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.
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
th】 【No prior gaming knowledge required】【The First Cultivation + Game Design Novel on the Platform】 In a world where the righteous path dominates and crushes the demonic sects, Lu Ze unlocks the "Son of the Demon Path" system. Killing righteous cultivators now grants him power-ups. Wait—deaths in illusions count too? As a former game designer, Lu Ze decides to give the cultivators of this world a little—no, a massive—shock... Sect Elders: "What is this 'Escape from the Demon Sect' game? Why have all our disciples abandoned cultivation to play it??" Elite Disciples: "You're saying... mastering 'Demon Slayer' can help us counter demonic schemes?" Reclusive Masters: "Why did I leave seclusion? Ask that backstabbing rat who ambushed me in 'Eternal Strife' yesterday!" Rogue Cultivators & Civilians: "'Immortal Abyss Action' is addictive! You can even earn spirit stones by loot-running..." Sect Prodigy: "My Dao heart is unshakable... except for that cursed black hammer." Royal Scions: "Can skins have stat boosts? I’ll pay 10,000 spirit stones for one!!" Sect Leader: "WHO IS CORRUPTING MY DISCIPLES?!!!"
