"......"
Amid the cheers of the onlookers, Li Mo froze. He had only uttered a single sentence.
With the atmosphere already hyped up, backing down after just two moves would seem rather pathetic.
But whether to use a sword or a hammer—that was the question. Though, in the end, it might not make much difference.
Using a sword would make his ranking as the fourth on the Hidden Dragon List seem unearned, inviting ridicule from the crowd.
Using a hammer... well, the moment he pulled it out, the audience would burst into laughter before the fight even began.
"Make your move, sir. Why hesitate like a timid maiden?"
Xie Xuan held his sword, spitting out the blade of grass he'd been chewing.
He had observed Li Mo and didn’t take him for a braggart, so why the hesitation now?
"Li Mo."
A clear, melodious voice sounded by his ear. Li Mo looked up and met Ying Bing's cool, composed gaze, tinged with faint exasperation.
"Watch my sword closely later."
"Huh... huh?"
Li Mo blinked, only half-understanding.
"I’d like to see how you plan to make me fail to block even a single move."
By now, Xie Xuan, growing impatient with Li Mo’s inaction, let curiosity drive him to unsheathe his blade.
Without invoking divine intent or true essence, pure sword light erupted from his body, as if he and the weapon in his hand had merged into one.
The radiance surged—bright, untainted, so sharp it stung the eyes.
A single stroke split into seven, enveloping Li Mo from all sides.
Li Mo narrowed his eyes, his fingers tightening around the hilt hidden in his sleeve.
Xie Xuan’s swordsmanship was flawless, majestic—like a complete world belonging solely to the sword. His Nine Swords of Dugu couldn’t break it.
Clang—
But then, a crisp sword chime rang in his ears.
Tianshuang had been drawn.
The pristine blade gleamed like moonlight breaking through the night, abruptly cleaving through that sword-forged world.
Unique. Peerless.
Transcendent. Ethereal.
Like a spotless white emerging in an all-consuming darkness—impossible to ignore.
Xie Xuan stared, entranced, as if beholding the most exquisite existence in the world.
Divine Firmament Heavenly Heart—replacing the will of heaven with one’s own.
After Ying Bing’s refinements, it had become Sword Heart Unclouded.
The next instant, sword light surged.
Xie Xuan abruptly shifted his stance, his movements now enigmatic, untraceable.
"Fairy Han can actually match Xie Xuan in pure swordsmanship?"
"Then doesn’t that mean her talent with the sword surpasses even his?"
"Exactly! She’s younger and two minor realms below him. If they fought with all their abilities, she might still be slightly inferior, but in raw sword talent, she’s likely superior!"
"Third on the Hidden Dragon List—well-deserved. I hereby declare myself a member of Fairy Han’s fan club."
For a moment, the crowd’s attention shifted entirely to Ying Bing, drawing even more spectators.
But while laymen watched for spectacle, experts sought the underlying artistry.
"Something’s off..."
Among the swordsmen of Hengyun Sword City drawn by the commotion, Elder Zeng narrowed his eyes, brow furrowed.
"What’s wrong?" Bai Jinghong snapped out of his daze.
Elder Zeng muttered, strangely unsettled, "She isn’t just holding her own against Xie Xuan—she’s suppressing him. He should’ve lost long ago."
"!!"
The Three Heroes of Hengyun felt as if struck by lightning.
They had endured brutal training for the Hidden Dragon Assembly!
Yet the gap had only widened—so much so that they couldn’t even tell Ying Bing was going easy on the second-ranked contender. How could they bear this?
She truly was despair-inducing.
Well, actually, that was an illusion.
The disparity between them and the "ice block" had always been this vast. Ying Bing had simply never gone all-out in front of them before.
In her past life, even at seventeen, she couldn’t have suppressed Xie Xuan in swordsmanship.
"But... why would she hold back after clearly defeating him?"
Bai Jinghong was baffled.
"......"
Elder Zeng ignored him, instead casting a knowing smile toward Li Mo nearby, like an old matchmaker spotting a budding romance.
"??"
“Pure Jun Sword Domain... Swordplay Art...”
Young Li watched intently, just as he had back at Autumn Water Pavilion when his "ice block" teacher demonstrated for him.
"That straw-hat guy’s Swordplay Art is impressive—he can predict ten moves ahead with each strike. But Ice Sis... seems to have calculated all his predicted moves at once."
Jiang Chulong gaped, her eyes blinking behind her sunglasses.
"But Ice Sis could’ve beaten him so many times already."
"So many times..."
A bolt of realization flashed through Li Mo’s mind.
Meaning, Ying Bing had discerned his desire to use the sword.
She deliberately let Xie Xuan display his entire repertoire so Li Mo could observe it from start to finish.
It felt like...
A pro gamer clearing the boss fight just to show you how it’s done.
"Still, even after seeing Xie Xuan’s patterns, my rudimentary Nine Swords of Dugu might not be enough."
Li Mo stowed away his weapon.
Martial Insight—activate!
Not far away.
Xie Xuan was drenched in sweat, repeatedly resisting the urge to unleash his divine intent.
His Swordplay Art had long since reached mastery, yet he felt like a fly trapped in an invisible web—every move laid bare.
He couldn’t help but recall his master’s warning when teaching him the art: "Don’t grow complacent with your current achievements."
When Shi Sujun created the Swordplay Art, he’d been no older than Xie Xuan was now.
For the first time, Xie Xuan understood why elders spoke of that legendary figure—whose sword had once dazzled the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths—with such defeated tones.
"In swordsmanship, I am no match for you."
"But I refuse to concede."
Xie Xuan suddenly sheathed his sword, eyes blazing.
Ying Bing gave a slight nod but said nothing more, walking over to Li Mo and asking softly,
"Childish one, did you see clearly?"
"I did."
Li Mo met her faintly amused, breathtakingly beautiful face and silently denied being childish—before happily drawing his Chixiao Sword and adopting Ying Bing’s signature aloof expression.
Thanks to recent training and a century’s worth of Martial Insight poured into it,
His Nine Swords of Dugu had reached minor mastery.
Surely, if he casually asked now, "What even is a sword hero?" no one would dare refute him.
Seeing Li Mo’s smug grin and nonchalant demeanor, Wu Chushu’s scalp prickled with déjà vu.
He’s about to show off in public again!
"You may strike first, sir!"
"Uh... alright."
Only then did Xie Xuan remember he’d originally come to spar with Li Mo.
And then got inexplicably thrashed by Fairy Han instead...
Where was the justice in this?!
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.
iemie, male, Race: Moon. Hobby: Collecting anomalies. At first, he thought he possessed two systems: the Crimson Rainbow Moon and the Clear Cold Frost Moon. One day, he discovered that he himself could also become a system for others, holding the chessboard of fate. The Eighth Epoch, also known as the Eternal Moon Epoch. Humans, witches, elves, bloodline descendants, specters, demons, and spirits together compose a new history. Walking the path on behalf of the moon, before he knew it, Chen Miemie's footsteps were followed by all manner of strange and wondrous anomalies. As time passed, many titles circulated about him—The King in Yellow, Lord of Anomalies, Heart of the Eternal Moon, and more. "Me? I'm just a traveler who enjoys collecting interesting creatures," Chen Miemie said.
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
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)
