The woman's crimson skirt fluttered like a peony about to bloom, with glimpses of her fair legs shimmering beneath.
She arched her willow-leaf brows, scanning the scene with restless energy, as if itching for action.
She wasn’t alone—several familiar faces trailed behind her.
Hmm?
Shang Wu’s gaze halted.
"My precious disciple?"
"...Master."
Li Mo recognized the voice instantly, though for a moment, he doubted his ears.
"Master, where did you get the money to rent this entire tavern?"
"Naturally, the sect covered it."
Qian Bufan and Xue Jing ascended the stairs, while Tang Xiaobao waved at Li Mo.
"So it’s you lot." Shang Wu frowned, visibly disappointed.
"......" Ignoring his battle-hungry master’s sulking, Li Mo turned to the others.
"Elder Qian, Elder Xue, Purple Sun Prefecture and Yunzhou are far apart. How did you arrive so quickly?"
Xue Jing chuckled. "You two youngsters made such a splash, and our Qingyuan Sect has no stronghold in Yunzhou. Even with the nearby Hengyun Sword City, this old man couldn’t rest easy."
"We drove the war chariot nonstop, burning through two whole Profound Crystals to get here by dawn," Qian Bufan added, wincing slightly at the expense.
"I see."
Warmth spread through Li Mo and his fellow disciples, deeply moved.
When it mattered, their elders were utterly dependable.
Though Qingyuan Sect couldn’t rival the grandeur of Hengyun Sword City, it had bonds those great sects could never replicate!
"Master, didn’t you say there was another reason?" Tang Xiaobao asked, puzzled.
"You mentioned our sect hasn’t shone this brightly in years. With such a world-shaking, face-showing moment, how could we miss the chance to—"
Thwack!
Elder Xue expressionlessly smacked Tang Xiaobao’s head.
The latter clutched his skull, aggrieved. That was exactly what his master had said before they left!
He still needed to refine his final meridian to reach full maturity.
Tang Xiaobao decided the adult world was far too complicated.
Li Mo: "......"
Everyone else: "......"
So much for their heartfelt moment.
As the elders took their seats, the group tacitly ignored the awkwardness, and the atmosphere warmed again.
After sipping his tea, Xue Jing remarked casually,
"I’d planned to send Xiaobao to fetch you, but you’d already picked this prime spot."
"I paid a hefty sum to reserve this tavern," Qian Bufan said, gazing at the glimmering lake and the Dragon Gate in full view. His earlier stinginess faded.
"Spare no expense on the road—we’ve got disciples climbing the Hidden Dragon Ranking. We can’t skimp on appearances."
He then grumbled,
"Though the owner here isn’t the most honest..."
"Exactly!" Shang Wu nodded, summoning a waiter.
"Fetch your boss!"
The waiter scratched his head and approached Li Mo.
"Boss, she’s calling for you."
Shang Wu: "?"
Qian Bufan: "......"
Why hadn’t he taken Li Mo as a disciple? Was it really because the inner sect slots were full?
Why hadn’t he just kicked someone out?
Just then—
Gasps rippled across the bustling lakeshore.
Li Mo turned to see the majestic Dragon Gate shimmering with radiant light.
The glow wasn’t harsh, and the inscribed characters remained crisp, forming a luminous screen.
Its presence rivaled the three suns hanging overhead.
"This hardly seems like the work of martial artists," Li Mo murmured.
No wonder the entire Nine Heavens and Ten Earths deferred to the Yantian Sect’s authority.
Such a spectacle left little room for doubt.
Once Ying Bing’s eyes landed on the Dragon Gate, its grandeur faded.
She studied the inscriptions, calm yet pensive.
Something about them felt familiar?
Jiang Chulong fidgeted with her sleeve, her gaze darting nervously before she finally mustered the courage to look.
The elders and others watched with bated breath.
They knew the two youngsters were locks for the ranking—but where would they place?
Soon, elegant, sweeping characters flashed across the screen:
[Hidden Dragon Ranking, 100th: Huang Donglai.]
[Martial Arts: Five-Aperture Insight, mastered Wind Cloud Leg and Five Poisons Scripture, comprehended the Cloud-Soaring Movement at Hengyun Sword City, and perfected the high-tier body-refining art—Turtle Shell Body. Exceptional agility, formidable physique, and deadly poison techniques.]
[Record: Engaged numerous 8th/9th-Aperture Insight experts (e.g., River Lance, Thousand-Mile Eagle) without defeat or victory, always escaping unscathed. Eliminated multiple lower-realm foes. Multiple aliases...]
[Epithet: The Poisonous Two-Faced Turtle.]
"......"
The lakeshore fell silent for a heartbeat.
Everyone knew the Hidden Dragon Ranking was reserved for prodigies.
But Huang Donglai’s nickname made them question its prestige.
Yet no one could deny—
The man was undeniably strong, shrugging off 9th-Aperture experts.
Just... in the most baffling way possible.
Li Mo: "......"
The Poisonous Two-Faced Turtle? Seriously?
"Pfft—HAHAHAHA!" Shang Wu doubled over laughing.
"Precious disciple, did you cross paths with this guy at the martial summit?"
"Met him. Fought him," Li Mo said, recalling the slippery opponent.
"Thoughts?" Shang Wu asked.
"Unbelievably tanky, absurdly fast, and his damage... Well, poison was banned at the summit. I nearly caved and used my hammer."
Li Mo deadpanned.
"You defeated a 5th-Aperture expert with just your sword?"
Xue Jing and Qian Bufan exchanged glances.
They knew what had happened in the Blood Phoenix Secret Realm.
But while Li Mo’s swordsmanship was refined, surpassing five apertures to beat a Hidden Dragon prodigy?
And if he’d used his divine weapon...?
Xue Jing suddenly realized—they still didn’t know what Li Mo had gained from Hengyun Sword City’s sword marks. They’d meant to visit and express gratitude.
"Xiao Mo, how did your sword enlightenment go?"
"......"
Li Mo blinked, then grinned.
"I was this close—just this close—to becoming a Sword Prodigy."
Too bad the elders and founders of Hengyun Sword City had vetoed it.
"Tch, isn’t our little Bing the Sword Prodigy?" Shang Wu teased, convinced he was boasting.
"What kind of ‘prodigy’ are you, then?"
"Not a prodigy, alas. These days, they call me... the Sword Immortal."
"You? A Sword Immortal?"
Shang Wu’s eyes brimmed with skepticism.
"Ah, what a shame I just bought this tavern. They must have fine wine here..."
Shang Wu beamed. "Ahem. All jokes aside, the title is well-earned."
Ah, the perks of bribery.
Her masterly dignity was crumbling fast.
Li Mo’s smile froze.
Wait.
The Hidden Dragon Ranking listed each entrant’s greatest strength.
His wasn’t swordsmanship.
Did that mean his cover was about to—
The luminous screen flickered, already reaching the 85th rank.
iemie, male, Race: Moon. Hobby: Collecting anomalies. At first, he thought he possessed two systems: the Crimson Rainbow Moon and the Clear Cold Frost Moon. One day, he discovered that he himself could also become a system for others, holding the chessboard of fate. The Eighth Epoch, also known as the Eternal Moon Epoch. Humans, witches, elves, bloodline descendants, specters, demons, and spirits together compose a new history. Walking the path on behalf of the moon, before he knew it, Chen Miemie's footsteps were followed by all manner of strange and wondrous anomalies. As time passed, many titles circulated about him—The King in Yellow, Lord of Anomalies, Heart of the Eternal Moon, and more. "Me? I'm just a traveler who enjoys collecting interesting creatures," Chen Miemie said.
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.
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
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)
