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.
g Yu was preparing for retirement when her organization decided to eliminate her. She transmigrated to a zombie apocalypse world. However, a tiny unexpected situation occurred: She somehow transformed into an adorable little girl?!
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
