Chapter 177
**The Crying Wind Beast Soul Pill**: "A fifth-grade essence of the Crying Wind Beast, refined and purified by a master of the alchemical arts, is an excellent item for enhancing one's spirit."
"Not bad, not worse than the Seven-Pattern Yin-Yang Pill."
Little Li was feeling a bit distressed.
In truth, the system had provided him with quite a few rare treasures for the spirit, but he had consumed them at an alarming rate.
He basically used them as soon as he got his hands on them.
You could say they were all spent on the 'Mona Smoothie.'
If it weren't for the treasures he had obtained in the past couple of days, his spiritual cultivation would have run dry.
"I’ve been stuck for so long without breaking through; I’m starting to feel a bit uneasy."
"Well, I’m observing the Great Dao's divine form, so I’m actually not slow."
Li Mo reminded himself not to be impatient.
From the martial artists he had sparred with over the past two days, most were only observing the middle forms.
If this weren’t in Hengyun Sword City, he probably wouldn’t even see this many middle forms.
Many of them were already in their thirties, yet they hadn’t even completed half the path of the Spirit Observation Realm, with some stuck at a bottleneck for years.
Little Li decided to take stock of his assets and calm down.
Then he spent half an hour doing just that.
His current wealth could rival several years of GDP for the entire Yunzhao.
"That feels good."
Li Mo happily swallowed a Seven-Pattern Yin-Yang Pill and began his spiritual observation for the day.
Two hours later.
**Chapter 186: The Heavenly Stone Steps of the Sword Path**
After breakfast.
The carriage set off, bathed in the morning light.
In the distance.
The sword tower, resembling a colossal sword, reflected a dazzling brilliance under the sun, making the mist and clouds shimmer.
Standing alone, it seemed like the only thing between heaven and earth.
Ying Bing gazed out at the scenery beyond the carriage curtain, lost in thought.
"This sword tower is a masterpiece, truly a work of nature's divine craftsmanship."
Suddenly, she heard Li Mo's voice beside her.
Turning her head, she found her reflection in his eyes, causing her gaze to waver slightly.
"This sword tower is not a natural creation."
"Oh?"
"This sword tower has existed in Yunzhao for a long time. It is said that there was once a second-grade disaster beast, Qiongqi, that wreaked havoc on the world. When it rampaged through Yunzhao, a massive sword formed from mountain stones descended from the heavens and vanquished it."
"That sword is what we now call the sword tower."
Ying Bing spoke softly.
"Is this the work of human hands?"
Li Mo gazed at the sword tower, as if he could sense the earth-shattering power of that sword.
"Impressive."
Jiang Chulong blinked, her mouth slightly agape.
"You all will definitely be able to achieve this too. Perhaps after seeing the Hengyun Sword Marks, you’ll grasp that sword's essence."
Li Mo nodded confidently.
He had no doubt about the predictions made by the Heavenly Mandate Divine Eye regarding the Phoenix Empress and the innate sword body!
Can I do it?
Jiang Chulong bit her lip, but seeing Li Ge's encouraging gaze, she clenched her fists to motivate herself.
"The Hengyun Sword Path..."
Ying Bing's eyes flickered.
In her previous life, she had seen Jiang Chulong wield it, dominating the seventh realm.
According to her plan, she should be clear-minded about the sword by now.
But now...
The carriage suddenly fell silent.
"Uh..."
In Li Mo's eyes, he could see two expressions on Bing's face.
Perhaps it was due to the play of sunlight.
One half of her face shone brilliantly in the light, while the other half remained in shadow, complex and serene.
Though he didn’t know the reason, it was clear that her current state of mind was troubled.
Had she lost confidence even in comprehending the Hengyun Sword Marks?
What should he do?
Little Li's genius mind began to work.
This morning was the last day for sword trials.
Many had already lost their chances to compete, yet the gathering of Yunzhao's heroes was still lively and bustling.
For instance, on the platform of a certain Little Li Sword Immortal, the sign still stood proudly.
And below the stage, even before the crowd had fully arrived, a long line had already formed, resembling a ticket rush for a concert.
"Li Sword Immortal is here!"
Someone with sharp eyes shouted.
Immediately, countless gazes turned toward him.
"..."
Under the weight of so many eyes, the initial novelty wore off for Li Mo, and he now felt an overwhelming pressure.
"Li Shaoxia, when did you become Yunzhao's number one swordsman?"
"Even the Saintess of the Drizzle Tower fell beneath your sword!"
The crowd showered him with compliments.
What they didn’t know was that, at that moment, Li Mo even entertained thoughts of throwing the match.
Who spread these rumors, anyway?
Isn’t this just a recipe for disaster?
He cupped his hands toward the crowd:
"The Saintess of the Drizzle Tower is not dead, nor did we ever fight."
"I’ve merely had a stroke of luck and achieved a small success."
"In terms of comparison, I believe Ying Bing and Jiang Chulong are far more likely to shine in the sword path."
Little Li was quite sincere.
However, the crowd interpreted his words as false modesty, showering him with even more praise.
Li Mo sighed softly.
He activated the Heavenly Mandate Divine Eye, observing everyone present while also engaging in sparring.
Suddenly, his gaze paused.
There was an unremarkable-looking girl on the platform not far away.
Just moments ago, she had narrowly won and become the new champion.
**[Name: Yin Mianmian]**
**[Age: 23]**
**[Root Bone: Tianluo Demon Body.]**
**[Realm: Spirit Observation, Eight Apertures.]**
**Chapter 187: The Clarity of the Sword Heart, Thank You for Your Bright Moon**
The sword tower radiated divine light, obscuring the sun, as if representing the will of the gods.
Even the cloud steps were tinged with a faint golden hue, resembling a path to ascend to the divine.
Ying Bing gazed at the towering sword, her eyes trembling.
She certainly wouldn’t be repelled by these cloud steps, nor would she feel pressured.
She was simply pondering:
Should she go up?
If her sword heart isn’t clear, what’s the point of ascending?
But if she wanted to comprehend the true meaning of the divine heart of the heavens, to walk this path, then...
All future paths might have to be walked alone.
"What’s wrong with her?"
"I could walk halfway up those cloud steps; does she not dare to go up?"
"That shouldn’t be the case; when she was on the platform, no one could withstand her three strikes. How could she possibly be afraid?"
"Could there be something fishy going on?"
The noisy discussions reached her ears.
"Hmm?"
The plain-looking girl, Yin Mianmian, also turned her gaze toward them.
The elders frowned, their expressions filled with confusion.
Given this young girl’s talent, weren’t the cloud steps just a formality?
It was merely a walk-through.
Why did it seem to put her in a dilemma?
In a moment of daze, Ying Bing's mind was flooded with chaotic images.
On one side was power, solitude, and cold desolation.
On the other was everything that had happened since her rebirth, vivid and real.
Both were deeply rooted in her heart, impossible to shake off.
Her spirit began to tremble violently.
"Bing."
Suddenly, a voice cut through the noise, reaching her ears.
She looked up to see the boy wearing a troubled expression as well.
Little Li was feeling distressed.
The inexplicable pressure was growing heavier.
And it wasn’t just physical; it was pressing down on her spirit!
How absurd.
He hadn’t felt this way when he ascended the Heavenly Stone Steps!
Could it be that these cloud steps were condensed from sword intent, making him a sword path insulator?
But that didn’t make sense.
For instance, Zhong Zhenyue clearly didn’t possess strong sword talent, yet he moved with ease.
How strange.
The reason was too complicated to delve into.
At this moment, he not only had to bear the pressure on his spirit but also maintain a calm exterior.
It seemed he could only resort to that method.
As everyone knew.
Little Li was a genius, and after deep contemplation, he actually thought of a possible solution.
**[Congratulations, host. Ten years of martial arts insights successfully infused.]**
**[In the first year, you explored how to merge divine intent and achieve spiritual resonance through dual cultivation.]**
**[In the tenth year, you realized that the key lies in the spirit; if the compatibility of the two spirits is too poor, one will never complete the second layer of "Phoenix Crying in the Heavenly Marsh."]**
He looked at Ying Bing and said:
"Do you remember the second layer of 'Phoenix Crying in the Heavenly Marsh'?"
"'Phoenix Crying in the Heavenly Marsh'?"
A hint of confusion flickered in Ying Bing's serene eyes, but she nodded gently.
"Then come here."
Li Mo extended his hand toward her.
Ying Bing: "?"
As everyone knew.
"Phoenix Crying in the Heavenly Marsh" was a dual cultivation martial art.
Dual cultivation?
Here?
As she hesitated in confusion, her delicate hand suddenly felt a wave of warmth; it was Li Mo leading Princess Jiang back, holding her hand.
Warmth, strength.
Ying Bing realized that the inner conflict she had been feeling vanished in an instant, as if it had never existed.
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