Qingyuan Sect.
Li Mo stepped out of the main hall on the central peak, carrying a vegetable basket, intending to return to Autumn Water Pavilion first. But as soon as he descended the peak, he spotted Xiao Qin waiting nearby.
A scar now ran across the corner of his eye, adding a weathered sharpness to his otherwise steady demeanor. Yet, the moment he saw Li Mo, his familiar smile returned.
"Severing Wind and Broken Sword?"
Li Mo teased with a grin.
The old Xiao, who had once been on the verge of being expelled from the sect as an outer disciple, was now a prodigy on the Hidden Dragon Ranking. Though Li Mo’s own ranking was higher, he knew it was only because of his cheat-like advantages.
Breaking into the top hundred of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands’ young elites was no easy feat.
Xiao Qin tossed him a wine gourd and chuckled in response:
"Wife-Blessing..."
"Ahem!"
"Uh... Divine Hammer..."
"Never mind, let’s just stick with the first one."
Li Mo took a couple of gulps of wine, eyeing Xiao Qin with envy.
Just look at this guy—his nickname sounded so cool. Though Xiao Qin had barely made it onto the Hidden Dragon Ranking, from now on, just announcing his title would command instant respect wherever he went.
Meanwhile, if Li Mo introduced himself... the whole crowd would burst into laughter.
"Titles are just empty words, Brother Li. No need to dwell on it. Those two nicknames of yours are... well, they’re not bad either."
"Old Xiao, holding it in must be painful. Just laugh if you want to."
Li Mo sighed.
Xiao Qin was usually a serious guy who rarely laughed.
Unless he couldn’t help it.
A moment later, Xiao Qin wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes. His laughter faded into silence—he had just come from the main hall and already knew what had happened.
The two drank in turns, wordlessly.
After the alcohol warmed his body, Xiao Qin finally exhaled a long breath of white mist:
"You’re really foolish, you know. Even if it hadn’t been Little Jiang today, you probably still wouldn’t have stood by and done nothing."
"There’s no shortage of injustices in the world. You can’t right every wrong. You even dared to pick a fight with the Crown Prince."
"I didn’t actually hit him."
Li Mo shrugged.
Xiao Qin sighed helplessly. "If you hadn’t truly intended to act, would that seventh-realm Zhangxuan expert have shown up?"
"Zhangxuan... when they make a move, it’s nothing short of world-shattering."
"Even after seeing the wider world, you’re still like this..."
Xiao Qin suddenly frowned and spat. "Where did this sand come from in this damn gourd?"
He stashed the wine gourd away and pulled out a booklet from his robe.
"If you really have to leave, I know a route to the Western Regions—somewhere beyond the reach of Great Yu. The customs and people there are all written down in this. Take it and read it over."
Leaving the booklet behind, he waved and turned to leave.
Li Mo flipped through the pages and couldn’t help but laugh.
Xiao Qin might seem different now, but deep down, he was still the same old Xiao—still terrible with words.
He probably secretly wished for the day Li Mo would drag Jiang Yu down from the top of the Hidden Dragon Ranking, didn’t he?
The booklet’s title was unmistakable:
Thousand Forms Scripture.
Li Mo tucked away the first true divine technique he had obtained without relying on his system, then returned to Autumn Water Pavilion.
The pavilion had been cleaned spotlessly, exactly as it had been when they left.
His master, the stunningly beautiful Shang Wu, lounged on a recliner, sipping wine with her eyes half-closed. There wasn’t even any sun today—what was she basking in?
Meanwhile, the silver-clad ice block—Ying Bing—sat quietly, a touch of snow amidst the pavilion’s scenery. She sipped tea while reading, serene and undisturbed.
"You’re back."
Shang Wu sprang up from the recliner to inspect the contents of the vegetable basket.
Ying Bing lifted her gaze, studying Li Mo for a few seconds before asking softly:
"Trouble?"
Li Mo: "!"
He hadn’t even said anything yet!
Not even the Heavenly Fate Divine Eye could be this fast!
"Yeah. And it’s not a small mess."
Li Mo nodded honestly.
"Oh?"
Shang Wu’s flower-like face lit up with excitement, her eyes brimming with pride as she looked at her disciple.
It was the look of a master watching her pupil finally grow up.
"What kind of trouble? Tell me all about it."
"..."
Li Mo glanced at his carefree master and recounted the events.
Shang Wu leaned back slightly, raising a thumb and nudging her disciple’s shoulder with her elbow:
"Not bad, kid. I thought you weren’t the type to stir up trouble, but you’ve gone and given me such a big surprise. Truly my disciple."
"Don’t get cocky now."
The vibe was unmistakably that of a gang leader praising her underling.
Li Mo coughed lightly and naturally continued:
"Right, I’ll keep striving..."
"Hmm?"
Ying Bing’s serene gaze turned toward him, her delicate brows furrowing slightly.
"Ahem..."
Li Mo sobered up, realizing how wrong that sounded. "Keep striving" after nearly beating up the Crown Prince?
Ying Bing lowered her eyes in thought before finally murmuring:
"You did well."
This time, it was Li Mo’s turn to freeze. Since when did the ice block start praising him for causing trouble, just like his master?
Ying Bing set down her teacup and said calmly, "Many things worth doing are troublesome by nature. If it had to be done, then it had to be done."
A Crown Prince?
She had fought one before.
"!"
It had been a while since Li Mo last saw that fleeting trace of dominance in Ying Bing’s demeanor.
"Exactly! Like staging an uprising, for instance."
Shang Wu stroked her chin, narrowing her almond-shaped eyes like a scheming strategist. "The timing’s perfect. Why don’t we take this chance to ambush Jiang Yu on the main peak tomorrow with a battalion, finish him off, and then raise the banner of rebellion?"
"My precious disciple, you’ve got wealth, supplies, and the title of Divine Hammer Tyrant. With Little Bing’er supporting you, what’s there to worry about?"
"And what role would you play in this, Master?"
Li Mo’s lips twitched.
Shang Wu answered as if it were obvious: "Don’t you know all uprisings need legitimacy?"
"So?"
"I’ll be your Grand Imperial Predecessor. That’ll make it official!"
"..."
Li Mo suddenly understood why Elder Hanhe had once suggested getting Shang Wu drunk and locking her up first. Maybe it wasn’t entirely personal.
Silently, he pulled out two bottles of Immortal’s Drunk and handed them to Shang Wu.
"I’m a little hungry."
Ying Bing’s jade-like face finally showed a hint of seriousness when she said this.
Autumn Water Pavilion’s kitchen welcomed back its master chef, Li Mo.
As she watched the wisps of smoke rise from the kitchen, Ying Bing’s ice-mirror eyes narrowed slightly.
"Jiang Yu has two swordmaidens by his side—Qing Que and Dan Zhi, both from Heavenly Mountain Sword Manor. They specialize in joint attacks and are ranked on the Human Ranking."
"Facing them both, how many moves could they last against me?"
"My current realm is still too low... There’s still so much I can’t do..."
Ying Bing picked up Frost Sky and Lunar Shade, stepping into the courtyard under the newly risen moonlight. She began a graceful dance, her swordplay.
Strangely, the techniques in her left and right hands were completely different—as if from two opposing schools.
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)
tions: attribute allocation, analysis, proficiency, and simulation. Specializing in mechanical alchemy, from crafting sorcerous battle armor to handcrafting mechanical maidens, his mechanical legion conquers endless realms... Relying on his wits, he begins with a student-teacher romance, wins over a female director, enslaves a female assassin and a underworld queen, becoming the husband of a Grand Duchess... He enslaves the Goddess of Magic from the divine realm, developing his power simultaneously in both the Wizard World and the Realm of Gods...
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.
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
