Chapter 440
The long sword had been washed bright by the power of the Taiyin, its intricate patterns of snowflakes and ice crystals reflecting a dazzling and captivating light.
Li Mo felt somewhat drained, leaning a part of his weight against the ice block, letting out a soft sigh of relief.
A weapon of renown, its color like frost, its light like ice, resonating with the distant Taiyin.
A top-tier treasure among renowned weapons.
Moreover, this sword was based on the Star Hammer, which had a solid foundation and could be further reforged in the future.
"Beautiful."
Princess Yu Yang gazed at the freshly forged long sword, her eyes glued to it, unable to look away.
She had many treasures in her collection, including some Xuan weapons that were considered second-rate, most of which were precious weapons.
Xuan weapons were hard to come by, and precious weapons were priceless.
Yet, at this moment, she found that renowned long sword to be stunning, surpassing all her other treasures.
"Brother Crown Prince."
"Yes?"
"I want that sword. With it, I can get a little closer to you on the Qianlong List."
Yu Yang's voice was soft, but that was only because she was speaking to Jiang Yu.
What she desired, she must have.
"He won't give it to you."
Jiang Yu shook his head gently, his gaze filled with heat yet tinged with regret.
Li Mo was indeed a talent—young, with astonishing martial arts aptitude, and his talent for weapon forging was equally brilliant.
He held the Heavenly Artisan's forging hammer in his hand.
Didn’t that imply that Li Mo might one day forge... a Heavenly Dao artifact?
Unfortunately, this person was unruly, seemingly indifferent to authority, and not easy to control... Moreover, he had made significant contributions in the Southern Frontier, with the King of the South nearing the seventh realm, often praising him in court as a young hero.
Wait a minute.
Jiang Yu looked at the charming and noble Princess Yu Yang:
"What do you think of this little tyrant, the Divine Hammer?"
"What do you mean?"
"Men."
Indeed, Jiang Yu wanted to use Yu Yang to test Li Mo.
As soon as he said this, Princess Yu Yang opened her mouth. With her spoiled personality, she instinctively looked down on any man, except for her father and her brother the Crown Prince.
But then she recalled the image of the young man, bare-chested, raising the divine weapon, and found him strikingly radiant. The sword she adored was born from his hands.
Moreover, he was said to bring good fortune to his wife, a topic often discussed with delight. At tea parties, she frequently heard other noble ladies joking about wanting Li Mo to marry into their families.
A man who brings good fortune to his wife was indeed a hot commodity among the young ladies of the imperial capital...
More importantly, he was currently leaning against that cold fairy who had once threatened her.
Princess Yu Yang's thoughts quietly shifted, her heart suddenly racing a bit faster.
She wanted both the sword and the man.
【Congratulations, host, you have successfully invested in 'Ying Bing' and forged a top-tier renowned sword.】
【You have an investment waiting to be claimed.】
"Ice Block, it still doesn't have a name."
"Mm?"
Ying Bing gazed at the sword's edge, momentarily lost in thought, her eyes cold yet revealing a hint of dazedness that only Li Mo could perceive.
Then the girl snapped back to reality, looking at Li Mo for a long time before softly saying:
"I need to think seriously."
"Big Brother Li, let's call it Qing Ye!"
Little Jiang raised her sword happily.
"That's a good name." Li Mo patted her head.
"What are you all standing around for? Don’t you have beautiful treasures waiting? Get to forging!"
At that moment, Du Wufeng took the conch shell from the host's hands, his loud voice waking the other craftsmen from their stupor.
Thus, the sounds of forging weapons echoed once more in the square.
To be fair, among the craftsmen, there were many skilled artisans, and several had forged renowned weapons. Unfortunately, their methods were not wild enough, and they lacked a cold fairy by their side.
Even with the distractions during the demonstration, they were still the elite among craftsmen across the realms.
Among them, five or six had forged top-tier renowned weapons.
Half an hour later, the forging session concluded.
Originally, the weapon forging event was nearing its end, but since these weapons would be provided for the Qianlong Conference, an additional "Weapon Testing" segment was added.
Naturally, it was impossible to test each weapon one by one.
Only those that received an "A" rating from the judges could showcase their brilliance.
On the ground below, the ice block and Little Jiang's sword both received an A rating, so Li Mo went to rest first.
"Master Li!"
"When I first heard there was a prodigy called the Divine Hammer Little Tyrant, I laughed a few times. Now I feel quite ashamed."
"But what about your own weapon?"
The other craftsmen waiting below now regarded him with deep respect, truly seeing him as a craftsman.
Li Shaoxia was tall and strong!
Good-looking and skilled—who could resist?
Even the cold fairy couldn’t.
"Yeah, Brother Li, what will you do?"
Suddenly, two bald heads, one big and one small, emerged from the crowd.
"Huh?"
Little Li, already tired, almost didn’t recognize them.
The old monk was Heng Yuan, who had mastered the art of silent meditation, and the young monk was Mu Rong Xiao. From his aura, he seemed much stronger than the last time they met—a true genius in the Buddhist path.
"I was wondering if I could pick something during the weapon testing later. Just not sure if I can find a hammer. Are you here to choose weapons too?"
"Not really. I only came because I knew you were here."
Mu Rong Xiao rubbed his bald head, flashing a bright smile.
He exuded confidence and strength.
Taking advantage of the moment, the two chatted, while the old monk Heng Yuan remained quietly observant. After all, he hadn’t finished his silent meditation, and with the speed at which Li Mo and Mu Rong Xiao were chatting, he felt like he was trying to keep up with hand signs, which was unbecoming of his masterly demeanor.
"Mu Rong, aren’t you planning to participate in the Qianlong Conference?"
Li Mo asked curiously.
"Of course."
"Then you don’t need a weapon?"
Mu Rong Xiao replied solemnly, "Oh, the martial arts I practice now is the Unmoving King’s Golden Body. It’s a profound Buddhist technique that emphasizes compassion, not striking back when attacked, nor retaliating when insulted. One must be kind..."
"Speak plainly, Master of Mourning Love."
"You... cough."
"Mm?"
"You’re particularly handsome, truly a great charmer, really, Brother Li."
Mu Rong Xiao coughed lightly, helplessly saying:
"I’m participating in the Qianlong Conference, and I can’t strike back or dodge; I must endure everything."
Li Mo was taken aback. "What kind of bizarre technique is that?"
"It’s a divine skill..."
"Oh, then it’s fine."
Li Mo thought for a moment, then frowned, "But even if you’ve mastered a divine skill, your physique can’t be stronger than mine, right? You’ll still get hurt."
"I don’t know what to do either." Mu Rong Xiao was equally troubled by this matter.
"Then why not ask your master? Don’t you want to?"
"…"
"Alright, no more jokes. I actually have an idea."
Mu Rong Xiao’s eyes lit up. It was well-known that Brother Li was a gentleman and the cleverest of the Qingyuan Sect; he might really have a solution.
"What is it?"
"Why not try observing the divine intent of the Sea Cucumber Clan? They can regenerate their bodies, but the downside is that they can’t move or perform any other actions while regenerating."
"??"
"In that case, not only would your defense be terrifyingly high, but you’d also recover quickly. Others would be unable to inflict damage faster than you could heal. How would they deal with that?"
"????"
Mu Rong Xiao was stunned, a glimmer of wisdom flashing in his eyes.
Heng Yuan, the old monk, dropped his prayer beads to the ground, his face turning red.
The old monk’s face was flushed, as if he had a thousand words to say.
Just as Li Mo was about to delve deeper into conversation with Mu Rong Xiao, the surroundings suddenly fell silent as a strikingly elegant figure approached, her skirt swaying gracefully.
"Does Young Hero Li still remember this palace?" Princess Yu Yang said with a charming smile.
Chapter 490: Sword Dance, Taibai
Princess Yu Yang lifted her chin, sizing up Li Mo, her eyes gleaming with delight, as if she were looking at a precious toy that everyone was vying for.
"Huh?"
A little question mark popped up over Li Mo's head.
Who are you?
Don’t blame Little Li for being face-blind; he often had Ice Block by his side, making it hard to remember people, especially women, as he found no need to remember unimportant things and people.
Unless it was someone with a golden destiny, he might have a slight impression.
Living in the Bu Yun Tower, he could hit a few purple destinies just by throwing a brick.
Mu Rong Xiao immediately showed a wary expression, and after scrutinizing her, he seemed to realize something.
Then he revealed a hint of admiration.
"Uh, where have we met?"
Li Mo asked, puzzled.
Yu Yang frowned, "The Sword Furnace."
This Divine Hammer Little Tyrant couldn’t possibly be playing some kind of cat-and-mouse game with her, could he?
She didn’t think there was anything wrong with her behavior.
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