Red Sleeves Add Fragrance, Little Ginger Princess: "Grass"

"What did that young girl comprehend within the sword scar?"

"This spectacle is at least ten times more astonishing than the earlier commotion caused by Bai Jinghong."

"......"

The onlookers could witness the extraordinary phenomenon, yet none knew what was truly happening atop the Sword Tower.

They wished they had wings to fly up and see for themselves.

On the high platform.

The elders had all vanished.

Only the envoy from the Yantian Sect remained standing in place.

The Yantian Sect envoy's unfocused eyes suddenly sharpened.

"The little princess... she shouldn’t be here."

"Nor should she have witnessed the Hengyun Sword Scar..."

After murmuring softly, her eyes flickered with intricate, chaotic patterns.

Had Li Mo been present, he might have found it familiar.

The ocular technique she employed bore a faint resemblance to the Divine Eye of Fate.

Moments later.

The woman’s face gradually paled, her transcendent gaze turning lost and bewildered.

Everything was in disarray.

Utter chaos...

......

Atop the Sword Tower.

Could that young girl truly be comprehending divine techniques from the Hengyun Sword Scar?

Everyone held their breath, the absurd thought crossing their minds.

Elder Zeng stood as if entranced.

"As Chu Long approached, the sword-scarred stone seemed to grow more vibrant."

Li Mo’s intuition grew stronger.

It was as though something was being birthed within that peculiar stone.

Or perhaps a sentience beyond his understanding was awakening.

"Beyond the sword scar itself, the stone bearing it can hardly be called lifeless."

Ying Bing spoke softly.

She seemed to understand now why, in her past life, Han Zhen—who neither practiced swordsmanship nor lacked martial techniques—had been willing to take such great risks to seize the Hengyun Sword Scar.

Suddenly.

She noticed Li Mo pulling out paper and brush.

"What are you...?"

"I want to try sketching the sword-scarred stone. If it works, I could study it anytime."

"......"

If such a drawing could truly be captured...

Wouldn’t it qualify as an "Extreme Form Divine Contemplation Diagram"?

Ying Bing didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh.

Normally, he was a reliable person.

But occasionally, he’d come up with these whimsical, almost childish ideas.

"Consider it practice."

Li Mo eagerly spread out the paper.

Just as he reached for the inkstick, a slender, jade-like hand beat him to it.

The dark inkstick contrasted starkly against the girl’s fair skin as she ground it gently, the ink slowly spreading across the stone.

"Why aren’t you drawing?"

Ying Bing tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, only to find Li Mo staring at her as if spellbound.

"Ah, right, drawing..."

The young man snapped out of it and began with earnest strokes.

Ying Bing glanced over, her eyes narrowing in confusion.

"Weren’t you sketching the stone?"

"Hm?"

Li Mo looked down.

A few simple lines had already brought to life a maiden in a porcelain-blue dress, her delicate hands grinding ink—a classic "beauty aiding the scholar" scene.

It was unmistakably a portrait of a noble lady.

"Wrong one, let’s try again."

Clearing his throat, Li Mo tucked the drawing away.

Then, refocusing, he turned his gaze forward.

At that moment.

Jiang Chulong stepped closer to the mystical stone, biting her lip.

This belonged to someone else, so it wasn’t trash she could take.

But she really, really wanted to touch it...

Would it be rude to handle another’s possession?

The little princess hesitated, then glanced back.

Her eyes met Li Mo’s.

Naturally, her "Big Brother Li" gave her an encouraging nod.

"Mm, I... I understand now..."

If Big Brother Li said it was fine, then it must be.

Her small hand no longer wavered.

Before Elder Zeng could react—his eyes widening, his warning ("Careful! The sword-scarred stone must not be touched!") still unspoken—

A resonant hum reverberated through heaven and earth.

The world seemed to dissolve around them, leaving everyone momentarily unaware of their own existence.

Yet they could faintly perceive something else...

The miniature realm formed by the waterfall and spring—originally an external projection of an inner world—suddenly burst with life.

Fish leaped from the water, their scales gleaming, their bodies growing larger.

Lotus flowers, water weeds, duckweed—all flora flourished.

Lush green grass spread rapidly from Jiang Chulong’s feet, covering the entire summit of the Sword Tower.

All things thrived.

What Jiang Chulong saw surpassed the others’ visions.

In her eyes, the heavens parted.

An indistinct figure, ethereal and untamed, stood amidst the void, his sword intent shaking the cosmos.

He raised a hand, plucking a single blade of grass.

As if wielding an invisible sword, he swept it casually through the air.

A razor-thin scar split the sky—clouds shattered, space itself fractured.

"I must... remember... this strike."

Countless sword forms flashed through Jiang Chulong’s mind, evolving, transforming.

Unbeknownst to her, even the "Wild Grass Sword Scripture" began to mutate...

"What kind of martial art is she even comprehending?"

"Could it be that a divine technique is truly about to emerge today?"

Everyone present—

As long as they had contemplated the Hengyun Sword Mark, they all felt a stirring in their hearts, raising their heads to gaze intently, unable to look away for a long time.

"This stone is so hard to sketch..."

Li Mo let out a weary sigh.

Even with his current level of spiritual strength, he found the act of copying it unbearably difficult.

He had no choice but to pause and recover his energy.

No matter.

When he observed the mystical stone up close, he would naturally have a better opportunity to study it.

He could always resume his sketching later.

......

Not far away.

Yin Mianmian narrowed her eyes, her gaze lingering thoughtfully on Jiang Chulong.

She had originally planned to make her move when either Li Mo or Ying Bing achieved enlightenment.

But now, the opportunity had arrived ahead of schedule.

"Wasn’t the little princess of Great Yu crippled after having her sword bone extracted? So why...?"

Her expression shifted several times before she finally sighed softly.

Jiang Chulong’s small figure vaguely reminded her of someone.

Perhaps she should wait until Jiang Chulong finished her enlightenment before acting—consider it a favor to that remarkable woman...

......

Before long.

Jiang Chulong slowly regained her senses.

"I... I did it."

Clutching the hem of her robe, she ran out from the waterfall. The swirling energies and artistic conceptions were strangely gentle toward her, leaving her unharmed.

She stopped in front of Li Mo, her small face flushed with shyness, like a kitten seeking praise.

"What did you comprehend?"

Li Mo withdrew his gaze from the distance and smiled as he asked.

"Grass!"

The little princess chirped happily.

Elder Zeng, who had been watching with concern, froze for a moment, utterly baffled.

The crowd: "......"

Li Mo: "......"

Such a cute princess shouldn’t be using foul language.

Well.

He understood what Jiang Chulong meant—her progress in the Wild Grass Sword Scripture had advanced.

"My head... feels like... like there’s a sword in it now..."

"And then... what Teacher taught me... also..."

Jiang Chulong stumbled over her words.

"What she means is, her spirit has imprinted the Hengyun Sword Mark."

"On top of that, the martial techniques she’s been practicing have improved, and she’s gained two sword forms."

Li Mo translated.

"Spirit imprint?"

"She treated the Hengyun Sword Mark as a divine visualization diagram?!"

Elder Zeng was dumbfounded.

"And those two sword forms?" he pressed urgently.

"They’re... stronger than... the slash you used to split the waterfall..."

"A divine technique?!"

Elder Zeng was utterly astonished.

His expression shifted repeatedly before he finally composed himself. After a long silence, he announced to the crowd below:

"There’s no need for further speculation. What this young lady has comprehended are two supreme-grade sword forms from a peerless technique!"

"Peerless technique?"

The first reaction from the crowd was disbelief.

With such a terrifying commotion earlier, was it really just a peerless technique?

Even if it was a supreme-grade one, that still seemed unlikely...

Elder Zeng didn’t dwell on the matter.

Exchanging a glance with Li Mo, he clasped his hands behind his back and swept his gaze over the distance before adding:

"Hu Mei, it’s your turn now."

Hu Mei—the alias Yin Mianmian had assumed.