Too Ridiculous, the Ice Block Feels Complicated

The moon was bright and the stars sparse.

The disciples of Qingyuan Sect had just returned from Hengyun Sword City, their faces alight with excitement, still reveling in the afterglow of their experience.

Elder Qian and Elder Xue were beaming with pride.

Their trip to Sword City was akin to a country bumpkin visiting a grand metropolis—an eye-opening adventure.

Could you imagine a group of External Scenery powerhouses, fifth-realm sword cultivators no less—usually so dignified and gallant—lavishing praise upon them?

It was exhilarating.

Though Qingyuan Sect had a glorious past, it was now merely a prefecture-level sect.

Both Elder Xue and Elder Qian felt they had reached the pinnacle of their lives.

"Clarity of mind, true clarity of mind!"

"No wonder swordsmen love to show off in front of others. A good mood even loosens the bottlenecks a little."

"Us old men are just riding on the coattails of those two youngsters."

The younger generation represented the future heights of the sect.

The reason the strong from Sword City fawned over them was none other than Ying Bing and Li Mo.

As long as these two remained on the right path, Qingyuan Sect had an eighty to ninety percent chance of reclaiming its former glory.

"Still, they're still young. Early fame can easily lead to arrogance..."

Before Qian Bufan could finish his sentence, Xue Jing suddenly frowned and cut in,

"Old Qian."

"Hm?"

"Do you think there's anyone in our inn right now who’s at the Internal Scenery realm, radiates a blazing aura comparable to External Scenery, and just so happens to be here?"

"Who else could it be—"

Halfway through his words, Elder Qian realized something was amiss.

Shang Wu was fighting someone in the backyard?

In a flash, the plump and lean figures of the two elders leaped onto the courtyard wall, taking in the scene below.

The future of Qingyuan Sect, in their eyes, was currently challenging Shang Wu.

Qian Bufan nearly blacked out on the spot.

Clearly, young Li was far bolder than they had imagined.

If you want to spar with an Internal Scenery expert, come to me!

Shang Wu had been drinking—do you think she’d hold back?

Xue Jing’s scalp prickled.

While those in the top twenty of the Hidden Dragon Ranking could withstand the might of Internal Scenery, and the top ten could even hold their own against them,

this so-called "Internal Scenery" did not include those on the Human Ranking!

Shang Wu might not be officially listed, but she could absolutely thrash the eighth-ranked expert on the Human Ranking without breaking a sweat.

Wasn’t this just asking for a beating?

......

On the rooftop.

Not long before.

Ying Bing’s mind wandered back to earlier events, her gaze distant, a weightless sensation lingering in her chest.

She didn’t even feel like counting the coins in her money jar.

Why had she, in a moment of inexplicable impulse, kissed him?

Even if it was just a fleeting brush.

Even if he hadn’t noticed.

If it was just to prevent the system from randomly revoking rewards, she should have been satisfied by now. So why did her heart refuse to settle?

[Ding—]

[Three strikes and you're out. Given the host’s three consecutive losses, the system is conducting a self-review and undergoing iterative upgrades.]

"Three times..."

Ying Bing felt as if an eternity had passed.

Not long ago, he had been childish, often playing pranks on her—sometimes slipping bugs into her clothes, other times tugging at her hair...

Well, he was still a little childish now.

But he was already nineteenth on the Hidden Dragon Ranking—and that was an underestimate. He had become the master of a divine weapon, left his insights on a mystical stone, even authored a best-selling illustrated book...

He was truly renowned across the land.

One day, he would step into the imperial capital and stand at the forefront of all prodigies under heaven...

Even with something as miraculous as the system, she now...

Oh, right. The system was upgrading.

This system’s punishments were always a bit... unconventional.

[The system’s intention is to encourage the host to rise from failure, not to torment. Please do not misunderstand.]

Despite being mid-upgrade, the system still found time to reply.

Ying Bing: "..."

In the silence, she suddenly heard a shout from below:

"Let’s see if you still dare to disrespect your master!"

Ying Bing froze.

Right.

She had refused his request to spar earlier...

Had he gone to challenge Shang Wu instead?

......

In the blink of an eye.

Both elders and Ying Bing had realized what was happening mere moments ago.

Now.

Shang Wu’s fist collided with a thin layer of golden light.

Had the barrier shattered, she would have retracted most of her strength, leaving her precious disciple with nothing worse than superficial wounds.

Yet, to her surprise,

the fleeting golden radiance remained unbroken.

"Indestructible Diamond Body..."

Li Mo’s eyes reflected the flames, so close he could count each strand of his master’s hair. The fiery lotus blooming behind her made her seem like a deity descended from the heavens.

But he was unharmed.

Even if the Indestructible Diamond Body, given his current physique, lasted only an instant—

that instant was enough.

At the Observation Divine Realm, he had withstood a direct strike from his master.

Turning the mundane into the miraculous.

This was the power of divine abilities!

And this wasn’t even the limit of Indestructible Diamond Body.

"..."

Qian Bufan stood dumbfounded, his mind buzzing.

Xue Jing fared slightly better—after all, the old man’s nerves had been tempered by Li Mo’s antics. Nothing about him could shock him anymore.

No matter how absurd, if it involved Li Mo, it made sense.

But still...

How in the world had the kid pulled this off?

He wasn’t the only one wondering.

Upstairs.

"No wonder he asked me to go all out..."

Ying Bing’s skipped heartbeat finally steadied.

Though her cultivation hadn’t fully recovered, her insight remained.

That golden light had nothing to do with the Moon Divine Intent—it was an unfamiliar divine energy she had never encountered before.

Just yesterday, the two had dual-cultivated.

She hadn’t detected any unusual fluctuations in his spiritual intent.

Was it from the mystical stone?

He had been frequenting the top of the Sword Tower lately...

A sense of powerlessness washed over her.

From her oversized doll, she retrieved a small purple gourd.

Now holding the doll in one hand and the gourd in the other, her clear eyes flickered with thought.

Should she leave for a while? Head to the Southern Border to train?

[Ding—]

[System upgrade complete.]

[Future rankings will now compare hosts across an entire province.]

[While maintaining the original ranking mechanics, the timing of comparisons will be more flexible.]

[The minimum interval is now half a month, the maximum extended to one year. Hosts may initiate comparisons at will within this timeframe.]

Ying Bing stared at the lines of text, her emotions growing even more tangled.

She truly wanted to win.

Just once...

Meanwhile, the senior disciples who had followed the commotion were equally stunned.

Even knowing Li Mo’s extraordinary talent, witnessing this was still hard to process.

That was Elder Shang Wu!

The terror of Purple Sun Prefecture, the one even the sect master treaded carefully around in a fight!

"Junior Brother Li is insane!"

"Did he use a treasure to block that? Given his wealth, it’s possible. I saw a golden flash..."

"Maybe Elder Shang Wu held back at the last second?"

The seniors still found it too unbelievable to accept.

Who would have thought the Observation Divine Realm could be this absurd?

"Precious disciple."

Shang Wu suddenly turned serious.

"Hmm?"

Li Mo snapped back to attention.

His master's expression had grown unexpectedly solemn.

"Come here. I have a request for you."

"What is it?"

"When you surpass me in strength someday, you must still call me 'Master.'"

"...Got it."

Li Mo couldn't shake the feeling that this sounded oddly familiar.