Ying Bing: "He's Really Strange"

Li Mo had a general idea of what the Gilded Creation Seal was.

As for the "Zhou Tian Star Alchemy Method," although he didn’t know exactly what kind of martial art it was, just hearing the name told him it was anything but ordinary.

Anything that came from the ice block (Ying Bing) couldn’t be mediocre.

And it was related to alchemy, no less.

Perfect timing—he was nearing the Alchemy Realm himself.

"I’ll study it properly once I’m back."

Li Mo steadied his mind and swallowed a six-marked pill to recuperate.

Gazing at the collapsing space around him, he tried to stand up.

But his inner energy was depleted, and his body was severely exhausted.

Just the act of rising made his vision darken, and he nearly toppled over.

Yet, at that moment, a delicate, jade-white hand caught him.

Li Mo looked up—who else could it be but the ice block herself?

Ying Bing pursed her lips briefly before speaking softly,

"Stand straight. This isn’t the time to fall."

Li Mo: "..."

Sometimes, he really couldn’t fathom what went through the mind of the Chosen One.

He could’ve managed on his own…

Well, fine.

Even though Ying Bing was cold as ice, she was also soft, fragrant, and oddly comfortable to lean against…

In the distance, a golden money tree’s domain was rapidly approaching.

Elder Qian was almost here.

Li Mo exhaled in relief, finally letting his guard down.

Ying Bing suddenly spoke again, her voice quiet,

"That battle spirit behind you—what was it?"

It was clearly the manifestation of the Observation Divine Realm.

If it had been activated through a secret technique, the cost was usually immense.

Take her, for example—even when using the stored power of the Blood Phoenix Essence, the burden was overwhelming.

Power that didn’t belong to oneself always came at a steep price.

Li Mo smacked his lips.

"A talisman I stumbled upon by chance. Pity it was a one-time use."

"How do you feel now?" Ying Bing pressed.

"Ugh, terrible."

The moment Li Mo said this, Ying Bing’s brows furrowed.

Only then did he sigh and add,

"After experiencing that kind of strength, I feel pathetically weak now."

"I really want to reach the Observation Divine Realm soon."

The absence of that power left him feeling sluggish, as if his body were weighed down by lead.

"..."

Ying Bing lowered her gaze, her expression complicated.

The fact that he had no adverse reactions meant the talisman was of exceptional quality—a rare treasure.

If he still had it, she wouldn’t stand a chance against him in the next system ranking.

The thought made her recall the image of the young man bathed in heavenly light, godlike in his bearing.

Now, without the talisman, she had fully refined the Blood Phoenix Essence.

Yet, for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to feel happy about it.

She had to admit—without him, she wouldn’t have obtained the Blood Phoenix Essence. She might not even be standing here at all…

Whoosh—

The money tree arrived, enveloping both of them. Along for the ride were Tang Xiaobao and several other prodigies from various factions.

"No time to explain," Elder Qian said gravely from atop the tree.

"The Demon Summoning Cult has arrived, and the fighting outside is even fiercer."

"I’m taking you all to safety."

With that, the tree’s shadow swept everyone up and soared into the sky.

A vast expanse of space ahead collapsed.

Elder Qian winced, pulling out a bar of crimson gold and tossing it into the money tree.

Instantly, his aura surged.

Boom—

The golden tree plowed straight through the chaos.

Li Mo: "…So spending money makes you stronger?"

Suddenly, Elder Qian’s techniques seemed worth learning.

Meanwhile, other experts were making their moves. The scholarly-robed elder from the Blazing Jade Forest expanded his domain like an ink-wash landscape, while the old man from the Horizontal Cloud Sword City transformed into a colossal sword, cleaving through everything in his path.

Finally, they broke free of the secret realm.

The scene outside was even more chaotic, just as Elder Qian had said.

The Demon Summoning Cult’s reinforcements had clashed with the assembled experts, and it was impossible to tell who had the upper hand.

"Yin Huaxuan, you old dog—I’ve been waiting to beat you senseless!"

"You think you can escape?!"

A voice brimming with killing intent, yet undeniably striking, rang across the sky.

A fiery lotus bloomed.

A woman in palace robes drove her fist into Yin Huaxuan’s half-human, half-serpent skull, shattering one of his draconic horns and sending him crashing through a mountain.

"Shang Wu! Don’t push me!" Yin Huaxuan roared in fury.

"Traitors don’t get to bark."

Shang Wu smirked, cracking her knuckles.

"Compared to me, you’re the real turncoat—"

Before he could finish, her delicate fist clenched with a bone-chilling creak.

"I, Shang Wu, am the Jade Cluster Peak’s presiding elder."

"That’s all!"

Bam—

What followed was a merciless beating.

Yin Huaxuan’s hybrid form became her weapon as she swung him around, battering several Demon Summoning Cult protectors until they coughed blood and fled.

Beneath the money tree, the onlookers felt their scalps tingle, hearts pounding.

"Which sect does that woman belong to?"

"Sweet heavens…that’s brutal."

"Shang Wu? I’ve heard of her… I always thought the rumors were exaggerated, but now it seems they undersold her."

One by one, they averted their eyes.

Even Bai Jinghong didn’t dare look directly, afraid she might drag him into the beating.

Best to stay quiet and behave.

"Uh, that’s a senior from our Clear Abyss Sect…"

"And also Li Mo’s master," Ouyang added with a wry smile.

The group collectively nodded.

That explained everything.

"Senior Brother, you—"

Li Mo rubbed his forehead.

He tried to salvage the situation with a gentle smile.

"Actually, most of my martial arts are self-taught."

"Swordplay is my real—"

Thud.

The Star Piercer slipped from his sleeve and clattered onto the ground.

Everyone: "…"

"Damn it, forgot to put it away!"

Li Mo picked up the hammer, swinging it a couple of times in frustration before turning back with a benign expression.

"As you can see… Hm? Senior Brother Ouyang, why are you kneeling?"

"I believe you!" Tie Qi nodded vigorously.

"Same here! Brother Li, you were born to be a dashing swordsman."

"Whoever says otherwise, I’ll fight them!"

Faced with the gleaming hammer in Li Mo’s hand—which looked ready to bonk someone at any moment—Ouyang declared righteously,

"Look at Yin Huacheng. He didn’t believe. And where did that get him?"

Bai Jinghong clenched his fists.

In his heart, he believed warriors who didn’t use swords were uncouth—let alone those who wielded hammers.

How many hammer-wielders were there in the martial world, anyway?

As it happened, Luo Yu shared the sentiment.

But then he remembered his younger sister’s repeated mentions of the "Northwest Hammer King."

And Yin Huacheng’s lifeless eyes.

And the secret realm shattered by a single hammer strike.

"I, Bai Jinghong, acknowledge that your swordplay surpasses mine."

"Brother Li, I’m acquainted with the quick scribes of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Gazette. I’ll personally draft an article to sing your praises."

"I’ll handle the illustrations—make sure you look dashing!"

"Please, no need for such flattery… Fame is but fleeting."

Outside, the battle raged on.

Inside, the nonsense continued.

Ying Bing watched as the young man's performative personality flared up—his words humble, yet the corners of his mouth were harder to suppress than a pig at New Year's. She stared for a long time.

She couldn't quite figure him out.

The one bustling around the kitchen at Autumn Water Pavilion every day was him.

The one who leaped into the Clear Abyss with her was him.

And the one who stood before her like a war god, brimming with confidence as he urged her to refine the Blood Phoenix Essence—still him.

From start to finish, he hadn't shown even the slightest greed for such a supreme treasure as the Blood Phoenix Essence.

He was truly peculiar...

In both her past and present life, Ying Bing had never met someone she couldn't comprehend like this.