Chapter Summaries

Ying Bing demonstrated her swordsmanship against Xie Xuan, revealing that she had been suppressing him and letting Li Mo study his techniques. After learning from the duel, Li Mo drew his sword to face Xie Xuan.

• Li Mo hesitated over whether to use his sword or hammer as Xie Xuan urged him to make a move.
• Ying Bing drew Heavenly Frost and countered Xie Xuan's seven-strike sword technique, then suppressed him with her swordsmanship.
• Elder Zeng realized Ying Bing had been holding back, while Jiang Chulong and Li Mo noticed that she could have defeated Xie Xuan many times.
• Xie Xuan acknowledged Ying Bing's superior Sword Dao but declared that the Chunjun Sword Dao had not lost, then sheathed his sword.
• Ying Bing asked Li Mo whether he had seen the techniques clearly, and Li Mo drew the Crimson Firmament Sword to begin his exchange with Xie Xuan.

Li Mo sparred with Xie Xuan for the right to enter Cloud-Stepping Tower and won after a zither note disrupted Xie Xuan’s sword art. The crowd mistakenly praised Li Mo’s hammer technique, while Xie Xuan and Li Mo were left dumbstruck.

• Li Mo asked Xie Xuan to agree that whoever won would decide whether Xie Xuan could challenge Princess Little Jiang again, and Xie Xuan accepted.
• Xie Xuan attacked Li Mo with the ever-changing Go Sword Art, forcing Li Mo to use the Nine Swords of Dugu to search for an opening.
• A zither note made Xie Xuan hesitate, allowing Li Mo to strike the spine of his sword and make him withdraw to defend.
• The crowd declared Li Mo the winner and praised his supposed hammer technique, although he had fought with a sword.
• Xie Xuan and Li Mo were left dumbstruck, and the match seemed to have no winner.

Li Mo humiliated Xie Xuan by claiming Ying Bing did not love him, then left Cloud-Stepping Tower with Ying Bing and Princess Little Jiang as rumors spread through the Imperial Capital. While Li Mo and Ying Bing won every prize at a roadside game, the Empty-Bright Myriad-Color Pagoda filled with Power of All Living Beings, allowing him to project the Great Dao Divine Form.

• Hua Nongying’s zither music distracted Xie Xuan, and he challenged Li Mo to prove he could defeat him without making a move.
• Li Mo took Ying Bing’s hand and told Xie Xuan that she did not love him, leaving Xie Xuan devastated and the onlookers in chaos.
• Li Mo left with Ying Bing and Princess Little Jiang, while a rumor spread that he had defeated Xie Xuan in a sword match.
• Jiang Yu heard about Xie Xuan’s losses, discussed Hua Nongying’s role with Azure Bird, and was summoned to the Imperial Study.
• Li Mo and Ying Bing cleared the prizes at a roadside pitch-pot stall, and the Empty-Bright Myriad-Color Pagoda filled with Power of All Living Beings.

Li Mo fought a Stone Monkey Great Sage Projection and struggled against its instinctive mastery of combat. Taiyin’s moonlight helped him understand his own heart, and the clash ended when a Ruyi Golden-Banded Staff appeared before the Stone Monkey.

• Li Mo entered the Small World and used the Power of All Living Beings to summon a towering Stone Monkey Projection.
• Li Mo exchanged blows with the Stone Monkey, but its simple, instinctive attacks overwhelmed his techniques and forced him to use Diamond Indestructible and Law of Heaven and Earth.
• Li Mo created two clones to attack from multiple sides, but the Stone Monkey turned their strikes against him and continued to dominate the fight.
• Taiyin’s moonlight calmed Li Mo and let him see the Stone Monkey’s movements and his own body with unusual clarity.
• Li Mo cast aside his techniques and met the Stone Monkey with an ordinary hammer blow, but a Ruyi Golden-Banded Staff appeared and blocked his attack.

Li Mo faced the Great Sage Projection in his Small World and was defeated without landing a hit. After Xie Xuan's words helped him recognize that he needed to strengthen his body and develop his own foundation, Li Mo transformed his Second Set of Radio Calisthenics into the Eight Pieces of Brocade.

• The Great Sage Divine Intent challenged Li Mo, froze him in place, and overwhelmed him during their three-hour fight.
• Xie Xuan sat dejected outside Cloud-Stepping Tower after his defeat by Divine Hammer Little Overlord, and Li Mo joined him after losing all night to the Great Sage Projection.
• Xie Xuan told Li Mo that his swordsmanship carried Cold Fairy's influence and that he could not beat her without mastering his own abilities.
• Li Mo realized he needed a stronger physique to challenge the Great Sage Projection and thanked Xie Xuan before returning to his room.
• Li Mo stamped a Stubborn Stone Heavenly Book Seal onto his Second Set of Radio Calisthenics, transforming it into the Eight Pieces of Brocade.

Li Mo deduced the Sinew Metamorphosis Classic from the Eight Brocades manual but lacked the Mithril Heavenly Book Seal to continue. At lunch, Xie Xuan revealed his history with Hua Nongying, and Li Mo offered to help him see her at Wind and Moon Cottage, prompting a sudden chill beside him.

• Li Mo used the Ancient Bronze Heavenly Book Seal to transform the Eight Brocades manual into the Sinew Metamorphosis Classic, then realized he needed a Mithril Heavenly Book Seal to continue deducing it.
• Li Mo served lunch to the Hidden Dragon youths, who discussed the Weapon Forging Convention and the weapons available to participants.
• Xie Xuan joined Li Mo's table and explained that he had nowhere to stay after failing to complete a task for Jiang Yu.
• Qin Yuzhi revealed that Xie Xuan had disguised himself as a servant at Wind and Moon Cottage to see Hua Nongying, and Xie Xuan recounted how his father discovered him there.
• Li Mo offered to take Xie Xuan to Wind and Moon Cottage, then felt a sudden chill as everyone at the table fell silent.

Li Mo persuaded Ying Bing to disguise herself in his clothes and accompany him to Wind and Moon Cottage, leaving the two of them ready to explore the Imperial Capital together. Her unexpectedly convincing appearance as a man stunned their companions, while her brief closeness to Li Mo left him flustered.

• Li Mo announced that he planned to take Ying Bing to Wind and Moon Cottage, then convinced her to go by suggesting she disguise herself as a man and calling her big sister.
• Xie Xuan and the others marveled that Ying Bing had agreed, while Bai Jinghong mocked Wu Chushu for wanting to imitate Li Mo.
• Li Mo took Ying Bing to his room and gave her a luxurious brocade robe he had worn when he first arrived at Clear Abyss Sect.
• Ying Bing emerged in the robe and used the Formless Glazed Veil to make her appearance convincingly masculine, leaving Li Mo stunned.
• Ying Bing briefly pinned Li Mo against the wall, then put on the veil and told him they were leaving for Wind and Moon Cottage.

Li Mo, Ying Bing, and Xie Xuan visited Wind and Moon Cottage in the Imperial Capital to meet Hua Nongying. After learning Li Mo wanted to book the whole place, Hua Nongying agreed to see him in the courtyard, intrigued by the chance to provoke the Cold Fairy.

• Li Mo and Xie Xuan discussed the Weapon Forging Pavilion, the Weapon Forging Convention, and the spread of Divine Strength Powder as their carriage crossed the inner city.
• Li Mo, Ying Bing, and Xie Xuan arrived at Wind and Moon Cottage, where the attendant initially treated Xie Xuan as a coachman.
• The madam explained that Hua Nongying sold her talents and that her tea gathering slots were full, so Li Mo asked to book the whole place.
• Hua Nongying learned that Li Mo wanted to see her and instructed her maid to invite him into the courtyard instead of accepting the private booking.
• Hua Nongying revealed she was eager to ruin what the Cold Fairy held dear, since Li Mo was believed to be her beloved.

Li Mo objected to the Imperial Capital’s custom of using people as furniture, then attended Hua Nongying’s tea gathering with Han Ice Block and Xie Xuan. As the gathering neared its end, Xie Xuan urged Li Mo to write a poem for Hua Nongying, and Li Mo had not yet answered.

• Li Mo was horrified to find guests sitting on women used as human stools, and he insisted that they were people.
• Han Ice Block silenced the guests and had ordinary stools brought in for them.
• Hua Nongying welcomed Li Mo with unusual warmth, while Han Ice Block stepped on his foot and asked for soup dumplings.
• Li Mo ignored Hua Nongying and fed Han Ice Block during the tea gathering, frustrating Hua Nongying and Xie Xuan.
• Hua Nongying announced a poetry challenge, and Xie Xuan asked whether Li Mo could write poetry.

At Wind and Moon Cottage, Li Mo reluctantly gave Xie Xuan a line of poetry that won Hua Nongying’s attention and ended the bidding. Hua Nongying invited Li Mo to stay and speak with her, while Han Bing rose as if to leave them alone.

• The guests bid thousands of taels and precious jewelry for Hua Nongying’s attention, while she watched Li Mo and found his lack of interest unusual.
• Li Mo gave Xie Xuan a line of poetry, and Xie Xuan wrote it down and sent it to Hua Nongying.
• Hua Nongying read the line, praised Li Mo’s words as worth more than a thousand pieces of gold, and invited him to converse through the night.
• The wealthy merchant read the poem, acknowledged Li Mo, and sat down as Hua Nongying dismissed the other guests.
• Han Bing stood with an ambiguous smile, and Li Mo called out, “Wait!”

At Wind and Moon Cottage, Hua Nongying tried to draw Li Mo in with his unfinished poem, but he ignored her advances and prepared to leave with Ying Bing. Ying Bing revealed herself as a woman and claimed Li Mo as hers, leaving the courtyard stunned and Li Mo uneasy about her uncharacteristic sweetness.

• Hua Nongying asked Li Mo whether Xie Xuan had written the poem, and Xie Xuan admitted he had borrowed it from Elder Zeng.
• Hua Nongying used her alluring voice to captivate the guests, but Li Mo said he had come only to admire the moon and decided to leave with Ying Bing.
• Hua Nongying accused Li Mo of not liking women, prompting Ying Bing to reveal herself as a beautiful young woman and say that he did like women.
• Ying Bing took Li Mo's hand and spoke to him in an unusually coquettish manner, while the guests watched in astonishment.
• Li Mo accepted Ying Bing's rescue but broke into a cold sweat when he realized her behavior was abnormal.

Li Mo took Ying Bing from Wind and Moon Cottage, leaving Hua Nongying and the guests shaken, then returned to Cloud-Stepping Tower as Ying Bing withdrew to her room, bothered by his poem. Li Mo slipped the complete poem beneath her door, and Ying Bing read it as a possible answer to her doubts.

• Li Mo led Ying Bing out of Wind and Moon Cottage, and their departure left Hua Nongying stunned and the guests disinterested in the brothel.
• Xie Xuan reconsidered his feelings for Hua Nongying after seeing her lose her composure.
• On the way back to Cloud-Stepping Tower, Li Mo felt uneasy about the Imperial Capital and said he found the outer city more comfortable.
• Ying Bing refused Li Mo's invitation for the night and returned to her room, while his attempt to contact her through Sharing the Moon failed.
• Ying Bing worried that Li Mo had written his earlier poem for Hua Nongying and avoided accepting his Sharing the Moon.
• Li Mo slipped the complete poem “When Will the Moon Be Bright” beneath Ying Bing's door, and she read it as a fitting reflection on separation and reunion.

Li Mo and Ying Bing spent an intimate evening together after Ying Bing secretly read his poem, then Li Mo returned to his room. Ying Bing recovered and began the system rankings again, drawing a punishment from the previous winner's mind.

• Ying Bing read Li Mo's complete poem and realized it had originally been written about the two of them.
• Ying Bing pretended she had not seen the poem, then used mosquitoes as an excuse to add a seal for Li Mo.
• Li Mo held Ying Bing on his lap, and she let him continue their intimate practice for nearly an hour.
• Li Mo kissed and licked Ying Bing's neck, then left her room after declaring the sealing complete.
• Ying Bing noticed the system ranking cooldown had ended and prepared to draw a punishment from the previous winner's mind.

Ying Bing’s punishment system forced her to accept both planting forty-nine strawberries with Li Mo and calling him “husband.” Meanwhile, Li Mo’s investment in Xie Xuan yielded a Mithril Heavenly Book Seal, whose deduction produced a divine art and stirred the Map of Mountains and Rivers, prompting the capital’s leaders to seek its creator.

• Ying Bing became stunned when her system offered “Husband” as a punishment, and it automatically combined that punishment with planting forty-nine strawberries.
• Li Mo received a Mithril Heavenly Book Seal as feedback for helping Xie Xuan overcome his emotional obstacle.
• Li Mo used the seal to deduce the Sinew Metamorphosis Classic into a divine art, causing violent winds across the outer city.
• The Imperial Academy’s dean, the meritorious nobles’ elder, and the Heaven Patrol Guard Grand Commander gathered before the Map of Mountains and Rivers to investigate its reaction.
• Dean Qi concluded that a supreme method had been created in the Imperial Capital, and the Grand Commander proposed using the Map of Mountains and Rivers to locate the method and its creator.

Li Mo discovered the Eight-Nine Arcane Art and used his martial arts comprehension to master its first method for drawing tribulations upon himself. After a frightening presence swept over Cloud-Stepping Tower, he took Ying Bing to the kitchen, where she watched him cook and helped prepare the ingredients.

• Li Mo found the golden page containing the Eight-Nine Arcane Art after the Map of Mountains and Rivers trembled, then hid it in his System Space.
• A vast presence swept over Cloud-Stepping Tower during the night, and Li Mo stayed awake until morning.
• Li Mo spent fifty years of martial arts comprehension studying the art and learned its first method for drawing tribulations upon himself.
• Ying Bing met Li Mo on the stairs, said she wanted breakfast, and insisted on accompanying him to the kitchen.
• Ying Bing watched Li Mo cook, cut the ingredients with swordlight, and told him the dish was almost done.

Li Mo joined Xie Xuan on the way to the Weapon Forging Conference after Xie announced he would enter seclusion, while Heavenly Mountain Sword Villa prepared to host the event. The chapter ended with Crown Prince Jiang Yu bringing Princess Yuyang to ask divine smith Du Wufeng to forge her a sword.

• Li Mo served shredded potatoes made with ginger, and Xie Xuan and Princess Little Jiang found the dish painfully spicy and sour.
• Xie Xuan said he would enter seclusion after the Weapon Forging Conference until his Pure Jun Sword Intent reached great accomplishment, but Li Mo revealed he was also attending and decided to go with him.
• At Heavenly Mountain Sword Villa, apprentices discussed the visiting Prince of Southern Pacification's son, Zhong Zhenyu, and the costly weapons sought by wealthy participants.
• Jiang Yu arrived with Azure Bird and Princess Yuyang, who reminded him he had promised her a fine sword for her birthday.
• Jiang Yu said divine smith Du Wufeng would forge a sword for Princess Yuyang, prompting the assembled craftsmen to react to the Crown Prince's influence.

Zhong Zhenyue sought a hammer for Li Mo from the Sword Furnace, while Li Mo arrived to enter its Weapon Forging Conference. Their reunion left Zhong Zhenyue surprised to learn that Li Mo planned to compete himself.

• Zhong Zhenyue asked Huo Bingzi to forge a hammer for his friend Li Mo, hoping Li Mo would stand out at the Hidden Dragon Assembly.
• Du Wufeng emerged from seclusion, then left to meet the visiting crown prince, prompting Zhong Zhenyue to follow Huo Bingzi on a tour of the Sword Furnace.
• Li Mo arrived at the Sword Furnace with Ying Bing, Jiang Chulong, and Xie Xuan, and said he intended to enter the Weapon Forging Conference.
• Li Mo chose Ying Bing to handle quenching and Jiang Chulong to sort materials, while Xie Xuan explained the competition's requirements.
• Li Mo encountered Zhong Zhenyue, who was selecting a hammer design, and told him he had come to compete.

Li Mo entered the Weapon Forging Conference with Jiang Chulong and Ying Bing, while Jiang Yu and Princess Yuyang confronted them. Divine Craftsman Du Wufeng offered to forge swords for Ying Bing and Jiang Chulong, but Ying Bing said she wanted to use Li Mo’s sword, leaving Du Wufeng eager to challenge Li Mo’s forging skill.

• Li Mo told Huo Bingzi he planned to forge swords for Ying Bing and Jiang Chulong, then registered for the Weapon Forging Conference with them as his assistants.
• Jiang Chulong stood up to Jiang Yu and Princess Yuyang after Li Mo encouraged her, while Ying Bing’s gaze made both royals falter.
• Jiang Yu suspected Ying Bing was the mysterious third-ranked Hidden Dragon and went to seek the emperor.
• Du Wufeng asked to forge swords for Ying Bing and Jiang Chulong, but Ying Bing refused and said she wanted to use Li Mo’s sword.
• Huo Bingzi told Du Wufeng who Li Mo was, and Du Wufeng changed his tune and asked Li Mo to persuade Ying Bing to accept a sword.

Du Wufeng offered to forge weapons for Ying Bing and Jiang Chulong, hoping their sword paths would help him advance, but both preferred weapons made by Li Mo. Du Wufeng then examined Li Mo’s unconventional forging method and discovered his hammer and tools seemed extraordinary, just as Li Mo began to work.

• Du Wufeng explained that a weapon’s wielder shaped its potential and revealed that Su Jun had made the Heavenly Human Divine Sword divine through her sword path.
• Ying Bing said she wanted a weapon forged by Li Mo, and Jiang Chulong also asked for one from Big Brother Li, disappointing Du Wufeng.
• Du Wufeng offered to teach Li Mo weapon forging, and Li Mo warned that his technique took an unconventional path.
• Li Mo removed his Pure Yang Long Robe, revealing a body tempered like a weapon, and the craftsmen admired his physique.
• Du Wufeng noticed that Li Mo’s hammer resembled the Heavenly Artisan’s Bedrock Calamity Meteor and that his cauldron and anvil were unusually powerful.
• Li Mo solemnly announced that it was time to heat the wok and pour in the oil.

Li Mo forged a sword blank for Ying Bing with astonishing skill, then borrowed Du Wufeng’s Fallen Star Flame and received his guidance while continuing to temper the Eight-Nine Arcane Art. After two days of training and repeated defeats in the Small World, Li Mo tried to relieve his stress by massaging Ying Bing, who pointed out that she was the one receiving the massage.

• Li Mo used his Stir-Frying Steel Method and increasingly powerful hammer strikes to refine purple copper, impressing the Sword Furnace masters and apprentices.
• Xie Xuan, Huo Bingzi, Zhong Zhenyue, and Ying Bing watched Li Mo’s forging, and Du Wufeng judged the purple copper nearly perfect.
• Ying Bing said an ordinary weapon would be fine, while Li Mo asked Du Wufeng to lend him the Fallen Star Flame for two days.
• Du Wufeng agreed to guide Li Mo for two hours a day and later confiscated Huo Bingzi’s novel so he could read it himself.
• Li Mo improved his forging and tempered the Eight-Nine Arcane Art while continuing to be beaten by the Great Sage Projection in the Small World.
• Li Mo massaged Ying Bing’s legs to relax, and Ying Bing reminded him that she was the one being massaged.