Three days passed in a flash, and the long-awaited tournament for the strongest sword team among the four major academies had finally arrived.
During these three days, aside from his daily cultivation, Ling Feng made time to visit General Ascendant Eagle's residence to inquire about the Ancient Tower Grove from Deng Xian.
From Deng Xian, Ling Feng gained valuable insight. The Ancient Tower Grove was indeed a place of mystery, but the Three Thousand Great Daos within it were far beyond the grasp of ordinary people. No matter how exceptional one's talent, without the right opportunity, entering the grove would yield only minor benefits at best.
After learning more about the Ancient Tower Grove, Ling Feng made up his mind. Once the Four Major Academies' Sword Team Grand Tournament concluded, he would venture there to explore its mysteries.
With his three hundred military honor points, he was allowed to bring two others with him into the grove. As for the remaining spots, he decided to let the members of East Court's Sword Team determine among themselves who would go.
For now, the most important goal was to defeat the other three academies and secure the qualification to challenge the Royal Sword Team!
At noon, all members of East Court's Sword Team, led by Vice-Director Tong Chengtai, arrived at the central training grounds of the imperial city.
This was the same place where Ling Feng had once defeated the young elites of the Tianyang Empire, earning his fame in a single battle.
Here, the top four sword teams of the imperial capital's four major academies would compete, and only one would earn the right to challenge the Royal Sword Team.
A tournament of this caliber naturally attracted a massive audience. Those who managed to enter the venue were mostly young talents, prominent clans, and nobility.
The vast training grounds were packed with people, their gazes all fixed on the central arena.
This was destined to be a series of thrilling, high-stakes battles!
Seated at the main judging platform were the directors of the four major academies, all present for this battle of honor between their institutions. As the leading figures of their respective academies, they wouldn't miss such an event.
Alongside them sat several vice-directors and academicians—only high-ranking officials had the privilege of sitting in the main judging area. The central seat, however, remained vacant, reserved for the host of the tournament—one of the Three Lords and Nine Ministers, the Grand Minister of Rites, Lord Wen Ce.
As a high-ranking official among the Nine Ministers, Minister Wen held a prestigious position. Even the directors of the four major academies dared not show any neglect in his presence.
Before long, a luxurious carriage escorted by an honor guard slowly entered the venue, drawing everyone's attention. The four directors rose simultaneously to welcome the distinguished guest.
An elderly man with a head of white hair stepped out of the carriage. Though he appeared to be well into his twilight years, he carried himself with vigor, his sharp eyes gleaming as he strode up to the judging platform. After exchanging fist-and-palm salutes with the four directors, they all took their seats, marking the official commencement of the Four Major Academies' Sword Team Grand Tournament.
The four major academies of the imperial capital were:
Among the teams competing in this year's tournament, only Tianwei Academy had changed its roster; the other three academies retained their previous lineups.
In past years, Tianwei Academy had always been represented by the Central Court's Sword Team. However, this time, the team led by Li Yunting could only watch from the audience.
Representing Zhenlong Academy was a team captained by Mo Wufeng. Ling Feng had crossed paths with him once before, and his strength was on par with Li Yunting.
Hailan Academy's team, surprisingly, was led by a woman named Cai Yan. Before the tournament, Li Yunting had specifically come to brief them on their rivals.
During the Five Courts' Sword Team Grand Competition, they had all been competitors. But now, as fellow students of Tianwei Academy, all their hopes rested on East Court's Sword Team.
Though Cai Yan was a woman, she was by no means to be underestimated. Anyone who did so simply because of her gender would likely regret it.
As for Wenyuan Academy, their captain was Yun Qianfan. Ling Feng had encountered him once before in the Heavenly Forest's Sea-Blue Abyss, where Yun Qianfan and Li Yunting had clashed over a Nine-Leaf Whispering Wind Grass. The two were evenly matched in strength.
"That one is Mo Wufeng, and that's Yun Qianfan..."
Gu Tengfeng pointed at the rival teams, briefing his teammates on their opponents.
Although Gu Tengfeng had never participated in a tournament of this level, he had watched every competition over the years and was quite familiar with these individuals.
Ling Feng nodded slightly. The strength of these teams was roughly on par with Central Court's Sword Team from before. The gap wasn't too wide. Although they had defeated Central Court's team in the past, facing such formidable opponents, they couldn't afford to be careless.
After a long-winded opening speech from the host, the tournament rules were finally announced.
The rules were simple: every two sword teams would face off at least once in a round-robin format. A point-based system was used—winning a match earned points, while losing granted none. In the end, the team that won three consecutive matches would be crowned the champion.
Each match followed a best-of-three format, with only one match held per day. The entire tournament would span six days.
Once the rules were clarified, the team captains took turns drawing lots to determine their match order.
This time, luck was on Gu Tengfeng's side—he didn't have to compete in the first match, giving his team a chance to study their opponents' strategies before entering the fight.
The host retrieved the drawn lots and announced loudly, "Up first, Zhenlong Academy's Sword Team versus Hailan Academy's Sword Team! Captains, you have one tea's time to finalize your lineup. Once on stage, no substitutions are allowed."
As soon as the words fell, the audience erupted into excitement.
Zhenlong Academy had always been a strong contender for the championship, while Hailan Academy's captain, Cai Yan, was also one of the imperial capital's top ten beauties. This match was bound to be spectacular!
"Senior Sister Cai Yan, go for it!"
Hailan Academy's students cheered wildly, their enthusiasm heightened by the presence of such a renowned beauty. Cai Yan's popularity far surpassed that of ordinary competitors—not only was she powerful, but she was also a rare combination of talent and beauty.
"She's as striking as ever! Truly impressive!"
Among the crowd, Deng Yongshi and Deng Xian had also arrived. Though Deng Yongshi's main reason for attending was to see her "cheap teacher" Ling Feng, she naturally had to cheer for her fellow academy member as well.
"You little rascal, instead of focusing on your cultivation, you're idolizing Cai Yan? Are you saying our Deng family's teachings can't compare to that old man Cai Yong's?"
Deng Xian muttered in dissatisfaction. Cai Yong, Cai Yan's grandfather, was an official in the same court as Deng Xian. In their younger years, they had even faced each other in duels on this very stage.
Unfortunately, while Cai Yong's granddaughter now stood in the arena, his own granddaughter could only watch from the audience.
Comparing oneself to others was truly frustrating!