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

Chapter 71: The Immortal Physique That Rejects Inner Qi, Beyond Divine Skill? Departure for the Nine Peaks Martial Meet Half an hour later, Li Mo was deep in thought as he looked at the freshly completed "Flame Lotus Extreme Yang Technique" in his hands. This was a masterpiece—having the foundation of the Fire Heart Lotus Method, and after ten years of martial enlightenment, he easily brought it to perfection. Transforming a top-tier mental technique into a masterpiece, the difference between the two was visibly significant. However... Despite the intensified waves from the thirty-six lotus seeds, there were still no signs of them taking root or germinating. "I refuse to believe this," Li Mo muttered, taking out a bottle of millennia-old earth-vein spiritual milk, uncorking it, and taking a large swig. Instantly, a feeling of swelling came from his dantian and meridians. He fully activated the "Flame Lotus Extreme Yang Technique," and each lotus seed seemed to become a pump, desperately absorbing the essence of the earth's veins. A quarter-hour later, a faint fire hue emerged in his dantian. "Inner Qi!?" Before Li Mo could feel delighted, the newly born inner qi vanished instantly, as if swallowed by an invisible abyss, leaving no trace behind. Utterly baffled, he pondered, "Is there an anomaly?" "Even with a mastery technique, I can't break through? Am I destined to remain at the Qi and Blood stage forever?" Li Mo opened his eyes, stopped the technique, and was filled with existential doubt. He forced himself to calm down and think. The technique derived from the ancient bronze celestial script certainly had no issues; the problem must lie within himself. "The Mysterious Immortal Physique?" A spark of insight flashed as he murmured to himself. Despite bearing the immortal physique for so long, he knew little about its nature. Searching through the library, he found no records or legends about it. After much contemplation, no other reason came to mind apart from the immortal physique. "The thirty-six lotus seeds struggle to condense inner Qi even with a mastery technique, and my body can't contain inner Qi." Having summarized these issues, Li Mo once again fell into contemplation. What to do? After careful consideration, he believed there were two potential solutions: One, disperse his cultivation and start anew, this time only unblocking the twelve main meridians like ordinary people, instead of all thirty-six. Two, wait for a higher-grade silver celestial script seal to transform the mastery technique into divine skill. Moreover, with a gilded celestial script seal at hand, he could potentially elevate the "Flame Lotus Extreme Yang Technique" further, reaching beyond divine skill level. A cycle of thirty-six meridians in qi and blood is immensely powerful. Upon entering the inner Qi stage, its potential would be unimaginable. "Since I've come this far, I must see it through to the end." With barely a moment's hesitation, Li Mo made his decision: to wait. With both the Ice Lotus and Little Jiang Princess as assets, acquiring a mere silver celestial script seal shouldn't be too far off. Returning to Autumn Water Pavilion, the courtyard's leaves ceased their flutter, blanketed in hoarfrost, bowed down heavily. Tonight, the Autumn Water Pavilion was unusually chilly, transforming the space into a midwinter realm where even the slightest drop would freeze. Inside a certain icy lump's room, astonishing cold and a luminous glow emanated. "She said tonight and she meant tonight. Tomorrow she'll likely reach the inner Qi stage," Li Mo mused as he returned to the adjoining room. The cold wasn't unbearable; only his bed, pressed against the wall, had frozen stiff. Suddenly, he sensed a ripple from the world seed within him. "Jiang Chulong is always punctual," he thought, lying down, as his body rested while his consciousness entered the world seed. ... "Te... teacher!" Jiang Chulong sat obediently, duck-style, at the stone table. Spotting the figure approaching with 'teaching materials,' her little face immediately lit up with a careful smile. Li Mo sat leisurely at the table, preparing tea, though he had no intention of drinking. He glanced up and asked, "Ahem, did you fully grasp what I taught last time?" "Mhm, mhm!" Jiang Chulong nodded earnestly like a pecking chick. She took it very seriously; her celestial teacher's standards were high, and she was afraid of falling short, displeasing him. Even when venturing out to pick up trash, she'd practice a few swings with a tree branch. "Alright, let's resolve the doubts you had last time." The Celestial Teacher opened the teaching material, a unique edition provided by the icy lump and revised by little Li. The only one of its kind in the world. Jiang Chulong's swordsmanship talent was overwhelmingly prodigious. Without being taught a single swordsmanship technique, she managed to refine her self-created martial arts to a top-tier level and was close to achieving mastery level—an incredible feat. Yet again, she absorbed all the swordsmanship knowledge that Li Mo had brought from the icy lump like a sponge. To keep pace with her thinking, Li Mo even tapped into his martial enlightenment to comprehend the swordsmanship knowledge transmitted by Ying Bing. After this somewhat challenging teaching session for Li Mo, he inquired, "How's your recovery going?" "A-a-almost there," Jiang Chulong replied, her fingers entwined nervously. "Then you should strike while the iron is hot. The sooner you recover, the sooner we can start training." Li Mo laid out various restorative herbs. Once Jiang Chulong fully recovered, he anticipated a promising reward. As he considered this, "Te... teacher..." "Hmm?" Li Mo glanced up, noticing Jiang Chulong pursing her lips, seemingly hesitant, her fingers twisting together, her gray eyes carrying a hint of hopeful anticipation. "What is it?" "I... I'd like... to hear stories of the Wild Realm." Previously, after martial arts practice, to motivate the Little Jiang Princess, Li Mo had embellished a novel from his past life, turning it into a legendary tale for her. It had to be said, the novels he remembered not only offered outstanding motivation but were also enthralling to listen to. Jiang Chulong's sparkling eyes conveyed just two words: "Update, please." "Alright then..." The next day, Shang Wu surprisingly rose early. Her serious voice echoed in the small Autumn Water Pavilion: "For years, our Quanyu Peak has faced repeated defeat, and with each loss, morale dwindled, and our peak's reputation plummeted. From today, this situation must be reversed." "Little Icey, darling disciple, this time we must compete with flair, with confidence, and achieve results!" "We'll reclaim the glory of Quanyu Peak, and you all..." Shang Wu clenched her fists, as if envisioning Quanyu Peak reclaiming its place atop the peaks under her leadership. After a moment of silence, Little Li glanced at the icy lump, raising his hand to speak: "Master, is there any chance..." "Ying Bing is actually the true disciple of the sect leader?" Shang Wu: "!" That's right; how could she have forgotten? The smile faded from the master's face. "That’s it, I bet a lot of money..." Li Mo: "There's betting in our sect?" Besides worrying about the sect's rewards, it seems you're trying for a side hustle too, right? Shang Wu glanced at her disciple, shaking her head as she pondered evading her debts. The pre-competition briefing at the Autumn Water Pavilion concluded in haste. Old Ba’s carriage arrived promptly at the door. "Two true disciples, it's time to head to the main peak!"