Chapter 9: The Final Boss is Actually…
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The third level featured a Stone Man who looked like he had just crawled out of a lava pit, blazing with fiery flames all over.
After a fierce battle, Lin Nan discovered that its shaky stance was its Achilles’ heel. With Fatty’s help, they took it down together.
The fourth level, on the other hand, presented them with two elite Giant Wolves.
Now, anyone else might have quaked in their boots at the sight of such massive beasts.
But Lin Nan had faced off against Tiger Demons and Wolf Demons several times before; he was well-acquainted with their attack patterns. Thus, after an intense and gripping melee, they triumphed over the wolves.
However, the fifth level saw the re-emergence of human NPC projections.
A formation made up of six Inner Door Disciples from the Heavenly Sword Sect known as the Heavenly Sword Array.
To say that Lin Nan and Fatty were surprised would be an understatement; even the NPCs and onlooking players gasped in shock.
The Heavenly Sword Array was the Sect’s ultimate sword formation.
Once unleashed, it had infinite power and unmatched precision.
Especially when the disciples forming the array were also competent, its power would multiply exponentially.
But deciphering the intricacies of the Heavenly Sword Array was no walk in the park.
So far, out of hundreds of disciples in the Inner Door, fewer than ten people could come together to form this formidable array.
To fully unleash the array’s potential, these six had to practice together as a seamless unit—synced in both mind and spirit.
Though the appearances of the six disciples made them look relatively low-level, the overwhelming aura they emitted once the Heavenly Sword Array took shape made everyone rethink their initial impressions.
Fortunately, after defeating the Stone Man and the Giant Wolves, Lin Nan racked up an immense amount of experience points.
His level skyrocketed to 21, his sword intent reached level 10, and his Dugu Sword Technique climbed to level 2.
Even in this scenario, Lin Nan and Fatty found themselves embroiled in a grueling battle against the Heavenly Sword Array.
However, Fatty’s willingness to jump in front of Lin Nan increased.
From the battles of the first to the fourth levels, Fatty had figured out his own style of fighting.
Going toe-to-toe with the enemy directly was out of the question.
His only role was to buy time by diverting attacks and tanking the damage for Lin Nan.
In simple terms, he aggroed the mobs while Lin Nan looked for opportunities to counter.
But this time, facing a nearly flawless Heavenly Sword Array left them utterly helpless.
Despite the enemy’s small numbers, the brilliance of the formation made it feel like they were facing a relentless army, with threats looming from every direction at all times.
With no other option, they had to play defensively, dodging attacks like it was a high-stakes game of dodgeball.
But one key advantage of the Heavenly Sword Array was its persistence—once it latched on, good luck trying to shake it off.
Seeing that they were cornered and couldn’t break free, Fatty gritted his teeth and said, “Bro, I’m going in!”
Before Lin Nan could react, Fatty surged forward.
As he got close to the edge of the array, he suddenly crouched low, sliding and swinging his sword dramatically.
How could the array allow such a disruptive presence? Their attention immediately shifted to Fatty, providing Lin Nan the perfect window to strike.
In a moment of peril, where Fatty was getting punctured like a pin cushion, Lin Nan utilized the Dugu Sword Technique’s Breaking Sword Style and struck down the enemy with lightning speed.
With the victory notification ringing in their ears, two beams of white light rained down from above, plunging straight onto their heads.
Fatty, who was on the verge of passing out, suddenly sprang back to life, full of vigor.
Lin Nan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
If Fatty hadn’t heroically served as the meat shield, risking it all to disrupt the Heavenly Sword Array, Lin Nan wouldn’t have had a chance to counter.
Needless to say, their contributions in this round were practically equal.
After leveling up, Fatty finally learned a sword technique.
[Painful Meat Sword Technique lv1: For every 2% damage you take, your attack power increases by 1% and pain tolerance rises by 1%.]
What kind of sword technique was this? It practically encouraged him to commit seppuku!
But hey, it was certainly better than having nothing at all.
Fatty begrudgingly accepted the game system’s favoritism towards him.
Breaking the Heavenly Sword Array meant that these two challengers had cleared five levels in the S-rank test, just one step away from joining the ranks of the Inner Door Disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect.
And they would be under the tutelage of the Chief Disciple, Luo Ying.
The players watching from the sidelines didn’t need telling; they stood right next to the arena, witnessing every moment in real-time.
Each level had been a struggle, but any two players from the crowd would likely falter at the first level, let alone face the various bosses to come.
The live streaming room fell into an indescribable silence.
Most viewers never imagined they’d power through to the sixth level.
Although each fight nearly drained their energy, the boss eventually fell, and it was Lin Nan and Fatty who had the last laugh.
Cold Little Rain expressed her genuine admiration, “Since the launch of ‘The Way of Inquiry,’ the grand scenes and immersive gameplay have left a deep impression on me. But starting today, I must declare that this S-rank test has shocked me far beyond any previous events. I never thought two ordinary players could rely on their sheer tenacity to get to the final level.”
“Exactly, to be honest, the difficulty of the first five levels is almost equivalent to three A-rank tests combined. If it were any other group, they would have cruised through. Yet these two unwaveringly chose this thorny path. Regardless of the outcome, they are heroes in our minds.”
Strong Brother chimed in with his thoughts.
Though they were hired as hosts by the game, they were also players in ‘The Way of Inquiry.’
So they knew full well how difficult it was to clear the first five levels of the S-rank test.
It was like diving into a high-level boss at the start of an RPG—every step had to be meticulously calculated and experimented upon, and you might just squeak through with less than 1% HP left.
But that was built on a foundation of countless saves and loads.
In a game like ‘The Way of Inquiry,’ that closely simulates reality, you might only get one shot at everything, just like in life.
They had truly surpassed players’ expectations.
“Hey? Whatever happened to that guy who said he was going to live-stream eating cr*p?”
“Yeah, I screenshotted it. His username was ‘I Just Ramble,’ where’s he? I just saw him showboating a moment ago, and now poof—gone!”
“Dude, I knew he was a coward.”
“All talk, no action. Let’s post the screenshots on the forum and make sure he can never show his face again.”
“Haha, right! We’ll only let it slide once he lives up to his promises.”
As players in the streaming chat clamored to track down that guy, in a pavilion atop a certain peak of the Heavenly Sword Sect, the waiter had somehow knelt halfway before Luo Ying.
“Master Sister, should the test continue? Lin Nan and Duan Mu’s abilities far exceed those of players in the same tier. Letting them get eliminated like this feels too wasteful.”
Luo Ying shot him a glance, a rosy hue creeping onto her cheeks.
“What, you feeling sorry for them?”
“Of course not!” The waiter quickly lowered his head.
“The competition will continue as scheduled.” Luo Ying’s tone suddenly turned frosty. “If they succeed, then they will naturally become disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect. No need to discuss anything else.”
“Yes, Master Sister.”
The waiter turned and left in a hurry.
After the fifth level’s match concluded, the waiter unprecedentedly scheduled a ten-minute break.
Lin Nan and Fatty didn’t leave the arena but chose to rest in place, especially since the nearby players seemed to be mocking them continually—they had no interest in bonding with anyone.
In the world of ‘The Way of Inquiry,’ strength reigned supreme.
After clearing five levels, the way these players looked at them changed subtly; confusion mingled with a hint of fear.
It went without saying that Lin Nan and Fatty had unwittingly imposed immense pressure on them.
Yet some still whispered among themselves.
“The S-rank test’s sixth level is nothing like the first five. I’ve heard from NPCs that the Martial Arts Hall can nearly perfectly replicate certain powerful NPC projections. Like that boss from the second level. But since the projections only have 10% of the original’s power, they barely scraped by.”
“But for the final level, they might not ease the difficulty.”
“But… isn’t that a bit unfair? They’re just regular challengers; raising the difficulty like that seems purposely cruel!”
“Eh, it’s not us being cruel. It’s because Luo Ying doesn’t want to recruit new disciples—she’s purposely ramping up the challenge. We’re just here for the show; why are you defending them?”
“Uh… Sorry, I was just thinking, if we had to do it…”
“Then it’s just bad luck for them. Blame it on running into Luo Ying—serves them right!”
“…”
When the waiter reappeared on stage, a hush fell over the crowd.
Everyone was eager to see what kind of boss the two challengers would face in the sixth level.
Fatty, with his nonchalant demeanor, stood front and center.
For him, making it to the sixth level was already a stroke of luck. Even if they failed, so what? He had learned a unique sword technique—he was not your average player anymore.
Lin Nan, on the other hand, remained calm.
Clearing five levels had given his sword techniques a qualitative leap.
Even though his main and alternate accounts didn’t share experience, the sword techniques birthed from his sword intent could be enjoyed by both.
He had just briefly switched between his accounts to test this theory.
Just then, the waiter’s voice echoed across the arena.
“The S-rank test’s sixth level will feature a randomly selected projection of a Great Demon from the Demon Realm, possessing only 20% of its original strength.”
The entire venue fell silent.
Whoa, a projection of a Great Demon? The Heavenly Sword Sect was seriously impressive.
To fully replicate a Great Demon’s projection required a thorough understanding of it.
Besides, Great Demons usually despised humans and would never pull punches.
Although it was only 20% strength, it would likely be a walk in the park for that duo.
The crowd glanced at Lin Nan with mixed feelings—regret, astonishment, and a touch of schadenfreude.
At that moment, a flickering silhouette began to materialize at the edge of the arena.
As it solidified, whether in person or in the live stream, everyone’s gaze was drawn irresistibly to it.
Wait a minute, what’s happening?
That slender black figure, cascading black hair reminiscent of a waterfall, draped in a flowing black knee-length skirt.
And that face! The kind you couldn’t take your eyes off—even for a second.
Especially those alluring black-red lips, seductively enchanting; they could steal anyone’s heart.
Whoa! Whoa!
The boss was actually the Cold Moon Witch!
