"???"
Qin Yang heard the system notification in his mind, a look of stunned disbelief on his face.
Empress?
What the hell?
And it wants me to kowtow and become her disciple?
Qin Yang narrowed his eyes, staring at the girl before him with a mixture of shock and suspicion.
Her looks were, of course, beyond reproach—a twelve out of ten, completely off the charts. If they walked down the street together, they'd be the perfect couple, turning every head.
But...
What could she possibly have to do with an Empress?
'Is this damn system trying to screw me over on purpose?'
Just as Qin Yang was feeling bewildered, a screen of light suddenly appeared in his mind.
Name: Li Zixuan
Age: 516
Cultivation: Peak of Emperor Venerable Realm
Martial Arts: True Understanding of Taiyin Sword Dao, Dragon-Slaying Swordsmanship...
Lifespan: 5,000
???
The lines of the status panel appeared one by one, dazzling Qin Yang and leaving him with a look of utter terror.
'Holy shit, this is for real?!'
'Could this girl really be some Empress?'
At this thought, Qin Yang grew restless.
It wasn't for any other reason; the whole Empress thing wasn't important.
He was simply recalling the damn system's previous request—he'd received a huge reward just for squashing a cockroach.
'If I actually succeed in becoming her disciple this time, won't I get an even more heaven-defying boost?!'
Realizing this, Qin Yang immediately understood what he had to do.
He strode forward decisively, preparing to ask for her name.
After all, becoming a disciple was a major event. He had to confirm it one more time.
It would be a joke if he ended up pledging himself to the wrong person.
Of course.
Losing face wasn't the issue.
In a world overrun by Star Beasts, what was a little embarrassment?
Strength was the only thing that truly mattered.
'Getting explosive rewards just for taking a master? I'd be a fool not to take it!'
Qin Yang strode toward the girl, his steps creating a breeze, his posture calm and composed.
His friend Xia He saw this and his jaw dropped. He froze on the spot, his brain's CPU practically burning out.
Huh???
'Where's Old Qin going?'
'He's just charging right in?'
'Who gave you the guts to do that?!'
He couldn't understand it, but he was deeply shaken!
'Is this still the same Old Qin I know?'
"Don't tell me the quiet gourd is finally opening up today?!"
Xia He realized he was understanding his buddy less and less.
While Xia He was still in shock,
some of the nosier people in the library also noticed what was happening.
After all, with a face like Qin Yang's, he was already an eye-catching presence, and the girl who was reading was just as beautiful.
The meeting of this handsome man and beautiful woman instantly became the center of attention in the library.
"Hey, look, isn't that the handsome administrator from the first floor?"
"What's he doing? Why is he walking over to that girl?"
"He's so handsome. I hope he's not hitting on her. I was planning to ask for his number in a few days."
The hushed whispers continued, and every single word reached Qin Yang's ears.
With his Innate Realm level cultivation, he could hear them crystal clear.
As a result, he couldn't help but feel a wave of anxiety.
'When word of this gets out, isn't the entire library going to know?'
'This is going to be a major public humiliation!'
But the arrow was already on the bowstring.
It was too late to worry about any of that.
'Dammit, you damn system! Just wait until I'm stronger, I'll definitely teach you a lesson!'
Qin Yang gnashed his teeth, cursing inwardly.
But his body was very honest.
He took a few quick strides and arrived in front of the girl's table.
Getting closer, Qin Yang realized the girl was even more beautiful than she had appeared from a distance.
Her skin was like fine jade, her chest was magnificent, and she had a delicate nose and small mouth... She was the perfect picture of an ice-cold beauty.
It was just that her aura was a bit too frosty.
She was like a sharp, cold sword sheathed in its sword box, keeping everyone a thousand miles away.
'No wonder the seats for several meters around her are all empty.'
Qin Yang glanced at the surrounding area and understood why.
"Ahem..."
Qin Yang cleared his throat lightly, immediately catching the girl's attention.
She merely lifted her gaze slightly, glanced at Qin Yang, and said nothing.
The atmosphere instantly fell silent.
It was as if time itself had frozen.
"Um..."
Seeing this, Qin Yang's mind raced, trying to figure out how to start the conversation.
But on second thought, he wasn't here to hit on her...
'Why am I overthinking this?'
So he got straight to the point. "Excuse me, miss, may I ask your name?"
The moment he finished speaking,
a collective gasp could be heard from the onlookers.
The bystanders who had been watching all leaned in, anticipating what would happen next.
From a distance, Xia He secretly gave him a thumbs-up, inwardly cheering, 'Old Qin, you're the man!'
'What kind of move is that? He's way too bold to hit on someone like that! I never would have guessed it!'
Meanwhile,
the girl didn't reply to Qin Yang's question. Instead, her brows furrowed slightly, a flicker of displeasure crossing her mind.
She was a little surprised by his question.
'What kind of old-fashioned pick-up line is this?'
'I've had some bold admirers at the Martial Arts Academy before.'
'But he's really the first one to just hit on me so directly.'
She wasn't quite sure how to handle this situation.
As the girl hesitated,
Qin Yang, seeing that she wasn't speaking, felt a bit awkward himself and could only let his gaze fall on the student ID card on her desk.
Name: Li Zixuan
Age: 16
Academy: Jianghai Martial Arts Academy
After a brief, few-second glance, Qin Yang committed the information to memory.
'Good, it's the same name as the system prompt!'
'The Empress the system mentioned really is this young woman in front of me.'
Qin Yang's eyes were fixed on the student ID, his thoughts drifting.
A slender, pale hand suddenly reached out and covered the ID card.
Seeing this, Qin Yang's heart skipped a beat. He instinctively pulled his gaze back, only to look up and meet the girl's eyes directly.
"What are you looking at?"
Li Zixuan asked, her fine brows knitting together in clear impatience.
Her icy gaze swept over Qin Yang, tinged with an obvious annoyance.
Qin Yang saw this and instantly understood that she was angry.
He realized his actions had been inappropriate, so he quickly pointed to the work badge on his chest and began to explain:
"Miss, my apologies. I'm a librarian. For the past few days, someone checked out a book and hasn't returned it, and they aren't answering their phone. I'm currently searching the entire hall for that person. I'm very sorry if I've offended you."
After he said his piece, Li Zixuan's brow relaxed slightly.
Thinking it over, the man hadn't said anything out of line.
He had merely asked for her name.
It didn't seem like he had any malicious intent.
'Why should I get angry with a mere librarian?'
With this in mind, Li Zixuan shook her head and said, "It's fine. Your job is hard. I understand."
"Okay, okay, I'm truly sorry. I won't disturb you any longer, miss."
Qin Yang put his hands together in a gesture of apology and backed away, moving out of the girl's line of sight.
But inside, his heart was anything but calm.
'The student ID clearly says she's 16, so why does the system say she's 516?'
'Could it be... that the system's timeline is actually five hundred years ahead?!'
Suddenly, a shocking thought flashed through Qin Yang's mind.