Classmate Li is really good at pretending, please keep it up

"Huh?"

Though he knew the "ice block" (Ying Bing) certainly didn’t mean it that way, Li Mo instinctively took half a step back.

No helping it—he’d read too many novels in his past life.

Genres like The Domineering CEO Falls for Me were occasionally part of his repertoire...

"The Lunar Star was at its peak the other day. I haven’t fully recovered yet and can’t completely control my inner energy."

"If I do this through your clothes, you might get hurt."

Ying Bing’s tone was light, devoid of much emotion.

It made Li Mo feel like he was the one overreacting.

If the "ice block" herself didn’t care, why was he being so prudish?

"Alright."

Li Mo took off his shirt.

The candlelight flickered.

The current "Little Li" was no longer the frail, scrawny young master who had first left home.

His lean but muscular frame was well-defined, exuding a sense of resilient strength.

Having grown a few centimeters taller, he now stood at least six feet tall.

Compared to those with "tiger arms, leopard waists, and mantis legs"—the so-called ideal martial bone structures—his proportions were far more harmonious.

"Uh... pants...?"

Li Mo asked with meticulous seriousness.

Ying Bing slightly furrowed her delicate brows, her eyes still like shattered frost and jade.

What do you think?

Li Mo cleared his throat, unembarrassed, and sat down beside her.

A faint fragrance drifted in the air.

His shoulder itched slightly—was it her hair?

Little Li’s mind was a bit scrambled.

As everyone knew, he was a perfectly normal guy. And if he counted his memories from Blue Star, the most intimate contact he’d ever had with the opposite sex was holding hands and hugging his high school girlfriend.

But now.

He was facing Ying Bing—a peerless beauty whose looks could only be described as unfair.

And he wasn’t wearing a shirt.

"Turn around."

Ying Bing spoke again.

Li Mo stiffly turned his body.

Then he saw her jade-like fingers, wreathed in swirling indigo energy, pulsing with astonishing cold.

"My inner energy will enter your dantian."

"First, try to guide it with your own energy. If you can harmonize with it without being harmed, we can proceed."

"Got it."

Li Mo pushed aside his scattered thoughts and nodded seriously, meeting her gaze.

Truthfully, he wasn’t sure if this would work.

After all, any energy that entered his body would vanish without a trace—something he still didn’t understand.

Ying Bing gave a slight nod.

Then, her icy palm rested lightly over Li Mo’s dantian.

Instantly, indigo light scattered outward, transforming into wisps of frost-blue sparks that danced across his skin.

Cold.

But far more bearable than during their duel on the arena stage.

And this time, it didn’t disappear.

Seeing no adverse reaction, Ying Bing continued.

The frost-blue sparks seeped past his skin, converging toward his dantian.

"Hah..."

Li Mo’s breath now carried a chill, as though his entire body were submerged in ice.

The bone-deep cold radiating from within didn’t hurt—just left him stiff and slightly numb.

But that was only because of his robust physique.

An ordinary person wouldn’t have lasted a second.

His gaze drifted to the girl before him, her expression solemn and focused.

The suffering she’d endured since childhood... had to be far worse than this, right?

She’d never trained her body.

Yet she endured far harsher cold every single day.

No wonder her personality was so... icy.

"Focus."

Ying Bing’s voice was soft but brooked no argument.

This was the "ice block" in training mode.

Li Mo snapped back to attention.

Following the method described in the first layer of Phoenix Cry Over Heavenly Marsh, he began circulating his own energy, enveloping the indigo energy in his dantian.

His martial insights hadn’t been wasted—it felt like he’d done this countless times before.

The two energies intertwined like kneaded dough, merging and separating at his will.

"Hm?"

Ying Bing’s eyelids flickered slightly.

He’d only just begun condensing energy.

Yet the sheer volume of his reserves... surpassed hers?

That alone wasn’t too shocking—after all, he’d been training with Shang Wu recently.

But...

His dantian’s resilience was absurd.

She’d tried to stop infusing energy moments ago, yet Li Mo’s dantian seemed bottomless, capable of containing everything.

He really could take it all.

"Any discomfort?"

"Turn it up."

Li Mo grinned.

Ying Bing said nothing, silently increasing the flow.

Half an hour later.

The infusion suddenly stopped.

Li Mo opened his eyes, puzzled.

"Why stop?"

"I’m out."

Ying Bing was silent.

Just what was Li Mo’s constitution?

Was his dantian innately this strong, or had his body-refining training reforged it into something monstrous?

If it was the former... his potential might rival her own.

"Alright."

"I’m good now."

Li Mo confidently assessed his condition.

Truthfully, most of his effort had gone into keeping his own energy from incinerating Ying Bing’s.

According to martial theory, harmonizing foreign energies was supposed to be difficult.

Yet "Little Li" hadn’t struggled much at all.

"Your turn."

"Mm."

Ying Bing nodded, signaling she was ready.

Li Mo replicated the process.

The next instant.

A sharp pain lanced through her dantian. Even with Li Mo restraining it, his energy radiated pure annihilation.

"Nn..."

Her expression didn’t change, nor did she make a sound—but a faint flush colored her cheeks.

Li Mo carefully controlled his energy, watching her face.

"You okay?"

Ying Bing pressed her lips together.

The determination in her eyes was palpable.

"I’m fine."

"Alright..."

Li Mo trusted she wouldn’t push herself to collapse, so he continued—though he redoubled his focus on tempering his energy’s ferocity.

...

Time passed.

Two intertwined energies now coiled within Ying Bing’s dantian.

She’d succeeded.

But the process had been far harder for her than for Li Mo.

The technique itself wasn’t the issue—it was the unruly, destructive nature of his energy. Even with his assistance, assimilation had been grueling.

"Ready for the next step."

"Right."

"First acupoint—Celestial Pursuit."

Following the manual’s instructions, their energies began cycling through each other’s bodies, flowing through hundreds of acupoints in sequence.

Li Mo remained unfazed throughout.

But Ying Bing...

Occasionally, the intensity of the energy surges would make her tremble involuntarily.

The night deepened.

Half of it had already passed by the time they completed a full cycle of Phoenix Cry Over Heavenly Marsh, having channeled energy through every required acupoint.

"How do you feel?"

"Amazing."

Li Mo opened his eyes, brimming with vigor.

Ying Bing: "Continue?"

Prolonged exposure to foreign energy placed strain on the body.

Given her constitution, she could endure further sessions—but the discomfort would grow.

More than that, she felt mentally drained.

The entire process demanded absolute focus.

"Too much of a good thing. I’m beat."

"Let’s sleep."

Mainly—

Princess Little Jiang was looking for her master inside the World Seed. He couldn’t delay any longer.

Ah, youth.

He was out the moment his head hit the pillow.

Ying Bing somehow felt a wave of relief wash over her as she watched him drift into sleep.

It seemed he wouldn’t be able to attempt a second time.

Their first dual cultivation had come to an end.

Ying Bing lay down as well, closing her eyes.

She waited quietly for the arrival of the midnight hour.