Xiao Li's Path to Breakthrough

In the darkness, killing intent was laid bare.

A sliver of blade devoured all light in its path as it shot straight toward Li Mo's throat.

Trapped in the shadows, it felt like sinking into quicksand.

At this moment, Li Mo felt his body weighed down unbearably—an ordinary practitioner at the Observation Spirit Realm would likely be unable to even twitch a finger.

But with all four of his Mystic Pills operating in unison and the moonlight's radiance enveloping him, he had already regained his mobility.

Yet he didn’t dodge. There was no need.

Clang—

The Money Tree rapidly sprouted, instantly illuminating the darkness.

As vision returned, the bizarre black longsword was seen blocked by a Dragon-Tiger Alchemy Furnace, its wielder forced back by a combined strike from Elder Xue and Elder Qian, who shouted simultaneously:

"Kill him first!"

Peng Keshan hadn’t come alone.

From the rooftops and through the windows, black-clad assassins swarmed in.

The Phoenix Aura condensed like a frigid current of mercury, forming a sword of tea in Ying Bing’s palm.

With a mere flick, hundreds of sword intents and energies erupted, freezing several assassins into ice sculptures riddled with holes.

"So many took the bounty?"

Li Mo swung his Crimson Sky Sword, weaving through gaps in the enemy’s defenses before impaling both man and dagger in one strike.

Sun Gui and his guards also joined the fray.

In moments, the grand tavern descended into chaos.

Yet Li Mo never let his guard down.

Based on his experience, assassins from the Drizzle Tower were no suicide squad—they would retreat after a failed strike, biding their time for another opportunity rather than fighting to the death.

But these killers showed no intention of leaving.

No sooner had this thought crossed his mind—

Crash—

The floorboards suddenly shattered.

A chain lashed out like a living thing, coiling like a frenzied dragon surging from the depths, dragging a torrential tide in its wake.

This was also the work of an Inner Landscape Realm expert.

Only, their domain had been compressed to its limits.

Though it lacked overwhelming presence, the lethality was concentrated to an extreme, its aura of annihilation freezing thoughts in an instant.

Thwack—

A delicate fist, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, punched straight into the storm. It was Shang Wu, who had remained idle until now.

In one motion, she seized the chain, and golden flames surged backward along its length.

The moment the beautiful master made her move, the battle was already over.

The Inner Landscape assassin hiding in the shadows never expected the seemingly drunken woman in palace robes to be this terrifying.

The scene turned brutal.

......

Minutes later.

The tavern’s furnishings—tables, chairs, doors, and windows—lay in ruins, the floor a mess of debris.

Observation Spirit Realm assassins sprawled lifelessly in disarray.

Of the Drizzle Tower’s killers, only two Inner Landscape assassins remained—if barely clinging to life counted as resilience.

"A momentary lapse, nothing more. We didn’t expect you to be so prepared. But..."

The chain-wielding Inner Landscape assassin, grievously wounded, glared defiantly at the encircling group and sneered:

"We’re just the beginning. Hehehe... Save your breath. We’ll say nothing."

"Oh, so you won’t talk?"

Shang Wu’s expression remained blank as she drove her fist downward, crushing his skull into his ribcage.

Peng Keshan fell silent for a moment before forcing a grimace uglier than tears. "Ask away. I’ll talk..."

Bang—

His head exploded like a melon.

"Ask your mother."

Shang Wu scoffed, kicking Peng Keshan’s very unpeaceful corpse into the Fish-Dragon Lake outside.

The body spun three and a half times midair, landing with all the grace of a cannonball, sending up a splash fit for dynamite fishing.

Young Li Mo rated it a solid zero—disqualified from the competition.

A word of advice for Contestant Peng: Reflect well in the next life, and don’t repeat such mistakes.

"Gulp..."

Sun Gui swallowed hard, snapping to attention the instant the palace-robed woman’s gaze landed on him:

"I swear on eighteen generations of my ancestors’ honor—this has nothing to do with me! That crate was supposed to hold Mystic Crystals..."

Shang Wu and the two elders turned to Li Mo.

As everyone knew, Young Li had an impeccable eye for people.

Sheathing his Crimson Sky Sword, Li Mo nodded. "He’s telling the truth."

This Sun Gui truly bore no hostility, nor had there been any hints of conspiracy in recent events.

Once cleared, Li Mo noticed his master’s displeasure.

Probably because... she couldn’t extort compensation?

Fortunately, Sun Gui was quick on the uptake. Not only did he offer reparations for emotional distress, but he also pledged full cooperation with the Qingyuan Sect.

After all, he bore some responsibility.

Sun Gui departed for the Flourishing Trade Guild.

Silence returned to the ruined tavern.

After some hasty cleanup, the group gathered around the sole intact table.

Though the storm had passed, Xue Jing’s frown remained.

"You can’t stay on guard forever. Only thieves strike daily, not defenders."

Qian Bufan nodded. "As long as that bounty stands, there’ll be no peace."

"It’s not just the bounty."

Li Mo interjected. "Right now, the Drizzle Tower likely considers me a traitor."

Whoever succeeded wouldn’t just claim the reward—the Tower had additional incentives.

So even with Inner Landscape protectors, desperate souls would still take the risk.

Xue Jing’s face darkened further. "Traitors of the Drizzle Tower face endless pursuit—until death. None have ever escaped it."

"Some have."

Ying Bing spoke up unexpectedly.

All eyes turned to her.

Her lips parted slightly:

"Reach the Seventh Realm."

Li Mo: "..."

Such flawless logic left no room for rebuttal.

How many Seventh Realm experts existed in the world? Those revered as Saints could give even the Great Yu Dynasty headaches if they focused on dismantling an organization.

"Who could survive the Drizzle Tower’s full wrath long enough to reach the Seventh Realm?" Xue Jing sighed.

First, how many even attained that level?

Add relentless assassins to the mix...

Ying Bing’s gaze flickered toward Li Mo.

She had done it once before.

Young Li felt the ice block’s inexplicable confidence—she genuinely believed he could.

"It’s a viable path, if a tad lengthy."

"Not that I lack confidence, but constant assassins are a nuisance."

"Actually, the Drizzle Tower has a weakness we can exploit."

The gears in Li Mo’s mind turned as he straightened.

Hm?

The group focused on him.

Another solution?

"A weakness? What is it?" Ying Bing asked softly.

Li Mo smacked the table as if struck by inspiration:

"They’re greedy! Profit-driven to the core!"

"Eh? Is that a weakness?" Shang Wu sat up, brows knitting.

"For most, no."

Li Mo smiled modestly. "But I happen to be... moderately wealthy."

No one disputed that.

Yet Xue Jing stroked his beard, unconvinced. "So what? The bounty was posted by the Holy Maiden. You can’t hire their assassins to kill Yin Mianmian."

"Even if she died, the bounty would remain."

Much like how Xu Yi had once killed both of his employers.

That was just how the Drizzle Tower operated.

"Elder Xue's thinking is still too narrow. I have an idea."

Li Mo smiled:

"I'll go to the Black Tower and hire assassins from the Drizzle Pavilion to protect me. Problem solved, right?"

Xue Jing froze, leaning back slightly.

Wait... that could work?

Qian Bufan hesitated, "But they only accept contracts for killings..."

"If someone tries to kill me, they kill that person first—isn’t that still a killing?"

Li Mo saw no flaw in this logic.

The bounty he’d place for his own protection would surely be higher than the one for his assassination.

If the latter was already tempting, the former would be irresistible.

Soon, the Drizzle Pavilion would turn into a dark forest, with every assassin wary of their own comrades.

No one would know which bounty their peers had taken, leading to internal bloodshed.

Not only would this neutralize the Drizzle Pavilion’s threat, but it would also plunge them into chaos.

A true two-for-one masterstroke!

Young Li couldn’t help but marvel at his own genius—damn, he was brilliant!

"Eh?"

Qian Bufan and Xue Jing’s minds exploded with possibilities, their eyes gleaming with dawning enlightenment.

According to the Drizzle Pavilion’s rules...

Li Mo’s plan violated none of them!

This... might actually work!?

No way, this is allowed??!

......

Haven’t slept before 2 a.m. in ages. This struggling author really needs to recharge—good sleep is key to maintaining writing quality.

Lately, my rest has been awful. Last night, I dreamed I woke up to play games, but no matter which one I opened, I’d immediately check the comments section... only to find readers spamming demands for updates.

Absolutely terrifying.

Two chapters today, then early bed. Will try to update sooner tomorrow.

Seeking your support—mwah!