Naked Sword Art

[ Black Paradise sect ]

"Wang... Long Wang... Hey Fang," a familiar voice called out to him.

Snapping back to his senses, Xiao Fang turned his head to the person calling out to him, it was none other than his Phoenix-Class teacher, Assistant Elder Su Lingxi. 

They were having class in the Ancestral Training Ground again, but since he was also trying to control his clone that was currently running towards the Divine Sword Sect as well, it was challenging to pay attention.

"Ah... I apologize. Were you talking to me just now?" Xiao Fang asked, before realizing all the other disciples in his class had already left besides Bai Fan and Zhao Pan.

"Class is over. Tomorrow will be a day off so you can prepare. The day after tomorrow, you'll be meeting your mentors."

Xiao Fang knew mentors would be assigned to teams of disciples in his class, but he didn't realize the weak was already coming to an end. But unlike Xiao Fang, Bai Fan and Zhao Pan seemed especially excited to meet their team's mentor.

"Elder, can you tell us who our mentor is going to be?" Bai Fan asked.

"Honestly, I don't know anything about her," Su Lingxi replied.

"Didn't you assign her to us? How could you not know who she is?" Zhao Pan asked.

"Normally yes but... I don't know if I should be saying this, but your mentor is, well, different. She was personally assigned to the 3 of you by the Matriarch herself."

Zhao Pan and Bai Fan looks of shock in their eyes, but when they looked at Xiao Fang, he seemed as if he wasn't paying attention at all.

"Hey, did you really fall asleep again?" Zhao Pan asked.

Annoyed, Zhao Pan rolled up her sleeve then took a swing at Xiao Fang's stomach yelling, 

"Wake up you you idiot!"

But she hit nothing but air as his swordsman's instinct alerted him in time to avoid it.

Bai Fan and Su Lingxi both laughed when they saw her miss, but that only made Zhao Pan more annoyed. Wanting to attack Xiao Fang again, she turned around to swing at him, but the moment she did Xiao Fang flicked her on the forehead.

"Do you always attack people when their guard is down?"

"You were ignoring me! Hmph," Zhao Pan said with a hand covering her forehead and another hand balled up into a fist. 

"That's enough Zhao Pan," Su Lingxi interjected. "He couldn't hear you because he was using the [ Clone Vessel ] technique. Isn't that right, Long Wang?"

"Mn, splitting my consciousness for both clones isn't something I'm able to do yet. If I didn't see you doing it, I wouldn't even think it was possible," Xiao Fang replied honestly.

Su Lingxi chuckled quietly as she covered her beautiful lips.

"It seems the great Long Wang can't do something after all."

 Xiao Fang knew she was just trying to tease him, but no matter how many time he thought about it, it just didn't make sense how someone could put their mind in 2 different places at the same time.

Seeing that he was struggling to comprehend it, Su Lingxi tried to help.

"Have you ever seen someone play the zither before? Think of splitting your consciousness like controlling both hands on an instrument. Executing two entirely different movements at the exact same time," Su Lingxi explained.

Although it wasn't exactly the same thing, it was the best she could do to help him visualize it.

It took a few moments for it to click, but Xiao Fang eventually started to feel enlightened by her words. He was always trying to be overly present in both of his [ Solid Clone's ] bodies, but what he needed to do was the opposite. Understand the motions of one, then understand the other, then combine the two into a single symphony. However, just comprehending her words was one thing, putting it into practice was another.

"I understand. Thank you, Sister Su. That was really helpful," Xiao Fang said sincerely.

"Don't mention it. I'm your teacher after all," Su Lingxi smiled.

Hearing him continue to refer to her as Sister in front of Bai Fan and Zhao Pan was a little embarrassing, but they didn't seem to mind it.

"Fang, should we get going to the Club Center now?" Zhao Pan asked, reminding him of his appointment he had with Assistant Elder Chu Yan.

"Mn, let's go."

.

.

.

[ Club Center - Swordsmen Club ]

The moment they entered, they immediate attracted everyone's attention. Xiao Fang wasn't a small person, nor was his reputation for winning Supreme Elder Song Qian's Phoenix Jade Hairpin small either. Furthermore, Bai Fan had was Supreme Elder Song Qian's daughter, but hadn't been attending club meetings because she had been following Xiao Fang to the Inscription Club everyday instead.

...

"He finally came!"

"I remember he said he was going to give his Phoenix Jade Hairpin to his wife. Who do you think it is?"

"Wait, do you think it could be Bai Fan?"

...

Many rumors started to spread simply because Xiao Fang and Bai Fan had walked in together.

Xiao Fang ignored them because shortly after entering the place, he saw a familiar face.

"Excuse me for a moment," Xiao Fang said before walking off, at the same time, Bai Fan started to get surrounded by a few of the girls welcoming her in.

Zhao Pan didn't attract much attention to herself, but she preferred it that way. Instead, she watch Xiao Fang from a far to see where he was going. To her surprise, he was walking towards someone she recognized.

That girl's footsteps made no sound and she wore a special band around her arm only people from the Disciplinary Department had. Furthermore her robes were as black as her hair, socks, and shoes, so unless someone was looking directly at her, no one would realize she was there.

The moment Xiao Fang reached that person, he finally raised his blindfold up to see her with his own eyes, and what he saw were her black round eyes glowing violet for a moment before returning back to black.

"Yao Yin," Xiao Fang finally said.

Yao Yin simply smirked as she faced him.

"If it isn't the troublemaker himself. Did you miss me?"