Chapter 1968: Battle Details (Part 1)

"Feng Lao, his... strength?"

Unable to bear the silence in the room any longer, Bai Ruanying looked over.

More than ten minutes had passed since they left the Tong Shen Hall. As soon as their consciousness returned, Feng Lao closed his eyes, lost in thought, and no one dared to speak.

"Marvelous! Truly marvelous!"

Slowly opening his eyes, Feng Lao's gaze shone.

"Marvelous?"

Everyone's mouths twitched.

Had this man... been scared silly?

Beheaded, yet instead of anger, he cries 'marvelous'?

Did he find having his head cut off marvelous?

Liu Lujie and Wang Jiandong exchanged glances, involuntarily touching their necks. Though they knew it was fake, being beheaded four times in a row still left them shaken.

Fear was the only response—'marvelous' my foot!

"The Chenxue Sword Art, I've cultivated it for over a hundred years. The more I practice, the more I admire it. Not only is it fast, but more importantly, it hides the true qi within the sword body, controlling it with ease, not a trace leaking out! Once unleashed, the sword qi soars into the sky, the power like a rainbow, unfathomable and unpredictable!"

His gaze distant, Bai Feng's voice carried admiration and reverence: "I always thought this move had no flaws and was infinitely powerful. I never expected someone to break it with a single move! That sword of his... truly marvelous! Ineffably marvelous!"

Though killed in one blow, he recognized the other's swordsmanship was indeed superior and sincerely admired it.

"This..."

Everyone blinked. Bai Ruanying's face flushed as she looked over: "Feng Lao... aren't you angry?"

Killed at first sight by someone who hadn't even reached the Void Immortal realm—a great expert like you, wouldn't you feel disgraced, humiliated, and angry?

"Seeing such a brilliant swordsmanship, I'm grateful, so why be angry?"

Bai Feng was taken aback. Seeing everyone's expressions, he seemed to understand their thoughts and smiled lightly: "As cultivators, we must be humble, not arrogant! The way of the sword is vast and boundless, with no end in sight. We spend our whole lives and still cannot fathom its depths. Why let a little face affect our emotions? Don't be swayed by fame and fortune. If I were after fame, I'd be at least a core elder by now!"

"Yes!"

Everyone's faces reddened.

By strength, this Bai Feng could easily be a core elder, yet he still served Elder Bai Ye, always fulfilling his duty as a servant without overstepping. This mindset alone commanded respect.

"Feng Lao, this 'I Am Very Low-Key'... is his understanding of the sword very high? Could it be... even better than yours?" Bai Ruanying asked curiously.

"Me?" Bai Feng shook his head: "I'm not worthy to be compared with him! Alright, this contest has been very fruitful. I'll take my leave now... Ruanying, continue searching for that friend who sold the medicine."

With that, he stood up, leaped lightly, and flew away, disappearing in an instant.

Unexpectedly, Feng Lao left without hesitation. Bai Ruanying paused, then looked at Liu Lujie: "This 'I Am Very Low-Key'—since you can't beat him anyway, forget about him. Help me find out who he is!"

She took out the portrait again.

"Right now, all the disciples are dueling with 'I Am Very Low-Key'. It won't be easy to inquire... Once the contest is over, I'll ask around immediately!" Liu Lujie stood up.

Bai Ruanying frowned: "I just checked; there are at least three thousand more, and many inner disciples are still streaming in. It'll take a long time to finish the contest!"

"No matter how long, all of us inner disciples will persist and never admit defeat! That is our pride and persistence!"

Liu Lujie's gaze was firm: "I believe that as long as we persist, no matter how powerful this 'I Am Very Low-Key' is, he will eventually exhaust his strength and be killed. The final victory belongs to us..."

Just as he was making his impassioned pledge, he saw Wang Jiandong flip his wrist, a jade token appearing in his palm. Wang glanced at it, his face twitching uncontrollably, as if he had something to say but couldn't get it out.

"What's wrong?"

Frowning, Liu Lujie asked.

"Ahem, Senior Brother Liu, the contest is over... 'I Am Very Low-Key' killed the remaining three thousand with one sword... They're now deciding the outcome..."

Wang Jiandong couldn't help but say.

"One... one sword? Three thousand?"

Liu Lujie staggered, nearly falling, his eyes bulging as if they'd pop out: "Are you sure?"

Not just him; Bai Ruanying beside him was also dumbfounded.

Killing one with a sword, killing two, even killing ten—that was acceptable... but killing three thousand of the same level...

Was this a joke?

"The news is confirmed. The slain have all returned to the Tong Shen Hall, awaiting the verdict..." Wang Jiandong said.

As the third-ranked inner disciple, he had loyal subordinates, and the source of information was accurate.

"This..." His brows jumping, Liu Lujie quickly cupped his hands: "Senior Sister Bai, since everyone was killed at once, the bet is concluded. Those of us who wagered need to enter the Tong Shen Hall to accept the verdict. Please forgive me..."

"Go ahead."

Knowing the rules, Bai Ruanying didn't say more but waved her hand.

To be honest, even now, she couldn't believe it was true.

Challenging the entire inner sect with his fists, killing three thousand with one sword...

Who exactly was this 'I Am Very Low-Key'?

And more importantly... this stunt had thrown the entire inner sect into chaos...

What did it have to do with 'low-key'?

...

At the Sword Pavilion, Elder Mu and the others finally recovered from their shock.

The display of strength here showed that this person was indeed an inner disciple. An inner disciple challenging the entire inner sect, killing over a thousand in a row without losing, and then killing them all... it was utterly insane.

"But no matter how strong, he can't win. There are tens of thousands of inner disciples. Once word spreads, more will come for the sake of dignity. As long as he can't kill everyone in the hall at once, he can't succeed!"

Elder Mu shook his head: "So no matter how long he lasts, there's only one path: defeat!"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

One person challenging the entire inner sect, at the same level... success was too difficult!

No matter how extraordinary.

Buzz!

Just as they were sighing, the communication jade token sounded. Elder Mu looked down and froze: "This... this... just like that, there's a result? 'I Am Very Low-Key' killed three thousand with one sword, the contest is over... How is that possible?"

"Killed three thousand with one sword?"

Dead silence. All the elders were stunned.

...

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

In the Tong Shen Hall, figures reappeared one after another.

Those who had participated in the duel and been killed almost all rushed back upon hearing the news. They looked at the young man in the center, somewhat limp, with complex expressions.

When they first heard him say he would challenge everyone, they thought it was sheer arrogance, a sign of madness... But after experiencing the battle, they understood: he truly had the strength to annihilate the entire inner sect!

"The contest is over. This 'I Am Very Low-Key' challenged everyone present at the time, wagering all the Sword Pavilion coins on them. Now there is a result..."

A Tong Shen Hall administrator in charge of open contests stepped forward and announced: "'I Am Very Low-Key' wins!"

"He wins just like that? The entire inner sect couldn't defeat him alone?"

"This must be the most shameful day for the inner sect!"

"Five thousand disciples all lost... How could this happen?"

Hearing the result, many present were unbalanced and on the verge of collapse.

As inner disciples of the Lingyun Sword Pavilion, they all had their pride, and now that pride was shattered by a single person.

"I don't accept this! I rushed over as soon as I heard the news and haven't even participated in the duel. I don't believe one person can defeat five thousand! Even if he could, Senior Brother Liu Lujie and the other top experts surely didn't show up. Otherwise, how could it be so easy?"

Someone shouted.

Many disciples had been rushing over upon hearing of the inner sect conflict, but for various reasons, over half of the inner disciples still hadn't appeared!

Many entered only to hear the battle was over. They hadn't participated but were burdened with the shame of defeat, and they were deeply unwilling.

"Senior Brother Liu Lujie has been the top inner disciple for seven consecutive years. I don't believe that if he fought, this 'I Am Very Low-Key' could win!"

Someone echoed.

Earlier, when Liu Lujie made his move, he was killed before he could state his identity. Many only thought the swordsmanship looked similar, but did similarity mean it was him?

Not necessarily!

Hearing this, some couldn't help but hope: maybe Senior Brother Liu really hadn't appeared?

That was why this guy won?

"Are you trying to deny the bet?" The Tong Shen Hall administrator raised an eyebrow.

"Denying the bet is not the issue. He is indeed very strong, but he only defeated those present, not the entire inner sect! If the truly top experts of the inner sect had made their move, he might not have lasted until now!"

The one who spoke earlier said loudly.

No matter how they quibbled, they couldn't hide the crushing defeat of five thousand slain. So, as long as they didn't admit he had defeated the entire inner sect, they could at least save some face.

"The inner sect has over ten thousand people; over five thousand were killed. If that's not defeating the inner sect, what is? Don't you feel shame saying that?"

The Tong Shen Hall administrator's face darkened.

As sect elders, they belonged to neither the inner, core, nor outer sects. They handled matters impartially and would not show favoritism.

"We mean that the most powerful among the inner disciples haven't made their move! Since they didn't, there's no basis for saying he defeated the entire inner sect!" The disciple who spoke earlier gritted his teeth.

"How do you determine they didn't make a move?" The Tong Shen Hall administrator asked.

"I can't determine it, so I ask the Tong Shen Hall to release the battle details! That way, even if we lose, we'll be convinced!" The disciple continued.

"Exactly, please show the battle details. We all want to know who participated and ultimately caused the loss. Those of us who didn't make it in time don't want to share the blame..."

"Releasing this would show fairness!"

"If those who fought were all newly entered inner disciples, weak in strength, losing would be normal. How can that convince us?"

Many chimed in.