Ranking Announcement Day, Method to Collect the Power of All Living Beings!

"Huh? Isn't this a weapon-making competition? It's not some kind of martial arts tournament... There's no need to push yourself so hard."

Li Mo was completely confused.

Elder Han He and Elder Zeng shook their heads slightly. Xiao Mo was still young and didn't understand the dangers of the martial world. What if he was easily fooled if they didn't properly guide him?

Elder Han He stroked the newly forged superior-grade longsword:

"That was true at first, but as you know, swordsmen have a bad habit of tinkering with fancy-looking but actually useless things."

"How dare you speak like that!"

Elder Zeng expressed strong protest.

With a serious expression, Sword Immortal Li said, "As Dugu Strange Sword who almost became the Cloud-Crossing Sword Sect of the Sword Hero, I personally believe that the elder's words are incorrect."

"..."

Elder Han He scrutinized Li Mo's upper body.

Those explosive lines, those gleaming muscles, that terrifying yet powerful Qi and Blood, and...

You should put down that hammer before you say that, damn it!

"In short, the rules of the Weapon Forging Conference have changed since it was merged into the Heavenly Mountain Sword Villa."

"Craftsmen spend years forging iron, so they all have some degree of physical strength. The stronger the craftsman, the stronger his physique."

"Therefore, the sword-making competition also included physical fitness in the selection criteria."

"Before forging weapons, one must first go on stage to display one's physical form. Later, this selection process became more and more detailed, with more and more standards, such as whether one possesses masculine energy, whether one's muscles and bones are coordinated enough, and whether one's lines are smooth and full enough..."

"This has led more and more craftsmen to neglect the essentials and focus excessively on physical training, thus neglecting their craft."

"If that were all, it wouldn't be so bad. But then, a craftsman from the Demon Summoning Cult got involved. He hadn't even managed to forge a masterpiece, yet he still managed to achieve good results thanks to his outstanding physique."

"He became famous as a result and began secretly selling a forbidden drug from the Blood Refinement Hall. That drug seemed to be able to transform people completely, and from then on, several consecutive Weapon Forging Conferences became mere formalities."

"Isn't the Sword Furnace taken care of?"

Li Mo was speechless for a moment.

This is turning into a bodybuilding competition!

Elder Zeng finally found an opportunity to interject. "Later, it was strictly prohibited; rigorous checks are conducted before the competition."

"This banned drug is called 'Divine Strength Powder,' and it has extremely severe side effects. Overuse can lead to physical collapse, even severely weakening the internal organs and depleting one's life force."

"Yes, Xiao Mo, you absolutely must not get involved with her." Elder Han He said solemnly.

Li Mo shook his head. "Impossible."

"I know, Xiao Mo, you're not one to take shortcuts..."

"Even if they used performance-enhancing drugs, they're still not as good as me."

Li Mo waved his hand quickly. "Besides, there are side effects. Only someone with a brain like that would use it."

"..."

Elder Han He suddenly felt that his emphasis had been unnecessary.

In one year, he mastered the ultimate martial arts Supreme Lore.

He suddenly remembered why he believed Li Mo hadn't taken the medicine.

Even banned drugs wouldn't be this potent!

"Well, you still need to be careful not to be fooled by bad people. The members of the Demon Summoning Cult are the most treacherous and cunning."

"Okay, I'll try my best."

"By the way, those kinds of people also have a certain characteristic that makes them easier to identify: their heads are all..."

After a long period of anti-fraud education, Little Li was able to continue with the forging course.

He can now forge high-quality weapons, and if the materials are suitable, he could even create the finest ones.

Therefore, the immediate goal is to forge a masterpiece.

Unfortunately, he had already pushed the Extreme Weapon Slaughter Body to its limit.

Even if one were to refine the body with Hundred Refinements of Divine Treasures again, the improvement in physical strength would be negligible.

But now, he can probably only unleash a fraction of the power of the Law of Heaven and Earth.

The colossal true form seen in the Divine Intent vision remains forever out of reach...

"Even mastering a divine-level external martial art would probably be far from enough."

"Besides, I don't even have any divine skills."

"The Power of All Living Beings is still insufficient to manifest the Great Dao Divine Form. I wonder how Sect Leader Qin has handled the matter."

As Li Mo forged the iron, his thoughts surged.

Five days later.

The peaks of Clear Abyss have shed their snow-covered state and welcomed the brilliant spring sunshine.

"The Taiyin Divine Intent and the Hundred Bird Phoenix Form are almost complete."

"We will go to the main peak today and communicate with the fragments of the Bronze Divine Tree again."

"Heavenly Fortune Dao Artifact... Thinking back to when it was first created and forged..."

In her boudoir in the Autumn Water Pavilion, Ying Bing was standing in front of the mirror when she suddenly paused, startled.

Immediately, she gently raised her slender hand and touched her rapidly paling face, feeling that her beautiful features were somewhat unfamiliar.

She never obtained the Bronze Divine Tree in her previous life!

How could it possibly... have witnessed its emergence?

This thought.

It doesn't belong to her!

Yet, when it first came to mind, it felt incredibly real.

In her previous life, when she was in the Divine Observation Realm, this situation clearly did not occur, or perhaps it did occur, but...

Did she not notice?

After a long silence and a moment of contemplation, Ying Bing took out a green ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) from the Big-Headed Doll, the color of which resembled the misty rain of Jiangnan falling into the blue waves.

"This is perfect for spring."

Ying Bing softly repeated the words the boy had spoken with a smile yesterday.

Only then did that sense of unease and unfamiliarity dissipate from her heart.

[Hint: There are six hours left until the next ranking.]

Ignoring the system notification, she left Autumn Water Pavilion.

Half an hour later.

"I'm having breakfast alone today."

Under the banyan tree, Li Mo sat at the empty table and suddenly felt uncomfortable.

Needless to say, her master basically never eats breakfast.

Qin Yuzhi has recently been running 'business' for the Myriad Phenomena Immortal Sect in Southern Border.

The Ice Block has disappeared.

Suddenly, he became an empty-nest Xiao Li. He could only eat breakfast while taking out his notebook to record the situation of the Power of All Living Beings in various towns in the Southern Border.

With the strong support of Master Qin's re-employment, the Power of All Living Beings has reached a new level in management.

It can even be accurate down to the individual, but for Li Mo, there's no need.

"Winter is over, and towns in Southern Border are not lacking in supplies."

"Our Myriad Phenomena Immortal Sect is a legitimate sect; we cannot intimidate the people or engage in illegal or disorderly conduct."

"So how can we improve efficiency?"

Li Mo took a bite of the steamed pork ribs and then looked worried.

"Leave some for me!"

Qin Yuzhi's figure emerged from the dreamlike bubble, and she reached out with her chopsticks to pick up the ribs, chewing them with a crunching sound.

"Is everything going smoothly?"

At that time, Qin Yuzhi assured Li Mo that she only needed to intervene slightly to elevate the harvest of the Power of All Living Beings to a higher level.

But judging from the reaction of the Empty-Bright Myriad-Color Pagoda...

Leader Qin's performance was not ideal.

"Your ribs are quite delicious, you can't get them in Southern Border."

"Did you go on vacation?"

"I can't help it, so much has changed in these thousands of years. Imitation of a fox's cry or sending dreams to people doesn't seem to work very well anymore... But as the dignified leader of this sect, it's already quite generous of me to run errands for you, okay!"

Qin Yuzhi took a vicious bite of the steamed bun.

"Damn it, if it weren't for the fact that your food is so delicious, it's won me over..."

"Etc!"

Upon hearing this, a sudden inspiration struck Little Li, and he muttered to himself:

"The way to a person's heart is through their stomach..."

What are you muttering about?

"I've got an idea!"