"Did Yin Mianmian send you to give me a warning?"
"Mm. The bounty I took was issued by the Holy Maiden herself."
"Not to kill me, just a warning?"
"Exactly."
Under Shang Wu's piercing gaze, Xu Yi answered without hesitation.
He had no doubt that if he showed even a moment's hesitation, that woman as beautiful as a flower would reduce him to dust with a single punch.
"Even the Holy Maiden has to place a bounty to command someone like you... truly mercenary to the core..."
Li Mo couldn't wrap his head around it:
"What exactly is she warning me about?"
Qian Bufan said gravely:
"Once you enter the Drizzle Pavilion, you can never leave—unless in death."
"So she's telling me... that if I betray the Drizzle Pavilion, they can find me anytime?"
Li Mo finally understood Yin Mianmian's message, his expression turning odd.
He had obtained the Hallfront Swallow by sheer coincidence and never truly considered himself a member of the Drizzle Pavilion.
The Three Evils of Huai Mountain weren’t just him alone.
Why was she targeting him specifically...
"Seems like our precautions weren’t for nothing."
Xue Jing had initially thought that he and Qian Bufan would be enough and hadn’t wanted Shang Wu to tag along.
"Hm? Trying to steal my disciple?"
Shang Wu’s almond-shaped eyes narrowed as she sneered, "Yin Mianmian, was it? Better hope I don’t catch her. If I do, I’ll beat her into a soft, squishy mess!"
"The Drizzle Pavilion sent an Outer Scenery expert this time," Li Mo reminded her.
Shang Wu pondered for a moment before declaring, "So what? I’ll still beat them up!"
"And a Dharma Body."
"Then lure them into the sect... I’ll give it a shot."
Her tone softened slightly as she huffed.
Li Mo was taken aback. He had expected his beautiful master to dodge the topic with a laugh—after all, her principle was never to fight a battle she couldn’t win.
Who knew that within the Qingyuan Sect, she could actually hold her own against a Dharma Body?
The group exchanged uneasy glances, debating whether to summon the sect leader immediately.
Meanwhile, Li Mo’s gaze fell on Xu Yi.
"By the way, where’s the black market in Yunzhou where the Drizzle Pavilion issues bounties?"
"That... I can’t say."
This time, even Shang Wu’s death glare had no effect.
Xu Yi paled, shaking his head repeatedly.
Leaking the Drizzle Pavilion’s secrets? Even a madman would fear the consequences...
"Really won’t talk?"
"You don’t know the Pavilion’s creed? It’s every assassin’s oath—"
"You’re scared of that?"
"Only those of the Drizzle Pavilion can—"
"I have the Hallfront Swallow. It doesn’t break the rules. And... I’ll pay extra."
"..."
And so, Xu Yi spilled everything, even offering to guide them personally.
Watching Xu Yi spill secrets like beans from a sack, Li Mo suddenly felt his earlier act as the "Northwest Hammer King" to extract information had been entirely unnecessary.
Every assassin in the Drizzle Pavilion truly had a deep love for money.
If that was the case...
Young genius Li Mo began scheming.
After securing the unexpected guest Xu Yi, the group at the lakeside tavern turned their attention back to the center of the lake.
The Hidden Dragon Ranking within the Dragon Gate had already listed over half of the prodigies from the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.
[Hidden Dragon Ranking, 47th: Zhi Duoluo.]
[Martial Arts: Seven Apertures of Divine Insight, Half-Demon Golden Roc physique, Mastery of Qiyun Movement Technique, exceptional blade skills, one perfected supreme art, and mastery over bloodline liberation—capable of summoning the Golden Roc’s divine intent.]
[Achievements: In the Southern Border, beheaded a Divine Insight general amidst ten thousand soldiers. In liberated bloodline form, single-handedly shattered 800 armored foes.]
[Title: Sun-Eclipsing Golden Roc.]
Zhi Duoluo.
Ying Bing had some recollection of this man.
Later, after some unknown opportunity in the Southern Border, he soared to the top ten of the Hidden Dragon Ranking.
Eventually, he even climbed the Human Ranking and Earth Ranking, securing remarkably high positions.
Even the divine intent he observed later evolved into an ultimate form.
"Did I miss my name while distracted earlier?"
Li Mo turned back to check the ranking.
"No." Before he could finish his thought, the icy voice of the "ice block" chimed in.
Jiang Chulong, hugging an apple, blinked her pale gray eyes:
"Brother Li... no, not yet."
"I’ve been... watching the whole time."
Jiang Chulong had noticed Xu Yi’s odd behavior early on.
People could lie, but swords never did...
Still, she knew that sword could never harm Brother Li. So while others were distracted by the minor incident, she had kept her eyes fixed on the Hidden Dragon Ranking.
Don’t mistake Chulong for slow—most of the time, she was sharp as a tack.
"Past the 40s, and still not here."
Xue Jing took a deep breath.
He felt it was close.
But... Old Xue’s instincts were wrong.
[Hidden Dragon Ranking, 35th: Zhang Shier.]
......
[Hidden Dragon Ranking, 29th: Jia Tengying.]
......
[Hidden Dragon Ranking, 20th: Xie Wanqiu.]
The names appearing on the Hidden Dragon Ranking grew increasingly renowned—most were figures long celebrated across the land.
"I know Jia Tengying. He won the Martial Arts Summit three tournaments ago and created his own supreme finger technique. Incredibly skilled."
"Xie Wanqiu is one of the Sword Manor of Heavenly Mountain’s prodigies, right? How is he only 20th?"
"I’ve seen Ying Bing lecture on swordsmanship—his skill surpasses even Xie Wanqiu’s. Why isn’t he listed yet?"
"Li the Sword Immortal left behind the Horizontal Cloud Sword Scar too!"
"Even if he’s just entered Divine Insight, he should still be ranked..."
As the chatter continued, it dawned on everyone—the top 20 were all capable of facing Inner Scenery experts head-on!
Tang Xiaobao, watching his master and Elder Qian hyperventilate, stirred his finger in his teacup.
Then, the Dragon Gate announced the 19th name:
[Hidden Dragon Ranking, 19th: Li Mo.]
[Martial Arts: Divine Insight (Two Apertures), possesses a supreme toughening art, peerless swordsmanship, follows the path of "Skill Approaching the Dao," but suspected to have even more astonishing talent with heavy weapons. Bears an immensely powerful secret technique.
Notably, his physiognomy suggests he greatly prospers his wife...]
[Achievements: Destroyed a crumbling pocket realm, joined Ying Bing in slaying Han Zhen and Yin Huaxuan, disrupted the Drizzle Pavilion’s Endless Trial, and repelled the Heavenly Demoness Yin Mianmian alongside Ying Bing during the Yunzhou Martial Assembly.]
[Title: Lonely Marvel Sword, Wife-Prospering Battle Soul.]
"It’s Li the Sword Immortal! Young Master Li!"
"Divine Insight with two apertures, ranked 19th? Behind him are experts with nine apertures!"
"In the history of the Hidden Dragon Ranking, has anyone ever ranked so high with such a low cultivation level?"
"Wife-Prospering Battle Soul? Might I ask if Young Master Li is married?"
"This old man is the wealthiest in Yunzhou. If Young Master Li would wed my daughter, half my fortune shall be her dowry!"
The lakeside erupted in an uproar.
"???"
Only young Li Mo himself fell into deep contemplation.
"Lonely Marvel Sword" was fitting—he had no complaints there.
But "Wife-Prospering Battle Soul"? What kind of nonsense was this? Huh? Didn’t that sound ridiculous?
Hmm...
Li Mo suddenly realized where this title came from.
Tian Miao!
"Was there nothing else to report? They had to include this?!"
Li Mo rubbed his temples.
While Tian Miao hadn’t exposed his World Seed or divine weapon—avoiding utter ruin—this wasn’t much better.
Next, the Dragon Gate revealed another name:
[Hidden Dragon Ranking, 18th: Ying Bing.]
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
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.
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)
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
