Chapter 21: Half a Body Cultivator? So Fragile! Exposed?!

A flash of sword light streaked through the air as Qin Changsheng gripped his longsword and charged toward Ye Qingning with overwhelming momentum.

“Ghost” was the identity he had been hiding in the secret realm, and the special move granted by his identity token—“Soul Devour”—only worked on characters created within the realm.

But when sparring with fellow examinees, he naturally couldn’t rely on the identity token’s special abilities. He had to rely on real skills.

He’d settle the score for that kick first—then verify her identity!

“Boom—!”

A gust of wind, blazing with fire spiritual power, slammed hard against the longsword in Qin Changsheng’s hand, jolting his wrist with pain.

Everyone knew talisman cultivators dreaded close combat—sword cultivators were their natural nemesis.

Qin Changsheng, having assumed Ye Qingning was a talisman cultivator, hadn’t taken her seriously at all. Even after guessing the talisman on her was a Strength Talisman, he still didn’t see it as a threat.

But now, he was thoroughly stunned.

He never expected his sword technique to be so easily dodged by a talisman cultivator.

Not only that—who the hell punches in a fight when they’re a talisman cultivator? Did she hit her head or something?

And that punch—it didn’t look random at all. It resembled some martial technique he’d never seen before!

“You’re not a talisman cultivator! You’re a body cultivator?!” Qin Changsheng finally realized something was off.

But aren’t all body cultivators those rough, burly guys?! Could it be this woman was actually a man in disguise, only appearing as the Yu clan’s second young lady because of the secret realm’s identity?

Damn it, that’s disgusting!

Ye Qingning had no idea what Qin Changsheng was thinking. She just found his shifting expressions—from pale to green—highly entertaining.

She curled her lips into a roguish grin and lazily replied, “You could say I’m half a body cultivator.”

In her past life, she had tempered her body with heavenly lightning, getting struck year-round. Naturally, her physical strength far surpassed most cultivators. In her spare time, she’d often hang around the body cultivator hall and had indeed picked up some close-combat techniques.

So calling herself half a body cultivator wasn’t too far off.

Qin Changsheng, hearing her answer, felt even more repulsed.

To his knowledge, among the outer sect disciples of the Penglai Sect, there were no female body cultivators!

Not just Penglai Sect—few other sects had any either.

Body cultivators relied on strengthening their physical bodies to enhance combat power. They trained their muscles, bones, skin, even blood and organs—until their bodies rivaled magic artifacts in defense and offense.

This kind of cultivation granted them immense advantages in close combat—some could even fight opponents of higher realms.

Even with just fists and flesh, they were ferocious in battle.

Whenever there was a secret realm expedition or life-or-death trial, body cultivators were always at the front lines—earning them the nickname “meat shields.” Naturally, very few female disciples chose this path.

Which meant—he just got beaten up by someone who looked like a woman but fought like a man! Who the hell could tolerate that?

Qin Changsheng gripped his longsword tighter and thrust it straight at Ye Qingning’s chest.

But Ye Qingning had been a sword cultivator in her past life. She dodged with swift reflexes, evading just as the blade was about to pierce her chest. Her agile body twisted to the side—and she followed up with a fierce punch.

The howling fist wind, sharp as a blade, slammed squarely into Qin Changsheng’s chest.

“Bang—!”

With a loud crash, Qin Changsheng’s body was hurled like a ragdoll, smashing hard into a massive rock in the courtyard.

If he had been an ordinary person, that blow alone would’ve probably killed him on the spot.

Since joining the Penglai Sect, Qin Changsheng had never suffered such a wound. He felt like his dignity as a sword cultivator was being ground into dust.

Ye Qingning gave the scumbag no chance to catch his breath. She darted forward and stomped viciously on his kidney.

She gathered spiritual power into her fists—plus the Strength Talisman’s boost—and unleashed a relentless flurry of punches and kicks, as fierce as a raging storm.

Every move was smooth and brutal.

Qin Changsheng clenched his teeth through the pain and tried to fight back, but he had no chance. His longsword had been flung aside long ago.

Without his sword, he couldn’t gather sword aura, much less manifest sword intent. All he could do was take the hits, wailing in pain and cursing viciously.

But his voice soon grew weaker, and his body started showing bloody injuries—completely miserable.

Though the secret realm had altered his appearance, his body was still his own. Which meant—every hit he was taking was very real.

This scene happened to be witnessed by Lvluo, who had just entered the courtyard with the two consorts in tow.

Wait—there were two consorts. All three were utterly stunned, unable to speak.

“Y-You brute! Stop right now! Don’t forget the rule—you can’t seriously injure fellow disciples!” Qin Changsheng forced the words out.

His face was swollen, a front tooth missing, and speaking felt like tearing open his entire jaw.

【Ningning, ignore him—keep beating! How dare he call you a brute woman?! Even a hundred slaps wouldn’t be enough!】

Ye Qingning raised her brow. Did this scumbag just call her a “brute woman” instead of “brute man”?

She’d thought she hit him so hard he mistook her for a man in disguise!

Well, mispronouncing insults definitely called for more punishment.

“Oh? You’re talking rules to me now? But if I recall—” Ye Qingning said calmly, “the rule was not to kill anyone. And you’re still alive, aren’t you?”

“A grown man like you crying over a few bruises? So fragile. Guess I’ll stop here then.”

“Bang!” With that, Ye Qingning grabbed Qin Changsheng by the head and—under his terrified gaze—slammed the back of his skull hard into the ground, knocking him clean out.

Lvluo swallowed hard, her scalp tingling. It took her a while to come back to her senses. “M-Miss… are you possessed by an evil spirit…?!”

She was just about to scream when Ye Qingning slapped a hand over her mouth.

“You silly girl, what nonsense are you spouting! Can’t you see he’s the one possessed by a ghost? I’m just exorcising the demon! Keep your voice down, you hear me?!”

Lvluo nearly cried in fright, but Ye Qingning’s tone did sound like her usual self—not something a ghost would say.

Seeing Lvluo nod frantically, Ye Qingning finally let go.

If this girl had screamed, who knew how many people would come running?

If other examinees showed up, her identity might be exposed.

The system, seeing its host had missed something crucial, gently reminded her:
【Ningning, your two consorts are here. Maybe take a look? You sure you didn’t already blow your cover? Should we knock them out too—just in case?】

Ye Qingning froze. Only then did she notice the two handsome men standing behind Lvluo.

One was strikingly elegant, the other radiated a wild, roguish charm.

Their physiques were equally impressive—no wonder they were picked as consorts.

The only problem now… should she knock them both out too?

If they were just secret realm NPCs, it was fine.
But if they were examinees—she might’ve already been exposed…