Qingyuan Sect, Scripture Pavilion.
The octagonal structure towered layer upon layer, reaching a staggering height of three hundred meters. Disciples streamed in and out without end.
The moment Li Mo appeared at the entrance, countless eyes turned toward him.
"Is that the true disciple, Li Mo?"
"Senior Brother Li is so handsome, especially when he smiles—so gentle, unlike the other aloof true disciples."
"That must be the Scarlet Sky Sword at his waist. To obtain a mystic weapon at such a young age, his swordsmanship must be exceptional."
"Did you hear? The Divine Edge Cave’s earth veins erupted prematurely yesterday."
"Now Elder Hanhe has sealed everything below the third level. It’ll be much harder for disciples to obtain mystic weapons in the future."
"Even many elders don’t possess mystic artifacts. It was never really something for disciples to begin with."
The hushed whispers were barely audible, but Li Mo caught every word.
"Elder Hanhe works fast."
"The old man may be prideful, but he gets things done."
Lost in thought, Li Mo approached the first-floor counter.
The inner sect steward recognized him immediately and flashed a smile.
"True Disciple Li, are you here to claim your sect trial reward on the fifth floor?"
"Indeed."
Li Mo nodded and handed over his waist token.
"Ah... True Disciple Li, the fifth floor only houses mid-tier martial arts."
The steward offered a polite reminder.
For inner sect disciples, a suitable mid-tier martial art was a rare treasure. But a true disciple shouldn’t lack such things, right?
Li Mo smiled without answering.
Then it struck the steward—Li Mo might be a true disciple, but his master was Elder Shangwu...
Suddenly, everything made sense.
"You may select two mid-tier martial arts. Please proceed."
"My thanks."
The steward completed the records swiftly, and Li Mo turned to ascend the stairs.
The second floor of the Scripture Pavilion was just as crowded.
The lower three floors housed unranked martial arts, along with miscellaneous texts, biographies, and other writings.
Li Mo didn’t linger, continuing upward.
By the fourth floor, the crowd had thinned considerably.
Here, low-tier martial arts were stored, alongside knowledge on alchemy, forging, and taming exotic beasts.
Most of the readers here were inner sect disciples.
Li Mo’s gaze briefly lingered on a section that surprised him—books on cooking.
He picked one up, skimmed a few lines, and promptly set it back down with a twitch of his lips.
"No wonder the Qingyuan Sect’s dining hall food is so terrible."
It couldn’t hold a candle to the cookbook he’d obtained through his investment returns.
The fifth floor was nearly deserted.
Only disciples who had completed sect missions and accumulated enough contribution points could spend them to access this level.
"Hammer techniques..."
Li Mo walked to the section dedicated to weapon-based martial arts.
"Tempering Hammer Art... for forging."
"Tiger’s Roar Hammer... requires a long-handled warhammer. Not suitable..."
Well.
It seemed Li Mo wasn’t the only one who disliked smashing people with hammers.
Even the all-encompassing Scripture Pavilion had barely any hammer techniques.
Then again, the martial world had Sword Gods, Blade Sovereigns, and Spear Immortals.
When had anyone ever heard of a legendary hammer-wielder?
Hammer techniques were already niche.
The "Meteor Annihilation Hammer" was a short-handled weapon—niche among niches.
"Brother Li!"
A familiar youthful voice called out from nearby.
Turning, Li Mo saw Murong Xiao waving at him.
"You’re here to pick a martial art too?"
Li Mo was surprised.
The Divine Edge Peak was wealthy and well-stocked. Why would a true disciple need to scavenge the Scripture Pavilion?
"You misunderstand, Brother Li."
"I didn’t inform my master."
Murong Xiao forced a bitter smile.
After a brief explanation and a glance through his Heavenly Destiny Eyes, Li Mo understood.
[Name: Murong Xiao.]
[Age: 16.]
[Physique: Howling Serpent Body.]
[Cultivation: Qi-Blood Realm, Seven Meridians.]
[Destiny: Blue tinged with gray.]
[Evaluation: Born of a human father and a shapeshifted flood dragon mother. Kind-hearted but tormented by his bloodline. If he harmonizes the strengths of both lineages, his future is boundless. If he succumbs to their flaws, he will bring calamity.]
[Recent Events: Afflicted by his bloodline, he has been plagued by intrusive thoughts and nightmares, repeatedly dreaming of his hands drenched in blood. Seeking a mind-calming cultivation technique.]
"My master still doesn’t know my half-demon bloodline comes from a howling serpent..."
Murong Xiao sighed, his face lined with worry.
"So you came to the Scripture Pavilion alone?"
Li Mo’s expression turned odd.
Murong Xiao nodded. "Exactly. If he asks, I don’t want to lie, but I can’t tell the truth either. Better to avoid the topic entirely..."
Li Mo: "..."
Elder Hanhe was so easygoing—just hint at needing a mind-calming technique, and he’d probably toss you a high-tier manual without a second thought.
This kid was painfully honest.
"You might find a technique here."
"But don’t expect a mid-tier mind art to suppress your bloodline."
Li Mo shook his head.
"Then what should I—huh?"
Murong Xiao’s anxious words cut off as Li Mo shoved a manual into his hands.
"This is...?"
"Golden Bell Shield—a high-tier body-refining martial art."
"Ah?"
Murong Xiao gaped, utterly lost. Why was Brother Li handing him a body-refining manual?
"Who said calming the mind requires a mental technique?"
Li Mo gave the poor boy a look of exasperation.
"This high-tier art originates from the Buddhist tradition. It integrates physical and spiritual cultivation, embodying Buddhist principles."
"Master the Golden Bell Shield, and what fear will you have of intrusive thoughts?"
"Golden Bell Shield..."
Murong Xiao’s dim eyes brightened.
But soon, he fidgeted, fingers twisting his sleeves as hesitation overtook him.
"Don’t overthink it."
Li Mo patted the Scarlet Sky Sword at his waist. "I took a mystic weapon from Divine Edge Peak—far more valuable than a high-tier martial art. Consider this repayment."
Of course, it wasn’t just the sword.
Whenever Li Mo gave something away, the other party might gain, but he always gained more.
"Divine Edge Peak is Divine Edge Peak. This isn’t repayment..."
"Brother Li, I owe you yet another great debt."
Murong Xiao pressed his lips together, overwhelmed with gratitude.
At this rate, short of bearing children, there was nothing Li Mo could ask that Murong Xiao wouldn’t agree to.
"When you take on a sect mission outside, be sure to notify me."
"Sect missions..."
All Qingyuan Sect disciples, including true disciples, were periodically required to complete missions—large or small.
It was mandatory.
After all, if the Qingyuan Sect just stood around doing nothing, no one would uphold its status as the leading sect of Purple Sun Prefecture.
"I’ve been considering one recently."
"I’ll take you up on that offer."
Li Mo accepted readily.
The Murong family held considerable influence in Purple Sun Prefecture—a local power. Whatever the mission, their connections would smooth the way.
"Then I’ll return to study the Golden Bell Shield!"
Murong Xiao finally broke into a smile.
"Go on."
After he left, the system promptly chimed in:
[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully invested in Murong Xiao with a high-tier martial art, aiding him in overcoming his bloodline affliction.]
[Investment Reward: An Ancient Bronze Tome Seal.]
[Ancient Bronze Tome Seal]: "When stamped onto any martial technique, it can deduce, refine, and elevate the technique's grade—capable of raising it to the level of a peerless art."
"What a treasure!"
A high-tier martial technique upgraded to a peerless art.
And he could even choose the type of peerless art!
The feedback from Murong Xiao this time had far exceeded his expectations!
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?!
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!
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】
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."
