His name was Murong Xiao, raised since childhood by his grandfather.
He wasn’t always called a genius.
From a young age, his body bore scale-like markings, making him a frequent target of bullying by other children.
Every time he returned from school battered and bruised, his grandfather would scold him for being too soft-hearted and cowardly, unable to even fight back when beaten.
But only he knew the truth.
When fists and kicks rained down on him, what truly frightened him wasn’t the fear of losing—it was the ravenous voice that echoed in his heart:
"Hungry."
That was why he never fought back.
He feared that once he tasted blood, he would no longer be able to control the starving beast within.
Murong Xiao believed he had become no different from an ordinary person.
Until today.
He had reached the second level of the Divine Edge Cave.
"You are a flood dragon, a born great demon—how can you abstain from blood and flesh?"
"Stop erasing your true self."
"Return to your nature, and you will never again be trampled by the weak..."
The instincts he had suppressed for years had never truly vanished.
They were like a pile of dry tinder, accumulating silently—once ignited, the flames would rage uncontrollably.
Just as Murong Xiao’s consciousness nearly faded, his face nearly covered in scales—
The next moment.
Someone pried open his mouth and shoved something inside.
Round and smooth.
Before he could even taste it, it slid down his throat.
Miraculously, his mind cleared almost instantly.
Murong Xiao blinked dazedly and saw a youth standing before him, around his own age, handsome and smiling brightly.
In his hand was a porcelain vial, the medicinal fragrance wafting from it invigorating to the senses.
Murong Xiao recognized him—the same youth who had been accepted as a true disciple alongside him during the initiation ceremony.
"Glad you’re alright."
Li Mo exhaled in relief.
Whew, that was close.
There weren’t many people on this second level to begin with, and he happened to be the closest to Murong Xiao.
If Murong Xiao had lost himself to bloodlust, the first target of his rampage would’ve likely been him.
"Thank you."
Murong Xiao murmured his gratitude.
Even a fool could tell this youth had saved him.
What he had swallowed earlier must have been an incredibly valuable pill—nothing else could have such an immediate effect.
"My thanks, Brother Li. I was careless and nearly lost myself to the killing intent."
"Though I suspect it’s more than just that, isn’t it?"
"Hm?"
Murong Xiao’s expression stiffened. He looked up, meeting the other’s gaze—those smiling eyes seemed to see right through him.
"I once read about it in an ancient text. Half-demons are often influenced by their bloodline."
"The higher the rank of the bloodline, the deeper the influence. Without control, the demonic nature awakens... Yours must be of the flood dragon lineage."
"I saw horns sprouting from your head earlier..."
Before Li Mo could finish, Murong Xiao’s expression shifted several times.
Finally, his face darkened, as if he had made a decision.
Step by step, he slowly approached.
Li Mo instinctively took two steps back, wary.
Was Murong Xiao about to silence him to keep his secret?
The moment the thought crossed his mind—
Thud!
Murong Xiao dropped to his knees.
So forcefully that cracks spiderwebbed across the stone tiles beneath him.
"Please... don’t tell anyone."
Li Mo: "..."
The Heavenly Eye’s judgment of his nature as "kind-hearted" really wasn’t wrong.
He almost wondered—if he leaned in right now and whispered, "You wouldn’t want anyone to know about your half-demon blood, would you...?"—
Murong Xiao might agree to anything he demanded.
"But doesn’t Elder Hanhe already know about your half-demon heritage?"
Suppressing his mischievous thoughts, Li Mo voiced his confusion.
Murong Xiao smiled bitterly.
"You know how the Purple Sun Prefecture calls me the 'Child of the Qilin'? That... was a lie my grandfather spread."
Through Murong Xiao’s explanation, Li Mo finally understood the full story.
The Howling Flood Dragon was a beast of calamity.
Wherever it appeared, bloodshed and chaos followed.
Years ago, Murong Xiao’s father had brought home a woman—his mother.
The two married soon after.
Yet it wasn’t until she was pregnant that the Old Family Head realized his son was even bolder than the legendary Xu Xian.
Many things happened afterward.
But in the end, Murong Xiao was born safely.
Knowing the half-demon blood couldn’t be hidden, the Old Family Head didn’t bother concealing it—instead, he spread rumors throughout the city.
Over time, everyone in the Purple Sun Prefecture came to believe Murong Xiao carried a trace of the water qilin’s bloodline.
The qilin was an auspicious beast.
Thus, Murong Xiao became known as the "Child of the Qilin."
"......"
Li Mo was utterly stunned.
Your whole family is full of absolute legends.
"Don’t worry, I’ll keep your secret."
"But even if I don’t say anything, you’ll be exposed eventually."
"Ah..."
Murong Xiao fell silent for a long moment before releasing a heavy sigh.
How could he not know?
Even if he survived today, what about tomorrow?
As a warrior, he couldn’t spend his entire life playing the pacifist.
At this moment, Murong Xiao's eyes suddenly lit up:
"By the way, Brother Li, what kind of pill did you give me earlier?"
"Here, it's called the Tranquil Heart Pill."
Li Mo handed him the bottle.
"Tranquil Heart Pill?"
"I've taken it before, but it never had such an effect..."
Murong Xiao poured out one pill and examined it closely, his expression dimming again.
This was indeed a Tranquil Heart Pill—no mistake about it.
But it was a six-marked one!
A six-marked pill, even the simplest healing pill, was something one could only hope to encounter by chance, its value far exceeding the pill itself.
No wonder the effect was so potent...
Even with the Murong family's considerable influence in the Purple Sun Prefecture, such a treasure was beyond easy reach.
Because even if alchemists succeeded in refining them, they rarely traded them openly.
"Alright, I’ll take my leave now. I still have to train."
With that, Li Mo waved his hand dismissively.
"Brother Li, your pill!"
"Keep it for now. A man's pride is worth more than gold—consider this a fair exchange for your grand gesture earlier."
"Huh?"
"As for the bloodline issue, I’ll look through that ancient text again. There might be a solution."
"Wait, what??"
Murong Xiao knelt there, clutching the porcelain bottle in a daze.
Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, this was the first time he felt truly humbled by his own lack of imagination.
Seriously, brother?
A six-marked pill.
And not just one—an entire bottle!
He couldn’t even begin to estimate its worth.
In the hands of someone who needed it, this was nothing short of priceless.
A pang of regret suddenly struck Murong Xiao’s heart.
If he’d already knelt, he might as well have kowtowed a couple more times.
He wanted to chase after Li Mo, at least to express his gratitude properly.
But after taking a few steps, he stopped.
He realized the place Li Mo was heading to was somewhere he couldn’t follow.
"Brother Li! Li Mo!"
"That’s the third level!"
Murong Xiao’s voice echoed through the cavern.
Even with his own physical resilience, he could only make it halfway through the second level of the Divine Edge Cave.
The Qi-Blood Realm, venturing into the third level?
The mere thought sent chills down his spine!
"No way. Brother Li just saved me—I can’t let him come to harm!"
"If I can’t reach the third level, then I’ll have to ask my master for help..."
Murong Xiao scrambled to his feet.
He sprinted toward the cave’s exit.
Meanwhile, the young man in question remained blissfully unaware.
As he walked, Li Mo noticed a notification from his system:
[You have unclaimed investment returns. Would you like to claim them?]
"Not now."
Stepping into the third level, Li Mo focused intently.
Before him, weapons of all kinds were embedded sporadically into the stone walls.
These were blades once wielded by Inner Realm experts.
Gazing at them felt like glimpsing fragments of their former owners’ legacies—
moments when they pierced flesh, clenched in their masters’ hands during life-or-death battles.
And with that legacy came an aura of killing intent and razor-sharp energy, magnified many times over.
There might have been others on this level, $2ut none within Li Mo’s line of sight.
"This should be far enough."
"Any deeper, and even with my Extreme Blade Forging Body, it’d be too dangerous."
Li Mo settled onto a flat boulder.
He pulled out a gourd and took several deep gulps.
Icefire Wine.
Cool and refreshing like a mountain spring upon the first sip, yet the moment it reached his stomach, it ignited like wildfire, searing through every inch of his meridians, sinews, and even bones.
"Let’s begin."
Exhaling the wine’s aroma, Li Mo chewed and swallowed a Tranquil Heart Pill.
Then, he began circulating his energy.
As the Extreme Blade Forging Body activated, the weapon-born killing intent surged through him like a torrent.
Pain!
Beads of sweat formed on Li Mo’s forehead as he gritted his teeth.
His muscles felt like unyielding stone, gradually polished to reveal jade-like resilience beneath, growing tougher by the moment.
The Icefire Wine’s potency acted as a lubricant, enhancing the tempering process while accelerating muscle regeneration.
His robes clung to him, drenched in sweat, and steam rose from his head.
For the first time, Li Mo truly understood just how agonizing body refinement could be.
But since he’d already committed—
After a brief test, he extended the tempering to his meridians.
Hum—
Just as Li Mo immersed himself in cultivation, $2he weapons embedded in the walls trembled violently, as if resonating with his energy.