Princess Jiang's Peerless Sword Talent, Poor Ice Block

"Master... if I train with you... will there come a day... when the dead can be brought back to life?" Jiang Chulong's eyes shimmered with desperate hope.

Her father, the emperor, had always despised her because of her mother.

But what if... what if she could bring her mother back?

Hearing this, the Primordial Heavenly Venerable—also known as Li Mo—fell into deep thought.

Could it be done?

At the very least, he had never heard of any method capable of resurrecting the dead.

After obtaining his miniature world, he had come to understand that life was truly a miracle of creation. Even as the ruler of that world, he could not conjure life from nothing.

Had the emperors of the Great Yu Dynasty not yearned for immortality?

If such a method existed, why not revive the founding Martial Emperor?

But... he had the System.

The System defied all logic...

Perhaps it was this thought, or perhaps he simply couldn't bear to shatter her fragile hope, but Li Mo eventually nodded.

"There is."

Jiang Chulong stood frozen, as if struck by lightning, the spark of hope in her eyes blazing brighter and brighter.

She wanted to grow stronger!

"I’m truly amazing," Li Mo mused to himself.

Watching the young girl clench her fists and silently cheer herself on, he let out a long, quiet sigh.

Bamboozling a princess like this wasn’t easy.

Fortunately, as a seasoned bookworm, he had an extensive mental library to draw from.

When it came to spinning tall tales, no one could outdo those damned novelists.

Princess Jiang was probably thoroughly fooled by now.

"Master... thank you... thank you..."

The girl suddenly stood up and bowed deeply, her slender shoulders trembling faintly with emotion.

Like a lone white flower in the ruins, stretching desperately toward the faintest ray of sunlight...

Damn.

How should he put it?

Li Mo felt a tiny pang of guilt in his heart.

Tricking a girl like this... it stung his conscience.

But then again...

Princess Jiang really needed some confidence.

This was a white lie, for her own good...

"Enough. There are secrets even I cannot share with you. Sometimes, knowing too much does more harm than good."

"From today onward, focus solely on training under my guidance. In time, even the Great Yu Dynasty will kneel at your feet."

"Mm!"

Jiang Chulong nodded vigorously, her expression deadly serious.

To an outsider, this bizarre conversation would have sounded like the ramblings of two lunatics.

But after learning of her Heavenly Venerable master’s origins, the young princess had already placed her absolute faith in him.

"Then... Master... what will you teach me first?"

"Well, since you’ve never trained before, we’ll start from the very basics—the Qi-Blood Realm."

Li Mo lowered his voice into a deep, resonant tone.

"A towering edifice rises from the ground. You must build your foundation step by step."

"Though your Sword Bone was taken, this has, in fact, awakened the latent potential of your innate Sword Embryo, making your foundation even more solid."

Hearing his praise, Jiang Chulong shyly lowered her head.

Who would have thought that losing her Sword Bone could be a good thing?

"Master... can I... cultivate my own technique?"

Huh?

Li Mo blinked in surprise.

He had been racking his brain, trying to decide which Qi-Blood Realm martial art to teach her.

"Well... you said... I should forge my own path..."

Jiang Chulong stammered out her reasoning.

Li Mo quickly understood.

The princess meant that although she had never formally trained, during her time at the Heavenly Mountain Sword Manor, she had observed countless broken swords in the Sword Graveyard.

An elderly caretaker often took her on walks through the ruins.

And so...

As if by instinct, she had grasped the essence of a martial art.

But her father had forbidden her from practicing, so she never dared to try.

"Recite the general principles for me."

"Mm... it’s... still very crude... please... guide me, Master."

Jiang Chulong haltingly explained the technique she had conceived.

Her stumbling words echoed within the seed of the miniature world.

The more Li Mo listened, the more silent he became.

Was this sword technique strong?

No, it was merely a mid-tier martial art—something he could easily replicate.

But the key point was...

Princess Jiang had never trained a day in her life!

She had figured this out entirely on her own!

Was this even fair?!

It had taken him decades just to master a single mid-tier sword technique!

"M-Master...?"

Seeing the Heavenly Venerable remain silent, Jiang Chulong worried that her creation was too amateurish.

So amateurish that it disappointed him.

In a small, hesitant voice, she added:

"I... I can refine it... later... I can make it... better..."

Unbeknownst to her, every word she spoke was like a sword stabbing straight into Li Mo’s heart.

The contrast was just too cruel.

This was true damage—critical hit included.

Fortunately, Li Mo was no ordinary man. He lived daily with the red-destined ice block of a woman.

"Ahem... not... not bad."

"Master... why do you sound... like me now...?"

Jiang Chulong grew anxious.

"I was analyzing the technique."

Li Mo cleared his throat, then resumed his composed tone:

"Not bad at all. If you continue refining it, you may exceed even my expectations."

"Really?! I can train now?!"

Jiang Chulong jumped in excitement—so excited that she didn’t even stutter.

But then, remembering her master’s presence, she quickly sat back down, sticking out her tongue sheepishly.

"Right now, your body is still weak."

"Your priority is to recover your strength, strengthen your meridians, and lay a solid foundation for the future."

"Losing your Sword Bone has left you depleted. You must replenish your vitality first."

With a wave of his sleeve, two jade bottles appeared on the table.

Both contained gentle yet potent restorative pills—one was the Primordial Replenishment Pill he had once taken, while the other was a mild healing pill. Though it wouldn’t restore her body immediately, it worked gradually without side effects.

"Thank you... thank you, Heavenly Venerable Master!"

Jiang Chulong carefully tucked the bottles into her robes, patting them reassuringly before exhaling in relief, a small, blissful smile curling at her lips.

Given her squirrel-like tendencies, she’d probably keep the empty bottles forever.

At the same time, a notification chimed in Li Mo’s ears.

[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully invested in ‘Jiang Chulong,’ aiding her recovery.]

[You have received investment feedback. Claim now?]

Li Mo ignored the reward for now.

Instead, he turned his attention back to Jiang Chulong.

Now that she had permission to train, her eagerness was palpable.

Her dull gray eyes practically screamed one word:

"Teach me."

Li Mo: "..."

A master’s duty was to impart wisdom, pass down knowledge, and resolve doubts.

This... was going to be tricky.

He couldn’t just make this up, could he?

"If you have questions, ask them first."

"But to keep you from reaching beyond your grasp, I'll answer your questions next time."

"Yes!"

......

When Li Mo opened his eyes, dusk had already fallen outside.

Inside the Autumn Water Pavilion.

"What should I do?"

"Those questions are hard enough just to remember."

Li Mo lay still, staring at the ceiling.

Should he ask someone else for help?

Well, first of all, definitely not his master...

As he pondered, he got up and headed downstairs, stepping into the kitchen.

Before he even reached it, the acrid smell of something burnt hit his nose.

Li Mo instinctively looked up—then froze, his expression blanking in disbelief.

The kitchen was nothing short of a disaster.

Because Jiang Chulong was cooking.

The thing in the pot... well, it was impossible to tell what it had once been. Now, it was just a charred, smoking lump.

It might as well have had "inedible monstrosity" scrawled across it in bold letters.

Li Mo seriously doubted anyone could eat it without immediately collapsing, foaming at the mouth.

"You're back?"

Jiang Chulong wiped her face.

And just like that,

her flawless jade-like features gained another smudge of soot, like a little kitten's messy pawprint.

"Yeah... I came back too late."

Li Mo felt like crying.

Was this how Jiang Chulong had survived while he was away?!