The audience below the stage collectively leaned back slightly in shock—what kind of speech was this?
Frost Fairy, have you lost your mind?
Emperor Jingtai: "......"
The Emperor had witnessed many grand scenes in his time.
But this? This was a first.
Ying Bing's expression remained indifferent. "We agreed to spar tonight."
Only then did Emperor Jingtai nod slightly, smiling.
"The Dragon's Ascent Tournament is merely the beginning. I have higher expectations for your performance in the Celestial City Realm. It gladdens me to see neither of you growing complacent."
He then stepped before Li Mo and asked,
"Young Li, the Little Overlord, any thoughts?"
This was Li Mo's first time standing so close to the Great Yu Emperor. He noticed the streaks of silver at Emperor Jingtai's temples, his sharp features, and the faint resemblance in his brows and eyes to Chu Long.
Now, the Emperor of Great Yu was prompting him to speak, and his words would resonate through the entire capital via the Imperial Landscape Scroll.
They would leave an indelible mark in the annals of history, remembered for generations.
Li Mo couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion. He straightened his posture, his expression solemn.
"My journey here has been paved by the support of my friends and Ying Bing, as well as my own sweat and effort."
"The future belongs to me, and soon, it will belong to all of you..."
"Since childhood, my father taught me that the children of the poor must mature early."
In his past life, the young scholar had only thirty minutes of TV time after school.
Because after that, the evening news would dominate the screen.
Thus, his eloquence left not only the common folk but even Emperor Jingtai and his ministers utterly spellbound.
Just look at that ideological awareness.
Just listen to that mastery of rhetoric.
It seemed as though he had said everything—and yet nothing at all.
Compared to Li Mo, they felt like clumsy novices. Some even began scribbling notes in secret, planning to reuse his lines in future meetings.
[Congratulations, Host. Successful investment in Minister of War, 'Zhao Wu'—helping him discover the path to progress.]
[Congratulations, Host. Successful investment in Minister of Rites...]
......
The Celestial City did not open that same day.
After delivering his brief remarks, Li Mo boarded a carriage and returned to Cloudstep Tower with the Ice Block.
For some reason, Li Mo had originally planned to visit the Heavenly Mountain Sword Manor to practice weapon-forging with Divine Artisan Du.
But after dropping off the Ice Block, just as he was about to leave, Ying Bing didn’t let go of his hand.
Since when had the Ice Block become so clingy?
Young Li had no idea, but his plans for the Sword Manor instantly vanished from his mind.
Night fell.
After preparing dinner, Li Mo headed to her room, only to find her silhouette stretching long under the moonlight in the training yard.
"No need to rush. We could spar anytime, really."
Li Mo scratched his chin.
Truthfully, he wasn’t feeling too confident at the moment.
Ying Bing turned her head, her gaze serene as still water. "In a few days, I might not be able to defeat you anymore."
With the Celestial City approaching, the rewards for first place far surpassed those for second.
Li Mo sighed. "Our bet was just a joke..."
"......"
Ying Bing's lashes trembled slightly.
Their wager revolved around the terms of the penalty.
If she lost to Li Mo, it would mean her ranking fell below his—and the penalty would still apply.
"I’m not afraid of losing. You’re nearing the Ninth Insight Aperture. Cultivation alone won’t cut it."
After a moment of silence, Li Mo summoned his hammer treasure. He, too, was curious about the current gap between himself and the Ice Block.
Moonlit Yin reflected the lunar glow, its edge shimmering with cold radiance.
The auras of the two divine weapons clashed. Had the training yard of Cloudstep Tower not been specially reinforced to withstand external combat, it would have shattered long ago.
"Here I come."
A whisper brushed his ear.
Moonlit Yin thrust forward like a spear of moonlight, its gleam akin to a reflection in a well—yet also as if descending from the heavens.
As someone who also comprehended the mysteries of the Moon, Li Mo sensed that this strike transcended the present moment, carrying a faint distortion of time and space.
He closed his eyes lightly, relying not on sight but on the divine intent of the Moon to perceive.
He saw where Ying Bing’s blade would land.
His hammer moved before his thoughts fully formed.
A single strike met the moonlight, scattering stardust in its wake.
......
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."
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!
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
