69 - Investing in the Reborn Empress, She Actually Calls Me ‘Husband’

## Chapter 69: Star Hammer, Li—The Master of Time Management "That's all for now, thank you for your help." "Hmm, Junior Brother, the items you've chosen are best eaten fresh, so don't store them for too long." "Oh? Steward, you have this insight as well? It seems you are also one of us connoisseurs." "Oh, not really." "I'm heading back to cook now. Let's have hot pot together sometime." Li Mo cupped his hands toward the steward. And so, amidst the bewildered gazes of those around him, Little Li strolled out of the Foreign Affairs Hall carrying two baskets of exotic beast meat. "Senior Brother, how do you know which exotic beasts are delicious?" An outer sect steward pondered. The inner sect steward, who had given Li Mo many recommendations earlier, said with a reflective gaze, "You sure have a lot of questions today." --- Autumn Water Pavilion. By the time Li Mo returned, it was already noon. Time was limited, but he was skilled, and the "ice block" hadn't returned yet; only Shang Wu was in the pavilion. After feeding his master, he went to the waterfall. "Prototype of the profound weapon." Li Mo looked at the soft metallic orb in his palm, which was bouncing lightly like a slime. According to the template, the weapon could be replicated, and it had to be a top-quality profound weapon. If the template were based on the Pangea Meteor Hammer, it would be a significantly weakened ultimate version. Perhaps akin to how the Scarlet Cloud Sword is to the Blazing Sky Sword? But it should be more powerful than the Scarlet Cloud Sword, as others have mentioned that the Scarlet Cloud Sword is a top-grade profound weapon. With this thought, Li Mo took out the Scarlet Cloud Sword and walked behind the waterfall. "Fire Crane Thousand Feathers!" He struck the heavy rock wall with his sword. The combination of perfected swordsmanship with a profound weapon proved immensely effective. Like slicing through tofu, the cut stones were immediately stored in his small world, and soon a ‘cave mansion’ was carved out. "Phew..." "I am much stronger now than when I first infused the world seed." "Once taken out, I should have the strength to return it." Li Mo took a deep breath. The changes in his small world could not affect the outside world physically. Therefore, he couldn't practice with the Pangea Meteor Hammer within the world seed. Instead, he had to take it out. Buzz— The surrounding air started to vibrate. In that moment, the divine power as vast as the heavens and earth reappeared. Compared to the first infusion, Li Mo had become much more adept. In the cavern he had carved, the fierce and sharp aura of weaponry immediately filled the space, etching sword and blade marks on the granite walls. Not wasting a single moment, he immediately retrieved the Pangea Meteor Hammer. Holding the divine weapon again, a strong sense of trepidation coursed through him. Instinctively, he wanted to unleash the primal power. But Li Mo resisted. Rationality told him that swinging this hammer would have consequences he could barely handle. He gently placed the hammer on the ground before reversing the infusion of the world seed. "Phew..." Li Mo was drenched in sweat, exhaling deeply. Though his body felt weak, it was better than passing out like last time. Buzz— The Pangea Meteor Hammer vibrated twice, like a child exhilarated upon being let loose. "Heaven strike..." Excitement surged. It just wanted to smash something. Activating the perfected 《Ultimate Soldier's Tempering》 technique, Li Mo wiped his sweat, saying: "Be good. We should be a composed divine weapon." "A composed divine weapon must refrain from acting rashly, for it wouldn't do to harm others or the surrounding flora." Buzz— The Pangea Meteor Hammer responded with a short vibration. As Li Mo's cultivation progressed, the size of his small world expanded as well, and barring a lack of life forms, it was much more comfortable than the bottom of the Divine Blade Cave. "Don't move recklessly." Li Mo nodded with satisfaction. After speaking, he covered the Pangea Meteor Hammer with the profound weapon's fetal membrane. Buzz— The silvery liquid metal enveloped the entire hammer, starting to vibrate violently. The profound weapon membrane was meticulously imprinting the shape, essence, and aura of the Pangea Meteor Hammer. Of course, the limit was that of a profound weapon. "I hope it doesn't disappoint me." After watching for a while, Li Mo sat cross-legged. It had been a long time since he practiced the 《Ultimate Soldier's Tempering》 technique. Now that he could take the divine weapon out and return it, tempering his physique was bound to become an indispensable routine every day. The hammer technique demanded a great deal from the physique and blood energy. Unconsciously, the sunlight outside the window dimmed. A figure emerged from behind the waterfall, with steam rising from his body like a freshly forged weapon, as the waterfall water cascaded over him. Being a master of the divine weapon, practicing with the Pangea Meteor Hammer again made his progress visibly apparent. His body was progressing toward the next level. But after infusing the world seed twice, he felt utterly exhausted. "Fortunately, I prepared dinner at noon." Little Li exhaled deeply. He didn't stop, adding a few drops of Millennia Vein Essence Milk to the pool. After soaking in it, wrapped in the essence of the earth's veins, his fatigue eased. As he practiced the Lotus Heart Fire technique, Li Mo finally had the time to take a close look at the newly imprinted hammer. "Its appearance doesn't differ much from the Pangea Meteor Hammer." "The aura is also quite similar but much weaker." "Hmmm..." "Pangea Meteor Hammer Junior?" Little Li found this name a bit long. On second thought, wasn't it essentially the ‘child’ of the Pangea Meteor Hammer? "Let's call you Star Hammer from now on." --- Five days passed in a blur. Little Li had been very busy lately. He practiced on his own, tempered his physique, and refined his blood energy. He also had to find time to feed the icy block and his beautiful master at Autumn Water Pavilion. In the evenings, he couldn’t rest, needing to cater to the insatiable Princess Jiang. Occasionally, he would engage in deep discussions with the icy block about swordsmanship issues. "Am I not simply a master of time management?" That evening, Li Mo returned to Autumn Water Pavilion with exhaustion. He gulped down a pot of water. Sitting at the stone table, he sighed, "I don’t want to move. I really don’t feel like cooking today…" "Food is the paramount necessity; how can you not eat when you're so tired, precious disciple?" Shang Wu stated righteously, resting her chin on her hand. Li Mo glanced at her as if to say, "What about you, Master?" Shang Wu proudly raised her chin, “I’m terrible at cooking.” Why are you proud of that? Just then, the icy block spoke up: "How about I go..." "No need! x2" Master and disciple spoke in unison. Shang Wu sat up abruptly in astonishment, while Li Mo's fatigue instantly evaporated, and he darted into the kitchen at lightning speed. The Phantom Step had finally found its purpose. --- "Xiao Bing'er, didn’t you spend the entire day training in the Ice and Fire Pond? You should rest well," Shang Wu worried she might overextend herself. Ying Bing, sipping tea, slightly furrowed her delicate eyebrows: "I was suggesting we could have someone from the internal affairs hall canteen deliver some food." The highest alert at Autumn Water Pavilion was lifted. Shang Wu sighed in relief, examining Ying Bing and suddenly realizing something amiss with surprise: "Xiao Bing'er, the power of your qi and blood seems perfectly harmonized." "Are you about to break through?" She referred to the major levels. Ying Bing nodded slightly, her expression as serene as the tea in her cup: "Tonight, perhaps." Many martial artists are trapped outside the internal breath realm all their lives. But having traversed this path in her previous life, she faced no bottleneck. Twenty-four meridians circulate blood energy, breaching the internal breath realm with lunar power—it was just trivial progression, nothing worth mentioning. Breaking through tonight was merely a precaution. Ranking in the system: she needed to be first.