to surround Li Muzhan in the center.

Li Muzhan shook his head. "What is the need for this?"

The ten purple-robed elders glanced at their surroundings, their faces growing grim. Without a word, they launched an attack, fists and palms surging with tremendous force to engulf him.

Li Muzhan lightly drew his right index finger across the air, and a fierce gust of wind swept past his body.

As the crowd frowned, they followed up with another furious onslaught, their strikes carrying even greater power, determined to grind him into dust.

After a dozen exchanges, seeing Li Muzhan handle himself with effortless ease, the elders drew their swords. They had initially thought sheer force from their combined power would crush him, but now realized superior strength was useless; he could dissipate their power, letting not a thread of force touch his garments.

"Clang, clang, clang, clang…" A continuous sound of clear ringing echoed, initially sounding like a single, prolonged chime that refused to fade.

Li Muzhan’s sword swings appeared slow, yet he managed to parry every incoming blade, looking completely untroubled, showing no sign of strain.

Startled and enraged, they attacked relentlessly, the continuous ringing growing louder.

Li Muzhan shook his head and chuckled. "Is this the extent of the Purple Star Hall's skills?"

The moment his words died away, there was a muffled thump, and one elder was sent flying, quickly followed by several others soaring out simultaneously. His right hand brandished a flashing sword light, while his left fingers shot out torrents of energy, utterly unstoppable.

"Ah…" The elders roared in fury.

Soon, another ten purple-robed elders emerged from the deep pool and rushed forward. Their martial arts were superior; they fought not only with swords but also with hidden projectiles—tricky, unpredictable, and impossible to guard against completely.

Li Muzhan paid them no mind, his slowly moving longsword intercepting everything, as if a protective dome covered him, deflecting all harm.

Li Muzhan’s finger strikes were boundless in their power, and none of the purple-robed elders could withstand them. After being struck by his finger, they were flung backward, scattering as they fell.

When they landed, they lay still, stiff as planks, as if their vital points had been sealed. Yet, every one of them wore an expression of shock.

They had discovered the strangeness: Li Muzhan's finger force seemed specifically designed to neutralize their internal energy. Once it infiltrated, it extinguished their Neili instantly, like water meeting fire, before sealing their major acupoints.

"Li! What kind of cultivation art are you practicing?!" one elder couldn't help but bellow.

Li Muzhan smiled. "The Purple Star Heavenly Scripture. How is my practice? I request your guidance!"

"The Purple Star Heavenly Scripture!" the elder roared. "Impossible!"

Li Muzhan smiled charmingly and commanded his sword, sending the remaining elders flying outward.

He clapped his hands, recalling his sword, and smiled. "You gentlemen must have encountered the Purple Star Heavenly Scripture before. Do you not know the genuine article from the false?"

"You cannot have mastered the Purple Star Heavenly Scripture!" the elder yelled, eyes wide.

Li Muzhan shook his head and smiled gently. "Are there impossibilities in this world? ...The Purple Star Hall is down there, correct? Which of you will lead the way?"

"Hmph, dream on!" the elder sneered. "So what if you've mastered the Purple Star Heavenly Scripture? Once the Hall Master appears, you will still suffer utter defeat!"

Li Muzhan laughed. "I was just hoping to witness the Hall Master's supreme divine skills!"

"I am here!" came a sharp shout, and a small, thin elder suddenly appeared, stepping onto the surface of the pool to survey the scene. He shook his head. "A hero among the young. Li Wuji lives up to his reputation!"

Li Muzhan smiled slightly. "Hall Master Yu?"

"I am Yu He!" The elder appeared composed, without a trace of anger, shaking his head. "Young Hero Li, you know the Purple Star Heavenly Scripture as well?"

Li Muzhan said, "The Purple Star Heavenly Scripture is the supreme treasure of your sect. I was fortunate enough to glimpse a mere fraction of it. I am unsure if my practice is correct; I humbly request Hall Master Yu's pointers!"

Saying this, he sheathed his sword, and with a slight glide of his foot, floated onto the pool’s surface. Mighty power rolled down from the heavens, and the surrounding figures all looked up.

Yu He looked up and nodded. "Good. It is indeed the Purple Star Heavenly Scripture. I never expected..."

Li Muzhan spread his hands, and two torrents of surging power flowed into his head, dispersing into his left and right arms. He tapped lightly with his finger.

"Chhh!" Two streams of finger force shot out simultaneously.

Yu He quickly stopped speaking and floated away. With a faint chi sound, two small holes appeared in the stone wall fifty feet behind him, their depth impossible to discern.

Li Muzhan lightly flicked his ten fingers as if playing a zither, smiling, "Allow me to witness the authentic Purple Star Heavenly Scripture, Hall Master Yu?"

Yu He snorted, his face turning cold. He spoke in a deep voice, "If that is the case, I shall oblige you!"

His footwork became graceful as a flower, dancing across the water, deftly evading Li Muzhan's finger strikes. He was genuinely irritated now, and his movements grew peculiar.

Li Muzhan’s fingers continued to pluck, sending out finger energy like rain. Every movement Yu He made, especially his footwork, was instantly etched into Li Muzhan's mind.

Though the footwork must align with the cultivation art, Li Muzhan hoped to find a thread of the core method through the movement, however slim the chance.

A ferocious power descended from the zenith, striking Yu He. His movement speed suddenly accelerated, his entire demeanor changing; a majestic and dominating aura rushed toward Li Muzhan.

Yu He struck out with palms like blades, sending streaks of palm force tearing through the air. Li Muzhan took a blow head-on. With a muffled bang, he drifted back a full zhang, ripples spreading out beneath his feet as his soles touched the water.

He had been floating above the water since the beginning, seemingly standing on it but actually traversing empty space an inch above the surface. However, Yu He's palm force was overwhelmingly tyrannical, forcing him down an inch.

Yu He frowned. The sky ceaselessly supplied surging energy. He followed with several vertical chopping palm strikes, blade-like energy crisscrossing the space. Li Muzhan countered with hammering fists, dragon shadows flickering as they met the attacks. Their internal energies collided in mid-air, exploding outward.

Amidst the muffled bangs, the pool water splashed and scattered violently, yet a circle ten feet around the two remained calm and undisturbed.

After nearly a hundred exchanges, the deep pool resembled a boiling cauldron, water spattering everywhere. The two men faced off at a distance of three zhang, trading palm strikes for punches.

The power from the sky continued to pour down uninterrupted. Both were wielding Star Power, which seemed endless. Li Muzhan grew more exhilarated the longer they fought.

Since mastering Star Power, he had never enjoyed himself so thoroughly. The fierce, dominant Star Power seemed to become perfectly adaptable, obedient to his every whim, increasingly responsive.

He ran the Purple Star Heavenly Scripture and the Celestial Mechanism Art simultaneously, searching for Yu He's flaw. He had mastered the Heavenly Scripture, enabling him to subdue the others of the Purple Star Hall, but he could not counter Yu He with it.

Yu He had also mastered the Purple Star Heavenly Scripture. Under these circumstances, where neither worried about exhausting their internal energy, the true test was the resilience of their physical bodies, the breadth and toughness of their meridians.

Star Power was inherently fierce and domineering, placing immense stress on the meridians. Under such an overloaded operation, the meridians would quickly fatigue and break.

Li Muzhan felt no haste or worry; he was confident his physical constitution would not be inferior to Yu He’s. Even if Yu He’s cultivation ran deep, it wouldn't match Li Muzhan’s specialized body refinement.

He had practiced several top-tier body-tempering methods, forging an indestructible body with robust meridians. Furthermore, he was proficient in healing arts, allowing him to multitask.

After an hour of mutual bombardment, the water level in the pool had dropped three or four zhang. Their palm strikes grew stronger, and where two palms met, the water could no longer contain the force.

Neither showed signs of fatigue; both were vigorous.

Yu He drew his sword and lunged, his blade imbued with surging power. Li Muzhan met the attack with his own drawn sword. The clash of the two blades was no different from the collision of their palms, unleashing violent energy that blasted the pool water away.

After two exchanges of swords, a chill ran down Li Muzhan's spine; he sensed danger, knowing Yu He was about to unleash his ultimate move. He suddenly flickered, his body and sword vanishing simultaneously. In the next instant, his sword was plunged into Yu He’s chest.

Yu He’s eyes widened in utter disbelief.

Li Muzhan let out a breath of relief and smiled at Yu He.