Is the Ice Block Going to Soak in a Hot Spring

The sunlight outside the window fell upon the young man reclining in the chair.

He slowly opened his eyes, and the trajectory of every speck of dust in the sunlight became vividly clear, as if he could see through their surface and perceive their essence.

The sun had risen again.

Li Mo descended the attic stairs, squinting slightly as he faced the sunlight.

He felt refreshed, as if he could perceive every inch of his body with perfect clarity.

Within his dantian, two mysterious orbs rotated like the sun and moon, circulating his inner breath.

Perhaps this could no longer be called mere inner breath.

Li Mo walked to the dining table:

"Master, how long have I been asleep?"

Shang Wu, who was lounging with one leg crossed over the other while reading the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Wind and Cloud Rankings, widened her almond-shaped eyes:

"My precious disciple, you’re finally awake! You’ve been asleep for a whole month!"

Li Mo: "!"

He felt as though he had been swept into the river of time, completely unaware of its passage.

Had so much time really passed outside?!

Ying Bing glanced at Shang Wu and said softly:

"It’s only been an afternoon."

Shang Wu narrowed her eyes and grinned mischievously: "Silly disciple, you actually believed me?"

".....I’ll go cook now."

Li Mo realized he had simply overestimated his master’s level of seriousness.

After achieving enlightenment, aside from the increase in physical strength, he also noticed changes in the world around him.

There were more sensations he hadn’t yet had the chance to explore.

But it was almost dinnertime.

Time to get cooking.

In the kitchen, he selected the finest ingredients, chopped them, and set them aside.

Just as he was about to heat the oil, Li Mo’s eyes twitched slightly.

In his vision, a fly fluttered its wings, seemingly about to land on the food.

Snap—

A toothpick pierced through the fly’s wing, pinning it to the wall.

"Strange."

Li Mo muttered to himself while stir-frying.

Just now, his mind had inexplicably visualized every possible movement trajectory of the fly.

Was this a benefit of enlightenment?

A sudden understanding rose in Li Mo’s heart.

As he cooked, every drop of seasoning, every sizzling bead of oil, and the doneness of every slice of meat became crystal clear to him.

"What are you making today? It smells so good!"

"Ooh, it’s stir-fried pork with chili!"

"You didn’t add anything weird to it, did you?"

"Hmm, it’s really delicious."

Young Li’s culinary skills had improved.

And he earned unanimous praise from both Ying Bing and Shang Wu.

He himself, however, hastily wolfed down a few bites before picking up the Scarlet Sky Sword and practicing his sword techniques as if no one else was around.

Every sword technique he had ever practiced resurfaced in his mind.

Flawlessly executed.

Every stance, every movement, was vividly clear to him.

Gradually, he progressed from intermediate-level sword techniques to advanced ones, and finally to the peerless martial art—The Solar Wheel Sword Canon.

Suddenly.

A cold blade struck from the side.

It was Ying Bing.

Her gaze was as calm as ever, but Li Mo could discern her unspoken intent:

"Practice."

Under Ying Bing’s guidance,

a faint itch arose between his brows. Countless insights into martial arts, along with memories of sparring with Princess Little Jiang and the "ice block" (Ying Bing), flashed through his mind.

The Solar Wheel Sword Canon advanced further.

It carried the faint aura of nearing mastery.

Li Mo exhaled softly, a slight smile curling his lips.

Just look at this.

Disregarding the countless martial insights he had poured into it—

Here he was, Li Mo, on the verge of mastering a peerless sword technique at sixteen.

If he called himself a sword prodigy, who would dare agree or disagree?

"You’ve achieved enlightenment?"

Ying Bing sheathed her sword, her gaze flickering slightly.

She had only suspected it earlier, but after sparring with Li Mo, she was certain.

"Well, it was during that celestial anomaly this afternoon."

Li Mo coughed lightly:

"The sun and moon shifted places, and my mind was shaken. Then I passed out."

"When I woke up, I realized I’d achieved enlightenment."

He couldn’t very well say he’d fainted from staring at the "ice block’s" portrait, could he?

As everyone knew, Young Li was an honest gentleman.

Unless the truth sounded even more absurd.

"......"

Ying Bing’s eyes flickered.

There were precedents for achieving enlightenment by witnessing celestial phenomena, even without an enlightenment diagram.

But...

A solar eclipse, the sun and moon swapping places—if such an event had occurred in her past life, she would surely remember it.

"Not bad, my precious disciple. You’re starting to resemble your master."

Shang Wu gave him a thumbs-up in praise.

Back in her day, she’d gotten drunk, passed out, and woken up enlightened.

"You flatter me, Master..."

Before Li Mo could finish, Shang Wu added:

"Your timing is perfect, though. You’ve got a mess to deal with now."

"Huh?"

"Yin Huaxuan somehow slipped away like a cicada shedding its shell. The sect’s been locked down—he’s definitely still hiding inside."

Shang Wu snorted in annoyance.

She had nearly beaten Yin Huaxuan to death. It was all Qian Bufan’s fault for insisting they spare him for interrogation.

"Yin Huaxuan escaped?"

Li Mo frowned.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that the former Rare Beast Peak elder would want him dead.

"Yep. The sect leader ordered all disciples above the Observation Divine Realm to search for him in pairs."

"And now that you’re enlightened, you qualify."

Shang Wu shrugged.

Li Mo: "......"

What a coincidence.

And so.

Young Li headed off to the Outer Affairs Hall to report for duty.

Ying Bing lowered her gaze, watching the young man’s figure disappear beyond the door from the corner of her eye.

She hadn’t expected Li Mo to achieve enlightenment even earlier than she had.

And what’s more—

right before the system rankings were updated.

Ying Bing wasn’t worried about the rankings.

She would achieve enlightenment tonight as well, keeping them on equal footing.

What troubled her was today’s celestial anomaly.

Why?

Why had the sun dimmed and the moon taken its place?

Even with her rebirth, she couldn’t have caused such a massive deviation in this world, could she?

"The future of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths may become even more unpredictable."

"There will likely be more events beyond my foresight..."

Ying Bing exhaled softly and stood up.

Only by growing stronger could she face those changes.

"Where are you off to, Little Bing?"

"Training."

"Want to try the Mistbloom Hot Spring? The effects are amazing."

Shang Wu coaxed eagerly.

Soaking in the hot springs alone was just too boring.

And her precious disciple was off on a mission.

Ying Bing paused mid-step.

After a moment of silence, she turned back:

"How... amazing?"

"First, it speeds up qi absorption. And... it soothes the soul too."

Shang Wu rattled off the benefits like pouring beans from a bamboo tube.

.........

Meanwhile.

Li Mo was on his way to the Outer Affairs Hall when a sudden notification in his ear nearly made him stumble.

[Congratulations, Host! Successful investment in ‘Ying Bing’—soaking in the Mistbloom Immortal Spring to enhance her cultivation.]

[Investment Reward: Cloud-Treading Boots]

[Seven-Star Cloud-Treading Boots]: "Mid-grade Profound Artifact boots. Once worn by a legendary thief who shook the world. Wearing them allows the user to tread on snow without leaving a trace, move as lightly as a feather, and with Observation Divine Realm true energy, even take to the skies!"

Li Mo: "!"

Shock.

Forget the reward for a second—

The ice block went to the hot springs?!