The night was cool and still.
The still-asleep Cold Fairy stared silently at the scene before her, which contained all the thoughts of a certain True Person Gentleman.
It's been played several times already, and there haven't been any repeats.
The door to this new world was once just a crack, now it's only a few fingers' width open; who knows when the Ice Block will be able to step through it...
[The penalty for the loser is being drawn...]
[Congratulations, host. The punishment for this draw is: to have the winner plant forty-nine strawberries on your body.]
"..."
Ying Bing gripped her skirt tightly, and the image that had just faded became clear again.
But that naive kid only knows how to eat ice, not how to grow crops.
If this is the punishment, then wouldn't that mean...?
Do I have to teach him myself?
How to teach?
Hands-on, step-by-step?
"If only we could get a different one..."
Ying Bing pursed her lips and murmured to herself.
[Hello, it's always possible.]
Why didn't you say so sooner?
[The host often finds this system talkative, so since the host hasn't asked, this system won't. Would you like to draw another punishment? And finally, choose one from the punishments?]
"Yes."
[Second penalty draw in progress...]
[Congratulations, host. The newly drawn punishment is: Please say two words to the winner.]
Two words?
Ying Bing was taken aback. She had never seen such a simple punishment from the system before, but according to the system's usual practice, she first felt that something was amiss.
But... it's only two words, and it can only express so much.
What outrageous things could you possibly say?
However, the text that appeared on the system at this moment stunned Ying Bing. The usually aloof and cold Cold Fairy suddenly became a little silly.
It's hard to imagine that this is the expression she would show.
[My husband]
She stood there motionless, like a serene jade sculpture, as if she had lost her soul.
[Host, please choose between punishment one and punishment two.]
Ying Bing didn't speak, or rather, she didn't even notice the system's notification.
[Hint: Please make a selection; otherwise, the system will randomly select one for you.]
"..."
[Countdown: 10, 9, 8...]
"..."
[Three... two... one!]
[This system has automatically selected a punishment for the host...]
"Huh? What?"
When Ying Bing came to her senses, she found that the system had already made a selection for her.
[This system suspects that the host is unable to choose between the two, which is why they are so conflicted and unable to make a decision.]
[Therefore, an exception was made to punish both, and the punishment was satisfied in one go!]
[The next punishment has been updated: After the winner plants 49 strawberries, he must call him "husband."]
"??"
On the other side, in the fourth room of the Hidden Dragon.
"I wonder if Ice Block is asleep yet."
Little Li couldn't fall asleep on the soft, luxurious haori bed.
He felt itchy all over, like he'd been bitten by a mosquito, but hadn't he just been bitten by one? What kind of mosquito was so aggressive?
Could it be some kind of high-grade Calamity Beast? It even bites its own kind; it's like a mosquito's diary.
So Li Mo could only toss and turn in bed like a maggot.
Suddenly, the much-anticipated system notification sound rang out:
[Congratulations, host! You have successfully invested in 'Xie Xuan,' helping him overcome his emotional entanglements and rediscover himself.]
[Investment Feedback: Mithril Heavenly Book Seal]
"??"
Li Mo slightly opened his eyes, looked at the system prompt, and scratched his chin.
He went to great lengths to help Xie Xuan and Hua Nongying time alone, but his plan backfired, and he even thought his investment had failed.
Unexpectedly, it directly awakened Xie Xuan's powers!
"This can be considered an unexpected but positive outcome."
Li Mo took out the Mithril Heavenly Book Seal.
At this point, the Sinew Metamorphosis Classic was already Supreme Lore; if it were further developed, it would become a divine skill.
Snap--
The noble and mysterious silver tadpole script flowed into the book like rivers flowing eastward to the sea.
What will be deduced?
Li Mo watched the words flow and shimmer on the booklet, and couldn't help but feel a little curious.
In martial arts novels of the previous generation, the Sinew Metamorphosis Classic often appeared as a divine Supreme Lore of Shaolin.
He loved reading novels since he was a child, especially martial arts novels.
As a child, I firmly believed in this, thinking that the martial arts techniques described were real, and I even went to look for them.
Then it was discovered that there are many different theories about the origin of the Sinew Metamorphosis Classic. Some say it was created by a Daoist and belongs to the Daoist practice, while others say it is a method transmitted by Bodhidharma.
So he really couldn't imagine how it would turn out.
At this moment, the brilliance came to a standstill.
Call--
Just as a divine skill was being created, suddenly dark clouds covered the sky, and a fierce wind arose, as if gods and ghosts were wailing.
Not only Cloud-Stepping Tower, but the entire outer city was ravaged by the strong winds.
Outside, in front of the Map of Mountains and Rivers, several figures suddenly appeared as if they had appeared out of nowhere.
"What happened?"
The one who asked this question was an old man dressed in purple robes, who was the current emperor's uncle and the powerful Profound Mastery who controlled the Heavenly Tribulation Dao.
Among them was an elderly man with a goatee, dressed in a scholar's robe, holding a scroll in one hand, seemingly having just been reading.
There was another person, exuding an extremely murderous aura. He wore a dark gold mask, making it impossible to tell his age, but his eyes were so sharp that it was impossible to look directly at him.
The old man was the head of the Imperial Academy, and his students were numerous and successful.
The man in the mask is the Grand Commander of the Heaven Patrol Guard.
The three individuals represent three different factions within the imperial city: officials, nobles, and the Heaven Patrol Guards.
"Dean Qi, the Map of Mountains and Rivers' has never shown such unusual activity before. You are a learned and talented person, do you have any clues?"
The sound from beneath the black gold mask seemed to carry the sound of metal rubbing together.
Legend has it that apart from the His Majesty, no one has ever seen the true face of this Grand Commander of the Heaven Patrol Guard. All that is known is that his power is profound and that he once suppressed the Profound Mastery Sage.
"It's as if some kind of divine object, or perhaps a supreme method, has been born. The creator of this method is in the Imperial Capital."
Dean Qi seemed to find this matter quite interesting.
Divine objects? The Imperial Capital isn't some kind of ancient ruin. If there were any divine objects over the centuries, those that were meant to appear would have already appeared.
It's clearly the latter.
"The Imperial Capital is teeming with powerful figures, and geniuses spring up like mushrooms after rain. New talents emerge every day; it can't be this bad..."
"What exactly... is this law?"
The elderly nobleman in purple robes stared thoughtfully at the Heavenly Fortune Dao Artifact surging like waves.
They are all Profound Mastery Sage, each having already grasped a great path.
Even if it's a divine skill, there's no need for them to make such a fuss.
However, the one that is now acting strangely is one of the two Heavenly Fortune Dao Artifacts of the Great Yu, so its nature is different.
"Could you find it?"
"I don't know the art of divination; that's the specialty of that old woman from the Heaven Derivation Sect."
"Then this general will go and consult His Majesty."
The voice from beneath the black gold mask sounded again:
"Should we use the Map of Mountains and Rivers to find the whereabouts of this technique, and... the person who created it!"