The night was cool as water. The sleepless Fairy of Frost, Ying Bing, silently stared at the images before her—all extracted from the mind of a certain "gentleman." They had played several times already, with no repeats. The door to a new world, once slightly ajar, had now opened wider, as if waiting for the ice-cold beauty to step through at any moment... [Punishment for the defeated is being drawn...] [Congratulations, Host. The selected punishment is: Being marked with forty-nine "strawberries" by the victor.] Ying Bing clutched her skirt. The images she had just pushed away returned vividly to her mind. But that childish fool only knew how to eat ice, not how to plant "strawberries." She would have to teach him? "If I could change it..." Ying Bing pursed her lips, murmuring to herself. [Hello, you always can.] "Why didn’t you say so earlier?" [Host often complains about this system being talkative. Hence, unless asked, this system remains silent. Would you like to draw another punishment and then choose between them?] [Second punishment draw in progress...] [Congratulations, Host. The new punishment is: Say two words to the victor.] Two words? Check latest chapters at novelꜰire.net Ying Bing froze. She had never seen such a simple punishment from the system before. But knowing its usual antics, she immediately suspected a trap. Still... two words were limited. How much trouble could they cause? Yet the text that appeared next left her stunned. The ethereal, ice-cold fairy momentarily looked dazed—an expression unimaginable for someone like her. She stood still, as if her soul had left her body. [Host, please choose between Punishment One and Punishment Two.] Ying Bing said nothing—or rather, she didn’t even notice the system’s prompt. [Reminder: Make a choice, or the system will randomly select for you.] [Countdown: Ten, nine, eight...] [Three... two... one!] [The system has automatically selected the punishment for the Host...] When Ying Bing snapped back to reality, she realized the system had already chosen for her. [This system suspects the Host was torn between both options, hence the prolonged hesitation.] [Thus, as an exception, both punishments will be fulfilled at once!] [Next punishment updated: After the victor plants forty-nine "strawberries," call him "husband."] Meanwhile, in the quarters of the fourth-ranked genius of Hidden Dragons... "I wonder if that ice block is asleep yet." Little Li tossed and turned on his luxurious feather-woven bed, unable to sleep. His skin itched, as if bitten by mosquitoes—but hadn’t he just been the mosquito earlier? What kind of mosquito dared to bite its own kind? Was it some high-tier calamity beast? A "Mad Mosquito Diary" situation? So Li Mo writhed in bed like a worm. Suddenly, the ever-welcome system notification chimed: [Congratulations, Host. Successful investment in 'Xie Xuan,' helping him break free from emotional shackles and rediscover himself.] [Investment reward: Secret Silver Tome Seal.] Li Mo’s eyes widened slightly as he scratched his chin, staring at the system prompt. He had gone to great lengths to arrange a private meeting between Xie Xuan and Hua Nongying, only to backfire spectacularly. He’d assumed the investment failed. Yet somehow, it had triggered Xie Xuan’s awakening! "Sometimes, the universe rewards unintended efforts." Li Mo took out the Secret Silver Tome Seal. By now, the "Muscle-Tendon Change Classic" had already ascended to a peerless martial art. Further refinement would elevate it to a divine technique. Noble, enigmatic silver script flowed like rivers into the manual. "What will it evolve into?" Li Mo watched as the text shimmered and shifted, curiosity bubbling within him. In the martial arts novels of his past life, the "Muscle-Tendon Change Classic" often appeared as a divine technique of Shaolin. He’d loved those stories since childhood, especially the wuxia tales. As a boy, he’d even believed them real, searching for these legendary techniques—only to find conflicting accounts. Some claimed it was created by a Daoist monk, a technique of Daoist origin; others said it was passed down by the Ancestral Master Bodhi. So what would it become now? He truly couldn’t guess. Then, the glow stilled. The moment the divine technique manifested, dark clouds blotted the sky, and a gale howled as if the heavens and earth mourned. Not just the Cloud-Stepping Pavilion—the entire outer city was thrown into chaos by the surging winds. Outside, before the "Rivers and Mountains Scroll," several figures materialized as if from thin air. The speaker was a purple-robed elder—the emperor’s uncle, a Sage who wielded the Heavenly Tribulation Dao. Beside him stood a goat-bearded scholar in Confucian robes, clutching a scroll as if interrupted mid-reading. The third was a man clad in a mysterious golden mask, his aura thick with killing intent. His piercing gaze was unbearable to meet. The scholar was Dean Qi, mentor to countless disciples. The masked man was the Grand Commander of the Sky Patrol. Together, they represented the three dominant powers of the imperial capital: the officials, the nobility, and the Sky Patrol. "Dean Qi, the Rivers and Mountains Scroll has never stirred before. With your vast knowledge, any insights?" The voice behind the golden mask carried a metallic rasp. Rumors said only the emperor had seen the Grand Commander’s true face. His might was peerless—he had once suppressed a Sage. "It resembles the birth of a divine artifact... or perhaps an unparalleled technique. Its creator is within the capital." Dean Qi seemed intrigued. Divine artifacts? The capital was no ancient ruin. Any such treasures would have surfaced long ago. This had to be the latter. "The capital teems with experts and prodigies. Innovations emerge daily—this shouldn’t warrant such a reaction..." "Just... what kind of technique is this?" The Purple-robed Noble Elder stared at the churning celestial artifact, deep in thought. As Sages, they had each mastered a Great Dao. Even divine techniques shouldn’t concern them so. But when one of the Great Yu’s two celestial artifacts stirred, the stakes changed. "I’ve no skill in divination. That’s the forte of the old crone from the Yantian Sect." "Then I shall seek the emperor’s guidance." The masked man’s voice resonated once more: "Shall we use the Rivers and Mountains Scroll to trace this technique... and its creator?"