Naked Sword Art

Deep within a secluded cave in the 7th floor of the Ancestral Training Ground, Xiao Fang finally collapsed onto his back, chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath. The battle had been grueling—taming the Cannibal Abnormal Beast had been a fight unlike any other. Even now, he could still feel the lingering resistance of the creature's soul, its sheer will refusing to be subdued until the very last moment.

"I hope I never have to do that again," Xiao Fang muttered to himself.

Yet, despite the exhaustion weighing down on his body, something within him had changed. He could feel it—the Cannibal Abnormal Beast's soul, no longer an external force but something tightly sealed within him, infused into the very depths of his dantian. But that wasn't all. Along with it came an overwhelming surge of strength, raw and untamed, unlike anything he had ever experienced before.

It wasn't just Qi—it was something primal, something explosive, something that coursed through his meridians like a rampaging storm. His muscles pulsed with newfound power, his senses sharper, his body thrumming with an energy foreign yet familiar.

He didn't understand where it had come from, but it didn't take him long to trace it back to the beast within his dantian.

His brows furrowed as he concentrated further. The presence of the beast's soul was unmistakable, but beneath it, deeper within his dantian, was something else entirely. His consciousness drifted toward it, drawn by its sheer weight of power.

And then, he saw it.

Suspended in the void of his inner world, surrounded by swirling streams of Qi, was a golden beast core.

Xiao Fang's eyes snapped open, his breath caught in his throat.

'A Golden beast core?'

Xiao Fang couldn't remember what Xiao Hei said about the benefits one could get from a golden beast core, but that was simply because he never expected to encounter one anytime soon.

'Just what kind of power did I get from you?' Xiao Fang thought to himself.

As if responding to his thoughts, a voice suddenly echoed in his head—deep, guttural, and brimming with an instinctual savagery.

"[ Javelin ]"

It wasn't a skill or technique, but an innate ability the Cannibal Abnormal Beast once possessed. And now, it was his to command.

Xiao Fang immediately understood, recalling his first encounter with the beast. It threw several trees at him almost as fast as the speed of sound. But now, performing that ability himself felt no different than swinging his sword—natural, instinctive.

Eager to test it out, Xiao Fang ran outside of the cave, cut a tree down into the shape of a large spear, then tried to listen to see if there was anything nearby.

Eventually he found a prey.

Approximately 200 meters away from him, there was an 8th-tier beast eating from a bush. It looked like a deer, but it had swirly antlers that looked as sharp as a sword.

Xiao Fang took aim. Finally, his muscles coiled, his Qi surged, and in the blink of an eye, he launched the massive makeshift spear with a force that shattered the air around it.

Boom!

The projectile tore through the field like a lightning bolt, the sheer speed of its release leaving a deafening shockwave in its wake. The moment it made contact, the beast on the receiving end barely had time to react before it was skewered through its torso, pinned against a massive boulder with a thunderous crack. Blood sprayed in all directions as the impact shattered bone and ruptured flesh.

Xiao Fang's heart pounded in his chest—he could hardly believe it. Taking down an 8th-tier beast in an instant from this distance was absurd. While defeating one in close combat was well within his ability, witnessing such overwhelming power firsthand from as far as he was, was something else entirely.

An 8th-tier beast typically possessed strength comparable to a 1st-stage Divine Realm cultivator. Since Xiao Fang was only in the Profound Realm, this could only mean one thing—the Golden Beast Core had elevated his base strength by an entire realm, perhaps even more.

Yet, as impressive as the technique was, Xiao Fang's eyes narrowed as he noticed something.

'That was far too slow. If the Cannibal Abnormal Beast had thrown it, it would've destroyed the boulder as well,' he thought to himself.

So Xiao Fang gave it another go.

Cutting down another tree, then carving it into a spear.

Crackle!

Suddenly, Xiao Fang's hair turned white, and his aura electric. Lightning surged around his body, coiling around his arm like a living entity, giving him a dangerous appearance. The moment his fingers grasped the wooden spear, arcs of blue lightning danced along its surface, refining the crude weapon into something deadlier. He felt the weight, the balance, the natural flow of the technique—only this time, it was amplified by the destructive power of his [ True Immortal Lightning Tribulation ].

He found his next target—a massive 9th-tier beast prowling through the trees nearly three kilometers away. This one resembled a panther, but with obsidian-black fur that shimmered with a faint metallic luster. Its eyes were golden slits, its claws sharp enough to carve through stone. A formidable prey.

Xiao Fang took aim. His Qi surged to its peak, muscles tensed, and—

Boom!

The moment his arm snapped forward, the spear vanished from sight, its sheer speed distorting the air like a bolt of divine punishment. A thunderous explosion erupted as the spear struck… nothing.

Xiao Fang's eyes twitched.

The panther beast had already vanished from where he aimed. The spear continued its path, piercing through trees and vanishing into the distant mountains. A few seconds later, a distant boom echoed across the valley as it struck something far beyond his target.

Xiao Fang frowned.

'Too slow.'

He needed to be faster. Stronger. More precise.

He cut down another tree, refining the spear with Qi, making it sharper, more streamlined. His body crackled with power as he set his sights on another distant beast, this time a massive horned rhino drinking from a river nearly four kilometers away.

This time, he wouldn't miss.

Boom!

The spear shot through the air like a lightning bolt. The sheer force shattered the ground beneath his feet, leaving a crater. The energy around it roared as it cut through the wind—unstoppable, devastating.

And yet—

The rhino beast lazily lifted its head, glanced around, then continued drinking.

The spear flew right past it.

A few moments later, another boom echoed from the distant horizon.

Xiao Fang's brow twitched.

Again.

Refusing to accept defeat, he tried again. And again. But he could only do it six or seven more times till he would get exhausted. Each throw cut through the sky faster than the last, each impact more destructive. The air rippled, the force behind them undeniable.

Yet every single one missed.

Perhaps he was having beginner's luck, but the first target he hit was a mere 200 meters away. However, every target he tried to find and hit now were over a kilometer away. Still, Xiao Fang could feel it—he was improving. It was only a matter of time before he got the hang of it.

His breath came heavy, sweat rolling down his back as he clenched his fists. His gaze remained locked on the tree before him.

"Come out."

At his command, an eerie energy bled from his body, coalescing, twisting, solidifying—until the towering form of the Cannibal Abnormal Beast took shape before him. Though Xiao Fang stood tall, the beast still loomed over him, its presence an imposing force.

Xiao Fang pointed at a tree and said,

"Show me how it's done."

A couple kilometers away, the [ Solid Clone ] Xiao Fang had left with Li Lian and Xun Wei remained seated cross-legged in a secluded part of the 7th floor. Now that he had finished taming the beast, he focused his senses, listening for any sign of where Li Lian, Xun Wei, and Xiao Hei might be.

'They're leaving?' Xiao Fang noticed.

An unfamiliar Elder was leading them out. Her robes, embroidered with intricate designs, suggested she was someone of significant status.

{"Xiao Hei, where are the three of you headed?"}

Xiao Hei's ears perked up, and she instinctively turned her head, scanning for Xiao Fang. Before she could make it obvious, he quickly warned her to act naturally.

{"She's the Matriarch of the sect. She's concerned the Cannibal Abnormal Beast might attack, so she's taking them to the 6th floor to train. And I'm heading to class."}

Xiao Fang agreed it was safer for them to train on the 6th floor, so he had no objections. However, as for class—Su Lingxi had given the students the day off to spend time with their new mentors. Xiao Fang hadn't yet met his own mentor, but that was a problem for later.

{"Forget about your class, meet me outside the sect at the North Gate when you're finished. We leave for Jade Peak City today."}

{"Un. Understood."}