【Congratulations, Host. You have successfully invested in Jiang Chulong, aiding her in defeating the Black Dragon's projection.】
【Investment Reward】: "Black Dragon's Essence Blood."
"With five dragon essence bloods, a divine weapon can be forged. Now, only one last type remains before the set is complete."
Inside the carriage, Li Mo examined the translucent jade vial in his hand.
He could sense the profound and immense power contained within, much like the other vials of essence blood.
At present, he dared not take out all the dragon blood at once.
For some reason, despite all being of draconic origin, the different essence bloods seemed to regard each other as enemies. The moment their auras came into contact, they would inexplicably boil, their energies clashing violently in the void.
"If these were forged into a divine weapon, what rank could it achieve on the Divine Arms Ranking?"
Young Li often prided himself on being a righteous gentleman and a dashing swordsman.
But truth be told, he had to admit that he was born to be a blacksmith. The thought of forging divine weapons stirred an innate excitement within him.
So, what should he forge?
He already had Hammer Bao for a hammer, and the Celestial Sword would soon be returned to Celestial City after crossing the Dragon Gate in a few days.
A sword?
He couldn’t very well wield two hammers—he wasn’t Li Yuanba. Otherwise, he’d truly earn the title of "Divine Hammer Overlord."
"Overthinking is pointless. Right now, I’m not even skilled enough to forge a Mystical Weapon, let alone a divine one..."
Li Mo shook off his scattered thoughts.
Becoming a Divine Artisan wasn’t just about technique and hammer skills.
His physical body alone was far from ready.
Now, he was on his way to the Sword Forge, where he would receive guidance from his icy mentor to further hone his strengths...
The air was frigid, and the sunlight barely pierced through the Tian Mountain Sword Manor.
Before the blazing forge, which burned defiantly amid the snowstorm, Du Wufeng crouched, slurping from a large bowl of hand-pulled noodles.
Beside him stood two elders—one with a single arm, clad in a blue robe. Though he appeared younger than Du Wufeng, his aura carried a heavier weight of time.
If Elder Hanhe or Elder Zeng were here, they would recognize him instantly—a Divine Artisan renowned across the land.
Both had once been his apprentices.
The last figure was none other than the Manor Lord, Xie Xuan.
"That kid mastered your forging techniques in just a day?"
The blue-robed, one-armed Divine Artisan’s empty sleeve fluttered in the wind as he pondered.
Du Wufeng took another loud slurp of noodles. "To be precise, less than half an hour."
"I must still be dreaming..."
The one-armed Divine Artisan scratched his messy hair.
Though he often mocked Du Wufeng’s skills, he knew full well that among the Divine Artisans of the Sword Forge, Du Wufeng had walked the hardest path.
"Then again, compared to the undisputed top-ranked prodigy under eighteen, this hardly seems surprising."
"True. What’s more unbelievable than him cuddling with Bingbing?"
"Let’s be real—what’s the Yantian Sect thinking? How could the Empress possibly rank above Bingbing?"
"Shut up! Have you lost your mind, Old Tian?"
"Huh? You disagree?"
"Must you say it out loud?"
As the two Divine Artisans bickered, the sound of an approaching carriage interrupted them. A hand stretched out from the window, occasionally grasping at the air as if testing something.
When the carriage stopped, Du Wufeng asked,
"Why were you sticking your hand out the window?"
"I was measuring the wind’s force and shape."
Li Mo stepped out, his expression solemn.
Oh?
The group—comprising experts at the Sixth and even Seventh Realms—exchanged glances.
The wind was formless. For an ordinary person, attempting to grasp its shape and force was absurd.
It seemed Li Mo was comprehending some profound martial art.
Xie Xuan smiled. "To already understand the art of sensing the heavens and earth—this is the path of External Manifestation. Geniuses truly walk several steps ahead."
"You flatter me, Senior. By the way, where’s Xie Xuan today?"
Li Mo casually asked while paying his respects to the blue-robed Divine Artisan and Du Wufeng. Then, he pulled out his anvil and forging tools.
"Xie Xuan..."
Xie Yiding’s forehead twitched.
"He went out with a master from the Suspended Temple. Lately, he’s been leaving every day. I suspect he’s slacking in his training, but since he’s with a Buddhist, I can’t imagine what mischief he’s up to."
"Which master?"
"Master Zangai. You know him too—any idea what they’re doing?"
"......"
Li Mo leaned back slightly, thinking to himself, The Tian Mountain Sword Manor’s intuition is terrifyingly sharp.
The former "Moonlit Pavilion" had been rebranded as a foot spa, with Xie Xuan and Zhong Zhenyue as new co-owners.
According to Zhong Zhenyue, Xie Xuan had been abusing his position, summoning Hua Nongying to give him foot baths three times a day—so often that her hands were nearly worn out.
Likely fearing Xie Yiding’s scrutiny, he’d dragged Murong Xiao along.
The two must have hit it off splendidly...
"Probably busy with work. How’s his martial progress?"
"Work?"
Xie Yiding pondered. "He has improved quite a bit—his sword heart has grown clearer and more carefree. But what kind of work could have such an effect?"
Who knew that daily foot baths could elevate one’s cultivation?
Even Li Mo, a master of foot therapy, was baffled.
But then again, that’s why he was a genius:
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
"It’s good for him to venture beyond the Sword Manor and see more of the world."
Xie Yiding sighed appreciatively.
Little did he know, he was thanking the wrong person...
"Enough chatter."
Du Wufeng set his bowl aside.
"Kid, today’s going to be rough. Tian the Divine Artisan and I will teach you weapon-forging together. I know your body is like a treasured artifact, and your foundation is solid, but you’re still far from being a Divine Artisan."
"I wouldn’t have it any other way!"
His purpose for going to Celestial City with Ying Bing differed from others.
Most prodigies sought the strongest Internal Manifestation methods there. Those who emerged after observing the divine would far surpass their peers upon entering the Internal Realm.
But Li Mo’s goal was to help the "ice block" claim Celestial City for herself...
So even as the top-ranked prodigy, slacking off wasn’t an option.
Before the Sword Forge, Li Mo gripped the upgraded Star Hammer and swung down under Du Wufeng’s guidance.
A hundred strikes in a single breath!
Boom—
"Not enough! Put your back into it!"
Du Wufeng was stern during forging, a far cry from his usual carefree demeanor.
"Kid, the method you’re using forges both the weapon and yourself. Every strike must drain you completely!" Tian the Divine Artisan barked.
"A hundred strikes per breath isn’t enough for me now."
As he raised the hammer, he channeled his martial insights into Divine Refinement and silently activated the Seventy-Two Transformations.
Boom—
The reverberating thunderclap of the strike lingered, layer upon layer, unceasing.
He was burning up!
For a moment, he glimpsed the hammer’s arc—a trajectory so profound it altered the weapon blank at the most microscopic level.
Whoosh—
The forge’s flames blazed blindingly.
Li Mo’s vision shifted—no longer did he see metal, but a Great Sage’s projection, radiant with golden light.
He was no longer at the Sword Forge, but within a miniature world.
The same hammer strikes echoed over the Yin-Yang Training Grounds.
Tenth move...
Fifteenth move...
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.
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
