The wind howled, seemingly appearing from nowhere.
The blazing fire boiled and churned the skies above.
This was clearly his own little realm, yet at this moment, it felt like it was vibrating, slipping out of his control, and at the end of the stormy chaos lay the ghost of a stubborn rock, patiently waiting for the next traveler.
As he grasped the weapon known as the God Hammer Little Overlord, an inexplicable divine intention rose up.
Li Mo squinted, unable to open his eyes, and closed them instead, but the outline of that divine intention remained gradually becoming clearer.
He was on equal footing with it.
Clearly, he had already stood at the forefront of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths’ Qianlong List, having defeated countless former champions. Just by observing the Guan Shen through nine holes, he might have been the absolute best in the human realm, yet at this moment, he realized he was…
Utterly insignificant.
Its determination was labeled as invincible.
Unbeatable against all foes, crushing the hearts of the proud.
That’s why the Great Sage’s divine intention could only manifest through the spirit of Heaven’s Combat, confronting enemies again and again, defeating one powerful opponent after another to toughen itself up.
The Guan Shen method of observing the divine intent was merely mimicry, a learning experience that developed a god within one’s heart to borrow its divine power.
But the Great Sage’s divine intention required you to shatter it, to crush the divinity inside you, to crush those untouchable elements.
Now, it beckoned you, as if saying:
“Traveler, let me see your heart—do you possess this determination?”
“…..”
Li Mo’s throat felt dry, and for the first time in his little realm, he felt utterly powerless.
He had stepped into the Observation Realm, yet suddenly his opponent was the Great Sage?
He laboriously pulled out a bottle of immortal wine, planning to drink it to bolster his courage and give himself a pep talk.
Ding——
Suddenly, the air around him felt as solid as divine iron, locking him in place with a faint golden light—he couldn’t even blink.
It slowly advanced, the long staff leaving crisp sounds as if each step covered endless distances.
The porcelain bottle reached his hand, and with a couple of shakes, it was brought to his ear as if he could hear the wine’s song.
Finally, he gulped the last drop and tossed it back.
The golden light shattered.
“This is like taking a hammer to the face…”
Li Mo mustered his courage and gripped his weapon tightly.
But before he could gather the strength, the Great Sage’s divine intention descended like an avalanche, instantly overwhelming him—the distorted figure filled his vision.
……..
The next morning.
At the entrance of Biyun Tower.
“Eh? He looks like a dog.”
A passing woman giggled.
“Shh… darling, don’t say that. This person is Xie Xuan, number two on the Qianlong List.”
The man beside her paled a bit.
“Ah?”
The couple hastened away.
Xie Xuan still sat there, hugging his legs, looking utterly out of it—completely slumped.
Yesterday, the God Hammer Little Overlord had held the Cold Fairy’s hand, and the phrase ‘she just doesn’t love you’ still echoed in his ears.
He hadn’t recovered from it, spending the entire night sitting there.
“How could I… lose so completely?”
Just then, someone sat down beside him.
“Hmm?”
Xie Xuan, who usually wore a blank expression, was momentarily taken aback.
Because the newcomer was none other than Li Mo.
Li Mo also looked dazed, weary like he hadn’t slept all night, propping his head with one hand, staring off into the distance.
He mumbled to himself:
“How could I possibly lose so completely?”
Last night, Li Mo had spent three hours battling.
Guess what?
He gave it everything he had, and then… nothing happened. Not once did he make it past the second exchange, and by the end, he was completely numb.
“Give me back my sunglasses.”
Li Mo reached out to take the shades off Xie Xuan’s face and put them on himself.
Xie Xuan: “?”
So, with the shades swapped, the entrance of Biyun Tower transformed from a dog to a pitiful loser and a rather strange pair.
“What’s going on with you?”
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“Oh, just had a friendly spar all night—didn’t win a single match.”
Xie Xuan’s furrowed brows relaxed slightly, as if he had come to a realization.
The God Hammer Little Overlord must have fought with the Cold Fairy yesterday!
She was utterly terrifying, even more so than his own master; it was no wonder Li Mo was left questioning his life.
“I knew yesterday you couldn’t beat her.”
“?”
Li Mo looked confused. Did you misunderstand something?
Xie Xuan couldn’t possibly know he’d gotten beaten up by a monkey.
But explaining that was rather awkward…
Seeing Little Li remain silent in a self-pitying manner, Xie Xuan’s heart felt a tad lighter:
“Do you want to know why you can’t beat her?”
“Not interested.”
“…..”
Xie Xuan found himself stumped for words.
This second-best on the Qianlong List was also in a rebellious phase. The more Li Mo insisted he wasn’t interested, the more Xie Xuan wanted to press on:
“I could see from your swordplay yesterday; her shadow was all over it.”
“You haven’t even fully learned her moves, and winning would be a ghost story. But I reckon you’ll have a tough time beating her in this lifetime…”
“!”
Hearing that, Li Mo froze, a thunderbolt flashing through his mind.
That’s right.
Everything he relied on came from the Great Sage’s Ascend to the Heavens technique.
And his mastery of it was far from adequate.
From the outset, he had no chance of winning.
“Where should I start from then?”
Li Mo mumbled.
“No way; her martial arts mastery surpasses even Master Fu Sheng’s, so I wouldn’t bet on victory.”
Looking at Little Li scratching his head in confusion, Xie Xuan felt a bit better, but still didn’t know why.
Was it because he realized that Li Mo had no chance against Ying Bing in terms of martial arts mastery too?
“You need to toughen up first.”
Little Li’s eyes lit up behind his sunglasses.
His immediate task was to face off against the Great Sage’s projection once, shaking off that innate fear and pressure.
To achieve this, he had to first have the ability to land a solid strike.
Otherwise, the Great Sage’s projection would be indestructible, shining with holy light, while he was but a firefly.
If there was no foundation to win, how could he have determination and confidence?
Physical strength!
“Thanks, you’re a really decent guy.”
Li Mo clapped his hands, thanked Xie Xuan, and hurried upstairs.
“??”
Xie Xuan felt more question marks popping up in his mind that day than he had in his entire life.
At this moment.
Li Mo was already back in his room, pulling out several booklets from the system space.
These were all investments yielding returns for martial arts training.
“The Extreme Weapon Body is perfected, but I need to find another body-refining martial art…”
Looking at those booklets, his gaze suddenly sharpened.
“The Second Set of Radio Exercises.”
Emmmm.
This was something he had concocted based on his experiences with morning exercises in his previous life, adding on his insights into body-refinement.
It seemed to have decent effects.
“At least, this is my own path.”
Curious, Li Mo pulled out a Stone of Heavenly Scriptures seal and slowly pressed it onto the book.
The words flowed, writhing quickly.
The name then transformed:
“Eight Brocade Silk…”
…..
P.S.: Sorry for the slow update; I’m trying my best not to make the Great Sage too much like a muggle, and I’m using more precise language wherever I can.
