Chapter 49
Without the guidance of the ice boulder, relying solely on his own martial insights, he would likely have reached his limit by now.
This is not surprising.
It’s like a complex math problem; without a natural talent for mathematics, one might ponder for a lifetime without finding the answer.
Ordinary people can only use the "formulas" devised by geniuses to take shortcuts.
"Ten swords!"
The aura of the swordsman across from him suddenly became both restrained and powerful.
Li Mo exhaled a breath of stale air, his focus sharper than ever before.
...
The tenth sound of the sword echoed through the Shénfēng Cave.
It lingered, like a helpless sigh.
Outside the Shénfēng Cave.
"The Chìxiāo Sword has recognized its master."
Elder Hán Hè stroked his beard as he spoke, his expression somewhat peculiar.
No one understood the significance of that sword sound better than him, the elder of the Divine Weapon Peak.
The Chìxiāo Sword had indeed recognized its master.
But it seemed to carry a hint of reluctance...
As if it was not entirely satisfied with the talent of that Li Zhenchuan.
A bit disdainful, yet still pinching his nose to accept him as its master?
This left Elder Hán Hè quite perplexed.
"Hahaha, Old Deng, I've got both of the mysterious weapons now."
Shang Wu didn’t care about the details, practically standing with her hands on her hips in triumph.
Elder Hán Hè remained expressionless: "Tiānshuāng belongs to Yíng Bīng; what does Yíng Bīng have to do with you?"
Shang Wu looked at him, her eyes filled with a mix of pity and sympathy.
The elder’s forehead twitched twice.
That look was quite rude.
"By the way, old man, not mentioning little Bīng'ér, it’s still two weapons."
"Back then, we made a bet."
"To make it fair, you don’t need to settle the score for me; as long as I need it, I can come to the Shénfēng Cave and take any weapon I want."
Shang Wu squinted and smiled.
"Hmph! Only one weapon at a time!"
Elder Hán Hè snorted coldly.
No matter how stubborn he was, he wouldn’t dare to say who would ultimately win.
It wasn’t that he lacked confidence in Mù Róng Xiāo; it was that the recognition of the mysterious weapon indicated that Li Mo was certainly extraordinary in swordsmanship.
Moreover, who could compete with him in the same realm while wielding a mysterious weapon?
Letting Shang Wu take weapons from the Shénfēng Cave, even if she broke one, would still be better than settling her massive debts.
"You know, old man, that’s your only redeeming quality—you never back out of a deal."
Seeing him concede, Shang Wu offered a few flattering words.
Yíng Bīng’s expression remained calm, not surprised by this at all.
This was her first serious teaching moment.
If she couldn’t even get a mysterious weapon, that would be a total failure.
"Chìxiāo..."
"If I remember correctly, Yíng Zhēnchuán has the Tiānshuāng, and these two swords seem to have a combined technique?"
"I’ve seen similar records."
...
Some of the older disciples of the Divine Weapon Peak exchanged glances, collectively recalling the legends.
It is said that the founder crafted these two swords and bestowed them upon his two disciples.
Those two were a couple with a deep bond, and they even created a combined sword technique that allowed them to fight beyond their realm, becoming famous in the Eastern Wilderness at that time.
Later, when the two passed away, Tiānshuāng and Chìxiāo never recognized their masters simultaneously again.
That sword technique was left to gather dust, never to be seen again.
Today, these two mysterious weapons have each found their masters once more...
Everyone turned their gaze toward Yíng Bīng.
Yet, they couldn’t discern any emotion from the jade-like girl’s face.
...
Meanwhile.
"Pretty aloof."
Li Mo held the sword that seemed to be ablaze in his hand, unable to contain his joy.
His own talent in swordsmanship was lacking.
Yet, at this age, he had managed to practice superior sword techniques to perfection.
Thus, the Chìxiāo Sword reluctantly recognized him as its master.
But... whether it was reluctant or not didn’t matter; as long as he could use it, that was enough.
Little Li didn’t care if the fruit was sweet or not; it quenched his thirst.
"I’ve got the sword technique, and now I have the sword."
"If I’m not a swordsman, who is?"
Li Mo laughed happily.
At that moment, he looked toward the end of the fourth level of the Shénfēng Cave, where the entrance glowed with a mix of fire and ice.
That direction called to him more strongly than ever.
The matter of being handsome had already been settled.
Now, he needed to consider what could truly make him stronger.
"The Pánjié Yǔnxīng Hammer."
The light from the entrance reflected in Li Mo’s eyes.
Although using a hammer didn’t quite align with his interests.
But... this was a divine weapon!
It was a treasure that far exceeded his understanding.
Moreover, it resonated faintly with his Jíbīng Lùtǐ, complementing each other.
"It wants to come with me."
"But first, I need to get close to it and pick it up."
Li Mo approached the entrance.
In an instant, he felt an overwhelming pressure.
The bone-chilling cold of the ice spring, the searing heat of the fire spring, combined with the fierce aura of the weapon, nearly suffocated him.
If it weren’t for the initial success of his body refinement and having consumed a Six-Pattern Qīngxīn Dān, he wouldn’t even have the right to stand here.
Thud—
He took a step forward.
In that moment, a thunderous sound echoed in the void.
His entire body—organs, meridians, and blood—was shaken.
That tingling sensation in his bones made Li Mo acutely aware.
His physique had grown stronger.
"I only took one step forward..."
Li Mo gained a clearer understanding of the power of the divine weapon.
Moreover, this was likely the result of the weapon having a spirit, which had reined in most of its oppressive force!
"Keep going!"
Li Mo activated his Jíbīng Lùtǐ and took another step.
At the same time, he heard the sound of a massive hammer falling in his ears.
---
**Chapter 44: Jíbīng Lùtǐ Reaches Perfection, Divine Weapon in Hand**
The dark, ancient hammer hung quietly at the boundary of ice and fire.
It was about three hundred steps from the entrance.
"Hu..."
Li Mo, drenched in sweat, exhaled a cloud of white vapor.
After walking a hundred steps, he was already soaked, his bones tingling from the vibrations.
It was exhausting, but the light in Li Mo’s eyes grew ever brighter.
With the divine weapon’s bone-shattering pressure, each step he took felt like his blood was surging, his physique being honed stronger.
In just a hundred steps, he had opened up another meridian.
Thirteen meridians.
For a typical martial artist, twelve meridians would be the limit, and they would begin to condense blood into energy, transforming strength into breath.
Li Mo had completely surpassed the realm of blood and energy.
Moreover, his forward momentum had not yet ceased.
One hundred and forty steps.
"The pressure is getting heavier."
Li Mo found it increasingly difficult to move, his body reaching its limit.
Fine bloodstains began to appear on his skin.
He had done everything possible to use the methods of Jíbīng Lùtǐ to mitigate the damage from the weapon’s sharp aura.
But a divine weapon was still a divine weapon.
"Fortunately, I still have some martial insights left."
"Otherwise, I would have to stop here today..."
Li Mo wanted to try again.
He took a step forward, and the pressure from the weapon’s sharp aura instantly bore down on him from all sides.
Blood immediately seeped from the wounds, and his body showed signs of collapsing; he quickly retreated.
"Alright, no more struggling."
Little Li understood its might and sighed.
He didn’t want to give up.
But reality wouldn’t allow it.
Relying solely on effort wouldn’t get him a divine weapon.
"Let’s go for twenty years."
Li Mo focused his thoughts and chose to comprehend the Jíbīng Lùtǐ.
【Ten years of martial insights successfully infused.】
【In the first year, you observed the divine weapon ‘Pánjié Yǔnxīng Hammer’ and gained deeper insights into body refinement; you began to contemplate the essence of ‘Jíbīng Lùtǐ’.】
【In the eighth year, you finally perfected the Jíbīng Lùtǐ.】
【In the tenth year, you began to explore the mysteries of body refinement and attempted to pursue the realm of transformation...】
Ten years of insights led to the direct perfection of the Jíbīng Lùtǐ.
No, to be precise, it was eight years.
Little Li covered his face, once again coming to terms with reality.
Superior sword techniques were taught to him step by step by the ice boulder.
The ultimate body refinement techniques, he practiced on his own.
As a result, the martial insights spent on the former were several times more than those on the latter.
"Alright then."
Li Mo activated the perfected Jíbīng Lùtǐ.
In an instant, the chaotic sharp aura from all directions became much more docile.
He resolutely continued toward the Pánjié Yǔnxīng Hammer.
One step, two steps...
Ten steps, a hundred steps...
In the blink of an eye, he was only about fifty steps away from the boundary of ice and fire.
Just as Li Mo stepped within fifty steps.
Boom—
The sound of a hammer, like thunder, erupted.
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