Not far away on the dueling platform, the purple-robed eunuch seated at the judges' table announced the winner. Ying Bing withdrew her gaze, a faint smile playing at the corners of her lips.
At the same time, the raised Taibai Sword swung down—only to meet empty air.
This gave Tian Miao a moment to catch her breath.
Had this not been a sparring match, the narrow "gate of survival" in a near-death situation would have been right here.
Her entire aura suddenly became ethereal, her figure fading as if she no longer existed in this world. Whether observed by sight, sound, or even the heart’s perception, her presence was utterly undetectable.
If the Qinghai Remnant Sound Zither could manifest the intangible into form, then the martial arts of Tian Miao’s Yantian Sect specialized in dissolving the tangible into nothingness.
Tian Miao extended a single finger, carrying the intent of returning to obscurity—an attack without a trace.
"Did Miss Ying not notice?"
Before the thought could fully form in Tian Miao’s mind, Ying Bing’s ice-mirror-like eyes abruptly turned toward her, still calm and unreadable.
She can sense me?
Then why hasn’t she moved?
A surge of alarm shot through Tian Miao, and she retreated violently.
Yet halfway through her retreat, a sudden chill pierced her back.
Tian Miao’s expression froze in shock as realization struck her.
Ying Bing’s earlier sword strike had not landed on empty air—it had landed on the "future" moments later.
This revealed two things.
First, Ying Bing had predicted her movements perfectly.
Second, Ying Bing could wield a sword from "then and there" to strike a person "here and now."
"Was the narrow path of survival I saw... something you deliberately left for me?" Tian Miao asked, her voice tinged with urgency.
"You honor me," Ying Bing replied with a slight nod before stepping off the platform.
The absence of an answer was, in itself, an answer.
"Since ancient times, who on the Hidden Dragon Ranking could possibly defeat her...?" Tian Miao murmured to herself, rooted in place.
"..."
"How did the Cold Fairy win just now?"
"After that one missed strike, she didn’t even attack again. Why did the Yantian Mystic Fairy concede?"
"I’ve crossed paths with Tian Miao before. She once spouted cryptic nonsense at me too. Serves her right to have a taste of her own medicine."
"Even if we don’t understand how the Cold Fairy did it, one thing’s certain—she’s invincible."
"Ying Bing, Ying Bing, first on the Hidden Dragon Ranking! Fairy, soar high, your icy fans will never say goodbye!"
The crowd below had already begun to erupt with fervent admirers, most of them young women.
After all, it was rare for a woman to claim the top spot.
Of course, mixed among them were a few shippers, led by none other than the chief fangirl Shang Qinqing.
"Li Mo wins! Ying Bing wins!"
After announcing the results, the purple-robed eunuch at the judges' table turned to Xie Xuan and Du Wufeng.
“May I ask how Ying Bing secured her victory just now? This humble one has trained in the chaste arts and has long been confined to the palace. I truly couldn’t discern the details.”
Du Wufeng cleared his throat. "This old man is just a blacksmith. I was busy watching to see if Li Mo would pull out a hammer. For matters of swordsmanship, you’d best ask Old Xie."
The eunuch’s gaze shifted to Xie Yiding.
The amplifying conch was thrust—swiftly and without warning—right up to Xie Yiding’s mouth.
On the grand tapestry of the realm, the scene focused squarely on the master of the Heavenly Mountain Sword Manor.
All awaited his profound insight.
"......"
After a long pause, Xie Yiding spoke slowly, "If this swordplay isn’t lacking... then it must be a good sword."
"?"
The eunuch was baffled. The nobility was baffled. The martial artists and common folk in the crowd were equally baffled.
What kind of non-answer was that?
Old Xie was suffering inwardly. That wasn’t swordsmanship at all—just the profound mystery of divine intent.
But Ying Bing’s spiritual will was unlike anything seen before.
She made her move, ended it in one strike—what more was there to say?
"Ahem. I believe our focus should now shift to the upcoming matches," Xie Yiding said, deftly steering the conversation elsewhere.
The eunuch picked up the roster and began to read aloud:
"At present, three individuals remain undefeated: Li Mo, Ying Bing..."
"And the crown prince of Great Yu, a peerless genius born divine, destined to inherit the throne..."
......
The next round of matchups materialized on the grand tapestry.
"So, whoever wins between Brother Li and Jiang Yu will face Junior Sister Ying next?" Xiao Qin muttered, scanning the updated rankings.
Looking down, he saw Li Mo sitting cross-legged, deep in conversation with his Divine Sword of Heaven and Man.
"Don’t you dare mess this up later, understand?"
"Or I’ll have Hammer Baby come have a ‘chat’ with you."
"......"
Murong Xiao, Huang Donglai, and Xiao Qin exchanged glances.
Brother Li... seemed unusually serious this time.
A moment later, Ying Bing returned, her gaze softening as she stood behind him, watching him psych himself up. It was almost amusing.
He seemed unusually invested in winning this time.
And yet, he also appeared... slightly lacking in confidence?
"Li Mo, whether you win or lose—"
"Stop right there!"
Li Mo snapped back to attention, his expression grave.
One must never casually set up death flags...
"Really won’t listen?"
"......" Under her teasing gaze, Li Mo hesitated before leaning in.
After a few whispered words, his expression shifted from shock to blazing determination. He sprang to his feet.
"So what if it’s Jiang Yu? I’ll take him down!"
With that, he grabbed his Divine Sword of Heaven and Man and strode onto the platform.
"Oi, what did you just say to him?" Shang Qinqing, having missed the exchange, felt like she’d lost out on a fortune.
"...Nothing much."
Ying Bing pressed her lips together, her face impassive—but her fingers and toes curled slightly, and her downcast eyes betrayed a flicker of disarray.
What had she been thinking, saying something like that to him?
And giving him a choice between "black" and "white"?
And how had the ever-righteous Li Mo responded?
"Only children choose. I’m a gentleman—I’ll take both."
The words he’d blurted out echoed in his mind.
Truly, Li Mo!
What a genius you are!
Above, beneath the brooding clouds, Jiang Yu stood with his hands behind his back, his dual-pupiled gaze cold and detached—like the heavens themselves casting judgment. He watched Li Mo in silence.
Li Mo, equally wordless, grew calmer with each step upward.
At this moment, his opponent was the undisputed leader of the Hidden Dragon Ranking.
Any distraction could shatter his focus.
"You should have saved those words for now," Jiang Yu spoke first, his presence towering like an indomitable peak. He seemed even stronger than before.
"Now you’ve lost your only sliver of hope. I thought you wouldn’t dare step up."
From his tone, it seemed Li Mo’s earlier remark—during Jiang Yu’s duel with Jiang Chulong—had stirred an anomaly in the Sword Bone. Such a phenomenon couldn’t be replicated easily.
If anything, Jiang Yu had since gained even greater mastery over it.
But Li Mo showed no fear. Instead, he laughed boldly.
"No need for that."
"This just makes it more exciting."
tions: attribute allocation, analysis, proficiency, and simulation. Specializing in mechanical alchemy, from crafting sorcerous battle armor to handcrafting mechanical maidens, his mechanical legion conquers endless realms... Relying on his wits, he begins with a student-teacher romance, wins over a female director, enslaves a female assassin and a underworld queen, becoming the husband of a Grand Duchess... He enslaves the Goddess of Magic from the divine realm, developing his power simultaneously in both the Wizard World and the Realm of Gods...
e school belle recognized by the whole school, a genius girl from the kendo club. She also has a hidden identity, the youngest legendary demon hunter. Chen Shuo just transmigrated and found himself turned into a weak, helpless little vampire. He was caught by Su Xiyen and taken home at the very beginning. Since then, Chen Shuo's life creed only had two items. "First, classmate Su Xiyen is always right." "Second, if classmate Su Xiyen is wrong, please refer back to item one." Many years later, Chen Shuo, who had turned back into a human, led a pair of twins to appear in front of all the vampires to share the secret of how he turned back into a human. "It's simple, I tricked a female demon hunter into becoming my wife!"
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
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."
