The True Power of Divine Weapons, Heading to the Library Pavilion

Ying Bing knew there was a divine weapon in the Divine Edge Cave.

In fact, the reason she knew about it was because of Shang Wu.

When the Qingyuan Sect collapsed, it was Shang Wu who paid a tremendous price to wield the Starfall Calamity Hammer.

Later, after Ying Bing went to the Central Divine Continent, she encountered several divine weapons no less formidable than the Starfall Calamity Hammer.

Yet none of them ever gave her the same sense of boundless power.

Indeed.

Even by her standards, divine weapons were far from commonplace.

A divine weapon was two whole tiers above an arcane artifact.

It represented the pinnacle of forging, the absolute limit of human craftsmanship.

Beyond that?

Only the Heaven-defying, destiny-born Dao Weapons existed.

Take, for example, the ‘Imperial Seal of Mountains and Rivers,’ wielded by successive emperors of the Great Yu Dynasty.

That said.

She recalled that in her past life, the Starfall Calamity Hammer had no master.

Shang Wu had barely managed to activate it once before both vanished without a trace, like a fleeting blossom.

When she first took charge of the Lunar Palace, she had inquired about it.

But all she got were vague, unverifiable rumors.

"Elder Shang Wu... Hm?"

There was no response from the other side.

When Ying Bing finally looked up, she realized Shang Wu had somehow dozed off in a rocking chair, even letting out soft, rhythmic snores.

Not long after.

"Roast lamb, coming right up."

Li Mo emerged with the prepared lamb.

He placed it on the grill and began lighting the fire.

The flames cast a warm glow on the young man’s face.

A reflection that also flickered in Ying Bing’s cool, distant eyes.

Could it be... that he had something to do with it?

Back then, even the Nine-Colored Phoenix’s spirit seemed particularly drawn to him...

"Give me a hand."

A brush was suddenly thrust into her grasp by the young man.

Ying Bing tilted her head slightly in confusion.

Li Mo then brought over an earthen jar, from which a rich, spicy aroma wafted.

Ying Bing understood.

He wanted her to baste the lamb with the sauce.

"This is my specially brewed 'Soul Sauce.'"

"Even Happy Sheep would be left speechless after one bite. It’s all yours now."

As he spoke, Li Mo began slowly rotating the grill.

And so.

The Phoenix Heavenly Empress narrowed her eyes, a faint ripple of emotion passing through them.

In the end, she dipped the brush into the so-called 'Soul Sauce' and embarked on her first-ever culinary endeavor.

Soon enough, Young Li handed over the task of rotating the grill to her as well.

Before long.

The lamb sizzled, its juices dripping.

Watching Ying Bing meticulously apply the sauce with an almost serious expression, Li Mo couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly.

The ice block actually looked a bit more... human when cooking. Less frosty, more alive.

"Maybe I can automate the ice block’s feeding in the future?"

But.

That thought didn’t last long.

"What’s that smell?"

While preparing side dishes, Li Mo caught a whiff of something burning.

He turned around to find the lamb in a tragic state—half charred, half raw.

Yet Ying Bing continued rotating it, utterly oblivious to the disaster unfolding.

Li Mo: "......"

He shot her a helpless, exasperated look.

Seriously, sis? It’s burnt to a crisp, and you’re still roasting the charred side?

Meeting his gaze, Ying Bing returned it with serene indifference.

"What’s wrong?"

She asked, as if completely justified.

Well.

Turns out the ice block had flaws after all—like being eternally banned from the kitchen.

"Let me handle it..."

After a meal that could’ve been breakfast or dinner, dawn had already broken.

In his room.

"Master’s meal cost the equivalent of five hundred taels of gold? Far exceeding the value of that jar of Bamboo Brew."

"But the ice block’s reaction was priceless..."

Li Mo lay on his bed, taking a rare inventory of his wealth.

Eight arcane crystals.

Gold? Already surpassed ten thousand taels.

Silver... He couldn’t be bothered to count. There was too much—both in coin and notes—making it mind-numbingly tedious.

Then there were the assorted treasures.

Six-mark elixirs, rare ores, exotic herbs—you name it.

"Toxin-Cleansing Pill—neutralizes a hundred poisons."

"Wind and Rain Summoning Talisman? Causes three days of heavy rain. Probably useless for now."

"Ancient Pine-Patterned Ring? Looks elegant and imposing. Good for boosting one’s aura..."

After half an hour.

Li Mo finally sorted through his miscellaneous items.

Then he entered the Seed of the World.

The space had changed slightly since his last visit.

It seemed a few meters larger.

Before the chessboard in the clearing, the Starfall Calamity Hammer hung inverted in silence.

Not far from it, the Crimson Sky Sword cowered in a corner, not daring to approach.

Buzz—

Sensing Li Mo’s arrival, the hammer vibrated faintly.

Its weaponized killing intent remained.

But it no longer exerted any pressure on Li Mo.

After all, he was the master here.

"Limitless strength."

Li Mo murmured inwardly.

Then he walked over, gripped the hammer’s handle, and lifted it effortlessly.

As if it weighed nothing.

Were it not for the hammer’s joyful resonance, one might suspect it had been swapped for a counterfeit.

Whoosh—

Li Mo swung it a couple of times.

Instantly, the hammer’s murderous aura stirred the miniature world, as if the heavens themselves were enraged.

A single strike carried the force of a falling meteor, capable of shattering the earth.

In that moment, he felt like a deity who could rend the skies with a mere gesture.

In Li Mo’s current understanding, Elder Han He was among the strongest he knew.

Yet he had a hunch.

Even the faintest ripple from this hammer’s power would be beyond what Han He could withstand.

"Now this is a true divine weapon."

"This must be its real power."

Li Mo exhaled deeply.

The Starfall Calamity Hammer buzzed excitedly, thrilled to finally be unleashed to its full potential.

"Want... out...."

Faintly.

Li Mo seemed to hear a childlike voice.

The hammer?

He looked down, confirming the source.

"Fight..."

He understood.

The hammer wanted to smash something.

Be it people, beasts—anything but being used to forge other weapons.

Li Mo: "......"

I’d love to.

But I’m not strong enough yet.

Buzz—

The hammer sulked. Its nascent sentience couldn’t grasp complex reasoning.

Why was its master sometimes strong, sometimes weak?

Why could he wield its full power yet refuse to take it out for fun?

"When the time is right, I’ll let you shine."

Li Mo reassured it softly.

After calming the divine weapon, he pondered seriously.

"Now that I have a hammer..."

"Shouldn’t I find a hammer technique to match?"

Having tasted the hammer’s might, Li Mo felt a growing desire.

A swordsman learning hammer techniques—surely that wasn’t too strange?

But none of the feedback from his investments included hammer-related martial arts.

"Ah, right."

"The top scorer in the sect trials gets to pick a technique from the fifth floor of the Scripture Pavilion."

"Might as well check it out."

With that thought.

Li Mo restored the chaotic state of the small world, then beckoned to the Crimson Sky Sword not far away.

"Come here."

Hum—

The moment he spoke, the Quakebreaker Meteor Hammer trembled twice, like a father disciplining a mischievous child.

Only then did the Crimson Sky Sword slowly descend into his palm.

With the sword in hand, Li Mo withdrew from the seed of the world.

After exchanging a brief greeting with the drowsy Shang Wu, he headed out toward the library pavilion.