Qingyuan Sect.

Li Mo stepped out of the main hall on the central peak, carrying a vegetable basket, intending to return to Autumn Water Pavilion first. But as soon as he descended the peak, he spotted Xiao Qin waiting nearby.

A scar now ran across the corner of his eye, adding a weathered sharpness to his otherwise steady demeanor. Yet, the moment he saw Li Mo, his familiar smile returned.

"Severing Wind and Broken Sword?"

Li Mo teased with a grin.

The old Xiao, who had once been on the verge of being expelled from the sect as an outer disciple, was now a prodigy on the Hidden Dragon Ranking. Though Li Mo’s own ranking was higher, he knew it was only because of his cheat-like advantages.

Breaking into the top hundred of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands’ young elites was no easy feat.

Xiao Qin tossed him a wine gourd and chuckled in response:

"Wife-Blessing..."

"Ahem!"

"Uh... Divine Hammer..."

"Never mind, let’s just stick with the first one."

Li Mo took a couple of gulps of wine, eyeing Xiao Qin with envy.

Just look at this guy—his nickname sounded so cool. Though Xiao Qin had barely made it onto the Hidden Dragon Ranking, from now on, just announcing his title would command instant respect wherever he went.

Meanwhile, if Li Mo introduced himself... the whole crowd would burst into laughter.

"Titles are just empty words, Brother Li. No need to dwell on it. Those two nicknames of yours are... well, they’re not bad either."

"Old Xiao, holding it in must be painful. Just laugh if you want to."

Li Mo sighed.

Xiao Qin was usually a serious guy who rarely laughed.

Unless he couldn’t help it.

A moment later, Xiao Qin wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes. His laughter faded into silence—he had just come from the main hall and already knew what had happened.

The two drank in turns, wordlessly.

After the alcohol warmed his body, Xiao Qin finally exhaled a long breath of white mist:

"You’re really foolish, you know. Even if it hadn’t been Little Jiang today, you probably still wouldn’t have stood by and done nothing."

"There’s no shortage of injustices in the world. You can’t right every wrong. You even dared to pick a fight with the Crown Prince."

"I didn’t actually hit him."

Li Mo shrugged.

Xiao Qin sighed helplessly. "If you hadn’t truly intended to act, would that seventh-realm Zhangxuan expert have shown up?"

"Zhangxuan... when they make a move, it’s nothing short of world-shattering."

"Even after seeing the wider world, you’re still like this..."

Xiao Qin suddenly frowned and spat. "Where did this sand come from in this damn gourd?"

He stashed the wine gourd away and pulled out a booklet from his robe.

"If you really have to leave, I know a route to the Western Regions—somewhere beyond the reach of Great Yu. The customs and people there are all written down in this. Take it and read it over."

Leaving the booklet behind, he waved and turned to leave.

Li Mo flipped through the pages and couldn’t help but laugh.

Xiao Qin might seem different now, but deep down, he was still the same old Xiao—still terrible with words.

He probably secretly wished for the day Li Mo would drag Jiang Yu down from the top of the Hidden Dragon Ranking, didn’t he?

The booklet’s title was unmistakable:

Thousand Forms Scripture.

Li Mo tucked away the first true divine technique he had obtained without relying on his system, then returned to Autumn Water Pavilion.

The pavilion had been cleaned spotlessly, exactly as it had been when they left.

His master, the stunningly beautiful Shang Wu, lounged on a recliner, sipping wine with her eyes half-closed. There wasn’t even any sun today—what was she basking in?

Meanwhile, the silver-clad ice block—Ying Bing—sat quietly, a touch of snow amidst the pavilion’s scenery. She sipped tea while reading, serene and undisturbed.

"You’re back."

Shang Wu sprang up from the recliner to inspect the contents of the vegetable basket.

Ying Bing lifted her gaze, studying Li Mo for a few seconds before asking softly:

"Trouble?"

Li Mo: "!"

He hadn’t even said anything yet!

Not even the Heavenly Fate Divine Eye could be this fast!

"Yeah. And it’s not a small mess."

Li Mo nodded honestly.

"Oh?"

Shang Wu’s flower-like face lit up with excitement, her eyes brimming with pride as she looked at her disciple.

It was the look of a master watching her pupil finally grow up.

"What kind of trouble? Tell me all about it."

"..."

Li Mo glanced at his carefree master and recounted the events.

Shang Wu leaned back slightly, raising a thumb and nudging her disciple’s shoulder with her elbow:

"Not bad, kid. I thought you weren’t the type to stir up trouble, but you’ve gone and given me such a big surprise. Truly my disciple."

"Don’t get cocky now."

The vibe was unmistakably that of a gang leader praising her underling.

Li Mo coughed lightly and naturally continued:

"Right, I’ll keep striving..."

"Hmm?"

Ying Bing’s serene gaze turned toward him, her delicate brows furrowing slightly.

"Ahem..."

Li Mo sobered up, realizing how wrong that sounded. "Keep striving" after nearly beating up the Crown Prince?

Ying Bing lowered her eyes in thought before finally murmuring:

"You did well."

This time, it was Li Mo’s turn to freeze. Since when did the ice block start praising him for causing trouble, just like his master?

Ying Bing set down her teacup and said calmly, "Many things worth doing are troublesome by nature. If it had to be done, then it had to be done."

A Crown Prince?

She had fought one before.

"!"

It had been a while since Li Mo last saw that fleeting trace of dominance in Ying Bing’s demeanor.

"Exactly! Like staging an uprising, for instance."

Shang Wu stroked her chin, narrowing her almond-shaped eyes like a scheming strategist. "The timing’s perfect. Why don’t we take this chance to ambush Jiang Yu on the main peak tomorrow with a battalion, finish him off, and then raise the banner of rebellion?"

"My precious disciple, you’ve got wealth, supplies, and the title of Divine Hammer Tyrant. With Little Bing’er supporting you, what’s there to worry about?"

"And what role would you play in this, Master?"

Li Mo’s lips twitched.

Shang Wu answered as if it were obvious: "Don’t you know all uprisings need legitimacy?"

"So?"

"I’ll be your Grand Imperial Predecessor. That’ll make it official!"

"..."

Li Mo suddenly understood why Elder Hanhe had once suggested getting Shang Wu drunk and locking her up first. Maybe it wasn’t entirely personal.

Silently, he pulled out two bottles of Immortal’s Drunk and handed them to Shang Wu.

"I’m a little hungry."

Ying Bing’s jade-like face finally showed a hint of seriousness when she said this.

Autumn Water Pavilion’s kitchen welcomed back its master chef, Li Mo.

As she watched the wisps of smoke rise from the kitchen, Ying Bing’s ice-mirror eyes narrowed slightly.

"Jiang Yu has two swordmaidens by his side—Qing Que and Dan Zhi, both from Heavenly Mountain Sword Manor. They specialize in joint attacks and are ranked on the Human Ranking."

"Facing them both, how many moves could they last against me?"

"My current realm is still too low... There’s still so much I can’t do..."

Ying Bing picked up Frost Sky and Lunar Shade, stepping into the courtyard under the newly risen moonlight. She began a graceful dance, her swordplay.

Strangely, the techniques in her left and right hands were completely different—as if from two opposing schools.