18 Tips for Maintaining a Spiritual Sword
Episode 7 of The Daily Life of the Immortal King (Netflix) surprises Wang Ling’s teacher – how could he have ranked first on the National test?! Another bid for a system malfunction. That glitch sets School 60 up to compete with School 59 in the first round of the tournament. It was Sun Rong and Wang Ling’s combined scores that raised the average, putting them head-to-head with 59. They’ve consistently beaten 60 over the last 100 years and only drawn once in the year Zhou Yi competed. Zhou Yi comments that they may have a surprising result. The school leaders discuss their team and wonder who Tang Birdy 2 from 59 could be. (Ha.) News coverage shows School 59 in preparations for battle. Their training field is no joke, on par with professional standards. Meanwhile, Tang Jingze – now publicly known as Birdy 2 – musters enough pride to challenge Sun Rong 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. Ms. Pan objects to the team being all freshmen and Level 1, particularly as Sun Rong 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. With the possibility of having his seal removed, Froggy 2 achieves the required score on the test, a hefty 5000. He joins team 60, causing a stir over at 59. With another score landing above his, an unhappy Tang Jingze is even more infuriated to see that it’s a dog. It certainly amuses his classmates. While Zhou Yi snacks on a ‘Bocky,’ they plan to let the team know they’ve been selected via a WeChat group. Everyone heads home to their chosen relax-time activities. Wang Ling reads The Chosen One in the Cultivation World, the web novel of this anime. The team is assigned to the National Senior Phase Sword Competition by Administrator Wang. In response, they instantly get set up with their spiritual swords, proudly displaying photos on the chat, even Froggy 2. The exception, of course, is Wang Ling. While we wait, Administrator Wang helpfully 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. Back at School 59, Tang Jingze tells the teacher ‘that man’ will be the fifth member of their team. He assures that with him on side, they’ll win. Later, ruffian He Bufeng beats up the students who invite him to the competition. But he’s curious enough to wonder who they need him to defeat.
The Episode Review
School 59’s training field, reminiscent of The Hunger Games franchise, shows that they are taking things seriously. But Zhou Yi obviously has faith in his master and that he’ll ‘show up’ in competition when needed. Lots of amusing little bits in this instalment – ya gotta love how Sun Rong greets and goodbyes her friends with ‘Wang Ling and Everyone,’ ratifying 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? And speaking of snacks – Bocky – ha! Love that it follows the Japanese practice of borrowing popular brands but covering rights issues via amusing name changes. Can’t recall 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. So, our Wang Ling gets pulled into something a bit 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’s got some power… Meanwhile, scoring this one in the middle range as it feels a bit of a bumper episode, getting us to the next happening. Agree? Are you chortling with this series as much as we are? There’s something laugh-out-loud in almost every episode. What struck you in this one? Feel free to add your musings below!
