Li Mo: "Ying Bing, have you ever soaked in a hot spring"

"Is the trial already over?"

Li Mo looked up at the sky.

Hmm.

That ice block (Ying Bing) did manage to catch up quite a bit later.

But there was no helping it—he had built up too much of a lead earlier. After collecting the beast token of the giant skeletal ape, he ended up with just a bit more than Ying Bing.

"Let’s go, it’s time to regroup."

Li Mo took the Phoenix Blood Spirit Grass and examined it briefly.

Then, without a second thought, he tossed it into Xiao Qin’s arms.

"Huh?"

Xiao Qin held the spirit grass, feeling its vibrant life force pulsating within.

This was the very reason he had risked life and limb to enter the secret realm.

It was also a rare treasure that could help his master reconstruct his physical form—priceless beyond measure.

If this were out in the open, countless people would fight to the death over it, even turning brothers into enemies or tearing couples apart...

"I can’t—"

"Take it!"

Li Mo clenched his fingers into a fist, signaling that no further words were needed.

"But this spirit grass... if not for Junior Brother Li Mo, it would never have ended up in my hands."

Xiao Qin wore a complicated expression, forcing a smile uglier than crying.

"I still haven’t repaid the favors I owe you from before."

"And now I owe you another one..."

He genuinely had no idea how to repay such a debt.

At this point, Xiao Qin almost wished he were a woman—at least then he could offer himself in return.

"Just take it. As the saying goes, ‘When lice are many, they don’t itch; when debts are many, they don’t worry.’"

"Besides, this thing isn’t much use to me anyway."

Li Mo chuckled.

"Ah..."

Xiao Qin reluctantly stored the Phoenix Blood Spirit Grass, his face full of shame.

He asked softly in his heart:

"Master, can I share that divine technique of yours with Junior Brother Li Mo?"

In the short term, he had no other way to repay the debt.

"If it suits him, then of course."

"But you must remind him—it must never be leaked to outsiders."

After a brief hesitation, Thousand Forms Martial Venerable sighed and agreed.

Whether it was the Soul-Nurturing Darkwood or this Phoenix Blood Spirit Grass, the true beneficiary was him.

However.

It was still too early to discuss this.

The conditions for mastering that martial art were extremely demanding—it wasn’t just about talent.

Even Ying Bing might not be able to learn it.

After storing the spirit grass, Xiao Qin shook his head.

"I won’t be following you to the next layer, Li Mo."

"The next trial will likely be even more perilous. Not only would I be of no help, I’d just drag you down."

"Besides, I’ve already gotten what I came for."

Xiao Qin clasped his hands in farewell.

Li Mo pondered for a moment, then nodded, abandoning the idea of sharing some beast tokens with him.

"Then head to the Treant Grove and leave with the others."

"Others?"

"Yeah, just go."

Although he didn’t know who "the others" referred to, Xiao Qin trusted Li Mo unconditionally and immediately agreed.

"What about you, Junior Brother Xiaobao?"

Li Mo turned to ask.

"Master told me to stick with you, so of course I’m coming!"

Tang Xiaobao, covered in dirt like a little monkey, grinned, revealing a row of pearly white teeth.

Collecting the beast tokens from these skeletal apes had just barely pushed him into the top fifty.

In the end, Xiao Qin followed Li Mo’s directions and headed for the Treant Grove.

Meanwhile, Li Mo and his two companions set off toward the towering beam of light.

At the same time, a pleasant notification chimed in his ears:

[Congratulations, Host! You have successfully invested ‘Phoenix Blood Spirit Grass’ in ‘Xiao Qin.’]

[Investment reward: Mistflower Immortal Spring.]

[Mistflower Immortal Spring]: "Once deployed, it creates a hot spring measuring ten meters in length and width. It remains eternally clean, possesses remarkable fatigue-relieving properties, enhances the absorption of any medicinal essence added to it, and even has beautifying effects."

A hot spring?

The description sounded impressive, but it seemed... rather underwhelming in practical use.

For refining heavenly treasures, wasn’t his Dragon-Tiger Alchemy Furnace far superior to soaking in a bath?

Fatigue relief? He hadn’t been training his body that much lately.

And beautifying? What a joke.

With looks like his, did he even need it?

"Guess I’ll just keep it at Autumn Water Pavilion as a luxury item."

Li Mo scoffed.

......

At the open area where the white light shone, over forty people had gathered.

The strongest skeletal beasts in the secret realm were at the Observation Spirit Realm.

And the entry restriction was also set at that level.

Being able to kill one—or even multiple—opponents of the same realm was a mark of extraordinary geniuses: those with peerless martial techniques, divine weapons, or rare treasures.

Most of the participants looked travel-worn and battered, nearly all bearing injuries, and almost none were below the Internal Breath Realm.

Why "almost"?

Ying Bing stood in a corner, still clad in her fish-scale embroidered dress with dark cloud gauze underneath.

Hugging her sword, she stood alone—aloof and untouchable, like a solitary immortal.

Only when her gaze fell upon the rankings above did a flicker of confusion appear in her beautiful eyes.

Well...

She wasn’t the only one confused.

Everyone staring at the final rankings was petrified, their shock giving way to sheer disbelief.

This wasn’t just absurd—it was absurdity welcoming absurdity home with open arms.

"First and second place... are both at the Internal Breath Realm?"

"That little girl collected over three hundred beast tokens? How is that even possible?"

"I saw Ying Bing in action. I’m at Observation Spirit Realm’s fourth aperture, and I wouldn’t dare cross her. She’s terrifying."

"Fine, but what about Li Mo?"

"Did the secret realm glitch or something? I demand a rematch!"

Their outrage was understandable.

They could stomach an Internal Breath Realm prodigy surpassing Observation Spirit Realm experts.

But six hundred beast tokens?

Was he here to stock up on goods?

Just as the crowd buzzed with disbelief—

"Is that Li Mo?"

Someone suddenly shouted.

Instantly, countless eyes turned toward him.

"Junior Brother Li, how did you pull this off?"

Even Ouyang, the senior brother of Ruyi Peak who wasn’t particularly close to Li Mo, couldn’t resist asking out of sheer curiosity.

"What do you mean?"

Li Mo followed his gaze and answered matter-of-factly:

"Do good deeds, and don’t ask about the rewards."

"After I saved people, they gave me their beast tokens."

In other words...

A significant portion of those who failed to make the top fifty had handed their tokens over to Li Mo.

"???"

The crowd was dumbfounded.

Weren’t human hearts supposed to be treacherous? Weren’t they all scheming, backstabbing, and fighting tooth and nail for survival?

Were they here to accumulate merit points instead?

And most importantly...

This actually worked?!

"So it was just a clever trick after all."

Bai Jinghong felt relieved.

He had watched Li Mo battle the giant ape earlier.

The kid was strong, but Bai Jinghong could have done the same at the Internal Breath Realm—it was impressive, but within reason.

"I wonder what the next trial will be."

"Honestly, this is a secret realm, not a sect recruitment. Why so many tests?"

Li Mo walked over to Ying Bing, staring at the towering beam of light as he muttered.

"Perhaps it was arranged by the Blood Phoenix before its death."

Ying Bing’s gaze remained tranquil.

All she cared about was confirming the presence of the Blood Phoenix’s essence here.

As she pondered, Li Mo glanced at her face and suddenly remembered the reward he’d just obtained.

A hot spring...

If this ice block (Ying Bing) got in, would the Mistflower Immortal Spring freeze over?

Hmm...

"Ying Bing."

"Hm?"

"Have you ever tried a hot spring?"

"?"

Her serene eyes flickered with bewilderment.

PS: Typos will be fixed after updating, mwah! If you spot any mistakes, feel free to nudge me to correct them. Thanks a bunch, OrZ.

Big thanks to all you esteemed readers!