Moonlight spilled through the doorway, filling the room with a soft, radiant glow.
Their eyes met.
Both froze for a moment.
Li Mo stared at the "ice block"—Ying Bing—her dark hair tied into a braid draped over her shoulder, sleeves rolled up as if she’d just finished chores.
Her usual aloofness was now mingled with a quiet, domestic charm.
She seemed... less sharp-edged than usual.
New skin unlocked for the Ice Queen—Homely Empress?
Hmm... and the room was spotless, not a speck of dust in sight. Even the walnuts on the table gleamed under the light.
Well, this was... unexpectedly sudden.
Watching the dumbfounded Li Mo,
Ying Bing spoke softly,
"I had some free time, so I tidied up."
Li Mo pondered for a moment before suddenly straightening his face and declaring loudly,
"Imperial Jade Wine!"
Ying Bing: "?"
What nonsense is this?
Li Mo paused, then cautiously tried again,
"Prosperity and Democracy?"
Ying Bing: "......"
Li Mo’s unease grew.
She didn’t recognize any of these. Unlike him, she hadn’t unlocked the "Mystery of the Womb," awakening memories of a past life.
Then...
"It’s almost midnight," Ying Bing said, walking to the bed and patting the mattress.
Li Mo approached step by step, deep in thought.
It was a single bed, quite small.
They’d shared a bed before, even bathed together in hot springs, but now, sitting on the edge, Li Mo felt inexplicably awkward.
"Are you ready?"
Rarely seeing Li Mo so flustered, a flicker of amusement passed through Ying Bing’s eyes as she tilted her chin up.
Seems the benefits of a "Sword-Heart Illumination" weren’t just for martial arts... but also for inner strength.
She wouldn’t falter like last time, during the "Punishment of the Defeated" hot spring incident.
Absolutely not.
Just as she thought this, her vision suddenly darkened.
"This bed is a bit cramped," Li Mo muttered.
His sitting there blocked the moonlight entirely.
The second layer of "Phoenix Cries in Heavenly Marsh" required both parties to enter a meditative state for optimal effect.
"Then we’ll sit on the floor," Ying Bing suggested softly.
"Sit on the floor..."
Li Mo’s gaze swept the ground before a thought struck him.
He focused inward, delving into his system space.
While sorting rewards earlier, he’d received quite a few miscellaneous items.
Like adjustable massage chairs.
Snap—
Two chairs materialized in the room.
He sprawled onto one—surprisingly comfortable, lifting his mood instantly.
Seeing this, Ying Bing walked over and, without hesitation, lay back on the other chair.
The plush cushioning embraced her.
She looked up at the sky, where a silver moon hung high.
The serene atmosphere was perfect for meditation.
"Your hand."
"Alright."
A cool, smooth touch met his palm.
Unlike during the day, Li Mo now sensed far more from Ying Bing’s spiritual essence—her overwhelming strength, laid bare.
"Mmm..."
Ying Bing kept her eyes fixed on the moon.
Meanwhile, within their shared spiritual space, the luminous orb Li Mo observed grew clearer.
"I’ve unlocked the second meditative aperture, while you’re still at the first," she said.
"I’ll release a trace of my spiritual essence first."
"Understood."
This mirrored the first layer of "Phoenix Cries in Heavenly Marsh"—after all, it was the same martial art.
Li Mo focused intently.
He was already at the threshold of the second aperture.
Then—
A wisp of coolness brushed his mind.
He originally couldn’t observe the great moon in the outside world, but now, because of the ice block (Ying Bing), the moonlight from beyond illuminated his spiritual consciousness.
He didn’t feel any discomfort, only a faint sense of strangeness.
The sliver of moonlight brought by Ying Bing seemed fundamentally different from the one he had been observing.
"As I thought..."
Ying Bing had noticed this during the day.
The Nine Heavens and Ten Earths had three great suns, but the moon had always been just one.
The more they cultivated together, the more she realized that the moon Li Mo observed had many subtle differences.
Yet, though unfamiliar, it gave her an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Half an hour later.
As their spiritual energies flowed between them,
Li Mo let out a soft sigh:
"We can still strengthen the spiritual consciousness further."
Ying Bing’s eyelashes trembled faintly. "This is already everything."
At this point, Li Mo’s second aperture still remained unopened.
Yet, despite having one fewer aperture than her, the strength of his spiritual consciousness was nearly on par with hers.
And...
Why was his second aperture so stubbornly fortified?
It almost felt to her as if she were trying to break through the fifth or even sixth aperture of the Divine Observation realm.
She possessed dual divine forms, though neither was a complete Great Dao divine form.
"What should we do now..."
Li Mo was at a loss.
"Empty your mind. Just focus on circulating the 'Phoenix Cries in Heavenly Marsh,'" Ying Bing suddenly said.
"Huh?"
Li Mo was puzzled for a moment but immediately did as she instructed.
The next instant,
the connection between their spiritual consciousnesses grew even tighter.
It was as if he could feel Ying Bing’s emotions in that very moment—
She was utterly focused.
Hmm...
Li Mo had the strange sensation of playing a duo match in the bot lane, where he was the ADC, only for his phone to be snatched away by a god-tier support who, disgusted by his noob skills, decided to play both accounts at once...
But it wasn’t just focus.
Through this deeper spiritual exchange, he also sensed the tranquility in Ying Bing’s heart—a powerful, unshakable resolve.
The next moment,
two distinct yet harmonious moons shimmered within Ying Bing’s serene eyes.
She guided the combined power of their spiritual energies, helping Li Mo break through the barrier of his second Divine Observation aperture!
The aperture, originally flawless as jade and seemingly indestructible,
was now being handled in a way that left Li Mo utterly awestruck.
Ying Bing simultaneously controlled both of their spiritual energies, concentrating them into a relentless, alternating assault on the same tiny point of the aperture.
The point was minuscule,
but her control was even more precise.
If there was no weakness, she would create one?
Li Mo was reminded of the core philosophy of the "Nine Swords of Dugu."
Time passed.
After countless strikes,
the smallest breach finally appeared in the once-impenetrable barrier—like an ant hole dooming a mighty dam.
From there, the rest was simple.
Crack—
After an unknowable length of time,
a faint, almost imperceptible shattering sound echoed in Li Mo’s sea of consciousness.
The second aperture—broken through, as naturally as water flowing downhill!
In an instant, he felt as if he had ascended to a whole new realm.
And he also sensed
the faint exhaustion in Ying Bing, who had been controlling his spiritual energy.
Before he could even rejoice, he opened his eyes.
"Ice block (Ying Bing)?"
"I’m fine..."
Ying Bing’s face was slightly pale, a faint sheen of sweat glistening at her temples. She shook her head with a soft smile.
She was tired, yes, but a quiet joy also welled up in her heart.
Her moon, too, could shine upon him...
"Thank you."
"It was nothing."
"Our spiritual energies are still linked—I can tell you’re not fine. Let me help you relax a little."
"Huh?"
"For example, massage—I happen to know a unique massage technique, and this chair here is just perfect for it..."
"?"
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
igrating to the cultivation world for two hundred years, I've managed to lie low and reach the Nascent Soul stage. Only now does my golden finger arrive? ...
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
