Tong Chengtai's eyes suddenly lit up, and a vibrant vitality burst forth. In an instant, his hair was no longer disheveled, his beard became smooth, and he seemed rejuvenated as if he had been reborn!
In that moment, Tong Chengtai felt like he had ascended from hell to heaven!
Ling Feng is not dead, which means I won't have to die either!
"Ahem!" Tong Chengtai's expression changed, becoming serious. "Forget what you just heard."
Lin Xian'er's mouth twitched, and she quickly nodded. "Yes, Teacher!"
"Good." Tong Chengtai's old face was somewhat embarrassed, but he forced himself to remain calm. "Alright, Xian'er, if there's nothing else, you can leave now. I have other matters to attend to."
"Uh... yes, Teacher!"
Although Lin Xian'er didn't understand why Tong Chengtai seemed like a different person after learning that Ling Feng was alive, it at least meant her teacher wouldn't target Ling Feng anymore. This was a good thing.
Maybe in the future, she could even have her teacher accept Ling Feng as a disciple. Then she and Ling Feng would have the same mentor, and Ling Feng would have to call her 'senior sister'.
Thinking of this, Lin Xian'er couldn't help but smile. She bowed to Tong Chengtai and then left the vice-director's office.
"Thank god, thank god!"
Tong Chengtai tore the casualty list on his desk into tiny pieces and threw them into the air like falling snowflakes.
After a long while, Tong Chengtai finally calmed down and murmured to himself, saying, "That kid stayed in the Sword Tower of Wind and Thunder for more than three days and still came back alive. Could it be..."
Tong Chengtai's pupils suddenly contracted, and two words flashed through his mind: hellish difficulty!
The hellish difficulty of the Sword Tower of Wind and Thunder might not be widely known, but anyone who had studied the history of the Yijian Sect would know that the Sword Tower of Wind and Thunder had an additional hidden difficulty level.
If Ling Feng had entered the hellish difficulty and returned alive, then his monstrous talent was likely beyond Tong Chengtai's expectations.
"No wonder that old madman, Yan Cangtian, holds him in such high regard!"
Tong Chengtai felt a deep sense of fear and made up his mind. "It seems I must take extra care of that kid. In the future, he is sure to become a half-step emperor, and might even break through to the emperor level!"
"What? The East Court's sword team defeated the North Court's second team?"
"And Gu Tengfeng didn't even participate?"
"Holy crap, this is unbelievable! The East Court's sword team is rising!"
Soon, the news of the East Court's sword team defeating the North Court's second team in a practice match spread like wildfire throughout Tianwei Academy.
The sword teams were always the focus of the academy's students, and the East Court's sword team, which had long been considered the weakest of the five courts, had unexpectedly gotten a bit stronger.
After all, although they faced the North Court's second team, everyone knew that the North Court was second only to the Central Court in strength.
Even though it was the second team, they had once defeated the first teams of both the West Court and the East Court.
Moreover, this time, the East Court's sole reliance, Gu Tengfeng, did not even participate, yet they still managed to defeat the strong North Court's second team. This was undoubtedly a crazy result.
Before the match, almost no one believed that the East Court's sword team could win without Gu Tengfeng.
But the result proved many people wrong.
Many who bet on the East Court's sword team losing ended up losing everything, while those daring students who bet on their victory became wealthy overnight.
"East Court's sword team? Hmph, they just added a slightly capable yellow-tier student. A match of that level is still just at the second team level!"
"Winning once in a while doesn't mean much. The North Court's second team didn't even field their best player. The East Court's sword team is still weak and not worth paying attention to!"
"A match at the second team level and they dare to talk about a rise? Hmph, at the Five Courts' Sword Team Grand Competition in half a year, they will taste bitter defeat!"
Upon hearing that the East Court's sword team won a practice match, the captains of the other courts' sword teams were dismissive of their achievement.
After all, it was a second-team level match, and the North Court's second team's strongest player didn't compete. Such a victory held little value.
The rise of the East Court's sword team?
However, regardless of opinions, this battle made Ling Feng famous.
As a newcomer, Ling Feng's performance in his first real sword fighting competition was truly remarkable.
In the training room of the East Court's sword team.
All the members of the East Court's sword team, including the substitutes, were elated and cheering.
"Damn, it's been a long time since we won a match against another court so properly!"
Gong Cheng said with a squinting smile.
As a veteran of the sword team, this victory brought immense joy to him!
Xue Xiaolin also smiled warmly, glancing at Gu Tengfeng with eyes full of affection.
She finally understood that their seemingly rough captain had an exceptional eye for talent.
It was obvious to everyone that there was a subtle affection between Xue Xiaolin and Gu Tengfeng, though neither had ever expressed it openly. Hence, the sword team members always considered her their big sister.
Even Yu Sixian, the notorious flirt, didn't dare make advances towards Xue Xiaolin.
"Captain, our East Court has finally regained some pride!"
Yu Sixian excitedly hugged the burly man, almost planting a kiss on him in his enthusiasm.
Though he hadn't participated in the match, the victory's glory belonged to the entire team.
Gu Tengfeng pushed Yu Sixian away and looked at Ling Feng while smiling faintly.
The hero of this match was undoubtedly Ling Feng.
After Li Bufan's defeat, which had significantly lowered the team's morale, Ling Feng's entry brought unparalleled confidence to everyone.
His performance was nothing short of remarkable.
He didn't seem like a newcomer but rather a seasoned warrior.
His team strategy was on par with, if not better than, those of Gong Cheng and Gu Tengfeng.
He had a general's talent!
The term 'general's talent' came to Gu Tengfeng's mind, and it meant a true strategist who planned meticulously and won from afar.
"Alright, it was just a practice match, after all. You all still have much to learn!"
Gu Tengfeng's expression turned serious as he said, "Ling Feng, you did well today. Keep it up!"
Ling Feng nodded. Although he hadn't used all his strength in today's match, the victory hadn't come easily.
Yang Zhan, after all, was a master of fifty-two meridian gates, and with his team's coordination, they had posed a significant challenge.
If the second team was this formidable, the first team's level must be even more terrifying.
And among the five courts, the Central Court's sword team was known to be the strongest; their true strength remained unknown.
Ling Feng clenched his fists, knowing he had only half a year to grow and prepare.
1. Author's note: The historical ranking of the five courts' strength: Central Court, North Court, South Court, West Court, East Court ☜