Naked Sword Art

Chapter 462: Slap

"It’s fine, I agree to the wager."

Xun Wei’s words fell like a stone into still water, sending ripples through the room. Even Supreme Elder Song arched a brow. She nearly opened her mouth to object—such a wager was reckless. But the truth was, the Phoenix Jade Hairpin now belonged to Xun Wei. If she were foolish enough to lose it over a challenge, then perhaps she didn’t deserve to keep it.

Still, Supreme Elder Song had a strong sense for people, and she trusted her judgment of Xun Wei. If she was willing to stake something so precious, it could only mean one thing—she had absolute confidence that she wouldn’t lose.

The Elder slowly crossed her arms, her gaze sharpening as it settled on Xiao Fang. There was something about him—elusive, unreadable. The mystery behind his presence was unsettling, and now more than ever, she wanted to see what he was truly capable of. But what disturbed her the most was that she couldn’t see through his cultivation at all.

"So, do you dare?" Xiao Fang asked.

One disciple—her pride already flaring—immediately stood up and pointed at Xiao Fang. "You think I don’t dare?"

"We only have to cut you once, right?" another disciple chipped in.

"Let us experience your instincts first hand."

"I don’t doubt you, but the prize is too tempting."

One by one, nearly half the girls in the Swords Club began to draw their swords. Some genuinely wanted to disprove Xun Wei’s explanation, but most were simply tempted by the Phoenix Jade Hairpin.

Xiao Fang, however, had no interest in entertaining all of them. There was only one who had vehemently rejected Xun Wei’s words—she was the only one he intended to make an example of.

"You," Xiao Fang said, pointing at her. "Come."

The girl’s lips curled into a devilish grin as she stepped forward. The others quickly cleared a space as Xun Wei calmly moved aside, giving them the floor.

"Don’t cry when I embarrass you," the girl sneered. "I wouldn’t want anyone thinking I bullied a cripple."

The air shifted. Just for a moment, but enough to make her instincts scream that something was off.

"Your time starts now," Xiao Fang said flatly.

She didn’t hesitate. Sword flashing, she lunged forward—fast and decisive, aiming to cut him down in a single stroke. Xiao Fang barely moved, his body shifting just enough for her blade to miss by inches.

She quickly spun, swinging again in the direction he dodged, determined to land a blow. But before her sword could even complete its arc—

PAA!

A crisp smack echoed through the hall.

The next thing she knew, she was on the floor, blinking in disbelief. Her cheek burned.

She hadn’t seen the slap coming at all.

She pushed herself up, trembling with fury.

"Ah, did I hit you too hard?" Xiao Fang asked almost sincerely. "Hands and feet don’t have eyes, and well... my eyes are covered, so you must forgive me."

"Shut your mouth!" she barked, launching herself at him again.

But no matter how fast she came at him, the result was the same.

PAA!

PAA!

PAA!

Each strike landed perfectly. Clean. Unrelenting. She staggered back again and again, her pride and face both taking blow after blow.

By the time ten seconds passed, her cheeks were swollen, and she could barely hear from one ear. Still, her rage hadn’t dulled. If anything, it had only grown sharper.

"Time’s up," Xiao Fang said. "But forget the punishment—you’ve taken more slaps than you were owed."

"You—!"

"Unless," he added, cocking his head, "you’re still not convinced. Another ten seconds might help."

She stared at him, stunned, her sword trembling in her hand. To be humiliated like this by a blindfolded, unarmed man—before all her peers—was unbearable. But deep down, she knew. She couldn’t touch him.

Xiao Fang turned to the rest of the room.

"Anyone else unconvinced by Xun Wei’s explanation?" he asked, calm and composed. "Step forward and try to cut me. Or come all at once, if that would make it easier."

Xiao Fang turned his back on her, facing the rest of the room with an air of complete indifference.

The girl gritted her teeth, her pride too wounded to accept this humiliation. With a sharp exhale, she drew a second breath—and struck.

Her form split like mist—two identical images rushing from both sides, flanking him in perfect synchronization.

The girls watching tensed, some rising from their seats in alarm. But Xiao Fang didn’t even look back.

With the same lazy stance, he shifted his weight.

A subtle sway of the torso—just enough.

Her illusory clone missed by a thread of air.

Through the veil of his blindfold, Xiao Fang gazed down at it, the faint glow of azure light flickering behind the cloth—his eyes dyed blue from the activation of his dual cultivation technique, [ Spirit Perception ].

Then—BOOM!

His palm whipped outward with a casual grace, striking the phantom clone. The illusion shattered into a cascade of sparks and light, vanishing like smoke in wind.

But her real body was already behind him, sword descending with momentum and fury aimed at his back.

In that single instant—

CLINK!

Time seemed to freeze.

Her blade stopped cold, caught effortlessly between two fingers.

The dojo fell into absolute silence.

Xiao Fang, still not facing her, had caught the falling sword between his fingers like it were no more than a twig. The sharp metal trembled, trapped in the unyielding grip of a man who hadn’t even unsheathed a blade of his own.

Gasps rang through the hall.

"He caught it...?"

"While turned away!"

"It’s the same... he caught it like Chu Piao did to Xun Wei during the tournament."

Even Supreme Elder Song narrowed her eyes in thought. The movement was simple, elegant, and unmistakable. That last gesture—catching the sword mid-air between two fingers... it was something any experienced swordsman could do, but to do it without even facing it—wasn’t just difficult, it should’ve been impossible.

’So this is a swordsman’s instinct,’ she thought.