"?"
As the divine sword fell into the hand that once wielded a hammer and was then stowed away, vanishing from everyone's sight, the scene seemed to echo with countless cracking sounds.
What was even more infuriating was that Li Mo took it out again after putting it away, as if showing off, muttering something like, "Hammer-baby, look at you, getting impatient again."
"Hammer-baby, isn’t this sword just as beautiful? It’s here to join us."
"You’re still my favorite. The other weapons? I’m just using them temporarily. This sword belongs to Little Moon’s master—it’s only staying here for a while."
"Right, my dear... ahem, Ice Block."
Li Mo never dreamed that the first thing he’d do after obtaining the divine sword was to console a hammer.
Even more absurd was having to enlist Ice Block’s help to do it.
Emoooo This kind of plot felt familiar—wasn’t it the kind of harem drama you’d find in those romance novels?
Good news: he was experiencing the joys of having multiple admirers.Bad news: the one he was consoling was a literal hammer.
"Right."
The Frost Fairy helped the Hammer Tyrant console the hammer, and her words carried weight. Hammer-baby immediately believed her and stopped causing a ruckus in the pocket dimension.
Then, Ying Bing took Li Mo’s hand, her demeanor cooling back into the aloof aura of the Phoenix Sky Empress, her sidelong glance scrutinizing Princess Yuyang, who was still standing there awkwardly.
Princess Yuyang’s scalp tingled.
She had been about to say, "Li Mo, since you don’t have a weapon, with just a few words from this princess, I can get you one."
But then Ying Bing had gone and retrieved the divine sword.
Now, her scalp was crawling:
"Uh, it’s cooler up here."
She lifted her skirts and hurried back to Jiang Yu’s side. Meanwhile, the judges and the newly arrived sect leaders and elders finally snapped out of their daze.
Well, Xie Xuan hadn’t recovered. He sat there despondently, his hands raking through his hair until it looked like dried grass.
As if his soul had left his body.
Jiang Yu wasn’t faring much better. He had schemed tirelessly to seize the divine sword, hoping to master Heavenly Sovereign City, achieve Nine Apertures Perfection, and step into the Inner Scenery Realm.
But now, the sword had been taken by a guy who wielded a hammer.
Who could handle that?
"Let’s go down and see how we’re going to sort this out."
Du Wufeng was the first to stand, his figure appearing in the plaza.
Sect Leader Xie Yiding, a middle-aged man with stubble, bright eyes, and a melancholic yet sharp aura, wore a blue square scarf—evidence that he had once been a dashing swordsman in his youth.
He sighed and followed.
The Forging Arms Competition?
At this point, whether the Hidden Dragon Tournament could even proceed was up in the air. The results of the Forging Arms Competition no longer mattered.
"You’ve got some nerve, kid. The Hidden Dragon Ranking never gets its nicknames wrong."
Du Wufeng’s first words to Li Mo were praise.
Li Mo wiped his sweat. "My hammer techniques still need work..."
"I was talking about the ‘Wife-Blessing Battle Soul.’" Du Wufeng gave him a sour look.
"What do we do now?"
Nan Gongmin, Xie Yiding, and the other high-ranking elders approached.
"Everyone else is using renowned weapons. If he uses a divine sword in the Hidden Dragon Tournament, this humble servant believes it violates the rules."
"Moreover, this sword symbolizes the supreme honor of ruling Heavenly Sovereign City. Now that it’s been taken without permission, if it interferes with His Majesty’s plans, who among you can bear that responsibility?"
Following the voice, Li Mo saw an old eunuch speaking.
The elders exchanged glances. Xie Yiding frowned, his gaze shifting between Li Mo, Ying Bing, and Jiang Chulong, deep in thought.
Being able to draw the Heavenly Sovereign Divine Sword meant their talent in the sword path was on par with the sword’s previous owner.
Well, at least Ying Bing and Little Jiang were.
"Correct."
"But the Heavenly Sovereign Divine Sword was also forged by Divine Smith Du in a Forging Arms Competition."
At this moment, Li Mo wasn’t clinging to the sword.
He squeezed Ice Block’s cold, slender hand.
"True, but not in this competition."
"The rules don’t specify it has to be this one."
Du Wufeng chimed in, clearly enjoying the chaos.
"......"
The elders glanced at Nan Gongmin, silently blaming him for not being competent enough to oversee the event.
Nan Gongmin: "?"
The hell does this have to do with me? Who could’ve predicted this?
"The divine sword belongs to Heavenly Mountain Sword Sect. I understand that."
Li Mo clasped his hands respectfully.
"I’ll use this sword in the Hidden Dragon Tournament. If my opponent wields a divine weapon, I’ll draw it. If not, I’ll use another renowned hammer instead."
"After the tournament, I’ll return the sword to Heavenly Sovereign City. How does that sound?"
"To be honest, though I’ve failed at swordplay, I’ve always loved swords. I just want to fulfill a personal wish with this blade. I hope you’ll grant me this."
The divine sword hadn’t even acknowledged him as its master yet.
Even if it did, there was no way they’d let him walk away with it.
"That seems fair. I have no objections."
Xie Yiding nodded slightly, giving Li Mo an approving look.
To hold a divine weapon yet remain so composed, knowing when to let go—impressive.
The old eunuch opened his mouth to protest, but a Sky Patrol Guard landed beside him and whispered something in his ear. His expression smoothed over.
"This humble servant has no objections either."
With a consensus reached, everyone tacitly moved on, resuming the Forging Arms Competition proceedings.
On the surface, things returned to normal, but the minds of everyone in the Sword Forge Plaza were clearly elsewhere.
And not just there.
Every viewer in the imperial capital watching the "live broadcast" felt the same.
For a while, the most repeated phrase across the city was probably:
"Li Mo, you bastard!"
Unfortunately, the collective resentment was mostly purified by the Void-Enlightening Myriad Colors Pagoda, leaving only a trickle behind.
Before the competition even ended, Li Mo had already left the Sword Forge and was heading toward Cloud-Stepping Tower when he paused, touching his waist in confusion.
Why was the Void-Enlightening Myriad Colors Pagoda so hot?
He tossed the little pagoda into his system’s pocket dimension and looked up.
The dim mountain path was dappled with swaying tree shadows, a small stream murmuring nearby.
"Ice Block, is this the way down?"
Li Mo scratched his head, ten parts confused:
"Seems like we took a wrong turn."
"Are you sure we’re lost?"
Li Mo blinked, then shrugged. Of course, with Ice Block’s mental map full of him, how could she lead them right?
But right now, he was more troubled by the fact that he had the divine sword but no matching sword techniques.
When the Hidden Dragon Tournament began, if his opponent had a divine weapon and he had to use this sword, he had no idea how it would turn out.
"Ice Block."
"Hm?"
Li Mo sheathed the sword and sat by the riverbank, spreading his arms.
"I want to hug you."
"......"
"Big sister, let me hold you."
Ying Bing pressed her lips together and settled onto his lap, her face cool and composed, though her heart rippled with emotion.
Did he know?
That she wanted... to teach him how to plant strawberries...
Emoooo Nope.
Li Mo wrapped his arms around her waist, savoring her softness and fragrance, listening to her heartbeat. Maybe, just maybe, hugging someone with such incredible sword talent would spark some inspiration.
........