Naked Sword Art

Supreme Elder Song reached into her sleeve and retrieved a folded strip of aged parchment and laid it gently on the table before Xun Wei. The ink was old, the brushstrokes elegant and deliberate, like the poem had been written not just with words, but with intention.

Xun Wei began to read silently.

[ "Steel falls like rain upon the mountain,

Yet the mountain does not bleed.

One sword splits a thousand shadows—

But which is the true strike?

When the wind retreats and silence reigns,

What does the blade still defend?" ]

Xun Wei read it once, then again—each line washing over her like ripples on still water. It wasn't a technique in the conventional sense. It was a riddle. A philosophy.

"Take your time," Supreme Elder Song said.

The courtyard fell still.

Xun Wei didn't sit, nor close her eyes, nor furrow her brow in thought. She simply stood there, as if letting the words sink through her skin rather than her mind.

After a long pause, she finally spoke.

"The mountain does not bleed because it does not resist. It is not a question of strength—but stillness."

Supreme Elder Song's brow twitched. Xun Wei continued, slowly, deliberately.

"The sword that splits a thousand shadows is not hunting the true one. The strike itself is the truth."

Xun Wei lowered the parchment, her voice soft but unwavering.

"The wind retreats, silence returns—and still the blade remains. Because what the sword defends is not a person or a cause. It defends the balance. That… is the essence of a cultivator's sword."

Supreme Elder Song remained silent for a moment longer, before slowly folding the parchment.

"A fair interpretation," she finally said. "Deeper than most. And not far from the original intent."

She gave Xun Wei a subtle nod, the faintest trace of a smile pulling at the corner of her lips.

"You pass."

Xun Wei finally smiled happily, she didn't know how many more tests she could do.

With a breath, Supreme Elder Song retrieved a small ornate box from within her sleeve. She opened it to reveal a slender jade hairpin, glowing softly with crimson and gold undertones—delicate in form, yet brimming with energy.

She held it out.

"This is my Phoenix Jade Hairpin. Take it, I want you to have it," she said.

Xun Wei blinked, eyes widening slightly as she received it with both hands, bowing deeply.

"Thank you, Supreme Elder."

Although it wasn't the first time seeing it, Xun Wei was genuinely surprised that Xiao Fang managed to find a way to get it to her without giving it to her himself.

"How does it work?" Xun Wei asked.

Song smiled slightly. "Perceptive of you. As you guessed, it's not merely ornamental. It's a comprehension artifact. While you wear it, your ability to comprehend techniques will increase dramatically. Sword arts, cultivation methods, spirit attribute applications—everything will come more easily. Use it well in the tournament. But if you don't perform up to expectations... I will take it back."

"I understand. I won't let you down."

"Good. Represent our sect well. We're all counting on you."

Though Xun Wei was rarely shaken, the weight of Song's expectations pressed down on her.

Supreme Elder Song studied her a moment longer before saying, "You should know... Long Wang was the one who suggested I test you."

Xun Wei's eyes flickered at the name, and Song caught it immediately.

"Do you have a good relationship?"

Xun Wei hesitated, then said, "Kind of. We once went on a mission together. Is Supreme Elder interested in him?"

"I was, but then I tested him… Well, seeing as I'm here, you can guess how it turned out."

"He failed?" Xun Wei blurted, then immediately caught herself. "I mean... he taught me a few things. That's why I'm surprised."

Supreme Elder Song raised a brow. "You're surprised that he failed?"

Xun Wei froze. Not wanting to expose Xiao Fang's identity, she felt like she had put herself in a tough spot. "N—No… I was just curious to know which part he failed at, that's all."

"I'm curious too," Yao Wu interjected.

Song turned to her. "You know about him?"

"Unfortunately. He stirred up quite a bit of trouble in the Outer Court last year—especially for my daughter."

"What kind of trouble?" Song asked.

Yao Wu crossed her arms, dodging the question. "That's not important. So, what part did he fail at?"

Supreme Elder Song shook her head, "if you must know, he failed at the very beginning. When confronted by the threat of my illusory clone, he couldn't perceive it at all."

"What do you mean he couldn't perceive it?"

"That boy is blind, isn't he?"

"Blind? You mean you tested him while he was blindfolded?" Yao Wu asked, giving her a strange look.

"Are you trying to tell me that boy can see?" Song's brows wrinkled.

"Of course he can."

Supreme Elder Song tried to recall Xiao Fang's words in the auction hall, but he never once said that he was blind, only that he could detect things with his ears.

"Do you really think that boy could've passed my test?" Supreme Elder Song asked, watching Xun Wei carefully.

"I—" Xun Wei hesitated. She wanted to lie, but something told her she wouldn't get away with it. "If you tested him fairly… then yes, I believe he would've passed."

Supreme Elder Song's brows drew together. That kind of certainty only came from experience.

"This boy… is he stronger than you?"

It was a dangerous question—one that could reveal far more than she was willing to say. If there was ever a time to lie, it was now.

"I don't mean to sound arrogant," Xun Wei replied, her tone steady, "but I don't think I would lose."

"No need to be modest," Yao Wu said, giving her a firm pat on the back. "There's not a single disciple your age in this sect who can even dream of matching you."

Xun Wei offered a sheepish smile, raising a hand to scratch the back of her neck. "Yeah… I guess it wouldn't be a fair fight."

For her.

But deep down, she knew the truth.

She hadn't just trained beside Xiao Fang—she had been molded by him. The fundamentals of her swordsmanship were taught by his hand. The deeper philosophies she drew from during her comprehension tests? Recited by him during their sparring sessions. His grandmother may have refined her edge, but he had forged the blade.

"I see." Supreme Elder Song studied her a moment longer. "Well I hope my hairpin can help you grow into the exceptional cultivator you're meant to be. I'll let you return to your training."

Xun Wei bowed deeply and clasped her fists before respectfully taking her leave. The moment the door closed behind her, Supreme Elder Song's expression shifted.

Gone was the calm and composed elder.

What lingered now was unease.

Despite Xun Wei's words, her posture had told a different story—not arrogance, but restraint. She spoke with confidence, but her body had given away a silent truth: She wouldn't even last a second against Xiao Fang.

'I should never let my guard down…' she recalled his last words to her.

The fact that he was intentionally handicapping himself would certainly seem strange to the average person, but there were situations where she herself suppressed her own cultivation to not attract too much attention, but she would never go so as to obstruct her own vision.

'If he really was a sleeping dragon, there would be signs,' she thought.

And then it came to her.

The Matriarch's words echoed in her mind like a whisper carried on the wind.

"I wouldn't dismiss him so quickly… He did place 9th on the Trial Pod test."

Supreme Elder Song's steps halted. Her eyes narrowed, sharp as the edge of a sword drawn in silence. For a long breath, she stood there, trying to understand what she could've meant by that.

Then, without a word, her figure blurred—vanishing in a flicker of light.

Within moments, she arrived at the Trial Pod Pagoda.

The towering structure loomed like a Red monolith against the night sky, each level etched with inscriptions that shimmered faintly with Qi. A sense of gravity hung in the air—a solemn reverence born from the countless trials endured here by generations of disciples.

The Trial Pod Pagoda was silent, only a faint hum of spiritual energy radiating from the obsidian scoreboard. Glowing rankings floated across the dark stone surface like flickering constellations, each number a silent testament to a disciple's potential.

Most of the top ten spots were blank—no names, no guilds, no class—only raw numbers. Anonymity was standard among the elite.

Supreme Elder Song stood before the monument, her gaze narrowing.

Her eyes swept the rankings, line by glowing line.

1st – [ 36,291 ] — Chen Li, Phoenix Class, White Jade Guild

2nd – [ 35,900 ] — ???

5th – [ 33,120 ] — ???

Then she saw it.

9th – [ 31,081 ] — ???

10th – [ 31,081 ] — ???

She stopped cold.

Her pupils contracted. Her gaze sharpened.

'Identical scores for the ninth and tenth ranks?' She took a slow breath. 'This wasn't an accident.'