Autumn Water Pavilion.
Master Little Li hummed a tune as he began his busy day.
The ingredients today were the meat of exotic beasts hunted earlier.
In high spirits, he found cooking all the more enjoyable.
His talent as a chef was probably—just maybe—a tiny bit better than his talent as a swordsman.
Spicy ginger-winged serpent, stewed thorn-backed turtle, stir-fried black-horned lamb with scallions, braised scorch-ringed wolf, and a side of greens...
Four dishes and a soup—utterly delightful.
"So fragrant."
Before the dishes could even be properly set on the table, a figure in palace robes had already appeared at the door and swiftly made her way to the table, plucking a piece of lamb with her fingers and popping it into her mouth.
"Master, didn’t you go with the elders for the council meeting?"
Li Mo handed her a pair of chopsticks.
The Qingyuan Sect was in turbulent times.
The matter of the "ice block" receiving the inheritance had set the entire sect abuzz.
If before, everyone had regarded Ying Bing as the future sect leader, now they practically treated her like the founding ancestor of the Qingyuan Sect.
If not for the fact that the "ice block" was only sixteen, the elders would’ve already enshrined her as a deity.
And at this critical moment, the Demon-summoning Cult’s heretics had stirred up trouble again.
The sect master had immediately summoned all the higher-ups to the Qingyuan Main Peak for discussions.
"Those old men just keep spouting the same nonsense—couldn’t be bothered to listen."
Shang Wu clicked her tongue, her delicate brows furrowing in disdain for the old geezers.
Li Mo: "..."
Well, he couldn’t exactly expect his master to contribute anything constructive.
"The sect master did assign me a task, though."
"I reluctantly agreed."
Shang Wu propped her chin on one hand while her chopsticks flew across the dishes.
Li Mo blinked. "The revered master actually obeys the sect master’s orders?"
"He told me to move into the Autumn Water Pavilion so I can 'guide' you better."
Shang Wu tilted her head, adding with a light snort, "If it weren’t for Little Bing being here, I wouldn’t have bothered."
Li Mo smiled wryly.
He could guess the sect master’s intentions.
Rather than guiding him, this was more about protecting Ying Bing.
His master might be unreliable, but she was undeniably formidable in a fight—so much so that she could even pluck a few strands from the sect master’s beard if provoked.
With a troublemaker like her standing guard, the security of Autumn Water Pavilion skyrocketed.
After the meal...
"Little Bing, what kind of inheritance did you receive today?"
Shang Wu lowered her voice curiously.
Ying Bing set down her bowl and chopsticks.
For some reason, she felt slightly less cold toward this carefree elder of Jade Cluster Peak.
As she channeled her qi and blood, a faint halo of light gradually enveloped her.
Shang Wu’s eyes flashed with surprise. She casually tossed a wine cup toward the glow.
The cup was suspended mid-air by a gentle force, slowly rotating atop the halo.
The wine inside the cup was also drawn out by Ying Bing’s control, coalescing into a sphere of liquid that orbited around her.
"Releasing inner breath at the Qi-Blood Realm... No, this is far beyond mere inner breath."
Shang Wu marveled.
"Just a minor application," Ying Bing replied with a slight nod.
Then, the halo pulsed sharply.
Crack!
The wine cup shattered into shards.
Offensively, the halo could strike unseen; defensively, it could redirect force with minimal effort.
Shang Wu clapped enthusiastically, thoroughly impressed.
Li Mo sighed mournfully at the scattered shards. "My celadon wine cup..."
Suddenly, an idea struck him.
"Ice block, how much water can you control?"
"Water?"
Ying Bing walked to the water vat and guided the halo toward it.
Immediately, a rushing stream transformed into a coiling water dragon, swirling effortlessly around her.
Li Mo’s eyes lit up.
He placed his empty rice bowl into the water current wrapped in the halo, letting it spin and clatter along with the flow.
Ying Bing: "?"
Li Mo: "It’s washing it pretty clean."
The young man seemed to have discovered a whole new world.
Seeing the wonder and admiration in his eyes, Ying Bing’s slightly furrowed brows relaxed. Strangely, she didn’t find this feeling unpleasant.
In fact, she felt a faint sense of accomplishment...
"Can you add two more bowls?"
"Of course."
"Wow, amazing!"
Shang Wu rested her chin on one hand, watching the pair with tipsy amusement glimmering in her eyes.
"Ice block"...
The nickname was oddly fitting.
Hmm, did she forget something?
Ah well, probably not important...
Moonlight draped over the branches.
Inside her room...
Ying Bing penned elegant characters onto a bamboo slip.
"After soaking in the Phoenix Blood Pool, the body has been reborn—ideal for body refinement."
"Sword talent is passable. With enough effort and guidance, mastering a sword technique isn’t impossible."
"Possesses an innocent heart. The Mind Observation Art is crucial—must cultivate balanced methods to avoid straying onto the wrong path."
What she wrote was none other than her evaluation of Li Mo’s current state...
And a blueprint for his future growth.
Ying Bing had already decided.
When she ventured beyond the Eastern Wasteland Domain, she would take Li Mo with her.
For some reason, he had changed so much in this life.
Was it because of her rebirth, triggering a ripple effect?
Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter.
The fact remained—in the cavern, he had yielded the inheritance to her.
Perhaps he was still unremarkable now.
But with her guidance, reversing his fate was only a matter of time.
What gave Ying Bing a faint sense of relief was that while Li Mo lacked any dazzling talents, he also had no glaring flaws to correct.
In short, he was a blank slate—full of potential.
With the right approach, elevating him to stand among true prodigies was entirely possible.
Even now, he could already carve out a place among his peers in the Eastern Wasteland Domain.
Putting away the bamboo slip, she returned to her bed and drew the curtains.
Soon, an icy chill spread outward, frost creeping slowly from the bed.
Though she had obtained the Halo of Dawn prematurely...
Before reaching the Inner Landscape Realm, without an internal world, controlling the power of the Lunar Yin remained impossible.
In fact, with the Halo of Dawn enhancing her physique, the Lunar Yin within her had grown even stronger.
This also meant her cultivation speed would accelerate further.
The Halo of Dawn also contained a divine-grade technique focused on inner breath manipulation—
Phoenix Halo Qi.
She had known of this martial art before, but without the halo, it was useless.
Once the system’s ranking concluded, she should be able to step into the Inner Breath Realm.
Next door...
"Speaking of which, where’s my reward for placing first in the sect trial?"
"Did Master pocket it...?"
After a moment of contemplation, Li Mo gave up.
Didn’t matter. Compared to the rewards he’d "plucked" from the ice block, it was all trivial.
As everyone knew, the system’s feedback rewards were usually better than what he invested.
Today, he had essentially "invested" the Nine-Colored Phoenix’s inheritance into Ying Bing.
The returns ought to be something even greater.
With a thought, he summoned his status.
[Name: Li Mo]
[Age: 16]
[Root Bone: Mystic Womb Immortal Body]
[Realm: Qi-Blood Realm (Ten Meridians)]
[Fate: ???]
[Evaluation: Possesses an immortal physique, destiny in chaos, future unknowable.]
[Recent Events: Bathed in the Nine-Colored Phoenix Blood Spring within Qingyuan, greatly enhanced physical talent, body-refining aptitude strengthened, achieved first place in the sect trial.]
【You have unclaimed investment returns. Would you like to claim them?】
"Claim!"
Li Mo didn’t hesitate.
【Investment Return One: Gilded Celestial Seal.】
【Investment Return Two: World Seed.】
【Investment Return Three: Formless Glazed Mask.】
Li Mo: "…!"
Well, as expected—
This was a massive haul!
And not just one, but three treasures at once!
g Yu was preparing for retirement when her organization decided to eliminate her. She transmigrated to a zombie apocalypse world. However, a tiny unexpected situation occurred: She somehow transformed into an adorable little girl?!
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
end. Thus one must continue to cultivate, and become a saint or great emperor, in order to prolong one's life. Chen Xia, however, completely reversed this. Since his transmigration, he has gained immortality, and also a system that awards him with attribute points for every year he lives. Thus between the myriad worlds, the legend of an unparalleled senior appeared. "A gentleman takes revenge; it is never too late even after ten thousand years." "When you were at your peak I yielded, now in your old age I shall trample on you." - Chen Xia
