Wait, How Did My Digital Girlfriend Become a Sword Immortal? Chapter 776: Wait a minute

...

A sword?

The onlookers around were completely stunned.

Plenty of folks recognized the young woman standing there as the rightful daughter cast out from the Flame Boar Family, possessing not a shred of Battle Power and utterly lacking in talent. Should she manage to rouse a Battle Soul for real, it ought to tie back to the Flame Boar lineage somehow.

Then again, what did summoning a sword at this moment signify?

"What sort of Battle Soul is that?"

The Soul Master next to the Awakening Stone examined the blade clutched by Li Qingran closely, yet it failed to resemble any familiar Battle Souls in his knowledge. Swords as Battle Souls existed aplenty across the Canglan Continent these days; such ones went by the name of Weapon Battle Souls.

Tools ranging from axes for splitting wood, cleavers from the kitchen, to heavy mallets all fell under Weapon Battle Souls, though they ranked as the most basic variety. The sword Li Qingran now held gleamed in a pure moonlight hue, its scabbard holding a soft, glowing mist. One look revealed it as no common blade by any stretch.

Typically, Battle Souls displaying those traits turned out far from mediocre.

Coupled with the natural full Battle Power...

"Struck gold..." the Soul Master mused inwardly, thrilled in secret.

He remained puzzled about this particular Battle Soul, yet his vast-learned mentor would undoubtedly recognize it. After all, the Canglan World boasted countless Battle Souls in the tens of thousands; nobody could claim full expertise over every single one.

In the midst of the gathering, Li Ji, leader of the Flame Boar Family, saw his expression sour deeply.

Murmurs of chatter floated softly from nearby.

"Hey, isn't Li Qingran part of the Flame Boar Family? Why did her Battle Soul turn out as a sword? A Beast Battle Soul heritage shouldn't produce a Weapon Battle Soul, should it? Don't tell me Li Qingran isn't really Li Ji's... well, you catch my drift."

"I see, I see! Alas, high-society affairs get tangled, makes total sense."

"Right, right, and Li Ji's no great catch looks-wise. Folks say girls resemble their dads, but Li Qingran obviously doesn't."

Without lifting a finger, Li Ji already sensed a cuckold's shadow looming over him.

Right when he itched to confront Yang Fei for answers, a sudden recall hit him: Yang Fei had gotten booted from the Flame Boar Family just two days prior, departing empty-handed. Rong Wuhua had moved fast, striking Yang Fei's name from the family records that same day.

One must grasp that a clan registry wasn't a thing to tweak on a whim.

Empowered by the lingering Battle Soul essence of bygone forebears, alterations to the registry became permanent. Reinstating Yang Fei? Out of the question! Thus, Yang Fei now shared zero ties with the Flame Boar Family. On what grounds could he even approach her for a reckoning?

A spectral blaze of irritation flared in Li Ji's chest without release, leaving him in sheer torment.

Sharing that same torment was Rong Wuhua.

"This can't be! That wretched woman's spawn, Yang Fei's kid, actually roused a Battle Soul? Wasn't her Battle Power at zero?!"

"And causing such a stir in the awakening... Hold on!" Her gaze intensified, picking up the waves of Battle Power radiating from Li Qingran's form.

These waves...

Rong Wuhua's eyes narrowed sharply. "Ten segments of Battle Power! That's... innate full Battle Power?!"

Simply rousing a Battle Soul didn't grant Battle Power on its own. Hence, the Battle Power had to exist *prior* to the awakening.

Battle Power held before rousing a Battle Soul could only stem from innate sources!

Yet merely days earlier, when Yang Fei brought Li Qingran in for evaluation, the outcome indicated *zero* Battle Power!

Was it possible some fluke allowed self-awakening of innate full Battle Power within three short days?

Rong Wuhua's thoughts swirled into chaos. No angle she considered unraveled the mystery surrounding Li Qingran's change.

"Hmph, innate full Battle Power or not, nobody recognizes her Battle Soul. Likely just some trashy, lowly one unfit for decent company."

Jealousy and bitterness surged through Rong Wuhua.

Still, she could merely soothe herself that way, projecting a facade of composure.

She felt thankful too for expelling Li Qingran and Yang Fei from the Flame Boar Family in advance. Had she delayed, her own daughter's betrothal to the Thunder Leopard Family could've hit far more snags.

That Lei Bo, heir apparent of the Thunder Leopard Family, plainly showed no fondness for her daughter's curvaceous build. She wasn't blind to it.

"Li Qingran! Innate full Battle Power!" Following a short stun, the Soul Master conducting the rite by the Awakening Stone proclaimed: "Battle Soul — Mysterious Treasure Sword, qualified!"

With that, he dropped his tone and addressed Li Qingran, "Young lady, you've got innate full Battle Power. Your Battle Soul's unfamiliar to me, but it seems pretty solid.

Once the rite wraps up, stick around a bit. Head over to our Battle Soul Hall for evaluations.

Experts abound there, including Elders and Deacons of the Battle Soul Hall, plus instructors from elite schools.

Show your face; you could snag a free spot in those premier academies!"

Li Qingran understood academies wielded immense influence across this land.

The three Soul Master Empires each hosted one or two grand academies, serving as prime hubs for nurturing talents in those realms.

As suppliers of new talent to the empires, their sway in the Canglan World surpassed what most could fathom.

Rumors held the fees for these imperial academies as steep indeed. Gaining entry without cost would prove a boon.

When Yang Fei got ousted from the Flame Boar Family, poverty struck her down. Li Qingran had pulled her mother away to build a better existence, so handling finances fell to her.

Besides, boosting her power burned urgently within her.

This realm's cultivation path diverged wildly from the Cangyun Realm's ways. It wasn't like Cangyun cultivators holing up in caves, meditating rigidly for gains, popping elixirs for stalls, or begging masters for aid when elixirs failed... Here, folks joined groups like academies to grasp essentials; going solo made thriving a steep climb.

On top of that, this world lacked those pesky bottleneck notions.

Shattering a bottleneck proved straightforward. Max out Battle Power, then track down an apt World Beast to slay for its World Ring.

Absorb the World Ring, and breakthrough followed.

World Beasts packed serious punch. Since Soul Masters typically required a World Ring from a beast a tier above for progress, facing one alone bordered on suicide.

This underscored academies' vital place.

With guides and peers aiding in World Beast hunts, things simplified vastly over lone pursuits.

Considering this, Li Qingran dipped her head. "Thanks for the invite. I'm unclear on my Battle Soul myself, so senior advice would help. But I do have a condition."

"What condition?"

"I want to check on my mother first. She's hurt. I'll share this update to ease her concerns.

If I vanish too long without word, she'll fret endlessly."

The Soul Master beamed inwardly at Li Qingran's agreement to visit the Battle Soul Hall—it bolstered his own record.

Of course, her minor ask posed no issue, and he consented without hesitation.

Upon gaining her Battle Soul, the Su Xian Sword from the storage ring vanished, easing transport greatly.

Li Qingran recalled the Su Xian Sword Battle Soul inside her, brushing off the tangled stares from the Flame Boar Family, Lei Bo, and the rest, before spinning away.

The Soul Master eyed Li Qingran's retreating silhouette, then pulled her details for another scan. Abruptly, his forehead creased.

"Miss, hold on a second!"