[{"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-7":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},596530,846,"Chapter 7: Summit","investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-chapter-7",7,"\u003Cp>Three suns hung high in the cloudless sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bone-touching assessment had concluded, but the crowd remained lively, with many who hadn’t qualified lingering to watch the spectacle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the newly accepted disciples stretched two mountain paths leading to the summit of Qingyuan Mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was the ordinary route used by sect members for daily travel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other was overgrown with weeds, yet exuded an ancient and extraordinary aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the famed Stairway to Heaven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Legend held that it was an incomplete treasure acquired by the founding patriarch of the Clear Abyss Sect—a relic from an ancient sect of bygone eras, used to test disciples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Climb ten steps, and you may enter as an outer disciple,\" declared the stout elder standing before the Stairway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fifty steps grant entry to the inner sect.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What if one reaches the summit?\" came a confident voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who else could it be but Wang Hu?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elder’s lips curled slightly, as though he’d answered this question many times before:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The founding patriarch decreed that whoever ascends to the peak shall be the personal disciple of the sect master.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yet in all our history, only two or three have ever achieved this—each a prodigy of Heaven-grade aptitude. Do not overreach, lest you falter where others might climb higher.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused, then added, $2hat advice was for the majority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This year, there was that exceptional girl, wasn’t there?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Elder, wouldn’t those with strong physiques or prior martial training have an advantage?\" another voice inquired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elder replied patiently,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Worry not. The steps suppress physical strength.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After this brief explanation, he waved his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You have one hour. Begin.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As his words fell, a disciple lit a thick stick of incense in a bronze censer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The countdown had started—yet the disciples hesitated, none willing to be the first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Spineless cowards! I’ll go!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Hu swaggered onto the steps with unrivaled arrogance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, the boiling energy in his body stilled, no longer granting him superhuman strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he strode forward undaunted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten steps... twenty...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the thirtieth, his body swayed unsteadily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint tiger’s roar echoed from within him, resisting the immense pressure—allowing him to push past the fiftieth step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gasps rose from the onlookers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inner sect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the ice broken, others followed, mindful of the burning incense. Every second wasted could cost them a step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some climbed swiftly, others slowly—but none wore an easy expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pressure intensified with each step, crushing breath from their lungs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s Lin Jiang, isn’t it? He’s moving fast.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Murong Xiao is faster!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How are they so at ease?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most, however, focused solely on their ascent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Ying Bing stepped forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All eyes turned to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone wondered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How far would this aloof girl—rated as a Heaven-grade talent—go?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A complete Stairway would test one’s will as well,\" Ying Bing mused, feeling only faint resistance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Stairway was ancient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, it might lose its power entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her figure, cold as a frost-lotus, rose higher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten steps... twenty... thirty...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if walking on level ground!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She left the others far behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd was stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t about whether she’d reach the top.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was shattering records.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her talent might rank among the greatest in the sect’s history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Bing ascended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fifty-fourth step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hm?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Hu noticed the sudden silence behind him. Turning, he froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl’s gaze was like snow beneath ice—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cold moon gazing down upon mortals from the heavens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For an instant, he couldn’t meet her eyes and stepped aside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"All eyes on her,\" Li Mo murmured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some were cold outside, warm within. Others warm outside, cold within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this ice-block? Cold outside, domineering inside. A first for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that thought, he moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holding back?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The higher he climbed, the greater his standing—and the easier to encounter those blessed by fate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t done plucking wool from this ice-block yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to see how far he could go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A third-grade aptitude in the bone-touching test?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He still had no idea what his true potential was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How did an immortal physique fare in this martial world?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The answer was urgent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One step forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Huh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"These are just normal stairs.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo tilted his head, then took three steps at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>......\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the high platform:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That girl Ying Bing’s temperament suits me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The palace-robed woman’s eyes gleamed as she watched the girl surge ahead like a snowstorm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her movements made her already striking figure even more... pronounced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Could these two end up together?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Jing stroked his beard, thoughtful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his letter, Li Mo’s father—his former disciple—had hinted at hopes for Ying Bing as a future daughter-in-law.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That prospect seemed shaky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A third-grade aptitude was unlikely to become a true disciple... Wait—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Jing’s eyes landed on a figure sprinting up the steps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sect Master, let me take that girl! I’ll train her well!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The palace-robed woman thumped her chest, her words slurred with drink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elders groaned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Twelve hours a day, you spend six sleeping and six drunk!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Junior Sister Shang Wu, spare the poor girl. Don’t ruin a genius.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Over my dead body! I’ll never agree!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All harbored thoughts of taking her as a disciple—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But on this, they stood united: Anyone but the Ninth Peak’s Shang Wu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A clear phoenix’s cry split the heavens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Bing stood at the Stairway’s peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crows, magpies, geese, eagles—countless birds swarmed from all directions, circling her in submission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd stood dumbstruck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the sect’s elders saw more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind Ying Bing, they glimpsed a moon-white avian figure—its feathers resplendent, its presence majestic and mysterious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sect master, who had remained silent until now, rose abruptly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This girl can manifest the forms of a hundred birds, condense the aura of a phoenix, and summon the vision of the Great Moon!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shangguan Wencang’s eyes burned with intensity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>......\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those still on the Stairway couldn’t see the vision—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they heard the cry that shook the skies and saw the birds’ reverence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Hu’s disbelief turned to greed as the celestial figure stood just forty steps ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he prepared to charge upward—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A footstep sounded behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How did he get up here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You must have used some trick to cheat the Heavenly Ascension Steps!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You still want to stand beside her? Get the hell down!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Hu's eyes were bloodshot, his face dark with fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barely enduring the pressure, he reached out to grab Li Mo's collar and throw him down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo: \"?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his eyes, the other's movements were as slow as a turtle's crawl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even now, they still wouldn't let it rest?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, Li Mo had no interest in humiliating others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Heh heh... The rules never said we can't take action on the steps...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh? What was that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I said—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thwack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Young Li delivered a swift kick to the groin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some pains are so severe that even bystanders wince.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every young man who witnessed the scene felt a sudden chill below the waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ugh...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Hu's face instantly turned the color of liver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The searing agony made it impossible to stand—let alone on the Heavenly Ascension Steps, where the pressure was already immense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Aaaah—!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His screams and the sound of his tumbling faded into the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Move aside!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone shouted a warning, and fortunately, the crowd dodged in time, avoiding the human bowling ball that was Wang Hu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Peace at last.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo shrugged and continued his ascent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earlier, Butler Han had glanced at him but said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seemed Wang Hu was right—there really were no rules against interfering with others on the steps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since this wasn't a competition, wasting energy to spite someone else was pure idiocy—a classic case of mutual destruction. No one had ever been shameless enough to try it before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That kid looks all sunshine and smiles, but damn, his strikes are vicious.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wait, that's not the point.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wasn't he ranked third-tier talent?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone voiced the question, and the crowd froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right—that didn't add up!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How had he climbed past the fiftieth step... no, he was already past the eightieth!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he moved as casually as if he were strolling through a garden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Ying Bing's performance had left them in awe, then Li Mo's was downright baffling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is what you call third-tier?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Butler Han, are you sure you didn't misjudge this boy's bone structure?\" A short, rotund elder muttered, skeptical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elderly woman who had assessed Li Mo earlier paled but could only admit, \"Perhaps my old eyes deceived me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her words left the elders deep in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That steward was famously sharp-eyed and experienced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could she misread something as basic as bone structure?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the time it took for those few exchanges—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the summit, a lone figure was now joined by another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Bing's eyes flickered with surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reaching the peak?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To her, it was hardly difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even on the complete Heavenly Ascension Steps, she had met countless capable of the feat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he had never been among them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A breeze stirred, making Li Mo's robes flutter as he grinned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What a coincidence—you're here too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing above the world, his chest swelled with exhilaration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A perfect moment—ruined when a crow, utterly lacking in tact, landed squarely on the young man's head.\u003C\u002Fp>",1544,"2026-05-30T17:18:59.992Z","2026-06-01T04:31:46.286Z",1,"novelbin.me","46a295166884441954cba4ecf5e15b6f3f18459fb937ae4084c02d0aa70bd706","investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-chapter-8","investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-chapter-6",737,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Finvesting-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-cover.jpg"]