It must be me, the day the hidden dragon rises to the list

"To leave such marks on the Sword Scar Stone—how utterly outrageous!"

Wei Zhaoliu clenched her fists, trembling with fury.

Li Mo cleared his throat lightly.

"Is it possible... he didn’t mean to?"

"Perhaps he simply gained some insight while studying it and inadvertently left his mark."

Wei Zhaoliu froze at his words, her lips parting briefly before she pressed them together and lowered her head.

She had been studying the mystical stone since childhood, yet couldn’t so much as scratch its surface.

But that person—on his very first attempt—had reshaped the stone to his will.

The gap between them was nothing short of despair-inducing.

For a moment, her eyes glazed over in disbelief.

That sword scar was like the will of heaven itself—how could it yield so easily...?

Ahem.

Noticing her teetering on the edge of another breakdown, Li Mo spoke earnestly:

"Senior Sister Wei, your swordsmanship talent is extraordinary. One day, you’ll comprehend an even greater sword technique. Won’t you be able to restore the stone then?"

The combination of his soothing spiritual influence and gentle words worked wonders.

"Right... I just need to work harder..."

Wei Zhaoliu nodded firmly. "Thank you for the reminder, Junior Brother! If you ever struggle with sword techniques, feel free to ask me!"

"Helping others is its own reward—no need for thanks."

Li Mo blinked calmly.

Wei Zhaoliu sighed.

"That guy’s practically a monster."

"In what way?"

"Every way imaginable. Forget his talent—who in their right mind practices with hammers?"

She grumbled indignantly.

"......"

Li Mo fell silent for a few seconds before responding with shared sympathy:

"If given the choice, who’d willingly... Though hammer users aren’t necessarily bad people."

Wei Zhaoliu frowned. "Junior Brother, why are you empathizing with him? Are you two acquainted?"

"To be blunt, he and I are sworn enemies."

"Fair. You definitely don’t have that... aura about you."

She nodded.

The mention of hammers conjured an image of a hulking, ferocious brute who could devour three children in one sitting.

This junior brother, with his refined and gentle demeanor, clearly wouldn’t associate with such a person.

Besides, he’d just helped her.

He seemed like a decent fellow.

......

Descending from the Sword Tower, he didn’t return to Yunzhou City.

Today, the "Ice Block" was lecturing at the Sword Pool.

The Sword Pool—where the Hengyun Sword City stored its blades—was akin to the Divine Edge Cave: a vast open plaza.

At its center lay a crystal-clear pond, its waters cradling countless swords of every description.

The area was now packed shoulder-to-shoulder, crowds layered three deep.

"No wonder Ying Bing was chosen as this generation’s Sword Prodigy. Her insights surpass even my Outer Realm master’s teachings."

"If only she were a disciple of our Sword City."

"Were that the case, our Eldest Senior Sister might soon be dethroned."

"Pity we missed Young Hero Li’s lecture. With his Sword Immortal potential, his perspective must be extraordinary."

......

Amidst the attentive silence, hushed discussions occasionally surfaced.

Seeing the crowd and realizing the lecture was nearly over, Li Mo decided against squeezing in.

After lingering briefly, his gaze drifted—

There, not far away, a small figure with a bamboo basket on her back was poking at the ground with a peach branch.

With a deft flick, a broken sword fragment arced into her basket.

The humid air clung to her neck, strands of hair sticking to her skin, yet she worked with undimmed enthusiasm.

"Chu Long, why aren’t you at the Sword Pool?"

Noticing the faint dimples that appeared as she smiled, Li Mo approached.

"I already... already listened."

"You have?"

"Sister Bing’s lecture... sounded a lot like Teacher’s..."

"......"

"Could it be... Sister Bing also... received Teacher’s guidance?"

Jiang Chulong tilted her head, perplexed.

"Not necessarily. Swordsmanship principles often converge—their similarities might just stem from shared understanding."

"Mhm... that makes sense."

The little princess found Li Mo’s logic impeccable.

Watching her unearth yet another broken sword with uncanny precision, Li Mo asked curiously:

"Chu Long, how do you know where these are buried?"

"Because... I can hear them... and there’s... so many more."

With time to spare, Li Mo happily joined her in gathering "treasures."

If not for the fact they were collecting shattered blades, the scene might’ve resembled a spring outing—foraging for wild greens or mushrooms...

Before long, her basket was nearly full.

"Why is it all swords...?"

"Odd."

Li Mo realized the soil here was systematically packed with nothing but broken weapons.

"Of course it’s odd."

A familiar voice cut in, its tone straining to suppress irritation.

"Hm?"

Looking up, Li Mo saw Elder Zeng glowering at them.

"Those swords have been buried around the Sword Pool for years."

"Never thought you’d dig them all up."

"Years?"

Li Mo’s interest piqued. If they’d remained hidden this long, these blades must be remarkable.

Without Jiang Chulong’s innate Sword Embryo physique, they’d likely have stayed undiscovered.

Were they placed as a test for gifted disciples?

Elder Zeng’s expression darkened further:

"Indeed. I arranged them in an esoteric formation to nurture their spirit. Now you’ve uprooted everything!"

Li Mo: "......"

He was about to explain to Jiang Chulong that these weren’t abandoned trash and needed reburying—

But the girl hung her head, her slight frame dwarfed by the overloaded basket.

In a tiny voice, she murmured, "But... these swords... they’re crying..."

Cough. "Elder Zeng."

"What now?"

"Could your sect... adopt an alternative method for sword nurturing?"

"Using damaged blades is cost-effective! Who’ll cover the expenses? You?"

"Naturally, I will."

......

[Congratulations, Host. You’ve successfully invested in a Gold-Stone Sword Nurturing Array.]

[Investment return: 100 years of martial insights.]

Trading wealth for enlightenment was an absolute bargain.

Young Li happened to need vast amounts of martial wisdom.

He still had four more Profound Pills to condense.

In other words, he needed to master four additional cultivation techniques, advance them to the Profound Pill realm, and integrate them as stars within his Zhou Heavenly Star Pill Scripture.

At this stage, no amount of insight was excessive.

Thus, Elder Zeng enhanced the Sword Pool’s spiritual energy, Jiang Chulong secured her hard-won "junk," and Li Mo gained invaluable comprehension.

A triple victory!

......

Three days later.

The elders en route had yet to arrive.

But the latest Hidden Dragon Ranking was due for release.

Young Li had forgone sleep the previous night, devoting himself to deciphering the Eight Treasures Metal Devouring Art.

With rare materials and his prior experience in the Profound Pill realm, progress was smooth.

Still, condensing another pill remained just out of reach.

"At this rate, it'll probably take two months to gather all seven stars..."

Before long, the members of the Qingyuan Sect had all assembled.

"The elders should arrive soon. I wonder if they’ll make it in time to see the rankings right away."

Shen Yunfei smiled. "Let’s head out as well!"

It was rare for disciples of the Qingyuan Sect to make the list.

But this time, two were practically guaranteed a spot—only their exact rankings remained uncertain.

With that thought, his gaze drifted to a nearby figure.

There, a young man and a young woman had just stepped out of the courtyard together.

Behind them trailed the little girl with cloth wrapped around her eyes.

For a moment, Shen Yunfei felt an odd sensation.

In just a few days, their auras... had grown stronger?