Naked Sword Art

Chapter 519: Li Anru

"Then you’ll be my first."

The courtyard erupted with claps and cheers.

The other Captains, however, had a very different reaction.

"He accepted him?"

"That kid’s only in the Body Refinement Realm."

"Lian, isn’t your fiance a bit foolish?"

Li Lian didn’t question Xiao Fang’s judgement, so she ignored her siblings. Seeing that, the Captains exchanged looks. Some frowned. Others scoffed outright. A few stared at Li Roh as if seeing him for the first time.

Li Roh himself froze.

He hadn’t expected to be looked at by all the Captains, their presence was suffocating.

Before he could react, a familiar voice cut through the noise.

"Step behind me," Xiao Fang said.

Li Roh obeyed without hesitation. Strangely, the oppressive feeling he felt coming from the other captains immediately disappeared the moment he stood behind Xiao Fang.

Xiao Fang unexpectedly created another clone.

"If anyone else wishes to join my team," he said evenly, "defeat this clone, and I will accept you."

His gaze swept across the soldiers.

"But understand this—I do not intend to be idle during this war."

Most of them looked confused, unsure of what he meant. Seeing this, Xiao Fang continued.

"There will be no glory. No fame. No opportunity."

His voice remained calm, but each word struck like a hammer.

"If you join my team, you will gain nothing—and you will likely lose your life."

Silence fell.

"If you are truly willing to die for your clan," Xiao Fang said, "then step forward and take my test."

He raised a hand and gestured toward the waiting clone.

"Li Roh," Xiao Fang said over his shoulder. "If you’re having second thoughts about joining my team, you can leave now."

Li Roh quickly replied. "This is where I want to be. I’ll follow you, even to death."

Xiao Fang nodded.

Li Lian looked at Xiao Fang silently from the corner of her eye. She could already tell that Xiao Fang was planning something, but she couldn’t tell what it was yet.

.

.

.

The Core Realm cultivators were next to choose their captains, yet hardly anyone showed interest in Xiao Fang’s team.

"No gain, only sacrifice."

"Only a fool would join him."

"That poor boy doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into."

...

Unlike the Refinement Realm cultivators, those at the Core Realm had far better luck being accepted. However, with only ten available slots per team and a limited number of captains, the majority of cultivators seeking placement were ultimately turned away.

At last, it was the Profound Realm cultivators’ turn.

There were only a handful of them, but their importance was undeniable. Whichever team a Profound Realm cultivator joined would see its overall strength rise dramatically.

Li Lian’s siblings exchanged eager glances, each hoping to draw one of them in. Many captains had deliberately left one or two positions open, waiting for this very moment.

Most assumed that the eldest of General Huxin’s sons would attract the greatest number of Profound Realm cultivators.

But to everyone’s surprise, the first person to step forward walked past them all and stopped before Xiao Fang.

The elderly cultivator clasped his hands.

"Captain Fang," the elder said calmly, "may I take your test?"

Xiao Fang had grown tired of waiting for challengers during the Core Realm selection phase. He was currently seated off to the side, calmly sipping tea with Xiao Hei beside him.

He turned his head and briefly examined the elder before gesturing lightly with his hand.

"Of course," Xiao Fang said. "Though I doubt it will pose much of a challenge for you."

His gaze sharpened slightly. "Why do you wish to join my team?"

"Isn’t it obvious?" the elder replied. "I don’t seek merit in this war. I don’t know what you’re planning, but if you intend to accomplish something significant... I am willing to stake my life to see it through."

Xiao Fang remained silent.

"But first," the elder continued, eyes narrowing, "I must see whether you truly possess the strength to carry those words."

In the next instant, Profound Realm Qi erupted from the elder’s palm, surging toward Xiao Fang like a crashing wave.

Gasps rippled across the assembly ground.

To openly attack a captain—especially one backed by General Huxin—was unthinkable.

Yet before the attack could reach him, Xun Wei reacted.

A formation shot out in a flash of light, and a glass-like wall materialized between them.

BOOM!

The translucent barrier rippled violently as the Profound Realm Qi slammed into it.

The resulting shockwave tore outward, scattering dust and forcing nearby cultivators to stagger back.

Xun Wei remained unmoved.

The elder’s eyes narrowed because Xiao Fang hadn’t reacted to his attack at all.

’Could he truly be blind?’ he wondered.

Stranger still, his attack had been stopped by Xun Wei.

The elder’s gaze shifted fully to her.

’A mere Core Realm girl... stopped my attack?’

Then—

An invisible pressure descended.

The elder’s breath caught.

His knees buckled as a crushing force slammed into him from all directions, bearing down directly on his soul.

An overwhelming, unseen weight.

Almost instantly, he knew where it came from.

Xiao Fang.

[ Soul Suppression ]

The elder gritted his teeth. In all his years of cultivation, he had never personally faced the oppressive might of a Heavenly Realm cultivator. Yet from the countless descriptions he had heard, he was convinced what he was feeling was exactly that.

"Captain... Fang," the elder said hoarsely, bowing his head. "I had eyes, yet failed to see Mount Tai. Please forgive my rudeness."

Cold sweat trickled down his face.

The surrounding cultivators stared in confusion, unable to understand why the elder’s attitude had changed so drastically.

Xiao Fang increased the pressure slightly and gestured once more toward the clone.

"Having strength is one thing," he said calmly, "but knowing how to wield it under pressure is what makes you formidable. Destroy my clone, and you may join."

The elder clasped his fists deeply. "Thank you for this opportunity."

In the next instant, his figure blurred.

Before most could even track his movement, the elder appeared before Xiao Fang’s clone, his palm already descending in a devastating strike. Profound Realm Qi surged, condensing around his hand until it shimmered with destructive power.

The air cracked.

The ground buckled.

Then the elder’s strike landed.

BOOM.

A shockwave tore outward, forcing the surrounding soldiers to shield their faces as dust and shattered stone exploded into the air. Cracks raced across the ground beneath the clone’s feet as the force slammed into it head-on.

For a brief moment, the clone held.

Then a sharp crack rang out.

Fractures spread from the point of impact, racing across its body like broken glass before the clone finally collapsed inward, its form unraveling into streams of Qi that scattered and dissipated.

Silence followed.

The elder withdrew his hand, chest heaving slightly, but his stance remained steady.

Xiao Fang nodded once as he retracted his [ Soul Suppression ] technique. The souls absorbed into his soul sea were already starting to get restless.

"You pass," Xiao Fang said.

Relief flickered across the elder’s face, followed by a deep, solemn bow.

"I, Li Anru, am at your command."