Struggling with Chinese Elm Bonsai — would appreciate advice

I want to be honest: I'm not getting great results with Chinese Elm Bonsai and I'm not entirely sure why. root bound decline from leaving in the same pot too long has been a recurring problem despite my attempts to address it. I've been focusing on watering daily in summer as bonsai pots dry out fast based on everything I've read.

deeply personal relationship between artist and tree is there in glimpses, which tells me the plant has potential in my conditions. I have it in a purpose-built outdoor bonsai bench with correct height which might not be ideal. repotting temperate species in early spring before buds break showed some improvement. Two stars for now — not the plant's fault, but not a success yet. I'll update if things improve.