Southern Border, Qingmu City.
The weather was clear and sunny, with remnants of unmelted snow glistening under the sunlight. Strangely, the eaves of the Jiawei Tavern were entirely free of snow—it had long since vanished, perhaps due to the occasional mystical fluctuations emanating from one of its private rooms.
Unbeknownst to a certain "wife-blessing battle soul," yet another of his noteworthy titles had slipped away, pushing his dream of becoming a Sword Immortal further out of reach.
He was currently engaged in dual cultivation.
Thanks to the harmony of yin and yang, the effects of Phoenix Cries Over Heavenly Marsh had improved by more than ten percent, and his injuries were nearly fully healed. Today, he would finally set out to gather the power of the masses.
Young Li Mo was fully prepared!
"Li Mo, why do you keep... staring at me?"
"Oh, that’s also part of my preparations."
"?"
"Your icy demeanor helps onlookers perceive me as profound and otherworldly."
By now, Li Mo had mastered Ying Bing’s frosty expression to about seventy percent accuracy!
This was the result of his painstaking efforts—during their dual cultivation sessions, he had spent countless hours face-to-face, studying her features.
The missing thirty percent? Mostly not in the face.
The faint blush at her neck was something he could never replicate—nor did he have much use for it...
With that, Li Mo adopted an aloof, noble, and inscrutable expression.
The "Ice Block’s Frosty Face"—Li Mo Edition.
"Pretty convincing, right? Don’t I suddenly seem divine?"
"......"
Ying Bing’s beautiful eyes momentarily lost focus before she silently withdrew her hand and murmured,
"It’s time to leave. Clan Leader Shang and the others are probably waiting downstairs. Remember to take off your clothes."
"Take off my clothes?"
"This is training attire. It’s only for training."
"But this is my best-looking outfit."
Li Mo stroked the bold golden sun patterns embroidered on the fabric, reluctant to part with it.
He didn’t own many well-fitted garments to begin with.
A few were standard Qingyuan Sect disciple robes, one was sewn by his mother, and another was made by Princess Xiao Jiang.
But none of those carried the right aura for the occasion.
Since this was a performance—er, a mission to gather the power of the masses—it wasn’t just acting that mattered. Costumes and props had to be on point too.
Exactly.
The Best Actor of the Golden Statue Awards didn’t rely solely on his looks—he had professionalism.
Besides, this outfit matched Ying Bing’s.
Just thinking about it filled him with pride.
"Fine, wear it then."
Ying Bing tied up her hair, knowing full well that if Li Mo wanted to wear it, he’d sneakily change back into it later anyway.
Absentmindedly, she reached out to smooth the wrinkles on his collar.
"But you’ll have to return early. Otherwise, face the consequences."
"Huh?"
Li Mo was baffled.
What consequences could come from wearing clothes?
He didn’t get it.
The two descended to the tavern’s main hall, now bustling with martial artists skilled in animal mimicry techniques.
No matter—Li Mo was slightly proficient in that area himself and could blend in seamlessly.
"That outfit..."
Wu Qing’s gaze lingered on the pair descending the stairs, looking like a golden boy and jade girl.
Her brow arched as she wondered if she should ask Feng to make a matching set.
"Xiao Mo, where did you two get these couple’s outfits made?"
"Hm?"
Shang Qinqing immediately perked up, magically producing a handful of melon seeds from somewhere.
"Tsk, no wonder you turned down that phoenix coronet and robes of the previous dynasty’s empress. You’ve got something even better—a sun and a moon. Quite thoughtful."
Li Mo glanced at Ying Bing and coughed lightly.
"This is training attire. Also doubles as my performance costume."
Wu Qing: "?"
Is this how young couples flirt these days?
Ying Bing lowered her eyes, speaking with perfect composure.
"Mn. It improves training efficiency."
"What kind of training?"
Shang Qinqing, the Great Shang Dynasty’s goddess of love, once again zeroed in on the critical detail.
"Dual—"
Li Mo barely opened his mouth when a familiar pressure landed on his foot—Ying Bing had stepped on him.
Her expression remained unchanged.
"Clan Leader, you haven’t eaten yet, have you? I’ll prepare some dishes for you."
"I know your intention is to shut me up, but..."
Shang Qinqing smirked.
"Isn’t this more like... silencing a witness?"
Seeing Ying Bing actually heading for the kitchen, Shang Qinqing wisely stopped teasing and rallied the martial artists to depart.
As Li Mo stepped out of the tavern, he inexplicably turned back.
He didn’t know why—it was pure instinct.
There, on the second-floor balcony, stood a figure in an obsidian liuxian dress, watching him.
Their eyes met.
Li Mo grinned and waved. Ying Bing nodded, then casually turned her gaze elsewhere—though he could tell her attention lingered.
"I’ll come back early."
With that, Li Mo and the group of demons left the city.
Still within the city walls, they refrained from using their bloodline powers and walked toward the gates.
Along the way, Qingmu City’s peaceful scenes unfolded before them.
If not for the scars on the walls, no one would believe this serene town had teetered on the brink of destruction not long ago.
"This is nice."
A sense of tranquility washed over Li Mo.
He wasn’t sure if it was pride, but he felt genuinely happy.
Soon, they neared the gates, where a dense crowd had gathered—just like when Li Mo and Ying Bing had first arrived.
"Did the Hidden Dragon Ranking update again?"
Li Mo found it familiar yet odd.
Qingmu City was on Great Yu’s farthest border, with no Dragon Gate nearby. How had news spread so quickly?
Shang Qinqing smiled without answering.
Suddenly, the crowd erupted.
"The rankings are out!!"
"Is Young Master Li on it? That’s who I came to see!"
"Tsk, looking through the Hidden Dragon Ranking, no other young hero has the makings of a one-man army. Young Master Li’s feats rival the ancient Hegemonic King!"
"Our Qingmu City gets to bask in the glory too—we’re finally on the map!"
The excitement was palpable. Spectators craned their necks, packed in layers around the notice. Even schoolchildren paused on their way to class, drawn by the commotion.
The "Young Master Li" in question couldn’t even see the ranking himself, forced to rely on hearsay.
"It’s here!"
"Fourth! Young Master Li is fourth!"
The crowd roared.
"Elder Guo, did my epithet change?"
Li Mo asked his most pressing question.
Guo Chuan, a towering elder of the Whale Clan, had a clear view.
His expression turned peculiar.
"It did."
"Both yours and Miss Ying’s."
"What is it?"
Wu Qing was curious too. She’d once dreamed of making a name for herself in the martial world, though marriage and motherhood had derailed those plans.
"Miss Ying’s ‘Lunar Sword Phoenix’ is gone. Now it’s ‘Goddess of Gushe.’"
"And mine?"
"Your ‘Lone Eccentric Sword’ is no more."
"?"
"It’s now... ‘Divine Hammer Little Overlord.’"
"???"
Li Mo nearly fainted.
.....
(Seeking support—charging appreciated. Mwah!)
iemie, male, Race: Moon. Hobby: Collecting anomalies. At first, he thought he possessed two systems: the Crimson Rainbow Moon and the Clear Cold Frost Moon. One day, he discovered that he himself could also become a system for others, holding the chessboard of fate. The Eighth Epoch, also known as the Eternal Moon Epoch. Humans, witches, elves, bloodline descendants, specters, demons, and spirits together compose a new history. Walking the path on behalf of the moon, before he knew it, Chen Miemie's footsteps were followed by all manner of strange and wondrous anomalies. As time passed, many titles circulated about him—The King in Yellow, Lord of Anomalies, Heart of the Eternal Moon, and more. "Me? I'm just a traveler who enjoys collecting interesting creatures," Chen Miemie said.
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)
villain is the number one simp for the book's leading female protagonist, Shen Wan'er. As expected, he later becomes a tool for the main character to show off and slap faces, ultimately meeting a tragic end with his family ruined and his life in shambles. Fortunately, he awakens the [Universal Pure Love System], which allows him to earn points by performing acts of pure love. To change his fate, Gu Yan makes a decisive choice to seek warmth and companionship with the book's biggest villain—Cold Qingqiu. ........... My name is Leng Qingqiu. To find the murderer who killed my parents years ago, I deliberately blinded myself so that everyone would lower their guard around me. Just as I was secretly accumulating power and capital according to my initial plan, a man walked into my world. "Lengleng, Qingqing, Qiuqiu, which nickname do you prefer?" I don't like any of them. You'd better leave quickly! "Why aren't you saying anything? How about I call you my baby wife?" Leng Qingqiu thinks to herself, this man is truly annoying! (Stubborn pure love warrior + single female lead + true pure love + 1v1)
