Naked Sword Art
Chapter 432 - 432: Frogs in a Well

Suddenly, a voice—low, smooth, and laced with a hint of disbelief—echoed through Xiao Fang's mind.

"Ten thousand... You really did it."

"Our agreement is complete. My power is yours now."

"Whether your body can survive it... is up to you."

Xiao Fang's heart thundered in his chest—louder than it ever had before. A violent pulse of Curse Qi surged through his meridians like a tidal wave, raw and untamed. It felt as if the Curse was uncoiling within him, stretching its ancient limbs, testing the limits of its new vessel.

His breath caught.

His vision blurred.

Then, his knees buckled.

He caught himself mid-fall—but only barely—his palms slamming onto the stage. Another pulse tore through him. Then another. And another. Each one more vicious than the last, expanding his meridians past their limits, flooding his dantian until it felt like it would rupture.

His bones groaned. His skin tingled with phantom heat and cold. Beads of sweat rolled down his face as he clutched his chest, gasping for breath that wouldn't come.

'This is too much!' he screamed internally.

He could feel it forcibly trying to make his body to evolve, to become strong enough to accept its power. He was already at his limit, but he could feel that the Curse was only just getting started.

Finally, an earth-shaking pulse surged through his spine, one he could not handle, and everything inside him screamed at once.

Then—

Darkness.

His body slumped to the ground, unconscious before he could even begin to understand what kind of power had just taken root inside him.

Meanwhile high above, the vortex created by the golden-robed man drew in the last of the black smoke. The arena slowly became visible once more, and gasps echoed through the stands.

The Flowing Blade Sect's corner was drenched in blood—shattered and silent.

The golden-robed man's eyes scanned the devastation, searching. When he couldn't find what he was looking for, he closed his eyes and formed a precise hand sign.

A harmless wave of Heavenly Qi pulsed from his body—expanding outward over a kilometer in a single breath.

Then he moved.

In the next instant, his body shifted in one direction before disappearing completely. Before anyone could understand what was going on, a figure fell from the sky, crashing back into the stage.

It was Chu Piao, but his arm was twisted and broken.

Realizing that, Chu Piao manually realigned his bones, cracking them back into place to speed up his natural healing process.

Everyone was confused to see Chu Piao fall out of the sky like that, but upon seeing the golden-robed man reappear in the sky above the stage again, they were able to piece it all together.

Looking up at him, Chu Piao asked, "Why did you attack me?"

The man's eyes narrowed. "Why… you say." He pointed at the bloodied corner of the arena. "Because you're responsible for that. Do you deny it?"

Chu Piao turned to look at the carnage he and Xiao Fang had caused. Then back at the man. "That's right. I did it. But it was self-defense."

"Self-defense?" the man repeated, raising a brow.

"That's right. My name is Chu Piao—of the Divine Sword Sect."

A wave of gasps tore through the crowd. It made sense now—why he was so strong despite his young age. But then why had he fought for the Flowing Blade Sect?

The golden-robed man voiced the question everyone was thinking. "Chu Piao, if you're a Divine Swordsman… why were you representing the Flowing Blade Sect?"

"I was forced to fight for them," he answered.

"Forced? How?"

Chu Piao pointed to his chest. "While I was unconscious, they tied a Deathknot around my heart. If I refused to fight, I'd die."

The man's gaze sharpened. He scanned Chu Piao's chest, and his eyes widened slightly in realization.

"I couldn't trust that only one had control over the Deathknot," Chu Piao continued, "so when the opportunity came, I killed them all."

The golden-robed man stroked his beard. "I see… Well, I'll need to make a report. You'll come with me."

He raised a single finger. A golden beam of Qi materialized and flew gently toward Chu Piao. It wrapped around his body—not just to bind, but also to heal. As it flowed through him, Chu Piao could feel the Deathknot unravel and fade.

Then the golden-robed man turned to the stadium and amplified his voice.

"The Provincial Tournament has come to an end. The Black Paradise Sect is the winner."

But no one cheered.

There was only stunned silence.

Then the golden-robed man lifted into the sky, taking Chu Piao with him as he soared off toward the Royal Court.

In the stands, murmurs spread like wildfire.

Too much had happened. No one knew how to react.

In the Matriarch's viewing platform, a heavy silence lingered. Xiao Fang's performance was already astonishing—but the revelation that Chu Piao was a Divine Sword Sect member who had killed over twenty Profound Realm Elders and 3 Divine Realm cultivators in a matter of seconds had shaken even the most seasoned elders.

"The Divine Sword Sect truly is terrifying."

"If one disciple can do this… what would a whole sect be capable of?"

They had all begun to feel it—that creeping realization:

They were frogs in a well.

The world beyond their borders… was much, much deeper than they ever imagined.

The gap in strength between the 3rd ranked sect in the country, and the 13th was far too wide.

"What are we going to do about the Flowing Blade sect now…" the Black Paradise sect Elders wondered.

"It was their fault for attempting to tame someone far beyond their strength," Matriarch Shi Lan shook her head.

They didn't feel bad for them, just pity the lengths they'd go just to dethrone the Black Paradise sect.

Suddenly, everyone's attention returned to the sky. Assuming the golden robed man returned, Matriarch Shi expected to see the Royal Court man's mesmerizingly golden robes fluttering in the wind, instead she saw a different man wearing a cloak.

He suddenly pulled his hood back and their eyes dilated. Little did they expect the man to be as handsome as he was. No one knew who he was, but if one thing was clear he floated high above the stage, it was that he was a Heavenly realm practitioner.

'Why do I feel like I've seen him before,' Xun Wei thought. Finally she caught sight of his eyes, then her heart stopped and her mind raced.

But before she could connect the dots, a bright violet light overtook the entire stadium.

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