[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal":3,"chapter-investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-chapter-5":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Investing in the Reborn Empress, She Actually Calls Me ‘Husband’",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},596528,846,"Chapter 5: The Mysterious Feminine Immortal Physique: The Initiation Ceremony","investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-chapter-5",5,"\u003Cp>Between Childhood Friends For the first time in their years of acquaintance, the young man and woman found themselves sharing a room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bed's curtains were drawn shut by delicate hands, concealing the girl's figure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Frozen solid again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo withdrew his gaze and settled onto the divan, hugging a quilt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how he looked at it, she didn't seem like someone who could be swayed by a few words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh well. Who knew what went on in her mind?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wait, an investment doesn't necessarily have to be an item, does it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lost in thought, Li Mo glanced at the reward he had just received.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Mystical Womb Immortal Physique]: \"An immortal body tempered through the trials of the mortal world, bearing boundless mysteries, the origin of all beginnings.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Claim reward?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The description was brief—just four words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the phrasing was so jarring that Li Mo's brow twitched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This completely clashed with the setting. Wasn't this supposed to be a martial world?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe it was just flowery language to make the system sound more impressive?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn't sound bad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a thought, he claimed the reward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thunderclap, audible only to him, roared in his ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mind was plunged into chaos, as if torn open by lightning, leaving him unable to even perceive his own existence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bzz-\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bzz-\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within the chaos, it was as if a storm raged-like the birth of heaven and earth, filled with countless colors and sounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo could neither see nor hear clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a fleeting moment, he felt both infinitesimally small, like a speck of dust, and unimaginably vast, beyond mortal comprehension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if he had ceased to exist, yet existed everywhere at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time lost meaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then-\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Darkness swallowed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not far away, on the bed, the silk curtains gradually frosted over, brittle as if they might shatter at a touch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl hugged her slender legs, her lips pale, her lashes dusted with snow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even her breath carried an ancient, unyielding chill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She might as well have been locked in the depths of a frozen hell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she was long accustomed to it. No pain, no fear-only stillness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Bing knew this torment would end once she mastered the power of the Lunar Yin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But first, she had to unseal her meridians.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Pure Yang Pill.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Xue Jing is arguably the foremost alchemist in the Purple Sun Prefecture.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She picked up the pill and swallowed it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint warmth rose from her dantian, slowly seeping into her meridians.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no question-she would complete her meridian awakening before the initiation ceremony! Suddenly, she remembered something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Bing pushed aside the frozen curtains and glanced toward the divan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There, the young man lay peacefully, even emitting soft snores.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...He was sleeping soundly?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He... is unaffected?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Next Morning Li Mo opened his eyes on the divan, his gaze deep as if holding a sky full of stars- clear and serene, yet profound like a mountain spring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outwardly, he seemed unchanged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet even standing still, he gave off an aura of natural harmony, as if he were one with the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Name: Li Mo]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Age: 16]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Physique: Mystical Womb Immortal Physique]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Realm: None]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Destiny: ??]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Evaluation: Bearing an immortal physique, his fate is shrouded in chaos-unknowable.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Recent Events: Relations with his childhood friend have thawed, now slightly better than strangers.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo had expected his destiny to shift to purple, or even gold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, he was met with two bold question marks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There are definitely changes,\" he mused. \"But pinpointing exactly what's different is... elusive.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment's contemplation, he dismissed the thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the very least, the system's investment returns-especially those from the \"ice block\" Ying Bing-had never disappointed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Since I haven't even started martial cultivation yet, I'll just have to explore this gradually.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He reached for the teapot, only to find the water inside frozen solid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The source of this phenomenon? The \"ice block\" on the bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet despite the frigid air, he felt no cold at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the very least, he'd gained immunity to extreme temperatures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I won't have to worry about failing the sect's initiation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Getting into the inner sect should be a given, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling at ease, Li Mo decided to stroll through the town-maybe luck would bring him another worthy investment target.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two Days Later From the moment she took the Pure Yang Pill, Ying Bing had remained secluded in the\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No food. No water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo wasn't worried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With her heaven-defying fortune, she wouldn't starve to death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was likely just her unique constitution at work. Best not to interfere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, the room's furnishings were ruined by the relentless cold, costing Li Mo five hundred taels in\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>compensation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over the past two days, he'd encountered numerous potential investments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most were mundane, with only a rare few glowing blue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their recent circumstances were... eclectic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A struggling scholar hoping to find a wealthy patroness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A man drowning in wealth, yearning to experience poverty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even a burly brute who longed to wear women's clothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo could only sigh at these requests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, there were plenty of normal folks too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every little bit counted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, he reaped a variety of rewards—though few were useful for martial training. Most were oddities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Paintings, toys, ingredients, fine wines... even a maiden's undergarments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This scattergun approach yielded meager returns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dawn of the Third Day\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Quality over quantity.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Unless it's a special case, I'll skip the white and gray investments from now on.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo pushed open the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside, a graceful figure sat before a mirror, combing her long, silken hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You're better now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Somewhat.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Bing's porcelain-like face held a faint flush of color.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had successfully unsealed her meridians.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No longer a \"blocked meridian\" case, her suppressed talents were now free to emerge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it was all thanks to that Pure Yang Pill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come, have breakfast,\" Li Mo said with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Bing picked up her bowl and murmured, \"Thank you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Huh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo froze, eyes wide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did the \"ice block\" just... thank him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unbelievable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I didn't catch that. What did you say?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Ying Bing said no more, quietly sipping her porridge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Clear Abyss Sect's Initiation By the time the carriage reached the main road-still miles from the\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>sect-it could go no further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd was overwhelming, packed shoulder-to-shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forced to proceed on foot, Li Mo felt a sense of déjà vu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Youths everywhere, like students gathering for morning exercises.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After another half-hour's walk-\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ahead stood the grand gates of the Clear Abyss Sect, flanked by disciples in varied robes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before them, seven overseers sat behind long tables.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bong-\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bong-\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bong-\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three solemn chimes rang out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A stout, ruddy-faced elder's voice boomed like thunder:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Root bone is the first hurdle of martial arts. If yours is lacking, your path will be arduous-no effort can\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>overcome such a flaw.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Those with poor root bone may leave now. Do not waste your years.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who had come this far either knew their worth or refused to accept defeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had made it this close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no turning back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The short and stout elder waved his hand upon seeing this and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then line up properly and come forward one by one for the bone assessment.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as his words fell, countless young boys and girls, under the supervision of Clear Abyss Sect disciples, obediently formed a line for the examination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stewards seemed to have trained in a special technique—with just a single pat on the examinee's\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>shoulder, they could roughly discern the individual's bone structure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wu Ping, Lower Grade C. Move along.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He Haikuo, Middle Grade D.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Qian Ningning, Lower Grade D...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Clear Abyss Sect classified bone quality into four tiers: A, B, C, and D. As long as one reached Grade C,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>they qualified for entry into the sect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many factors determined innate talent, and bone structure was merely one of them. A Grade C bone\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>quality indicated that one had secured a ticket to the martial path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even so, only one or two out of ten examinees achieved Grade C or higher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This first round alone was likely to eliminate eighty percent of the participants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for those above Grade A?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They could only be categorized uniformly as Top Grade A.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not entirely accurate, but the vast majority of those with a cyan destiny or higher have passed\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>successfully.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo stood in line, his Heavenly Eye of Destiny continuously active.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Young lady, step forward.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elderly woman ahead beckoned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Bing emerged from the crowd and was immediately met with countless gazes-all because she was\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>breathtakingly beautiful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing there with an aloof and serene demeanor, the very air around her seemed to fall silent, making\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>her impossible to overlook.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo stroked his chin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Based on his experience reading novels, if nothing unexpected happened, there were two possibilities:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Either she was an absolute prodigy, or an utter failure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But with such overwhelming presence, she was definitely not destined for mediocrity...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hiss...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old woman's brows instantly furrowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her expression grew solemn as she steadied her breath, her robes fluttering without wind—she was\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>actually preparing to channel her inner energy to inspect the girl's bone structure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The commotion drew the attention of everyone nearby, even the other stewards, who watched with\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>curiosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the assessment of a Top Grade A bone quality shouldn't have warranted such a reaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next moment, the elderly steward's voice echoed across the grounds:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ying Bing-Top Grade A!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her tone was a mix of astonishment and excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd erupted in an uproar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the history of the Clear Abyss Sect, those with Top Grade A talent could be counted on one hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Murong Xiao, the so-called \"Prodigy of Purple Sun Prefecture,\" had only managed Lower Grade A—and\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>even that had earned him the title of the decade's greatest genius.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo:\" \"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So it was the former.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the weight of countless stares, Ying Bing became the center of attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the young woman herself remained impassive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because she knew this was nothing remarkable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her Top Grade A rating was only because that was the highest the Clear Abyss Sect could assign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Unmoved by praise or blame-such composure is truly rare. This old man looks forward to your\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>performance on the Heavenly Staircase.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the short and stout elder couldn't help but praise her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bone assessment was merely to weed out those unfit for martial training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The true test of one's full potential lay in the second trial:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Heavenly Staircase!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bone structure wasn't everything when it came to talent, but with a Top Grade A foundation, there was\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>no way this girl would perform poorly in the second round.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entrance ceremony had only just begun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet, the top contender had likely already emerged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Bing nodded and stepped aside to stand among the other successful candidates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pride and self-satisfaction on the faces of those who had passed the first round vanished without a\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>trace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While they were still pondering how to enter the inner sect, Ying Bing was at least guaranteed to become a true disciple.\u003C\u002Fp>",1864,"2026-05-30T17:18:59.992Z","2026-06-01T04:31:46.286Z",1,"novelbin.me","491242dd9fbe7ae3e1e58b6f842e4f83de49516684f73f0ceb4586e202abec23","investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-chapter-6","investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-chapter-4",737,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Finvesting-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-cover.jpg"]