【Congratulations, Host, for making the right choice.】

【This comparison has been restarted!】

Ying Bing was not one to hesitate once she made a decision.

Besides, she was already mentally prepared.

After all, she had even endured the previous punishment.

What worse punishment could the system possibly come up with?

Wait…

Why was she even thinking about punishments?

Having traveled all the way from the Southern Border, her understanding of him was no less than her understanding of herself.

Her chances of winning weren’t small.

Even if she lost, she wasn’t afraid of the punishment.

【The Host’s courage is commendable, befitting a peerless genius who has ranked second in the system three times in a row.】

"Thanks for the praise."

Ying Bing remained expressionless.

The ice block just sat there quietly, watching what tricks you could pull.jpg.

【This time, the system has also undergone a major upgrade, with a complete overhaul of its mechanics.】

"What exactly was upgraded?"

【Primarily the punishment mechanism for losing.】

Ying Bing: "?"

That was the last thing that needed upgrading, thank you very much.

Truly, aside from rewards, there wasn’t a single aspect of this system that lived up to the title of "peerless genius."

Frowning, she began reviewing the new punishment mechanism.

【Starting now, the system’s punishment will be determined by a lucky blind draw before the challenge begins!】

【Currently compiling the punishment options, sourced from the last ranking’s top scorer: Li Mo.】

Lines of illusory text appeared one by one, then slowly faded away.

In their place, a screen only she could see materialized.

Ying Bing was puzzled, lightly pursing her lips.

She had heard of reward draws, but punishment draws?

And this "sourced from Li Mo"…

She lifted her gaze, glancing at the young man sitting before the Jade Phoenix Spirit, deeply immersed in comprehending its essence. Bathed in a soft glow, he sat upright, appearing even more sunny and easygoing.

Elders would surely call him "that exemplary child from someone else’s family."

Scholars would praise him as "a noble gentleman, graceful as jade and fragrant as orchids."

Did this mean the punishment… would be based on his thoughts?

【Begin the draw?】

After staring at Li Mo for a moment, Ying Bing relaxed, a confident smile curling at the corners of her lips.

He wasn’t just putting on an act.

What she had witnessed firsthand proved it.

Aside from occasional childishness in his youth and even now, he truly deserved to be called a gentleman.

For example:

Li Mo had zero interest in Ouyang’s art books.

So there was nothing to worry about. She doubted he even had many thoughts suitable for punishments.

Ying Bing shifted her posture, reclining sideways on the soft couch and popping a grape into her mouth.

【Yes.】

As the thought settled, the screen rippled, and images gradually began to form.

A young couple walked hand in hand down the street, the girl eating a piece of candy the boy handed her.

"Is this what he’s thinking about?"

Ying Bing’s eyes were calm, though a faint trace of amusement flickered in their depths.

Feeding her candy? She had even eaten the candy figurine Li Mo made for her today. How could this count as punishment? Clearly, his mind was…

The next moment.

"I want some too."

"But there’s only one piece."

"I want this one."

The two shared the same piece of candy—the kind that left strings of sweetness between their lips.

【Preliminary Punishment Option 1: Imported Candy.】

Ying Bing: "?"

Her ice-mirror-like eyes froze, fingers involuntarily curling slightly.

Sure, they had even shared the same cup before. Sometimes during meals, Li Mo would use his own chopsticks to pick up food and feed her, and she would habitually open her mouth to accept it.

But then she vaguely recalled earlier today, when her lips had been stained with sticky syrup from the candy figurine.

He had casually wiped it off… then proceeded to slurp his fingers while eating noodles.

At the time, she had felt a faint, indescribable flutter in her chest.

Now that flutter had been given form—and it was no longer faint.

"Is this… the kind of thought a gentleman should have?"

As everyone knows, forgetting something outrageous is easy—just learn something even more outrageous.

Before Ying Bing could steady her thoughts, the screen scrolled again.

And as everyone also knows…

Li Mo carried memories from a past life, having been exposed to all kinds of information. In certain group chats, generous souls had opened his eyes to entirely new worlds.

This was something most people experienced sooner or later…

But the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands were different.

Some things, after years of solitude in the cold Lunar Palace, the Phoenix Heavenly Empress had never even heard of—let alone imagined.

"No wonder he likes feet…"

"It’s not just feet he likes…"

…

A long while later.

Ying Bing’s eyes fluttered open, only to land on her own damp little feet. She quickly averted her gaze, but the images in her mind refused to fade.

"He’s… no gentleman."

"He’s just a little devil…"

She shot a resentful look at the boy sitting there, instinctively curling her legs and hugging them close.

There were twenty punishment options in total.

Imported candy turned out to be the mildest—the rest were all gateways to entirely new realms.

The bad news?

She had to pick one of these twenty as the condition for her next punishment.

【Host, please draw your next punishment!】

On the screen, blind boxes shimmering in various colors began shuffling at a dizzying speed.

Ying Bing took a quiet breath and reached out a finger.

……

The next morning.

Li Mo rubbed his temples as he got up. The spirit within the Jade Phoenix had been the most ferocious one he’d ever encountered.

After struggling all night, he still found it nearly impossible to integrate it into his Seventy-Two Transformations.

The spirit of the Yazi.

Even as a remnant, it was deeply rooted in arrogance, violence, and combat.

Either he had to satisfy this Yazi spirit… or keep grinding away at it.

"I thought I’d perfect the Seventy-Two Transformations last night."

"Ice block…"

Li Mo turned, about to ask Ying Bing what she wanted for breakfast.

But when he looked back—

Ying Bing sat with her arms wrapped around her knees, staring at him with an unreadable gaze. The moment their eyes met, hers trembled slightly before she turned away.

"……"

Clueless about what had happened, Li Mo picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"What’s wrong?"

"I thought you just liked feet."

"Pfft—!"

The tea Li Mo had just sipped nearly sprayed out.

"That’s just professional habit…"

"But it seems you want more than just rubbing them."

Ying Bing lowered her eyes, her voice soft but pointed.

Li Mo felt a pang of guilt under her stare. "Who said that? Ice block, you’re slandering me!"

"Hmph… ‘gentleman’…"

Li Mo didn’t know why Ying Bing suddenly brought this up, but her tone didn’t sound particularly approving.

Just then, Zhong Zhenyue’s voice rang out from downstairs—he had come to take Li Mo to the Greenwood Barracks.