In the small world.
The crimson dragon's roar pierced through metal and shattered stone, yet the one locked in a fierce battle with it was merely a young girl with a cloth tied over her eyes.
"Heavy Sword Intent is the essence of the Dragon-Slaying Sword Art. Do not be constrained by mere techniques."
"Only when your Sword Intent is strong enough can you stand fearless against the dragon's might."
The Heavenly Venerable Teacher fulfilled his duty diligently, having already prepared the teaching materials with insights into martial arts.
Seeing Princess Little Jiang's immediate progress, Li Mo finally snapped out of his thoughts.
He turned his gaze inward, observing the miniature figure within his dantian. The Lunar Divine Mark shone particularly brilliantly, as if silently telling him:
"Curated by the Joyful Ancestor—try it and you'll know!"
Coupled with the Stone Monkey Divine Mark, his seventh aperture now showed signs of nearing completion, with only the slightest gap remaining.
Unintentionally, it seemed he was on the verge of breaking through again.
"I wonder what divine ability I'll gain this time..."
But then Li Mo shook his head.
That tiny gap, though seemingly insignificant, would normally take months for an Observation Divine Realm martial artist to bridge.
He might be faster, but only marginally so.
Just then.
A sharp sword cry echoed in his ears, accompanied by the furious roar of the crimson dragon—a roar filled with unmistakable resentment.
Thud—
As Li Mo looked up, he saw what resembled a sprouting peach blossom branch piercing straight into the dragon's brow.
The dragon's vertical pupils flickered with a trace of terror before its body dissolved into the power of all living beings.
At the same time, a notification sounded:
[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully invested in 'Jiang Chulong,' teaching her the Dragon-Slaying Sword Art and aiding her in slaying the crimson dragon.]
[Investment Reward: Crimson Dragon Heartblood.]
[Crimson Dragon Heartblood]: "The essence blood from the heart of a crimson dragon. Can be used for alchemy, martial arts refinement, or forging weapons."
[Note: If you forge a weapon using the heartblood of five dragons—crimson, yellow, white, black, and golden—an unexpected surprise awaits.]
"Forging a weapon with five dragon heartbloods?"
Li Mo was stunned. Where did this system pick up such a bad habit of speaking?
What exactly is the surprise? Couldn’t you just say it clearly?!
Could it be the creation of a divine weapon? He already had Hammer Treasure, but he was still missing a divine sword...
"Teacher, I... I did it!"
Princess Little Jiang's eyes behind the cloth were brimming with excitement as she dashed over.
"Well done."
The Heavenly Venerable Teacher calculated that Jiang Chulong had defeated the crimson dragon much faster than when she had taken down the Golden Crow.
This proved that the little princess's combat talent was inherently exceptional.
"No lessons today. Go rest."
"But... I still have a question."
Jiang Chulong hesitated, curiosity gnawing at her.
"What is it?"
"Do you know... what surprise Brother Li Mo prepared for me?"
The timid princess couldn't hold back her eagerness.
Li Mo thought for a moment. "It's something that will let you remove the cloth without your eyes being harmed by sunlight."
"Wow..."
Jiang Chulong left the small world in high spirits, heading off to sleep.
Meanwhile, Li Mo sat by the bed, regulating the nearly overflowing soul energy in his apertures.
The next morning.
Oddly enough.
The peaks of the Qingyuan Sect outside had begun melting to varying degrees. Elder Hanhe's words held some truth after all.
Li Mo woke up early—or rather, he hadn't slept at all. Though he didn’t need to visit the Divine Weapon Peak today, he still headed straight to the kitchen.
"You're about to break through again?" Tian Miao, passing by, raised an eyebrow in surprise.
She had been wondering if she might catch up to him in the next Hidden Dragon Ranking, given her own gains from the Cloud Dream Palace.
Now it seemed hopeless...
"Maybe. Who knows? It might happen accidentally."
Li Mo replied casually.
He wasn’t trying to boast—his genuine breakthroughs could be counted on one hand.
"...You shouldn’t say that outside." Tian Miao clenched her fists.
"Why?"
"You’ll get beaten up."
Li Mo chuckled, heating the steamer without a care. "No worries. Plenty of people will want to beat me up in the future. A few more words won’t change that."
"Can you see your own destiny?" Tian Miao frowned. Even she couldn’t decipher Li Mo’s fate.
"Nope."
Li Mo shook his head. "Do you think Ice Block could become the top beauty on the Hundred Flowers Ranking someday?"
Tian Miao scowled. "You can drop the word 'could.'"
"Exactly. So naturally, many will want to kill me."
"?"
Just then, Qin Yuzhi walked into the kitchen, bleary-eyed. Spotting Li Mo, she paused.
"Did you... dual cultivate with Little Ice last night?"
"Huh? What? I can’t hear you over the clattering!"
Li Mo shook the pan noisily.
"..."
Qin Yuzhi and Tian Miao fell silent. This was clearly an "accident on purpose."
They turned to look at the cold and aloof Sword Fairy practicing her forms in the courtyard at dawn.
She too...
was on the verge of a breakthrough.
In fact, she was even closer than Li Mo!
After all, Li Mo’s Indomitable Battle Intent could only be honed through combat, unlike the convenience of observing the Jade Phoenix Divine Form.
"Little Tian Miao, your divination was spot-on. You’ve mastered the Yantian Sect’s arts well."
Qin Yuzhi couldn’t help but sigh.
"What?"
"Before even getting married, she’s already bringing him fortune. Imagine what’ll happen after..."
Tian Miao nodded.
Technically, nicknames weren’t her decision—she could only offer suggestions. The final version on the Hidden Dragon Ranking was up to her master.
But lately, having eaten his food and accepted his favors, she had planned to subtly hint to her master about tweaking Li Mo’s nickname.
Now, it seemed unnecessary—at least "Wife-Fortune Battle Soul" could stay...
---
Time flew.
"My apertures are full."
The glow of the Jade Phoenix Divine Form in the chamber dimmed once more. Ying Bing sat by the bed, waiting quietly.
To better merge the Lunar Divine Intent with the Hundred Avians Phoenix Form, preparations had to begin upon entering the seventh aperture—both had to break through together.
So she waited for Li Mo.
Strangely enough, breakthroughs during dual cultivation were smoother.
And he was close too.
Pro Gamer Ice Block decided to carry him along.
"If he misbehaves again this time..."
Ying Bing’s gaze darkened as she picked up Moonlit Yin, fingers gliding along the blade.
Hmm. She’d hang Moonlit Yin by the bed later...
Just as she thought this.
[Notification: Seven days remaining until the next ranking.]
[Punishment for the loser: Plant forty-nine strawberries.]
"So fast..."
Ying Bing murmured to herself.
At that moment, Li Mo stepped into the chamber and immediately spotted the Sword Fairy cradling her breathtaking divine sword.
"Ice Block, why are you holding your sword?"
"I..."
Ying Bing lowered her eyes briefly before replying coolly:
"Little Yue said she wants a friend too."
"You carry Hammer Treasure with you all the time, don’t you?"
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)
lan, the Luo family, tracked him down - along with the babies in their arms. Mo Xuan stared pensively at the paternity test results from over a dozen top institutions, both domestic and international, showing a 99.99% match between himself and the two baby girls. At 23, Mo Xuan, a doctoral student, had become the father of two three-year-old children. The kicker? The mothers weren't even the same person! He gradually realized he was being lured step by step into an elaborate trap designed by these two yandere sisters. "Be good, little Xuan. Sister's life belongs to you entirely." "Brother, if you try to run away, I'll have no choice but to tie you up." Mo Xuan: "Do whatever you want, ladies. I give up."
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!
