Ryan Scott said, “Even as an alternate student, at least the two of us brothers can be together again.”

“Yeah, I’m working at the Sword Sharpening Office. It’s a department my cousin introduced me to. You can come find me when you’re free.”

“Alright, it’s a deal. But the Sword Sharpening Office…” Ryan Scott had a meaningful look on his face, his eyes filled with endless sympathy.

My gaze turned sharp as I asked, “Brat, just say what you want to say.”

“Let me put it this way…” Ryan Scott hugged his books tightly with his left hand and gestured in the air with his right, saying, “Wanling Academy is like a pyramid. All the major departments are parts of this pyramid. At the very top are the Dean’s Office, the Vice Dean’s Office, and the War Affairs Institute. The second tier is the three major institutes: Windrise Institute, Cloudmove Institute, Refinement Institute, and the Teaching Office. The third tier is the five main divisions: Rising Institute, Elite Institute, Advanced Division, Intermediate Division, and Junior Division. I’m a freshman, so I’m in the Junior Division. The fourth tier is the Service Office, Security Office, Supplies Office, and Volunteer Office. The fifth tier is the cafeteria, Maintenance Department, Bathhouse Office, and Transportation Office. Further down is the sixth tier, the very bottom of Wanling Academy, with two offices: one is the Sword Sharpening Office, and the other is the Sewer Office, which is in charge of clearing the sewers.”

As he spoke, Ryan Scott patted my shoulder and comforted me, “But it’s fine. Who is Ethan? Even if it’s the Sword Sharpening Office, or even the Sewer Office, I could still soar to the skies and swallow the world, right?”

I shot him a glance and said, “Before I feel like beating someone up, hurry up and get to class!”

Ryan Scott laughed heartily, waved his hand, and said, “Ethan, I’m off to class. I’ll come find you after class!”

“Mm.”

I couldn’t help but feel a warmth in my heart. With Ryan Scott at this school, I wouldn’t be too lonely.

……

Back at the Sword Sharpening Office, I took out the work schedule and checked it. Training Field No. 1 needed 46 more training swords. I loaded them all onto a small cart, then pushed the cart out of the Sword Sharpening Office. Throughout my entire shift, the old man never showed up, as if he had vanished.

It’s just as well he’s not here. With him gone, I’m the office director of the Sword Sharpening Office!

Although the training swords weren’t very heavy, I’d gotten used to using spiritual power to energize my muscles. Now, relying only on my physical strength, I was starting to feel a bit tired, but it was still manageable.

At Training Field No. 1, a group of teachers were giving lessons. Not far away was a bearded teacher, wearing soft armor and holding an iron sword. He said, “The speed of a sword slash must be fast, or it loses its proper power. Slow, forceful attacks are for bladed weapons, not for swords. That’s not the characteristic of sword-type weapons. Watch closely—channel your spiritual power into the blade. Be fast, be precise, be ruthless!”

“Crack!”

With a crisp sound, an entire iron dummy was sliced in half at the waist. This old guy really had some skill.

Around him, nearly twenty students all looked shocked, their faces stunned. They must all be freshmen.

I pushed my cart over and said respectfully, “Teacher, the 46 training swords have been delivered.”

The teacher didn’t even turn his head and said, “Unload the swords, then you can go.”

“Yes, teacher.”

After unloading the iron swords one by one, I pushed the cart away to deliver the second batch. There were about seven or eight classes having outdoor lessons at this training field. It seemed no one noticed me. That was fine—before, I wanted to keep a low profile but couldn’t; now I want to stand out but don’t have the qualifications. Fate really does play tricks!

Trip after trip, I delivered swords. It wasn’t until I was delivering the eighth batch to Training Field No. 8 that I finally felt relieved.

Pushing my wheelbarrow, the wheel squeaked and groaned as I passed through the training fields. Under the gazes of groups of boys and girls, I headed toward my destination, while overhearing their whispered discussions—

“Isn’t that the foodie alternate student from the cafeteria this morning?”

“Honestly, he’s pretty handsome!”

“Yeah, yeah, way more handsome than those bear-like guys in our class—by at least ten thousand times.”

The boys protested, “Pfft, just an alternate student. Look, there’s not even a hint of spiritual light above his head. He probably hasn’t even awakened his talent. Serves him right to be an alternate student for life!”

……

Soon, I arrived at Training Field No. 8. In the center, a class was practicing swordsmanship. The teacher was a man of about thirty, looking refined and scholarly, even just wearing a round-necked white shirt—very neat and capable.

But students from several nearby classes were all looking toward this class. More specifically, they were looking at a girl in the class. Her uniform was the same as the other girls’, but her long, pale golden hair was especially eye-catching. From my angle, her uniform shirt was stretched high, and her short skirt flared up a bit at the back. Clearly, she had a great figure—the legendary S-curve was obvious!

“Whoosh!”

She faced away from me, swinging her training sword. Wisps of faint flame spun around the blade, her aura imposing.

In my ear, I could constantly hear the boys from other classes commenting on her—

“That girl is Anna Sutton, right?”

“Yeah, that’s Anna Sutton, the genius who ranked first among the freshmen… and she’s so beautiful!”