"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.]
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
e school belle recognized by the whole school, a genius girl from the kendo club. She also has a hidden identity, the youngest legendary demon hunter. Chen Shuo just transmigrated and found himself turned into a weak, helpless little vampire. He was caught by Su Xiyen and taken home at the very beginning. Since then, Chen Shuo's life creed only had two items. "First, classmate Su Xiyen is always right." "Second, if classmate Su Xiyen is wrong, please refer back to item one." Many years later, Chen Shuo, who had turned back into a human, led a pair of twins to appear in front of all the vampires to share the secret of how he turned back into a human. "It's simple, I tricked a female demon hunter into becoming my wife!"
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
