The Ice Block Is About to Slip Up

In the deep of night, the murmuring flow of water brought liveliness to the silent darkness.

The bright moon hung high in the sky, its silvery light pouring through the skylight of the Mistflower Everlasting Spring.

Under such beautiful moonlight, it was only natural for a gentleman to be moved by poetic inspiration.

And so, the gentleman Little Li sat in the spring, one hand covering his nose, his expression solemn as he gazed at the moon above.

The ice block was right beside him, yet he dared not turn his head.

A single glance might make him explode.

Ying Bing did not enter the pool but sat at its edge, her lowered eyes fixed on her delicate, snow-white feet as she occasionally flicked the water’s surface.

Even now, she stood only half a head shorter than Little Li. Hers was a beauty of cold elegance, the kind that made people feel tense and overwhelmed when meeting her gaze.

Yet when her toes accidentally brushed against someone’s shoulder, it was her own lashes that trembled faintly, her own heart that tightened with nervousness.

She didn’t know what she had been thinking when she spoke outside the hot spring while changing clothes.

Perhaps it was her innate refusal to admit defeat—a lifetime of never yielding to others?

Or maybe, having lived two lives, she saw herself as the elder sister and couldn’t bear to let the childish one bully her…

Earlier, she had struck first, making Little Li’s nose bleed—a small victory.

But what now?

Thus, the Mistflower Everlasting Spring remained quiet.

Little Li dared not turn around, afraid of seeing (·person·).

Damn it, that ice block had such a slender waist and long legs—he had always assumed it was (·)(·).

The Phoenix Heavenly Empress dared not enter the water, fearing that her precious hammer might accidentally unleash the Divine Manifestation technique, turning B=D into a string of extra equals.

"Bowing my head to admire the bright moon, ah, truly…"

Li Mo looked up at the sky, murmuring to himself.

"?"

Ying Bing, naturally unfamiliar with this elementary school-level poem, blinked in confusion before glancing at the night sky.

"Shouldn’t it be ‘raising my head to admire the bright moon’?"

"If I raise my head, I’ll just be longing for home."

Li Mo’s shoulder itched where the water had splashed. He reached to scratch it but instead grasped something soft, smooth, and intimately familiar to his expertise.

"If you wish to return to Qinghe, I’ll accompany you tomorrow."

Ying Bing lowered her gaze to her feet, wiggling them slightly. Unfortunately, Little Li’s shoulders weren’t spacious enough to build a four-bedroom mansion.

"Not that home."

Li Mo shook his head, unsure if he was just trying to fill the silence.

"In my dreams, I often see a place vastly different from the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. There are towering buildings, lights so bright they outshine the stars."

"There’s only one sun during the day, but the moon seems about the same at night."

"The people there don’t practice martial arts, yet the land knows no hunger, no war."

"Many laugh there, wander in confusion there, die there…"

Little Li trailed off, clearing his throat before he accidentally started singing again.

"Even us childish ones have moments of melancholy and loneliness."

Ying Bing slipped into the water, sitting beside him with her legs hugged to her chest. She tilted her head, studying him, her beautiful eyes glimmering with amusement.

"I don’t feel lonely."

Li Mo shook his head. He just missed a place he could never return to—a place where he had lived a whole lifetime.

"What about now?"

He felt the ice block shift closer, pressing against his side until the water could no longer mask her warmth.

His knee suddenly felt cool.

Li Mo froze, his mind blank, his heart already pounding violently.

A cold beauty, now soft and tender, had made his knee her desk, whispering that she would confiscate his loneliness.

Who wouldn’t be dazed by that?

"Now I bow my head to admire the bright moon."

Li Mo spoke with utmost seriousness, intending to sneak a bite of ice while she wasn’t paying attention.

But before he could lean in, his nose was pinched.

"You haven’t even learned the martial techniques for condensing stars in the Profound Elixir Scripture. Now’s the time to strike while the iron’s hot."

Could the wicked ice block and the ice block teacher appear simultaneously?

"Fine."

Little Li, of course, didn’t hear her.

The ice block teacher hadn’t anticipated this. A system notification chimed in her ear—the countdown to the rankings.

If she didn’t stop him from bowing his head to the moon, wouldn’t that mean…

One defeat, two punishments?

How could that be allowed?

"You returned the Lunar Essence to me, but my divine intent can still enter your inner world. I’ve noticed that the Profound Elixir Scripture contains the movements of 365 stars. The Sun and Moon are already accounted for, but of the Twenty-Eight Mansions, only two are present. To reach the Outer Scenery, you must at least arrange the Three Enclosures."

"Once that’s done, no divine intent entering your inner realm will escape the blockade of stars."

"Today, we’ll start with the Five Luminaries…"

Ying Bing spoke with earnest solemnity.

Everything she said was based on Li Mo’s own condition—things he already knew.

Yet when the ice block lectured on the Dao, her words carried an inexplicable allure, profound and boundless.

Though often left with one head spinning, Little Li could handle two heads at once. His martial insights were nearly depleted, but fortunately, he didn’t need to start from scratch.

The Profound Elixir was already within his inner world—the answer key laid out before him.

All he had to do was follow the Cold Fairy Teacher through the process.

Emperor Jingtai hadn’t explicitly stated it.

But Li Mo sensed that the Great Yu Emperor’s control over the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, over the authority in his hands, was far from absolute.

Having reforged the Heavenly Sword, Li Mo expected objections, yet the emperor had silently allowed the sword to be taken away—the imperial decree didn’t even mention it.

There was no denying that Jingtai’s goodwill might stem from admiration.

But a ruler’s decisions could never rely on admiration alone.

Ying Bing bore a crimson destiny. Unless he abandoned her, the tempests of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths were unavoidable.

Before returning to the imperial capital, he hoped to at least fully master the power he already possessed.

"I just hope nothing troublesome happens in the capital—at least not during the audience to receive the decree…"

Li Mo focused inwardly, channeling his martial insights.

Fifteen years of martial understanding flowed away.

Among the Five Luminaries in his inner cosmos, one flickered and danced, radiant and graceful.

Little Li, holding a snow-white foot, studied with fervor, pouring his dwindling reserves (martial insights) without restraint.

Before long…

Ying Bing, having lectured for a while, plucked a grape from the floating tray and popped it into her mouth. She then noticed the system’s countdown was nearly over.

One minute left.

She stole a glance at Li Mo, still immersed in the ocean of knowledge, and thought, He’s quite serious when he focuses…

Lost in thought, she suddenly realized the comparison time had hit zero.

[Congratulations, Host. You’ve taken second place again.]

"?"

Now the system wouldn’t even show her the rankings, just announce the result outright?

"At least tell me how I lost…" Ying Bing asked inwardly.

"The Five Luminaries are complete, and my martial insights are almost spent…"

Li Mo’s lips curled slightly as he prepared to share his progress with the ice block.

Then he suddenly heard a splash—the sound of the ice block standing up, water cascading down the curves of its body in a rhythmic patter.

"?!"