"Huh? Isn't this supposed to be a weapon-forging competition? Not some brute strength contest... Why go so hard?"

Li Mo was utterly baffled.

Elder Hanhe and Elder Zeng shook their heads slightly. Young Li was still inexperienced, unaware of the dangers of the martial world. If they didn’t guide him properly, what if he got tricked by someone?

Elder Hanhe stroked the freshly forged high-grade sharp sword in his hands:

"At first, that was the case. But as you know, swordsmen have this annoying habit—they love flashy, impractical nonsense."

"Watch your words!"

Elder Zeng protested vehemently.

Sword Immortal Li, with a stern expression, declared: "As the inheritor of the Dugu Unique Sword, and someone who nearly became Sword Immortal Hengyun, I must respectfully disagree with the elder’s statement."

"..."

Elder Hanhe eyed Li Mo’s bare upper body—the explosive muscle definition, the radiant, treasure-like sheen of his flesh, the terrifyingly vast life force, and...

For heaven’s sake, put down that hammer before you talk!

"Anyway, after merging with the Tianshan Sword Manor, the rules of the Forging Competition changed."

"Blacksmiths spend years hammering metal, so most have some degree of physical training. The stronger the smith, the tougher their body."

"Thus, the Forging Competition began factoring physique into the judging criteria."

"Before forging, participants had to showcase their physiques on stage. Over time, the judging became more detailed—standards like masculine aura, skeletal harmony, and muscle fullness were added..."

"This led many smiths to neglect their craft, pouring excessive effort into body refinement instead."

"That alone wouldn’t have been so bad, until a smith from the Demon-Calling Sect joined. He couldn’t even forge a named weapon, yet still scored well purely due to his physique."

"He gained fame overnight and secretly began peddling a forbidden drug from the Blood Refining Hall—one that supposedly reshaped the body like a rebirth. For several competitions after, the event became a farce."

"Didn’t the Sword Furnace intervene?"

Li Mo was at a loss for words.

This turned into a bodybuilding contest!

Elder Zeng finally found his chance to interject: "Later, strict bans were enforced. Competitors are now thoroughly inspected beforehand."

"That drug is called Divine Power Powder. The side effects are severe—overuse leads to bodily collapse, organ failure, and life depletion."

"Li Mo, you must never touch it." Elder Hanhe’s tone was grave.

Li Mo shook his head. "Not a chance."

"I know you’re not one to take shortcuts—"

"Mainly because even if they took the drug, they still wouldn’t match me."

Li Mo waved dismissively. "Plus, the side effects? Only an idiot would use that stuff."

"..."

Elder Hanhe suddenly felt his warning had been pointless.

One year. A perfected body-refining technique.

Now he remembered why he’d believed Li Mo was clean.

No drug could produce results this insane!

"Ahem, but you should still be careful. The Demon-Calling Sect is full of deceitful scoundrels."

"Got it. I’ll try."

"Oh, and those types have a telltale sign—their heads are..."

After a lengthy anti-scam lecture, Sword Immortal Li resumed his forging lessons.

By now, he could craft high-grade sharp weapons. With the right materials, even peak-grade wasn’t out of reach.

His current goal? Forging a named weapon.

Unfortunately, his Extreme Weapon Tempering Body had reached its limit.

Even with Divine Treasure Hundred Refinements, his physical gains were minimal now.

At present, he could barely tap into a sliver of the Heaven-Looming Earth-Shaping technique’s power.

The ten-thousand-zhang true form from his divine vision remained an unattainable dream...

"Even mastering a divine-grade body-refining art wouldn’t be enough."

"Besides, I don’t even have one."

"And the power of the masses still can’t manifest the Great Dao’s form. I wonder how Sect Leader Qin’s work is going..."

Lost in thought, Li Mo hammered away.

......

Five days later.

The peaks of Qingyuan Sect had shed their winter silver, embracing the vibrant hues of spring.

"The Moon God’s Will and Hundred Phoenix Form are nearly complete."

"Today, I’ll head to the main peak to commune with the Bronze Divine Tree fragment again."

"A Dao artifact born of destiny... To think of the moment it was forged into existence..."

In her chamber at Autumn Water Pavilion, Ying Bing stood before the mirror when she suddenly froze.

Her delicate fingers rose, brushing against her rapidly paling face. The reflection felt... unfamiliar.

In her past life, she’d never obtained the Bronze Divine Tree!

So how could she... have witnessed its creation?

This thought—

It wasn’t hers.

Yet when it surfaced, it felt undeniably real.

In her past life, during her Divine Observation stage, she’d never experienced this. Or perhaps she had...

But never noticed?

After a long silence, she reached into her oversized doll and retrieved a green ruqun—the color of Jiangnan’s misty rains melting into emerald waters.

"'This suits spring perfectly.'"

Ying Bing softly repeated the words spoken with a smile by a certain youth the day before.

Only then did the dissonance fade from her heart.

[Notice: Next ranking update in six hours.]

Ignoring the system prompt, she left Autumn Water Pavilion.

.........

Half an hour later.

"Guess I’m eating breakfast alone today."

Under the banyan tree, Li Mo sat at the empty table, feeling oddly adrift.

His master, of course, rarely ate breakfast.

Qin Yuzhi was currently in the Southern Border handling "business" for the Myriad Forms Immortal Sect.

And the ice block (Ying Bing) was nowhere to be found.

Suddenly a lone young Li, he munched on steamed ribs while reviewing records of the Southern Border’s populace and their contributions to the power of the masses.

With Sect Leader Qin’s enthusiastic assistance, management had improved drastically.

They could now track individuals, though Li Mo saw no need for such granularity.

"Winter’s over. The Southern Border towns aren’t lacking supplies."

"Our Myriad Forms Immortal Sect is a lawful organization. No intimidating civilians or breaking rules."

"So how do we boost efficiency?"

Chewing on a rib, Li Mo frowned.

"Save some for me!"

Qin Yuzhi’s figure materialized from a shimmering bubble, snatching a rib with her chopsticks and crunching loudly.

"How’s the progress?"

She’d promised Li Mo that with minimal effort, she’d elevate their gains from the masses by a tier.

But judging by the Empty Clarity Myriad Colors Pagoda’s response...

Sect Leader Qin’s results were underwhelming.

"These ribs are delicious. Can’t find these in the Southern Border."

"Were you there on vacation?"

"What could I do? Things have changed too much over millennia. Fox-cry tricks, dream messages—none of it works like before... But hey, I’m a sect leader! Running errands for you is already a huge favor!"

Qin Yuzhi took an aggressive bite of her steamed bun.

"Damn it, if it weren't for your food being so delicious that it captured my stomach..."

"Wait!"

Hearing this, a sudden inspiration flashed through Xiao Litian's mind, and he muttered to himself:

"To capture someone's heart, you must first capture their stomach..."

"What are you mumbling about?"

"I've got an idea!"

.....