As expected, the punishment rating doesn't come with normal rewards

"Li Shaoxia... Li Shaoxia?"

The voice of Wei Zhaoliu reached his ears, pulling Li Mo from his dazed state. When he opened his eyes, it felt as though an eternity had passed.

The Slanted Moon Three Stars Cave from moments ago had vanished—he was still atop the Sword Tower.

The peculiar stone remained unchanged, and the scroll lay quietly beside it.

Wei Zhaoliu looked at him with concern and confusion.

"Master really should have warned you not to touch that stone recklessly. Are you feeling better now?"

"It wasn’t the stone that made me faint..."

Li Mo picked up the scroll, which depicted the very scene he had just witnessed—the Slanted Moon Three Stars Cave.

A single glance at its divine essence sent tremors through his mind.

His Intent Soul stirred faintly, and he quickly suppressed it.

Summer insects cannot speak of ice; mortals cannot speak of the Dao.

He lacked the foundation to fully absorb the divine techniques contained within the Divine Insight Painting.

But one day, when his Intent Soul grew stronger,

the abilities within the painting would surely become his!

Li Mo’s heart swelled with excitement as he gazed at the Divine Insight Painting, his eyes burning with fervor.

Then he noticed Wei Zhaoliu giving him a strange look.

"What’s wrong?"

"Why are you staring at that odd monkey and grinning like a fool?"

"...This is the Divine Insight Painting."

Li Mo was momentarily bewildered.

Wei Zhaoliu seemed to understand something and nodded knowingly.

"Right, right. If you say so, Li Shaoxia, then it must be."

"But failing to replicate the stone’s essence is perfectly normal. There’s no need to feel embarrassed about it."

She assumed Li Mo had failed in his attempt to recreate the Divine Insight Painting and was merely saving face by insisting otherwise.

After all, how could a perfectly good stone turn into a monkey?

Fortunately, Li Shaoxia was just prideful—not brain-damaged.

"..."

Li Mo finally understood.

The divine essence within the painting did not belong to the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.

To others, it was merely an exquisitely drawn painting.

Only he could perceive its true nature because of his immortal physique.

In fact, without his physique acting as a conduit, this "Monkey King Seeks the Dao" painting would never have manifested in the first place.

......

The sun dipped westward.

In the vast Sword Pool, all disciples of the Sword City—even several elders—rose to their feet and bowed in reverence toward a young girl who appeared no older than sixteen.

Had this scene occurred in the past, it would have left countless onlookers stunned.

Ying Bing stood silently for a moment.

Hmm...

Normally, she would have ignored such displays entirely.

After all, she had already repaid her debt to the Sword City by lecturing on the Dao after studying their peculiar stone.

But now, faced with the sea of gazes—some reverent as if beholding a deity, others brimming with gratitude—she felt an unfamiliar hesitation.

Was this why he always enjoyed helping others?

If it were him, what would he say right now...?

Ying Bing spoke softly, her voice carrying across the Sword Pool:

"No thanks are necessary. May your hearts remain sincere, and may you all touch the profound mysteries of the sword."

As the sun set and the moon rose,

the swords nurtured within the Sword Pool stirred with awakened spirituality, their harmonious hum resonating endlessly, as if answering her words.

Most of these blades had once been wielded by generations of Sword City’s masters, their lingering wills embedded within the steel.

Now, those remnants emerged as pure divine essence, converging toward the platform where she stood.

The young girl stood alone,

a sword in her right hand, a large-headed doll clutched in her left.

She wore a pale yellow gown, though its delicate fabric could not overshadow the radiance of her jade-like skin.

Her brows arched like distant mountains, her eyes holding the moon’s glow—her bones carved from luminous jade, her spirit as clear as autumn waters.

Bathed in the gathered divine essence, she seemed ever more like a being not of this world.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd:

"Did Fairy Ying break through again?"

"I almost forgot—she’s only sixteen this year..."

"Our Sword City has stood for generations, inviting martial artists to study the stone. Isn’t this the very truth she spoke of?"

"No wonder the lingering wills of our predecessors responded to her."

"The Hidden Dragon Ranking was released too soon. Had they waited, Fairy Ying might have ranked higher than eighteenth."

"I still find it hard to believe. A few words, and the Sword Pool trembles? It’s unfathomable."

"Let’s not forget—Li Shaoxia possesses the Prosperous Wife Battle Soul. I have a theory..."

......

"?"

Even Ying Bing hadn’t expected her breakthrough to arrive so abruptly.

Nor had she anticipated causing such a spectacle.

"To aid Fairy Ying in her breakthrough is a blessing for these long-neglected swords as well."

Elder Zeng’s expression held more curiosity than surprise for some reason.

"Such joyous news calls for celebration. Why not stay for a banquet tonight?"

"No need. I prefer simpler meals."

Ying Bing’s gaze shifted toward the distance, her eyes flickering slightly.

Without another word, she descended the platform.

Elder Zeng raised an eyebrow, following the direction of her departure.

At the entrance of the Sword Pool, beneath a tree, a young man crouched on the ground.

He held a twig, sketching something in the dirt for Jiang Chulong to see.

Ying Bing approached the boy and crouched beside him, watching silently for a while.

Then the three of them left together.

Their figures gradually blurred against the backdrop of the setting sun and rising moon.

The elders fell into contemplation.

Why had they come here again?

Suddenly, they felt like stray dogs.

......

The night was cool as water.

In the private courtyard of a tavern,

Li Mo sat cross-legged in his room, the Divine Insight Painting resting on his knees.

The miniature figure within his dantian glowed faintly—but unlike before, the light did not come from the mysterious and noble lunar patterns.

Instead, it was the divine essence flowing steadily from the painting before him.

"Haah..."

After a long while, Li Mo exhaled deeply.

Even when presented through the lens of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, comprehending the techniques within the Divine Insight Painting placed immense strain on his mind.

Of course, mastering them would bring unimaginable rewards.

"And this is only the rudimentary form."

"What if it were the Divine Form of the Great Dao?"

A pity.

He no longer possessed the Gilded Creation Seal.

So far, that item only appeared as feedback when he invested in the "ice block."

"She just broke through today—she’s probably consolidating her realm now."

Li Mo shook his head and resumed his meditation.

......

Atop the tavern,

Ying Bing sat on a massage chair, studying the avian forms imprinted in her mind.

She had always been diligent in her cultivation.

Yet today, for some reason, her focus wavered slightly...

Had she grown accustomed to dual cultivation with him?

But she and Li Mo had barely exchanged words today.

Suddenly, illusory text flickered before her eyes:

[You have an unclaimed Class C reward.]

A reward from the punishment rating...

No.

It was debatable whether this counted as a reward.

Ying Bing paused.

Even if she didn’t want it, the system would force it upon her...

Sure enough.

This time, the system didn’t even pretend. Or perhaps it had sensed her thoughts.

[This Class C reward is: Kiss Li Mo.]

Ying Bing: "..."

She was beginning to suspect

that the punishment rating never included normal rewards to begin with.