The Second Ranking Announcement: Seriously Questioning My Life

Li Mo was momentarily stunned.

Above the artificial rockery, a hole had somehow appeared—likely the handiwork of their master.

Because of this...

As everyone knew, the moon in the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands was exceptionally large.

Moonlight cascaded like a waterfall into the Mistflower Eternal Spring, causing the clear pool to shimmer with an ethereal glow, dreamlike and surreal.

Well, to be precise, what truly felt dreamlike wasn’t the moon or the pool.

Ying Bing, her dark hair loosely tied, was soaking in the hot spring, her neck long and graceful.

The spring was still quite warm, and having just circulated her energy to unblock her meridians, her jade-like skin was tinged with a faint blush.

Her robe clung to her body, and amidst the rippling reflections of the water, glimpses of her figure were faintly visible yet hazy, like peering through a veil.

Li Mo remained silent.

Young Li wasn’t much of a talker.

"You came back... quite early."

Ying Bing lowered her gaze, wiping her arm with a towel.

There were times when people tried to occupy themselves with trivial actions—like when a teacher checked homework, and you hadn’t brought yours...

"Ahem..."

Li Mo nodded. Despite the rising steam, his throat felt inexplicably dry.

"Well, I was chasing a bird and ended up in Yin Huaxuan. A few swings of the hammer, and it was done."

As his words faded, only the sound of splashing water echoed in the rockery.

What the hell am I even saying?

Young Li frantically reviewed his words in his mind.

"Your hammer must be quite impressive, then," Ying Bing remarked.

"Thanks for the compliment," Li Mo replied.

"......" Ying Bing.

"......" Li Mo.

Sensing the awkwardness, Li Mo casually added, "That really wore me out. I was thinking of coming back to soak and relax..."

"I see."

Ying Bing fell into an inexplicable silence.

After a moment’s thought, she realized the Mistflower Eternal Spring had been built by Li Mo—it was his to begin with.

So, after a dangerous battle, wanting to unwind in the spring was perfectly reasonable.

"Would you like to join me?"

The words left her lips before she could reconsider.

She had never invited anyone to bathe with her before.

"Huh?"

Li Mo was bewildered.

He hadn’t expected the ice block to blurt out such a thing after such a solemn pause.

"Is... that alright?"

"Well, if you mind the water being used..."

"Not at all!"

Li Mo’s expression was resolute.

Mind? If anything, he’d prefer no one else even caught a glimpse of this spring. Though it was self-renewing, it couldn’t handle the thirst of too many onlookers...

"......"

Seeing his determination, Ying Bing turned her head slightly away.

"Here I come."

After changing into a bathrobe, Li Mo plunged into the pool with a splash.

The ripples reached her.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ying Bing noticed his robe wasn’t properly tied, revealing a glimpse of his upper body.

Strange.

During their dual cultivation sessions, they often lay side by side at night, and it had never felt like anything.

So why did sharing a bath suddenly feel different?

She had never faltered even when traversing the Immortal Path in the Abyss.

Right.

Just act natural.

"Ahhh..."

Li Mo exhaled in contentment, then grew curious.

Though the pool was spacious, they weren’t far apart.

Yet, the usual icy aura around Ying Bing was absent. Today was the peak of the Lunar Star’s radiance—last time, she had turned the entire Autumn Water Pavilion into a winter wasteland.

"You’ve made another breakthrough?"

"Mm. Opened a new meridian."

After this exchange, silence settled over the Mistflower Eternal Spring once more.

Ying Bing steadied her mind.

She seized every second to meditate under the moonlight, clearing her thoughts.

After all, the countdown was ticking away relentlessly.

Not wanting to disturb her, Li Mo turned his attention to the two rewards his system had just provided.

[Congratulations, Host. Successful investment in ‘Xu Zhiqing,’ preventing her injury.]

[Investment reward: Two strands of Soul-Cleansing Bodhi Fruit.]

[Congratulations, Host. Successful investment in ‘Miao Jinyin,’ preventing her injury.]

[Investment reward: One jar of Spirit-Concentrating Lotus Tea.]

Both treasures were beneficial to the soul.

"Wait, why two?"

"Senior Brother Ouyang probably wouldn’t have been hurt anyway."

It seemed this perpetually broke, painting-obsessed senior brother was stronger than he appeared.

Li Mo retrieved two floating trays.

Placing one treasure on each, he nudged one toward Ying Bing, letting the ripples carry it to her.

Hm?

She was so focused on her cultivation that she didn’t even notice the tray drifting closer.

Of course she was focused.

The countdown was nearly at its end.

00:00:03...

00:00:02...

00:00:01...

The countdown hit zero.

The familiar system chime echoed in her ears once more.

[Scanning all prodigies within the Eastern Wasteland Domain...]

[Comparing combat prowess...]

Ying Bing’s brows furrowed slightly as she watched intently.

In the past, she wouldn’t have felt even a hint of tension.

But now...

Last time had already thrown her off.

She could only hope things would return to normal this time.

If she secured first place, the rewards might even be something they could share—everyone would be happy.

[Ding—]

[Results of the Second Eastern Wasteland Domain Prodigy Ranking announced.]

[Eastern Wasteland Domain Prodigy Rank 50: Yu Zhao.]

...

[Eastern Wasteland Domain Prodigy Rank 44: Lin Jiang.]

...

[Eastern Wasteland Domain Prodigy Rank 30: Murong Xiao.]

...

[Eastern Wasteland Domain Prodigy Rank 10: Han Zhen.]

...

The rankings had shifted slightly from last time.

The Qingyuan Sect disciples Li Mo knew had all risen in rank.

Overall, the names on the list remained largely the same, just reordered.

Han Zhen, who had previously held fourth place, had nearly fallen out of the top ten.

It seemed his injuries from last time had taken a toll.

In her past life, Han Zhen had first made a name for himself at the Cloud Province Martial Arts Summit, securing a top-three position.

Back then, the sudden disturbance in the Cloud-Crossing Sword City—where the artifact bearing the Cloud-Crossing Sword Mark went missing—had likely been his doing.

But these were just speculations; she had only heard rumors and hadn’t witnessed it firsthand.

Each of the Qingyuan Sect’s nine peaks could only send one elite disciple to participate.

As she pondered, the ranking announcements neared their conclusion.

[Eastern Wasteland Domain Prodigy Rank 5: Huang Donglai.]

[Eastern Wasteland Domain Prodigy Rank 4: Zhong Zhenyue.]

[Eastern Wasteland Domain Prodigy Rank 3: Shang Li.]

...

"Munch munch."

"How does this thing even grow... tastes so damn good..."

Li Mo chewed vigorously.

He wondered if he should share the Soul-Cleansing Bodhi Fruit with Princess Jiang Chulong.

After all, she’d eventually reach the Observation Divine Realm—laying the groundwork early couldn’t hurt.

Splash—

A sudden, violent disturbance in the water snapped him out of his thoughts.

Li Mo blinked, looking up—only for his pupils to tremble in shock.

Wait.

Why the hell did the ice block suddenly stand up?

Did she have no idea how lethal her figure was?

"What’s wrong?"

He had never seen Ying Bing so visibly unsettled.

Young Li immediately went on high alert.

"You..."

Ying Bing's gaze was fixed on the rankings invisible to outsiders.

[Eastern Wasteland Domain's Top Talent, Second Place: Ying Bing.]

[Eastern Wasteland Domain's Top Talent, First Place: Li Mo.]

Her slightly dimmed eyes slowly shifted to the young man standing not far away.

She...

had been overshadowed by him again?!!

......

PS: Shamelessly asking for a little encouragement, mwah.

If there are typos, dear readers, please kindly point them out.