Chapter 4: The Courageous Green Head

"My swordsmanship is of a high level, but I do not wish to disclose it... Can you keep it a secret?" said Young Master Ao Tian

In the eyes of players in the martial arts world, the Dugu Nine Swords is no different from the Dragon in the Clouds

Indeed, something has happened

But I always feel like you are looking for something..." the heroine said with a frown

Young Master Aotian noticed the reminder, but Lin Xiaoxiao ran quickly and slipped inside in an instant. Young Master Aotian could only sigh and followed closely behind. Halfway, he turned back to glance at the masked leader, and ultimately shook his head, realizing that this was not the person he was looking for.

Lin Xiaoxiao let out a cold snort: "If you perform well, you will naturally not be treated unfairly. Having already passed the first hurdle, if you are willing to put in the effort moving forward, I would not mind giving you a bit more in terms of benefits."

Three individuals walked along the road for a while, when suddenly they noticed an increasing number of players on the path. Groups of three to five were galloping on horseback, and some had even rented carriages, all heading towards Kunlun Mountain. As they passed each other on the road, everyone exchanged wary glances. The Emei heroine furrowed her brow and said softly, "Are all these players here for the same quest?"

The Emei heroine is quite bold, representing the fearless attitude of most players. Young Master Ao Tian let out a sound of appreciation, while Qing Tou tugged at his sister's clothing, his face flushed as he whispered, "I really don't want to fight with anyone, and I also don't want to be killed..."

At this moment, the three of them began to chat in the true sense. During the conversation, Young Master Ao Tian learned that the boy named Qing Tou actually had a mild form of autism in real life, which, although not severe, made him reluctant to communicate with outsiders. Lin Xiao Xiao, as his sister, clearly cared a lot about her brother. She employed various methods to help him, even considering bringing him into the game to broaden his horizons, build his courage, and improve his social skills.

Lin Xiaoxiao remained silent. She noticed that this Young Master Aotian possessed remarkable martial arts skills; not to mention anything else, just his lightness of foot was extraordinary. His horse was merely the worst in the system, with average endurance and speed. Given Young Master Aotian's physique and weight, it would not be long before the horse slowed down after a short gallop. However, they had already traveled for nearly half an hour, and the horse showed no signs of fatigue. This indicates that Young Master Aotian's lightness of foot is indeed exceptional.

Young Master Aotian was surprised and said, "Exercising courage? In this game?"

Ah, do not enter the forest!

"Cut it out!" Lin Xiaoxiao said disdainfully, "It's just a high-level sword technique, what's so mysterious about it! But you practice the martial arts of the evil sect; what exactly is this wicked skill? Just now, I even saw that NPC look surprised."

The three winners had no time to exchange a few words before being teleported to a vast wilderness. Meanwhile, the system notified the players that they had qualified for the task and needed to hurry to Kunlun Mountain, where they were to find He Zuda of the Kunlun Sect, report in, and receive the next stage of the mission

Young Master Aotian said: "If you want to develop your courage and social skills, you can go out for a walk, for example, dance in the square, or go to a bar to strike up a conversation with someone. Practicing in a game, however, is somewhat... hey!"

The young lady said angrily: "Who says he is a ... hmph, apart from going to school, he just stays at home, and every time he goes out, he needs to be whipped! This game is so highly virtualized, it is most suitable for communication and interaction with others. If the conversation does not go well, one can resort to violence, regardless of whether the other party is a great hero or the leader of the martial arts world; a disagreement can lead to a face full of blood! At worst, one gets killed, and in a minute, one can be a hero again!"

Young Master Aotian understood that he would not gain the upper hand in such a debate, especially one related to Yun Zhonglong. He thought to himself, if after a while, Dugu Jiujian were to be learned by others, could it still be equated with Yun Zhonglong? At this thought, he felt a pang of regret, recalling how Dugu Jiujian had almost been associated with him in the past

At this moment, there was no time for further thought; she immediately urged her horse to the roadside, wanting to distance herself from the conflict. In the distance, a figure appeared on the mountaintop, and from afar, it looked like a masked player. He brandished a long sword and shouted loudly: "Kill them all! Do not let this group disturb our boss's mission"

The three of them walked and talked at the fastest pace. The young man, who was new to the world, was clearly quite dissatisfied with the previous actions of Young Master Ao Tian, sulking and refusing to speak to him. On the contrary, the Emei heroine was very pleased, believing that Young Master Ao Tian acted decisively.

I do not permit you to insult the Dragon in the Clouds

In this day and age, one does not necessarily have to use the techniques of the evil sect to be an assassin. Learning the Dugu Nine Swords can also enable one to become an assassin

Young Master Aotian laughed heartily, raising his eyebrows and winking, saying: "It seems I have encountered a generous boss! Today is my lucky day!"

The young master Ao Tian said with a smile, "The boss is joking. Today, I have taken on your task, so naturally, I must do my best for the boss. These people are strictly speaking competitors, and I am observing my surroundings to be on guard. What if they are detrimental to us?"

... ... Ahem, I did not insult the Dragon in the Clouds. I was insulting the Nine Swords of Dugu

The assessment of the martial arts school is roughly equivalent to a qualification screening, commonly referred to as a preliminary selection. The strength of the NPCs is generally close to that of top-tier players, thus, after this round, players whose martial arts skills do not reach the top tier will essentially be eliminated at this stage

Then my sister lowered her voice and said, "The benefit of games is that you can make mistakes; at worst, you can start over. Today, I'll take you to do a task to liven things up. Tomorrow, I will take you to Emei, where there are many young girls. You can choose a few to flirt with and tease, which can also be considered as gaining some experience..."

The female hero widened her eyes and said, "Why not? This game is crowded and chaotic, with intricate strategies, making it perfect for honing courage and social skills"

Young Master Aotian let out a sigh and said, "In the world of Jianghu, one is not in control of their own life!" After speaking, he pulled the reins and raised his eyes to the distant horizon, exuding an indescribable air of arrogance. The two individuals were left in a state of daze. After a while, the young woman finally regained her senses, realizing that she had encountered a fool. She steadied herself and suddenly said, "Young Master Aotian, I see that your martial arts are actually quite good. You use a sword; what sword techniques do you know?"

Lin Xiaoxiao was taken aback. Following his gaze, she saw nothing. Just as she was about to inquire about the matter, a sudden sound of a crossbow was heard, and then someone fell off their horse, shouting loudly, followed by the clashing of swords.

The heroine shouted loudly

Why this task involves the Kunlun Sect is not explained by the system. It only reminds that only the first 1,000 registered players are eligible to continue the task. Given that there are still tens of thousands of players remaining after the first round of the martial arts school, it is evident that this round will depend more on the speed of travel of each faction.

Lin Xiaoxiao angrily criticized the system for being too flawed, as it teleported players to the wilderness, resulting in a significant amount of time spent just reaching the teleportation point. Given that players cannot use the system's teleportation points for the quest, they can only make their way to Kunlun on foot.

There is an ambush!

Young Master Aotian was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said: "Investigating the enemy's situation, it is better to be prepared than to be caught off guard"

Young Master Aotian leisurely turned over and mounted his horse, saying: "It is precisely because I am short on money that I came to take on this task. If you, Miss Heroine, find me pitiable, you may give a little more in tips"

Qing Tou awkwardly released his hand, swaying behind the horse's back

In the game, veteran players generally have horses as their means of transportation, though the quality of the horses varies. Ordinary players can purchase horses in towns, while better horses are typically rewards for completing quests. The first-class horse, Red Hare, belongs to the game's top player, the unfortunate Ah Fei, while another expert, the Great Sword God, possesses the renowned steed, Zhua Huang Fei Dian. These exceptional horses are rare and hard to come by. The horse of the Emei heroine appears to have a smooth coat and is strong and agile, suggesting it is also quite extraordinary. The proud young master hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head to fiddle with something before releasing a gray mount.

The journey from Xiangyang to Kunlun spans over a thousand miles, and relying solely on horse-drawn carriages would undoubtedly take a considerable amount of time. Even though the game has altered much of the terrain and distance, it is still enough for the players to enjoy. Criticism aside, the Emei heroine acted decisively; she immediately released a horse, mounted it, and effortlessly pulled Qingtou onto the horse's back. After she tugged on the reins and looked at the dazed Young Master Aotian, she frowned and said, "Hurry up! You do have your own horse, don't you?"

Young Master Aotian cast a glance and noticed that each of them possessed considerable martial skills. A thought crossed his mind, and he continued to scrutinize them. Suddenly, Lin Xiaoxiao said, "Aotian, what are you looking at?"

Lin Xiaoxiao was taken aback, and at the same time, she cast a glance at this proud young master, thinking to herself that this person had remarkably keen hearing, even discovering the anomaly before she did

... ...

With a pointed long sword, the target is precisely all the task players on this road

The elder sister shot him a glare and angrily said, "Are you still a man? Isn't gaming all about fighting and killing? It's common to get chopped if you just glance at someone unpleasantly. Don't pull my clothes, I just bought them!"

More men in black emerged and rushed towards the player. Lin Xiaoxiao's expression changed drastically, realizing that she had encountered a formidable opponent for the mission. The other party had even hired so many helpers, indicating they were quite wealthy. She pulled the reins and decisively dashed diagonally down the main road, directly heading towards the nearby forest. At the same time, she thought: "Hiring so many helpers to block me... It seems they are determined to obtain the Wind Bell Sword Technique!"

However, she did not speak out, as the higher one's martial arts skills, the greater the assistance they could provide. With a contract in hand, she was not afraid of any disadvantage. ... Yet, a remark from Young Master Ao Tian also reminded her that the players here were all competitors, and there were only 1,000 spots. What if others resorted to unscrupulous means

The martial arts of the evil sect do not necessarily represent evil. Yes, I possess many martial arts from the evil sect, but it is not very convenient to discuss them.

Of course, those like Qing Tou who have been guided by masters to overcome challenges are a different matter. The skills of the Emei heroine Lin Xiao Xiao are indeed impressive; even from the perspective of Young Master Ao Tian, she has already surpassed the first-rate standard and belongs to the elite level of her sect. Such players should hold a certain status within Emei. However, Young Master Ao Tian has never been particularly concerned with these matters of the martial world, and he does not know whether Lin Xiao Xiao can be considered a rising star in the realm.

The players on the road were all taken aback. At this moment, Lin Xiaoxiao also realized that a group of men in black had appeared out of nowhere in the direction where Young Master Ao Tian was originally looking, and they were actually shooting at the roadside with crossbows. Several quest players were caught off guard and were shot down on the spot; some died immediately, while others were injured and fell to the ground. Just as they managed to get back up, they were shot down again by another volley of crossbow bolts, and it was clear that they would not survive.

The young woman looked at him in surprise, not understanding why he would say such a thing. She replied in a slightly sharp tone, "Playing games is not a good thing, so why are you still here?"

Lin Xiaoxiao, however, paid him no mind and galloped ahead on her horse. Young Master Aotian quickly caught up. His horse was not as good as that of the Emei heroine, but being a single rider, their speeds turned out to be quite similar.

She thought for a moment and whispered to Qing Tou, "Stay close behind me and don't move around." Then she said to Young Master Ao Tian, "Let's walk by the roadside, keeping a distance from them." Young Master Ao Tian nodded, was about to speak, when suddenly his eyebrows twitched, and he looked up in a certain direction.

Lin Xiaoxiao let out a sigh and said: "You are quite skilled in martial arts, but I didn't expect this horse to be ordinary. Are you really that short on money?"

The young man's face turned even redder, and the proud young master was left dumbfounded. After a while, he finally managed to say with a grin: "What you said makes quite a bit of sense... However, I must say, it's quite impressive that you thought of it! Playing games is not exactly a serious or respectable activity; do your parents know about this?"

"Wow, so many evil martial arts? You really are suited to be an assassin"