Ling Feng pushed open the door and stepped in, but instead of the scene he imagined of the members of the sword team diligently training, he was met with an empty hall.
In this deserted hall, several rows of weapons similar to those in the Gravity Room were arranged, indicating that in the training grounds of the sword team, there were facilities like the Gravity Room.
This was not surprising; as the training ground for the most elite members of the East Court, it would be odd if such facilities were absent.
Ling Feng paused, filled with curiosity, and proceeded to the stairs leading to the second floor.
However, even before reaching the top of the stairs, Ling Feng heard a cacophony of voices.
"Small! Small! Small!"
"Haha, I won! Three sixes, triplets! Clean sweep!"
Following a burst of laughter, a chorus of complaints followed, "Lin Mochen, are you cheating? You're sweeping every round! Damn it!"
"Damn, Old Yu, can't you handle losing? So what if I've won eighteen rounds in a row? You'll win next time for sure!"
"I'm done, I'm done! Isn't it obvious that your house runs a gambling den? We're supposed to be brothers under one roof; it's not right to swindle us out of our crystal coins !"
"Let's keep playing! Come on, don't be stingy; I'll give your crystal notes back, just keep going!"
"That's more like it!"
Then, another round of 'big big big!'s and 'small small small!'s filled the air.
Ling Feng furrowed his brow, wondering if he had come to the wrong place.
Is this a gambling den or a training ground?
On the open space of the second floor, several shirtless guys were gathered around, gambling with dice. A disheveled teenager acted as the banker, and everyone seemed to be having a grand time.
On the other side of the conference table, three other individuals, two men and one woman, were gathered.
Facing away from the entrance was Gu Tengfeng, the captain of East Court's sword team.
"Ah, the hearts of our brothers have all dispersed!"
Gong Cheng sighed while looking at the disheartened team members."It doesn't matter. I believe everything will change once Ling Feng arrives. I have unwavering faith in this," Gu Tengfeng said with a casual smile.
Seated to Gu Tengfeng's right was a woman dressed in a tight red dress, who cast a somewhat reproachful glance at Gu Tengfeng. "Captain, even so, our chances are too slim. It's nearly impossible for our sword team to compete with those representing Tianwei Academy and the other major academies. Is it worth it to abandon the opportunity to join the Black-Armored Imperial Guard for an unrealistic dream?"
"It's not about worthiness; it's my choice," Gu Tengfeng replied with a faint smile. His appearance was not handsome but exuded a masculine aura, with sharp features resembling chiseled stone.
Once he had made up his mind, no one could sway him.
The woman in red sighed softly. In fact, she had stood by Gu Tengfeng's side throughout their journey with the sword team, and she was also unwilling to easily give up on their shared dream.
However, with a sword team ...
"Sister Xiaolin, you know the captain's temperament. This is his last year at Tianwei Academy, and no matter what, he wants to fight to the end!" Gong Cheng smiled at the woman in red. "Once you see Ling Feng, you'll understand that the captain hasn't misjudged him."
Gong Cheng suddenly noticed Ling Feng standing at the door. He stood up abruptly and chuckled. "Ling Feng, you're here so early!"
Upon hearing that Ling Feng had arrived, Gu Tengfeng grabbed a chair and threw it towards the group of guys still gambling. "Damn it! You don't even know when someone's arrived, and you're still playing dice!"
"Damn, Boss, I'm about to win all their money again!"
The disheveled man named Lin Mochen immediately complained. However, seeing Gu Tengfeng's fierce gaze, he shrank his neck and immediately shut his mouth, not daring to utter a word.
"Hehe. This is the new member I told you about, Ling Feng! With him joining our East Court's sword team this year, we can definitely make a big impact and redeem ourselves from the past humiliations!"
Gu Tengfeng's eyes gleamed with immense confidence, not only in himself but also in Ling Feng.
He believed in his judgment; he hadn't misjudged this yellow-tier student!
"Damn, a yellow-tier student?" One of the burly guys, dark and muscular, noticed the yellow badge on Ling Feng's epaulet and couldn't help but furrow his brows. "Boss, we need people, but is someone at this level even worth considering? Even if we toss him to the third team, no one will take him."
"Oh? If you can gain even the slightest advantage against Ling Feng within three moves, I, as the captain, will let you take my place!" Gu Tengfeng shot him a sideways glance, his tone icy.
"No need for that. I wouldn't dare compete with you for your position, Captain." The burly man quickly waved his hand. "But I do want to see for myself just how capable this kid is, given how highly you speak of him."
The man named Ye Nanfeng retrieved his robe from the nearby stone platform, swiftly donning it. He then narrowed his eyes at Ling Feng and said, "I'm Ye Nanfeng, a member of the first team. While Boss has high hopes for you, I still want to gauge your strength. You don't mind, do you?"
Ye Nanfeng was, aside from Gu Tengfeng and Gong Cheng, one of the more formidable members of East Court's sword team. He had just been promoted to sky-tier student this year.
Once Gu Tengfeng stepped down, he had a great chance of becoming the next captain of East Court's sword team.
"Of course not," Ling Feng replied nonchalantly. "I also want to see how much strength my future teammates have and whether they'll hold me back."
Several nearby team members couldn't help but inhale sharply. They hadn't expected a newcomer to have such audacity to even disregard them, sky-tier students.
No wonder Gu Tengfeng has taken a liking to him!
Xue Xiaolin, the woman in red, sized up Ling Feng and noticed that he was only at the sixth level of the Pulse Formation Realm. She couldn't help but furrow her brows slightly. "Captain, can he really do it?"
"Once you've sparred with him, you'll naturally understand," Gu Tengfeng said with a confident smile. "In that case, Ling Feng, Nanfeng, let's set a limit of three moves. Have a little friendly competition and go easy on him."
Ye Nanfeng raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Don't worry, Captain. When it comes to newcomers, I won't go all out, for sure!"
Gu Tengfeng shot him a glare, his tone unsparing. "What are you thinking? I'm talking to Ling Feng here. Show him some mercy!"
"Uhh..." Ye Nanfeng's mouth twitched, staring at Ling Feng for a moment but finding nothing extraordinary about him. With a sigh, he drew his sword and declared, "Captain, this joke of yours isn't funny at all! Since you've praised this kid so highly, let me, Ye Nanfeng, see just how strong he is!"