The hot spring was shrouded in mist, tracing the shape of the moonlight.
Frost Fairy's hair and skin glistened with dewdrops, so close that she seemed like a shy moon within reach. Her attire followed the customs of the Southern Border—both ethereal and alluring in its purity.
"Why do you keep staring at me?"
"So your outfit doesn’t go to waste."
"Then why are you covering your nose?"
"The mosquitoes in the Southern Border seem poisonous... Hiss, could that be some kind of terrifying calamity beast?"
Little Li Gentleman's tone was as unyielding as a hammer forged from steel.
He believed his willpower should be the same.
But alas, that was an illusion.
What lay beneath her bathrobe remained a mystery for now, but the slender legs beneath it were clearly clad in something even thinner than dark mist silk.
Who could resist this?
Even Ultraman would be flashing red!
"Your hand..."
"They have a mind of their own."
Little Li sat by the pool’s edge, encircling the ice block in his arms. He felt a fragrant softness, cool to the touch, more vivid than the natural scent of the Mistflower Everlasting Spring—subtle yet serene.
To be fair, Little Li felt he was exercising remarkable restraint.
Now that he was actually holding her, he became a bit more composed.
Because it all felt surreal.
This wasn’t their first embrace, but the circumstances were entirely new.
Ranked second on the Hundred Flowers List—with the first’s credibility in question—she was an unattainable dream for countless young talents, as mysterious and distant as the cold moon reflected in water.
Yet now, he had fished her out.
Her oval face flushed, her body pliant. She shifted slightly before giving up, melting into his arms like boneless silk, her delicate hands looping around his neck.
"Ice Block, you’re not as cold today."
"Maybe because of body tempering..."
"Really, sis?"
"Because... you’re burning up."
Ying Bing lowered her face, but her forehead pressed against his scorching chest.
The Empress Palace Mistress’s mind was in disarray.
How had her disciples and the people of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands seen her? She’d witnessed the looks in their eyes.
Men or women—it made no difference.
The same reverence and fear.
Yet even she never imagined a day would come when she’d nestle against a feverish chest, listening to a steady heartbeat, unwilling to overthink.
Ying Bing was experiencing this for the first time, yet to her surprise...
She didn’t dislike it at all. In fact, she wanted to stay longer.
Well, it was to maintain her resolve, to prevent Ying Huang from gaining an advantage...
"Ice Block, was body tempering tough?"
Li Mo’s voice reached her, followed by the glow of the Lunar Soul.
If they didn’t dual cultivate soon, the moon would set!
"A little."
In the past, Ice Block would’ve dismissed it as nothing.
"Why the sudden focus on tempering lately?"
"We’re heading to the Imperial Capital soon. Every bit of strength counts—I don’t want to lose."
Ying Bing didn’t elaborate further.
Li Mo... probably wouldn’t understand what the System truly was.
And this time, it wasn’t just about surpassing him.
Jiang Yu, ranked first on the Hidden Dragons List, and Xie Xuan, second, were talents who could outshine an entire era. In her past life, she had defeated them at nineteen.
This time, she wasn’t entirely confident.
Before reaching the Imperial Capital, she aimed to reach the Nine Apertures of Divine Observation and refine her physique.
To push her chances of victory to 120%.
"Oh right, half of the Heavenly Phoenix Domain is in the Imperial Capital."
Li Mo also needed to distract himself. The hot spring was making him feel lightheaded.
"Could the top prize at the Hidden Dragon Summit be the other half of the Heavenly Phoenix Domain?"
"Impossible."
Ying Bing shot him a faintly exasperated glance.
"Only the top three get a chance to enter the Celestial City’s realm, and even then, contact with the Heavenly Phoenix Domain’s true form isn’t guaranteed."
"Hmm, top three... should be doable."
Li Mo answered without hesitation.
Ying Bing looked up at him, recognizing that familiar resolve.
He wanted to place in the top three—to retrieve the Heavenly Phoenix Domain for her.
Something so difficult, yet he’d decided in an instant.
"So, we’ll need to train seriously from now on. Our opponents will be all the young geniuses across the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands!"
Little Li’s voice brimmed with heroic fervor.
Ying Bing paused, her cool gaze softening as she echoed,
"Let’s work hard... together."
"Deal! Time for a massage then." Little Li the Masseur itched to begin.
"?"
Li Mo’s expression was solemn as he wiped drool from his lips.
"Post-tempering relaxation is essential."
"Massages relieve fatigue, prevent injuries, and consolidate tempering results. So many benefits—trust me, I’m a professional."
"Li Mo, what’s so fun about legs?"
Ice Block’s composed eyes flickered.
"Sis, how can you say that? They’re clearly worth a whole... Wait, no—this isn’t about ‘fun.’ Don’t insult my integrity and professional ethics."
Little Li seized the damp, sheer dark mist silk clinging to her slender legs—
And began kneading, unhurried yet thorough.
Thus, Harmony of Yin and Yang proved itself an exceptional martial art. The effects of dual cultivation were outstanding.
And strangely, the more unorthodox the approach, the better the results.
Of course, this was only possible with immortal spiritual energy keeping the technique from devolving into outright heresy.
Alas, joy was fleeting.
The next morning, they had to visit the main peak’s grand hall. Before leaving the Qingyuan Sect, their elders had final instructions.
As dawn approached,
Li Mo carried Ice Block back to her room, tucking her in with care. Truly, a masseur of impeccable dedication.
Only then did he retreat into his miniature world.
Little Li’s temper flared today, so he sparred with various extreme forms to hone his divine intent.
An hour later,
Seated on the Yin-Yang Training Grounds, he reflected.
"Both Ice Block and I need to make the Hidden Dragon top three."
"Meaning either Jiang Yu or Xie Xuan must be pushed out."
"If I can defeat the Great Sage’s projection before then, my odds will soar to... a thousand percent!"
---
The next morning, sunlight poured in.
Elders had already gathered in the main peak’s grand hall (except Shang Wu), including even a Grand Elder—Qin Yuzhi.
The Cult Master wore the look of someone dragged into work against her will, lost in thought.
Something was off.
Last night, while sleepwalking, why hadn’t she glimpsed Xiao Bing’er and Li Mo’s dream bubbles?
Had neither of them slept?
...
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
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.
spital. Good news: I've bound a system. Bad news: I'm still a baby. "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, do not bully the middle-aged for being poor — Divorce Comeback System." "Your marriage may have failed, but your luck in love has never run dry. Your childhood sweetheart, out of contact for twenty years, reappears. Her beauty remains, yet her eyes are brimming with tears." [Listen to the childhood sweetheart's sorrowful story.] Chen Zhi looked down at the diaper he was wearing, then at the little childhood sweetheart crying her heart out beside him, and fell into deep thought. Can anyone relate? I'm having a midlife crisis at an age where even rolling over is a struggle.
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)
