The vastness of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths is boundless, with wonders everywhere.
But this is merely the ranking list of the Eastern Wilderness.
It does not include the Great Yu Dynasty or those outstanding sects, it only represents a corner of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.
In that moment, Ying Bing’s mind was blank.
But.
The system would not stop because of her confusion and bewilderment.
[First on the Eastern Wilderness Heavenly Talents List: Li Mo.]
The remaining words silently appeared as well.
Li…
Mo?
These two characters reflected in Ying Bing’s eyes, stirring up waves of shock.
Unconsciously, images of the young man’s gentle demeanor, his busy figure in the kitchen, and his trustworthy words at Qingyuan came to her mind…
How could it be him?
How could it be him?
Indeed, Li Mo has changed a lot compared to what she once knew.
He became more amiable, his talent improved, allowing him to discuss sword techniques with her and gain some inheritance.
But.
He clearly lost to her just today!
On the arena, Ying Bing wasn’t entirely serious; she mainly wanted to see how far his strength had progressed.
The results were indeed surprising.
But Li Mo’s strength was clearly still far from hers.
Moreover, since they entered Qingyuan Sect, they had been constantly together.
She hadn’t seen any remarkable encounters for him.
At their level, there might be someone who could match her, but these individuals are all well-known figures.
Why?
Why is it him?
At this moment, the young man’s figure was shrouded in a heavy layer of mystery.
The air seemed to freeze.
Ying Bing felt very strange.
Surprise, bewilderment, doubt, unwillingness…
Being suppressed by someone, this is what it feels like?
[Comparison complete. Reward distribution begins.]
[Host ranks 8th in the list.]
[Reward one: Three bottles of Imperial Liquid.]
[Reward two: One True Phoenix Feather.]
[Reward three: One Cold Marrow Jade Bed.]
The rewards given by the system are extremely rare treasures, and they happen to be useful to her, making them invaluable.
For instance, the Imperial Liquid.
This liquid is formed by the essence of heaven and earth, born from the sky, scattering upon landing, causing plants to become demons, beasts to gain wisdom, and humans to cleanse themselves and advance in martial arts by leaps and bounds.
Every sixty years, some places in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths will have Imperial Liquid fall.
As for the exact location, only the Yantian Sect knows.
Therefore, apart from the Yantian Sect, very few people possess it.
Then there’s the True Phoenix Feather.
True Phoenixes, True Phoenixes, and True Dragons, these once powerful beings in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, are still extremely rare, and each appearance carries great heavenly fate.
In the mysterious rules of the universe, no more than nine of these creatures are allowed to exist simultaneously.
Of course, often these auspicious beasts do not exceed a handful in number.
Phoenix feathers are their life essence; integrating them into oneself grants numerous divine abilities, similar to a True Dragon’s reversed scale.
Compared to True Dragons, the existence of the Phoenix clan is even rarer, having long disappeared from the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.
As for the last Cold Marrow Jade Bed, she already possessed one in her previous palace.
Lying on it, one can achieve twice the result with half the effort in cultivation.
Undoubtedly, these rewards are not ordinary items even for her previous self.
But…
[Detection: Host has activated the punishment for defeat.]
[The system will temporarily hold all rewards until the host completes the punishment conditions.]
[If the challenge fails, the system will automatically cancel the binding, and all rewards will be destroyed.]
[Current punishment condition: Sharing a bed with someone surpassing oneself for a month.]
[Challenge begins tomorrow.]
Complex emotions surged within her heart.
Ying Bing stared blankly at the rewards and punishment conditions.
When she chose to increase the rewards and initiate the challenge, she never imagined she would actually face punishment.
Due to her intense emotional fluctuations, the restrained Yin energy inside her suddenly went out of control.
The room became increasingly cold.
Cold numbed her thoughts, freezing her mind.
Her eyelashes, dyed with ice crystals, blinked lightly, and her eyes finally closed heavily.
Ying Bing’s consciousness plunged into darkness, sinking into a dream.
…
In the dream.
Over the vast sea, there was no sun, moon, or stars.
Only thunder danced wildly, dyeing the world black and white.
Towering waves surged, forming an endless vortex, swallowing everything without a trace.
Vaguely, Ying Bing remembered coming here before.
Abode of Return.
In her past life, she searched tirelessly for the last place on earth where one could ascend to immortality, and also the final resting place of many legendary figures, including the Founding Emperor of Yu.
[Those who wish to ascend must endure trials here.]
This was the only thing existing on the sea surface.
A huge stone monument towering into the clouds.
She had been here before.
And she came with the other eight from the Nine Heavens.
They killed the guardian of the Abode of Return together and entered the path to immortality within it.
But.
She failed.
At this moment, Ying Bing finally remembered the reason for her failure.
“Flawed heart.”
…
Morning.
Sitting on the frozen cushion, Li Mo slowly took a deep breath, his lips involuntarily curling upward.
He was sinking his spirit into his dantian.
In his dantian, the originally hair-thin internal breath had grown tenfold. If dispersed, it could fill the entire dantian.
With a slight movement of his mind, the internal breath followed his intentions, gathering and dispersing, sometimes taking various shapes.
Li Mo pushed open the door and approached the frozen lake, punching it.
Intrusive internal breaths drilled into the thick ice layer.
After a moment, he lightly threw a stone onto the ice.
Crack crack—
The frozen stream instantly shattered and began flowing anew.
“Not bad,” Li Mo said with satisfaction.
If he had to do this before, it probably would have taken considerable effort.
“Has Ice Chunk not started yet?”
Li Mo looked puzzled at the room upstairs.
At this time, Ying Bing should definitely be drinking tea at the stone table.
However, seeing the scene at Qiushui Pavilion, he understood.
Last night was so chaotic; she might need some time to rest.
“Huh?”
Shang Wu squinted her eyes, scratching her flawless shoulder, yawning groggily.
Seeing the courtyard, she looked bewildered.
“It’s Ice Chunk,” Li Mo said casually.
“Oh.”
Shang Wu nodded lazily, stomping her foot on the ground.
Heat surged like a furnace.
The beauty mentor was like a small sun, with excellent effects.
She then turned her gaze back to her beloved disciple.
“What? Master, what’s the matter?”
Li Mo was puzzled.
“Cough! From today onwards, I will teach you seriously.”
Yesterday, the elders held a criticism meeting for her. Many elders were emotionally agitated, blaming her for being unworthy to be a teacher.
Shang Wu thought about it and realized it too.
Her apprentice had been neglected for nearly a month.
As a master, she should indeed teach her disciple something. If she had taught Li Mo earlier, perhaps her precious disciple wouldn’t have lost to Ying Bing.
And consequently, she would have lost so much money.
So, from today, she decided to earnestly instruct her precious disciple, hoping he could quickly enter the realm of Internal Breathing.
To this end, she specially reviewed the books on how to break through the bl**d and Qi realm in the library, as she herself had broken through after a drunken feast. She couldn’t let her precious disciple learn from her.
Shang Wu rarely took it this seriously.
“Today, I will teach you how to condense internal breath.”
“But master, I’m already in the Internal Breathing realm.”
“d*mn.”
“What?”
—
PS: Sorry, sorry, my grandparents came to visit me, and I had dinner with them outside, so the update is late.
