On the stage.
A peach blossom branch pressed against the martial artist's throat—just one more inch, and blood would spill.
"Gulp—" The man swallowed hard.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... Did I... scare you...?"
Jiang Chulong hastily withdrew her sword and bowed in apology.
"..."
The arena fell silent at first, then erupted into uncontrollable murmurs.
That Xuan Dan realm martial artist was no nobody—he was a seasoned bounty hunter with extensive experience in the jianghu.
And yet, this young girl had ended it with just one strike?
...
"Sword Intent?!"
On the high platform, the elders of Hengyun Sword City slammed their hands on the table, their eyes blazing with astonishment.
Judging by her age, she couldn’t be more than fourteen or fifteen.
Since ancient times, they had never heard of anyone comprehending Sword Intent at such a young age.
Moreover, her swordsmanship lacked any trace of artificiality—it was flawless, as if carved by the heavens themselves.
With talent like this...
If she were to witness the Hengyun Sword Mark...
"Does she have a master?"
"What if she does? There isn’t a single swordmaster in Yunzhou I don’t know."
"Exactly. It’s best if we take her under our wing. If her master objects, we’ll just... reason with him together!"
The elders of Hengyun Sword City—all at least Outer Scenery realm—began arguing loudly.
But suddenly, one elder who had remained silent spoke up:
"I think... I’ve seen her at the Tianshan Sword Manor."
The elders fell silent.
...
"Junior Brother Bai, do you want to switch opponents with me?"
Cao Mu asked solemnly. He was a sword fanatic who had challenged nearly every young talent in Yunzhou.
"I don’t want to fight her either, but..."
Bai Jinghong glanced at Li Mo and Ying Bing on the stage, then gritted his teeth.
"Leave her to me!"
"That’s some nerve!"
Wu Chushu blinked, suddenly viewing Bai Jinghong in a new light.
He had assumed Bai Jinghong had grown timid and hesitant.
Turns out, he still had some backbone.
...
"Impressive, Chulong."
Li Mo gave her a thumbs-up before turning to his own opponent.
A young, delicate-looking girl stood before him, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
"Jiang... Jiang Chen, big brother."
"...Actually, my name is Li Mo."
"Okay, Jiang Chen big brother! Can I... can I have your autograph?"
"Huh?"
After signing, the girl immediately jumped off the stage.
Li Mo: "..."
Wait, at least exchange a few moves!
I’m here to test my sword against the world, not hold a signing event!
Well...
This probably wouldn’t last long.
After all, standing on this stage meant earning the right to enter the Sword Tower and study the Hengyun Sword Mark.
......
Ying Bing’s situation was different.
It came down to their personalities.
In The Tyrannical Empress Falls for Me, Jiang Chen was a gentle, slightly naive scholar.
Liu Wuyan, however, was the opposite.
"It’s an honor to cross blades with the Snow Moon Empress!"
"Even if I die in defeat, I’ll have no regrets!"
Her opponent was a martial artist at the third aperture of Observation Divinity realm.
He spoke with solemn fervor, as if he truly believed he was facing an empress.
Ying Bing: "..."
Without a word, she lightly raised her sheathed sword, Tianshuang, gesturing for him to attack.
The man was no pushover.
The moment he drew his sword, a surging tide-like momentum erupted, his blade gleaming with dazzling variations.
Anyone watching would have praised it as "excellent swordsmanship."
The Raging Waves Sword Art—a high-tier technique—had been mastered to perfection by this man.
Nearby, Li Mo shook his head slightly:
"Twelve openings."
Amid the roaring waves of swordlight—
A single cold gleam shot forth, domineering and severe, like divine retribution.
This strike made resistance seem unthinkable.
The swordlight dispersed, and the man collapsed to his knees, his face pale.
Drenched in sweat, he finally saw clearly—
Ying Bing’s sword had never left its sheath.
Just the opening stance alone made him feel as if he were facing a deity, shattering his will to fight.
An opening stance—also called a preparatory gesture.
Whether this counted as an "exchange" was debatable, but one thing was undeniable...
This aloof girl was terrifyingly strong.
Jiang Chulong’s talent was shocking, but Ying Bing’s strength defied all logic.
...
"What kind of sword energy is this? What kind of sword momentum?!"
"What sword art is she even practicing? It doesn’t seem like a supreme technique..."
Bang—
The elders slammed the table again.
Crack!
The azurite table groaned, fissures spreading before collapsing entirely.
Clearly, they were stunned.
Also clearly, Outer Scenery experts had quite the grip.
...
"Ahem... Old Cao."
Wu Chushu scratched his chin.
"How about... we switch?"
"Deal!"
Sword fanatic Cao Mu agreed instantly.
"Good. Then I’ll take on that... Jiang—Li Mo."
Wu Chushu finally exhaled in relief.
He wouldn’t have to face Ying Bing or Jiang Chulong—his pride was saved.
Unbeknownst to him, Bai Jinghong leaned back in his seat, his gaze now filled with reverence.
"What’s wrong, Xiao Bai?"
"Nothing. By the way... do you have any unfinished business? You can leave it to me."
"Huh?"
Puzzled, Wu Chushu looked up at the stage.
There, the white-robed youth seemed tired of signing autographs. He pulled out a wooden board from his spatial artifact, scribbled something, and displayed it:
‘100 taels of gold to anyone who challenges me seriously.’
‘10,000 taels to anyone who defeats me.’
Paying for a beating?
The crowd erupted.
10,000 taels of gold—not silver—was a considerable sum even for Observation Divinity realm martial artists.
Martial artists without backing were always short on funds.
"What’s Junior Brother Li doing?" Shen Yunfei, standing on another stage, frowned.
Most fighters aimed to conserve their strength.
After all, no one could endure endless wheel battles, and nighttime wouldn’t be enough to recover depleted energy.
Was Li Mo planning the same as him—not aiming to last till the end?
Even Zhong Zhenyue from a neighboring stage turned to look.
"100 taels? For real?"
"Jiang—Li Mo, big brother, is your hand sore from signing?"
"I’ve been wanting to challenge him! I just couldn’t get a chance earlier!"
"Hmph, pretty boy, I’ll take you on!"
A burly man leaped onto the stage, wielding a halberd, his torso bare and muscles bulging.
Disciples of the Gangdou Sect believed in fighting like real men!
They despised weakness and pretentiousness.
"Gangdou Sect?"
Li Mo recognized his style.
Instantly, he deduced that this man was a body-refining martial artist. The best way to deal with him would be to go all out with his Extreme Soldier Slaughter Body.
But then...
Ahem! The main issue was—it wouldn’t help him improve!
The thought of playing the role of a swordsman, showing off—no, humbling himself—before all the heroes of Yunzhou... actually excited him a little.
"That’s right! Tie Qi is my sworn brother!"
The man declared proudly.
Li Mo smiled, flicked his sleeve with effortless grace, and gestured invitingly:
"Then let us stop when the point is made."
Young Li itched to draw his sword, his fingers twitching with anticipation!
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
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?
esick Sect? Well, at least it's considered a respectable orthodox sect. Wait a minute— What kind of vibe are you all giving off? Shouldn’t this be a love-struck, romance-obsessed sect? Why does everyone here sound more like demonic cultivators? "Master, today he’s getting married. This disciple wishes to descend the mountain and crash the wedding, then toy with him to death right in front of his wife..." "Elder, I only got into your sect through connections, so why won’t you teach me anything?" "Because I also became an elder through connections." Thankfully, Su Ji was just an outer sect labor disciple. Surely, nothing too crazy would— "Junior Brother, you’ve broken through to Qi Refining. Once you sever your useless spiritual root, you can officially become an outer sect disciple." "The Great Dao is merciless. Don’t let a worthless spiritual root waste your essence and spirit, hindering your cultivation." Is this really the Lovesick Sect? ... Three years later, Su Ji sat in the seat of the Lovesick Sect’s sect master, sighing with emotion. His rise to this position all started when his junior sister adamantly insisted on preserving his "spiritual root." "Mmm... Senior Brother, what’s our relationship now?" "Stop talking. Keep going." "By the way, that newly promoted top-tier sect—didn’t they come to buy our Love Beans?" "One top-grade spirit stone per Love Bean—is that really so expensive?" "I suspect they’ve eaten too many Love Beans." "Now they’re lovesick." Well, this really is the Lovesick Sect after all.
