The Happy Lamb Hot Pot Restaurant.
With the arrival of spring, business at the hot pot restaurant flourished even more, bustling with a steady stream of customers forming long queues outside.
Yet amidst the swirling steam of the hot pot, the small figure clad in ill-fitting, oil-stained clothes and a cloth blindfold was nowhere to be seen.
Jiang Chulong had changed into a blue satin horse-face skirt adorned with intricate floral patterns. As she washed her face in the backyard, Aunt Mei told her that this outfit was what her mother had worn when she first ventured into the martial world.
It was early spring, and the young princess lifted her face, radiant like a delicate white flower blooming in the season. Her features were exquisitely delicate, her dark hair cascading in loose strands.
No one would have guessed that just a year ago, she had been the frail, nearly lifeless little beggar from Mud Corner Alley.
"St-stutter s-sister... so... p-pretty!"
Instead, it was the young beggars working in the restaurant who now stuttered.
"Aunt Mei... d-do I... look nice?" Jiang Chulong asked timidly, lowering her head.
"Y-you... you look just like her..."
Mei Yun's expression was complex, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. She wiped the corners of her eyes, brushing away the memories threatening to surface.
Just then, startled exclamations erupted outside the hot pot restaurant.
People seemed to be shouting something about the "Frost Fairy" and the "Little Tyrant."
A flicker of excitement flashed in Jiang Chulong's eyes. She dashed toward the door curtain but stopped short. The commotion outside was lively—usually, she didn’t dare meet the customers' gazes...
Oh right, Brother Li had told her...
She reached into her pocket.
---
"Brother Huang, are you coming to the Imperial Capital with us? My cloud is big enough—you’ll fit."
"No thanks. If I get on, it’ll be too crowded."
"Don’t worry, Ice Block can sit on my lap."
"?"
The Flying Poison Two-Faced Turtle was instantly dazed by the Little Tyrant’s divine hammer—a strike delivered with abacus beads.
Well, when retelling the story later, he could claim that Li Mo had defeated him in one move with a hidden weapon.
Huang Donglai chuckled wryly. "I think I’ll travel alone."
"Why?"
"Something tells me it’s not safe around you. Sooner or later, something big will happen—and it’s never a small thing..."
Huang Donglai politely declined.
Flying Poison Two-Faced Turtle, ever the cautious one!
"..."
Li Mo found himself at a loss for words.
But this was somewhat unfair. How were the mishaps his fault? It was all because of Ice Block. The rise of a destined empress was always fraught with thorns, wasn’t it?
Young Li insisted he was just an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire.
Not that it stopped him from clinging to Ice Block’s flawless legs...
"Where’s Chulong?"
Ying Bing’s calm gaze swept across the hot pot restaurant.
"Ah, you’re right—she’s not here."
Li Mo blinked, suddenly suspecting that Aunt Mei had taken the little princess and fled.
But at that moment, the door curtain was pushed aside.
The bustling restaurant fell silent for a split second. Regular customers who recognized the figure emerging from the backyard gaped in shock.
Jiang Chulong stood there, her expression timid and uncertain—but it was all hidden behind a pair of sunglasses.
Hands on her hips, she looked every bit the aloof, ruthless assassin.
"Did Aunt Mei say anything?" Li Mo asked.
The little princess panicked internally but shook her head coolly, maintaining her emotionless facade.
"That’s strange."
As Li Mo spoke, he caught sight of Mei Yun through the curtain, her expression unreadable. She seemed to have much to say but only sighed in the end.
Well...
Chulong had made it onto the Hidden Dragon Ranking. There was no hiding her identity anymore. Even if she didn’t step into the martial world, the martial world would come to her.
At least in Mei Yun’s eyes, having a mysterious, powerful mentor like Li Mo would offer some protection.
"Aunt Mei, we’ll return safely," Li Mo said earnestly.
"Mm. Come back soon."
Mei Yun retrieved a small box from her spatial artifact and handed it to Li Mo.
"If any of you reaches the Heavenly City Realm, open this. After reading, burn it."
"Understood."
Li Mo knew Mei Yun hailed from the Heavenly Mountain Sword Manor and had once been the sword maiden of Chulong’s mother.
This box likely held secrets related to the Heavenly Phoenix Domain’s transformation into the Heavenly City Realm.
---
Half a month later.
Under the brilliant spring sunlight, Li Mo stood atop his soaring cloud, gazing into the distance as a breathtaking landscape unfolded before him.
Beneath the azure sky stood towering walls of glazed splendor, a city of endless wonders with spires reaching heights surpassing even the skyscrapers of his past life.
The city’s expanse stretched beyond sight, and in the far distance, a snow-capped mountain loomed like a corner of the heavens.
At the city’s heart lay the imperial palace, shielded by an emerald jade screen resembling a grand canopy—Li Mo recognized it instantly.
A divine artifact of destiny: the Rivers and Mountains Painting.
Suddenly, the figures flying alongside him began descending.
"We’re not there yet?"
Li Mo frowned, still hovering on his cloud.
"The divine artifact’s power enforces a no-flight zone around the city. Anyone who gets closer is forced to land—unless they’ve reached the Palm Profound Realm. Huh?"
Qin Yuzhi blinked in surprise as the cloud beneath her feet remained steady.
"Just a minor trick," Li Mo adjusted his sunglasses smugly.
"Brother Li is amazing..."
The supposedly ruthless little princess instantly broke character.
"This cloud doesn’t feel like the Mist Dao..."
Ice Block, also wearing sunglasses, tilted her head.
"So why are you all wearing these dark glasses?"
"Because we’re a team."
"Then why don’t I have one?" Qin Yuzhi protested.
"Sister Qin, instead of always asking what the sect leader can give you, think about what you can contribute. I’ve already given you a job—and now you expect a uniform too?"
Li Mo wasn’t serious, of course. The truth was, he’d forgotten to make her a pair.
"Fine. Then you can handle the Southern Border’s power of the masses yourself."
Under Qin Yuzhi’s management, the power of the masses had flourished over the past half-month.
Moreover, the Empty Myriad Colors Pagoda from the Demon Summoning Sect had somehow accumulated thirty-two layers—just four short of projecting a divine form of the Great Dao.
"...Just kidding. Actually, I think sunglasses don’t suit you. How about an eyepatch instead?"
"That’s more like it."
As they bantered, Li Mo guided his cloud to descend, retrieving his trusty bronze carriage to pass through the city gates.
Even the ordinary gate guards were at the Observation Divine Realm.
---
Meanwhile, within the vermilion walls and jade-green tiles of the imperial palace...
Purple smoke coiled through the Eastern Palace of the crown prince.
A young man carrying a heavy sword case followed the sword maiden Qingniao through layers of palace walls before arriving at the inner hall’s Sword Repository. The pavilion housed gleaming blades of all kinds, with mundane weapons being the least remarkable among them.
Jiang Yu held an ordinary sword in his hands, its edge humming with a dragon’s roar.
Snap—
Without warning, the blade shattered, its energy scattering wildly.
Jiang Yu’s expression darkened instantly.
"Your Highness, these are all the weapons forged at the Sword Manor’s annual assembly."
The fragments of the sword hovered around the speaking young man before suddenly halting and coalescing back into a longsword riddled with cracks.
"The blacksmiths at the recent Weapon Forging Assembly have grown increasingly mediocre," Jiang Yu remarked, glancing at the sword case laid on the ground. "Not a single blade can withstand the might of the Sword Bone."
"It has nothing to do with the Sword Bone," the young man shook his head. "The problem lies with you. To wield a sword, one must first master oneself. In the hands of a true master, even grass and twigs become divine weapons."
In other words, don’t blame the sword if the swordsman is lacking.
Jiang Yu’s eyelid twitched.
Qingniao, flustered, cried out, "Senior Brother Xie!"
But the young man surnamed Xie acted as though he hadn’t heard, his gaze fixed on Jiang Yu’s dual-pupiled eyes.
Just then, a servant entered and whispered something into Jiang Yu’s ear.
His brow arched, a cold fury surging within him.
"Didn’t you always say you once saw a little girl in the Sword Graveyard whose talent in the sword path surpassed even yours? She’s here now—likely heading toward the Step Cloud Tower."
"Oh?"
The young man’s eyes brightened. Without even a word of farewell, he turned to leave.
But as soon as he stepped out of the Sword Pavilion, Jiang Yu’s voice followed him:
"If you can drive her out of the Imperial Capital, I’ll arrange for you to share wine, music, and a night of pleasure with Hua Nongying."
"......"
The young man paused mid-step, then summoned his sword and took flight.
Xie Xuan—the Sword Fanatic, the Sword Saint—loved his blades, but he loved beauties just as much.
In the Imperial Capital, if you asked ten people, eleven would know of his infatuation with the fourth-ranked beauty on the Hundred Flowers Ranking—the current top courtesan of the Moonlit Pavilion.
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
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.
