Naked Sword Art

Chapter 501: Someone Stronger Than Me

"Xiao F—"

"Silence!" Tianluo snapped, rising abruptly. "You dare insult me!"

All his life, his father had spoken of Xiao Fang as if the two of them were destined for greatness. But who was Xiao Fang? A cripple. A joke. A pathetic cultivator who got disowned by his own father. The thought of being compared to a useless person like Xiao Fang infuriated him.

"You met Xiao Fang?" The Patriarch replied as he leaned forward with interest.

"I won’t listen to this," Tianluo said, vanishing in a blur as the doors slammed shut behind him.

Chenli stood there stunned not just by his reaction, but how fast he moved. She herself had always been fast, but even now as a Divine Realm cultivator, she didn’t think she could move as fast as that.

"Tell me, child. Did you really meet Xiao Fang?" he asked. "Is he strong?"

"Yes," Chenli replied. "Very."

"Does he know we captured his mother?"

"I don’t know."

"And what impression did he give you?"

"...Ordinary," she admitted. "I couldn’t sense his cultivation at all. But judging by the people I know he’s defeated, he certainly can’t be weak."

The Patriarch laughed softly.

"A clever boy. He’s been hiding himself well."

The Patriarch stroked his beard with a smile on his face as if he was thinking about something, but Chenli couldn’t see through his thoughts.

"What else?" the Patriarch eventually asked.

"I didn’t want to believe it but," Chenli said carefully, "but I learned that he’s no longer crippled. He has eyes now. Violet ones."

"Violet eyes?"

The Patriarch fell silent.

’Could it be... has Zhen Lixuan returned?’ The Patriarch thought.

Zhen Lixuan was Yu An’s father, which made him Xiao Fang’s grandfather (Chapter 433).

He believed that there was only one reason why he would, so he began to pace back and forth.

’Dammit LiXuan, why must you do everything on your own terms,’ the Patriarch continued to think to himself. ’You could’ve at least given me a headsup.’

If the reason Zhen LiXuan was back was for the reason he thought it was, then everything was going to change very soon.

’I need to prepare the sect. Dammit, does Xiao Jianhong know about this?’

The Patriarch’s mind continued to race. This wasn’t a simple matter, since decades of planning was at risk and the entire sect could be at jeopardy.

’Father still hasn’t exited seclusion, so I’ll need to deal with this on my own.’

A bead of sweat trickled down the Patriarch’s face. She couldn’t imagine what he might be thinking, all she could do was assume it had something to do with Xiao Fang.

"Father?" Chenli asked cautiously. "Is there... something wrong?"

Realizing how panicked he must’ve seemed, he quickly composed himself then smiled warmly.

"It’s nothing. Come—tell me everything you know about Xiao Fang."

...

Outside the hall, Mo Tianluo stood motionless, having listened to every word.

"Xiao Fang... regained his eyes?"

For the first time, doubt cracked his certainty. Then his expression hardened.

Even if it were true, he would never accept Xiao Fang as his equal. Not now. Not ever.

.

.

.

Meanwhile in the Black Paradise sect, Li Lian awoke to the familiar presence of the Matriarch, carefully nursing her back toward health.

"You’re finally awake."

"Matriarch—ugh..." Li Lian groaned as she tried to sit up.

"Don’t move," Matriarch Shi said firmly. "You’re still badly injured from your fight with Chen Li."

At the sound of that name, memory flooded back in full.

"...Who was the woman that took her away?" Li Lian asked.

"There’s no way to know for sure. For all we know, that could’ve been her mother," Matriarch Shi replied. "If I had to guess, they belong to the Chaos Sect."

"The Chaos Sect?" Li Lian frowned. "Why would someone from the Chaos Sect be here?"

"It isn’t unusual for disciples born in other sects to wander into ours," the Matriarch said calmly. "What is unusual is the scene they created today."

Li Lian clenched her fists slightly. "That woman mentioned something... the Land of the Dead Trials."

For a brief moment—so brief it would have gone unnoticed by most—Matriarch Shi’s composure faltered.

"Master," Li Lian said quietly. "You’ve heard of it, haven’t you?"

Matriarch Shi sighed. She knew Li Lian would learn about it eventually so she didn’t bother hiding it from her.

"Mn. It is a trial for disciples of other sects who wish to join the Chaos Sect and be accepted directly into their inner court."

"What kind of trial is it?"

"No one knows the exact nature of the trials," she answered gravely. "Only that countless priceless treasures can be obtained there—and that failure often means death. Many talented disciples from much stronger sects have perished there."

She looked directly at Li Lian. "I believe in your strength, but with a target already on your back, attempting the trials would be extraordinarily dangerous. I advise you not to consider it."

But Li Lian wasn’t thinking about death. The only thought that occupied her mind at that moment was whether she could kill Chen Li or not.

"And if I decide to go?" Li Lian asked evenly. "Would you stop me?"

"If there is something you truly wish to do," Matriarch Shi said after a pause, "I won’t stand in your way. But you must not go alone. And I cannot, in good conscience, send any Core Court disciples with you. It’s far too dangerous."

Li Lian said nothing.

Matriarch Shi already knew what that silence meant.

"Lian’er—"

"I’ll go in two months," Li Lian said suddenly. "But you won’t need to worry. I won’t go alone."

Matriarch Shi’s brows lifted. "Who will accompany you?"

"Someone stronger than me," Li Lian replied. "Forgive me, Teacher—that’s all I can say."

Stronger?

Matriarch Shi was genuinely startled. Li Lian had just displayed power rivaling a Heavenly Realm cultivator. Who beneath that realm could surpass her?

"...Very well," she said at last. "Then in these next two months, I’ll train you harder than ever before. When the Ninth Floor of the Ancestral Training Grounds opens next week, perhaps you’ll gain some fortune there."

Li Lian bowed carefully, enduring the pain.

"Thank you, Teacher. I won’t disappoint you."

Matriarch Shi looked at her with pride—but beneath it, a deep unease lingered at the thought of her disciple entering the Land of the Dead Trials alongside an unknown companion.

"Oh, one more thing," she added. "Someone is waiting to speak with you. I’ll have her come in."

Li Lian rested back, expecting Xun Wei. Instead, a familiar figure from her family clan entered.

"Li Qin..."