「Two days later, in the afternoon.」

The sun hung in the sky like the final revelry of late summer. Searing light spilled onto the ground, making the very air shimmer and blur.

Inside the Sword Hall, cool air from the air conditioner drifted over a young girl practicing her swordsmanship. She stood alone in the training hall, swinging the lightest sword from the rack again and again. Even the lightest sword was a heavy burden for her; after practicing for only a short while, she put the sword down and rubbed her wrist.

Suddenly, the sound of steady footsteps echoed from the residential hallway. Su Xing walked out of his room wearing a pale white short-sleeved shirt.

"Well, Lu, hard at work, I see?"

Su Xing said with a smile, glancing at the practicing Lu Anning.

It had been two days since Lu Anning moved into the Sword Hall. At first, Su Xing had been calling her Student Lu, but she seemed to find it strange and asked him to call her Lu instead. Su Xing didn’t mind. He was more concerned about the High Priest of the Spiritual Sect who had targeted Lu Anning. Su Xing had expected the Spiritual Sect to react quickly, but to his surprise, it was as if they had vanished without a trace, with not so much as a peep.

This made Su Xing a little suspicious.

’Is the Spiritual Sect still preparing, or is Lu Anning simply not that important to the High Priest?’

Lu Anning was wearing a light-blue athletic top with a white pleated skirt that revealed her fair thighs. She looked up at Su Xing, quickly walked to his side, and said very politely:

"Exams are coming up next semester, right after summer break. If I get good grades, it’ll be less stressful when I apply for university, so I have to do my best."

"Coach Su, are you about to start a class?"

"Yeah."

Su Xing nodded.

He glanced at his system panel. His [Sword Dao Points] were now at eleven. After today’s class, he should be able to raise [Common Sword] to Lv. 6. He was just one final step away from becoming fourth-tier.

At this thought, Su Xing’s heart couldn’t help but surge with excitement.

His breathing grew heavy. [Common Sword] was the professional skill he’d invested the most system points in, so its advancement would be a massive change for him. He couldn’t help but start anticipating what [Common Sword] would evolve into.

Lu Anning seemed to notice Su Xing’s breathing growing heavier. She glanced at Coach Su’s eyes; he was staring blankly at a spot in the training hall. She murmured in confusion:

’Does Coach Su... like teaching this much?’

"Oh, right, Lu."

Su Xing snapped back to his senses and turned to Lu Anning, who had been staring at him. He asked, "Have you received any more of those harassing calls recently?"

"No, I haven’t."

Lu Anning shook her head, sounding somewhat relieved. Then, she heard Su Xing’s flat reply, "Is that so."

She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but Lu Anning detected a hint of a hunter who’d let his prey escape in Su Xing’s tone. It was as if... he was a little disappointed.

"Anyway, you should take a break."

"Today, I’m planning to teach a class on practical combat in Sword Dao competitions. You can sit in and listen."

"Also, I noticed you’re not quite used to the swords in my Sword Hall, Lu. I have some time tomorrow, so I’ll have one custom-made for you."

"Thank you so much, Coach Su!"

Hearing Su Xing’s words, Lu Anning quickly bowed her head, her voice filled with gratitude.

Su Xing just waved his hand at this, uttering, "Don’t be so formal," before walking over to the spot where he usually held his online classes. He tidied up a bit, preparing to open the online classroom and start his lesson.

Time flowed by, and in the blink of an eye, it was time for class to end.

Su Xing had been a Sword Hall Coach for a while now, and his teaching skills were becoming more and more proficient. Coupled with his incredibly rich practical combat experience, he could easily get his students immersed in the lesson. Even students who didn’t pay much attention could learn a lot, while serious students might even have a moment of sudden enlightenment.

For example, after listening to Su Xing’s class, Lu Anning felt as if she had an epiphany. Her blood began to flow faster, bringing a crimson flush to her skin.

[Sword Dao Points: 12]

’That’s enough. Time to go back and put a point into Common Sword.’

After Su Xing closed the online classroom, he subconsciously glanced at his system panel and muttered this to himself.

As Su Xing thought this and started walking toward his room, he heard Lu Anning’s quiet voice. "Coach Su," she said, "would you have time to spar with me?"

"If it costs money... I can pay."

Lu Anning added this second sentence on the spot. She knew that some Sword Halls offered sparring partner services in addition to classes.

If Su Xing’s Sword Hall also offered such a service, maybe she could get a session with Coach Su.

At this thought, Lu Anning remembered the balance in her bank account, and her expression turned a little bitter.

"Spar with you?"

"I don’t think our Sword Hall has a sparring partner service."

Su Xing said, looking at Lu Anning. Then he asked, "Why the sudden desire to spar with me?"

"Because my school’s coach said that sparring with others is the fastest way to improve. And after listening to your class on practical combat, Coach Su, I can tell your actual combat skills are incredibly strong."

Lu Anning paused, then added, "There’s a lot of things that even our third-dan Sword Dao teacher only has a partial understanding of."

Hearing Lu Anning’s words, Su Xing found it a little amusing. ’Much of my understanding of the Sword Dao comes from the system, polished and solidified through one real battle after another. It’s simply not something these Swordsmen from an era of peace can compare to.’

Just as Su Xing was feeling a bit smug, Lu Anning continued speaking:

"Not long after school starts, our school is holding a sports meet in October."

"Then, I’ll have to compete against other contestants. Only the top four get to form the school’s Sword Dao team and participate in the Cang City Sword Dao Tournament. And if I participate in the tournament and get a good result, I can get bonus points on my college entrance exams. This is... very important to me. If it’s possible..."

"So, you want me to be your sparring partner?"

Su Xing asked bluntly. Lu Anning knew that if a Sword Hall didn’t offer sparring services, a high-level Swordsman would generally not practice with someone of her vastly different skill level. She lowered her head, a little embarrassed, and subconsciously fiddled with her thumbs, murmuring:

"Maybe... never mind."

"I never said I wasn’t willing."

Su Xing looked at the downcast Lu Anning and said, "However, I’m not really a professional Swordsman. All told, I’ve only been practicing for a month or two. My rank is probably not even on the charts."

"If you don’t mind, after your situation is over, I can teach you a few moves."

Lu Anning might have been overthinking things, but Su Xing’s thoughts were much simpler.

To Su Xing, teaching Lu Anning was a can’t-lose proposition. It was the equivalent of getting an extra Sword Dao Point every day.

His income would finally break through from three or four points a day to four or five. While it didn’t seem like much on its own, the accumulated earnings over time would be quite substantial.

"Thank you so much!"

Just as Lu Anning finished and was about to say something more to express her gratitude...

At that moment, her phone suddenly started ringing from her pocket. BEEP BEEP BEEP... BEEP BEEP BEEP. Her whole body stiffened. She glanced at Su Xing before pulling the phone out. The caller ID prominently displayed: "Liu Shiyu’s Dad."