For the next couple of days, Xiao Fang kept to himself. He didn’t spend ti interacting with any of his guildmates—instead, he secluded himself inside one of the soundproof training chambers nestled deep within the guildhouse.
There, surrounded by silence and dim candlelight, he focused entirely on mastering the [ Illusory Body ] techniques.
Illusory Body:
1st level: Illusory Clone - (foundation realm)
2nd level: Illusory Mimic - (refinent realm)
3rd level: Illusory Husk - (core realm)
4th level: Illusory Veil - (profound realm)
5th level: Illusory Body - (divine realm)
The first level, [ Illusory Clone ], was sothing Xiao Fang had mastered before becoming an inner court disciple. The second technique, [ Illusory Mimic ], only took him a few hours to grasp, allowing him to recreate false limbs, lasting afterimages, and the trick to making it seem as if he were switching places with a clone.
There were lots of similarities to creating an [ Illusory Clone ] but the [ Illusory Mimic ] technique required a whole lot of concentration, precision, and sleight of hand.
The third level, [ Illusory Husk ], had him stumped for a little while, just like the [ Solid Body ] technique did. It took him several days to learn, but over a week to master. Once perfected, it allowed Xiao Fang to disguise himself as a realistic, stationary object, fooling even seasoned cultivators as long as he remained still.
That ti might’ve seed long for soone like Xiao Fang, but this wasn’t a technique anyone could easily learn, even with months of practice.
What made this technique especially difficult to learn was that it didn’t only involve manipulating the Illusory Qi on his body—it also required influencing the Illusory Qi in his surroundings.
If Xiao Fang had attended the Phoenix-Class lectures, he might’ve gained valuable insights into environntal Qi manipulation and learned the technique far more efficiently.
Recognizing the ti he could’ve saved with proper guidance, Xiao Fang decided to postpone learning the next level of the [ Illusory Body ] technique—at least until he could find soone qualified to assist him.
The fourth level, [ Illusory Veil ], was the second-to-last technique in the [ Illusory Body ] technique, but it was also the final one he could attempt at his current Illusory Body cultivation realm.
.
.
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anwhile, Xun Wei was busy collecting reports from the Disciplinary Departnts of both the Outer and Inner Courts.
Everywhere she went, she was t with praise and respect. Though she was still only 19 years old, even powerful elders and senior disciples spoke to her with deference. No one questioned her strength—not after her performance in the tournant. As the direct disciple of the Disciplinary Departnt Head, Yao Wu, and the one who had single-handedly brought the Flowing Blade Sect to its knees, her reputation was firmly established.
Yet, despite all the accolades, a subtle unease lingered in her heart. Sothing felt off.
She couldn’t explain it, but the nagging sensation that her mory had been tampered with wouldn’t go away. What she didn’t yet understand was that the feeling ca from her nature as a dual cultivator. Though her conscious mind had no recollection, her body rembered—it had been affected by a dual cultivation technique. She didn’t know how or when, but ever since the tournant ended, that strange feeling had only grown stronger.
And whenever sothing felt wrong, there was only one person she truly trusted to confide in: Xiao Fang.
After finishing her duties, she made her way—discreetly—to Xiao Fang’s guildhouse, hoping to speak with the clone he’d left behind before heading off to the Chaos Sect.
She knocked gently.
The door creaked open, and Elder Jiang i stood behind it. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of Xun Wei.
"Welco back, Disciple Xun," she said with a warm smile. "And congratulations on your victory in the tournant. I wasn’t able to attend, but I’ve heard wonderful things about your performance. Did you co to see Long Wang again?"
A wave of nostalgia swept over Xun Wei the mont she stepped forward. It felt like the last ti she’d co here was to deliver an urgent ssage to Xiao Fang—yet she couldn’t rember what the ssage was... or who had even sent it.
"Is he here?" Xun Wei asked, her voice quiet but tense.
If there was anyone who could help her make sense of what she was feeling, it was Xiao Fang.
"He’s currently training in seclusion," Jiang i replied with a gentle smile. "Would you like to leave a ssage for him when he cos out?"
’So he has safely returned back from the Chaos sect then,’ she thought.
Strangely, the news didn’t surprise her. Sohow... a part of her already knew that his real body had returned.
Xun Wei clenched her jaw lightly. The frustration was building. She couldn’t tell if she was really forgetting, or just slowly losing her mind.
"No," she finally replied, turning away. "I’ll co back another ti. Please... don’t tell anyone I was here."
"I’ll keep it a secret, don’t worry. It’s always a pleasure to see you—co by anyti," Jiang i said sincerely.
Xun Wei had only taken a few steps before she stopped. A sudden idea struck her. She turned back toward the door.
"Elder," she asked, "do you rember the last ti I ca here?"
Jiang i tapped a finger against her chin. "Let think... Yes. It was the day of the tournant. You ntioned you had sothing urgent to tell Wang."
Xun Wei’s heart skipped a beat, and a tingle crept up her spine.
’I knew it.’
Her instincts had been right. Sothing had happened—sothing important. Whether it was a truth she was ant to discover or a mory she was never ant to recall, she didn’t know. But one thing was certain:
Once she spoke to Xiao Fang, everything would co to light.
...
In the Core Court, Xun Wei visited Li Lian to ask about what she rembered about the tournant, but unlike her, Li Lian didn’t have any gaps in her mory, nor the sinking feeling as if she was forgetting sothing.
"Did you say Fang is back?" Li Lian asked.
"Mn, he’s currently training in seclusion, so I couldn’t see him though," Xun Wei replied.
Li Lian frowned.
"It feels like it has been forever," Li Lian said as she looked up at the stars.
In the past, the longest they’ve been apart was for a month, and now once again a month had passed since she had seen him, so she missed him dearly. For now, she was just glad that he was able to return back from the Chaos sect safely.
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