At dawn.
After honing his divine intent, Little Li finally accepted the fact that even with the Heaven-Man Divine Sword cooperating, he could barely unleash one or two percent of its power—and promptly got beaten up again.
Rubbing his temples, he woke up from his bed and carried the Heaven-Man Divine Sword to the training area in his room.
Releasing his intent soul, the sword's resonance projected once more.
The atmosphere condensed.
"Whose swordsmanship will I learn this time...?"
In his blurred vision, a scene emerged.
A bustling, noisy marketplace. In front of a pork stall stood a figure in a leather apron, revealing a smooth, bronze-skinned back.
The cleaver in his hand moved with the precision of a sword technique—the pork loin was instantly divided into six perfectly equal segments.
At night, the butcher changed his attire, sheathed his cleaver, and drew a long-neglected iron sword. He walked toward the gates of a grand mansion.This was the residence of a provincial governor.
"Governor, do you know the snowfall this past June was because of you?"
His voice rang out clearly.
The words suddenly stirred Li Mo's memory.
Over forty years ago, the governor of Feng Province had colluded with gangs and was eventually slain by a swordsman. Some said that swordsman looked identical to the pork butcher from the streets.
Naturally, no one paid him any heed. The response to his words was a slash of blinding blade-light.
The blade's radiance was fierce, dragging with it an endless gale that scraped the ground bare, as if hurling its target into the heart of a desert sandstorm.
"My sword rights all injustices."
The man raised his plain, rusted sword, which gradually began to glow with a scorching light.
A single swing—like a spark igniting in the dark—fed upon the wind, and in an instant, a wildfire erupted.
Blade met sword, and the ordinary iron sword shattered.
Yet before the blade could reach the butcher, the broken sword had already pierced its wielder's heart.
The swordsman stood frozen, unable to believe he had been defeated in a single move. He gasped:
"What... swordsmanship is this?"
"Butcher's work."
The swordsman collapsed to his knees, lifeless.
A mere pork butcher stepped past the governor's gates. Hundreds of guards, thousands of city soldiers—none could stop him.
In the end, he stood before the governor and took his head with a single stroke.
Turning, he held the governor's wide-eyed head aloft:
"Just kidding. This sword severs injustice—just like my name."
"My sword is the common man's blade. Did you see it clearly?"
This sword resonance contained a mid-tier supreme swordsmanship, but Li Mo found himself particularly fond of it.
Well, it had nothing to do with his preference for hammers...
Martial enlightenment, activate!
"Severing Injustice Sword" — minor mastery.
This time, it only took a dozen or so years' worth of martial enlightenment.
"My swordsmanship talent might not be as bad as I thought."
Li Mo was in a good mood, feeling a little smug.
The next few sword resonances went smoothly as well.
He saw the endless snows of Beifeng City, an army besieging a lone fortress, where martial heroes gathered within its walls. The resonance's owner was a gifted soldier who absorbed the techniques of every fallen hero and achieved mastery in sword energy.
He also witnessed a man traveling half the world to fulfill a promise—and in that moment of fulfillment, his sword broke through to a new realm.
And more.
"Though we live in different eras, this still feels like the camaraderie of youthful heroes uniting the land..."
Little Li the swordsman studied tirelessly, deducing and refining.
Within these sword resonances, he saw the life he had always dreamed of—a wandering swordsman, roaming the world with his blade.
In a way, it was fulfilling his fantasy.
"All these sword techniques prioritize sword energy."
As he meditated on the sword, Li Mo pondered.
By afternoon, he decided to grasp one more resonance before resting. The sword resonances within the Heaven-Man Divine Sword were like an endless ocean—who knew when he'd reach the "one or two percent" that Ice Block had mentioned?
The next moment, a scholarly figure appeared before him.
The man had jade-like features, his robes fluttering—somehow reminding Li Mo of an old acquaintance?
Luo Yu?
The son of the Burning Jade Forest's master—that annoyingly punchable face was at least seventy percent similar.
"If you can see me, you must have mastered the common man's sword."
His tone was arrogant from the very first sentence.
Great. Either Luo Yu's father or uncle...
"Those common man's swords are just the courage to spill blood within five steps. How could they break the grand scheme of the Heaven-Man City's realm?"
"My sword is the blade that governs nations and orders the world. Watch closely!"
......
"Something's off. Why is this swordsmanship so difficult?"
Li Mo left the training area, muttering to himself as he walked to the windowsill.
Dusk approached.
The imperial capital's lantern-lit streets stretched like an ocean, crowds bustling like rain under the vast sky.
The supreme swordsmanship he had just learned was of the same tier, but the required martial enlightenment had multiplied!
Li Mo calmed his mind and considered the issue, forming a hypothesis.
The common man's sword—easy for him.
The scholar's sword—hard for him.
It wasn’t that the techniques themselves had grown more complex, but the latter kept throwing things like "Sword of Great Peace," "Seven Swords of Righteousness," or "Dragon-Slaying Rebuke" at him...
He wasn’t cut out to be a scholar governing nations!
"I'm a righteous gentleman, but that’s not the same as a scholar."
Having realized this, Li Mo grew even more frustrated. Did he have to take the imperial exams before continuing his training?
Or he could brute-force it with sheer martial enlightenment.
Shaking his head, he headed downstairs to cook something and clear his mind.
......
The main hall of the Soaring Cloud Tower was no longer as lively as before. Previously, challengers would arrive daily, demanding duels by name.
But with the Hidden Dragon Tournament approaching, those on the Hidden Dragon Ranking could rightfully decline all challenges.
Still, the tower remained bustling.
One table, in particular, drew envy—already lively before, today it had three more guests, making it feel like a daily banquet.
Of course, this was partly because they had a master chef whose daily specials never repeated.
"Wife-Fortune Battle Soul!"
"You’ve made a name for yourself, God of... Wife-Fortune Battle Soul!"
"Brother Li, how did you do it? Teach me, I beg you..."
The moment Li Mo emerged from the kitchen, the Hidden Dragon Ranking's young elites greeted him enthusiastically.
These prodigies were all proud and brimming with talent—yet certain events had shattered their arrogance, leaving only admiration.
Like being surrounded by enemies, only for an ethereal fairy-like maiden to descend from the heavens...
"?"
Li Mo felt something was off.
Good news: No one called him "Little Hammer Tyrant" anymore.
Bad news: His new nickname wasn’t exactly catchy either! It sounded even lamer than before!
Little Li sat back down, baffled.
Murong Xiao, Huang Donglai, Xiao Qin, and the Three Heroes of Hengyun were all staring at him with strange expressions.
"Tell me, isn’t this nickname ridiculous?"
"Old Xiao, you’re called 'Storm-Severing Blade'—so cool. Old Bai, 'Soaring Cloud Sword'—even more dashing. Huang Donglai, you... never mind, just eat more..."
"So here’s the thing—I’m not even married yet, I don’t have a wife! What ‘wife-fortune’ am I supposed to bring?"
"Where’s my wife?"
Little Li was seething with indignation.
Just as they were speaking, a faint sound of footsteps suddenly echoed from the staircase. Everyone immediately turned their heads to look at the newcomer.
Well, well.
The aloof and ethereal Cold Fairy walked to the table, her face serene and sacred, expressionless with an aura so icy it was almost untouchable. She took a seat beside Li Mo.
Her fingertips, clutching the big-headed doll, curled slightly.
"......"
The others leaned back slightly.
Maybe...
you should ask her?