Chapter 1974: Knocking Bai Ruanqing Unconscious

"I've been to this library many times. Tell me what kind of books you're looking for, and I'll help you find them!"

Frowning, Bai Ruanqing said.

Since they couldn't fight here, if he kept searching, she couldn't just follow him forever, could she?

"I'm just browsing; I haven't decided on any specific book. Don't worry about me, I'll just look around. I'll leave after three hours..."

Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

Having finally come here, he naturally wanted to collect all the books, which would greatly enhance his techniques and martial skills.

"How about... you come over here!"

Seeing that this guy's eyes had already swept past the bookshelf in front of him and moved to the next row, it would take forever to finish searching like this. Bai Ruanqing couldn't hold back.

She had never been patient; waiting here for an hour or two would drive her crazy.

"Where to?"

Seeing her strange expression, Zhang Xuan looked over with some confusion: "What's the matter?"

"Just to the meditation room over there!"

Bai Ruanqing pointed to the meditation room inside the library used for reading and cultivation.

"Meditation room?" Zhang Xuan hesitated: "A man and a woman alone... isn't that inappropriate?"

Her eyebrow twitching, Bai Ruanqing felt an urge to strangle this fool on the spot: "I just want to ask you some questions about cultivation..."

"Oh!" Zhang Xuan finally relaxed.

He was very particular about his integrity; he absolutely couldn't lose it here.

"You..."

Seeing him so relieved, Bai Ruanqing almost lost control and struck out on the spot.

Regardless, she was a top-tier beauty, one in a hundred. In the entire core, countless people wanted a chance to be close to her, to be alone with her... and she had invited him to the meditation room, yet this guy had that expression...

What did you mean?

Did you think I would eat you?

Afraid he might notice something, she forced herself to suppress her nearly exploding chest, took a couple of quick breaths to calm her inner rage, and walked ahead.

Although she had little contact with this guy, she had seen enough; every word he said could infuriate someone. Served him right for being single!

Entering the meditation room, after Zhang Xuan also entered, she closed the door with a "creak."

"What are you doing?"

Covering his chest and collar, Zhang Xuan looked wary.

"..." Darkness flashed before her eyes. Bai Ruanqing gritted her teeth and held back, activating the soundproofing formation in the room before looking at him: "I want to ask, what's your name, and what's your exact cultivation level?"

"Didn't I tell you on the way? My name is Zhang Xuan! My current cultivation is the peak of Shattering the Void!" Zhang Xuan explained.

When coming to the core mountain range, she had asked, and thinking there was nothing to hide, he had told her his real name.

As for his cultivation, those with higher cultivation could see it at a glance, so there was no need to conceal it.

"Peak of Shattering the Void, huh..."

Clenching her silver teeth, Bai Ruanqing's cultivation instantly dropped like a tide, and in the next moment, she was at the same level as him, also at the peak of Shattering the Void: "I've suppressed my cultivation to match yours. Let's have a match! The loser must obey the winner from today onward, no backing out!"

"A match?" Zhang Xuan was baffled.

He thought she was after his good looks, but it turned out she wanted to fight.

But... what had gotten into this female tyrannosaurus rex?

"That's right!" Bai Ruanqing nodded.

"Obey... if you told me to kill myself, would I have to comply?" Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Although he was sure to win at the same level, he didn't want to make such a bet.

Keeping a low profile was his nature, his way!

"Don't worry, I won't make you kill yourself. I just want you, no matter what your identity in the future... to call me senior sister! Respect me and obey my orders like other junior brothers!" Stretching, Bai Ruanqing's bones cracked audibly.

Completely confused, Zhang Xuan shook his head: "I already call you senior sister... I really need to read..."

With that, he turned to leave the room.

He was now an "inner disciple," so of course he had to address core disciples as senior sister!

"Where do you think you're going!"

With a sharp cry, too lazy to waste words, Bai Ruanqing's long sword appeared in her palm. With a light flick, she thrust it straight at Zhang Xuan's back.

Whether he agreed or not, she would beat him into submission first!

The sword aura flickered, her cultivation suppressed to the peak of Shattering the Void, allowing her to execute more sword techniques and wield power more adeptly than at the First Ancient Saint level. The moment the sword move was unleashed, it was countless times stronger than at the Divine Hall, instantly sealing off all of Zhang Xuan's escape routes.

She didn't want to kill him, but to beat him into submission so he wouldn't dare order her around as "Uncle Master" in the future.

He hadn't expected her to strike directly. Zhang Xuan was speechless.

No wonder she was called a female tyrannosaurus rex; she was truly unreasonable.

With a light dodge, he evaded the many sword beams and shook his head: "Senior sister, I really am no match for you. There's no need to continue!"

"Huh?" Seeing that he easily dodged her fierce sword strike without any fear and even had the leisure to speak, Bai Ruanqing's face darkened: "Draw your sword and show me your true strength, or else... don't blame me for being rude!"

Swish, swish, swish!

As she finished speaking, she struck three times in succession, each faster than the last, instantly filling the entire meditation room with sword aura.

When the library was built, fearing that cultivators might damage the books after gaining insights, the meditation rooms were constructed to be extremely sturdy, with formations that even core disciples couldn't damage. Therefore, despite Bai Ruanqing's powerful sword aura, it didn't pierce the walls.

Zhang Xuan dodged, evading the three strikes, and said earnestly: "See, I really am no match..."

"..."

Seeing that he easily dodged such fast sword strikes and still had that expression, Bai Ruanqing was getting frustrated: "Draw your sword quickly, or I'll really attack..."

Whoosh!

The sword aura howled, and the sword's attack speed increased.

Since she could cultivate the Sinking Snow Sword Technique, it meant her control over speed had reached an extremely high level. Now, with full force, the meditation room was filled with afterimages, as if anyone trapped inside, no matter how strong, couldn't escape.

Her sword was fast, but his figure was even faster. No matter how she attacked, she always seemed to be a hair's breadth away, unable to touch him with either sword or sword aura.

"I don't believe it..."

Her face growing darker, she moved faster, expecting Zhang Xuan to lose his composure. Instead, he yawned, patted his mouth with his hand, and continued: "I really can't beat you. How can you expect me to draw my sword? Are you forcing me to commit suicide?"

"Ahhh..."

Bai Ruanqing was going crazy.

If you were disheveled and sweating profusely, saying you couldn't win, I'd believe you!

But yawning, patting your mouth with one hand, scratching an itch with the other, and even wearing a pained expression as if wondering whether to pretend... saying that, are you messing with me?

Her eyes reddened, her sword technique grew faster. He said he wasn't a match, but his figure was like a boat in the waves—no matter how huge the waves, he rose and fell with the wind, never submerged.

"Draw your sword..."

After more than twenty moves without even touching his clothes, she couldn't hold back any longer. Bai Ruanqing completely lost it: "Or else, don't blame me if you die..."

Whoosh!

With a flick of her long sword, she once again unleashed her strongest Sinking Snow Sword Technique.

She had never had much patience; otherwise, she wouldn't have kicked several core disciples' butts.

After unleashing so many attacks without harming him a bit, her already scarce patience was completely exhausted.

The sky full of sword aura formed snowflakes, and the air in the room instantly turned cold, giving a bone-piercing sensation.

"Sigh..."

Strolling through her sword moves, Zhang Xuan rubbed his brow and couldn't help sighing: "I really want to keep a low profile... but why do you force me?"

He just wanted to read quietly, advance quietly, and be a handsome man quietly...

Was that so hard?

He came to read, and she challenged him to a fight...

What had he done to provoke her?

Did it have to be like this?

Did it have to be this way?

"What did you say..."

Seeing him mutter to himself, completely unfazed by even her strongest move, dodging with ease, Bai Ruanqing's heart suddenly tightened. An idea popped into her head: "Could you be..."

At the same level, when she used the Sinking Snow Sword Technique, even Liu Lujie couldn't withstand it!

But this unknown inner disciple not only remained unharmed but moved with leisure and ease...

It involuntarily reminded her of that "I'm Very Low-Key" who had killed her twice in a row!

Could it be that the mysterious person was this guy in front of her?

Just as she was shocked and about to voice her guess, she heard the young man sigh again: "Since I can't hide it anymore, I'll have to be rude..."

Whoosh!

Before he finished speaking, his palm pressed down through the air.

His arm wasn't long, but in an instant, it broke through the sword aura's blockade and reached her face. The overwhelming pressure made Bai Ruanqing's breath quicken, almost suffocating.

"No..."

Not expecting someone at the Shattering the Void level to unleash such power, Bai Ruanqing's pupils contracted, and she no longer suppressed her cultivation.

Crack! Crack!

In the blink of an eye, her cultivation surged from Shattering the Void to the Void Immortal realm, rising rapidly!

Void Immortal early stage, mid stage, late stage, peak!

True Immortal early stage!

As he had guessed, she had indeed broken through the Void Immortal realm and reached the True Immortal realm!

True Immortal, with an endless stream of true qi, even in the Lingyun Sword Pavilion, she could become an inner sect elder, considered a powerhouse.

Whoosh!

Her cultivation restored, she stopped attacking and retreated rapidly. But strangely, his palm seemed to know her path; no matter how she dodged, it pressed down relentlessly, impossible to evade.

"How is that possible? Are you really just... at the peak of Shattering the Void?"

Her face twitching, Bai Ruanqing was about to go mad.

She could clearly sense his strength—only at the peak of Shattering the Void, not increased—but... she, having restored her True Immortal early stage cultivation, couldn't dodge this palm!

It was as if he knew all her techniques and movements inside out!

How could this be?

The Lingyun Sword Pavilion had countless geniuses, and many could challenge those above their level, but... surpassing one or two minor levels was already remarkable, since everyone was a master, cultivating the same techniques and sword arts!

A Shattering the Void cultivator facing a True Immortal, making her feel helpless...

Just how strong was he?

"I don't believe it..."

Her internal power erupted again, her whole body about to explode. The True Immortal's true qi surged, and the meditation room's formation seemed barely able to withstand it.

"Stop resisting, be good..."

The young man's faint voice sounded in her ear, and his palm vanished with a "whoosh." Bai Ruanqing felt darkness before her eyes.

Thud!

She fell to the ground, unconscious.

"What now?"

Rubbing his brow, Zhang Xuan withdrew his hand and stood up.

She kept pressing him; if he didn't use some moves, she would surely force him to do things he didn't want to!

But by acting, he risked revealing his identity...

If she were an ordinary disciple, he could just kill her... but this one was the granddaughter of one of the three great elders. If anything happened to her, he wouldn't be able to escape!

Could it be that less than a day after arriving at the Lingyun Sword Pavilion, he would become a wanted man across the entire pavilion?

"Outstanding people always have countless troubles, sigh..."

Zhang Xuan's eyes were filled with helplessness.