Chapter 85
But Princess Xiao Jiang was truly dedicated to her practice!
Just moments ago, when she drew her sword, there was an unmistakable hint of the boundless spirit of "wildfire cannot be extinguished; spring breeze brings it back to life."
It was the momentum of the sword.
Without having formally studied any sword techniques, she had grasped a force that belonged entirely to her!
"Well, not bad. You must have worked hard during this time."
"Not... not really hard."
Jiang Chulong's cheeks flushed with the compliment, and she waved her little hands repeatedly:
"I just... just..."
"In the morning... during meals... when I go outside... to pick up things... I practiced... practiced a bit, and then at night... before sleeping... I practiced with you for a while..."
Princess Xiao Jiang's day was quite simple.
Eating, sleeping, picking up trash, and practicing her sword during those three activities.
Li Mo: "...."
So you only practiced for twelve hours a day, huh?
And didn’t I ask the Murong family to take good care of her? Why is she still out scavenging?
"Are you facing difficulties in your life?"
"I used to be hungry often, but ever since Brother Li came, that hasn’t happened anymore..."
Jiang Chulong suddenly stopped stuttering, speaking softly.
When she mentioned "Brother Li," her voice grew quieter...
"Then why do you still go out every day to pick things up?"
Upon hearing the question from her master, Jiang Chulong tilted her head.
Oh right, why?
She didn’t quite understand.
She only knew that every time she brought back things others had discarded, like broken kites or chipped bottles, seeing those scraps tidied up and arranged neatly made her feel satisfied, accomplished, and happy...
"Interest... a hobby?"
Jiang Chulong blinked, tentatively suggesting.
Li Mo: "....."
What a niche interest.
Well, as long as it makes you happy.
"By the way... Master... how is Brother Li doing lately?"
A timid voice came through.
Jiang Chulong's grayish-white eyes sparkled even brighter than before.
She thought, since her master was so powerful and knew everything about the grand events of ancient times, he must also know how Brother Li has been doing lately, right?
The little girl actually cared about me.
Last time I said I would go back to see her, but I haven’t sent any word since.
Li Mo couldn’t help but smile.
Clearing his throat, he said:
"Li Mo, right? He’s doing quite well."
"He just placed in the top three at the Jiufeng Martial Arts Competition in Qingyuan Sect, gaining great fame and respect from the heroes of Ziyang Prefecture."
"To be honest, as a bystander, his swordsmanship is quite impressive."
Jiang Chulong's eyes lit up, as if she had floated far away, envisioning Brother Li in a spirited pose on the arena.
She grinned foolishly:
"Brother Li is amazing."
"Yes, he should be back to the capital city to see you in a while."
"Really?"
"Alright, back to the point. Take these two sword manuals and study them. Next time, I’ll test you. Just practice quietly and don’t show them to anyone."
With a wave of his sleeve, two sword manuals appeared on the table.
Jiang Chulong cherished them and tucked them away.
Then, holding her stomach, she looked a bit puzzled:
"Master, I... I think there’s a... little mouse in my belly."
A little mouse?
Li Mo raised an eyebrow beneath his mask and placed his hand on her wrist.
After sensing for a moment, he sighed in relief, though still puzzled:
"That’s not your belly; it’s your dantian."
"You’re about to open your meridians."
"Open my meridians?"
Jiang Chulong knew very little about martial arts and didn’t quite understand what opening meridians meant.
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Li Mo hadn’t had the chance to explain it to her.
He had planned to wait until Jiang Chulong’s body had recovered a bit more before guiding her in refining her qi and blood.
He hadn’t expected her to stumble upon the right path on her own.
"In that case, I’ll give you some pills to protect your meridians."
...
The night deepened.
The bright moon hung high in the sky, casting silver light over the entire Qiushui Pavilion, making the ground reflect a snowy glow.
The sound of the small stream in the courtyard had vanished.
"Whoosh..."
Li Mo exhaled a puff of white breath and looked outside.
To his surprise, the entire stream had frozen solid, shimmering with a ghostly blue light in the night.
The small Qiushui Pavilion had become so cold that it felt even chillier than the depths of winter.
"Ice block..."
"Shouldn’t be any problems, right?"
As he pondered this, a sudden notification from the system rang in his ears:
[Congratulations, host! You have successfully invested in Jiang Chulong and helped her open her meridians.]
[Investment feedback: One Secret Silver Heavenly Book Seal.]
[Secret Silver Heavenly Book Seal: Can enhance any martial art of absolute skill or lower, elevating it by one grade!]
"Finally!"
Li Mo's eyes lit up.
He was just one Secret Silver Heavenly Book Seal away from upgrading an absolute skill to a divine skill, which would allow him to use that gilded Heavenly Book Seal.
This meant he would gain a martial art above divine skill!
He would also have a chance to break through to the Inner Breath realm!
If Princess Xiao Jiang were here, I’d definitely scoop her up and give her a big kiss!
Without hesitation, a small seal that resembled flowing mercury appeared in his palm, the ancient script on it seeming to come alive.
He took out the "Fire Lotus Extreme Yang Technique" and pressed it down.
The characters suddenly began to flow, as if countless fish were darting about within.
"True Phoenix Blood Lotus Sun God Technique"
Divine skill!
In the vast expanse of the world, countless people yearned for it, and here it lay quietly on the table.
A divine skill could cause countless powerful beings to fall, influencing the rise and fall of unimaginable forces, stirring up storms and bloodshed.
Having read the "Moonlight Sword Manual" and "Sun Wheel Sword Manual," Li Mo knew that while these two sword techniques were exquisite, they were ultimately just low-grade absolute skills.
No matter how well two swords combined, they could never compare to a true divine skill.
Most likely, it was due to the passage of time and the exaggeration of rumors.
"Divine skills are still beyond imagination; they are the pinnacle of martial arts."
"But what lies beyond that?"
Li Mo couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement.
The gilded Heavenly Book Seal, in his hand, slowly descended onto the paper.
The golden script erupted in that instant, flowing in like rivers rushing to the sea.
The fine blue-and-white paper gradually disintegrated, as if what was written on it exceeded its capacity.
"Oh no, I haven’t even seen it clearly..."
In a state of shock, Li Mo focused his gaze.
But the characters were obscure and profound, seemingly shifting and vanishing, impossible for anyone to decipher.
This was unlike any writing Li Mo had ever seen.
In fact, it was hard to even call it writing.
Buzz—
The paper finally completely disintegrated.
It transformed into a mysterious lotus petal of ethereal energy, flying into his brow when Li Mo wasn’t paying attention.
Boom—
A magnificent scene flashed through his mind.
It was as if the heavens and earth had just opened, and all things were in chaos; in an instant, countless entities were dissolving and being reborn, far more exaggerated than anything in a small world.
A red lotus quietly grew.
As the petals stirred, boundless flames of karma burned through the vast sky.
**Chapter 82: Rankings Announced - Ying Bing, I Am Second**
"Who am I? Where am I?"
It felt like a long time had passed, yet it seemed only a moment.
Outside the window, the cold moon still shone upon the frozen stream.
Inside the room, Li Mo opened his eyes in confusion.
The grand and vast scene from before lingered in his mind, refusing to fade, occupying all his thoughts.
At this moment, only one feeling dominated his senses.
Hunger.
Not the hunger of the stomach, but a thirst that came from the depths of his soul.
He instinctively took out a bottle of ancient earth vein spirit milk and gulped it down.
The essence of the earth vein surged into his dantian, continuously absorbed by the thirty-six main meridians, flooding into his dantian, giving his body a feeling of rejuvenation after a long drought.
"Whoosh..."
Little Li wiped his mouth, finally regaining his composure and recalling what had just happened.
He had used the Heavenly Book Seal to derive martial arts.
He had elevated a divine skill to a higher grade, transforming it into a lotus petal.
"That martial art... I wonder if it can still be called martial arts."
This feeling was strange.
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