Chapter 16
“This carriage, if calculated in gold, must be worth several tens of thousands of taels. It was a gift from the boss of He Sheng Trading Company.”
Li Mo: “!”
The little student, who thought he had a modest fortune, suddenly felt the weight of poverty.
Tens of thousands of taels, all in gold.
Even if the entire carriage were made of gold, it wouldn’t cost that much.
Seemingly sensing his confusion, Old Ba chuckled:
“This carriage is made of cold iron; even those in the Divine Realm can’t harm it.”
“No wonder I can’t afford it,” Li Mo realized, patting his empty pocket.
His dream of traveling in a similar carriage was dashed.
At the tea table, Ying Bing sat gracefully, sipping her tea.
Casual and at ease, one might think she was the rightful owner of the carriage.
But no.
Li Mo even felt as if she was deigning to lower herself.
‘Wasn’t Bing Tuozi a punching bag at the Li residence before...?’
Li Mo couldn’t help but sigh.
What does it mean to bear the bones of an emperor!
.....
Back at Qiushui Pavilion.
Ying Bing casually picked up a dry twig and began practicing her sword technique, testing the limits of her current realm and how far she could push her swordplay.
At the kitchen door, Li Mo asked, “What do you want to eat today?”
Of course, Qingyuan Sect had a cafeteria.
However, with rewards from Bing Tuozi, he could enjoy three meals a day, so little Li Mo was happy to cook.
“Anything is fine; I have no particular cravings. You don’t need to put too much thought into it,” Ying Bing replied without looking back.
“That’s because you haven’t encountered real delicacies.”
“I’m not bragging; if I cook seriously, I could create something unique in the world.”
Li Mo said confidently.
In his white investment feedback, there were many seasonings not found in this world.
There was even a hot pot base he had been craving for a long time.
Ying Bing remained silent.
It was unclear if she had heard him.
“Wow, you’re really focused.”
Li Mo sighed to himself; she was human, not a machine.
Neglecting one’s own needs for too long could lead to a troubled mindset.
“Is Senior Sister Ying Bing here?”
At that moment, a voice called from outside.
Li Mo stepped out to find an outer sect steward, who brought a large bundle of various exotic beast meats.
After consumption, these meats had remarkable benefits for replenishing vitality, and they were hard to find outside.
This was the treatment reserved for the true disciples.
The outer sect steward introduced that these were raised on the Rare Beast Peak: Iron Bone Cattle, Azure Scale Fish, and Rock Sheep.
“Cattle, sheep, and fish! If we make a hot pot with these, wow,” Li Mo thought, drooling a little.
Half an hour later.
The rich aroma wafted through the courtyard.
Li Mo sat by the stove, cooking thin slices of Iron Bone Beef.
“Unbelievable.”
When the exotic beast meat of this world met the hot pot base from Blue Star, it was simply unforgettable.
“Try this.”
Li Mo dipped the fish meat and placed it in Ying Bing’s bowl.
The girl’s lips glistened with a layer of red oil, looking even more tempting.
“Delicious, right?”
“Not bad.”
Ying Bing’s speed with her chopsticks had noticeably quickened.
Li Mo noticed and smiled, “Then eat more; exotic beast meat is good for martial arts training.”
“Food and desire are natural; one should enjoy when it’s time to enjoy.”
Steam rose in swirling clouds.
The girl’s features became indistinct in the haze of cooking.
She chewed, and it was unclear if she had heard him.
.....
On the third floor, in the room.
[Congratulations, host. Investment: One serving of exotic beast hot pot.]
[Reward received: One Xuanjing.]
[Xuanjing]: “Contains the purest essence of the heavens and earth, useful for alchemy, weapon forging, or powering various tools, with endless applications.”
“This hot pot was worth it.”
Li Mo held a milky-white crystal in his hand, shaped like a diamond, glimmering with specks of light.
The aura emanating from it was familiar to him.
Wasn’t that the essence he absorbed while cultivating?
However, the amount of essence contained in this Xuanjing was immense; it would take him a long time to accumulate that much on his own.
It wasn’t particularly useful for Li Mo.
But this item was precious; one piece could fetch an astronomical price!
The steps to ascend to the heavens were opened with this item.
“I’ve decided; I need to eat exotic beast meat every day from now on!”
“I must make sure Bing Tuozi is well-fed.”
Li Mo tucked the Xuanjing away, resolute in his decision.
Suddenly, he remembered something.
Didn’t Brother Xiao Qin have a piece of Seven Star Ancient Jade?
Because this Seven Star Ancient Jade required essence to activate, Xiao Qin’s realm had been continuously declining.
Wasn’t this Xuanjing the perfect solution to his problem?
“I can’t use the Xuanjing anyway; I can invest it in him.”
Li Mo had also summarized some investment patterns.
The level of destiny was the basis for rewards.
The more helpful the item was to the investment target, the better the rewards would be on top of that destiny level.
Xiao Qin had a purple destiny.
The feedback reward would surely far exceed that of a single Xuanjing.
“I don’t need to learn the Six Harmonies Fist anymore.”
“With twenty years of martial insights, I can master it no matter what.”
Having learned from his previous experience, Li Mo didn’t exhaust all his martial insights in one go.
[Five years of martial insights successfully infused.]
[After a year of practice, you have fully mastered the Six Harmonies Fist, making it usable in combat, reaching the initial mastery stage.]
[In the fourth year, through long-term focus, the Six Harmonies Fist has been integrated into your daily movements, no longer limited to mere techniques.]
[In the fifth year, you have achieved minor success in the Six Harmonies Fist.]
A familiar sensation washed over him.
But minor success wasn’t enough.
[Five years of martial insights successfully infused.]
[In the first year, as you continuously practiced the fist, you vaguely sensed a higher realm of the technique.]
[In the third year, a flash of inspiration struck, and you seemed to find the right direction, beginning to verify and refine it.]
[In the fourth year, your Six Harmonies Fist has reached great success!]
[In the fifth year, you gained new insights, but they weren’t entirely clear...]
A familiar sensation returned.
After fully inheriting the insights, Li Mo clenched his fist, feeling a surge of excitement.
So, he set up a stance in his room and began practicing the fist technique with vigor.
Each move was powerful, indistinguishable from what he had developed himself.
Crack!—
Li Mo drew strength from the ground, channeling all his power into a single, thunderous strike.
Intent flowing through the Six Harmonies!
With this punch, the fabric of his sleeve tore apart, scattering into fragments.
“Just opening one meridian gives me this kind of power.”
Li Mo let out a long breath and changed into a fresh outfit.
He still couldn’t fully unleash the power of the Six Harmonies Fist.
Time to practice!
He sat cross-legged, quietly operating the Fire Heart Lotus Technique.
.....
With a single sword strike, Ying Bing unleashed nine sword blossoms.
The Seeking Flower Sword Technique.
She had known it in her past life, but today she earnestly watched Elder Han He perform it with dedication.
After all, this was a secret technique of the sect; if she claimed to know it outright, she wouldn’t be able to explain.
Now, she could at most manage to perform a single sword seeking nine flowers.
In her prime, she could effortlessly summon a rain of flowers with this sword technique, all transformed from sword energy.
If she added the power of the Taiyin, freezing a large lake would be a breeze.
But her current realm was still too low.
Ying Bing sheathed her sword and stood still, preparing to intensify her training.
Suddenly, her brows furrowed slightly.
The commotion next door...
“When he practices, does he draw on the essence of heaven and earth?”
“This shouldn’t be a technique typical of merchants; it feels more like a special physique...”
Ying Bing felt a bit surprised.
She knew many techniques that directly borrowed the essence of heaven and earth to enhance oneself.
But regardless of the technique, they could only be used above the external realm; without a connection between the inner and outer worlds, a martial artist couldn’t directly draw from the heavens.
That could only mean one thing.
It was due to Li Mo’s unique physique.
“Source Flow Martial Body... Eternal Green Wood Body... Boundless Sky Body...”
Ying Bing fell into reminiscence, recalling many prodigies she had encountered.
Some of them had indeed left a lasting impression on her.
Which one could Li Mo be?
Or perhaps, he was something she had never encountered before?
After a moment, Ying Bing pulled her thoughts back.
She was merely curious about why Li Mo had changed so much.
What kind of physique it was didn’t matter.
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