“I’ve been to the core disciples’ library many times. What books do you need? Tell me and I’ll bring them here for you!” Bai Ruanqing said with a frown.
She could not possibly make a move there, where the valuable heritage of the sect was stored. However, she could not just keep following him around till the six hours were up either!
“It’s fine, I’m just looking around at the moment. I haven’t really decided on which book I want. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to head out once the six hours are over!” Zhang Xuan said with a wave of his hand.
It had not been easy for him to get in there, so he definitely had to collect all the books. This would be extremely helpful for future advancement in his cultivation and battle techniques.
Seeing how the young man’s eyes had already moved on to the next shelf while he was speaking, Bai Ruanqing felt like ages would have passed by the time the young man was done.
So, she nodded for a moment as she said, “Is that so? Hmm, may I trouble you to come with me for a moment?”
She had never been a patient person. Waiting there for a few more hours could really cause her head to explode.
“Where do you want to lead me to?” Noticing the bizarre look on Bai Ruanqing’s face, Zhang Xuan finally tore his gaze away from the books and looked at her. “Is there a problem?”
“Not really… I can’t really say it here. Can you come with me to the silent chamber over there?” Bai Ruanqing gestured to the isolated space where cultivators could study and practice some of the theories in the books.
“Ah?” Zhang Xuan was slightly taken aback. “I’m not too sure if this is really appropriate. I don’t mean any offense, but I wish to focus on my cultivation for the time being…”
Bai Ruanqing’s eyebrows leaped up. At that moment, she really wanted to strangle the fool before her to death. “You’re misunderstanding something. I just wish to ask you some questions relating to cultivation!”
“Ah, I see!” Zhang Xuan visibly heaved a sigh of relief.
He valued his purity a lot. He could not lose it there.
“You…” Seeing how relieved Zhang Xuan was, Bai Ruanqing nearly punched him in the face.
She knew that she had a violent temper, but at the very least, she was pretty. Many in the core disciples would more than fancy the idea of having some private time with her, and yet… this fellow actually reacted in such a manner when she proposed going into a private chamber with him.
What do you mean by this?
Did you think that I would eat you up?
Bai Ruanqing took two deep breaths to quell the flames in her heart before walking toward the private chamber.
She might not have known this fellow for long, but this was the first time that she had met someone who could make one’s blood pressure rise with every word that he said. It served him right to be single!
After the two of them entered the silent chamber, the doors suddenly closed.
“What are you going to do?” Zhang Xuan placed his hands defensively before his chest as he looked at Bai Ruanqing warily.
“…” Bai Ruanqing rolled her eyes. She activated the sound isolation barrier in the room before turning to look at Zhang Xuan. “I want to ask you what your name is and what your current cultivation realm is.”
“Didn’t I tell you while we were making our way here? I am Zhang Xuan, and my current cultivation realm is Dimension Shatterer realm consummation,” Zhang Xuan replied.
The other party had asked those two questions before, and thinking that there was no need to hide the truth, he simply replied honestly.
“Dimension Shatterer realm consummation, is it?” Bai Ruanqing muttered as her aura swiftly plummeted down to his level. “I have suppressed my cultivation to Dimension Shatterer realm consummation as well. I wish to have a duel with you. The losing party has to heed the words of the winning party obediently from now on!”
“You want to have a duel with me?” Zhang Xuan was confused.
He had thought that Bai Ruanqing was lusting over his flesh, but to think that she just wanted to have a duel with him.
Just that… what in the world was this female dinosaur planning?
“That’s right!” Bai Ruanqing nodded.
“You said that the losing party has to heed the words of the winning party from now on. Does that mean that I’ll have to commit suicide if you ask me to do so?” Zhang Xuan asked.
It was pretty much a guaranteed victory for him, but he did not like to engage in such duels.
“What kind of person do you think I am? Don’t worry, all I will ask of you is to address me as your senior no matter what kind of identity you assume in the future! Just like any junior, you shall treat me with the utmost respect and obey my orders!” Bai Ruanqing smirked as she began stretching her arms, causing cracking sounds to echo in the air.
On the other hand, Zhang Xuan was so bewildered by the request that one could almost see question marks above his head. “Haven’t I been calling you Senior Bai all along? Alright, I really have to finish browsing through my books, so I don’t really have time to spar with you. Pardon me, but I’ll be taking my leave…”
After saying those words, he turned around to walk out of the room.
“Where do you think you are going?”
With a bellow, Bai Ruanqing whipped out her sword and directed it right toward Zhang Xuan.
Regardless of whether he was willing to acknowledge it or not, there was no mistake in beating him into submission first!
As she was only suppressing her cultivation down to Dimension Shatterer realm consummation, she was able to execute more sword maneuvers than she could back in the Ethereal Hall. At the same time, she was also much more accustomed to her current strength.
This single pierce was far more powerful than the attack that she had executed in the Ethereal Hall, and it instantaneously sealed all of Zhang Xuan’s path of retreat.
She had no intention of killing Zhang Xuan, but years of experience as a tyrant told her that people listened better after going through a beating. She would feel much more assured after beating the person in question into submission.
On the other hand, Zhang Xuan was rendered speechless by Bai Ruanqing’s actions.
It was no wonder others called her a female dinosaur. It was impossible to reason with her.
With a series of quick Z-shaped sidesteps, he dodged all of Bai Ruanqing’s attacks as he shrugged helplessly and said, “Senior Bai, I really am no match for you. Let’s not continue with this meaningless duel!”
“What?” Bai Ruanqing was shocked to see how easily Zhang Xuan managed to avoid all her attacks. Not only so, the latter even had the leisure to be shrugging and talking to her!
“Take out your sword and let me see your true prowess! Don’t blame me for not going easy on you otherwise!”
Sou sou sou!
After saying those words, Bai Ruanqing executed three consecutive slashes toward Zhang Xuan, each faster than the previous. In an instant, the silent chamber was completely filled with sword qi.
When the library was built, there had been concerns that cultivators would suddenly release tremendous energy from suddenly epiphanies, resulting in the destruction of the building. Thus, the silent chambers were built to be extraordinary resilient. The Reinforcement Formation constructed around it was such that even core disciples would be unable to faze it. As such, even though Bai Ruanqing’s attack was powerful, it did not tear down the wall at all.
Zhang Xuan’s silhouette tilted from side to side as he adeptly dodged the three swords. At the same time, he spoke earnestly. “Look, you are a core disciple while I am just a mere inner disciple. There’s no meaning in someone as powerful as you bullying me…”
“…” Bai Ruanqing was getting more and more astounded by the moment.
Zhang Xuan appeared to be far stronger than she had expected him to be. Her motivation to fight was growing with each passing second.
“Quickly draw your sword. I’m going to get serious now.”
Hu!
A burst of sword qi gushed forth as Bai Ruanqing’s sword pierced forth with even greater speed than before.
As someone who cultivated the Heavysnow Swordsmanship, she was capable of moving at extreme speeds with precision. Driving her current prowess at Dimension Shatterer realm consummation to the limits, numerous afterimages of her appeared all around the silent chamber, surrounding Zhang Xuan.
It felt like innumerable attacks would fall upon Zhang Xuan as soon as his guard fell.
But as swift as Bai Ruanqing’s movements were, Zhang Xuan was even faster. It was almost as if she was constantly a step slower than Zhang Xuan. Be it her sword or sword qi, nothing was reaching Zhang Xuan at all.
“How can this be?” Bai Ruanqing remarked in astonishment as she hastened her movements further.
She had thought that she would at least be able to force Zhang Xuan into a corner with her attacks, but somehow, the other party simply yawned in boredom as he continued spewing the same nonsense. “Even if I draw my sword, it’s not as if I can defeat you. Aren’t you forcing me to commit suicide at this rate?”
“Argh!” Bai Ruanqing felt deeply stifled within.
If your forehead was laden with sweat and you were gasping for air, I might still be able to believe that you are really no match for me.
But here you are, yawning and scratching your back lazily, not even bothering to put on an act… Are you messing with me?
Frustrated, Bai Ruanqing’s movements grew faster and faster, but her opponent, despite repeatedly claiming that he was not a match for her, managed to match her speed with ease. It was as if he was a leaf on the ocean; no matter how powerful the waves and ocean currents were, they were unable to drown it.
“Draw. Your. Sword!”
This continued for twenty moves, but Bai Ruanqing was unable to even nick Zhang Xuan’s sleeves. Unable to stand being looked down upon like that, she was starting to lose her temper. “Don’t blame me for getting nasty!”
Hu!
With a flick of her sword, she executed her strongest trump card, the Heavysnow Swordsmanship.
She had never been a patient person, or else she would not have ended up crippling so many core disciples.
Her inability to harm the other party despite the moves that she had executed thus far had ground the little bit of patience she had down to nothing.
Her sword qi materialized as snow, causing the temperature in the surroundings to plummet.
“Sigh…” Walking calmly amid the other party’s swordsmanship, Zhang Xuan rubbed his glabella as he sighed deeply. “I really wish to live a low-profile life… but why do you have to force me so?”
All he wanted to do was to read his books and advance his cultivation quietly… Why was this simply so hard?
Even while he was just visiting a library, someone simply grabbed him from where he was and forced him into a fight.
Just how in the world did I offend you for you to have to ruin my peaceful life like that?
“What are you saying?” Bai Ruanqing roared as she saw Zhang Xuan muttering to himself, seemingly unconcerned by her strongest move at all. However, the next instant, a thought came to her mind, and she widened her eyes in astonishment, “Wait a moment, it can’t be that you are actually…”
Within the same cultivation realm, most core disciples would not be able to withstand her Heavysnow Swordsmanship, let alone an inner disciple. Even Liu Lujie would be defeated swiftly under its might!
Yet, this little-known person was able to tread between her attacks without sustaining the slightest damage.
She could not help recalling the person who had killed her twice back in the Ethereal Hall—I Am Low Profile!
Could that mysterious person really be the young man before her?
Just as Bai Ruanqing spoke her doubts, the young man before her sighed deeply as his leisurely eyes suddenly turned frighteningly sharp. “Since I can’t hide it any longer, I’ll have to ask you to pardon me for my discourtesy…”
Hu!
The next instant, a palm strike appeared right before her.
His arm was not long, but it immediately sealed her sword qi. The immense force coming at her caused Bai Ruanqing’s breathing to become a little ragged as she struggled to catch her breath.
“No…”
Not expecting that a Dimension Shatterer realm consummation cultivator would be able to bring out such tremendous might, Bai Ruanqing narrowed her eyes as she swiftly released the seal on her cultivation.
Kacha! Kacha!
In an instant, her cultivation rose back up to the Pseudo Immortal realm, and it was still surging upward.
Lesser Pseudo Immortal!
Great Pseudo Immortal!
Earthly Pseudo Immortal!
Heavenly Pseudo Immortal!
Lesser True Immortal!
Just as many had guessed, she had overcome the limitations of the Pseudo Immortal realm and reached the True Immortal realm!
True Immortal realm experts were rumored to possess boundless zhenqi. Even in the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion, she was already more than qualified to become an inner elder.
Hu!
Even as her cultivation returned to normal, the first thing she did was retreat, but for some reason, no matter where she retreated to, the palm strike continued following her closely. It was almost as if the other party was able to predict her movements.
“How is this possible? Are you really a Dimension Shatterer realm consummation cultivator?” Bai Ruanqing was frenzied.
She could clearly feel that the other party’s cultivation was only at Dimension Shatterer realm consummation, but for some reason, despite having regained her true cultivation as a Lesser True Immortal, she was actually unable to dodge his attack!
It was as if the other party was able to read into her!
But how could that be?
The Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion was filled with remarkable geniuses, and there were a handful of people were able to challenge those whose cultivation was beyond them. But usually, a cultivation stage or two was the limit. After all, everyone there was an expert, and the cultivation techniques and sword arts that they all practiced were the same.
Yet, as a Lesser True Immortal fighting against a Dimension Shatterer realm cultivator, she actually felt helpless.
Really, how powerful was this fellow?
“I don’t believe it!”
Releasing another powerful surge of energy, Bai Ruanqing’s prowess as a True Immortal pulsated into the surroundings. It was to such an extent that the Reinforcement Formation cast around the silent chamber was starting to creak under the pressure.
“Don’t bother, it’s useless.”
The young man’s voice echoed by her ear.
Hu!
The palm strike abruptly vanished from view.
Putong!
Bai Ruanqing’s body collapsed to the ground.
…
“What should I do?” Zhang Xuan sighed as he looked upon the unconscious Bai Ruanqing.
Due to the latter pushing him again and again, he felt like he might be pressured into doing something that he was reluctant about if he did not make a move soon!
But right after making a move, he regretted it.
If it had been any other inner disciple, he would still have had his own means of dealing with the other party… but the person before him was the granddaughter of one of the Three Grand Elders, as well as a Lesser True Immortal!
His soul arts would not work as well against such an opponent, and if any mishap came to the other party, he would surely suffer grave consequences.
He could not afford to become a wanted man less than a day after entering the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion!
“Outstanding people always have an endless source of trouble!” Zhang Xuan sighed helplessly.
