Chapter 463
Li Mo forced himself to concentrate, recalling the teachings of his mentor, Bing Tuozi.
As he absorbed the words of the ice-cold master, he also observed how Xie Xuan summoned the Sword of the Mind, confirming his understanding through practice.
The essence of the Sword of the Mind is sword intent, but my sword intent...
Little Li fell into deep thought.
Yes, the Sword of the Celestial Beings.
Although the sword intent within the Sword of the Celestial Beings is not originally his, he had learned it all. With a little guidance, releasing it should be no problem!
...
Hmm.
The audience in the arena was also lost in contemplation.
In the quiet inner city, the voice of the purple-clad eunuch rang out with unusual fervor.
"Suddenly, Li Mo let out a mighty roar, merging three swords into one. This strike poured forth all his lifelong cultivation, hoping to pierce through the surface; in an instant, the sword shone like a long rainbow!"
"Xie Xuan finally showed some interest, moving with a hint of seriousness. He transformed his palm into a finger, lightly tapping the sword's tip. The immense recoil unexpectedly sent Li Mo flying back, spitting blood!"
"Xie Xuan was alarmed and hurriedly took three steps forward, lifting Li Mo to check on his injuries."
"To his surprise, the Li Mo who had just coughed up blood suddenly opened his eyes, grasped Xie Xuan's hand, and grinned mischievously, 'Master, I’ve caught you! You lost!'"
"Xie Xuan's face flushed, becoming even more..."
The purple-clad eunuch became increasingly animated.
"What on earth is this?!"
Xie Yiding, with a dark expression, snatched the booklet away. Upon seeing the cover, the veins on his forehead bulged:
"'The Overbearing Empress Fell for Me'?!"
"......?"
Ying Bing lowered her gaze, biting her lip.
---
**Chapter 517: Do You Want to Plant Strawberries Too?**
Li Mo earnestly recalled the teachings of his mentor, Bing Tuozi, while intently observing the practical demonstration Xie Xuan provided, completely ignoring the commotion around him.
He was deeply engaged in communicating with the sword rhythm of the Sword of the Celestial Beings.
Perhaps the world he saw was different from that of Bing Tuozi and the others; he could only sense faint and blurry fluctuations of sword rhythm.
Each technique was one he had practiced before, and now, after reaching a small level of mastery, they responded to him.
Not enough...
A bit more...
Thus, Li Mo continued to connect with the sword rhythm while searching for an opportunity to strike.
Meanwhile, across from him, Xie Xuan, who had been listening to the incessant chatter of the purple-clad eunuch, was starting to lose his composure after a prolonged stalemate:
"Stop reading already! This is ridiculous!"
Xie Xuan's focus wavered.
"Good opportunity!"
Li Mo's eyes suddenly widened.
Buzz—
The aloof Sword of the Celestial Beings finally responded to him with a faint resonance.
A bright sword shadow erupted from his consciousness, moving straight and true, just like the swords of the valiant heroes he had learned from, swift and decisive.
"Not good!"
Xie Xuan's body jolted; he hadn't expected Li Mo's counterattack to come so perfectly, so unexpectedly.
The straightforward and swift sword strike instantly tore through the mental web he had woven.
By the time he reacted and quickly raised his ancestral wooden sword to fend off the counterattack, his mind felt like it had been struck by a hammer, and his vision darkened.
Xie Xuan staggered back, kneeling on one knee with his sword propped against the ground.
That strike ultimately landed on his consciousness.
He didn’t possess the same monstrous strength of will as Li Mo, and a wave of heaviness surged in his chest.
"You truly grasped the sword rhythm of the Sword of the Celestial Beings to the third level. I had my doubts until now."
Xie Xuan shook his head and cupped his hands, saying, "I admit defeat."
Li Mo smiled and reminded him, "You lost the initiative in the mental clash. If you were to strike again, the outcome might still be uncertain. Why concede?"
"Didn’t you also not use your hammer? You won a single exchange with your sword, so that counts as your victory."
Xie Xuan was quite straightforward.
The arena fell silent for a moment.
"This kid just landed a heart strike, and Xie Xuan couldn’t handle it? Did he really win?!"
Du Wufeng's eyes widened, leaning back slightly.
Winning against Xie Xuan was different from winning against anyone else.
On the Qianlong Ranking, Xie Xuan was still the undisputed number one among the new generation of sword practitioners. If Li Mo had beaten him, wouldn’t this kid become even more enamored with the sword?
"Who told you to read that book to Eunuch Chen?"
Xie Yiding said with annoyance. If it weren’t for Xie Xuan losing his focus while listening, he wouldn’t have exposed a flaw.
"I was foolish!"
Du Wufeng slapped his thigh.
"Sigh, impetuous by nature; it’s no wonder others are like this."
Xie Yiding looked at his adopted son and sighed silently.
"Huh? That’s it? He won just like that?"
"Did something happen? I didn’t see them fighting at all!"
The onlooking citizens of the imperial capital and most martial artists were bewildered. They hadn’t even witnessed the excitement; they just heard a story, and suddenly Xie Xuan staggered back and conceded.
"The mental clash led to Xie Xuan losing a move, so he admitted defeat."
"He lost to Li Mo; doesn’t that mean the second place on the Qianlong Ranking is about to change hands?"
"Something’s off; this can’t be a fixed match!"
"I remember now; a few days ago, I saw them together at Fengyue Xiaozhu!"
"By the way, what was that story the judge mentioned? I was a bit lost... Where can I buy it?"
It seems that the sales of "The Overbearing Empress Fell for Me" are on the rise...
---
Under the bright yellow canopy, watching Li Mo walk off the stage with Xie Xuan, Zhong Zhenyue stood up, clapping his hands:
"Understanding the sword in the heat of battle, well done!"
In the silence of the noble lords, Zhong Zhenyue glanced to the side.
He noticed Jiang Yu was not surprised at all; instead, he appeared relaxed.
"Brother, how is Li Mo's swordsmanship so impressive?"
Princess Yuyang asked with a complex expression.
"Passable, I suppose."
Jiang Yu took a sip from his teacup, having confirmed one thing.
In the mental clash, he saw things more clearly.
Jiang Chulong's swordsmanship was not taught by Li Mo; Li Mo's level of swordsmanship was at most this, showing no signs of hiding his talents.
Thus, in this Qianlong Conference, the only person he needed to pay attention to was still one.
Ying Bing!
As the discussions among the peers on the Qianlong Ranking continued, Little Li the swordsman stepped down from the arena.
"The mental clash, Xie Xuan lost a move, so he admitted defeat?"
"His swordsmanship was taught by the Cold Fairy, right?"
"Otherwise, how could it be?"
"Hiss... The Cold Fairy's martial arts are so terrifying; anyone she teaches can defeat Xie Xuan in a move."
"The 'Wife-Boosting Fighting Spirit'—I never understood where that nickname came from until now; I’m starting to get the picture."
"The Cold Fairy's beauty could overshadow the top of the Hundred Flowers Ranking, and her martial prowess is so extraordinary. What does she see in Li Mo? Is it just his ability to boost her reputation?"
Damn it.
Little Li the swordsman sighed, never expecting that he hadn’t used his hammer, but who told him not to strike earlier?
"Li Mo, you’ve learned quite well."
Ying Bing's expression mirrored that of the solemn Bing Tuozi:
"But Xie Xuan didn’t go all out. To maintain a spot in the top three, you must not slack off; you need to keep working hard."
"Do you want to plant strawberries too?"
Li Mo had learned more than just swordsmanship during this time.
He wasn’t foolish; he had already realized that Bing Tuozi seemed to want to teach him something beyond swordsmanship...
"I’ve already learned enough of that..."
Ying Bing's pace in ruffling his head sped up a bit.
As dusk approached.
Today’s Qianlong Conference had gone through multiple rounds of battles, determining the winner's group and the loser's group, with twenty-five in each, while fifty had been completely eliminated.
Overall, those who entered the winner's group were largely the top fifty on the Qianlong Ranking, with very few surprises.
This shows that the rankings of the Yantian Sect are quite accurate.
The few dark horses who defeated higher-ranked opponents were all familiar faces...
Huang Donglai, who comprehended poison as divine intent, could evade anyone he fought, even if they were stronger.
Thus, one would often see the scene on the arena where...
He escapes, he chases! He escapes with ease, while his pursuer foams at the mouth!
Three battles, three victories!
But he wasn’t the most bizarre.
Murong Xiao had somehow learned the Buddhist Lion's Roar. Although it wasn’t yet profound enough to harm with sound waves, his voice was certainly loud enough.
So one would see on the arena:
The bald monk sat there, spouting flowery words, his opponent quickly turning red and launching a full-force strike, only to hit themselves.
The monks from the Hanging Monastery below felt utterly ashamed, almost wanting to leave, lacking the courage to admit that the victor was their disciple.
Two wins, one draw!
Xiao Qin was the most normal one, facing strong opponents, each battle was exhilarating.
One win, one loss, one draw.
Of course, the one Li Mo watched most intently was those celestial prodigies wielding divine weapons.
If he were to use a sword, he would have to endure fierce battles...
"Jiang Yu is on stage."
Ying Bing reminded softly.
Li Mo focused his gaze.
Boom—
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