"What do you mean by turning a hobby into a grand pursuit?"
Li Mo leaned back in a tactical retreat.
A faint ripple emanated from the World Seed.
The Pangu Starfall Hammer protested.
Lately, Li Mo had been focusing solely on sword practice, neglecting the hammer. The weapon's killing edge resonated with grievance—its sharp aura humming in discontent.
"Once there's a hammer trial event, I’ll let you shine and dominate the world!"
Li Mo made a solemn promise.
The hammer immediately settled down, happily accepting this empty promise.
A pang of guilt struck him.
Too easily obtained things are rarely cherished—such is human nature...
While lost in thought, Li Mo changed into the robe Jiang Chulong had made for him. The stitching was clumsy but earnest, and the fabric was of the finest quality.
"Let’s be honest—if I call myself a swordsman, who would dare object?"
Satisfied with his reflection, Li Mo pushed the door open and stepped outside.
The moment he exited, he saw Jiang Chulong crouched at the courtyard entrance, surrounded by a few scruffy stray cats nibbling at the leftovers she had set out.
Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned—and froze.
"L-L-Li... Li Dage... You’re... wearing..."
"Does it look good?"
Li Mo stood before her, grinning.
"Y-yes... like the sun itself."
Through the cloth wrappings around her eyes, her dazed gaze reflected the young man’s radiant confidence.
"Hah, where’d you learn such fancy words?"
"I heard people... praising my father... the same way..."
Jiang Chulong stole glances at him, then finally couldn’t resist reaching out to smooth the wrinkles on his robe.
"Thanks."
Li Mo ruffled her hair.
"Mmm..."
Jiang Chulong’s lips parted, but she found herself breathless.
The thought of Li Dage making a name for himself in this outfit made her head spin.
Was this how drunk patrons at the tavern felt?
But she hadn’t touched a drop...
"You should get some new clothes too."
Li Mo noticed Jiang Chulong was still wearing the plain outfit from when they ran the hotpot stall.
"N-no need... I’m happy... with this."
She clutched the hem of her garment, shaking her head hurriedly.
"We’ll go shopping when we have time. Yunzhou City is bustling—you might find something you like."
"With... Li Dage?"
Jiang Chulong murmured, already envisioning the scene.
Li Mo couldn’t help but chuckle.
Soon, his senior brothers and sisters were up as well. Ouyang shoved a stack of silver notes into Li Mo’s hands—royalties from the illustrated book.
A quick glance revealed each note was worth a thousand taels.
"‘The Domineering Empress Falls for Me’ makes this much money?"
"This is just the first installment!"
Ouyang puffed out his chest, his grin wider than an AK’s recoil, his voice booming with pride.
"Junior Brother Li, you and Junior Sister Ying Bing are my benefactors!"
"......"
Li Mo suddenly remembered the recent influx of "Beauty Preservation Pills" from investment returns—all courtesy of Ouyang.
No wonder.
Just then, a door creaked open.
The rented courtyard fell silent.
Ying Bing stepped out, her sword in hand, draped in an obsidian-feathered cloak that deepened her aura of icy nobility.
How to put it?
They were all respectable cultivators, but standing beside her, they looked like bodyguards.
If the Nine Provinces Summit judged by presence alone, the title of "Sword Prodigy" might as well be handed to her outright...
"Aren’t you all coming?"
Ying Bing turned at the gate, puzzled.
Li Mo blinked. "Ice Block, I’ve got a question."
"Aren’t you boiling in that fur in summer?"
"......"
Ying Bing’s gaze flicked to a certain part of his anatomy, then she wordlessly boarded the carriage.
Jiang Chulong whispered, "Li Dage... that’s... not fur..."
---
The streets teemed with carriages and chatter, a roaring river of life.
The Qingyuan Sect’s procession barely stood out.
And the skies were no quieter.
Giant eagles and exotic beasts carried riders across the heavens, while swordmasters who had mastered aerial techniques trod upon their blades—sheer, unbridled flair.
When it came to grand entrances, every genius had their own signature move.
"Was that Wu Chushu of the Three Heroes of Hengyun, riding his sword just now?"
"Must be."
"Wait, doesn’t he live in Sword City? Why’s he arriving from outside?"
"He’s a true swordsman. A hero’s business is none of yours."
"If you could ride a sword, you’d do the same."
Murmurs of admiration and envy swirled through the crowd.
"If only I didn’t have to write..."
Li Mo sighed. His Celestial Eye reflected Wu Chushu’s retreating figure as he jotted notes in his booklet.
[Name: Wu Chushu]
[Age: 25]
[Bone Structure: Ten Thousand Blossoms Sword Bone]
[Realm: Six-Aperture Insight]
[Fate: Blue tinged with Purple]
[Evaluation: Second Seat of Hengyun Sword City in Langya Province. Ranked 74th on the Hidden Dragon Ranking at a young age, titled "Gentleman of Ten Thousand Blossoms."]
[Recent Events: Intended to challenge Ying Bing to reclaim Hengyun Sword City’s honor, but suffered a shattered sword heart and demonic doubts.]
"......"
Li Mo paused mid-writing.
Suddenly, he wasn’t so envious anymore.
If anything, he pitied the guy.
Even if his Nine Swords of Dugu reached minor or major mastery, he wouldn’t dare claim victory over Ice Block. The only time he’d won with a sword was because of her... weakness. And he’d never seen her expose it since.
Shaking his head, he continued recording.
Every promising warrior—whether renowned like Wu Chushu or obscure but formidable—was cataloged for potential investment.
Then—
Li Mo’s eyes sharpened.
A plain-looking young man rode past on a strange beast, his aura utterly unremarkable.
But to the Celestial Eye, he was anything but ordinary.
[Name: Huang Donglai]
[Age: 25]
[Bone Structure: None]
[Realm: Five-Aperture Insight]
[Fate: Blue tinged with Purple]
[Evaluation: Possesses a mystical pearl that deconstructs martial techniques. Low-key and diligent, he trained in obscurity for ten years in his hometown before venturing out.]
[Recent Events: First duel outside ended in defeat against Jiang Chulong, convincing him he was still trash, so he retreated to train harder...]
Li Mo: "......"
What a "Sword God of Ten-Mile Slope."
If you’re this cautious, at least spar a few more times before giving up!
After more note-taking, Li Mo mused aloud,
"Our Eastern Wasteland Domain has no shortage of geniuses, huh?"
"Quite a few," Ying Bing agreed, resting a hand on Frost Sky.
"Odd, isn’t it?"
"It was once the capital of Great Shang."
"Fair point."
Li Mo nodded. A fallen dynasty’s heartland, now faded—yet still fertile ground for talent.
Before long, they arrived at Hengyun Sword City’s gates.
The venue nestled between mountain and water, with ten dueling platforms awaiting.
An elder with a sword strapped to his back clasped his hands in greeting.
"Step onto the stage as a challenger. The victor claims the platform."
"Three days later, those who still stand upon the stage as champions shall be deemed to have passed the Trial of Blades."
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
agon king storylines. At the start, I obtained the "Ultimate Lackey System" - the more I act as a lackey, the stronger I become. What else could I do? I chose to become the personal henchman of the ultimate villain, Su Muwan. I provoke all sorts of chosen ones, snatch away their opportunities, and commit every evil deed imaginable. You ask who's behind me? Hmph! You're not worthy of knowing my lady's name! ...... ....... I am Su Muwan, the eldest daughter of the Su family. Since childhood, I've possessed extraordinary talent in martial arts, which led to my arrogant and domineering personality in my past life. I was even foolish enough to repeatedly challenge those favored by heaven, ultimately resulting in a tragic death. In this life, I must behave and absolutely cannot walk the same path again!! However... SLAP!! "So you're the Dragon King, huh?!" When I saw my little lackey swagger over and viciously slap the Dragon King who was hiding his identity, I felt my heart sink. Su Muwan's suspended heart finally died as she watched Qin Luo, her utterly loyal lackey, standing before her. She fainted on the spot from shock. Heaven is determined to destroy me!! (Pure love 1v1, light-hearted, no angst, single female lead, villain, reincarnation, lackey)
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
pression Bureau] Transported to a fantasy world overrun by demons and monsters, Gu Qingfeng becomes a jailer in the Demon Suppression Prison of the Great Yan Dynasty's Demon Suppression Bureau. From this point on, bizarre cases frequently occur in the Demon Suppression Prison, once known as hell on earth and infamous for its gloomy, terrifying atmosphere! Why do the demons and monsters in the prison wail miserably every night? Why has the corpse demon, capable of transforming into various beauties, donned black stockings and switched careers to become a foot massage therapist? Why has the eye demon, expert in soul-snatching and illusions, turned into a VR headset? Why is the fox spirit performing otaku dances? Are all these occurrences a twisted expression of demonic nature, or a descent into moral depravity? After peeling away layer upon layer of mystery, all clues ultimately point to a jailer named Gu Qingfeng. Gu Qingfeng: "Hehehe... My dear demons and monsters, whose card shall we flip today?"
