Chapter 242: A Question.

Mu Qingya rolled her shoulders, and the spiritual qi surrounding her body surged with renewed intensity.

The playful expression she had worn earlier vanished, replaced by a sharp gaze that made Lin Xuan instinctively tighten his guard.

“Come on, Patriarch Lin! Don’t tell me that was your best!”

Before Lin Xuan could respond, she disappeared from her position.

His spiritual sense immediately caught the movement behind him, and he twisted his waist while raising his arm to block her incoming palm.

BOOM!

The impact sent a tremor through his bones, forcing him to slide several steps across the stone floor. Before he could regain his footing, Mu Qingya followed with another strike aimed directly at his shoulder.

Lin Xuan leaned sideways, allowing her palm to brush past his clothes, then drove his elbow toward her ribs.

She blocked it with her forearm and grinned.

“Good reaction!”

Her knee shot upward, forcing Lin Xuan to retreat. He planted his foot against the ground and circulated his spiritual qi, stabilizing his body before she could press her advantage.

This woman is ridiculously fast.

Lin Xuan narrowed his eyes as he studied her movements. Mu Qingya wasn’t relying solely on her cultivation or physical strength. Every strike flowed seamlessly into the next, leaving almost no openings for a counterattack.

Even worse, she seemed to be getting more excited with every exchange.

“Your Majesty, are you always this enthusiastic when beating someone up?” Lin Xuan asked while dodging another palm strike.

“Of course!” she answered cheerfully. “What’s the point of sparring if you’re not going to give it your all?”

Her fist came hurtling toward his face.

Lin Xuan tilted his head aside, caught her wrist, and stepped forward. He intended to use her momentum to throw her over his shoulder, but Mu Qingya reacted almost immediately. She rotated her body, broke his grip, and struck him squarely in the chest with her palm.

BANG!

Lin Xuan was forced backward, his boots carving two shallow grooves into the stone. He felt a dull ache spread through his chest, but his body refinement had allowed him to withstand the impact without suffering any serious injury.

He exhaled slowly before looking at her.

So this is what happens when I fight someone who can match me in close combat.

His previous opponents had rarely forced him to pay such close attention to every movement. Against Mu Qingya, even a moment of carelessness could leave him eating another palm strike.

Nevertheless, Lin Xuan had no intention of losing so easily.

He raised his right hand, and a surge of spiritual qi gathered around his palm. Rather than immediately launching an attack, he watched Mu Qingya’s shoulders and hips, waiting for the slightest indication of her next movement.

She tilted her head curiously.

“Oh? You’re finally taking me seriously?”

“Your Majesty, I was taking you seriously from the beginning.”

“Then why haven’t you shown me anything interesting yet?”

Lin Xuan’s mouth twitched.

Does this woman even know how irritating she sounds?

He didn’t bother answering. Instead, he stepped forward, and his figure blurred as he activated the Cloud Chasing Movement Technique once more.

This time, he didn’t attack from directly ahead.

His movements shifted, carrying him from one side of the arena to the other as he searched for an opening. Mu Qingya turned to follow him, but Lin Xuan abruptly changed direction and appeared at her flank.

His palm struck toward her shoulder.

She raised her arm to intercept it, only to discover that the attack was a feint. Lin Xuan twisted his body and drove his other fist toward her abdomen.

Mu Qingya’s eyes widened slightly.

She hurriedly lowered her elbow, blocking the punch just before it landed. The impact still forced her to take a step backward, and the spiritual qi around her body rippled violently.

For a brief moment, neither of them moved.

Then Mu Qingya broke into a delighted laugh.

“Excellent! That’s the kind of fight I came here for!”

Her aura suddenly intensified, and the air around her grew heavy beneath the pressure of her spiritual power.

Lin Xuan’s expression became serious.

Until now, Mu Qingya had been fighting with a carefree enthusiasm, as though she were enjoying an ordinary afternoon exercise. But the change in her aura made one thing clear.

She had finally decided to stop holding back.

Lin Xuan slowly raised his hands, his spiritual qi gathering around his body as he prepared to meet her next attack.

Well, this is going to hurt.

The moment Mu Qingya’s aura erupted, Lin Xuan felt the pressure bearing down on him like an invisible mountain.

The spiritual qi around her surged violently, sweeping across the training grounds and stirring up clouds of dust. Even the surrounding stone pillars began to tremble under the force of her presence.

Lin Xuan’s expression grew solemn.

This woman really isn’t joking around.

Before he could finish his thought, Mu Qingya lunged forward.

Her palm came straight toward his chest, carrying enough force to shatter the defenses of an ordinary Golden Core cultivator. Lin Xuan immediately crossed his arms to block the strike, but the impact sent him skidding backward.

He barely had time to stabilize himself before her second attack arrived.

Mu Qingya attacked with relentless enthusiasm, each movement flowing into the next without leaving him any room to breathe.

Lin Xuan dodged when he could, blocked when he had to, and occasionally returned a strike of his own, but the difference in their combat experience was becoming increasingly apparent.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Their figures flashed across the training grounds, leaving cracks in the stone wherever their attacks collided.

Lin Xuan ducked beneath a sweeping kick and retaliated with a punch aimed at Mu Qingya’s waist. She twisted aside, caught his arm, and attempted to throw him over her shoulder.

Unfortunately for her, Lin Xuan had already anticipated the movement.

He rotated his wrist, loosened her grip, and used Cloud Chasing to slip out of her reach. Before she could turn around, he thrust his palm toward her back.

Mu Qingya spun around just in time to block it.

The collision produced another thunderous boom, and both cultivators retreated several steps.

Her eyes shone with delight.

“Wonderful! Your movement technique is quite impressive!”

Lin Xuan flexed his fingers, feeling the faint ache left by their exchange.

“Thank you, Your Majesty. Your martial arts are equally impressive.”

“Stop being so polite and attack me properly!”

Mu Qingya didn’t wait for his response. She rushed forward again, her fist cutting through the air with astonishing speed.

Lin Xuan’s expression twitched.

Does she think I’m holding back because I’m being polite? I’m already doing my best not to get beaten into the ground!

Nevertheless, he had no intention of explaining himself.

He drew a deep breath and circulated his spiritual qi throughout his body. His muscles tightened, and his stance shifted as he prepared to meet her head-on.

This time, he didn’t retreat.

His fist shot forward, meeting hers in the center of the arena.

BOOOOM!

The resulting shockwave spread outward in a widening circle, scattering dust and small fragments of stone across the ground.

Both cultivators stood their ground, their spiritual qi surging against each other as neither was willing to yield.

Mu Qingya’s smile widened.

“That’s more like it!”

She suddenly withdrew her fist and changed her stance. Her spiritual qi gathered around her arm, forming a dense layer that shimmered faintly in the air.

Lin Xuan immediately recognized that she was preparing something stronger.

He narrowed his eyes and shifted his weight onto his back foot, ready to evade the incoming attack.

But Mu Qingya’s next movement caught him off guard.

Instead of striking directly, she stomped against the ground, sending a tremor through the stone beneath his feet. His balance wavered for an instant, and she seized that tiny opening to close the distance.

Her palm struck toward his shoulder.

Lin Xuan twisted aside, but the attack still grazed him, sending a sharp jolt through his body. He retaliated with an elbow strike, forcing her to raise her arm defensively before he could follow up with another attack.

For several breaths, the two exchanged blows at close range.

Neither gained a decisive advantage, but Lin Xuan gradually realized that Mu Qingya was forcing him to fight in ways he rarely encountered. Her techniques were direct yet unpredictable, and she knew exactly how to exploit even the smallest hesitation.

Then, just as he prepared to launch another counterattack, Mu Qingya abruptly stepped backward.

She raised one hand, signaling for him to stop.

Lin Xuan immediately halted, his spiritual qi slowly settling around him.

“What is it, Your Majesty?”

Mu Qingya stared at him, breathing slightly faster than before. Her cheeks were flushed with excitement, and her eyes practically sparkled as she examined him from head to toe.

“Patriarch Lin, I have a question.”

Lin Xuan waited warily.

“Why is your physical strength so much greater than I expected, yet your combat techniques are so unfamiliar to me?”

He paused.

Because I don’t have the combat skills of the original and I’d rather not explain the circumstances of my transmigration.

Of course, none of those thoughts appeared on his face.

Instead, Lin Xuan gave her a composed smile.

“I have my own methods, Your Majesty.”

Mu Qingya stared at him for a moment before grinning.

“Fine! Keep your secrets, then.”

She raised her fists again, her fighting spirit showing no signs of diminishing.

“But we’re not finished yet!”

A moment later, another thunderous collision shook the arena.