Chapter 401
Gulu gulu—
The cold pool churned as Li Mo burst forth, surrounded by swirling white mist, yet not a single droplet clung to him.
As soon as he emerged, he found two old men staring intently at him.
"Elders, the sword."
Elder Zeng took it, giving it a brief inspection before nodding in approval.
Elder Han He didn’t even need to touch it; he could tell from its luster:
"Indeed, you’ve made the most of these materials. This is truly a top-quality weapon. At your age, you’re already qualified to visit the Sword Furnace and broaden your horizons."
Chapter 444: The Day of Ranking Announcement and the Method of Collecting the Power of All Beings
"Huh? Isn’t this a weapons forging competition? It’s not like a martial arts tournament; there’s no need to go all out."
Li Mo was utterly confused.
Elder Han He and Elder Zeng exchanged glances and shook their heads slightly. After all, young Li Mo was still inexperienced and didn’t understand the dangers of the martial world. If they didn’t teach him properly, what if he got tricked?
Elder Han He stroked the newly forged top-quality long sword:
"That was indeed the case at first, but you know how swordsmen can be—they have a tendency to get caught up in flashy appearances, often to no real effect."
"What kind of talk is that!" Elder Zeng protested vehemently.
Young Li, the Sword Immortal, wore a serious expression: "As the Dugu Qijian, I was almost the Sword Immortal of the Hengyun Sword. I believe the elder’s words are misguided."
""
Elder Han He scrutinized Li Mo’s bare upper body.
Those explosive lines, muscles gleaming like treasures, a terrifying and overwhelming vitality, and—
For heaven’s sake, if you’re going to say that, at least put the hammer down first!
"In any case, since we merged with the Tianshan Sword Manor, the rules of the weapons forging competition have changed."
"Artisans have been forging iron for years, so they inevitably develop some martial skills. The stronger the artisan, the stronger their physique."
"Thus, the sword forging competition now includes physical prowess in its evaluation."
"Before forging, participants must first showcase their physical bodies. Over time, this evaluation has become increasingly detailed, with more criteria, such as whether they possess masculine energy, whether their bones and muscles are coordinated, and whether their lines are smooth and full."
"This has led many artisans to neglect their craft, spending excessive time on physical training instead."
"If that were all, it wouldn’t be so bad, but then a craftsman from the Demon Summoning Sect entered the fray. He hadn’t even forged a named weapon, yet he still achieved results thanks to his impressive physique."
"As a result, he became quite famous and began secretly selling a forbidden drug from the Blood Refining Hall. This drug seemed to transform people completely, and for several consecutive competitions, the events became mere formalities."
"Does the Sword Furnace not intervene?"
Li Mo was momentarily speechless.
Isn’t this turning into a bodybuilding competition?
Elder Zeng finally found an opportunity to interject: "Later, strict prohibitions were put in place. Before the competition, there are thorough inspections."
"This forbidden drug is called Shenli San (Divine Power Powder), and its side effects are severe. Overuse can lead to physical collapse and even serious weakening of the internal organs, draining one’s life force."
"Yes, Li Mo, you must absolutely avoid it," Elder Han He said solemnly.
Li Mo shook his head: "That’s impossible."
"I know, Li Mo, you’re not one to take shortcuts—"
"Mainly because even those on the drug can’t compare to me."
Li Mo waved his hands quickly: "And it has side effects; only a fool would use that."
""
Elder Han He suddenly felt that his earlier warnings were unnecessary.
A year later, his martial arts training reached perfection.
He suddenly recalled why he believed Li Mo wasn’t using drugs.
For crying out loud, even with forbidden drugs, he wouldn’t be this formidable!
"Ahem, but you still need to be careful. Don’t let yourself be deceived; those from the Demon Summoning Sect are particularly cunning and treacherous."
"Got it, I’ll be careful."
"By the way, those people have certain characteristics that make them easy to identify; they all have—"
After a lengthy anti-fraud education, young Li finally resumed his forging lessons.
He was now capable of forging top-quality weapons, and with the right materials, even supreme ones were within reach.
Thus, his current goal was to forge a named weapon.
Unfortunately, he had already pushed his body to its limits.
Even with the divine treasures, the increase in physical strength was minimal.
At this point, he could probably only unleash a fraction of the power of the Fa Tian Xiang Di (Law of Heaven and Earth).
The towering figure he saw in the divine vision remained an unattainable dream.
"Even if I were to refine a divine-level martial art, it would likely still fall short."
"Not to mention, I don’t even have a divine skill."
"And the power of all beings is still insufficient to manifest the Great Dao’s divine form. I wonder how Master Qin is faring with this matter."
As Li Mo hammered away, his thoughts surged.
Five days later.
The peaks of Qingyuan Sect had shed their silver coats, welcoming the brilliant spring sunshine.
"The Taiyin Divine Intent and the Hundred Birds Phoenix Form are nearly complete."
"Today, I’ll head to the main peak to communicate with the fragments of the Bronze Divine Tree."
"The Daoist artifact, ah, I remember when it first came into being, when it was forged..."
In the boudoir of Qiushui Pavilion, Ying Bing stood before the mirror, suddenly taken aback.
Then, she gently raised her delicate hand, touching her rapidly paling face, feeling that her own beauty seemed somewhat unfamiliar.
In her past life, she had never obtained the Bronze Divine Tree!
How could she possibly have witnessed its birth?
This thought—
Didn’t belong to her!
Yet when it had just emerged in her mind, it felt incredibly real.
In her past life, while in the Divine Observation Realm, she had clearly never experienced such a situation, or perhaps it had occurred, but—
She hadn’t noticed?
After a long silence, Ying Bing pondered for a moment, then took out a green dress from a doll, its color reminiscent of the misty rain of Jiangnan falling into the azure waves.
"This is perfect for spring."
Ying Bing softly repeated the words of the smiling youth from yesterday.
That sense of incongruity and strangeness began to dissipate from her heart.
[Reminder: There are six hours until the next ranking.]
Ignoring the system prompt before her, she left Qiushui Pavilion.
Half an hour later.
"Am I the only one having breakfast today?"
Under the banyan tree, Li Mo sat at an empty table, suddenly feeling out of place.
His master, needless to say, hardly ever had breakfast.
Qin Yuzhi had been busy with the 'business' of the Wanxiang Xian Sect in the southern border lately.
And Ice Block didn’t know where she had gone.
Suddenly, he had become a little empty-nester, left to eat breakfast alone while taking out a notebook to record the status of the power of all beings in various towns in the southern border.
With Master Qin’s strong support, the management of the power of all beings had improved significantly.
They could even pinpoint it down to individuals, but for Li Mo, that wasn’t necessary.
"Winter is over, and the towns in the southern border aren’t lacking in supplies."
"We, the Wanxiang Xian Sect, are a legitimate sect; we can’t intimidate the common people or engage in illegal activities."
"So how do we improve efficiency?"
Li Mo took a bite of the steamed ribs, feeling a bit troubled.
"Leave some for me!"
Qin Yuzhi’s figure emerged from the dreamlike haze, reaching out with her chopsticks to snatch away a rib, crunching it loudly.
"Is everything going smoothly?"
At that time, Qin Yuzhi had assured Li Mo that with just a little effort, she could elevate the harvest of the power of all beings to a new level.
But judging by the response from the Kongming Wanse Tower—
Master Qin’s results weren’t looking too good.
"This rib is quite delicious; you can’t find this in the southern border."
"Were you on vacation?"
"I can’t help it; things have changed so much over the past few thousand years. Learning to bark like a fox and giving people prophetic dreams seems to be a bit ineffective... but as the esteemed leader, it’s already quite something for me to run errands for you, alright?"
Qin Yuzhi bit into a bun with a fierce expression.
"Ugh, if it weren’t for how good your food is, you’ve really captured my heart."
"Wait!"
Hearing this, young Li’s mind suddenly sparked with inspiration, and he muttered to himself:
"To win a person’s heart, you must first win their stomach."
"What are you mumbling about?"
"I’ve got a plan!"
Chapter 445: The Shadows of the Past of the Advertising Divine Tree
"What plan?"
Qin Yuzhi looked at Li Mo, who was raising a finger with a confident demeanor, her expression turning skeptical. If she, being so clever, couldn’t think of a solution, how could this kid come up with one just by tapping his head?
That made it seem like the esteemed leader of the Demon Summoning Sect lacked substance, didn’t it?
Li Mo’s lips curled into a slight smile: "I have something fun; once you’ve tasted it, you’ll never forget it, and you won’t be able to live without it for the rest of your life."
"But I can’t make much of it on my own; I’ll need to ask Elder Xue for help."
"!"
Qin Yuzhi leaned back slightly.
Why did it suddenly feel like little Li had sprouted devil horns?
"Li Mo—"
"Ahem, when discussing official matters, please use titles."
"Uh-huh, Elder Li, those who often take on the role of leader know this well."
Qin Yuzhi’s expression turned serious:
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