"Cough cough cough!!!"

The moment Xiao Mo broke away from the Book of a Hundred Lives, he felt dizzy and disoriented.

"Urgh!"

Xiao Mo braced himself on the ground, retching continuously, but nothing came up.

[Husband, you're back]

[Xiao Mo, I don't want to cross the river!]

[Xiao Mo, do you know that in this entire vast sea, I only want this one grain of you.]

[Don't worry, I will definitely obtain the Dragon Thunder Liquid. I won't let you leave!]

[Ruxue, tell me, does this count as us growing old together with white hair?]

[Xiao Mo, as a mortal sage of the human world, don't you care about your posthumous reputation?!]

Several years of memories flooded into Xiao Mo's mind simultaneously.

His head throbbed with excruciating pain, making him want to bash his head against something and die.

It took a full half hour before the soul-tearing agony gradually subsided.

Xiao Mo lay on the floor tiles, drenched in sweat, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

"I really can't set the time ratio between the Book of a Hundred Lives and reality so fast anymore."

Xiao Mo wiped the hot sweat from his forehead.

To quickly obtain rewards, Xiao Mo had recklessly tried an 800-times time ratio, meaning 800 days passed in the Book of a Hundred Lives for every day in reality.

The result was that Xiao Mo felt he nearly died!

Fortunately, he could now barely be considered a cultivator, and his soul had been strengthened to some degree.

Otherwise, if he still had the ordinary person's body from before, he would definitely have died.

Xiao Mo struggled to his feet, sat up on the ground looking at the sky, and deeply exhaled a breath of stale air.

In his mind, the figure of a woman in white dress involuntarily emerged.

Just like in the first life, although Xiao Mo knew all of this was false, merely a life experience simulation, in the Book of a Hundred Lives, it had been a solid fifty-seven years, every minute and second personally experienced.

Every person in the Book of a Hundred Lives was flesh and blood.

To say this immersive experience left no feelings would just be deceiving himself.

"Yan Ruxue, Bai Ruxue."

Thinking of his future empress, Xiao Mo couldn't help but smile and shake his head.

They both shared the name "Ruxue," differing only in surnames.

He wondered how that empress forced upon him would compare to Ruxue in personality.

Speaking of which, she was also pitiful.

As Zhou Kingdom's foremost talented woman, she probably didn't want to enter this deep palace either. Perhaps she too was forced by her parents and clan.

[Book of a Hundred Lives Second Life (White Snake First Life) life experience ended. Book of a Hundred Lives rewards calculation complete.]

Just as Xiao Mo was reflecting in his heart, strings of text appeared in his mind.

Xiao Mo collected his thoughts and looked at the Book of a Hundred Lives that appeared in his mind.

[You were born into a poor family, your parents died early, but you were diligent in study, participated in imperial examinations, were valued by Zhang Qianzhi, promoted to Provincial Top Scholar, thus half-stepping onto the official career path. Later you became County Top Scholar, then Imperial Top Scholar, achieving the triple crown.

The Qi ruler assigned you to a poor county for training. You improved people's livelihood and were deeply loved by the people. When you were transferred, the people saw you off for miles.

After returning to the capital, your teacher Zhang Qianzhi and senior brother Fang Ling led reforms. Though you knew the great resistance to reform, you still resolutely stood by their side, even when eventually demoted together, without complaint or regret.

As a friend, you remembered your teacher's and senior brother's guidance, always standing by their side, with clear conscience.

As a minister, you assisted two rulers. No matter how much power you held, you never harbored disloyalty, with clear conscience toward your rulers.

As an official, you were perceptive and incorruptible, authored "North-South Agricultural Book" and "Qi Kingdom" to benefit future generations, with clear conscience toward the world.

After your death, the aristocratic families and many officials you had suppressed jumped out to impeach you, saying you colluded with demon clans and aided evil, with court officials petitioning for the posthumous title "Li."

Li: Not repenting past mistakes, not thinking of submission, knowing mistakes but not changing, containing meanings of fierceness, perversity, and rebellion.

Later your students and ministers who received your kindness argued with them in court. When the people heard this, they were extremely angry and submitted ten thousand petitions to the imperial capital.

The Qi ruler finally decided your posthumous title would be "Wenzheng," posthumously known as Duke of Qingshan, honored in the imperial ancestral temple, entered the Qi Kingdom Yunlin Pavilion's twenty-four meritorious ministers, ranking first among the twenty-four.

Task One Rewards, ,

1. Ten Thousand Families' Incense: From now on, you have ten thousand families' incense protecting you. In future cultivation and tribulations, regardless of what calamities, success probability increases by 20%.

2. Official's Righteous Qi: Corrupt officials and evil spirits will feel afraid to some degree when seeing you (specific effects depend on host's realm).]

[In your youth, you saved Bai Ruxue. She smoothly transformed from snake to python to boa, and finally with your help crossed the river to become a flood dragon. Your contribution was indispensable.

Task Two Rewards, ,

1. Dragon Thunder Liquid: Cultivators can improve aptitude when consumed, mortals can build acquired spiritual veins when consumed.

2. Flood Dragon Essence Blood: Can be used for body tempering to enhance physique. This blood is extremely domineering, use cautiously below Foundation Building realm.]

[Host has reached the pinnacle of ministerial position in "Bai Ruxue's Life (First Life)." This task is complete.]

[Incomplete task: Help Bai Ruxue transform into a dragon.]

As the text in his mind faded, Xiao Mo felt his body being blessed by "Ten Thousand Families' Incense" and "Official's Righteous Qi."

This gave Xiao Mo an indescribable feeling.

The general sensation was extremely comfortable, always feeling vaguely protected by something.

Before Xiao Mo appeared two bottles of liquid contained in glass.

One bottle was blue Dragon Thunder Liquid.

The other bottle was red Flood Dragon Essence Blood.

Xiao Mo placed the Flood Dragon Essence Blood in his chest, opened the Dragon Thunder Liquid, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Hiss!"

Xiao Mo sucked in a cold breath. He felt his spiritual veins and spiritual roots burning with pain.

Immediately after, the spiritual power within Xiao Mo became increasingly intense, his realm continuously climbing.

After half an incense stick's time, the pain disappeared. Xiao Mo panted heavily, steadied his mind and examined himself internally.

"Excellent!" Xiao Mo rejoiced in his heart.

After drinking the Dragon Thunder Liquid, his realm shot straight to the fifth level of Qi Refinement, and the spiritual power flow within his spiritual veins became much smoother.

This Dragon Thunder Liquid also enhanced his aptitude, making future cultivation faster.

As for "Ten Thousand Families' Incense" and "Official's Righteous Qi," they weren't immediately useful.

But "Ten Thousand Families' Incense" was what Xiao Mo anticipated most.

You must know, regardless of what calamity, having an additional 20% success rate was enough to change fate, let alone a full 20% probability.

"Your Majesty."

From outside the plaza gates came Eunuch Wei's voice.

"Enter," Xiao Mo concealed his fifth level of Qi Refinement aura.

Eunuch Wei pushed open the gates and quickly walked in. When he saw His Majesty, he couldn't help but pause.

Wei Xun felt His Majesty seemed somehow different, but couldn't say exactly how.

"What matter?" Xiao Mo asked indifferently.

"Reporting to Your Majesty," Wei Xun organized his words mentally.

"Elder Huang of Ten Thousand Swords Sect, bringing two Ten Thousand Swords Sect disciples, is now only thirty li from the imperial capital. The Prime Minister and Ministry of Rites are prepared. Please, Your Majesty, condescend to personally go to the city gates to welcome them."