Sharpening The Knife Doesn’t Delay The Cutting of Vegetables With The Bow[eSports]: Chapter 3

3. First Contact

The screen flickered once again, and Chen Xingran, who had just created a new account, was transported to the game lobby interface.

Team recruitment, chat channels, ranked mode, casual mode, store entrance… Various game features appeared in Chen Xingran’s field of view, leaving him momentarily unsure of where to look.

Fortunately, the beginner’s guide in Destiny was quite user-friendly. Whenever his attention focused on a particular feature, a detailed page would automatically pop up. Soon enough, Chen Xingran had a rough understanding of the functions.

As a martial arts enthusiast who rarely played games, this world of gaming gave him a novel sensation.

In Destiny, the flagship mode was the “Battle Royale Mode.” In this mode, a hundred players were placed into the map, and upon entering the game, players needed to collect resources, weapons, and various supplies on their own. As the poison circle continued to shrink, the players’ activity area on the map would become increasingly narrow. They would engage in battles and confrontations until there was only one player or team left alive.

The condition for victory was to be the last one standing—a truly brutal competition.

In addition to the Battle Royale Mode, the game also offered various entertainment modes, as well as the “Martial Arts Mode” designed for players who enjoyed face-to-face intense duels. It was considered a holy land for practicing combat skills.

Just now, at the gaming café, Dong Qi Yi’s team was participating in the Martial Arts Mode against another team.

Martial Arts Mode offered three options: 1v1, 2v2, and 4v4. The two teams would engage in battles within a designated area. Upon spawning, they would have armor and weapons, and victory could be achieved by eliminating the opposing team.

In addition to playing ranked matches in the Battle Royale Mode, engaging in the Martial Arts Mode for skill practice or one-on-one PvP duels was also a good choice.

After searching for a while, Chen Xingran finally found the friends interface in the game lobby. Upon opening it, he entered the ID that Wu Feiang had just told him, “Luan Fusheng”.

The other person quickly accepted his friend request.

Luan Fusheng: ?

Luan Fusheng: Are you Xiaoang’s classmate?

Ye Shao: Yes.

Luan Fusheng wasted no time and immediately sent an invitation.

“Luan Fusheng invites you to join the Martial Arts Mode, Room Number XXXX. Do you agree?”

Chen Xingran casually clicked “Agree,” and the next second, he was transported into the room.

Luan Fusheng: I still have training in the afternoon, but I have over an hour. Let’s start right away.

After typing those words, Luan Fusheng initiated the game. A ten-second countdown appeared in the center of Chen Xingran’s vision. Once the countdown ended, both players were transported into the Martial Arts Mode.

“Please select your hero and weapon.”

Chen Xingran’s vision blurred for a moment, and then a row of game characters with different appearances appeared before him. They were all dressed in plain starter outfits. On the other side was a massive weapon rack, displaying a dazzling array of cold weapons: sharp longswords emitting a chilling gleam, intricately carved Tang swords that resembled works of art, towering giant shields, coiled long whips like serpents…

Game characters…

Chen Xingran didn’t have much knowledge about this game called Destiny, so he didn’t know how to choose at a glance. He simply picked a game character that caught his eye.

It was a male character wearing a white, form-fitting outfit reminiscent of ancient assassins. His long black hair covered half of his eye, and he wore a white mask with embroidered gold patterns, concealing the lower half of his face. His gaze was sharp, and his temperament was as sharp as a flickering dagger in the dark night. He had a slender figure with smooth muscle lines, appearing quite handsome.

“Shadow Dancer · Shùn”

That was the name of this game character.

After selecting the character, the other game characters gradually faded into faint shadows and disappeared. Chen Xingran looked down and saw that he was already wearing the Assassin attire of the Shadow Dancer.

“Please select a weapon.”

He glanced at the weapon rack in front of him and walked over, picking up the Tang sword at the center of the rack.

Strictly speaking, the Tang sword is not a specific weapon type but a general term for four types of ceremonial, horizontal, zhang, and mo swords. The Tang sword in front of him resembled the style of a Tang horizontal sword, seemingly inspired by the design of the “Golden and Silver-inlaid Tang Great Sword.” It had a slender blade, single-edged, somewhat resembling a Japanese tachi, but with a straight curve, making it more suitable for chopping.

The game made some subtle changes to the appearance of the Tang sword, giving it a more modern feel. The straight blade was adorned with a pattern of ladder-like engravings, creating a dazzling effect.

Chen Xingran flicked the Tang sword in his hand and furrowed his brow lightly.

“Can the weight be adjusted?”

“Players can adjust it themselves in the weapon customization interface.”

The system prompted.

The Tang sword in Chen Xingran’s hand had standard length and weight. However, as a renowned weapons master on Earth, his requirements for weapons were extremely strict. Due to his personal habits, he preferred to exert a bit more force when chopping. In order to better adapt his techniques and achieve more fluid movements, the Tang swords he used were often lighter in weight.

Chen Xingran opened the preparation interface, and as expected, various parameters of the weapon in his hand were displayed. He skillfully adjusted a few values, and the next second, the weight of the Tang sword in his hand subtly changed.

He gripped the Tang sword and executed a beautiful sword flourish before nodding in approval.

It felt right.

Each player could customize certain parameters of their weapon according to their own preferences, such as handle length, weight, and more. These customized parameters would automatically apply to all game matches, whether it be picking up weapons in the Battle Royale mode or taking weapons from defeated enemies’ inventories. As long as the weapon was in their hands, it would adopt the pre-adjusted data from the preparation interface.

It can be said that it is quite user-friendly.

The countdown for the preparation time quickly ended, and Chen Xingran’s figure was then transported to the battlefield.

The scene before him turned into an open square, resembling a cluster of ancient Chinese-style city buildings. To the side and rear stood a massive wooden structure, grand and elegant, exuding an antique charm.

“Random Map – Huntian City · Lord’s Mansion.”

Not far from Chen Xingran’s position, there stood another player. This player was dressed in a magnificent robe adorned with intricate patterns. They had a tall figure and a black eye patch over their right eye, emanating a sinister aura.

Chen Xingran had seen this character in the character selection interface just now. They were called “Voodoo,” if he remembered correctly.

Upon seeing Chen Xingran, the other player also paused for a moment. “Shadow Dancer?”

The Shadow Dancer character had very distinct characteristics. They possessed high mobility, a long-distance displacement skill, and a passive ability to deal additional damage to enemy weaknesses. They were versatile in both offense and evasion, with high burst potential. They were a typical assassin-type character commonly seen in solo Battle Royale modes and also served as an assault-oriented damage dealer in the 4-player mode.

However, the Shadow Dancer had a steep learning curve, and it was challenging for beginners to grasp its proper usage. Most newcomers would choose characters like “Divine Frost” or “Zhu Jiuyin,” which had simpler mechanics and easily understandable skills.

Luan Fusheng glanced at Chen Xingran from head to toe. “Why are you still wearing the default attire?”

Chen Xingran replied, “Just created the account.”

“Oh.”

Luan Fusheng nodded and continued, “What’s your highest rank in the game?”

He was entrusted by his cousin Wu Feiang to provide temporary training for Chen Xingran. Knowing Chen Xingran’s rank would help determine where to start teaching him.

Chen Xingran pondered for a moment and  replied with uncertainty, following the fragments of his memory, “I think it’s… Bronze?”

Luan Fusheng: “…”

Wasn’t that just a complete beginner?

These days, as long as you don’t perform terribly, you can easily reach Silver with just a few games. Having the highest rank as Bronze means you’re quite a beginner, right?

Luan Fusheng sighed helplessly. “Well, I guess I’ll start from scratch and teach you then.”

Chen Xingran nodded. “Thank you.”

Luan Fusheng replied, “No need to thank me. That brat Wu Feiang dragged me here too. We don’t have much time left, so let’s get started directly.”

Pausing for a moment, he continued, “Do you understand the game mechanics? Take a look above your health bar. Do you see a purple armor bar with four segments?”

Chen Xingran glanced at the bottom-left corner where his health was displayed and indeed saw a purple bar above it, divided into four segments.

“In the Martial Arts mode, the default armor is purple. But when you enter the Battle Royale mode, you’ll have to find armor yourself,” Luan Fusheng explained. “In Destiny, damage is first deducted from the armor. Once the armor bar is depleted, your health will start to decrease. When your health reaches zero, your character dies.”

Chen Xingran asked, “Can the armor be replenished after it’s depleted?”

Luan Fusheng sighed, “Of course. In the game, there are armor plates and medkits. Armor plates replenish armor, while medkits restore health. During battles, you should take the opportunity to retreat from the battlefield and fully restore your stats before re-engaging. This is also a must-learn lesson. Also, since armor is depleted first when taking damage, it’s better to carry more armor plates in your backpack and fewer medkits.”

Chen Xingran nodded, indicating that he understood.

Luan Fusheng shook the long whip in his hand. “Let’s have a test match first to see your skill level.”

This suggestion aligned perfectly with Chen Xingran’s intentions.

Both sides assumed their stances, ready to unleash their attacks.

Luan Fusheng took the initiative, his long whip coiled in his hand. The air resounded with a piercing sound as the whip, like a lightning bolt cleaving through the darkness, swiftly struck towards Chen Xingran’s face.

Chen Xingran furrowed his brow and instinctively leaned to the side, narrowly avoiding the whip as it grazed past his shoulder.

Luan Fusheng’s eyes lit up. “You dodged that quite well.”

Without giving Chen Xingran a chance to react, he flicked his palm, and the whip seemed to come to life, agilely springing up from the ground. It swiftly coiled around Chen Xingran’s lower leg before forcefully yanking—

Chen Xingran’s center of gravity wavered, and he was about to topple to the side.

However, he reacted swiftly. With a decisive unsheathing of his Tang sword and a light touch on the ground, he used the supporting force to stabilize his posture. He then leaped in mid-air, releasing the tension from the whip.

His movements were graceful and elegant, akin to a martial arts master from a movie, as if he had rehearsed them in advance.

Luan Fusheng silently nodded, but before he could offer any praise, Chen Xingran on the opposite side made his move.

Chen Xingran was well-versed in the myriad of cold weapons before him. He knew the strengths and weaknesses of each weapon like the back of his hand. He understood that the long whip excelled at mid-range combat, with the most agile and powerful section being the area from its handle to its tip. To counter the long whip, he needed to engage in close-quarters combat, forcing his opponent to struggle.

After swiftly stabilizing his posture, Chen Xingran dashed towards Luan Fusheng like lightning. The straight blade of his sword emanated a chilling gleam as if it could cleave the air in half. With a cunning angle, he launched his attack towards Luan Fusheng.

Each character has subtle differences in agility and strength attributes. For example, the character Chen Xingran is currently using, the Shadow Dancer, has extremely fast movement speed. However, he can clearly feel a slight lack of strength when making a move, which makes him quite uncomfortable. It’s as if he’s not using his own body, and as a result, his sword strikes appear somewhat awkward.

“Nicely done,” Luan Fusheng chuckled. He didn’t advance but instead took a step back, creating some distance between himself and Chen Xingran. His whip swiftly recoiled, slicing towards Chen Xingran’s back like a clap of thunder. It was an open opportunity, full of loopholes.

Facing a novice like Chen Xingran, who was just in the Bronze rank, Luan Fusheng couldn’t help but underestimate him. As a member of the AUG Team’s training camp, his dueling skills were enough to surpass most amateur players. Wasn’t it an easy task to defeat a rookie?

However, what he didn’t expect was that Chen Xingran in front of him showed no reaction at all. There was not even a hint of panic in his defensive response.

With a white face mask concealing his mouth, the curvature of a smile couldn’t be seen. But through the slightly narrowed eyes visible through the strands of hair, Luan Fusheng keenly sensed that something was off.

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