If the emperor had risen to his feet, how could the accompanying officials dare remain seated?
The attending ministers immediately stood up, exchanging glances that conveyed mutual understanding.
Well, the Crown Prince was His Majesty’s own son, representing the imperial family, the nobility, and the dignity of the court. He had indeed been unrivaled among his peers in the past.
Now that His Highness had suffered defeat, it didn’t take a genius to realize the emperor was displeased.
As for Li Mo...
Put yourself in the emperor’s shoes—if the heir you’d spent years grooming suffered a humiliating loss, wouldn’t it make you look incompetent? Infuriating!
Li Mo, a disciple from some sect that guarded the previous dynasty’s imperial tombs—what standing did he have to dare defeat the Crown Prince?
“This Li Mo...”
“What an audacious, lawless rogue! He must have used underhanded methods!”
“Where did all those swords come from? They clearly violate the tournament rules. Investigate thoroughly—his results must be annulled!”
“Why do so many prodigies on the Hidden Dragon Ranking know him? I suspect he’s conspiring against the court!”
“At first glance, his character... well, fine, he’s undeniably handsome. But his morals... ah, forget it. What good could come from a hammer-wielder?”
“My instincts are never wrong—there’s something off about this kid.”
“Did you see how his arm suddenly bulged during the match? I bet he’s linked to the Divine Strength Powder!”
For once, the ministers were in perfect sync when interpreting the emperor’s mood.
Running out of accusations, they began flinging baseless slander. Even the official who mentioned the Divine Strength Powder doubted his own absurdity, drawing surprised looks from his colleagues.
What connection could Li Mo possibly have with some legendary noodle brand? That was stretching it.
But it didn’t matter.
What mattered was taking a stand, showing solidarity with the emperor.
Just as the ministers finished their tirade, Emperor Jingtai’s second half of the sentence drifted down like a feather:
“Truly, heroes emerge from the young. As for Jiang Yu—life isn’t always smooth sailing. Better to suffer humiliation now than grow arrogant and jeopardize the empire’s future.”
“...”
Silence fell, punctuated only by the sound of metaphorical slaps to the ministers’ faces.
But those who’d climbed high in court had long mastered the art of thick skin.
“I’ve heard he’s renowned in the martial world for his generosity and noble character. Truly, seeing is believing.”
“The Hidden Dragon Tournament has always upheld fairness, justice, and transparency across all its editions!”
“Hammers symbolize honesty and straightforwardness. How could a hammer-wielder possibly be evil?”
“Your Majesty’s wisdom knows no bounds!”
While inwardly wondering if Li Mo was the emperor’s secret lovechild, the ministers lavished praise.
The Hidden Dragon Ranking’s top spot had changed hands—without even waiting for the finals.
Chaos erupted across the imperial capital. This was earth-shattering news.
The scene at the Meridian Gate defied description.
“Hammer Tyrant! I’m your biggest fan!”
“We love the Tyrant! We love the Tyrant!”
“Fake fans! Hammer? More like Divine Sword!”
“I propose renaming him ‘Divine Sword Gentleman’!”
“Huh? Where’s ‘Our Village’s Finest Sword’?”
Some stood dumbfounded, others cheered wildly, while a few crouched to search the ground for the legendary blade—the area around the arena descended into pandemonium.
Meanwhile, Li Mo, having finally indulged his swordsman fantasy, stepped off the platform before the purple-robed eunuch could announce the results.
Bathed in countless gazes and thunderous cheers, he felt none of the expected elation.
Was this the loneliness of invincibility—like a peerless swordsman with no rivals left to challenge?
Don’t be ridiculous. He was only at the third realm.
“Wasn’t my dream to shine as a swordsman before the crowd?”
Li Mo couldn’t pinpoint why he felt so conflicted.
“Brother Li!” Xiao Qin, never one for words, stared at him with shining eyes.
“Damn, Lao Li, you actually pulled it off. Here, I’ve got some ‘Beyond Recognition’ ointment left—patch yourself up.” Huang Donglai’s concern was... touching.
“We are the champions!” Murong Xiao roared.
Nearby, monks from Dragon Elephant Temple looked bewildered—their junior brother Guan Kong hadn’t even fought yet. When did the tournament end?
Amid the earlier chaos, everyone had nearly forgotten—the Hidden Dragon Tournament wasn’t over.
“Li Mo still has a match against Frost Fairy.”
“My eternal support goes to Ying Bing,” declared an ice fan.
“Even the Crown Prince lost. Can Frost Fairy really win?” argued a championship fan.
“Who cares who wins? Either way, it’s shippable!” This came from Shang Qinqing.
As she spoke, Shang Qinqing narrowed her eyes at a distant scene, satisfaction blooming in her chest.
Perfect.
She saw Li Mo bypass post-match interviews and victory speeches, seemingly indifferent to his triumph, weaving through the crowd until he spotted Ying Bing—only then did his face relax into a relieved smile.
Not far away, Ying Bing’s usual frosty demeanor had thawed, her expression now luminous and soft, her steps almost buoyant.
So really—who won or lost didn’t matter at all.
Shipping fans—forever undefeated!
“No words for your admirers?” Ying Bing tilted her head as if just noticing his approach.
“It wasn’t my victory alone. Besides, I’m exhausted,” Li Mo shook his head.
“No, it wasn’t.”
Ying Bing denied it.
True, she’d used her Moon Spirit Connection to briefly let Li Mo synchronize with the celestial swords, but everything after was his doing.
The swords had opened their essence to him—not because of her, but because he was the one wielding them.
“You achieved your long-held dream. Aren’t you happy?”
“Not as thrilling as I imagined.”
Her slender fingers curled slightly within his larger hand. Suddenly, Ying Bing looked up, studying him intently.
His face remained the same—every feature unchanged.
Yet his eyes held new depths...
She had to admit—sometimes, with her rebirth and past-life memories, having been empress and master of the Cassia Palace, she unconsciously positioned herself as his mentor.
Even though the system’s rankings showed she’d rarely won...
She still found herself guiding this ridiculously talented fool...
And now, somehow, he’d defeated the Hidden Dragon’s top rank, joining the realm’s foremost young elites, admired by heroes across the nine heavens and ten earths.
Lost in thought, she started when Li Mo suddenly leaned close, whispering at her ear:
“Ice block, we agreed we’re one and the same, right?”
“Why bring that up now?”
“What I mean is—since that’s the case, whoever wins is the same. Later, let’s just put on a show, then I’ll forfeit.”
“Why?” Ying Bing frowned.
Defeating her would virtually guarantee his top position—something countless others dreamed of.
Besides, she was curious.
This time, who would the system declare the winner...
“I want to head back early. You know me—endlessly curious. Which feels better—pearl-white silk or black cloud gauze? I’ve been wondering.”
“...”
Ying Bing’s breath hitched. Her hand darted to pinch his waist.
After a sharp twist, she paused, then declared:
“No. We’re fighting.”
"Alright then..."
pression Bureau] Transported to a fantasy world overrun by demons and monsters, Gu Qingfeng becomes a jailer in the Demon Suppression Prison of the Great Yan Dynasty's Demon Suppression Bureau. From this point on, bizarre cases frequently occur in the Demon Suppression Prison, once known as hell on earth and infamous for its gloomy, terrifying atmosphere! Why do the demons and monsters in the prison wail miserably every night? Why has the corpse demon, capable of transforming into various beauties, donned black stockings and switched careers to become a foot massage therapist? Why has the eye demon, expert in soul-snatching and illusions, turned into a VR headset? Why is the fox spirit performing otaku dances? Are all these occurrences a twisted expression of demonic nature, or a descent into moral depravity? After peeling away layer upon layer of mystery, all clues ultimately point to a jailer named Gu Qingfeng. Gu Qingfeng: "Hehehe... My dear demons and monsters, whose card shall we flip today?"
villain is the number one simp for the book's leading female protagonist, Shen Wan'er. As expected, he later becomes a tool for the main character to show off and slap faces, ultimately meeting a tragic end with his family ruined and his life in shambles. Fortunately, he awakens the [Universal Pure Love System], which allows him to earn points by performing acts of pure love. To change his fate, Gu Yan makes a decisive choice to seek warmth and companionship with the book's biggest villain—Cold Qingqiu. ........... My name is Leng Qingqiu. To find the murderer who killed my parents years ago, I deliberately blinded myself so that everyone would lower their guard around me. Just as I was secretly accumulating power and capital according to my initial plan, a man walked into my world. "Lengleng, Qingqing, Qiuqiu, which nickname do you prefer?" I don't like any of them. You'd better leave quickly! "Why aren't you saying anything? How about I call you my baby wife?" Leng Qingqiu thinks to herself, this man is truly annoying! (Stubborn pure love warrior + single female lead + true pure love + 1v1)
ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
