Chapter Ninety-One: The Iron Puppet

At nine in the morning, the Four Seasons Sword Hall opened its doors for business.

To be precise, it had long since been open; at this hour, it merely received new students and arranged for them to change into training uniforms.

At the front desk, a lively cluster of girls had gathered, chattering and laughing merrily.

“Count me in, I want to sign up too.”

A girl squeezed her way forward, looking eagerly at the receptionist, afraid they might run out of places.

“And me... what? The beginner class membership is twenty thousand? So expensive! Can’t you give a discount?”

“No, we’re already very generous,” the receptionist said with an apologetic smile.

The girl looked a little hesitant.

Someone nearby laughed. “Think about Xiao Nan during that martial arts test the other day, and you won’t think it’s expensive at all.”

“Fine, I’ll sign up.”

The girl gritted her teeth, as if making some great and solemn resolve.

Zhang Xiaorou watched from the side, torn between laughter and tears.

These were some of the girls from her own class, her close friends. If they said they’d sign up, they really meant it.

And somehow the news had spread to the three neighboring classes as well, bringing more girls along with them.

Most of them had come because they had seen Xiao Nan’s sword duel that day.

There were also girls who had not taken part in the cheering squad but had witnessed the match.

When others signed up, they followed suit.

As for whether the sword art was truly powerful, they did not know very well. But if someone had gained such great fame with it, then it had to be worth something.

Lin Hao, as the son of the school’s vice principal, naturally had no secret when it came to his grades; people usually praised him, openly or otherwise.

It was said he was all but certain to get into a top university, and might even make it into a famous one.

Among the school’s top students, aside from Qin Shuang and Li Shaohua, he was the next in line.

For such a top student to be crushed in just a few moves, and to have the vice principal and Teacher Tang come to blows over it, the news spread like wildfire; there was no way to hide it.

So besides the usual praise for Teacher Tang of martial arts as a hidden master, people were also sighing over the exquisite beauty of the Four Seasons Sword Art Xiao Nan had used.

For girls, the sword art’s might was secondary; what mattered was whether it was beautiful enough.

Beautiful and powerful together? Then of course it was worth learning.

And so, in one burst, seventeen or eighteen people came to register.

Very likely, there were others still on the way, ready to arrive at any moment.

Zhang Xiaorou remembered that over the past half year, the beginner class at the Four Seasons Sword Hall had contained only twenty people in total, including her and Xiao Nan. This time alone, the number had doubled.

Some people were merely acting on impulse.

They would probably regret it later.

If one were to ask how well-off the students of Yuanjiang First High School were, then under ordinary circumstances they were certainly not short of money; if a family were truly struggling, they would not have the ability to cultivate martial arts, much less enter a martial arts high school.

Of course, there were exceptions, such as Xiao Nan’s family, which was not particularly wealthy.

And there was also the class’s study committee member, Wei Yunyun, who simply practiced the basic Thirteen Sword Forms with all her might and could not bear to spend money joining any martial hall for lessons.

That was certainly not because she did not want to learn, but because she was frugal.

Were these young girls before her truly making a wise choice by impulsively deciding to become members of the Four Seasons Sword?

Zhang Xiaorou blinked, a little stunned.

...

After getting off the bus and walking a short distance, Xiao Nan saw the noisy scene before him. The Four Seasons Sword Hall really had not been this lively in a long time.

If it had been this popular before, then last time he and Zhang Xiaorou would not have been abducted by those wretches from the Longevity Society just a short distance from the sword hall’s entrance.

“I wonder if they’ll teach Thunder Sword today. From what the instructors said, the lessons are arranged according to the students’ progress. With so many new students, I guess that’s out of the question again.”

He had come to learn swordsmanship at first, naturally, so that he could go back and teach his little sister Xiaobei. But now, he had tasted the benefits for himself and also seen the shortcomings in his own sword techniques.

The lack of a sword art with strong bursts and ferocious offensive power was an undeniable fact.

It had already been shown in battle.

He had heard that the later sword forms of the Four Seasons Sword were also wildly aggressive, and that idea had begun to stir in his heart.

In particular, the Storm Thunder Sword form among the three summer sword techniques—just from the name, one could tell it was terrifyingly fierce.

...

What on earth was Zhang Xiaorou up to, to have called so many classmates here?

When Xiao Nan arrived, Zhang Xiaorou grew a little flustered and hurriedly said, “I really didn’t call them here. When they signed up, they didn’t mention your name either.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a girl at the counter called out loudly and boldly, “I’m signing up, I’m signing up! I want to learn the kind of swordsmanship Xiao Nan uses.”

Hearing that, Zhang Xiaorou felt awkward for a moment.

“It’s fine. The Four Seasons Sword really is quite suitable for girls; there’s no harm in learning it.”

Xiao Nan smiled, thinking that since it wasn’t his family’s money being spent, whoever wanted to come could come.

As for those who came precisely because he had made his name in that battle, there was no harm in that either.

Who would ever complain that fame was too good?

“Really?” Zhang Xiaorou looked a little unsure.

“Many people you know all learning the same sword art means you can spar and refine your insights together in daily practice. You’ll progress faster than if you practiced alone.”

This time Xiao Nan was not brushing her off; he was speaking in all seriousness.

“In that case, Xiao Nan, when will you spar and refine your insights with me too?” Zhang Xiaorou asked with a bright smile, her eyes curving like a crescent moon.

“Uh...”

He had actually been set up by the little girl.

To cut and polish, to refine and hone...

Faced with such a suggestive request, how could he refuse?

...

“Huh? Xiao Nan, you actually came today.”

A boy in a white sword uniform approached from afar, greeting him with a smile.

Xiao Nan turned and saw that it was his classmate Dong Cheng. He had little desire to speak with him, and only said, “I’m here to learn a new sword art. I couldn’t miss it.”

He still remembered that this classmate had once secretly spoken in a sour, sarcastic tone...

He had never cared much for people like that; they could not stand to see others doing better than themselves.

Then again, he had almost forgotten that Dong Cheng also studied the Four Seasons Sword.

“Honestly, the most important thing for you right now is to improve your vitality and blood strength... You probably don’t know yet, but news spread through the school yesterday that this year’s vitality test has changed format. They’re going to use a Savage Ape Puppet.”

Dong Cheng spoke with heavy seriousness.

“What do you mean?”

Xiao Nan felt there was more to his words, along with a barely concealed smugness.

“You haven’t heard? To pass the vitality test, you have to defeat the Savage Ape Puppet.

“But that’s a steel puppet. When it’s attacked, only the strength of the attack is counted. The puppet has a chip controlling it, and if your attack power doesn’t meet the standard, you fail.”

Xiao Nan understood. In other words, it was just a moving target. Whether with fists, swords, or spears, as long as your attack power reached the passing line, the chip would register you as having succeeded.

“This clearly makes things harder. Maybe some people can gather their vitality and perform beyond their usual level on the spot. But with a puppet test, what is being measured is the release of vitality in actual combat, so it will be much more difficult.”

What Dong Cheng really wanted to say was that your flowery, closely layered swordsmanship tricks are useless now.

If you have the ability, go try to use finesse against a block of wood.

Who did not know that the Four Seasons Sword was notoriously stronger in defense than in offense, especially the Spring Chapter?

With spring rain and spring breeze, full-power eruptions were impossible.

On a steel puppet, no matter how many times you stabbed, it would all be for nothing.

“I see. That is a bit troublesome.” Xiao Nan replied casually, nodding once before paying Dong Cheng no further attention. There was no ripple in his gaze as he looked instead at the two people walking past beside him.

The one in front was a man in his forties, his expression slightly severe.

He was the swordsmanship coach, surnamed Yang.

Some days ago, he had been the one who taught Xiao Nan the Green Silk Coiling and Slanting Rain techniques.

This man’s swordsmanship was rigid and methodical, somewhat dull and wooden.