Xue Mingzhao's expression changed abruptly, and she immediately stood up from the prayer mat.
As she left the prayer mat, all the surrounding ancient books instantly dissolved into points of light and vanished.
The 《Nine Heavens Thunder-Attracting Scripture》, which had flown halfway toward her, also faded away.
The tenth floor became completely empty once again.
Her body tensed.
Everything above the sixth floor consisted of enclosed quiet rooms, and no one lingered in the corridors outside.
She hadn't encountered a single soul on her way up here.
Who would suddenly ascend to the tenth floor at a time like this?
“Who's there?”
A wary voice called out from behind her.
The moment Xue Mingzhao heard that voice, her entire body went numb.
Shen Chaoyue!
Enemies really did meet on a narrow road.
How could she have come up here too?
With her back to the entrance, Xue Mingzhao rapidly mobilized her spiritual energy, frantically circulating the Formless Art.
Spiritual energy surged through her meridians and rushed to her face, beginning to alter her skin and bone structure bit by bit.
At this moment, the changes on her face had only just begun.
She must not turn around.
Xue Mingzhao forced her voice lower, deliberately adopting an old and majestic tone.
“This Seat is a Supreme Elder of the Heavenly Origin Sect.”
“How did a junior like you ascend to the tenth floor?”
The footsteps behind her came to a halt.
Shen Chaoyue stood at the entrance, visibly a bit nervous.
She bowed respectfully. “Junior Shen Chaoyue, a personal disciple of the Sect Master, pays respects to Senior.”
“Junior was so absorbed in reading just now that I walked all the way up without realizing it. By the time I came to my senses, I was already on the tenth floor.”
Xue Mingzhao was utterly speechless.
Sleepwalking while reading?
Coming to her senses only after walking up ten floors—if she used this excuse on a three-year-old, even they would demand a different story.
However, since Shen Chaoyue was unwilling to tell the truth, she didn't intend to press further.
“Since you entered by mistake, run along back.”
Shen Chaoyue did not leave immediately.
She looked up at the Supreme Elder's back, a trace of doubt flashing in her eyes.
This Supreme Elder was neither punishing her nor questioning how she had broken through the restrictions. The reaction was far too calm.
More importantly, what the other party was wearing was clearly the newly made disciple robes of the Heavenly Origin Sect.
That deliberately lowered voice from just now also felt somewhat familiar to her.
Shen Chaoyue suppressed the suspicion in her heart and bowed once more.
“Junior shall take her leave now.”
She turned and took two steps before suddenly halting.
“Lin Yue.”
Xue Mingzhao's entire body stiffened.
She had almost reflexively turned around to answer.
That was close.
Fortunately, she had kept her mouth shut quickly enough.
But that split second of stiffness did not escape Shen Chaoyue's eyes.
Her initial thirty percent suspicion instantly shot up to seventy percent.
Shen Chaoyue turned back around and walked toward Xue Mingzhao.
“Junior Sister Lin Yue, is that you?”
With her back to her, Xue Mingzhao's heart beat so fast it felt like it would burst from her chest.
The Formless Art wasn't complete yet!
Her brow and eyes had already changed, but her nose and jawline were still adjusting slowly.
If she turned around right now, Shen Chaoyue would see a face that was only half-transformed.
At that point, not only would she fail to play the Supreme Elder, but she would also have to put on a live performance of a physical mutation.
“Impudent!”
Xue Mingzhao forced her voice to remain steady.
“This Seat does not know any Lin Yue. Withdraw at once!”
Shen Chaoyue did not stop.
One step.
Two steps.
The distance between her and Xue Mingzhao grew closer and closer.
The Formless Art was still running, spiritual energy slowly tracing along her jawline.
Just a tiny bit more!
A thin layer of sweat broke out on Xue Mingzhao's forehead, and her hands, hidden inside her sleeves, quietly clenched into fists.
Shen Chaoyue had already walked up to the low table.
Just one more step forward, and she would be able to round the table and stand before her.
Xue Mingzhao urged frantically in her mind.
Faster!
Just a little faster!
Shen Chaoyue took the final step.
The hem of her robe had already appeared in Xue Mingzhao's peripheral vision.
In the split second before she could clearly see Xue Mingzhao's face, the last wisp of spiritual energy finally swept past her jaw.
Her bone structure was completely set!
In the next moment, Shen Chaoyue appeared before her.
What met her eyes was a slightly aged, unfamiliar face.
The woman looked to be in her fifties. Though there were fine lines at the corners of her eyes, one could still tell that she must have been exceptionally beautiful in her youth.
At this moment, that face was filled with the displeasure of being offended.
“Who permitted you to step forward without permission?”
“What is your name? Who is your master?”
Shen Chaoyue's footsteps ground to a sudden halt.
She stared at the unfamiliar face before her, momentarily dazed.
It wasn't Lin Yue?
Had she really mistaken her for someone else?
The aura of the person before her was unfathomable; she couldn't detect the other's true cultivation level at all.
Remembering that this was the tenth floor of the Library Pavilion, Shen Chaoyue's heart tightened, and she immediately knelt to bow.
“Please appease your anger, Supreme Elder.”
“Junior saw that you were wearing disciple robes and felt your back and voice resembled a fellow disciple, which was why I presumed to test you.”
Xue Mingzhao snorted coldly.
“Since when does this Seat need to explain my actions to you?”
The aura of the Formless Art enveloped her entire body.
Shen Chaoyue could not see through her true appearance, nor could she find the slightest trace of disguise.
Encountering an unfathomable elder cultivator on the tenth floor of the Library Pavilion, even if she still harbored doubts, she dared not continue to offend.
Shen Chaoyue lowered her head.
“Junior knows her mistake.”
“Withdraw!”
“Yes.”
Shen Chaoyue rose, casting another glance at the low table and the prayer mat before she left.
A trace of unwillingness flashed in her eyes, but in the end, she turned and walked toward the entrance.
Shen Chaoyue walked down with her head lowered. Her intuition told her that was Lin Yue, but she didn't dare to gamble.
Only when the footsteps had completely faded into the distance did Xue Mingzhao's tense body suddenly relax.
She let out a long breath and raised a hand to pat her chest.
Heaven knew that when Shen Chaoyue had rounded her back, the Formless Art had been just a single split second away from completion.
One step earlier, and she would have had to make affectionate eye contact with the female lead while sporting half a young face and half an old woman's face.
Cang Jue reminded her, “She didn't entirely believe you.”
“I know.”
Xue Mingzhao wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.
“She just can't find any evidence for now.”
Everything above the sixth floor consisted of enclosed quiet rooms, and no one else had seen her ascend along the way.
As long as Shen Chaoyue couldn't produce evidence, a mere set of personal disciple robes and a similar back profile would be completely insufficient to establish her identity.
As for why Shen Chaoyue was able to break through layers of restrictions one after another and reach the tenth floor directly...
Xue Mingzhao attributed all of it to Shen Chaoyue's unique female lead halo.
The female lead's astonishingly sharp intuition was far more terrifying than she had anticipated.
If she lingered any longer, she would expose a flaw sooner or later.
Xue Mingzhao made up her mind to stay behind closed doors as much as possible for the next two days to avoid Shen Chaoyue.
The moment she got her hands on the goods, she would flee immediately!
Rate on N.U.
