Naked Sword Art

For Xiao Fang's first class, the Teacher went over 2 different techniques. The 1st was a movement technique called [ 100 Step Clone Maneuver ], while the 2nd one was a support technique called [ Clone Vessel ]. Even though they were both simple techniques, Xiao Fang had never seen them before, so he paid close attention to the lecture.

Since the Divine Realm Teacher was performing both techniques herself, Xiao Fang knew he could gain even more insight if he used his visual technique.

[ Spirit Perception ]

Just like before, his surroundings changed. Every inanimate object became black, but outlined in grey, while the body of every person was white with the Qi inside of them being as clear as day. His blindfold didn't obstruct his vision at all, the only thing it did was conceal the fact that his eye colour changed from violet to blue.

Seeing the external movement of the Teacher was one thing, but seeing her internal Qi flow gave Xiao Fang an even deeper understanding of the techniques she was using. The more he watched, the more he understood, but after a while he began to experience a minor backlash.

Despite the pain he was feeling behind his eyes, he continued to use the visual technique till the end of the class. By the time the class was over, Xiao Fang had almost completely comprehended both techniques, but his eyes hurt so much he felt like could barely open them. Xiao Fang quickly ate a healing-regeneration pill and let his eyes rest.

'It seems I still haven't mastered it,' Xiao Fang thought.

There was no other way he could train his visual technique besides repeatedly using it. Lucky for him, he didn't need his eyes as much as the average person did, so he was confident he could master the technique fairly quickly.

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Name: [ 100 Step Clone Maneuver ]

Type: Movement

Realm: Core realm

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1st level: 10 Step Clone Maneuver

> Prerequisites: Spirit Foundation realm

> A tricky maneuver with 2 clones to confuse an opponent.

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2nd level: 50 Step Clone Maneuver

> Prerequisites: Spirit Refinement realm

> A tricky maneuver with 3-4 clones to confuse an opponent.

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3rd level: 100 Step Clone Maneuver

> Prerequisites: Spirit Core realm

> A tricky maneuver with 5-6 clones to confuse an opponent.

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Name: [ Clone Vessel ]

Type: Support

Realm: N/A

> The ability to adopt all of your clone's senses, and experience the world through its eyes.

> To use this technique one must be in a meditative state. Mastery of this skill would allow the cultivator to simultaneously use the [ Clone Vessel ] technique without having to go into a meditative state.

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Once the class was over, the disciples bowed to the teacher and thanked her for the lesson before going out to their smaller divisional class. However, when Xiao Fang arrived outside of the 5th divisional classroom, he found that his fellow 5th division classmates were all standing outside in a line, and waiting to go in.

Xiao Fang walked to the back of the line then asked the person in front of him what was going on. Since he was the only guy in the entire Phoenix-Class, the woman immediately recognized him.

"Ah, we're just waiting to get our monthly allowance. We get them at the start of every month," she explained.

Xiao Fang was a bit surprised to hear that because he thought he already received his monthly allowance after passing the inner court exam.

'... I'll need to be a little more careful this time around,' he thought as he looked into his nearly empty spatial pouch.

After closing his spatial pouch, he noticed that the girl in front of him was still staring at him with an innocently curious gaze.

"What's your name?" Xiao Fang asked.

"I'm Gao Nian. You're Long Wang, right?"

"Mn, that's right."

'Her surname is Gao, huh,' Xiao Fang thought.

After meeting Gao Chen, Li Lian's previous deceased fiancé, he assumed that the Gao family were all deceitful and vile people. However, the girl standing in front of him didn't match that description at all. He didn't think she could even hurt a fly. However, there was a chance that she could be from a different Gao family, since it wasn't uncommon for people from different provinces to share the same surnames.

He noticed the guild nameplate around her waist which read 'White Jade' and made a mental note of it.

"Um... I was wondering, are you really blind or are you just pretending to be?" Gao Nian asked.

Xiao Fang thought for a second then replied, "I'm not blind, but I'm not pretending to be either."

Gao Nian was a bit confused by his words, so she was going to ask a follow up question. However, she stopped herself when she saw the woman approaching from behind him. Of course, Xiao Fang could sense her too, but she didn't seem to be sneaking up on him in a threatening way, so he didn't think much of it.

"Ch-Chen Li," Gao Nian suddenly said, attracting the gaze of the other disciples in the line.

'Chen Li? Where have I heard that name before?' Xiao Fang thought.

It only took Xiao Fang a second to remember. Back when he just passed the Inner Court Exam, an Inner Court disciple obstructed his path, telling him that someone named Chen Li wanted to see him. He scared the messenger off, but not before telling her to tell Chen Li to come herself if she wanted to speak to him.

Xiao Fang had no reason to speak to Chen Li so he didn't turn around. However, there were others who were eager to get on her good side.

"Chen Li. I'm Lai Yun. If there's anything you need, I-"

Chen Li gave the girl a mean look, which instantly made her stop talking. Chen Li looked back at Xiao Fang then spoke in a soft tone,

"Long Wang, do you know who I am?"

Xiao Fang partially turned around before replying.

"No, I don't think I do."

"My name is Chen Li. I'm a part of the upper management running the White Jade Guild. Perhaps you've heard of us."

"Upper management, huh. Why would someone like you want to talk to someone like me?"

Xiao Fang asked the question many of the girls around him were thinking. Even Bai Fan and Zhao Pan, who were both farther down the line, were curious.

"I came here to give you an invitation. If you are interested, we would like you to join our guild."

The girls that heard it gasped. Xiao Fang was practically living their fantasies. Chen Li herself came all the way here to recruit him; how special would one have to be to warrant that much respect from someone in the White Jade guild's upper management.

Xiao Fang didn't immediately reply.

Chen Li was a fairly intimidating looking girl, but he could tell that she was making an effort to be respectable.

'Is she just trying to maintain a good public image or does she really want me to join her guild?' he thought.

However, Xiao Fang knew it had to be the former since the contract the White Jade guild offered him was nothing more than a slave contract. But still, it didn't make sense why she would come here to ask him.

Whether she was being genuine or not didn't matter to Xiao Fang, since he started his own guild, there was no way he was going to leave it for hers.

"I regret to inform you that I am already in a guild, so I must respectfully decline your invitation," Xiao Fang said while tapping his guild nameplate.

The girls around him almost couldn't believe what they were hearing. Was there really someone so foolish to pass up on the opportunity to join one of the most prestigious guilds in the inner court? And Chen Li even came all this way to personally invite him herself.

...

"Just who does he think he is?"

"Did he really just choose a no-name guild over the White Jade guild?"

"He wouldn't know what's good for him if it slapped him on the face."

"Unbelievable. There are no doors to hell, but he still managed to barge right in."

"That boy must be stupid as well as blind."

...

The words spoken by the girls around him became progressively harsher as the reality of the situation began to set it. However, Xiao Fang paid no mind to them, the only thing he was disturbed about was Chen Li's reaction.

Xiao Fang had been paying attention to how Chen Li might react to his rejection, but she hardly reacted at all. It was almost as if she was expecting him to turn it down. If her goal was to simply turn the other girls against him, then he didn't think he had anything to worry about, but those were ambitious eyes staring at him, he could feel it before she even said a single word.

'What is she planning...'