Autumn Water Pavilion.
Master Little Li hummed a tune as he began his busy day.
The ingredients today were the meat of exotic beasts hunted earlier.
In high spirits, he found cooking all the more enjoyable.
His talent as a chef was probably—just maybe—a tiny bit better than his talent as a swordsman.
Spicy ginger-winged serpent, stewed thorn-backed turtle, stir-fried black-horned lamb with scallions, braised scorch-ringed wolf, and a side of greens...
Four dishes and a soup—utterly delightful.
"So fragrant."
Before the dishes could even be properly set on the table, a figure in palace robes had already appeared at the door and swiftly made her way to the table, plucking a piece of lamb with her fingers and popping it into her mouth.
"Master, didn’t you go with the elders for the council meeting?"
Li Mo handed her a pair of chopsticks.
The Qingyuan Sect was in turbulent times.
The matter of the "ice block" receiving the inheritance had set the entire sect abuzz.
If before, everyone had regarded Ying Bing as the future sect leader, now they practically treated her like the founding ancestor of the Qingyuan Sect.
If not for the fact that the "ice block" was only sixteen, the elders would’ve already enshrined her as a deity.
And at this critical moment, the Demon-summoning Cult’s heretics had stirred up trouble again.
The sect master had immediately summoned all the higher-ups to the Qingyuan Main Peak for discussions.
"Those old men just keep spouting the same nonsense—couldn’t be bothered to listen."
Shang Wu clicked her tongue, her delicate brows furrowing in disdain for the old geezers.
Li Mo: "..."
Well, he couldn’t exactly expect his master to contribute anything constructive.
"The sect master did assign me a task, though."
"I reluctantly agreed."
Shang Wu propped her chin on one hand while her chopsticks flew across the dishes.
Li Mo blinked. "The revered master actually obeys the sect master’s orders?"
"He told me to move into the Autumn Water Pavilion so I can 'guide' you better."
Shang Wu tilted her head, adding with a light snort, "If it weren’t for Little Bing being here, I wouldn’t have bothered."
Li Mo smiled wryly.
He could guess the sect master’s intentions.
Rather than guiding him, this was more about protecting Ying Bing.
His master might be unreliable, but she was undeniably formidable in a fight—so much so that she could even pluck a few strands from the sect master’s beard if provoked.
With a troublemaker like her standing guard, the security of Autumn Water Pavilion skyrocketed.
After the meal...
"Little Bing, what kind of inheritance did you receive today?"
Shang Wu lowered her voice curiously.
Ying Bing set down her bowl and chopsticks.
For some reason, she felt slightly less cold toward this carefree elder of Jade Cluster Peak.
As she channeled her qi and blood, a faint halo of light gradually enveloped her.
Shang Wu’s eyes flashed with surprise. She casually tossed a wine cup toward the glow.
The cup was suspended mid-air by a gentle force, slowly rotating atop the halo.
The wine inside the cup was also drawn out by Ying Bing’s control, coalescing into a sphere of liquid that orbited around her.
"Releasing inner breath at the Qi-Blood Realm... No, this is far beyond mere inner breath."
Shang Wu marveled.
"Just a minor application," Ying Bing replied with a slight nod.
Then, the halo pulsed sharply.
Crack!
The wine cup shattered into shards.
Offensively, the halo could strike unseen; defensively, it could redirect force with minimal effort.
Shang Wu clapped enthusiastically, thoroughly impressed.
Li Mo sighed mournfully at the scattered shards. "My celadon wine cup..."
Suddenly, an idea struck him.
"Ice block, how much water can you control?"
"Water?"
Ying Bing walked to the water vat and guided the halo toward it.
Immediately, a rushing stream transformed into a coiling water dragon, swirling effortlessly around her.
Li Mo’s eyes lit up.
He placed his empty rice bowl into the water current wrapped in the halo, letting it spin and clatter along with the flow.
Ying Bing: "?"
Li Mo: "It’s washing it pretty clean."
The young man seemed to have discovered a whole new world.
Seeing the wonder and admiration in his eyes, Ying Bing’s slightly furrowed brows relaxed. Strangely, she didn’t find this feeling unpleasant.
In fact, she felt a faint sense of accomplishment...
"Can you add two more bowls?"
"Of course."
"Wow, amazing!"
Shang Wu rested her chin on one hand, watching the pair with tipsy amusement glimmering in her eyes.
"Ice block"...
The nickname was oddly fitting.
Hmm, did she forget something?
Ah well, probably not important...
Moonlight draped over the branches.
Inside her room...
Ying Bing penned elegant characters onto a bamboo slip.
"After soaking in the Phoenix Blood Pool, the body has been reborn—ideal for body refinement."
"Sword talent is passable. With enough effort and guidance, mastering a sword technique isn’t impossible."
"Possesses an innocent heart. The Mind Observation Art is crucial—must cultivate balanced methods to avoid straying onto the wrong path."
What she wrote was none other than her evaluation of Li Mo’s current state...
And a blueprint for his future growth.
Ying Bing had already decided.
When she ventured beyond the Eastern Wasteland Domain, she would take Li Mo with her.
For some reason, he had changed so much in this life.
Was it because of her rebirth, triggering a ripple effect?
Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter.
The fact remained—in the cavern, he had yielded the inheritance to her.
Perhaps he was still unremarkable now.
But with her guidance, reversing his fate was only a matter of time.
What gave Ying Bing a faint sense of relief was that while Li Mo lacked any dazzling talents, he also had no glaring flaws to correct.
In short, he was a blank slate—full of potential.
With the right approach, elevating him to stand among true prodigies was entirely possible.
Even now, he could already carve out a place among his peers in the Eastern Wasteland Domain.
Putting away the bamboo slip, she returned to her bed and drew the curtains.
Soon, an icy chill spread outward, frost creeping slowly from the bed.
Though she had obtained the Halo of Dawn prematurely...
Before reaching the Inner Landscape Realm, without an internal world, controlling the power of the Lunar Yin remained impossible.
In fact, with the Halo of Dawn enhancing her physique, the Lunar Yin within her had grown even stronger.
This also meant her cultivation speed would accelerate further.
The Halo of Dawn also contained a divine-grade technique focused on inner breath manipulation—
Phoenix Halo Qi.
She had known of this martial art before, but without the halo, it was useless.
Once the system’s ranking concluded, she should be able to step into the Inner Breath Realm.
Next door...
"Speaking of which, where’s my reward for placing first in the sect trial?"
"Did Master pocket it...?"
After a moment of contemplation, Li Mo gave up.
Didn’t matter. Compared to the rewards he’d "plucked" from the ice block, it was all trivial.
As everyone knew, the system’s feedback rewards were usually better than what he invested.
Today, he had essentially "invested" the Nine-Colored Phoenix’s inheritance into Ying Bing.
The returns ought to be something even greater.
With a thought, he summoned his status.
[Name: Li Mo]
[Age: 16]
[Root Bone: Mystic Womb Immortal Body]
[Realm: Qi-Blood Realm (Ten Meridians)]
[Fate: ???]
[Evaluation: Possesses an immortal physique, destiny in chaos, future unknowable.]
[Recent Events: Bathed in the Nine-Colored Phoenix Blood Spring within Qingyuan, greatly enhanced physical talent, body-refining aptitude strengthened, achieved first place in the sect trial.]
【You have unclaimed investment returns. Would you like to claim them?】
"Claim!"
Li Mo didn’t hesitate.
【Investment Return One: Gilded Celestial Seal.】
【Investment Return Two: World Seed.】
【Investment Return Three: Formless Glazed Mask.】
Li Mo: "…!"
Well, as expected—
This was a massive haul!
And not just one, but three treasures at once!
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)
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.
ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!
and couldn't return to the real world. Finally, I gave up and decided to go with the flow, only to discover that writing a diary could make me stronger. Since no one could read it, Su Luo wrote freely, daring to pen anything and everything. Female Lead #1: "Not bad. This diary helped me steal all the protagonist's opportunities. I just want to get stronger." Female Lead #2: "I don’t care about reaching the peak of the cultivation world. Right now, I just want to enjoy the chaos." Female Lead #3: "What? Everyone around me is a spy? I’m the Joker Demon Lord?" ... It’s so strange. Why is the plot completely off track, yet the ending remains the same? Are you all just messing with me?!
