Chapter 1982: Watch Me Beat the Shit Out of You!

"Is this really... your granddaughter? Not someone in disguise?"

The audience fell silent, everyone too frightened to speak. An old man on one side could no longer contain himself and turned to Bai Ye, the elder beside him.

He had known about Bai Ruanqing's situation for a long time. Even if she had learned two new sword techniques, she couldn't be this strong!

Liu Yulian had been killed with a single sword strike to the head...

Didn't that mean this girl already possessed the strength of the top three core disciples?

Every top three... in the entire history of Lingyun Sword Pavilion, they were all illustrious.

From seventeenth place all the way up, in less than half an hour...

"It seems so..."

Bai Ye shrank back, also feeling exasperated.

Although he had guessed that his granddaughter might have received teachings from "I Am Very Low-Key," it was still hard to believe that with just two moves, she could charge straight into the top three.

After Liu Yulian was defeated, the second-ranked core disciple voluntarily stepped forward.

His strength was not much different from Liu Yulian's. Under Zhang Xuan's guidance, he was struck in the head with the same move and died on the spot.

"The top core disciple is called He Jingxuan, the grandson of the First Elder, He Tian!"

"This match should determine the true ownership of the core first place!"

"Even if Bai Ruanqing got first place in the Tong Shen Hall, her real strength might not be number one. After all, cultivation is suppressed here. In reality, He Jingxuan is said to have reached the peak of the True Immortal realm, just one step away from the Immortal Lord realm!"

"Bai Ruanqing has also reached the True Immortal realm. As long as she can surpass He Jingxuan in swordsmanship at the same level, with Bai Ye's status, it shouldn't be hard for her to raise her cultivation to the peak of True Immortal in the short term!"

"Breaking through at the same level is much easier than crossing levels..."

...

Seeing He Jingxuan, representing the strongest combat power among the core disciples, step onto the competition stage, the people below all lowered their voices.

If he also lost, the entire core would be pierced through by one person, completely annihilated.

"I'll make the same bet with you..."

Unaffected by the previous failures, He Jingxuan looked over calmly.

"Thank you, Senior Brother He!"

Bai Ruanqing nodded, holding her longsword horizontally: "Let's begin!"

"Hmm!"

Taking a deep breath, He Jingxuan shook his sword and stepped forward first.

His footwork was not fast, and his sword moves seemed without any flourish, yet they gave a feeling of being sealed and closed, as if facing a mystical turtle—no matter how one tried to stab or cut, it could not be broken.

"It's the Spirit Turtle Sword Technique!"

Someone recognized it.

"The Spirit Turtle Sword Technique focuses on defense. It seems Senior Brother He is also wary of the other's flying sword..."

"He has to be wary. Every strike hits its mark; once it's out, it hits the head. Who can block that?"

"That's true. If I faced it, I'd only end up dead..."

...

Murmurs arose.

Although the Spirit Turtle Sword Technique was primarily defensive, no one said He Jingxuan was weak; instead, they all thought this move was extremely well used.

In battle, face and reputation are secondary; only victory brings dignity. For the sake of face, attacking immediately often gives the opponent an opening, leading only to defeat.

Seeing the opponent's sword technique like a turtle, impossible to attack, Bai Ruanqing was filled with anxiety.

How could she attack?

How could she win?

Just as she was struggling, the voice of "Shishu" sounded in her ear again: "Have you ever killed a turtle?"

"This..." Bai Ruanqing did not answer.

Although she had never killed a turtle, she had heard others talk about it.

"You need to use food to lure it, make the turtle's head come out, then find a way to strike, cutting through the mess quickly..."

Shishu's voice continued: "This situation is the same! For him to defeat you, he must take the initiative. So, use yourself to lure him. Once he attacks, that is also your best time to strike... I've taught you the principle; whether you can win depends on you!"

"Yes..."

Bai Ruanqing suddenly understood, her eyes full of gratitude.

She knew this was a trial given by Shishu.

He had explained how to win; if she still couldn't do it, even if she fought for first place, someone else would take it back sooner or later!

And if she succeeded, both her swordsmanship and mentality would undergo a qualitative leap, truly making her unrivaled among the core disciples.

It was like Ximen Chuixue's swordsmanship—though strong, it was inferior to Ye Gucheng's, so he wasn't number one. But after killing Ye Gucheng, his mindset changed, and over time, he truly became a sword god, invincible under heaven.

She was facing a similar situation.

If Shishu kept guiding her, even if she won, she would rely on him, feeling it wasn't her own skill. She urgently needed a victory of her own to solidify her heart.

To solidify her own swordsmanship!

Swoosh!

Understanding "Shishu's" good intentions, Bai Ruanqing wasted no more words and charged straight at He Jingxuan.

"Is this... offering oneself to the sword?"

Bai Ye's pupils contracted.

Zhang Xuan could see He Jingxuan's weakness, and as one of the three elders, he naturally could too. He just hadn't expected his granddaughter to be so decisive!

Charging directly like that meant using herself as bait; a slight mistake would lead to instant death.

"Earlier, I thought your granddaughter's victory relied on learning a strange sword technique, and even if she became top three, it wasn't true strength. But now... I think I misjudged!"

The old man nearby smiled bitterly.

From her challenge starting at sixteenth place, she repeatedly used only two moves—either pushing horizontally or throwing her sword—with no technical content.

Even if she got first place, she wouldn't earn his recognition.

But now, she saw the opponent's weakness at a glance, offered herself to the sword, and feared not death. This alone showed her understanding of the sword had reached a deeper level, not just powerful sword moves.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

As the two chatted, the scene on stage changed. He Jingxuan seemed to know her intention and still did not attack, instead slowly retreating.

It seemed he also knew she was looking for an opportunity and gave her no chance to strike.

"This response is not bad..."

Watching this, Zhang Xuan nodded involuntarily.

To be honest, Bai Ruanqing had done well, and He Jingxuan was also very strong. No wonder he could be number one; his mentality was indeed extraordinary.

At this moment, he was like a patient hunter, quietly waiting in the grass for the perfect moment to strike with one fatal blow!

If he were fighting him, he would definitely use violent means to force an opening and then attack. But Bai Ruanqing's offense was insufficient, so she could only wait patiently like him.

Now the competition was no longer about swordsmanship, but about who had more patience.

After testing with over a dozen moves, no matter what, the opponent would not strike first. Bai Ruanqing grew anxious inside.

She had little patience to begin with, and now being watched by so many people, she could hardly bear it.

"Just then..."

He Jingxuan, seeing her emotions becoming increasingly unstable, his eyes lit up. Suddenly he moved, his longsword shooting out.

Like a cheetah striking—motionless until it moves, and once it moves, too fast to see clearly.

"Here it comes!"

Bai Ruanqing clenched her teeth and shot out her longsword.

She was indeed impatient, but she also remembered Shishu's words, waiting for the opponent to make a mistake.

Puchi!

His longsword pierced her chest, while her sword landed on He Jingxuan's head, piercing straight through.

Pata!

He Jingxuan died.

Bai Ruanqing died!

It was a mutual destruction, a draw!

"Still too poor..."

Zhang Xuan shook his head.

He had already explained the method of battle, thinking this woman would win, but she only managed a draw.

How embarrassing!

Fortunately, she wasn't his student; otherwise, he'd want to slap her to death.

What a pity... He had hoped to sweep all the money from this number one, but obviously, that chance was gone.

Unlike his frustration, the crowd below was stunned, everyone too shocked to speak.

Clearly, Bai Ruanqing's draw with He Jingxuan was hard for them to believe.

"Congratulations, you have a good granddaughter!"

Seeing the two combatants' figures on stage disappear into specks of light, the old man beside him couldn't help but clasp his hands.

"Haha, she has recently awakened..."

Bai Ye was beaming with joy.

His own granddaughter could tie with the core's number one; his face was full of pride.

"She is indeed strong, but... the behavior of betting and making everyone lose all their Sword Pavilion coins is not good! It will damage your reputation if it gets out!"

The old man said.

If you're going to compete, just compete peacefully. Why gamble?

How disgraceful!

You're one of the three elders of Lingyun Sword Pavilion; just give your granddaughter some coins. Doing this, if it gets out, it won't reflect well on you!

"This... I will discipline her properly when I get back!"

Bai Ye nodded.

"Master, disciplining her when you get back might be too late..." Bai Feng said from the side.

Bai Ye was taken aback.

Indeed, if he disciplined her later, the matter would have already spread. By then, even if his granddaughter tied with the number one, she would inevitably be criticized.

"I'll handle it now!"

Thinking this, he no longer hesitated and stepped forward: "Everyone..."

His voice rang out, and everyone's attention immediately focused on him.

"The bet Bai Ruanqing made with everyone earlier, taking all your Sword Pavilion coins, was just a joke. The purpose was to make everyone go all out, use their strongest techniques, and ensure the fairness of the competition!"

Bai Ye smiled lightly: "Since it was a joke, the bet from earlier is hereby void. Everyone need not worry..."

"Void?"

Before he could finish, a displeased voice rang out: "You say void, and it's void? Who do you think you are?"

Frowning, Bai Ye turned to see a young man walking over.

"I am... just an ordinary disciple. I think Bai Ruanqing feels this way. May I ask who you are..."

Seeing him so disrespectful and angry, Bai Ye was about to state his identity but paused, then asked in confusion.

He was an elder; it was best not to reveal his identity, or his reputation would suffer greatly.

"I am 'I Am Very Handsome,' Bai Ruanqing's best friend. What I say represents her intentions."

Zhang Xuan nodded: "Since there was a bet, you have to pay up. If you don't want to pay, that's fine too—just see if my sword agrees!"

Give up the money he had worked so hard to earn?

What a joke!

Whoever dares to make me give up, watch me beat the shit out of you!