“Let the banquet begin.”
Ling Junxuan stood up, looking tall and elegant. He held a cup of wine and said, “Everyone, the sword test is a big event of Baiyun City. Everything in the gathering was arranged by Bai Haiqin. It must have been hard on you all since you’ve come from far away. I’ll drink to you with a small cup of wine as a mere gesture of respect. Before the test starts, I’ll toast to you and wish you all a good grade.”
“Enjoy.”
“Thank you, Sir Ling.”
“Haha, enjoy yourselves.”
Everyone raised their cups.
After the drink, Ling Junxuan added, “The following arrangements should take place according to the agreed rules. Our Ling Manor shall not participate or interfere with it too much. You all are people with influential names. I don’t think you’ll disobey the rules. Thank you.”
After that, he sat down.
His posture had clearly expressed his dissatisfaction with Bai Haiqin’s scaling up the sword test.
The youths couldn’t feel it but many seniors present knew it too well.
However, they didn’t pay too much attention to it.
This time, other than witnessing the two great swordsmen of Baiyun City exchanging blows, they wished the juniors who followed them to top the list during the session for the teenager’s group.
They could ignore the rewards of taking first place.
The key point was that the top one from the sword test got a chance to learn skills in Baiyun City.
This was the thing that attracted them the most.
If the young juniors they brought could follow masters in Baiyun City, they could not only learn from great teachers and enhance their cultivation base; more importantly, they could get peerless connections.
In Baiyun City, there were many imperial relatives. People said that even the current crown prince and other princes’ children were learning in Baiyun City. Then, there were many young masters from seniors’ families in the empire and governors’ sons from the nine provinces. Once they entered the city, even though they failed to learn, they could still have a promising future by associating with those boys.
“Thank you for your time. On behalf of Baiyun City, I drink to all of you.”
Bai Haiqin held a cup of wine and rose.
Another round of greetings rang.
Generally speaking, after the host’s and main guest’s toasts, it was the turn of Ding Sanshi, who was in the left seat for the main guest.
However, the old teacher remained seated like an old dog. He didn’t seem to want to get up at all.
Bai Haiqin didn’t take it to heart and dropped the cup, saying, “Since Mr. Ding doesn’t want to speak much, then let’s start. The sword test this time is divided into two sessions. The first is a session for young men to fight, and I think you all should know the specific rules…”
Everyone nodded.
They all knew the rules.
“I’ll remind you again. He who takes first place in the teenager’s group could directly go to learn in Baiyun City. He who takes second place will receive a three-star Mystery Energy practice martial method ‘Baiyun Energy-Gathering Script’ and a three-star swordsmanship ‘Light Behind Hill Sword’. He who takes third place will get a Baiyun Sword and a Baiyun Token…”
Bai Haiqin announced the rewards in advance.
Immediately, all the youths’ eyes shone and they even breathed more quickly.
Big rewards.
Both Baiyun Energy-Gathering Script and Light Behind Hill Sword were exclusive in Baiyun City.
Though they were only three-star skills, they were much finer than martial arts in those colleges, private schools, and gangs. They were the best practicing martial methods in Warrior Expert Realm, among the top three skills most suitable for people in the Warrior Expert Realm to enhance their bases and level up potential. Everybody coveted them.
Nevertheless, except registered disciples in Baiyun City, others could only practice them under permission from Baiyun City. Otherwise, they would be hunted down. Therefore, even incomplete scripts of the methods circulated in the market, normally no one dared to practice them.
If they could acquire them in the test, they would be able to practice them openly.
Though the Baiyun sword couldn’t compare with the Xuantian Sword from “Sword-Forging Chamber”, one of the three holy places that represent the finest sword-forging skills in North Sea Empire, it was premium as the best second sword among the famous standardized swords in the empire. It was slightly better than Blue Bird Sword from Master Fan, the individual sword-forging expert.
Furthermore, it had mostly only been available inside the city; it seldom sold outside of it. Like martial methods from Baiyun City, people hardly dared to wear it without permission.
The Baiyun Token could enable you to call for help to nearby Baiyun City disciples when in danger.
The chance in a lifetime to learn in Baiyun City, the two martial methods, the sword, and the token…
The rewards of the sword test this time was unprecedentedly generous.
The youths all couldn’t wait to try in the test.
Nevertheless, they couldn’t move Lin Beichen.
This kind of practice martial method didn’t really mean anything to him.
Anyway, he used cheats, and he could practice it to the extreme with an app no matter what kind of martial method it was. He got a lot of chances to learn it later.
Nevertheless, sitting next to him, the aloof little girl, Bai Qinyun, got so excited that her face changed. She waved her little pink fist and kept cheering herself up.
Obviously, she wanted this kind of reward very much.
It made sense.
Except for Lin Beichen, who time-traveled to the world and used cheat, in the North Sea Empire that worshipped swordsmanship practice, all the young swordsmen would crave and adore a holy land like Baiyun City.
Moments later, the test officially began.
Guards in the Mansion of the City Governor arranged 12 square stone tables in the empty space in front of the banquet tables.
Then, the invited 12 famous seniors rose and walked to the front of the tables. They respectively placed a few swords on them.
Chu Hen from Third Junior College was among the crowd.
“What? Wait. This doesn’t seem right. The sword test today looks fancy and even teachers from Royal National Junior College don’t qualify. But why was Chu Hen, a grade dean from a third-rate college, invited?”
Lin Beichen noticed the detail and couldn’t help but get lost in thought.
Subconsciously, he raised his middle finger to push up his glasses.
Then, when he poked his glabella, he realized that after the time travel, he was no longer a useless gaming shut-in who seldom moved; he had abandoned glasses long ago. Hence, under the doubtful eye of the little girl Bai Qinyun next to him, he calmly rubbed his glabella as if considering.
“A real swordsman has to have a sword that suits him.
“But what kind of sword suits you the best?
“Everyone has their own answers.
“A sword is not only a tool, but also a companion of the swordsman, a companion closer than their families.
“So, the first stage of the test is very simple. We want to know your senses and feelings of swords. Every young swordsman who has received an invitation, on the stone tables before you, there are in total 12 long swords carefully selected by seniors. Each one of you, go to the stone table and pick a sword that belongs to you. You’ll have 30 minutes.”
The first steward of the Mansion of the City Governor announced the match rules.
More than 10 boys and girls rose and walked to the stone tables.
The aloof little girl Bai Qinyun trotted and ran like a small rabbit. After a few steps, she turned around to look at Lin Beichen and said, “What are you doing? Go pick a sword.”
Lin Beichen leisurely rose and walked forward.
There were supposed to be 12 invitations and 12 young swordsmen. He took a glance and found that in total, there actually were 21 people who appeared in front of the stone tables, and Cao Potian was among them.
Was the sword test held by some third-rate and obscure college?
Were they playing an enrollment expansion game off the enrollment brochure?