Chapter 1973: Elder Bai Ye Wants to Take a Disciple

"Marry?"

His face twitched, Zhang Xuan involuntarily stepped back, nearly scared to death.

Big sister, that's not how you joke!

My heart can't take it...

To be honest, this Bai Ruanqing wasn't ugly; in fact, she was quite beautiful, especially those long, straight legs. But... he already had a girlfriend, and moreover, this woman was a female tyrannosaurus rex—if anything displeased her, she'd beat you up... even an iron man couldn't withstand that!

At least, he had no masochistic tendencies!

"What's wrong with you?"

Seeing his horrified expression, as if he'd seen a ghost, Bai Ruanqing, who had been immersed in admiration, looked over in confusion.

I'm going to marry 'I Am Very Low-Key,' and you're backing away in terror—what does that mean?

"Nothing..." Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Zhang Xuan gave an awkward smile, inwardly resolving to protect the identity of 'I Am Very Low-Key' at all costs—he must not let it slip!

"This sword technique, Elder Feng explained it to me in detail; it should be like this..."

Ignoring his shock, Bai Ruanqing explained a few things, touching on the mysteries of the move, and Liu Lujie and the others suddenly understood.

After listening for a while, Zhang Xuan suppressed the urge to vomit, turned his head, and pretended to hear nothing, eyes fixed on his nose and nose on his heart.

His own excellent swordsmanship being interpreted like this... if he kept listening, he might not be able to resist the urge to hit someone!

To be honest, if he weren't lacking in strength, he would have long pried open the coffin of the founder of the Lingyun Sword Pavilion to see how such a bunch of descendants were cultivated.

"Forget it, if it comes to that, I'll find a chance to give them proper guidance..."

After standing there for a while, Bai Ruanqing finally finished speaking, jumped onto the beast's back with a satisfied expression, and Zhang Xuan followed closely.

The peak of the core disciples wasn't too far from the inner sect; half of it was embedded in white clouds, with mist swirling, giving a sense of a paradise beyond the world.

Sitting on the beast's back, Zhang Xuan sensed that the spiritual energy here was clearly more abundant than on the inner sect peaks, making cultivation twice as effective with half the effort.

"Ahead is the library. This token represents my identity; take it and you can enter... I'll come pick you up in three hours!"

The sacred beast landed before a massive library, and Bai Ruanqing instructed.

Known as the female tyrannosaurus, she had never had much patience for reading. Rather than wait here, it was better to take the medicine to her grandfather quickly, so he could suffer less pain.

"Thank you!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

It was best if she didn't follow, after all, his way of reading was different from everyone else's.

Like the library for inner disciples, entry required paying enough Sword Pavilion coins.

For inner disciples, it was four Sword Pavilion coins per hour, but here it was ten times that, reaching forty Sword Pavilion coins per hour.

However, he was now flush with cash and didn't mind; he directly paid 120 coins for three hours.

The techniques and sword arts recorded in the core disciples' library were indeed far more profound than those in the inner sect. Techniques for the Void Immortal realm were赫然 listed. Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up as he scanned row after row, recording all the books into his library.

Regardless, techniques and cultivation were the most important.

As long as he could form the Heavenly Dao technique, with his current wealth, improving his cultivation would be very simple.

...

Bai Ruanqing returned to the courtyard where she lived and came before Elder Bai Ye, who was still weak and leaning on the bed.

"Grandfather, I've bought the medicine..."

Saying this, she handed over the three jade bottles she had just obtained.

"Is this the medicine you gave me last time?"

Taking the jade bottle, Elder Bai Ye pulled out the stopper, examined it carefully for a while, and looked somewhat confused.

Countless physicians in the sect had concocted countless precious pills, none of which had any effect on his injuries. He had thought that what could awaken him would be something even more precious, but unexpectedly, it was like clear water, with not a trace of spiritual energy detectable!

He couldn't even sense any medicinal power!

Could this... really work?

"It may look unremarkable, but it can heal your injuries. Take it quickly!" Seeing his expression, Bai Ruanqing smiled.

At first, she hadn't recognized it either. If not for desperation, she would never have believed that an inner disciple's medicine could treat an elder's injuries.

"I'll try it!"

Having heard about it from Bai Feng and his granddaughter, Elder Bai Ye no longer hesitated. He raised the jade bottle and drank one bottle.

As the "liquid medicine" entered his throat, he immediately felt the previously untreatable injuries begin to ease, and the power constantly rotting his internal organs grew thinner.

"So effective..."

His eyes lit up. Elder Bai Ye no longer doubted and opened the remaining two bottles, swallowing them as well.

"How is it?" Watching her grandfather down three bottles in succession, Bai Ruanqing looked over with slight tension.

Whoosh!

Without answering, Elder Bai Ye, who had been lying in bed, pressed his palm lightly and appeared like a phantom in the middle of the courtyard, a long sword appearing in his hand.

Sizzle sizzle sizzle!

Sword qi howled, and the spiritual energy in the courtyard converged like a hurricane. Move after move, the long sword flowed like water in Elder Bai Ye's hands. From the look of him, he was far from injured!

"Grandfather, are you fully recovered?"

Seeing the old man who had just been unable to move on the bed now practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard, Bai Ruanqing's eyes immediately reddened.

"Not fully recovered yet, but the power that was previously impossible to eliminate has been completely removed. With proper recuperation, I should be back to normal within a month!" Stopping, Elder Bai Ye could hardly contain his excitement.

Severely injured and on the verge of death at any moment, he had thought his life was over. Who would have thought that this seemingly insignificant liquid medicine would have such miraculous effects!

"Congratulations, Grandfather!"

Bai Ruanqing quickly said.

"The person who sold you this medicine saved my life. I wonder where he is now? I'd like to meet him." After practicing a bit more and feeling his spirit and energy slowly recovering, Elder Bai Ye stopped and turned to ask.

"He's an inner disciple. I just took him to the core disciples' library!"

Bai Ruanqing said.

"Library?"

Seeing her grandfather's confusion, Bai Ruanqing explained Zhang Xuan's request in detail.

"Producing such powerful medicine and only asking to read books..." Elder Bai Ye found it hard to believe. "In an age where strength is paramount, still wanting to read, without a restless heart... Is there really such a person?"

"Yes!" Bai Ruanqing nodded.

That he only asked to read books—she too was quite shocked.

With such a good opportunity, anyone else would have casually made some request to enter the core, which should have been easy.

"Let's go to the library and see..." After asking a few more questions, Elder Bai Ye nodded, then paused: "Wait, not yet. Ah Feng!"

"Master!" Bai Feng came forward.

"Here is a disguise pill. After taking it, it will last for an hour, allowing you to take on a different appearance. Suppress your cultivation to the same level as that friend, and find an opportunity to test him..."

With a flick of his wrist, Elder Bai Ye produced another jade bottle.

"Test?"

Taking the pill, Bai Feng's eyes lit up: "Master, are you... planning to take him as a disciple?"

As an elder of the sect, he wouldn't test a disciple for no reason, especially one who had done him a favor.

Doing so had only one purpose: to take him as a disciple!

"Knowing that Ruanqing was buying, he didn't extort her—good moral character. Moreover, he saved my life. If I only let him enter the library and did nothing else, wouldn't my life be too cheap?" Elder Bai Ye said calmly, hands behind his back.

After all, he was one of the three great elders of the Lingyun Sword Pavilion, a top figure renowned throughout the continent.

If word got out that he only did this much for someone who saved his life, it would be embarrassing.

"I understand your intentions, Master!"

Bai Feng smiled, knowing the old man's good intentions: "Injuries from the Skyfall City have always been incurable. Now that the medicine he sold has cured you, even if he has no more medicine, it will be a great temptation to others. You fear he might suffer misfortune because of this, so you take him as a disciple to give him a title. It's a form of protection!"

Skyfall City, with its countless treasures, was a place many strong warriors yearned for, but it was also extremely dangerous. Fewer than one in a hundred who entered came out alive, and even those who did were usually severely injured and beyond cure, eventually dying in regret.

For thousands of years, countless brilliant talents in the Forsaken Continent had tried, but none had succeeded.

Now, once news spread that he possessed medicine capable of healing such injuries, he would surely become the target of many covetous eyes, putting him in great danger.

Taking him as a disciple would mean that even if others wanted to act, they would have to consider Elder Bai's face, thus averting a disaster.

Taking a deep breath, Elder Bai Ye's expression grew distant: "Although the Sword Pavilion is relatively safe, there are many with ulterior motives. We must still be cautious. This way, I can repay the life-saving grace without causing him harm. Of course, this is only if he is strong enough. If his understanding of the sword is too weak, taking him as a disciple would embarrass me."

"Yes, I'll go at once!"

Nodding, Bai Feng's figure flickered and disappeared on the spot.

"Grandfather, are you really going to take him as a disciple?"

Having overheard the conversation, Bai Ruanqing was full of conflict: "That would make me a generation lower than him!"

"Well, I've never taken a disciple before. I hope this one can pass Bai Feng's test." Seeing his granddaughter's frustration, Elder Bai Ye smiled. "If he succeeds, he'll be your junior uncle. As a junior, don't cause trouble. I've heard quite a bit about the commotions you've caused in the core."

"Junior uncle..."

Bai Ruanqing gritted her teeth.

She had thought that guy was somewhat honest and endearing, but the thought that he was younger than her and would become her junior uncle made her furious.

"Grandfather, since you're fine, I'll go train now..."

With a roll of her eyes, Bai Ruanqing said.

"Go ahead."

Elder Bai Ye waved his hand.

Having just recovered, he was still somewhat weak and needed careful recuperation.

Leaving the courtyard, Bai Ruanqing's obedient demeanor immediately changed. Her canine teeth showed from her lips, and a fierce look appeared in her eyes: "First, I'll teach him a lesson... At worst, I'll call him junior uncle in front of Grandfather, but when no one's around, I'll make him call me senior sister!"

Known as the female tyrannosaurus, she had never suffered a loss since childhood. Calling someone weaker and younger than her 'junior uncle'... she just couldn't swallow it!

No matter who he was, she'd teach him a lesson first...

After all, Grandfather was going to test him anyway, so this was just doing it early...

The flying sacred beast landed again before the library. With her identity, she didn't need a token to enter directly.

"Didn't he say he was reading?"

Entering the room, Bai Ruanqing frowned.

The entire library was eerily quiet, as if no one had been there; there was no sound of pages turning or reading.

Walking along the bookshelves, she went most of the way before finding the young man standing before a row of shelves. He held no book, nor did he look at one, but instead kept moving his head along the direction of the books.

"What are you doing?"

After watching for a while and seeing that he showed no intention of taking out a book, Bai Ruanqing couldn't help asking.

"Oh, you're here..."

Seeing it was her, Zhang Xuan smiled: "I'm looking for the books I want..."

As expected of the core disciples' library, the number of books was enormous. Even after all this time, he had only recorded less than half.

It seemed that recording everything might indeed take the full three hours.