The night mist gradually dissipated, as the dawn's light flowed over the distant horizon, painting the eastern sky with a clear, pale glow. Soon, the morning rays would pierce through the clouds, casting radiant beams that seemed to touch the heavens.

"Why hasn't the ice block gotten up yet?"

"She rarely sleeps in. Let's not wake her..."

Li Mo wasn’t just up early—he hadn’t slept at all.

As everyone knows, men tend to wake up with a certain fire in them, and last night, his temper had been no different. Before he knew it, morning had arrived without him even tossing in bed.

At the Fourth Realm, skipping a night’s sleep wasn’t a big deal.

Since he was still full of energy, he planned to head to the Divine Arms Peak after breakfast to repair his hammer treasure.

"What’s for breakfast?"

Shang Qinqing emerged from her room with a yawn, her tone so lazy it was clear she didn’t consider herself a guest at all.

"Elder Shang, you’re still here?" Li Mo blinked in surprise. Hadn’t the Southern Border delegation already left?

"Me, Shang Qinqing, a pure-blooded Azure Phoenix—how could I leave?"

Shang Qinqing raised a finger, looking every bit the authority:

"You might not understand what a pure-blooded Azure Phoenix represents. Back in the day, even imperial relatives weren’t worthy of having my ancestors witness their weddings—only the coronation of an empress would suffice. Every Shang Emperor was united in matrimony under the gaze of the Azure Phoenix. Though I no longer possess the power of a demon saint, presiding over your union with Little Ice is well within my capabilities."

Shang Qinqing rambled on at length.

Truthfully, she just wanted to stick around for some sweet moments.

But what Elder Shang never expected was that young Li Mo had already indulged in a private feast last night—she’d missed the very "phoenix scenes" she’d been dying to see.

"How about some tangyuan for breakfast? My mother made them."

Li Mo thought the sticky, sweet dumplings would suit Shang Qinqing just fine.

A short while later, he boiled a pot of black sesame tangyuan. Shang Qinqing took a bite, her eyes lighting up.

"These are delicious! So sweet and soft, with just the right chewiness. How have I never noticed how good tangyuan can be?"

"Not bad," Li Mo muttered, smacking his lips before shaking his head.

"Oh? You’ve had better?" Shang Qinqing had never seen anyone eat tangyuan like that. His gaze felt oddly judgmental, as if mocking her lack of worldly experience.

"Naturally."

"Wow, keeping the good stuff to yourself? I never took you for such a miser, Little Li. Let me try some!"

"No. That’s for me alone—at least for now."

Young Li Mo bared his teeth, his expression stern yet faintly threatening.

"Since when are you this possessive? That’s just cruel!"

Shang Qinqing narrowed her eyes as she watched Li Mo devour the tangyuan in one go. Something felt off. She glanced up toward the third floor of the Autumn Water Pavilion—Ying Bing’s room.

Had Little Ice made these tangyuan?

But that couldn’t be right. If Ying Bing knew how to cook, she wouldn’t be completely hopeless in the kitchen. Back in the Azure Phoenix territory, everyone had initially suspected a disaster beast had poisoned the food—only to later realize it was Ying Bing’s discarded meals.

How could those possibly taste good?

No, she’d have to ask Little Ice later.

As a creature of certain… appetites, Shang Qinqing sensed something unusual in the air. She wondered if she’d missed Li Mo and Ying Bing sneaking in some lip-locking.

But even that bold assumption wasn’t bold enough.

Not long after Li Mo left for the Divine Arms Peak, footsteps finally sounded from the staircase. Ying Bing, who had also stayed awake all night, hadn’t dared to come down while Li Mo was around. Only after he left did she finally emerge.

The Empress’s courage had suddenly shrunk.

Scooping herself a bowl of tangyuan, Ying Bing sat down and ate in a daze, her mind and gaze drifting somewhere far away.

"Little Ice?" Shang Qinqing suddenly called out.

"Huh? Elder Shang, when did you get here?"

"...I’ve been here the whole time."

Shang Qinqing narrowed her eyes further, increasingly convinced she’d missed something. She probed carefully:

"Little Mo said these tangyuan aren’t very good."

"They’re fine," Ying Bing replied after taking a bite.

"He mentioned eating something much better yesterday. Have you tried it?"

"If he’s had it, then I probably..."

Ying Bing’s voice trailed off into a whisper, her eyes losing focus.

The image of young Li Mo rolling around in her mind, along with the lingering sensations from last night, surged back uncontrollably.

"Just tell me quietly. I won’t breathe a word to anyone," Shang Qinqing pressed, her breathing quickening.

"I don’t know."

"Tch, Little Ice, you’re turning into a stingy brat just like him!"

If Shang Wu hadn’t returned just then, Shang Qinqing might have thrown herself on the floor in a tantrum.

"How’s the formation beneath the Abyss of Clarity?"

Ying Bing changed the subject.

"It’s different from before."

Shang Wu shook her head, yawning. "That’s probably the last Life-Death Cycle Formation left in the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. Even if something goes wrong, I can’t fix it."

"I’ll go take a look later." Ying Bing set down her bowl.

If the formation simply faded away, that would be fine. The real fear was it spiraling out of control—just like in her past life.

......

Under the scorching summer sun at the Divine Arms Peak, the earth’s fires burned fiercely. The oppressive heat made it impossible for even third-realm blacksmiths to work continuously.

"Would selling ice pops outside the forge be a good idea?"

Li Mo patted his head, suppressing the sudden craving for something cold. He descended into the fire veins, setting up his anvil before retrieving his dimmed hammer treasure and the old fire poker.

The Compliant Golden-Hooped Rod, part of the Great Sage’s regalia, existed somewhere between a destiny artifact and a divine weapon.

True Dao artifacts were either derivatives or vessels of the Dao itself.

This one lacked a spirit, likely because the "Dao" it belonged to no longer existed within the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.

That was just as well—if it were a true Dao artifact, no fusion material could merge it with another.

"Melt down the hammer treasure, add other materials to reforged the head, then replace the handle with the Compliant Golden-Hooped Rod. That way, the hammer gains both its ‘compliant’ properties and its original unbreakable nature..."

After some deliberation, Li Mo finalized his reforging plan.

He clapped his hands, ready to fire up the forge—then paused.

Wait.

"If I don’t have the hammer treasure, what will I use to forge the hammer treasure?"

Young Li Mo fell into deep contemplation.

Just then, familiar voices drifted in from the entrance.

"Divine Smith Du, you’ve traveled so far, yet you still made the trip to the Abyss of Clarity. Too kind."

"Hahaha, this old man simply wished to witness the place where the Heavenly Craftsman once forged weapons. Perhaps I’ll find some inspiration."

"Quite right, quite right. Little Mo’s smithing skills advanced by leaps and bounds after coming to the fire veins and cold pools. It proves this place..."

"Ah, had my sworn brother been born just a few years earlier, this ‘Unpecking’ might never have ended up in my hands."

Years ago, when a revered divine smith passed away, his hammer was to be inherited by the most outstanding craftsman of their generation.

Du Wufeng, having forged the Celestial Sword, earned the honor.

But as everyone knew, Li Mo had publicly reforged that very sword in the imperial capital, elevating it beyond its former glory.

"Well... it’s not too late now, sworn brother."

"Hm? Who said that?"

Du Wufeng’s smile froze as he leaned back slightly.