Naked Sword Art

"Do you want to sleep with him too?"

Luo Biya blinked, a bit taken aback. Then she let out a soft chuckle, smiling warily.

"I came to speak with him," she replied to Xiao Hei.

{"Let her in,"} Xiao Fang's voice came through a spirit transmission.

Xiao Hei nodded and stepped aside, letting Luo Biya enter.

Inside, Xiao Fang stood with his back turned to her as he was tying on his blindfold. Shirtless, his chest rising and falling with slow, heavy breaths. Sweat trickled down his back, neck, and chest, glistened on his sculpted body, evidence of the toll the Lightning Tribulation had taken on him.

Luo Biya paused, her thoughts briefly drifting in a direction she quickly scolded herself for. She wasn't the type to ogle, but seeing him like this… it was difficult to ignore. Dual Cultivators were notoriously attractive, but Xiao Fang wasn't just attractive, his physique was real, power radiated from every muscle fiber in his body. Stretching, contracting, pulling, there was no doubt that having sex with him would be an invigorating experience she would never forget.

"You look like you've been through a war," she said, her voice soft.

Xiao Fang turned to her calmly, his expression unreadable.

"I was training," he said, now fully facing her—unintentionally giving her even more to look at.

Luo Biya's gaze wavered, and she cleared her throat. "I can come back at a better time, if you'd prefer."

Xiao Fang walked past her, heading to the closet as he searched for something to wear. "That's alright. You can stay."

He pulled out a purple and white robe and slipped it on. The fabric hung loosely over his frame—he was too tired to bother tying it properly. With a heavy sigh, he dropped back into the chair, letting the robe drape carelessly over his still-damp skin.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Xiao Fang looked at her and added, "Truthfully... I was hoping to get some assistance with something."

"What kind of assistance?" she asked, trying to keep her tone professional despite the heat on her cheeks and tightening sensation in her lower stomach.

"I want to learn the [Soul Merge] technique," Xiao Fang said plainly.

Luo Biya blinked, surprised. "You want to learn a Soul Devouring technique?"

"Mn. Can you teach me?"

"Of course," she nodded slowly, "but… the [Soul Merge] technique is the most difficult one to master. We typically don't recommend anyone attempting it until they've learned the other five techniques first."

"How long would that take?"

"I honestly can't say," she admitted.

Xiao Fang paused for a moment, thinking it over. As tempting as it was to learn through dual cultivation—an option she might have been expecting—he didn't want to cause problems in the clan. Not when he still needed their cooperation.

"Alright. Let's do it your way," he agreed. "I've already learned two on my own. Learning three more shouldn't be too difficult."

Luo Biya's eyes widened slightly. Until now, she had assumed he'd only managed to grasp [ Soul Search ].

"Which two?" she asked.

"[ Soul Search ] and [ Soul Taming ]," he replied without hesitation.

Luo Biya blinked in disbelief. It was hard to imagine that he had learned the [ Soul Taming ] technique on his own—and in such a short amount of time, no less. She didn't want to question him outright, but the doubt was plain in her eyes.

Xiao Fang noticed.

Without a word, he raised his hand slightly, and in the next moment, the air rippled beside him. A towering beast nearly three meters tall emerged—its eyes glowing with primal awareness and power. The Cannibal Abnormal Beast stood silently by his side, casting a looming shadow over the room.

Luo Biya's mouth parted as she staggered back a step.

"This… this… this…" she stammered, struggling to find the words.

She knew this beast. She fought against it with her granddaughter, Luo Yue. Taming something of that level wasn't just rare—it had never been done before. Not a single beast tamer in their entire clan had ever subdued a creature of that caliber. For Xiao Fang to have done it alone, and without assistance, left her stunned.

Before she could gather her thoughts, the beast vanished once again, returning to Xiao Fang's dantian with a simple thought.

"You're… unbelievable," she finally said, still shaken. "I don't even know what to say."

She exhaled slowly to regain her composure. "Well, since you've already mastered [ Soul Taming ], we can skip the [ Soul Puppet ] technique. It's basically just a lesser version of what you've already achieved."

"That leaves [ Soul Heal ] and [ Soul Suppression ], then," Xiao Fang said.

"Mn, that's right," she nodded. "Let's start with [ Soul Heal ]."

Xiao Fang was quietly relieved to hear that. If it could ease the pain he'd been enduring, even slightly, it would be worth it.

Luo Biya's expression turned serious.

"Before we get started, you'll need to let go of everything you think you know," she said. "Your body isn't you—it's merely a physical manifestation of your soul. The body can be destroyed, but as long as the soul is intact, the body can be rebuilt."

The concept was foreign, but not too difficult for Xiao Fang to grasp given what he'd already learned and experienced so far.

"Use [ Soul Search ], and observe me," Luo Biya instructed.

Xiao Fang activated the technique. The world around him faded, replaced by the glowing silhouettes of souls. Only Luo Biya and Xiao Hei's forms remained, each one radiating a unique energy signature that he could easily distinguish.

"What's next?" he asked.

But Luo Biya didn't respond right away.

"…Fang," she finally said, her voice tense. "I've never seen a soul as badly damaged as yours. What kind of training were you doing?"

In all her years, she had never seen a soul in such a fractured state. Every inch of it looked on the verge of crumbling. That he was even still conscious—still upright—was unbelievable. Just a single crack could be excruciating, and yet his soul was covered in them.

"Don't move. I need to heal you first."

Xiao Fang nodded silently and remained still.

She gently took his hands, and almost immediately he felt a warm, soothing energy begin to flow through him. It spread slowly, like sunlight breaking through storm clouds. He didn't know what technique she was using, but whatever it was—it felt incredible.

Comforting. Restorative.

After a couple minutes, she let go of his hands and said,

"You're not completely healed yet, but it's good enough for now. How do you feel?"

"Feeling almost as good as new," he replied.

"Good, now listen closely, and I'll teach you how to perform that technique on yourself."