Clang—
A sword's aura surged from the depths, pure and crystalline.
Du Wufeng's eyes gleamed with intense light as he watched the young man swinging his hammer. Beneath the strikes, a sword—bearing resemblance to the Celestial Divine Sword yet distinct in essence—trembled.
Why merely similar? Because it lacked the Celestial Divine Sword’s noble, rigid sense of order. Instead, it appeared utterly unremarkable.
"High-grade Profound Armament."
Li Mo remained seated, not immediately expelling the Fallen Starflame from his body. His skin flushed red, then reverted to its normal hue, cycling endlessly.
The Divine Treasure Refinement and the Eight-Nine Mystic Art operated simultaneously within him.
A gust of wind rose.
Each time the redness faded from Li Mo’s skin, its base tone grew closer to the luster of gold and jade.
Divine Treasure Refinement was a wondrous method that enhanced one’s physique during weapon forging, while the Eight-Nine Mystic Art demanded enduring tribulations. The Fallen Starflame happened to fulfill both conditions.
Like stepping on one’s own foot to ascend the heavens, it propelled his physique through a transformation that would normally take others over a decade. The accumulation of this period now converged, hurling his body toward an entirely new realm.
Behind him, the divine intent of the Great Sage manifested, burning alongside the Fallen Starflame.
Li Mo heard the thunderous echoes from his bones and the roar of his blood surging like rivers.
Eight-Nine Mystic Art.
Effortlessly, he touched the threshold of a new realm.
The radiance of the Fallen Starflame gradually dimmed, shrinking from a raging inferno into a faint, flickering ember.
"Divine Artisan Du..."
After a moment of regulating his breath, Li Mo opened his eyes and realized—the Fallen Starflame, nurtured for so long within the sword furnace, had been largely depleted not during weapon forging, but when he used it to temper his body.
"No matter. The sword is fine, and so is the lad."
Divine Artisan Du examined the freshly forged sword, giving it a light flick that instantly birthed sword qi. Then, his aged eyes gleamed with even greater satisfaction as he looked at Li Mo.
"A Profound Armament-grade sword, and now a physique comparable to one as well."
Tian the Divine Artisan clicked his tongue in amazement.
Profound Armaments were nothing new to them.
But a physique rivaling one? That was rare.
Excluding sixth-realm experts who naturally formed their own dharma bodies, wielding the might of heaven and earth with every move, in terms of pure physicality, no one below that realm could surpass this young man.
"Thanks to Elder Du’s Fallen Starflame."
Li Mo felt somewhat uneasy under their gazes. "I have some rare treasures that might help replenish its flame energy."
"Keep them for yourself," Du Wufeng waved him off.
"Huh? What would I need those for..." Li Mo was puzzled.
Tian the Divine Artisan shot Du Wufeng a suspicious glance, as if catching his meaning.
"From now on, the Fallen Starflame is yours. You’ve got a flame inside you, but it’s suited for killing, not forging."
Du Wufeng spoke leisurely. "Coincidentally, the Fallen Starflame pairs perfectly with the Meteor-Shattering Hammer."
"You’re giving it to me? Then what will you use?"
Li Mo was momentarily stunned.
"Tch, I’ve got more than just this flame. Don’t worry about me."
Du Wufeng paused, then added, "Besides, I originally prepared this flame to reforge the Celestial Divine Sword. Won’t be needing it anymore."
With that, he severed his connection to the Fallen Starflame.
Li Mo immediately sensed the flame seed in his dantian becoming ownerless. He hadn’t expected Old Du to hand it over without hesitation.
"Elder Du, I have some rare ores..."
"Don’t need ’em. Plenty of folks line up to gift me such things."
"What about this mountain of gold..."
"What would an old man like me do with so much money? Tsk, you think I’ve been idling all these years? I’d rather you cook for me daily—that’s more practical."
Du Wufeng remained unmoved, rejecting all forms of repayment.
But the young genius Li Mo always found unconventional solutions:
"How about this? You’ve helped me immensely, and you’ve no heirs. If you don’t mind, let heaven and earth bear witness!"
"Let’s become sworn brothers!"
Tian the Divine Artisan: "?"
What kind of brain do you have? Only a decade of mental impairment could produce such an idea.
Du Wufeng’s seniority in the Sword Manor was among the highest—nominally, even above Manor Lord Xie and himself.
"Eh, now that’s interesting. You’re a fine lad, and I’m not losing out either. Sure, why not?"
Du Wufeng’s eyes sparkled as he clapped his hands, slinging an arm around Li Mo’s neck, ready to burn the oath paper and pledge brotherhood.
Tian the Divine Artisan: "？？？？"
You’re not losing out, but what about the rest of the Sword Manor? What would he and the Manor Lord call Li Mo—Uncle?!
Only fifty years of mental impairment could make someone agree to this!
But if it was Du Wufeng...
He absolutely would.
Moments later, Du Wufeng stood atop the mountain, waving at Li Mo:
"Brother Li, safe travels! Drop by the sword furnace whenever!"
As the carriage departed, Tian the Divine Artisan spoke slowly, "You really intend to let Li Mo reforge the Celestial Divine Sword?"
"Why not? I’m an old man. You expect me to march back into Celestial City?"
Du Wufeng chuckled.
"But he’s only just forged a Profound Armament. Isn’t this too..."
"Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Youngsters always pull off the unexpected. Don’t forget—he may seem humble, but he’s the top-ranked Hidden Dragon. And the one in the Sword Mound has already given his approval."
Tian the Divine Artisan fell silent.
After a long pause, Du Wufeng spoke again, sternly:
"Oh, and stop calling him ‘Little Li.’ No respect. From now on, it’s Uncle Li."
"Go jump off a cliff."
......
Elsewhere.
The lingering notes of a zither slowly restored the world to its original colors.
In her past life, Ying Bing had owed the Penglai Star Sect a favor while searching for the legendary Undersea Abyss, so she agreed to their request for a musical exchange.
"My true essence is circulating faster..."
"Was that Phoenix Seeks Phoenix? It sounds slightly different from our sect’s score. Did she modify it just now?"
"Master, how would you rate her skill?"
"Disciple, what level am I to judge her?"
"Her sword arts are already unfathomable. How is her music also transcendent..."
The Penglai disciples were dumbfounded, especially when they saw their elders step forward to seek guidance.
Their original intention had been to subtly showcase Penglai’s heritage, hoping Ying Bing might affiliate with them.
Now, their leading elder seemed tempted to defect to the Qingyuan Sect.
Was there truly no one in this world who could surpass her?
......
Late at night.
Atop the Step-Cloud Pavilion.
"Ice block, recharge me."
In the chamber, Li Mo spoke with utmost seriousness.
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
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!
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
ng to die together with you." Lin Xuan is dead, his body thrown into the river by his scumbag lover and her accomplice. She, the president of the Su Group, is decisive, ruthless, and ice-cold. For three days and three nights, she had his body fished out of the river, and without hesitation, she kissed the bloated corpse of Lin Xuan. She laid down beside him in a cold coffin, their fingers intertwined, a smile lingering on her lips as she closed her eyes. The noble and cold-hearted woman, only bending for one man—Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan, with his golden finger, is reborn and returns to the day of his wedding to the treacherous woman. Su Qiang comes to steal the bride. Lin Xuan's eyes light up, eager to pledge his loyalty on the spot, but instead, her kiss transfers a glass of drugged wine into his mouth, causing him to pass out... 【Male Protagonist with Single Female Lead】【Yandere Tycoon】【Action-Packed】【True vs. Fake Heir】
