Li Mo earnestly recalled the teachings of his ice-cold mentor while carefully observing the practical demonstration Xie Xuan was showing him, completely tuning out the surrounding commotion.
He focused intently on connecting with the sword resonance within the Celestial Divine Sword.
Perhaps the world he perceived was different from Ying Bing and the others—he could only sense faint, indistinct fluctuations of sword energy.
Every sword technique he had practiced, now mastered to a proficient level, responded to him in this moment.
Not enough...
Just a bit more...
And so, Li Mo continued, simultaneously attuning to the sword resonance while searching for an opening to strike.
Across from him, Xie Xuan, already frustrated by the prolonged stalemate, grew increasingly agitated as the purple-robed eunuch droned on:
"Enough! This is ridiculous!"
A crack appeared in Xie Xuan’s focus.
"Perfect timing!"
Li Mo’s eyes snapped open.
Hum—
The aloof Celestial Divine Sword finally responded to him with a faint resonance.
A brilliant sword shadow erupted from his spiritual intent—direct, unrestrained, and brimming with the same straightforward, heroic spirit as the swordsmanship he had learned.
"Damn it!"
Xie Xuan stiffened, caught off guard by the precision and suddenness of Li Mo’s counterattack.
The uncomplicated yet decisive slash tore through the intricate web of mental sword energy Xie Xuan had woven.
By the time he reacted, hastily raising his ancestral wooden sword to parry, his mind was already struck as if by a hammer—vision darkening, balance faltering.
Staggering back, Xie Xuan dropped to one knee, bracing himself with his sword.
That strike had landed squarely on his spiritual essence.
Unlike Li Mo, whose mental fortitude was monstrous, Xie Xuan felt a suffocating pressure in his chest.
"So it’s true—you’ve comprehended the third layer of the Celestial Divine Sword’s resonance. I never fully believed it before."
Shaking his head, Xie Xuan clasped his hands in concession. "I yield."
Li Mo chuckled. "You just lost the initiative in a mental clash. If you’d pressed on, the outcome might’ve been different. Why concede so quickly?"
"You didn’t even use your hammer," Xie Xuan replied bluntly. "Beating me with a sword strike counts as your win."
A hush fell over the arena.
"That kid just unleashed a mental sword strike—and Xie Xuan couldn’t block it? He actually won?!"
Du Wufeng’s eyes bulged as he leaned back slightly.
Defeating Xie Xuan wasn’t the same as defeating just anyone.
On the Hidden Dragon Ranking, Xie Xuan was still the undisputed top swordsman of their generation. If Li Mo could beat him, would this kid grow even more obsessed with the sword path?
"This is what happens when you hand Eunuch Chen that ridiculous book to recite," Xie Yiding grumbled. Had Xie Xuan not been distracted by the storytelling, he wouldn’t have left an opening.
"I’ve been a fool!" Du Wufeng slapped his thigh in regret.
"Ah, his recklessness is his own doing. No one else is to blame." Xie Yiding sighed silently, watching his adopted son.
"Wait, he won just like that?"
"What the hell happened? I didn’t even see them fight!"
Most of the imperial citizens and martial artists in the crowd were baffled. They’d barely caught any action—just a random storytelling session—before Xie Xuan suddenly staggered back and surrendered.
"Xie Xuan lost a mental exchange, so he conceded."
"If Li Mo defeated him, does that mean the Hidden Dragon Ranking’s second spot is changing hands?"
"Something’s off. This can’t be a fixed match, right?"
"I remember now—I saw them together at Fengyue Pavilion a few days ago!"
"By the way, what was that story the judge was reciting earlier? I kinda liked it... Where can I buy a copy?"
Clearly, the sales of The Tyrannical Empress Falls for Me were about to skyrocket...
---
Under the golden imperial canopy, Zhong Zhenyue rose to his feet, applauding as he watched Li Mo and Xie Xuan step down from the stage.
"Grasping sword intent mid-battle—impressive!"
Amid the stunned silence of the nobles, Zhong Zhenyue glanced to his side.
Jiang Yu, however, showed no surprise. Instead, he seemed relaxed.
"Elder Brother, how is Li Mo’s swordsmanship also this formidable?" Princess Yuyang asked, her expression conflicted.
"Passable, I suppose." Jiang Yu took a sip of tea, having confirmed one thing.
In a battle of spiritual wills, he could perceive things even more clearly.
Jiang Chulong’s sword arts couldn’t have been taught by Li Mo—his skill was at best as displayed, with no hidden depths.
Which meant, for this Hidden Dragon Tournament, there was still only one person he needed to focus on.
Ying Bing!
Amid the murmurs of his peers on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, the young swordsman Li Mo descended from the stage.
"Xie Xuan lost a mental clash and conceded?"
"Wasn’t his swordsmanship taught by the Frost Fairy?"
"Obviously!"
"Damn... The Frost Fairy’s martial prowess is terrifying. Even someone she taught can best Xie Xuan in swordsmanship."
"The ‘Wife-Blessing Battle Soul’ nickname—I never got it before, but now I’m starting to see it."
"The Frost Fairy’s beauty outshines even the Flower Ranking’s top contender, and her martial talent is peerless. What does she see in Li Mo? His wife-blessing aura?"
Damn it all.
Li Mo sighed inwardly. He hadn’t even used his hammer—but since he hadn’t drawn his sword earlier, who could argue?
"Li Mo, you’ve learned well."
Ying Bing wore her usual sacred, ice-cold mentor expression:
"But Xie Xuan didn’t go all out. To secure a spot in the top three, you must remain diligent."
"What about planting strawberries?"
Li Mo hadn’t just been studying the sword lately.
He wasn’t stupid—he’d realized Ying Bing seemed to be teaching him something beyond mere swordsmanship...
"That... you’ve already mastered sufficiently."
Her hand ruffling his hair sped up slightly.
---
As dusk settled, the day’s Hidden Dragon Tournament concluded after multiple rounds, dividing the competitors into a winners’ bracket (25) and a losers’ bracket (25), with fifty eliminated outright.
Broadly speaking, those advancing to the winners’ bracket were the Hidden Dragon Ranking’s top fifty, with few upsets.
The Yantian Sect’s rankings had proven remarkably accurate.
The dark horses who’d defeated higher-ranked opponents were all familiar faces...
Huang Donglai had refined poison into his martial intent. Opponents, even those stronger, couldn’t catch him.
Thus, the typical scene on his stage was:
He flees! They chase! He flees effortlessly! They chase until foaming at the mouth!
Three wins straight!
But he wasn’t the strangest contender.
Murong Xiao had somehow learned the Buddhist Lion’s Roar. Though not yet refined enough to harm with sound waves, his sheer volume sufficed.
So on his stage:
A bald monk sat cross-legged, hurling insults like blooming lotuses. His opponents rapidly flushed crimson, launched desperate attacks—and ended up striking themselves.
The Shaolin monks below the stage wished they could vanish, too ashamed to claim him as one of their disciples.
Two wins, one draw!
Xiao Qin was the most conventional, engaging in thrilling, evenly matched duels.
One win, one loss, one draw.
Of course, Li Mo paid closest attention to the Hidden Dragon prodigies wielding divine weapons.
If he fought them with a sword, every battle would be grueling...
"Jiang Yu’s taking the stage," Ying Bing murmured.
Li Mo focused.
BOOM—
The moment the Golden Dragon Sword’s imperial-suppressing aura unfurled, an overwhelming pressure surged like a tidal wave.
It felt as if the entire imperial capital trembled in faint resonance.
Even among the onlookers, those at the Fourth Realm of Inner Scenery felt the overwhelming pressure bearing down like a torrential rain, leaving them breathless.
"He hasn't even used the Eight Desolates and Six Harmonies Seal yet, and he's already this powerful?"
Though his cultivation realm hadn't advanced, he was several times stronger than before!
Li Mo furrowed his brows.
Could it be... because they were in the Imperial Capital?
........
iaobai: "Councilor Dad, front me some funds. I want to hire ten thousand professional miners for a project!" [Five-Star Mission Issued: Capture the leader of the Blood Heaven Pirate Gang, who is on the run in the Radiant Star Sector. It is said the gang has over a hundred members. Proceed with caution.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, lend me the family's hundred-thousand-strong Lu Army!" [Seven-Star Mission Issued: Subdue a juvenile Void Dragon Beast.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, I'm taking your tamed Void Dragon Beast King out for a family reunion!" I said, System, don't you have any slightly more challenging missions? You're just not up to par! [Nine-Star Mission Issued: Become the Human Councilor.] Lu Xiaobai: "Dad, there's a small matter I'd like to discuss with you..."
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!" "......"
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!
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
