### Chapter 3: S-Ranked Test
==============================
“Ha ha! Eating cold leftovers all day, no matter how tasty, it’s still an affront to my dignity. This candied hawthorn is way better!”
“Really? I don’t recall your dignity being insulted when you devoured everything clean, nearly swallowing the plate in the process!”
“I’m just against food waste, you know? Waste is shameful! Get it?”
“Hah, you’re just talking nonsense! Hey, did you pay for that candied hawthorn? You just take it and eat!”
“Aren’t you treating me?”
“Treat my sister! Do I look like I have money?”
The Fatty and the Big Bro stared at each other, as if a light bulb went off in both heads, and they took off in a run.
Behind them, the vendor waving a stick of candied hawthorn couldn’t catch up, yelling in frustration.
After a few twists and turns, the two finally couldn’t hear the vendor’s shouting anymore.
“Tsk tsk, turns out free stuff really tastes the best.”
The Fatty bit into a hawthorn, but after waiting for a while without a response from Big Bro, he suspiciously turned around and saw Lin Nan’s previously cheerful expression had changed.
cr*p, why did Persona No. 1 suddenly come back?
Lin Nan looked at him with a blank expression. “I’m going back to the Eight Immortals Restaurant.”
After saying that, Lin Nan turned to leave, seemingly unconcerned whether the Fatty was following.
“Hey, uh, if you’re not gonna eat that candied hawthorn, don’t toss it! It’s quite pricey; I paid for it just now!”
The Fatty glanced at the stick of hawthorn he was holding, worried that he’d toss it on the ground if Lin Nan got upset.
Lin Nan shot him a glance and handed the hawthorn over to the Fatty.
The Fatty grinned, “If you’re not eating it, then I’m really gonna take a bite!”
Lin Nan said nothing.
The streets of Sky Sword City bustled with activity.
At this moment, numerous players and local NPCs mingled together, focused on a big event about to happen at Heavenly Sword Sect.
The inner disciple system of Heavenly Sword Sect wasn’t exactly the same as Thousand Bird City.
As the top-tier martial sect in the human realm, its standards seemed a bit higher.
Only those approved by the Sect Leader, capable of forming a small team, could enter the inner disciples’ ranks.
To become a member under the inner disciples, you must pass through a series of grueling trials set up by them.
In these small teams, the inner disciples might not be official masters, but they were practically masters.
All training resources at Heavenly Sword Sect had to be exchanged for points; without points, nothing could be achieved.
Thus, the bigger the team, the more points they could earn, leading to more resources—this symbiosis was the main reason Heavenly Sword Sect had endured for thousands of years in the human realm.
Only by joining a formidable inner team could one continuously acquire elixirs and techniques, becoming a cornerstone of the Heavenly Sword Sect.
Therefore, players naturally flocked to the inner disciple selection.
Fortunately, the selection was open to everyone.
Not just outer door disciples; anyone who could pay the 10 Spirit Coins registration fee could give it a shot.
Many events allowed for two-player teams, which undeniably lowered the difficulty to some extent.
So, when the selection assessment time came, Sky Sword City was overflowing with eager crowds.
Though most would inevitably fail, everyone had a dream of diving into the depths of the Heavenly Sword Sect, because how would they know what utter despair was without trying?
Of course, some lucky players with low levels managed to pass the assessment and successfully entered the inner door.
Such success stories only fueled the players’ enthusiasm. Since the launch, nearly a hundred players had successfully entered the inner door after two months of assessments, becoming the elite among players.
Aside from the enticing inner door, the outer door of Heavenly Sword Sect had no entry barriers; you just needed to pay to join, making it feel more like a beginner’s training school.
Each team had mentors who would teach players theory and arrange hands-on exercises; there were even pre-exam tutoring classes, but they came with hefty training fees.
Those with high comprehension might trigger relevant upgrade systems, while those with low comprehension would gain nothing even after hearing the lectures a thousand times.
Despite this, the outer door was still bustling with activity; many found it impossible to squeeze in even if they had the money.
As the second inner door selection since the game launched was nearing its end, a shocking piece of news spread throughout the forum.
If you were to ask who the strongest inner disciple at Heavenly Sword Sect was, anyone with a bit of common sense would know it had to be the chief inner disciple, Luo Ying.
But this lady was elusive, rarely seen even by fellow inner disciples, let alone regular players.
Rumor had it that so far, Luo Ying had never recruited team members, unlike other teams that boasted three or four dozen members. She just met the basic contribution alone every month all by herself.
It was evident her strength was formidable.
Just her title of chief inner disciple made countless players wish to join her ranks.
Not to mention, she was one of the few female NPCs within the inner door.
Just from her name, you knew she must be gorgeous, definitely a top beauty; after all, every NPC had to be a stunner—that was tradition!
But she was just so proud, not giving anyone the chance.
In the system’s task list, the entry exam tasks for other inner disciples were clear, while Luo Ying had no record of ever issuing tasks.
Some said this NPC was just that kind of character; she simply didn’t want to find team members, and you can’t exactly force an NPC to change their character setting.
Thus, players with nothing but enthusiasm gradually lost their desire to seek out Luo Ying.
But what they didn’t expect was that just a moment ago, players already within the inner door suddenly received a system notification: Luo Ying was conducting her final disciple recruitment test! Since this was the first time anyone had reached her final challenge, Heavenly Sword Sect decided to let all inner disciples watch the entire test.
This news caused an explosion on the forum.
Only then did players realize that Luo Ying hadn’t set up an entry test; her tasks were simply different from other inner disciple NPCs. Others were straightforward, while hers were hidden.
As the game often put it, it was a hidden task requiring specific conditions to trigger.
However, with thousands of NPCs in Sky Sword City, and nearly ten thousand residents alone, how could players possibly search for task clues one by one among such a large number?
Thus, they felt those two must have hit the jackpot to trigger the hidden task.
However, when they saw the final challenge difficulty marked as S-rank posted by the inner door players on the forum, they couldn’t help but gloat.
Looks like luck was running out for those two.
After all, the test was mainly aimed at all players and certain NPCs, and because players’ levels were mostly around twenty, high difficulty would actually hinder talent selection.
Thus, most inner disciples set their task difficulty at B-rank; while it didn’t seem too high, it still weeded out most applicants.
B-rank difficulty was already enough to give players headaches.
Yet, Luo Ying’s final test difficulty was jaw-droppingly set as S-rank—clearly, those two’s luck was running out.
I wonder what expressions those players had after seeing those hot forum posts.
Ha ha, they wouldn’t run away, would they?
Returning to the Eight Immortals Restaurant, the waiter was nowhere to be seen, but the Fatty had already learned about the dire situation they were facing through the forum, his hand shaking while holding the stick of candied hawthorn.
“cr*p, how could this happen? Didn’t they say hidden tasks came with rewards? How’d it turn into an S-ranked final entry test? Are we even allowed to live?”
Lin Nan didn’t have time to browse the forum; not even the Fatty’s complaints registered in his ears.
To him, rather than wallowing in self-pity, it was better to use the time remaining to practice harder.
The Fatty had been complaining for ages, but noticing he was the only one doing so, he turned to find the robotic Persona No. 1 had gone back to slicing radishes.
How much do you love radishes, man?
Complaining was one thing, but if they didn’t pass this so-called S-ranked final test, then all their hard work over the past month would be in vain.
The Fatty swallowed the last hawthorn; the once sweet-and-sour taste now seemed bitter to him.
He shook his head and, ultimately driven by Persona No. 1’s determination, began sharpening his sword at the last minute.
That dull routine of cutting radishes felt like an eternity.
But as both immersed themselves, they discovered that every slice in half brought a different realization.
That mystical feeling seemed to descend on you unexpectedly after accumulating myriad experiences.
As the saying goes, read a book a thousand times, and its meaning will naturally become clear.
The repetitive slicing didn’t bring them frustration; instead, it made them feel as though time was flying by, so fast it was almost unbelievable.
When they snapped out of that mystical state, half a day had gone by, and the sky had darkened.
Combining the experience from this morning’s battle with the Tiger Demon, Lin Nan immediately received a prompt from the system.
Ding! Your Sword Intent has reached level 8!
Meanwhile, the Fatty was grinning from ear to ear, not expecting a bit of last-minute training with the robot would bump his Sword Intent up to level 6!
But he didn’t want to ask Lin Nan what level he was; he didn’t want to crush his own confidence.
“Looks like you both are ready.”
The waiter pushed the door open, looking coldly at the two.
“Tonight, the back courtyard will close completely. Follow me to the guest room; get some rest early. The test starts tomorrow at 9 AM sharp.”
“Okay,” Lin Nan nodded.
The Fatty instantly beamed.
That was the guest room of the Eight Immortals Restaurant! Even the cheapest one cost 200 Spirit Coins a day, which was a pretty extravagant expense for players at the beginning. After all, players didn’t have a place to earn money in the game yet; only time would tell if they could afford this level of expenditure.
Well, even if they flunked the final test, at least he could say he spent a night at the Eight Immortals Restaurant—worth the trip!
