Naked Sword Art

Chapter 494: So Be It

"Why did you stop, let’s see what else you got."

Xiao Fang stored the crystal away, then reached for another.

The moment his fingers brushed its surface, a sharp wave of killing intent swept across his soul. This one was different—volatile, aggressive, and far more ancient in feeling.

’It’s another Earth-grade formation,’ Xiao Fang thought as he counted well over 9 different inscriptions.

However, the formation itself was far larger and soul shaking than the flying pavilion was.

Eventually, the crystal began to demonstrate what the formation could do, but the moment it started Xiao Fang felt his stomach sink, and his teeth clench.

This wasn’t a simple offensive formation at all.

It wasn’t just an ordinary attack formation, but one that required a powerful weapon as its foundation—a spear, sword, or artifact capable of withstanding immense strain. The technique itself felt ancient, tyrannical, and devastating.

The aura of the formation felt ancient and tyrannical, its destructive potential immense enough to shake the heavens.

Xiao Fang’s expression hardened beneath his blindfold.

’Could this be a Heavenly-grade formation.’

A weapon-based one at that.

He glanced at the crystal again, noticing that it wasn’t empty but half-full.

Xiao Fang assumed Yu Shenyi must’ve tried and failed to learn the formation several times because he didn’t have a strong enough weapon to use as a base.

Realization set in.

’He likely coveted my Dragon Dynasty Spear after learning what it could do to Investigator Han. No wonder why he looked like he struck gold the moment he saw it,’ Xiao Fang thought before returning the crystal back into his spatial ring.

He checked the other crystals next, then returned them into his spatial ring as well.

Taking a moment to sift through Shenyi’s riches, Xiao Fang couldn’t help but wonder how much blood, scheming, and ambition had gone into accumulating it all. In that moment, Xiao Fang could feel the remnants of Yu Shenyi’s ambition more sharply than the treasures themselves.

’Greed built your wealth... and sharpened the blade that finally ended you,’ Xiao Fang reflected.

Fate was merciless to those who reached too high.

’And what of my own fate?’

A soft breeze carried Yu Qiuyan’s pleasant scent past him, faint but impossible to ignore.

His gaze under his blindfold drifted sideways to her—subtle, almost involuntary. The soft glow of her presence contrasted starkly with Shenyi’s icy hoard.

’I, too, am a man of ambition.’

"Is there... anything else good?" she asked, expectantly.

Her body now pressing even tighter against his, her doe eyes looking up at him, and her face closer than it’s ever been.

She didn’t know when she had gotten so close, but she strangely didn’t want to pull away. This was just a Dual Cultivator’s natural allure.

Her beautiful eyes got wider, her bottom lips a bit moist as her smile slowly died down.

Xiao Fang’s voice entered into her smoothly as he said her name, "Qiuyan."

She was helpless, unintentionally, but in that moment, she had no desire to change that.

Without thinking, Xiao Fang slowly reached up to feel her face, as a single thought crossed his mind:

’But if I reach too high...’

Xiao Fang paused, out of self restraint. But then his eyes flashed with someone that couldn’t be sealed away.

’When have I ever allowed myself to be constrained by something? I’ll decide my own fate. If I’m hungry, I’ll devour. If I wish to fly, I’ll ascend. If I wish to kill, I’ll slaughter... and if I wish to make this woman mine... then—’

Yu Qiuyan swallowed softly, her breath catching as she waited—hoping he would close the distance between them. Her pulse thundered in her ears.

Unexpectedly, as though he had sensed her unspoken desire, Xiao Fang moved.

"... Then— so be it," the words hardly audible, escaped his lips just as they were nearly upon hers.

His hand slid beneath her chin, steady and deliberate, he carefully raised it as he leaned in to kiss her.

Her eyes remained open during that moment, wide with surprise, her heart racing wildly. But then she felt it, Xiao Fang’s hand sliding onto her waist. Her eyes nearly rolled back before closing as she melted. Then Xiao Fang felt it, Yu Qiuyan kissing him back till he finally pulled away.

The kiss was brief, but for a moment, time seemed to stop.

She looked at him again, her body heating up.

"Why... why did you do that?"

Xiao Fang’s hand, feeling her waist one last time, retreated back to him.

"It just felt right," he answered her.

She didn’t realize it till now but her hand was on his thigh, and it was so close to his...

Her face flushed.

She didn’t understand what this feeling was, nor where it would lead.

But she knew one thing.

As Xiao Fang drew back, she leaned forward instead, closing the space he had left behind.

’I want more.’

Xiao Fang knew that look all too well, but it felt different coming from someone like her. There was nothing really like it, being yearned for by a devastatingly beautiful girl.

Suddenly, there was a gentle pulse that rippled through the carriage.

Xun Wei had finished absorbing her soul crystal.

Her eyelashes fluttered open, a faint sheen of grey mist still clinging to her skin before fading away like breath in winter. Her spiritual presence felt noticeably sharper—more refined.

"I... I can see the inscriptions in my mind," she whispered in awe.

But when Xun Wei turned to look at Xiao Fang, she froze. Yu Qiuyan was leaning onto Xiao Fang as if she were about to surrender herself to him.

Realizing how it must have looked, Yu Qiuyan quickly released him and created some space between them, clearing her throat as if nothing had happened.

"Good," she said, regaining her composure. "You’re both exceptional talents. Especially you, Xun Wei."

"Me?" Xun Wei blinked, genuinely confused.

"That’s right. You possess the Soul Tempering Body. Special Bodies are incredibly rare—you’re fortunate to have one."

Xiao Fang’s brow lifted beneath his blindfold. He’d heard of special bodies before, even met a few in the Divine Sword Sect. Just as people could be born with broader shoulders or a bigger dick, special bodies granted extraordinary advantages.

"What kind of special body does she have?" Xiao Fang asked.

"She has the Soul Tempering Body."