At noon, the light of three suns cascaded like a celestial canopy, bathing the lakeside tower in a radiant glow. The tiles shimmered with a jade-like luster, transforming the hollowed pagoda into a pillar of glazed glass. A gilded plaque bore three characters:
"Cloud-Stepping Tower"
This place bustled with activity during the Hidden Dragon Assembly, as the tower stood twenty-five stories tall, with four rooms on each floor—a hundred in total. From top to bottom, the rooms were assigned to the highest-ranked geniuses on the Hidden Dragon List down to the lowest.
Merely securing a room here was proof of one's status as a prodigy on the Hidden Dragon List—though the topmost chamber had remained vacant for years.
Yet, despite it being the Hidden Dragon Assembly, the area before Cloud-Stepping Tower was abuzz with murmurs, the crowd packed tightly in layers.
"Who has the audacity to block the entrance at a time like this?"
"Indeed. He doesn’t look old—could he be trying to challenge one of the Hidden Dragon elites to make a name for himself?"
"Unlikely."
"Why do you say that?"
"That’s Xie Xuan, the second-ranked on the Hidden Dragon List."
"......"
The few who had been clamoring to teach him a lesson fell silent, their gazes shifting to the straw-hatted figure clutching a sword, reverence flickering in their eyes.
This was the undisputed second-ranked prodigy of the Hidden Dragon List—the young master of the Heavenly Mountain Sword Manor.
"May I ask why the young master is blocking the entrance?"
A monk spoke up, likely from the Western Regions’ Nalanda Temple.
"Take one strike from me, and you may enter. I won’t suppress my cultivation."
Xie Xuan’s voice was as cool as his demeanor.
The crowd’s expressions varied—some Hidden Dragon-ranked youths brimmed with eagerness, while sect elders darkened with displeasure.
Then, a figure leaped into the center of the gathering.
"I am Tie Qi. I seek your guidance!"
"Draw your sword... ah, your halberd, then."
A martial artist from the Gangdou Sect, known for their fearless nature, had stepped forward—and it was an old acquaintance.
Among the onlookers, Li Mo watched with amusement and asked,
"Ice Block, how many moves do you think Brother Tie can last?"
"One."
Ying Bing shook her head lightly.
"That strong?"
Li Mo couldn’t help but activate his Heavenly Eye to observe.
[Name: Xie Xuan.]
[Age: 22]
[Constitution: Pure Blade Sword Body]
[Realm: Nine-Aperture Insight.]
[Fate: Blazing Gold (exceptionally dense golden hue)]
[Evaluation: Recognized by the Sword Manor’s ancestral wooden sword in childhood, inheriting the Pure Blade Sword Dao. Yet, he has always deemed himself inferior to Shi Sujun from thirty years ago, refusing the title of Sword Chief. A hopeless romantic, pining fruitlessly for Hua Nongying, the top disciple of the Moonlit Pavilion.]
[Recent Events: Lured by Crown Prince Jiang Yu’s promise, he drove Jiang Chulong away, intending to guide her back to the Heavenly Mountain Sword Manor when he finds her.]
"He’s here because of Jiang Yu, yet doesn’t seem like Jiang Yu’s man."
As Li Mo pondered this, Tie Qi had already been defeated—unable to withstand even a single strike.
But when Tie Qi spotted Li Mo upon retreating, he grinned and called out loudly,
"Brother Li!"
Xie Xuan, sheathing his sword, instinctively followed the voice—and his eyes abruptly sharpened.
He saw Jiang Chulong, and beside her, the aloof young woman standing close to the same man.
"Brother Li, you just arrived today?"
Tie Qi clasped his hands in greeting, then nodded at Ying Bing.
"Sister-in-law, hello. Are you two planning to step up for a match?"
"......Mm."
Ying Bing’s gaze drifted elsewhere, but she didn’t let go of Li Mo’s hand.
"Let’s pass."
Li Mo coughed lightly.
Though the world knew him as the "Hammer Tyrant," he wasn’t keen on whipping out his hammers in front of so many young talents.
If possible, he’d prefer his first public display in the imperial capital to be with a sword.
It was the last shred of dignity for a man who thrived on his wife’s glory...
"What about Sister-in-law?"
"The Ice Block follows me."
Li Mo answered without hesitation.
Ying Bing pressed her lips together and nodded. "I... follow him."
Young Master Li grinned, interlacing his fingers with her cold, delicate hand.
By now, many had recognized Ying Bing—after all, she wasn’t just the third-ranked on the Hidden Dragon List but also second on the Hundred Flowers Beauty Ranking.
The aloof Frost Fairy... clinging to a man’s sleeve...
And saying she’d follow him!
"You absolute bastard! This is worse than killing me!"
The sound of shattered dao hearts echoed through the crowd.
Countless gazes burned with envy and despair.
"Ice Block, your hands are so cold."
Li Mo held her openly—he was absolutely doing this on purpose.
Ying Bing tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her cool eyes tinged with resignation.
Childish.
Like a brat showing off a prized toy...
"There are so many people around..."
Jiang Chulong adjusted her sunglasses, her cool facade barely masking her flustered nerves as she instinctively tugged at Li Mo’s sleeve.
"?"
Xie Xuan, who had been maintaining his aloof swordsman act, nearly lost his composure.
Seriously, man...
I’m here holding a trial, and you’re out here flaunting your romance?
Am I even human to you?
"So, Brother Li, where are you planning to stay?" Tie Qi asked.
"Just buy a place, I guess."
Li Mo glanced around, assessing which spot had the best ambiance.
"Finding lodging now won’t be easy—wait, what did you just say?"
"Buy a building. Why cram into Cloud-Stepping Tower?"
"Brother Li, do you have any idea how expensive land is in the imperial capital? It’s worth its weight in gold!" Tie Qi’s eyes bulged.
"Not too bad, then. I should be able to afford enough land to cover ten mountains."
Li Mo exhaled in relief—that had been a close call.
Tie Qi: "?"
His brawny brain had only just mastered a few adjectives.
But Brother Li didn’t seem to be speaking figuratively.
"Brother Tie, if you can’t find a place, you’re welcome to stay once I’ve bought a building."
With that, Li Mo took Ying Bing’s hand and turned to leave.
But before he could take two steps—
A thunderous shout, laced with sword intent, rang out behind him.
"Hammer Tyrant! Halt!"
"?"
Li Mo’s smile froze. His fists clenched.
"Ahem... As the third and fourth-ranked on the Hidden Dragon List, do you truly lack the courage to draw your swords against me? Or are you fleeing the scene?"
Xie Xuan had spoken more than usual.
Clearly, he really wanted to spend a night with Hua Nongying—er, really wanted to bring Jiang Chulong back to the Sword Manor, and also spar with Ying Bing.
Realizing both women deferred to Li Mo, he’d blurted out "Hammer Tyrant" without thinking.
"If we fight seriously, I won’t even need to draw my sword to beat you."
Li Mo stated matter-of-factly.
"......"
Qin Yuzhi mused that Li Mo drawing his sword would be redundant.
But the crowd erupted in uproar.
"What? Li Mo says he can defeat the second-ranked without drawing his sword?"
"What? The Hammer Tyrant claims he can defeat Xie Xuan without attacking?"
"What? The Hammer Tyrant thinks Xie Xuan is utter trash, unworthy of a fight?"
"That’s the Li Mo who humiliated the Crown Prince?"
"So he’s Li Mo? He’s got some nerve!"
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
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!
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
ng to die together with you." Lin Xuan is dead, his body thrown into the river by his scumbag lover and her accomplice. She, the president of the Su Group, is decisive, ruthless, and ice-cold. For three days and three nights, she had his body fished out of the river, and without hesitation, she kissed the bloated corpse of Lin Xuan. She laid down beside him in a cold coffin, their fingers intertwined, a smile lingering on her lips as she closed her eyes. The noble and cold-hearted woman, only bending for one man—Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan, with his golden finger, is reborn and returns to the day of his wedding to the treacherous woman. Su Qiang comes to steal the bride. Lin Xuan's eyes light up, eager to pledge his loyalty on the spot, but instead, her kiss transfers a glass of drugged wine into his mouth, causing him to pass out... 【Male Protagonist with Single Female Lead】【Yandere Tycoon】【Action-Packed】【True vs. Fake Heir】
