18 Tips for Maintaining a Spiritual Sword

Wang Ling’s teacher surprises him with a ranking of first on the National test. This glitch in the school system sets School 60 up to compete with School 59 in the first round of the tournament.

Sun Rong and Wang Ling’s combined scores have consistently put them head-to-head with 59 over the last 100 years. They’ve only drawn once in the year Zhou Yi competed.

Zhou Yi reports that they may have a surprising result. The school leaders discuss their team and wonder who Tang Birdy 2 from 59 could be.

A recent report in the news shows that School 59 is in preparations for a possible battle. Their training field is no joke, on par with professional standards.

Meanwhile, Sun Rong – now publicly known as Birdy 2 – musters enough pride to challenge Tang Jingze and wish Wang Ling luck via TV interview. While classmates at School 60 – sitting at the next table over – ask each other if they’ve heard of Wang Ling. ..

Sun Rong objects to the team being all freshmen and Level 1, particularly as Zhou Yi is the only one with any talent. But Zhou Yi convinces her with the full force of his sparkly charm. And somehow adds Froggy 2 to the team as well.

Frog 2 achieves the required score on the test, earning him a spot on team 60. This causes a stir over at team 59, as they see Froggy 2 join their ranks and overtake their leader, Tang Jingze. His classmates find this amusing. ..

Zhou Yi and the team decide to let everyone know that they have been selected for the team through a WeChat group. Everyone goes home to relax. Wang Ling reads The Chosen One in the Cultivation World, the web novel of this anime.

Administrator Wang assigns the team to compete in the National Senior Phase Sword Competition. Immediately, they get set up with their spiritual swords and display photos on the chat. However, there is one exception- Wang Ling.

Administrator Wang explains how spiritual swords are born, noting that they’re a living form that evolves. They press Wang Ling to see if he even has a sword. His one-word reply is yes.

Tang Jingze tells the teacher that with him on side, they’ll win.

Later, a ruffian named He Bufeng beats up the students who invited him to the competition. But he’s curious enough to wonder who they need him to defeat. ..

The Episode Review

Zhou Yi, the training field for School 59, is reminiscent of The Hunger Games franchise. This shows that they are taking things seriously and that Zhou Yi obviously has faith in his master. When competition is needed, he will ‘show up’. ..

Sun Rong greets and goodbyes her friends with “Wang Ling and Everyone,” confirming her preferences. Of course, Wang Ling remains unfazed. Who wouldn’t love some of whatever he’s on? Those racoon ramen noodles must do the trick… Do you think it’s a brand or a flavour? ..

Bocky is a delicious snack that follows the Japanese practice of borrowing popular brands but covering rights issues via amusing name changes. I can’t remember where I spotted “D’Monalds” but still chuckling to myself – perhaps Erased? Or March Comes in Like a Lion? (Both are brilliant, if you haven’t watched.) Whichever, it was pure brilliance.

Wang Ling is pulled into something bigger than a class demonstration or school level assessment. Will he be able to keep things on the QT? If it’s anything like the news coverage of the Olympics, it’ll be difficult to defeat those ever-running cameras. Can he simply erase everyone’s memory plus video as needed? The kid has some power…

This week’s episode was a bit of a bumper one, with lots of events happening that will lead to the next event. Do you agree? ..

We’re chortling with this series as much as you are! There’s something laugh-out-loud in almost every episode. What struck you in this one? Let us know what you think in the comments below!