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The vast Sword City stretched between two mountain ranges.

The towering Sword Pagoda pierced the sky like a colossal divine blade. At this moment, the rising sun cast its rays upon the pagoda, etching its enormous shadow across the mountain gate.

Beneath this shadow lay ten dueling platforms.

After the Sword City elder finished speaking, the arena fell silent.

"Which hero will step up first to set an example for us?"

"Where are all those valiant warriors from earlier?"

...

To take the stage now meant holding it for three consecutive days—a daunting challenge.

Only those with unshakable confidence in their own strength would dare ascend at this moment.

"This one shall make the first attempt."

Suddenly, a voice rang out from the crowd.

Li Mo, who had just put away his brush, turned toward the sound.

The speaker wore beast-patterned armor, his features stern, a long spear gripped in his hand. Dozens of personal guards flanked him, exuding an air of solemn authority.

The "Hengyun Sword Mark" was not solely for comprehending sword techniques.

Though swordsmen dominated the scene, it was simply because martial artists across Yunzhou—and indeed the world—revered the sword.

"It's Young Marquis Zhong!"

"The young marquis is mighty! A true general's bearing!"

The crowd erupted in flattery, each trying to outdo the other.

Li Mo couldn't resist using his Heavenly Destiny Eye to observe him.

Hm?

His brow twitched slightly.

[Name: Zhong Zhenyue]

[Age: 22]

[Constitution: Iron Horse Golden Spear Body]

[Cultivation: Observing Divinity, Five Apertures]

[Destiny: Blue tinged with Purple]

[Evaluation: Son of the Southern Suppressing King. A hardened soldier since youth, straightforward to a fault.]

[Recent Misfortune: On his way to Yunzhou, he was deceived by the Misty Rain Pavilion's Holy Maiden, Yin Mianmian—who didn't even need to use her Bewitching Heart Art before he swore to marry her... Unwittingly aided Misty Rain Pavilion in seizing the Hengyun Sword Mark, later punished severely by his father.]

Li Mo: "..."

An inexperienced, iron-willed rich kid meets a top-tier seductress, huh?

This was troublesome.

The guy wasn't poisoned, wasn't ensnared by some bewitching technique, and wasn't even affiliated with Misty Rain Pavilion.

Sword City wasn't the Qingyuan Sect—its elders wouldn't just take Li Mo's word for it.

"One step at a time."

Li Mo shook his head.

He had two priorities now:

First, refine his "Nine Swords of Dugu" to a higher level through these duels.

Second, help the "ice block" (Ying Bing) and Princess Jiang Chulong study the Hengyun Sword Mark.

Misty Rain Pavilion clearly had designs on the Sword Mark, but his Heavenly Destiny Eye hadn't revealed any of their assassins yet.

Still, as long as the martial summit continued, they'd make their move eventually.

"Ice block—"

Li Mo turned to speak, only to find Ying Bing already standing on a platform.

The crowd erupted in gasps.

"Isn't that the Domineering Empress? Liu Wuyan?"

"It's her! They look identical!"

"Wait, bro, you've read 'The Domineering Empress Falls for Me' too?"

"So the comic actually based its characters on real people?"

"Ugh... I wanna be Empress Wuyan's loyal dog!"

"Empress Wuyan, invincible under heaven!"

"I'll raise her banner high—who dares oppose her?!"

...

The arena grew even livelier than when Zhong Zhenyue had stepped up, nearly devolving into a fan meetup.

Ying Bing's delicate brows furrowed.

She hadn't expected the comic to be this popular.

First of all, her name wasn't Liu Wuyan...

Yet her frown only amplified the cheers.

Li Mo: "...So Senior Brother Ouyang, you modeled Liu Wuyan after Ying Bing?"

"What could I do? She's the standard. You know how unfairly perfect our junior sister looks—I racked my brains but couldn't imagine a more empress-like figure."

Ouyang shrugged, then added:

"Oh, and Jiang Chen is based on you, Junior Brother Li. Art draws from life, after all. You taught me well."

Watching the frenzied crowd, Li Mo never imagined—

He'd one day be hit by his own ricochet.

Nor that he'd become a celebrity heartthrob...

"Wow, is that Jiang Chen?"

"He looks so gentle and handsome—a true gentleman!"

"Wait, so 'The Domineering Empress Falls for Me' is about them?"

"Eeeek! I wanna have Jiang Chen's babies!"

...

The spectators weren't just martial artists—commoners, nobles, and curious onlookers from across Yunzhou had gathered.

The solemn atmosphere of the sword trials had utterly evaporated.

On the Sword City's high platform:

"What is your External Affairs Hall doing?!"

Elder Zeng slammed the table, sending fruits bouncing into the air.

"Elder, we're helpless here!"

"We hired a hundred storytellers to promote our three core disciples, working in shifts until we've driven up the price of loquat syrup!"

The hall's steward wore a pained expression.

Even if the storytellers wore their throats raw, how could they compete with a hit comic?

"You've no idea—bookstores have queues daily, with people offering hundreds of taels just to read the latest chapter!"

"Our promotional methods... are outdated!"

"Outdated?!"

Elder Zeng snorted, eyeing the three disciples—Wu, Cao, and Bai Jinghong.

"These are just cheap tricks. True skill is proven on the battlefield!"

"You three must showcase your might and spirit later!"

"Yes!"

They bowed in unison, though Bai Jinghong sighed inwardly.

As they descended, Elder Zeng narrowed his eyes at the steward:

"Wait—how do you know about the bookstore queues?"

"Uh, just... strolling around..."

"A Sword City steward should feel ashamed! Hand it over!"

"But I haven't finished reading..."

Reluctantly, the steward surrendered the comic.

Once alone, Elder Zeng eagerly flipped through it like a man finding an antidote.

"Heh... the latest chapter... hehehe..."

Elder Zeng was a good elder.

He kept work and personal interests strictly separate.

...

On the platforms:

All ten were finally occupied.

The rules were simple:

Each participant could only ascend twice. Those exceeding a major realm must suppress their cultivation—this was a martial exchange, not a contest of raw power.

Of the ten current occupants, nine were in the Observing Divinity Realm.

Only Princess Jiang Chulong remained in the Inner Breath Realm.

Naturally, many seeking fame set their sights on her.

"Whose child is this?"

"Looks like a little beggar—I saw her feeding stray cats last night."

"Hey kid, scram! Don't cry when things get scary."

A swordmaster at the Mystic Core Realm leapt up, issuing a challenge.

Jiang Chulong stood clutching her jade sword and peach blossom branch, timid and lost.

She bit her lip, glancing at the adjacent platform—

Where Li Mo smiled faintly, giving her a covert thumbs-up beneath his sleeve.

Suddenly emboldened, she whispered:

"Has it... started?"

"Yes. It has."

Swish—

The peach blossom branch moved.

None saw its beginning, nor its end.

But once resolved, its path never turned back—unstoppable as the spring breeze.

And just like that—

It was over.