After breakfast.
The carriage set off under the morning light.
In the distance.
A towering structure resembling a colossal sword—the Sword Tower—refracted dazzling rays under the sun, casting a radiant glow upon the misty clouds.
It stood solitary, as if the sole existence between heaven and earth.
Ying Bing gazed absentmindedly at the scenery beyond the carriage curtain.
"This Sword Tower is seamless, truly a masterpiece of nature's craftsmanship."
Suddenly, Li Mo's voice reached her ears.
She turned, and her eyes reflected his figure once more, causing a faint ripple in her gaze.
"This Sword Tower is not a creation of nature."
"Oh?"
"It has stood on the land of Yunzhou for ages. Legend has it that long ago, a second-grade calamity beast, the Qiongqi, wreaked havoc upon the world. As it rampaged through Yunzhou, a massive sword formed from mountain rocks descended from the heavens, crushing it beneath its weight."
"That sword is now the Sword Tower we see today."
Ying Bing spoke softly.
"Was this the work of human hands?"
Li Mo gazed at the Sword Tower, as if he could glimpse the earth-shaking power of that single strike.
"How incredible."
Jiang Chulong blinked, her lips parting slightly.
"You'll surely achieve the same one day. Perhaps after witnessing the Hengyun Sword Mark, you'll even comprehend that very strike."
Li Mo nodded with conviction.
He harbored no doubts about the future of the Phoenix Heavenly Empress and the Natural Sword Body, as judged by his Heavenly Eye of Destiny!
...Can I really do it?
Jiang Chulong pressed her lips together, but seeing the determination in Li Mo's eyes, she clenched her fists and steeled herself.
"The Hengyun Sword Path..."
Ying Bing's eyes flickered.
In her past life, she had seen Jiang Chulong wield it—a technique that dominated the Seventh Realm.
By her original plan, she should have already attained a heart as clear as a sword's edge.
Yet now...
The carriage fell into silence.
"Uh..."
To Li Mo's eyes, the usually icy-faced Ying Bing now bore two distinct expressions.
Perhaps it was the play of sunlight.
Half her face was bathed in radiance, resplendent and divine, while the other half lingered in shadow, complex and melancholic.
Though he didn't know the reason,
her state of mind was clearly troubled.
Had she even lost confidence in comprehending the Hengyun Sword Mark?
What to do...
The young genius Li Mo racked his brain.
......
This morning marked the final day of the Sword Trials.
Many had long exhausted their two chances to step onto the stage, yet the gathering of Yunzhou's heroes only grew larger, the atmosphere buzzing with excitement.
Take, for instance, the stage of a certain "Little Li the Sword Immortal," where that infamous sign still stood.
And below it...
Even before his arrival, a long line had already formed, resembling a ticket queue for a concert.
"Li the Sword Immortal is here!"
A sharp-eyed onlooker shouted.
Countless heads turned.
"..."
Under the weight of so many stares, the initial novelty had long faded for Li Mo, leaving only overwhelming pressure.
"Young Hero Li, when will you claim the title of Yunzhou's greatest swordsman?"
"Even the Holy Maiden of the Drizzle Pavilion fell to Li the Sword Immortal's blade!"
The crowd showered him with praise.
What they didn't know was...
For a fleeting moment, Li Mo even considered throwing a match.
Who on earth spread these rumors?
This was nothing but setting him up for a fall!
He clasped his hands toward the crowd:
"The Holy Maiden of the Drizzle Pavilion is not dead, nor did she ever cross swords with me."
"Any minor achievements I've made are purely by luck."
"If we're comparing, Ying Bing and Jiang Chulong are far more likely to shine brightly in the path of the sword."
Young Li spoke with utmost sincerity.
However, the people below the stage thought he was feigning modesty and showered him with another round of flattery.
Li Mo let out a light sigh.
He activated his Heavenly Fate Divine Eye, observing everyone present while engaging in the spar.
Suddenly, his gaze paused.
There was an unremarkable-looking woman on a nearby dueling platform.
Moments ago, she had narrowly won and become the new platform champion.
[Name: Yin Mianmian]
[Age: 23]
[Constitution: Heavenly Enchantress Fiend Body]
[Cultivation Realm: Eight-Aperture Insight]
[Fate: Purple]
[Evaluation: A saintess of the Misty Rain Pavilion, ranked sixth on the Hidden Dragon Ranking. She has slain several Hidden Dragon prodigies, unknowingly groomed as a cultivation furnace by the Misty Rain Pavilion Master. Her hobby is watching men fight to the death.]
[Recent Activity: Ordered numerous Misty Rain assassins to blend into the crowd and hype Li Mo’s reputation as a Sword Immortal.]
Li Mo: "......"
Thanks a lot.
The entire Yunzhou City, even the entire Hengyun Sword City, was under strict lockdown.
And she still dared to show up?
After a moment of silence, Li Mo moved his lips but made no sound.
Meanwhile, on another platform, Bai Jinghong suddenly stiffened slightly.
......
The morning passed swiftly.
At noon, the sword trial finally neared its conclusion.
On the high platform, the elders gazed at the ten figures standing on the dueling stages, their eyes burning with intense emotion.
Among them might be the strongest martial prodigy they had ever witnessed in their lifetimes.
"The ten young heroes of this sword trial have now emerged victorious," Elder Zeng announced, tucking a painted album into his robe before descending to the center of the arena. His gaze swept across the crowd.
Then, in a perfunctory manner, he announced the names of the ten.
Li Mo, Ying Bing, and Jiang Chulong were, of course, no surprise.
The "Three Heroes of Hengyun"—Bai Jinghong and his two companions—also made the list, having defended their positions in their second round on the platforms.
Aside from Huang Donglai and Zhong Zhenyue, there were two unfamiliar faces.
Suddenly, Elder Zeng formed a sword seal, his expression serene as his robes billowed dramatically.
Winds surged, and clouds gathered.
Layers of mist converged, forming floating stairways that connected the summit of the Sword Tower to the mountain gate.
Each step was imbued with various sword intents from within the tower, every one resonating deep within the hearts of those who beheld them.
"This is..."
Li Mo leaned back slightly.
Why did this look familiar?
His worst fears had come true...
Then came Elder Zeng’s voice:
"Ascend these steps to reach the peak of the Sword Tower."
"The first method is to climb the steps formed by the sword tower’s mist that I have summoned. This is also how our sect tests a disciple’s state of mind."
"The more one earns the recognition of the sword intents within the tower, the greater their talent. Typically, only true disciples can reach the summit."
This was the test for inner disciples of Hengyun Sword City to determine if they were worthy of becoming true disciples.
Given that these ten had made it to the top of the Martial Arts Summit, they should, in theory, all be capable of ascending.
Li Mo: "......"
Wasn’t this just the Stairway to Heaven Sword Dao—PLUS edition?
"What happens if someone falls?" Huang Donglai asked.
"Nothing dangerous. The elders will be watching."
"But what if the elders get distracted?"
"How could the elders possibly get distracted?"
"I just saw you secretly..."
"Hmm?" Elder Zeng raised an eyebrow, and Huang Donglai promptly shut up.
Having come this far, no one would back down now.
Bai Jinghong and his two companions had climbed the Sword Tower two years prior and had experience, so they took the lead without hesitation.
"Li... Li... Brother Li..."
Jiang Chulong's face turned pale as she tightly clutched Li Mo's sleeve.
"What's wrong?"
Li Mo was puzzled—how could the little Princess Jiang fail to endure the trial?
Yet her small frame trembled faintly with fear.
"I... I'm... afraid of heights."
"......Then lean on me. If you can't see, you won't be afraid. But following me might slow us down a bit."
Li Mo couldn't help but chuckle.
He let the little princess bury her face against his back as the two stepped onto the cloud-covered stairs.
A test of sword intent?
Even if he wanted to move faster, it wouldn't be easy.
The moment his foot touched the stair, an immense pressure weighed down on him. Jiang Chulong, however, seemed to relax slightly.
"By the way, where's the ice block?"
"She's probably already far ahead..."
Li Mo scanned the distance but saw no trace of her.
Huh?
He turned around.
Ying Bing still stood alone in the same spot.
...
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
e school belle recognized by the whole school, a genius girl from the kendo club. She also has a hidden identity, the youngest legendary demon hunter. Chen Shuo just transmigrated and found himself turned into a weak, helpless little vampire. He was caught by Su Xiyen and taken home at the very beginning. Since then, Chen Shuo's life creed only had two items. "First, classmate Su Xiyen is always right." "Second, if classmate Su Xiyen is wrong, please refer back to item one." Many years later, Chen Shuo, who had turned back into a human, led a pair of twins to appear in front of all the vampires to share the secret of how he turned back into a human. "It's simple, I tricked a female demon hunter into becoming my wife!"
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
