"Me first! If you let him go, it's just a waste of everyone's time!"
In the crowd, another boy shot Evan Lin a contemptuous glance, then boldly stepped out ahead of everyone.
His face was full of swagger, and his eyes sparkled with excitement.
Ever since Chief Sword Master Dai showed up, the whole crowd had turned feverish.
Who wouldn't want to dive into the Thousand-Sword Burial Ground while Chief Sword Master Dai is still here? If he takes a shine to you and makes you his disciple, that's instant skyrocket status.
As soon as he finished, the boy sucked in a breath, itching to get started, and marched straight for the Thousand-Sword Burial Ground.
Everyone else instantly shifted their gaze away from Evan Lin, not even sparing him another look.
Sword Master Wang and Chief Sword Master Dai both kept turning their heads to watch.
Right then, every single gaze zeroed in on that boy.
As he stepped into the Thousand-Sword Burial Ground, his heart was pounding—nerves and excitement all mixed together.
Whoosh!
A crisp, explosive sound split the air.
Everyone watched as another Southriver Sword tore out of the pitch-black earth, landing right at the boy's feet.
His face lit up. He grabbed the sword—the hilt was ice-cold, making him break into a huge grin. "I... I did it!"
Southriver Bows to a Man!
Seeing it happen again, Sword Master Wang and Chief Sword Master Dai's faces shifted, their eyes brimming with delight.
"Good, good, good! Who would've thought my Southriver Sword Sect would snatch up two geniuses this round! Hahaha!"
Chief Sword Master Dai burst out laughing.
Seriously, that's two young prodigies right there!
This is a massive boost to the Southriver Sword Sect's power.
"He did it too!"
As everyone watched the boy walk out of the Thousand-Sword Burial Ground, gripping his Southriver Sword with excitement written all over his face, many people sighed inwardly, their expressions full of envy.
Harvey He looked visibly annoyed—his spotlight had just been stolen.
"See this? This is a Southriver Sword! If you’d gone in just now, you’d have totally wasted my time. Maybe your time’s worthless, but mine is precious!"
The boy strutted out, sword in hand, shot Evan Lin a mocking look, and let out a cold laugh.
His words set off a wave of snickers in the crowd—everyone thought Evan Lin, getting roasted like that, was downright pitiful.
His real motive? He’d noticed Harvey He seemed annoyed at Evan Lin, so he was just sucking up, hoping to win Harvey’s favor. That way, once they got into the sect, they could team up and look out for each other.
"Usually, you could send in a dozen people and not get a single reaction. But two Southriver Swords in a row? That’s seriously rare."
Sword Master Wang couldn’t help but sigh.
"It’s a blessing for our sword sect!"
Chief Sword Master Dai burst out laughing, clearly in a much better mood. "Alright, next up—who’s going?"
"I’ll go..."
Selina Zhu took a deep breath and stepped forward from the crowd.
She was already gorgeous with a killer figure, so the moment she stepped out, all eyes locked onto her.
Evan Lin’s gaze was deep, but his focus was fixed on the dark soil inside the Thousand-Sword Burial Ground.
"Both times those Southriver Swords shot out, there was a faint ripple of spiritual qi... Could there be something hidden under the ground?"
While Evan Lin was mulling it over, Selina Zhu, looking a bit nervous, stepped into the Thousand-Sword Burial Ground.
One step.
The moment she stepped in, two piercing whooshes split the air.
Right on her heels, two Southriver Swords gleaming with cold light shot straight toward her.
"Two Southriver Swords!"
Everyone was stunned by what they saw.
Selina Zhu’s face lit up with joy. She picked one of the swords and claimed it, while the other instantly sank back into the earth the moment she made her choice, vanishing from sight.
"Even Zack Zhao only had one Southriver Sword bow to him that day, but you got two—now that’s what I call a prodigy!"
Seeing Selina Zhu pick up the sword, Chief Sword Master Dai was so fired up he nearly wanted to rush off and tell the Sect Master about this.
"Thank you for the praise, Chief Sword Master!"
Selina Zhu beamed with happiness as she walked out of the Thousand-Sword Burial Ground.
Soon, the next candidate stepped in.
"Another one?"
One after another, more candidates entered the Thousand-Sword Burial Ground.
Sure enough, every single person who stepped into the Burial Ground triggered a Southriver Sword within two steps.
"What’s going on...?"
Chief Sword Master Dai looked around at the excited boys and girls clutching their Southriver Swords, but his own smile was fading fast.
He exchanged a glance with Sword Master Wang.
"Chief Sword Master, is something wrong?"
Sword Master Wang sounded puzzled: "Normally, it’s a miracle if anyone in a batch gets a Southriver Sword. Sometimes, a whole team goes in and not a single sword appears."
"But today, over twenty Southriver Swords have come out—and every single one shot up on its own. This just doesn’t add up."
Sword Master Wang’s eyes flickered as he scanned the crowd.
To him, a lot of these kids had mediocre roots and talent. On a normal day, they’d never be chosen by a Southriver Sword.
Just look at Jinnan—when word got out that Lin Nantian from the Lin family had earned a single Southriver Sword, it gave his family the guts to march up to the Su family’s doorstep and demand a marriage alliance. That’s how much weight a Southriver Sword carries, and how hard it is to get one.
But looking at the scene now, these Southriver Swords might as well be cabbages—totally worthless.
Anyone who stepped into the Burial Ground could just grab a sword, and every single one popped up on its own.
The atmosphere suddenly turned weird.
Chief Sword Master Dai’s face darkened, and Sword Master Wang stayed silent.
One after another, people went in, took a sword, and walked out.
In no time, almost everyone here was holding a Southriver Sword.
They were all still basking in the glory—finally getting a Southriver Sword, a ticket into the sect, and a chance to make their families proud and show off to their friends.
Not far away, Lin Nantian was hurrying across the Sword-Practice Field.
He was moving fast, face full of panic—he’d just gotten word from the Lin family that Master Lin from Seacrest was already on his way to the Southriver Sword Sect.
Lin Nantian rushed over, looking for Chief Sword Master Dai, since with his status, he wasn’t qualified to approach the elders or the Sect Master directly.
"Chief Sword Master Dai!"
Lin Nantian called out as he got closer.
"What’s got you so worked up?"
Chief Sword Master Dai glanced at him, his gaze ice-cold.
Lin Nantian’s humiliating defeat had been a huge embarrassment for the Southriver Sword Sect.
Chief Sword Master Dai was already pretty unhappy with him.
"Chief Sword Master, I just got word that Lin—"
But before he could finish, Lin Nantian’s eyes locked onto a familiar silhouette in the crowd. His pupils shrank—
At that moment, that very figure seemed to have made up his mind—he was about to step into the Thousand-Sword Burial Ground!