During the exchange event, students from various schools would showcase their skills through spiritual swordplay competitions.
This wasn't merely a display of individual achievement; it also reflected each school's educational philosophy and spiritual aspirations.
Following the Phantom Net assassination incident, Phoenix Ridge No. 73 had been granted an exceptional promotion to become a key municipal high school this year.
Thus, while the student exchange event appeared to be a competition among high schools in the Academy District, it was in reality a grand gathering orchestrated to benefit the leadership.
Yet the true essence of the exchange event lay in the students' fervent enthusiasm!
Moreover, the coaches selected by Phoenix Ridge No. 73 were all exceptionally skilled martial arts masters—many of them renowned figures in the Spirit Sword realm. When Elder Gossip's name appeared on Phoenix Ridge's coaching roster, the leaders of No. 74 School were utterly dumbfounded!
What were they thinking? Sending someone like that to coach a sports event?
Little did they know...
Perhaps only Ling Xian and Su Xinyi understood the true reason Elder Gossip had been sent.
After all, this man had once slain a top-tier Gold Badge Assassin with nothing but a pencil! Ling Xian knew that this man, like himself, had always concealed his true strength.
There were countless untold stories about him, especially from his past. Whoever he was, his very presence had sent a chill down Shen Yuan's spine during their first encounter.
...
After assessing the situation, Ling Xian concluded that Principal Huang was nothing more than a conceited fool.
It was nearly eleven o'clock, Ling Xian's usual bedtime. However, the Spirit Sword demonstration in the group chat demanded his immediate attention.
Hao Zhen's Spirit Sword was named "Knight Tiger."
According to Hao Zhen, the sword was forged from the fangs of a Knight Tiger—a ferocious beast that dwells only in the deepest parts of the Night Forest on Lotus Mountain. His father had personally extracted the fangs to forge the sword, making it a true demon among demons! Hao Zhen received the sword as a gift on his ninth birthday.
Hao Zhen shared two photos of the sword. From the images, it was clear that he cherished the blade as a treasure, second only to his beloved pet owl, Dandan.
After sharing the photos, Hao Zhen commented, "My father gave me this sword on my ninth birthday. It's been with me for seven years. And yet... just like Zhao Ming... I still don't have a Sword Spirit..."
Zhao Ming responded with three laughing-crying emojis: "Haha, finally I know I'm not the only one!"
"Seven years? That's nothing compared to me..."
Xu Yutong posted a crying emoji, followed by three photos of his sword from different angles.
To everyone's surprise, Xu Yutong possessed a Dual-Spirit Elemental Sword.
"Did you fuse ice and fire swords?"
"Actually, they're twin swords! I named them Starflame and Starwhite! They've been with me for ten years! And still no Sword Spirit!"
"...Ten years?!" Zhao Ming's anxiety grew.
Elder Gossip commented, "These must be twin swords. It takes time for Sword Spirits to coalesce, but ten years is unusually slow. Could Xu Yutong have lacked focus?"
Hey! Lacked focus?! How could that be?!
"Brother Xuan, you don't understand! I cherish my swords more than life itself—more than my own siblings! I even separated ice and fire attributes within their blades! How can you call that a lack of devotion?!"
"Uh... wait. Those two swords reportedly house separate Sword Spirits—different genders, right? If so, seeing a naked man would definitely excite both spirits. Sometimes misunderstanding Sword Spirits can mislead them, delaying the formation of their Spirit Bodies."
Elder Gossip added three sweating emojis.
After reading Old Shi's reply, she posted three ellipses: "..."
"Are you f**king kidding me?! ...Enough nonsense. What about Su Xinyi's sword?"
Zhao Ming chimed in, "Yeah! Hers must be even more powerful!"
This made sense—Su Xinyi was wealthy, after all, practically swimming in money as a noble.
A few seconds later, Su Xinyi sent a photo of her sword.
Su Xinyi: "My sword: Stardust Shard."
Forged from fragments of a fallen star, this Spirit Sword was as translucent as jade, with blue and yellow light swirling along its blade. Even in the photo, everyone could feel the sword's aura radiating from the screen.
Hao Zhen exclaimed, "Wow! Stardust Shard—so cosmic! How long did it take you to forge?"
"Fifteen and a half years. I formed a bond with it when I was only six months old."
Zhao Ming: "..."
Xu Yuntong: "..."
Hao Zhen: "Holy shit, seriously? Fifteen and a half years? Damn, dude..."
Even Elder Gossip praised, "That interweaving gold and blue light truly possesses spirituality. It seems Su Xinyi has already cultivated a Sword Spirit. While her family background undoubtedly played a role, the unique patterns on the blade clearly reflect the care you've poured into its daily maintenance. Not surprising, really—Junior Sister Su has always been meticulous."
Su Xinyi sent a grateful emoji: "Teacher Xuan, thank you so much!! You're too kind!"
Xu Yutong couldn't resist messaging, "Amazing! ^_^ Lianhua, what about you? Do you have a sword?"
Lianhua sent a photo of her sword.
"This is the Shadow Blossom Sword! I got it two years ago, but I haven't cultivated a Sword Spirit yet..."
The sword's lines were elegant, its blade shimmering with a brilliant light. A purple aura radiated from within, hinting at the immense power it contained.
Zhao Ming exclaimed, "Truly magnificent! It seems everyone here doesn't have a sword spirit, except for Su Xinyi. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief..."
Elder Gossip commented, "'Shadow Flower' is a unique name—I like it. For all of you to possess a personalized Spirit Sword as a freshman... truly befitting the prodigy class."
Suddenly, everyone realized they had overlooked something... Where was Ling Xian's sword?
Hao Zhen immediately sent question marks and urged, "? Ling Xian, where's your sword? Do you even have one?"
Lianhua chimed in, "Right! I just noticed that too!"
Su Xinyi added, "Of course he has one."
Ling Xian: "."
Lianhua pressed, "Hurry up and show it to us!"
Ling Xian sighed, watching the messages flood his phone.
Normally, he would have remained silent, observing quietly. But this time... he had no choice. If he didn't respond, he risked being labeled an outsider, drawing even more attention.
After a moment's hesitation, Ling Xian uploaded a photo.
And then... a majestic sword crafted from Heavenly Jujube Wood suddenly appeared on everyone's screens!
...