### Chapter 7: Comprehending Sword Intent
==============================
Lin Nan stood up to greet the morning light, stretching his stiff limbs like a seasoned old man trying to shake off the burdens of the night before.
Last night, his consciousness had borrowed the tiny trumpet, and after ten hours, when he returned to his main account, it seemed his mind didn’t get a break, but his body felt refreshed and bursting with energy. Looks like as long as his body gets enough rest, his mind won’t feel like it’s just run a marathon!
After his inner warrior finished dealing with human adventurers in Cold Wind Cave, she sauntered back to her room, specifically calling Old Drill Wind to fetch some fruits resembling carrots. Then she shut the door and began practicing the art of slicing those fruits into perfectly even strands with the Black Wind Sword.
The skills gifted by the system were indeed powerful, but during these bouts, she realized a hiccup—she had become way too dependent on those flashy skills!
If she ever found herself in a one-on-one with an enemy without the Cold Value buff, she’d end up on the receiving end of a beating with no way to turn the tables. Therefore, she definitely needed to bolster her plain ol’ attack capabilities.
Even though her main account butchered over a hundred carrots during the day, she could feel she was finally getting the hang of angles and rhythm in her slicing practice.
Armed only with the Black Wind Sword, practicing on fruits felt like using a racehorse to plow a field, but the principles of swordplay and chopping remained strikingly similar.
So, the little trumpet spent an entire night in her bedroom methodically slicing fruits.
It quickly became apparent that using a sword for slicing fruits was a lot tougher than wielding a cleaver! The sword was long and had a tiny point of force, and despite the Black Wind Sword being sharper than a rumor about a celebrity, the fruits seemed far away from her line of sight. Every time she chopped, there was bound to be a sudden offset that led to unexpected results.
In other words, she couldn’t perfectly control the weapon in her hand.
For a swordsman, that was like having a sore spot!
Sure, she could dodge once or twice thanks to her formidable skills, but if a crafty enemy figured out her tricks and devised a specific attack plan, her downfall would be inevitable.
Killing the little trumpet in the game meant real d*ath.
Thus, no matter what, she had to ensure that she had the survival skills to keep going in this world of inquiry.
So, let’s kick this off with practicing carrot slicing!
After a night of practice, the little trumpet delegated her account to the system, and the main account pumped up a bit, aiming straight at the mountain of carrots piled up in the yard.
Just then, Fatty woke up.
“Morning, brother!”
Fatty looked like he’d had a good rest, and his voice was much louder than yesterday.
“Morning.” Lin Nan replied curtly.
Fatty didn’t seem to mind Lin Nan’s chill demeanor; instead, he raised an eyebrow, sporting a smug look that screamed, “I’m in the know, and you’re not.” “Did you check the forums?”
Lin Nan shook his head. “Nope, just woke up.”
“Whoa, you actually managed to sleep a solid ten hours, huh? Nowadays, which young person isn’t grinding away? Anyway, I’ll be the generous one and tell you: just now, a post exploded in popularity! And it’s a paid one! I spent all my cash to learn this juicy secret. Want to know what it is?”
Lin Nan turned to leave. “Not interested.”
With that, he stepped outside.
Fatty quickly scurried after him. “Hey, how can you be so unappreciative? That post had over a hundred thousand purchases! I spent 5 Spirit Coins! Here’s the deal: I’ll give you a 40% discount, and you give me just 3 Spirit Coins. How about it?”
“Broke.”
“No money? Just dock it from your wages! Just write me a system IOU!”
Lin Nan speeded up.
“I’ve got insider info! It’s about the Cold Moon Witch! Didn’t you watch the video yesterday? The powerful, aloof hidden boss? The one looking drop-dead gorgeous?!”
Fatty was like a vendor selling pirated DVDs, constantly hawking his wares in Lin Nan’s ear.
Lin Nan stopped in his tracks.
Fatty beamed with joy. “See? Who wouldn’t be captivated by the Cold Moon Witch?”
“Sorry, you’re in my way.”
Lin Nan shoved Fatty aside and picked up the cleaver he had hammered into the cutting board yesterday.
As he eyed the gleaming blade, Fatty subconsciously gulped, realizing he better keep a safe distance.
“Clang clang clang…”
After a full day and night of practice, Lin Nan began to feel more attuned to the cleaver.
The first carrot he sliced came out a disaster, but he knew he was closing in on success.
“Hey, what’s with you? Can’t we be friends anymore?”
Fatty, scared Lin Nan would immediately check the forums, hurriedly continued, “Alright, my bro. Since we’re such good buddies, I’ll let it go for just 2 Spirit Coins. Can’t go lower than that!”
Lin Nan didn’t even glance up.
“Bargain price, 1 Spirit Coin! Seriously, I’m taking a huge loss on this!”
Fatty looked heartbroken, his jiggly cheeks rolling together like he had just lost a loved one.
Lin Nan lifted his head to look at him. “I don’t care who it is. You either work or take a nap in the woodshed. Stop yapping in front of me!”
Fatty sighed dramatically, as if Lin Nan just passed up a billion-dollar business deal.
“Fine, fine! You’re my brother! Honestly, I should’ve chosen Thousand Bird City—who knows, I might’ve even tracked down the Cold Moon Witch and scored a spot as an Inner Door Disciple instead of peeling carrots here like a chump.”
“Then go ahead! No one’s stopping you!”
“You know how ridiculous this game is; teleportation circles cost an arm and a leg—over a thousand Spirit Coins for a single trip! Who the hell can afford that? If I take a merchant team to Thousand Bird City, it’ll take at least seven or eight days! By the time I get there, the opportunity’s dead and gone.”
Lin Nan paused. “So, someone’s already caught a glimpse of her?”
“Totally! I heard she’s hanging out in the Chaos Forest west of Thousand Bird City. Someone even recorded it! No joke, she’s not only stunning but has a voice to match! Honestly… when I heard it yesterday for the first time, I reacted right away…”
“Swish!”
Fatty glanced nervously as the cleaver swished dangerously close to his foot, cold sweat trickling down his face.
“Oops, my hand slipped.”
Lin Nan casually bent down to pick up the cleaver, acting like nothing happened.
“You did that on purpose! You’re just jealous I can hear her voice while you can’t, right?”
Fatty squeaked back, though he quickly hopped back eight feet away from Lin Nan, not daring to approach him again.
Even though fighting was banned in Sky Sword City, unintended harm didn’t fall under that rule, and Fatty had no desire to experience the agony of losing something important in the game; at least the pain felt 100% real!
“Who’s making a racket in the yard? If you keep disturbing the guests, I’ll dock a hundred Spirit Coins from your pay!”
The waiter abruptly swung open the door to the backyard, giving a frosty glare at the ruckus Fatty was causing.
Fatty immediately wilted; in front of an NPC, players were mere ants, especially those like them who weren’t even considered Outer Door Disciples. Just scraping by with leftovers in Eight Immortals Restaurant was already a huge privilege.
“Yes, yes! I won’t do it again!”
Fatty scrambled to retrieve the cleaver, standing at the opposite end from Lin Nan, and started slicing carrots.
The waiter huffed and slammed the door shut.
Fatty slumped down, “Whew! Almost lost a hundred Spirit Coins—close call!”
He shrugged off a few slices when suddenly, the system chimed in with a notification.
【Carrot Strips (Failed) completed. Corresponding loss will be pre-deducted from your pay.】
“d*mn it! I really get penalized for slicing up a carrot?!” Fatty snapped, “Who the hell wants to do this anymore?”
Lin Nan didn’t even spare him a glance, meticulously slicing away at his carrots.
Clearly, he was closing the gap in skill compared to the waiter’s demo product.
This scene left Fatty utterly flabbergasted.
He suddenly realized something.
A player’s basic skill was finding clues within the mundane game world.
If taking quests from NPCs was as common as dirt, could the waiter’s carrot slicing be considered part of those quests? In other words, it could be a coveted hidden mission!
In the month since the game launched, Fatty had been glued to the forums daily, and he remembered folks discussing whether hidden missions existed in the world of inquiry; many claimed they had never encountered one.
Could this be a chance for his luck to turn around?
Seeing Lin Nan’s serious demeanor, Fatty’s heart raced; this guy had been practicing quietly for so long—could it be that he already realized this was a hidden mission?
Was the key to completing the quest simply who could meet the waiter’s criteria first?
That sneaky little turtle!
Trying to hog all the glory for himself!
Fatty sprang up, caring less about the carrot losses and banging the kn*fe and cutting board together in a frenzy.
Lin Nan looked at him, slightly surprised—had Fatty finally come to a realization?
But what he didn’t know was that Fatty interpreted that glance as a gauntlet thrown down.
Hah! When it comes to kn*fe work, I’ve never feared anyone! So what if you’re ahead by half a day? I’ve got tenacity in spades!
Haha!
Fatty went all out, and soon enough a mountain of failed products was piling up at his feet.
Meanwhile, Lin Nan slowed down his movements. Unbeknownst to him, he seemed to slip into a mystical state.
It was as if every slice he made came with a premonition of the outcome.
In life, many things fell into the category of practice makes perfect; truly, people do not deceive!
【Ding! You have comprehended lv1 Sword Intent.】
Lin Nan’s spirits soared; he really didn’t expect that slicing carrots for so long would lead to realizing sword intent. Truly, nature follows the way, connecting thousands—slicing carrot strips and practicing swords seemed worlds apart, but at their core, they intertwined and influenced each other.
So this was the true essence the world of “The Way of Inquiry” wanted to impart to players?
On the side, Fatty was shouting, “I can still slice more! I’ve got the strength!”
【Warning: The number of damaged carrots has far exceeded your advanced pay, Eight Immortals Restaurant will extend your working hours. Please be advised.】
“WTF!”
