"How much is 'a little bit'?"
The white-haired youth and the elder with a childlike face exchanged glances, then couldn't help but chuckle wryly.
As everyone knew, swordsmen were men of grandeur.
Roaming the martial world, they prided themselves on living freely and unrestrained, never shying away from splurging.
From elders to disciples, extravagance was the norm.
As a swordsman sect without other sources of income like alchemy or artifact forging, the Hengyun Sword City wasn’t exactly wealthy.
But that was only relative to provincial-level powers.
Even if Li Mo emptied the Qingyuan Sect’s treasury, it wouldn’t amount to much in their eyes.
The Sword City owed Li Mo a favor, and since the divine technique he’d comprehended wasn’t a sword art, they couldn’t very well make things difficult for him.
Li Mo cleared his throat and said,
"Both of you, esteemed seniors, are masters of the Dharma Body, with unyielding sword spirits. Naturally, you regard wealth as mere dust."
"The first proposal is mainly to express my sincerity—just a token of goodwill."
He knew how to humor old men.
The white-haired youth puffed out his chest. "Indeed, how could we swordsmen ever care for mere gold and silver?"
This kid was a man of grandeur.
Swordsmen loved dealing with such people.
The elder stroked his beard and asked with a smile, "In your opinion, what would be a reasonable price to observe the sword marks once?"
Li Mo gestured with his fingers again.
"Two thousand taels of gold?"
Li Mo shook his head.
"Twenty thousand?"
Young Li shook his head again.
"Two hundred thousand?"
The white-haired youth maintained a calm expression, but inwardly, he was slightly stunned.
Did this kid have a gold mine at home?
Two hundred thousand taels—of gold, no less—was enough to fund the Sword City disciples’ "carefree wanderings" for a year.
Yet Li Mo still shook his head.
Could it be two hundred taels? That really would be just a token.
Shaking his head slightly, the white-haired youth asked again,
"What’s your second proposal?"
"Ah..."
Li Mo had been about to state his price, but since the senior had asked about the second option, he had no choice but to say,
"The second proposal is to wait for me for a while."
"Once my strength grows enough to meet the conditions for fully executing the divine technique, I’ll return to record it."
"I’m confident I can fulfill this promise within three years."
The Heaven-Overturning, Earth-Shaking, Humanity-Slaying Hammer didn’t just have requirements in cultivation realm.
It also imposed conditions that would be considered harsh by ordinary standards.
Li Mo said solemnly, "If the two seniors have any concerns, we could also set a three-year..."
The three-year pact request failed.
When it came to hammer technique talent, no one doubted him in the slightest.
"I believe you." ×3.
Out of the four present, three agreed without hesitation.
The ice block didn’t speak, but her expression made her thoughts clear.
Li Mo: "..."
First time feeling so conflicted because of trust, huh.
"The second proposal is reasonable enough."
The elder pondered, then asked again,
"And the third?"
"The third is for me to leave a complete sword art in the Sword City."
"The sword art I used during the Sword Testing Assembly—the two seniors must have witnessed it. It’s no less than a divine technique."
Li Mo didn’t feel the slightest bit of reluctance.
He’d be thrilled if the two elders chose the third option.
"That sword art that could break all techniques, turning the mundane into the divine?"
The two Dharma Body experts straightened up.
"Yes." Li Mo nodded.
Seeing his earnest expression and clear gaze, they couldn’t help but silently praise him.
This kid had once said he wished "every swordsman under heaven could become a Sword Immortal"—those were truly heartfelt words.
His magnanimity was more befitting of a true swordsman.
Ahem...
In truth, Young Li’s reasoning was simple.
First, it would fulfill the Hengyun Sword City’s rules. Second, there might be unexpected returns on investment.
The Nine Swords of Dugu was extremely difficult—only those truly extraordinary could gain anything from it.
The two Sword City Dharma Body experts didn’t hesitate.
After exchanging glances, the white-haired youth nodded and said,
"Then let’s proceed with the third proposal."
"Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider the first one?"
Li Mo double-checked.
After all, that was also a form of investment... and an immediate one at that.
"For us swordsmen, wealth is but fleeting clouds."
"You’re looking down on us now."
The white-haired youth shook his head with a smile.
"Alright then." Li Mo scratched his head.
Swordsmen roamed the martial world, often throwing money around without a second thought.
He’d always been curious where they got all that money from.
Shaking his head, he took out brush and ink and began writing the Nine Swords of Dugu’s general principles.
Once finished.
The two Dharma Body experts examined it together, their faces filled with awe.
This sword art’s conception was incredibly profound!
But it was also incredibly, incredibly difficult.
It was hard to imagine how Li Mo had managed to master it to such a degree...
"It truly is no less than a divine technique."
"Indeed. If one could refine this sword art to perfection, they might even grasp a sword Dao."
Li Mo—what an honest lad.
Without hesitation, he left the complete sword art principles in the Hengyun Sword City. One must remember, the sword arts left behind by Ying Bing and Jiang Chulong were merely one or two moves from divine techniques.
A complete divine technique was enough to make Dharma Body experts covetous and even tempt Sage-level figures.
"In that case, we’ve taken quite the advantage of you."
"Is there anything else you need? Feel free to ask!"
"I’ve studied painting and would like to sketch the Strange Stone. I hope the seniors will permit it."
Li Mo didn’t beat around the bush—he’d had this in mind for a while.
The two Dharma Body experts felt they were all men of grandeur.
Such a trivial matter—was it even worth mentioning?
"Ahem, just one thing to note."
"Hm?"
"Absolutely do not take out your hammer in front of the Strange Stone."
"...Understood."
One more imprint, and the Strange Stone wouldn’t have another side left.
Both hosts and guest were thoroughly satisfied.
As they were saying their goodbyes.
The elder, still studying the Nine Swords of Dugu, casually asked,
"Oh, by the way, what exactly was that gesture of yours earlier? How many taels did you mean?"
The white-haired youth also looked up.
Not two thousand, not twenty thousand, not even two hundred thousand.
Such a straightforward kid like Li Mo—surely he didn’t mean two hundred.
"Taels?"
Li Mo paused at the doorway.
He didn’t even use that unit of measurement anymore.
"I meant two golden mountains."
"...Come again?"
"Two golden mountains. Like... mountains as big as the sect gates."
Li Mo gestured for emphasis.
The three walked away.
The white-haired youth and the elder stood frozen in place, silent for a long, long time.
They’d even forgotten about the Nine Swords of Dugu, their minds occupied by a single burning question.
This unit of measurement...
Who the hell taught you that?
and couldn't return to the real world. Finally, I gave up and decided to go with the flow, only to discover that writing a diary could make me stronger. Since no one could read it, Su Luo wrote freely, daring to pen anything and everything. Female Lead #1: "Not bad. This diary helped me steal all the protagonist's opportunities. I just want to get stronger." Female Lead #2: "I don’t care about reaching the peak of the cultivation world. Right now, I just want to enjoy the chaos." Female Lead #3: "What? Everyone around me is a spy? I’m the Joker Demon Lord?" ... It’s so strange. Why is the plot completely off track, yet the ending remains the same? Are you all just messing with me?!
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.
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?
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.
