"You didn’t have to bring gifts just to visit."
"Don’t say that, Young Friend Li. This is merely a token of my appreciation."
Murong Hai handed over the gift without hesitation.
He was relieved that his grandson had a pure and upright nature and got along well with this Young Friend Li.
Young Friend Li was undoubtedly stronger than the disciples from the major sects and sacred grounds of the Eastern Wasteland Domain.
"There’s one more thing I’d like to trouble you with," Li Mo suddenly said.
"Speak freely," Murong Hai replied.
He was actually worried Li Mo wouldn’t make any requests.
......
A short while later.
Murong Hai led Li Mo to the family’s training grounds.
Many of the clan’s younger generation were practicing there. When they saw the family head arrive, they immediately stopped and bowed in respect.
At the center of the grounds stood a coral stone as tall as three men.
"This is the Whale’s Breath Coral Stone. Even in the Eastern Wasteland Domain, it’s considered a rare treasure."
"Its only merit is its durability. It changes color based on the force it receives. After special treatment, it can be used to measure the intensity of an attack."
Murong Hai pointed at the coral stone as he explained.
"That is quite unusual," Li Mo remarked.
He reached out and ran his hand over the rough surface of the stone.
"I’ve never tried it before," Murong Xiao said eagerly.
In the past, his strength had been too low to make the Whale’s Breath Coral Stone change color.
Without hesitation, he gathered his strength, tightened his body, and threw a punch like a hammer strike—almost resembling the shadow of a blacksmith’s technique.
Thud—
A dull sound echoed.
The dark coral stone instantly turned white, covering about eighty percent of its surface.
"Xiao’er’s strike is nearly on par with the tenth meridian of the Qi-Blood Realm," Murong Hai nodded in satisfaction.
"So white represents the Qi-Blood Realm..." Li Mo murmured thoughtfully.
At the moment, he lacked a complete understanding of his own strength.
This was a perfect opportunity to test it.
"Old Master Murong, I won’t break this coral stone, will I?"
"Young friend, rest assured," Murong Hai chuckled. "Even if I were to strike it with all my strength, I wouldn’t be able to damage it."
"Good."
Li Mo nodded.
Without using any martial techniques, he threw a simple punch. The air trembled with the faint sound of a sonic boom.
Boom—
The stone remained unmoved.
But the white quickly spread across its surface, and then, at the base, a layer of blue emerged.
"This must be because of the Phoenix Blood Pool and the additional main meridians in my body, making my Qi-Blood power stronger than usual," Li Mo mused.
"Whoa, True Disciple Li is still in the Qi-Blood Realm, right? He didn’t even use inner energy just now."
"That punch was equivalent to the attack strength of someone who just stepped into the Qi-Condensation Realm?"
"How is he so strong?"
The Murong family disciples watching nearby gasped in shock.
Even Murong Xiao, who possessed half-demon bloodline, didn’t have such monstrous strength.
"Young Friend Li truly possesses divine strength," Murong Hai said calmly.
Compared to Li Mo’s heaven-defying talent, having extraordinary physical power was hardly worth mentioning.
But it wasn’t over yet.
"Let’s try adding the Extreme Soldier Slaughter Body."
A sharp, murderous aura erupted from Li Mo’s body.
To those around him, he seemed to transform into a divine weapon—so intimidating that their hairs stood on end, as if a blade hung over their heads.
Boom—
Another strike.
Sparks flew, and a shockwave rolled outward. The metallic clang lingered in the air.
Dust rained down from the ceiling, shaken loose by the impact.
When the dust settled...
Half of the Whale’s Breath Coral Stone had turned blue.
A Qi-Blood Realm cultivator had unleashed an attack comparable to the Jade-Liquid Realm?
The entire training grounds fell into stunned silence.
"Xiao’er," Murong Hai finally managed to speak after a long pause.
"Huh?" Murong Xiao closed his gaping mouth.
"Didn’t you say that Young Friend Li’s greatest skill is swordsmanship?"
"Probably... yes?"
......
Night fell.
In the courtyard.
Li Mo shook the dust off his clothes before pushing the door open.
He didn’t continue testing.
Understanding his own limits was enough.
Martial techniques were merely amplifiers built upon one’s foundation.
He didn’t need to test them to know.
"If I had a proper hammer..."
"Right now, I might be able to fight someone in the Profound-Pill Realm?"
That was still a question mark.
Although his full-power strike could match the Profound-Pill Realm, he hadn’t actually reached that level and didn’t know what other methods those experts might possess.
Besides, the Whale’s Breath Coral Stone was an inanimate object—real opponents wouldn’t just stand there and take a hit.
Of course.
Once he reached the peak of the Qi-Blood Realm, things would be different.
By then, he might even have a trump card.
If his strength was sufficient, he could wield the Unyielding Calamity Heart Hammer—even a single strike would be beyond what any Qi-Condensation Realm cultivator could withstand.
"So... I’m actually pretty strong now?"
Li Mo smirked, clasping his hands behind his head as he flopped onto the bed.
Staring at the ceiling, he lost himself in thought.
Fighting above one’s level was the privilege of a chosen protagonist.
But now, even he, Li Mo, wasn’t just some ordinary guy anymore. At the very least, he wasn’t inferior to those elite disciples from major sects.
Suddenly.
He remembered that Old Master Murong had also given him a gift.
He reached for the wooden box by the bedside and opened it.
The contents didn’t stump him.
A four-marked Meridian-Breaking Pill.
A piece of dark, fragrant ancient wood—though it had the grain of wood, its luster resembled jade.
And a manual.
Li Mo had little interest in the pill and didn’t even glance at it before picking up the wooden block.
"I’m not sure what it’s called, but this should be a rare treasure that nourishes the soul."
"Things like this are usually hard to come by."
As he toyed with the wood, he felt a soothing warmth spread through his body and mind.
Old Master Murong must have dug this out from his deepest reserves.
But right now, he had no use for it...
"Wait."
"Senior Brother Xiao Qin has that ‘old grandpa’ with him, doesn’t he?"
Li Mo’s novel-reading experience once again proved useful.
In stories, these "old grandpas" usually existed as soul entities.
In this world, they were called "soul remnants."
As everyone knew, an old grandpa who had been asleep for so long would desperately need something like this.
"I can use this to invest in Senior Brother Xiao."
"A pocket old grandpa..."
Li Mo twirled the wooden block in his fingers, his mind sharp.
Then—
A long-standing problem suddenly flashed with inspiration.
"That’s it!"
"Old grandpa!"
Li Mo’s clever little brain hatched a plan.
He had his small world.
And he could bring beings weaker than himself into the World Seed.
Like Jiang Chulong.
If he left traces of the World Seed’s aura on an object, the person holding it could enter the World Seed from anywhere.
As the master of the World Seed, this was absolutely feasible.
Then...
Couldn’t he also act as Jiang Chulong’s "pocket old grandpa"?
"I’m a freaking genius!"
Without delay, he got to work.
After some consideration, he picked out a ring from his collection.
The Ancient Intent Ring.
Its design was archaic and exquisite, unlike anything from this era. It looked impressive—if sold as an antique, it would fetch a high price.
Most importantly, it was sturdy, forged from some rare metal rarely seen today.
"Open a backdoor..."
Li Mo gripped the ancient ring, communing with the World Seed.
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!"
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)
] [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!"
