Naked Sword Art

Chapter 429: Fallen Prince

Chu Piao stepped back, awe in his voice. "Fang... you’re the first person to ever dodge that strike. Your swordsman instinct really is the sharpest I’ve ever seen."

And he meant it. Blindfolded or not, Xiao Fang had reacted without delay. When it came to pure swordsman’s instinct alone, no one was his equal. Witnessing it first hand, Chu Piao could attest to that.

{"You’ll have to do better than that to beat me."} Xiao Fang replied calmly through a spirit transmission.

A flicker of excitement flashed across Chu Piao’s eyes.

Then, in a burst of movement, he reappeared at the center, pressing Xiao Fang again with blistering speed.

There was one thing Xiao Fang couldn’t do—hear strikes moving faster than sound. For those, instinct was his only defense.

He considered using [ Spirit Perception ], but under Standard Sparring Rules, technique use was forbidden. Especially a technique like that would give him too much of an unfair advantage, as it would allow him to see Chu Piao’s Qi flow and easily predict his every move.

Xun Wei watched intently. This was a duel between two peak Divine Swordsmen of the youngest generation—the very level of swordsmanship she aspired to reach one day.

Supreme Elder Song observed closely as well. Although neither Chu Piao nor Xiao Fang had used any techniques, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say this was the highest level of swordsmanship she had ever witnessed from two cultivators so young. Even compared to the monstrously talented prodigies in far away countries and nations, she felt both Chu Piao and Xiao Fang could stand shoulder to shoulder with them.

’But why are they holding back? And why is he still blindfolded? Didn’t Yao Wu say he wasn’t actually blind?’ she wondered.

Chu Piao was clearly enjoying himself. He wasn’t going all out—partly out of respect, partly out of arrogance. Xiao Fang was 6 years younger and blindfolded, after all. Yet, despite holding back, he continuously forced Xiao Fang onto the defensive.

Rips and tears began appearing across Xiao Fang’s robes as the pressure mounted.

The Chu Family Clan in the Divine Sword sect was known for their speed, but even so, no one in the younger generation should’ve been able to match Chu Piao’s raw physical strength. That’s why he was more than impressed to find Xiao Fang not only keeping up—but slowly surpassing him.

What Chu Piao didn’t know was that Xiao Fang’s strength had long since eclipsed that of the average Profound Body cultivator. The Golden Core he had absorbed from the Cannibal Abnormal Beast gave him strength that rivaled even the peak of the Divine Body realm.

’I should’ve expected nothing less from the fallen prince of the Divine Sword Sect,’ Chu Piao thought as his eyes sharpened. ’Let’s see how well you handle my true speed.’

The pace of the fight suddenly quickened—but Xiao Fang didn’t falter. Each movement was sharp, precise, and filled with intent. The air itself seemed to tremble with Sword Qi, and with every swing, a layer of sword comprehension rippled outward like a silent shockwave.

To the experienced swordsmen watching, it felt as if the space between the two fighters was being sliced apart. A cold sensation ran down their spines—as if they might be cut just by witnessing it.

’Incredible.’

The speed of their exchange became incomprehensible to most untrained eyes. Only the elders and the sword cultivators in the stands could follow what was happening—and even then, just barely.

Clang! Clang! Shrrrk!

The ringing of steel echoed across the arena like thunder, each collision a testament to their precision and control.

Faster. Faster. And faster still.

They attacked and defended. Blocked, dodged, and redirected. Their movements were flawless, and it was only getting quicker.

Sparks flew with every parry. Sword Qi flashed with each movement. The wind around them was cut to ribbons, and the arena floor became riddled with deep sword marks, despite its reinforcement.

Xiao Fang’s blindfold fluttered with the momentum of their battle, his body moving with such fluid grace that it seemed he could see the blade even without his eyes.

They finally clashed and grabbed each other’s wrists. Face to face, Chu Piao kept a calm yet overwhelming composure, he no longer underestimated Xiao Fang. He had enough fun, he now wanted to win.

Chu Piao was older, more experienced, and faster. He was the peerless genius of the Divine Sword sect, a genius above geniuses. There was no chance he could lose to someone a few years younger than him, much less a 6 year age gap.

But who was Xiao Fang? To his opponents, he had always been slower, weaker, less crafty, and yet he had never lost. In a sect full of the strongest swordsmen in the country, Xiao Fang alone blocked their path to the Core Court, yet even as a child he had never been the first to be cut.

He needed no eyes to see.

No strength to kill.

No speed to hunt.

He was the shadow beneath the blade.

The silence before the cut.

The cold breath before death.

Born from steel, and forged by fate. Where his blade went, comprehension followed. He was the Fallen Prince of the Divine Sword sect, the master of every sword style. With the sword— he had no equal.

Chu Piao narrowed his gaze, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. How foolish it was to think he could win without trying.

’He’s pushing me...’ Chu Piao thought with a frown.

He couldn’t understand how it was happening, it didn’t make sense, but the edge of the stage was behind him.

Despite being forced back more than once, Xiao Fang’s expression never wavered. His body, honed by years of hardship, impossible trials, and extreme training, began to react more and more on instinct. Every deflection, every sidestep, and redirection, was executed at the razor’s edge of brilliance and recklessness.

Chu Piao was done messing around. Attacking now with the intent to win, he moved in to finish it.

But then it happened—