On the Day of the Full Moon, the Comparison Results Will Be Announced

"Then... who actually won?"

"You still haven’t realized? The ones who lost are us!"

"Seriously, man, I’m outta here. I’m jumping ship."

"Alright, alright, you little..."

"Damn bastard! Get your hands off her!"

Amidst a cacophony of voices filled with jealousy, bitterness, and sheer disbelief, Little Li finally regained his mobility.

He lifted his head, only to meet a pair of icy eyes that shimmered with an inscrutable darkness. From his vantage point below, her delicate face resembled frost-kissed snow.

Yet, amidst the clamor, Li Mo found an odd sense of tranquility.

He could hear a heartbeat—one that seemed to race faster than usual.

"Ahem!"

An untimely cough interrupted the moment. It was Shangguan Wencang.

Good times never last.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Li Mo awkwardly rose to his feet, his mind still in disarray.

What the hell just happened?

Oh, right. He’d lost control and ended up crashing into Ying Bing’s arms.

But could he really be blamed? The chilling aura hidden within her sword energy had been too overwhelming.

Lost in thought, Li Mo stole a glance at Ying Bing.

The girl wasn’t looking at him. If not for the faint lingering fragrance at his nose, it would have seemed as though nothing had happened.

But Little Li was certain of one thing—

That suddenly racing heartbeat hadn’t been his own.

"As long as neither of you is injured, all is well."

"As for the outcome..."

Shangguan Wencang’s gaze swept over the young man and woman, a hint of amusement flickering in his eyes. This was truly a dilemma.

"She/He won."

They spoke in unison.

Ying Bing was referring to their bet.

Li Mo, on the other hand, felt it wouldn’t be right to push his luck after already gaining an advantage.

Honestly, he had lost—technically. But after tumbling into her arms, the "ice block" hadn’t finished him off.

There was indeed a gap in their strength.

Unless he tapped into the power of the World Seed and wielded the Meteor Hammer of Tribulation—but that was a force even he couldn’t fully control yet. It wasn’t truly his to command.

After a moment’s thought, Li Mo added,

"Our private wager concerns only the two of us."

Shangguan Wencang, noting the sincerity in his tone and his apparent indifference toward the title of top disciple, nodded in approval.

"In that case, Ying Bing shall be declared the champion of this tournament and the Qingyuan Sect’s current chief disciple."

As his words echoed, cheers erupted from the spectators below the stage. Even the elders on the high platform rose to their feet, offering their congratulations in unison.

The chief disciple of their generation—the future leader of the Qingyuan Sect—deserved their acknowledgment.

Among the crowd,

A white-robed young master from the Blazing Jade Pavilion gazed with fervent admiration, though his eyes flickered with a trace of resentment when they landed on Li Mo.

Meanwhile, the crimson-robed young master remained seated, his usual carefree demeanor replaced by an unreadable, dangerous intensity.

On the stage,

"Understood."

Ying Bing showed little concern for the title.

Both she and Li Mo had secured spots in the top three—that was enough.

Being the Qingyuan Sect’s chief disciple meant little. It wouldn’t affect the system’s rankings anyway.

The system evaluated prodigies based on merit, not fame.

Shangguan Wencang sighed inwardly.

He knew Ying Bing’s temperament well—she was utterly detached from worldly matters. Perhaps that was why she had reached heights her peers could only dream of.

The two most qualified candidates for chief disciple both lacked interest in the position. Frustrating, but there was nothing to be done.

Clasping his hands behind his back, he announced in a clear voice,

"All top performers in this tournament shall receive rewards."

"The top three may enter the Scripture Pavilion and select a supreme martial art. The rest shall also be duly rewarded."

"Your talents are exceptional, and you are all pillars of our sect’s future. As the tides of the world shift, I hope you will continue to strive for greatness."

......

At the mention of supreme martial arts,

Countless eyes once again turned to the two who wielded Frost’s End and Scarlet Sky.

Rumors about these two legendary swords had persisted within the sect for years.

Would the truth finally be revealed?

If these two chose the corresponding sword manuals, the mystery might at last be solved.

......

The Nine Peaks Tournament came to a close.

That day, the sect underwent many changes, and countless new rumors began to circulate.

Yet, life in the Autumn Water Pavilion remained as peaceful as ever.

Li Mo hummed a tune as he clattered pots and pans in the kitchen, cooking up a storm.

The babbling brook running through the courtyard seemed livelier than usual, its waters brimming with spiritual energy, causing the peach blossoms along its banks to bloom with unparalleled vibrancy.

A single petal drifted down, landing gracefully on the pages of a book—a makeshift bookmark for the young girl.

The title on the cover read:

"Moonlight Sword Canon"

Not far away, another tome, "Solar Wheel Sword Canon," lay quietly.

"Food’s ready!"

Li Mo poked his head out from the kitchen.

Ying Bing set her book aside and went to help carry the dishes.

"Master? Master?"

Li Mo gently shook the woman reclining on the rocking chair, but she remained motionless, her back turned in a pose that defied all reason.

Assuming she was asleep, he circled around to face her—

Only to find her staring blankly into space, her soul seemingly departed, muttering under her breath.

Leaning closer, he caught the words:

"My money... my money..."

Li Mo: "..."

His master had gone bankrupt—again—and was now heartbroken.

But it wasn’t his fault this time.

Little Li knew exactly how to handle this. He placed two jars of fine wine beside her. Once she drank herself into a stupor and woke up, she’d be back to her usual self.

With that taken care of, he returned to the table.

Between bites of food, he flipped through the sword manual.

This was his first time studying a supreme-grade sword art, even if it was only a lower-tier one.

But after a while, he exhaled deeply.

Supreme sword arts were... ridiculously difficult.

It felt like a middle-schooler trying to solve university-level problems.

Meanwhile, the ice block over there—

"I’ve finished."

A copy of "Moonlight Sword Canon" was suddenly pushed toward him.

She wanted to swap.

Li Mo chuckled wryly. Since he wasn’t making much progress anyway, he handed over his manual.

A while later, Ying Bing’s cool voice broke the silence:

"Have you noticed anything?"

"Uh... I’ll take another look in my room later."

Li Mo buried his face in his bowl.

He could read every word in both manuals, but when strung together, they might as well have been written in another language.

After dinner, Li Mo gathered the two sword canons and prepared to retreat to his room.

But just then, Ying Bing’s voice drifted from behind:

"Tonight, it’s best if you keep some distance from me."

"Otherwise, you might get hurt."

Huh?

Li Mo didn’t understand, but he nodded anyway.

"Then I’ll sleep in the side chamber."

Ying Bing lifted her gaze to the moon, which had yet to fully rise.

Today was the day the system would announce its rankings.

It was also the day of the Yin Moon—the annual peak of lunar energy.

Her constitution would be especially volatile tonight, to the point where even she couldn’t fully control it. The best she could do was minimize the area of effect.

Thud—

The sound of footsteps echoed as the young man ascended the stairs.

Her eyes unconsciously followed his retreating figure.

"That final move he used..."

"Was that also obtained through serendipity?"

"His talent doesn’t seem limited to just the sword path."

Shaking off her wandering thoughts, Ying Bing returned to her room to await the slow passage of time.

Right now, nothing else mattered.

This life was slightly different from her past experiences, and many unforeseen events had occurred.

However.

Her position as first would not change.

The only question was... could Li Mo make it into the top twenty?