Chapter 2001: Being Identified

Shaking her head, Bai Ruanqing came to her senses. She hesitated for a moment while sitting there, then pushed the door open and walked out.

In the courtyard, Shan Xiaotian was still practicing his sword.

Dozens of meters away, Cao Chengli was balancing a nut on his head, his legs trembling.

A long sword flew over, and the next moment, it pierced his head, just a few inches from the nut. Blood seeped out.

"I think I'm injured..." Cao Chengli said, touching the blood on his head.

"It's nothing, who doesn't get injured sometimes!" Shan Xiaotian smiled slightly. "Keep balancing it well..."

"I'm really injured..."

Before he finished speaking, another long sword pierced the same spot.

Watching the blood flow from his face to the ground, Cao Chengli went mad. "Ah, I'm going to die..."

"Don't worry, my control over the force this time is very precise," Shan Xiaotian said with a faint smile. "It only pierced your scalp, didn't injure the bone, let alone your brain..." He came closer and pulled out the long swords one by one.

Just as he said, it only pierced the scalp, and the bone wasn't injured at all, so he certainly wouldn't die.

After his teacher's guidance, he had been practicing control and had now achieved some small success. Otherwise, he wouldn't be experimenting with Cao Chengli's head.

Her scalp tingling from what she saw, Bai Ruanqing came closer, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Junior Brother Shan," she asked, "could you... teach me your sword-throwing technique?"

Shan Xiaotian was stunned for a moment, then nodded. "Of course..."

He hadn't spent much time with his teacher, but knew him to be broad-minded. Although this sword technique was named after himself, he had also taught it to Cao Chengli, Elder Yi... Teaching one more person shouldn't be an issue.

He was such a vast, powerful person who regarded fame and fortune as mere trifles!

"This technique is called 'Third Young Master's Sword'," Shan Xiaotian said. "You might not learn it all at once, but you can first learn how to exert force and how the true qi flows. Once you can perform the sword technique, as for the variations and responses in combat, you can slowly study those later..."

The force exertion for throwing the sword in 'Third Young Master's Sword' is very simple. Precisely because of this, he could learn to perform it even at the Great Sage level.

After his guidance, Bai Ruanqing already understood in less than three minutes.

She flicked her long sword, and it transformed into a cold gleam. The next moment, it appeared embedded in the wall next to Cao Chengli.

"Ah..."

Butler Cao collapsed to the ground, completely broke down on the spot.

The speed and power of this sword, if it had really pierced his head, he might have died instantly.

"With 'Third Young Master's Sword'," Shan Xiaotian explained, "if you don't strike, so be it, but once you strike, it must be a one-hit kill. How to kill, how to anticipate the enemy's moves, predicting the opponent's techniques in advance, finding their weaknesses and defeating them – that's the most important thing..."

The reason this technique is powerful is not because the sword flies fast, but because it anticipates the enemy's moves and attacks their weaknesses with sword strikes.

This is the so-called internal cultivation method; throwing the sword is just a superficial technique.

"How long will it take to learn?"

Seeing that he was about to explain in detail, Bai Ruanqing frowned.

A large group of people were waiting for her at the Tong Shen Hall, and it wouldn't be appropriate if studying in detail took too long.

"If my teacher explains it, it would take half an hour," Shan Xiaotian said, scratching his head, slightly embarrassed. "My own understanding isn't very comprehensive, so if I explain it to you, it might take two days..."

Although he had been practicing this technique for more than ten days and had achieved initial results, compared to his teacher, he was still incredibly far off.

They were not on the same level at all.

His teacher's explanations were profound despite being concise, building a vast system from simple principles. If it were him... it wouldn't be so easy.

"Never mind," Bai Ruanqing said, "I'll learn it later. I'll go try it out first..."

Hearing that it would take so long, Bai Ruanqing shook her head and returned to her room.

She was originally an impatient and restless person; otherwise, she wouldn't have earned the nickname "Female Tyrant." Making others wait while she spent several days learning a sword technique was definitely impossible.

Returning to the previous arena, she indeed saw Tang Yan and the others still standing there, not having left.

"I'm here, let's continue..."

Holding her long sword, Bai Ruanqing took up her stance.

Seeing that she had only taken less than five minutes for the round trip, a hint of doubt appeared on Tang Yan's face, but he still nodded. He flicked the long sword in his hand, and the Dustless Sword was unleashed once more.

Sword marks filled the sky, enveloping everything like green smoke.

"Never mind, I'll just try..."

Although she hadn't learned the "internal cultivation method" corresponding to this sword technique, Bai Ruanqing's own swordsmanship was very strong. Moreover, her grandfather was an elder and had extensive knowledge of many sword techniques within the sect, having even explained the flaws and loopholes of this particular technique to her.

It's just that she hadn't been able to counter it before.

It was like knowing that Mike Tyson, the boxing champion, could be killed with a single shot, but when facing him, you might not be able to do it.

Previously, to exploit these flaws, she would need to charge through the sword marks resembling green smoke. But if she really went through, she would undoubtedly be attacked first and severely injured, just like that bird.

But now... with the flying sword technique, it was different.

Without further hesitation, she flicked her wrist.

The long sword flew from her hand.

"She threw her sword?"

Tang Yan was stunned. Just as he was about to block the flying sword, he felt a sharp pain in his head.

A long sword was impaled there. His body swayed, and he collapsed to the ground.

"He's dead just like that?"

"Tang Yan was also killed with a single sword strike?"

"That last sword was so fast, it was astonishing..." "I don't think the Cloud Soaring Sword Pavilion has this sword technique!"

"I haven't heard of it either. Not just this technique; I haven't seen the moves that killed us earlier either..."

A commotion broke out around them.

"It worked?"

The crowd was speechless, and Bai Ruanqing was also startled.

She had only learned this technique for a few minutes, so it was quite rushed. She had originally only intended to scare the opponent, make him retract his strength, and then find an opportunity to attack... She hadn't expected him to be dead with just one strike...

It was too powerful!

"Continue..."

Her eyes gleaming, Bai Ruanqing regained her confidence and continued to issue challenges, aiming for the sixth-ranked person.

In the Elder's courtyard.

"How is it?"

Elder Bai Ye looked at Bai Feng in front of him.

"I followed Miss," Bai Feng reported, "and indeed saw her go to an inner disciple's courtyard. However, this inner disciple is not called Zhang Xuan, but... Shan Xiaotian!"

Bai Feng handed over a jade token from his wrist. "This is his information!"

"Shan Xiaotian?" A flicker of doubt appeared in Elder Bai Ye's eyes as he quickly scanned the information. "I know this person. He was recruited by Elder Lu Yun. It was specifically reported during the Elder Council meeting; although I didn't attend, I saw the minutes that were passed around. He's only at Ancient Sage First Realm, yet his sword intent can extend 499 meters—just one step away from being a Sword God!"

"It's him... According to my investigation," Bai Feng continued, "he also brought a friend into the sect. This friend is named Zhang Xuan, but his cultivation is only at early Shattered Void Realm, which is slightly inconsistent!"

Bai Feng handed over another piece of information.

With Elder Bai Ye's status, investigating someone was very simple.

Zhang Xuan, as a retainer, followed behind Shan Xiaotian and came to the Cloud Soaring Sword Pavilion. Although it hadn't been long, he had still been registered and recorded.

"It must be him..." After finishing the content, Elder Bai Ye nodded. Although he didn't know why there was a discrepancy between what was registered and the reality, all other information matched.

It should be the same person.

"Ruanqing going to Shan Xiaotian's courtyard must be to find this Zhang Xuan..." Elder Bai Ye continued. "Go investigate further. This Zhang Xuan is not an inner disciple, yet he's impersonating one. I'm afraid he has ill intentions..."

"Yes!" Bai Feng stood up. Just as he was about to leave, he saw an old man rush in. "Elder Bai Ye," the old man said, "we are all very happy that your injuries have recovered, but... you need to rein in your granddaughter!"

"My granddaughter? What's wrong?"

Elder Bai Ye was stunned.

"Don't pretend to be ignorant here," the old man said. "She entered the core Tong Shen Hall and started challenging from the sixteenth rank. Everyone she fought was killed with a single strike... She's already made it to the top five!"

"Killed her way to the top five?"

Both Elder Bai Ye and Bai Feng were stunned.

They knew Bai Ruanqing's strength best; seventeenth rank was already pushing it for her... To kill her way to the top five in one go?

How was that possible?

"This is a recording of her battles; see for yourself..."

The old man finished speaking and tossed over a recording jade crystal.

Elder Bai Ye quickly activated it and began to watch.

He then saw Bai Ruanqing, holding a long sword, defeating one person with each move, leaving the core disciples all doubting their lives.

His own granddaughter only used two moves repeatedly: one was a horizontal sword slash, and the other was throwing the sword. If struck, their heads would inevitably fall to the ground.

These two techniques were incomparably profound... Who taught her?

"It's... it's his unique technique!"

Bai Feng, at his side, his pupils contracted.

"Whose?"

Elder Bai Ye looked over.

Bai Feng hastily transmitted a message: "This horizontal sword slash was displayed by that 'I Am Very Low-Key' person. I specifically studied it and even explained it to Miss... But I never expected her to use it with far greater subtlety than my understanding. It feels, it feels..."

"Feels what?"

"It feels as if 'I Am Very Low-Key' performed it personally!"

The deeds of "I Am Very Low-Key" were known to everyone in the Cloud Soaring Sword Pavilion. Even though Elder Bai Ye was injured at home, his granddaughter was cut down twice in a row, and his old servant was killed once, he had long since known about it.

It was highly probable that this was a top-tier figure who had comprehended Sword God intent. As one of the three great elders, how could he not pay attention!

Now, the sword techniques his granddaughter performed were actually the same as his...

"Are you saying..." Elder Bai Ye's pupils contracted. "that this 'I Am Very Low-Key' person might have personally taught Ruanqing the sword technique, and then... she challenged the core disciples?"

If not explained this way, there was really no other reason.

"Yes!"

Bai Feng nodded.

"The entire sect is looking for this 'I Am Very Low-Key' person," Elder Bai Ye said with a wry smile. "Yet he taught Ruanqing his sword technique and used her to challenge the core disciples... Interesting, very interesting!" He looked over again and asked, "Tell me... who do you think this fellow is?"

"I don't know..."

Bai Feng shook his head. Before he finished speaking, he suddenly widened his eyes, looking at the elder in front of him, his lips trembling involuntarily. "Master," he stammered, "are you suspecting... Zhang Xuan?"

"Besides him..." Elder Bai Ye nodded. "Who else could it be?"