The moon hung bright in the sky.
The owner of this room was someone with a keen sense of aesthetics, having poured considerable effort into its furnishings.
Yet, they likely never dreamed in their wildest fantasies that this very room would one day be cleaned by the hands of the Phoenix Heavenly Empress (from her past life)!
At this moment.
Ying Bing held a broom, sweeping the floor with meticulous care.
Even the pair of well-polished walnuts in the box on the table—having been rubbed smooth over many years—were wiped spotless by her cloth, infused with true essence.
"This feeling is..."
"Actions guided by the heart, thoughts flowing unimpeded?"
Sensing the circulation of runic energy within the miniature figure in her dantian, her second aperture gradually filled.
Ying Bing set aside the broom and cloth, opening the window.
A cool breeze carried the moonlight, and the courtyard lay silent.
Gazing at the moon, her eyes reflected its glow like a tranquil spring under the night sky.
Observing the divine was a means to temper the spirit and refine the soul, yet the true foundation of spiritual strength lay in the power of one’s state of mind.
Now, she could face all things with serene composure.
Just as she prepared to cultivate—
The System chimed with a notification:
[Ding!]
[Countdown to the next ranking comparison: Eight days.]
"Eight days..."
Ying Bing’s eyes lowered slightly.
To go with the flow was one thing.
But the desire to claim the top rank was also a deeply rooted aspiration within her.
Yet, no matter the outcome, she could now accept it with equanimity.
[Alert!]
[The penalty for the next loss is: Requesting the victor to caress you (covering at least 80% of your body).]
Ying Bing’s eyelid twitched imperceptibly.
......
In another room.
Li Mo tossed and turned in bed, utterly unable to sleep. Recalling the ice block’s behavior today, he realized it screamed one word:
"Weird!"
Or rather, three words:
"Something’s off!"
Since when did the ice block care about others?
Heck, she even initiated dual cultivation!
Gaining enlightenment in swordsmanship shouldn’t have suddenly changed her personality like this...
Unless... it was some kind of deathbed kindness!
Was something about to happen to him?
After racking his brain to no avail, Li Mo decided to distract himself by opening some rewards.
Just to be safe.
First, he pulled up his own information.
[Name: Li Mo]
[Age: 16]
[Constitution: Xuanpin Immortal Body.]
[Realm: First Aperture of Divine Observation (on the verge of breakthrough).]
[Fate: ???]
[Evaluation: Possessing an immortal physique, his destiny is shrouded in chaos, rendering the future unknowable.]
[Recent Events: At Hengyun Sword City, comprehended the ‘Immortal Spirit Stone,’ mastering a complete divine hammer technique and earning the title of Cloudrealm Sword Immortal (I dare call you Sword Immortal—do you dare answer?).]
"..."
Ignoring the System’s inexplicable cheekiness, Li Mo sighed softly.
It was a pity he still couldn’t discern his own fate.
His recent events log also didn’t mention anything about imminent happenings.
[You have multiple unclaimed investment returns. Claim now?]
"Claim."
Li Mo murmured inwardly.
[Congratulations, Host. Your investment in Dong Chang'an spared him from harm during the Rain Pavilion’s ambush.]
[Reward: 3,000 taels of gold.]
[Congratulations, Host. Your investment in Lu Mo spared him from harm during the Rain Pavilion’s ambush.]
[Reward: Three-Revolving Vitality Grass.]
......
A flood of rewards followed.
This batch was far more extensive—and dazzling—than the last.
After all, his previous efforts had only involved guiding others, whereas this time, he’d saved lives.
Thus, as long as the recipients didn’t possess white-tier fate, the rewards were all decent.
Li Mo sorted them out as usual.
Sigh.
Counting gold and stacking it into piles was such a tedious chore.
And those rare treasures and heavenly materials—why were there so many? Some he didn’t even recognize, and reading their descriptions alone was exhausting.
A rough estimate put the value of the Treasure Pavilion at about one one-hundred-and-fiftieth of a "Li."
And that wasn’t all!
"The juiciest reward—the ice block’s—is still unopened!"
Young Li stared at the unclaimed reward, falling into deep thought.
Could her odd behavior be related to this pending investment return?
They’d only dual cultivated once...
Getting rewards for dual cultivation made sense, but her suddenly gaining enlightenment mid-session was downright baffling.
"Claim."
Shaking his head, Li Mo decided to claim it first.
[Investment Return: 《Supreme Clarity Golden Elixir Scripture》]
[《Supreme Clarity Golden Elixir Scripture》]: "A treatise on external alchemy and metallurgical arts, encompassing breath control and unity with the Dao. Profound and abstruse, it embodies the fundamental principles of external elixir refinement."
"Alchemy?"
From the name alone, Li Mo had assumed it would be similar to the 《Zhou Heavenly Starry Sky Mystic Elixir Scripture》...
Well.
It wasn’t purely an alchemy manual, though that was part of it.
Beyond refining external elixirs, it also detailed methods to control them.
"One Mystic Elixir Scripture, one Divine Elixir Scripture."
"Could these two synergize somehow...?"
Li Mo recalled the divine technique he’d acquired earlier that day.
《Heaven-Overturning, Earth-Upending Mortal-Slaying Hammer》 comprised three forms.
The first form required at least seven mystic elixirs within the body, arranged like the Big Dipper, to summon the power of falling stars.
Including his sword pellet, he was still four elixirs short.
Cultivating them himself would take who knew how long.
This was the drawback of the 《Zhou Heavenly Starry Sky Mystic Elixir Scripture》—it demanded an excessive amount of time.
"But what if I refine external elixirs?"
The young genius’s mind whirred into action.
He remembered Elder Xue had attempted something similar. Though the experiment had met setbacks, it ultimately...
...succeeded on him and Senior Brother Xiaobao.
Was it possible...
...the issue lay in the elixirs themselves?
If he used the 《Supreme Clarity Golden Elixir Scripture》 to refine elixirs, could they mimic Senior Brother Xiaobao’s condition, allowing him to replicate Elder Xue’s theory?
Li Mo’s thoughts spiraled outward, conjuring countless possibilities.
Yet, in the end, he shook his head slightly.
"A shame Elder Xue isn’t in Cloudrealm."
"Otherwise, I could’ve asked him directly..."
Having a divine technique but being unable to wield it was frustrating.
Li Mo preferred to integrate it into his arsenal as quickly as possible, making it his trump card.
After some preliminary study—
Well.
This external alchemy art was also directly imprinted into his mind.
Just pondering it for a while left him dizzy, his spirit strained to the limit.
"Almost midnight."
Li Mo glanced at the moon hanging high outside his window.
Stepping out of his room, he approached the ice block’s door.
Just as he raised his hand to knock—
Snap.
The door swung open.
Their eyes met.
......
P.S.: Noted the guest appearances in the comments, folks! Will pick a few to include later, though no promises on how serious their roles will be...
Moving tomorrow, dear readers—gotta wake up early to write. Mwah!