Wait, How Did My Digital Girlfriend Become a Sword Immortal? Chapter 832: Hostility

In the early morning, Li Qingran stirred awake from her slumber, still feeling hazy.

As she rubbed her eyes, the sleepiness fled away immediately. Her eyes grew wide, and a blush spread rapidly across her beautiful face.

She noticed the bed felt moist, her garments stuck uncomfortably to her skin, and memories of the previous night's dream flooded back unbidden.

'Li Qingran, you silly girl!' She slapped her cheeks lightly, threw aside the blankets to inspect her embarrassing creation, her expression filled with worry. 'Even if you're longing for your Master, this is too much... Good thing it's a solo dorm. What if it was like the shared rooms the other students have?'

The dawn was just breaking. The opening rounds kicked off at ten o'clock.

Li Qingran sprang out of bed swiftly, starting by stripping off the sheets and bedding to clean them. Yet as she reached beneath the pillow, her fingers brushed against three chilly, solid items.

She'd never stashed anything under her pillow—wouldn't that just be uncomfortable?

She raised the pillow to peek underneath.

Resting there silently lay three World Rings.

Purple, black, black. One thousand-year, two ten-thousand-year.

Even more astonishingly, these three World Rings matched precisely the presents her Master had bestowed upon her in the dream from the day before.

Which meant...

The events of last night weren't a mere dream?

Her Master had truly visited? And he... together with her...

Li Qingran's lovely cheeks burned hotter and hotter. She clutched the sheet once more, searching for any signs of Chen Huaian, but to no avail—she discovered absolutely nothing. Apparently, in that dream from yesterday, she alone had taken part.

Li Qingran ruffled her hair in bewilderment, feeling a tad puzzled.

However, since her Master managed to arrive once, he could surely manage it again.

The next time he appears, she ought not to mistake it for a dream. Instead, she'll question him directly.

Regarding these three World Rings...

Li Qingran felt completely at a loss.

She'd never encountered World Rings in such a stable state before. In the past, any World Rings she claimed from defeating World Beasts required instant absorption. If neglected, they would fade away into the ether fairly quickly.

But these three World Rings remained intact right there, without the slightest hint of fading.

Additionally, the caliber of World Rings a Battle Master could integrate was limited by their cultivation level, and substitutions weren't possible. Thus... what exactly did her Master intend by presenting her with these three World Rings?

For future utilization?

Or perhaps to upgrade her existing ones?

At present, Li Qingran couldn't decipher her Master's purpose. Yet, whenever her Master handed her an item, it was invariably something beneficial for her immediate needs. Therefore, these three World Rings had to possess extraordinary qualities.

Still, she felt grimy everywhere at the moment and lacked the will to ponder deeply.

Time for a bath first!

...

While Li Qingran was bathing.

The whole Battle Soul Academy buzzed with fervor.

This was due to today marking the pivotal occasion for Battle Soul Academy: the initial rounds of the Continental Elite Battle Master Academy Tournament.

Through the academy's qualifiers up to the conclusion, ten Battle Masters would emerge to assemble into two squads representing the institution.

Those top ten Battle Masters would gain the academy's special guidance along with plentiful prizes.

And that represented merely the opening wave of benefits.

Should they claim victory in the Continental Elite Academy Tournament, they'd further attract the goodwill of the Battle Soul Hall's Hall Master and earn the boon of World Beast Bones.

Elite assets such as World Beast Bones could vastly bolster a Battle Master. Certain valuable World Beast Bones might even bestow upon a Battle Master the power akin to an additional mighty Battle Technique!

Right from the break of day, the pairing roster had been displayed.

As the beloved beauty of Battle Soul Academy, Li Qingran drew plenty of scrutiny, of course.

'Match three features Goddess Qingran's bout—her rival is... Gasp!

It's none other than the fourth beauty on the list, Su Luyao!

A 37th-level Agile-Attack System Battle Venerable whose Battle Soul is Wind Whisper Butterfly, with a World Ring setup of two yellow one purple. She's a tough contender indeed...'

'I recall Goddess Qingran holds 39th-level in Strong-Attack System Weapon Battle Master, doesn't she?

Her World Ring setup mirrors that: two yellow one purple. Sure, she's two levels above Su Luyao, but tackling an Agile-Attack System proves tricky. Should an Agile-Attack System Battle Master grasp an opening, it's an utter defeat!'

'This promises an exciting clash. Su Luyao and Goddess Qingran have bad blood.'

'Bad blood? More like Su Luyao's envy and bitterness! She joined the academy ahead of Goddess Qingran, yet all her admirers switched to chasing Goddess Qingran—hahaha!'

...

Away from the throng, a young lady clad in academy attire, boasting a scorching figure, balled her hands into fists while overhearing the nearby chatter.

Su Luyao swept her light green locks back from her face, her stare cold as she fixed on the pairing board.

'Very well. Today, I'll face off against you, you seductive fox. Time to show everyone you're just a pretty face with some talent!'

Had her foe been anyone else, Su Luyao might have felt a touch of unease.

But learning it was Li Qingran, she nearly burst into laughter.

Li Qingran's third Battle Technique was common knowledge, having been deployed on numerous occasions.

It stemmed from a World Ring harvested from a [Thunder-Patterned Saber-Toothed Tiger], roughly 2000 years old.

Such a World Beast merged lightning traits with devastating melee burst strength. Its fangs gleamed like blades and could unleash fierce bolts to stun foes.

The World Ring endowed Li Qingran's Sword Battle Soul with electric attributes and amplified devastation.

Li Qingran's third Battle Technique was undeniably superb.

However, her own third Battle Technique was tailor-made to counter Li Qingran's perfectly. What's more, she had yet to reveal her third Battle Technique to fellow Battle Masters. Just her confidants and instructor were in the know.

Versus Li Qingran, her third Battle Technique effectively canceled out Li Qingran's.

With that extra Battle Technique in her arsenal, even against Li Qingran's two-level advantage, victory was firmly in her grasp.

As to her deep-seated animosity toward Li Qingran, it originated from the time Li Qingran first joined the academy.

At that point, she occupied third on the beauty rankings, basking in widespread fame and focus.

The top two spots belonged to figures too lofty for casual courtship— their positions and lineages intimidated potential suitors.

She alone seemed approachable, thus drawing the largest crowd of pursuers.

One was the heir from a prominent clan in Battle Soul City, the Golden Lion King Xiao Family.

She had intended to welcome the Xiao Family heir's advances. But within a single day of Li Qingran's arrival, that heir discarded her and turned his attentions to Li Qingran. Nor was he alone—all her former admirers followed suit.

This humiliation stung deeply for Su Luyao, accustomed to the spotlight.

Yet she couldn't sway those fickle nobles, leaving her to stew in silence.

Prior to reaching Battle Venerable status, she had repeatedly challenged Li Qingran to duels, only to suffer crushing defeats each time.

It wasn't until she integrated her third World Ring that she sensed her moment of reversal had come. She'd simply waited patiently until this juncture.

The academy preliminaries offered the perfect stage.

By sheer fortune, she drew Li Qingran in the opening round.

Fate was indeed on her side!

...

Just as Su Luyao reveled in her confidence.

Li Qingran had completed her cleanup and donned clean attire.

She reclined on the bed, examining the three World Rings gifted by her Master.

The instant her finger grazed the purple World Ring, a flood of details surfaced in her thoughts.

This data revealed the World Ring's age: a three-thousand-year specimen, derived from a three-thousand-year-old Deep Sea Sword Demon Shark.

A rare breed of World Beast unfamiliar to Li Qingran.

Most vitally.

This three-thousand-year World Ring allowed for immediate absorption. It would transform her existing first World Ring into a three-thousand-year version.

The associated Battle Technique could even be altered, based on her selection.

...