Naked Sword Art

"Finish me."

.

.

.

But Xiao Fang ignored it. He simply collected the [ Soul Devouring ] method book that his clone had stashed in a safe place before luring the elders away last night.

Sitting upon a rock, Xiao Fang opened the book then began to read the opening line:

[ Books speak to the mind, friends to the heart, and heaven to the soul. Though the mind can be cloudy, and hearts can be swayed, all things are clear to the soul… ]

…

Given to him by Luo Biya to spare her granddaughter's life, the [ Soul Devouring ] method was a unique type of spirit cultivation method that was only practiced by a small group of cultivators in the Chaos sect. There were only 5 cultivation techniques listed in the book, and they were all fairly weak.

3 Foundation realm techniques

2 Refinement realm techniques

1 Core realm technique

He felt the Core Realm technique was probably the only technique in the book worth learning. However, trying to read the practice method for it was still too difficult for him, because he still couldn't fully comprehend the concept of a soul. So, Xiao Fang went back to the beginning, thinking that if he started by learning a foundation realm technique, then a refinement realm technique, then learning the Core realm technique wouldn't be so out of reach.

…

The beast could feel its limbs slowly growing back, if it weren't for the strange properties of Xiao Fang's sword, that had been gifted to him by his grandmother, the beast would've been able to heal itself much much faster.

"Are you not going to kill me?" the beast asked.

"I won't," Xiao Fang said plainly as he continued to read the book.

"Why do you insist on keeping me alive?"

Xiao Fang then turned his attention away from the book and looked back at the beast before saying,

"It's because you are special. Besides, what good would your death do for me?"

For a moment, the beast's hostility towards Xiao Fang dropped, but after it returned, it gradually faded away. It understood that Xiao Fang didn't see it as an enemy. Being in the position it was in now, it had nothing else to do, but to reflect on its motives and purpose.

'Here there are,' Xiao Fang thought as he found the techniques he decided to learn.

…

Technique name: Soul Search

Realm: Foundation realm

Type: Observation

> Detect a person's soul

…

Technique name: Soul Leash

Realm: Refinement realm

Type: Beast Taming

> Tethering a beast's soul to yours.

…

'Even the [ Soul Search ] technique is difficult to understand,' Xiao Fang thought as he read the practice method for each technique.

However, when he got to [ Soul Leash ] technique, he couldn't help but look at the Cannibal Abnormal beast and wonder if this was something Luo Biya and her granddaughter Luo Yue were trying to use on it.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, a familiar voice entered the ear of one of his clones.

"Boy, has anyone informed you about the province-wide tournament being held next week?"

The person speaking was none other than Supreme Elder Song, but the tournament she spoke of was something Li Lian had already informed him about. However, since Li Lian meeting him was supposed to be a secret, Xiao Fang avoided answering the question and instead asked her what Li Lian couldn't answer him.

"What is this tournament about? And why was I chosen?"

Supreme Elder Song sighed.

"All I can tell you is that if you want the Black Paradise sect to continue being recognized as the strongest sect in the province, you better fight well. And as for why you were chosen, I suppose I should be asking you that. Are you a capable fighter, is a sword your preferred choice of weapon? It must be, considering that you were able to pass my test at my Swords club. Which family clan did you come from, is Long Wang even your real name? It can't be, right?"

Supreme Elder Song stared at Xiao Fang, but he didn't reply. He always knew at some point someone would investigate his background, but he never expected it to be here of all places.

Whether he wanted to tell her or not, Supreme Elder Song was already convinced that Xiao Fang wasn't an ordinary person. Considering what kind of place the JadePeak city was, she was even starting to suspect that he wasn't even from this country.

"Well, whatever you have planned in JadePeak city, you better wrap it up quickly. We'll need you back in our sect soon."

The Black Paradise sect's affairs were the least of Xiao Fang's worries. However, being in Supreme Elder Song's company brought about a special opportunity to understand something he couldn't figure out on his own.

"Your Phoenix Jade Hairpin, what's so special about it,"

"Why? Do you wish to use it?"

"No, a pretty hairpin like that wouldn't look appropriate on a man like me."

"Then what, are you planning to sell it?"

"Since I received the hairpin, I always planned to give it to my wife, or I should say, someone I plan on marrying," Xiao Fang replied truthfully.

Supreme Elder Song paused when she heard him say that he already planned on getting married at his age. A part of her didn't want to believe it, but he seemed to be telling the truth.

"What's her name?" she asked curiously.

"That is a secret, but I can tell you that she is currently a Core Court disciple of our sect."

Hearing that made her even more curious, but understanding now that he planned to use her prized possession as a betrothal gift just made her feel sick to her stomach.

"It would be a mistake to give it away."

"Why's that?" Xiao Fang asked.

"Because it's a comprehension relic. Cultivators use it to assist their training for techniques that are difficult to learn. There are only a few of its kind in the world," Supreme Elder Song explained.

Her explanation immediately caught Xiao Fang's interest because he was currently struggling to learn the techniques from the [ Soul Devouring ] method.

"Tell me, how do I use it?"