Chapter 0: Final Test Qualifications
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“Disciple greets Master Sister.”
The waiter from the Eight Immortals Restaurant half-kneeled before the tipsy woman, speaking respectfully.
“Get up; don’t act so formal.”
The woman supported her pointed chin with one hand, her eyes half-closed, looking as if she might doze off due to her drunkenness.
The waiter stood up and said, “Thank you, Master Sister.”
“Hmm…”
She hummed lightly, “What’s the matter?”
“Master Sister, you set a special entrance exam at the Eight Immortals Restaurant a year ago. Now, two people have been enduring it for almost a month. I’ve come to report the progress of the exam.”
The woman maintained a flirtatious demeanor, but in the waiter’s eyes, Master Sister Luo Ying always looked like this. In reality, she was quite clear-headed; you couldn’t trick her at any time.
“Oh? And who are these two?”
“I’ve asked; they’re both from a village outside the city. They came to Sky Sword City hoping to join the Heavenly Sword Sect for training.”
The woman nodded slightly, “Alright, let them continue staying at the Eight Immortals Restaurant. When they pass, bring them to see me. If they don’t pass the final test, you can see them off on my behalf.”
“Understood, Master Sister. I will take my leave.”
Once the waiter left her sight, Luo Ying downed the entire pot of wine in one go.
A year ago, she whimsically set this exam at the Eight Immortals Restaurant, not just because she was drunk.
After all, in all those years of the restaurant’s operation, very few dared to take advantage of the Heavenly Sword Sect’s territory.
So the entry conditions for this exam were very obscure—only exceptional people could fulfill them.
Furthermore, even if there were some gluttons caught by the waiter and tossed into the backyard, if they saw no one watching and the walls were low, their first instinct would be to escape from the Eight Immortals Restaurant; only a fool would stay and take on days of unpaid labor.
Only those who stuck around and diligently shredded a few days’ worth of radishes would have the chance to discover further developments.
Thus, when Luo Ying set up this hidden test, she knew it wouldn’t be easy to satisfy all these conditions at once.
So she just casually mentioned it to the waiter, treating it as a joke, completing a task assigned by her master. Whether anyone could meet the requirements was no longer her concern.
Among all of the inner disciples’ exams, Luo Ying’s was the most devious and hidden.
However, being the chief disciple, she possessed real skills, outmatching many elders. So, since the sect leader raised no objections, others dared not chatter.
So far, some aspirants had successfully joined the Heavenly Sword Sect through other inner disciples’ tests, but Luo Ying’s lineage still had only her.
She didn’t mind; she was having a great time drinking and enjoying life.
But hearing from the waiter that someone had managed to endure for almost a month made Luo Ying chuckle.
Those two fools could really stick it out.
But when they got to the final stage, they might feel despair.
Having only herself was nice; she didn’t want to recruit what felt like a drag, even though according to Heavenly Sword Sect rules, she had a mentor-student relationship with those disciples without the official titles.
Besides, the pocket money she earned was already enough; why invite unnecessary troubles for herself?
Meanwhile, Lin Nan and Fatty in the backyard of the Eight Immortals Restaurant were obliviously practicing the radish-shredding sword technique, which was merely a prank set by Luo Ying after one too many drinks.
Now, they had switched to long swords typically used by swordsmen.
They had to cut the tough radish with a blade tip of less than an inch.
The difficulty was undoubtedly much higher than before.
The long sword seemed solid and sharp, but in high-speed motions, the sword blade would experience some deviation due to wind resistance.
Moreover, the radish in the backyard was now smaller than a ping pong ball; with a little force, either the sword tip would miss the target and crash onto the cutting board, or it would send that rock-like radish flying.
For the initial hours, Fatty utterly couldn’t grasp the trick, feeling as if all his previous efforts had been a joke.
If it weren’t for wanting to save Lin Nan’s second personality, he would have lost his temper by now.
While Fatty swung his sword at the little radish two feet away, he couldn’t help but glance at Lin Nan.
Lin Nan’s first personality was as calm as a statue. Even though he faced annoying setbacks, he remained utterly composed, like a robot devoid of any emotion.
His first personality was growing increasingly cold.
They had only just met, and the first personality would at least chat a little.
Was it because they were now familiar with each other?
No, the more familiar they became, the more they should talk. Why was their connection getting icier?
Lin Nan didn’t want it to be this way.
But he didn’t have time for even one extra word with Fatty.
After all, the threat of the Tiger Demon loomed nearby; if he wanted to defeat it without relying on skills, he had to use every moment to practice.
Now, the practice methods in the Eight Immortals Restaurant’s backyard had changed once more, with the difficulty ramping up each time.
Despite running on non-stop 24-hour days, he still couldn’t immediately comprehend the sword intent represented.
However, after countless uninterrupted practice sessions, as he felt the long sword cutting through the air, he suddenly experienced a new clarity.
It felt like a moment of enlightenment.
That sword came down lightly, like a feather floating in the air, soft and without even a hint of force.
But when the sharp tip was less than a centimeter from the little radish, his wrist suddenly exerted force, concentrating all his strength into one point.
A miracle happened.
The little radish, which had previously resisted countless cuts, was now cleanly sliced in half.
Lin Nan stared at this scene, realizing something.
【Your Sword Intent has reached level 7.】
As the system’s voice echoed in his mind, the waiter pushed opened the backyard door.
“Very good, you have qualified for the final challenge.”
Lin Nan nodded, “Thank you.”
The waiter glanced at the stunned Fatty, “Are you taking him with you? There’s no limit on the number of challengers.”
Fatty heard that and immediately jumped for joy, rushing to Lin Nan’s side with a big grin, “Bro, considering we’ve been through all this together, take me along!”
Lin Nan didn’t answer immediately but instead asked the waiter, “Can you tell me what the final challenge entails?”
The waiter replied, “No comment. But I can tell you in advance that the difficulty is quite high. If you fail, there will be no second chance. Alternatively, you can choose to withdraw now; the Eight Immortals Restaurant will pay you both 300 spirit coins each as compensation for wasting your time for so many days.”
Hearing the waiter’s serious tone, Fatty began to feel uneasy.
If he were in Lin Nan’s position, he wouldn’t want to take along a liability with a lower level than him.
“Bro, even if I’m useless, I can be your shield, you know! Really, my sword intent is level 5 now; I can definitely help you!” Fatty made a last-ditch effort.
After all, this fatty was the first not-quite-a-friend he made since becoming a player.
And besides, Fatty had been working hard lately.
If he stripped Fatty of the opportunity to fight for hidden task rewards, wouldn’t that be too cruel?
Ah, well, even if they failed, it’s just fate.
Lin Nan made up his mind and said to the waiter, “Okay, then it’s the two of us.”
The waiter nodded, “Alright, then please both take two days to rest at the Eight Immortals Restaurant and wait for my formal notice.”
Once the waiter left, Fatty immediately wanted to jump on him in excitement but was subtly dodged by Lin Nan.
“Bro, thank you! From today on, age doesn’t matter; you’re my bro. I’ve never met anyone as good as you, seriously.”
Fatty was quite surprised. Given how serious the waiter had been, it would have been perfectly normal for Lin Nan not to take him. After all, the gaming world was a self-serving society; there was no need to wear a mask of adult hypocrisy in this virtual environment.
So, Lin Nan not holding grudges to do this was indeed admirable.
“Bro, since the waiter said we can rest, we haven’t strolled around the streets for a while. How about we go—”
Just then, Fatty turned around and saw Lin Nan sitting back down, lifting his long sword again.
Seriously? Even at such a time, he doesn’t forget to practice.
What a boring person…
But since Lin Nan wouldn’t agree, he didn’t want to sneak away alone. After wandering around the backyard a few times, he finally sighed and sat back down.
“Alright, alright, since my big bro doesn’t want to go out, I’ll accompany you till the end.”
But thinking about it, since they had more than two days of free time, if they could fully utilize it, perhaps before the final test arrived, their sword intents could improve a level.
The clanging sounds echoed through the backyard again.
Before long, news of the final test for the chief disciple, Luo Ying, was set to begin, spreading rapidly through Sky Sword City.
Soon, posts began popping up in player forums discussing the matter.
“What? There’s an NPC named Luo Ying in the Heavenly Sword Sect? How have I never heard of her?”
“Haha, sounds like you’re really out of the loop.”
“No, I’ve never seen her in the NPC quest list. What’s the problem?”
“You don’t know? This Luo Ying is the chief disciple of the inner sect of the Heavenly Sword Sect. Countless players want to join her, but there’s no way in. After all, players can’t afford to waste time, so most choose other inner disciples. But now, two lucky idiots managed to stumble into Luo Ying’s entrance exam. According to the rules, they still have to pass her final test to officially enter.”
“When does it start? I’ll be there to watch. Just thinking about those two losers’ disappointed faces when they fail makes me happy.”
“Haha, me too! Let’s go, let’s go!”
