Sharpening The Knife Doesn’t Delay The Cutting of Vegetables With The Bow[eSports]: Chapter 4

4. Sword Practice

Chen Xingran would never make such a basic mistake.

He knew that Luan Fusheng’s Whip Tail was right behind him, yet he continued charging forward, appearing to have numerous openings on his back. However, it was actually a tactic to lure his opponent in.

He fell for it.

Chen Xingran felt the piercing sound approaching from behind. Without turning his head, he swiftly maneuvered his Tang sword through a smooth and graceful arc in the air, forming a semicircle in front of him. Then, he narrowly grazed the incoming whip tail, producing a sharp scraping sound!

Not only did he neutralize the force of the whip, but he also altered the trajectory of his Tang sword using the residual momentum from the whip. Immediately after, he unleashed an explosive burst of tremendous strength, merging his waist and horse stance into one. He became like a tightly stretched rope soaked in water, twisting his body as his Tang sword launched a relentless counterattack with unmatched power, resembling a crescent moon.

Luan Fusheng had never encountered such a technique before, and his brain couldn’t process it in time. With the force of the whip dissipated, he had no chance to defend himself and could only forcefully take the blow.

Chen Xingran succeeded with his strike but before he could follow up, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his shoulder as the whip lashed out and struck him solidly.

He was momentarily stunned.

Luan Fusheng retracted his whip. “That move was impressive. Are you sure you’re a beginner?”

“Yeah,” Chen Xingran nodded, his gaze fixated on Luan Fusheng’s waist, suddenly realizing what had happened.

His over twenty years of martial arts training had deeply ingrained in him. He subconsciously treated the game as if it were real.

If this were the real world, after gaining the upper hand, his Tang sword’s direct edge slashing across Luan Fusheng’s waist would have affected his opponent’s movements due to the wound and pain. As a result, the opponent would instinctively counterattack using the uninjured left side of his body. With this knowledge, Chen Xingran’s subsequent attacks would have placed the opponent in a life-threatening situation.

The combat with bladed weapons was magnificent yet dangerous. The fragile human body was vulnerable before the sharp blades and could be defeated in an instant.

Chen Xingran understood this well, even calculating which muscle the opponent would engage after being injured.

However, he forgot that this was a game.

With a successful strike, the opponent’s armor only lost one bar, their movements briefly halted, and they displayed slight rigidity. The impact was not significant. Moreover, the game didn’t include a pain mechanism, so actions wouldn’t deform due to excruciating pain, nor would thinking become chaotic or vision blur due to blood loss.

He needed to shift his mindset.

In the following exchanges, he fought against Luan Fusheng several times.

In a real-life confrontation, he could easily overpower his opponent with just one hand. However, this was a game. Although the sensory experience was almost identical to the real world, many combat details still retained game characteristics.

For example, weak points were designated in the game, such as the forehead, throat, and heart, which caused more damage than attacks to other areas. Repeated strikes to weak points within a short period of time could result in an instant kill effect.

Furthermore, although the game didn’t have a pain system, there were still feedback mechanisms. For instance, after sustaining an arm injury, there would be a temporary loss of strength, and hitting a weak point would cause momentary stiffness, and so on.

Additionally, the game had skill mechanics. Each character had their own unique skills, passive abilities, and ultimate moves. In combat, it wasn’t solely about swordsmanship.

Proper timing of skill activation and awareness could compensate for certain gaps in operation.

It was at this point of skills that Chen Xingran suffered a major setback unexpectedly.

He looked at his health bar, which inexplicably dropped by half, wearing a puzzled expression.

Luan Fusheng chuckled and explained, “During the activation of my Voodoo skill, each attack can stack poison, which ignores armor and directly damages health. You should pay attention to this.”

“En.”

Chen Xingran’s main purpose was to learn and understand the game’s mechanics, so he didn’t exert his full strength. Many times, Luan Fusheng exposed openings, but Chen Xingran didn’t pursue his advantage. Instead, he maintained his own rhythm, constantly exploring and observing, adjusting some unnecessary habits.

As the renowned weapon master Ye Shao, Chen Xingran’s talent in martial arts was undoubtedly astonishing.

After a few exchanges, he had already identified some of his habitual issues and grasped certain aspects of the game’s mechanics.

As long as he made targeted adjustments, this game wasn’t difficult for him.

Before coming to this world, it had been a long time since Chen Xingran had engaged in such an exhilarating combat.

Combat with bladed weapons was incredibly brutal, and drawing blood and sustaining injuries were common occurrences. A single misjudgment could even cost someone their life. Therefore, although Chen Xingran was well-known, in a society governed by the rule of law, he didn’t have many opportunities to showcase his skills. Often, he would spar with opponents using wooden weapons, stopping once they made contact. Many lethal techniques were also off-limits, so the fights couldn’t be considered truly satisfying.

But in the game, there were fewer concerns.

Chen Xingran became more and more excited as he fought.

It had been a long time since he felt this boiling blood and excitement. The sharp blades in his hands were like extensions of his arms, and the icy coldness of the weapons seemed to ignite the restless emotions deep within his soul.

“Bang!”

Blades clashed, and in just a brief two seconds, Chen Xingran’s Tang Sword clashed multiple times with Luan Fusheng’s long whip.

With a muffled sound, Chen Xingran’s Tang Sword unexpectedly slipped from his hand, spinning in the air for a few rounds before describing a semicircular arc and falling to the ground.

As his weapon slipped from his hand, he also entered a brief state of stiffness.

Chen Xingran: “?”

Seeing his bewildered expression, Luan Fusheng smiled and explained, “This is a feature in the game called ‘Exploding Blade’ during weapon clashes.”

“Exploding Blade?”

“Yes, when both sides are engaged in a blade clash, if the weaker side fails to match the opponent’s strength and engages in too many clashes within a short period, reaching the critical threshold of weapon durability, the weapon will slip from their hand.”

After Luan Fusheng finished speaking, he casually picked up the fallen Tang Sword from the ground and put it in his own backpack. “At this point, weapons can be picked up by others, so remember to prepare a couple of backup weapons in your bag for future battles. Also, keep a spare weapon slot so that you won’t end up empty-handed if your weapon explodes. If you happen to explode someone else’s high-quality blade, you can conveniently snatch it away.”

Chen Xingran: “…”

So many tricks.

After having a couple of fights with Luan Fusheng, he felt that he had gained a preliminary understanding of the game’s rules and had a better understanding of the Destiny game. He was about to seriously challenge Luan Fusheng when he heard him say, “Alright, time’s up. I need to hurry back to the team for training. Let’s end it here for today.”

Pausing for a moment, Luan Fusheng added, “Although your rank is low, you have good talent. I think you still have a lot of potential.”

In just a little over an hour, he had witnessed many impressive maneuvers from Chen Xingran, and sometimes the tricky angles of his attacks made it challenging for him to handle.

He truly lived up to being a student of the Capital eSports Academy.

Thinking this, Luan Fusheng said, “You can continue playing ranked matches on your own, as the Martial Arts mode is suitable for honing your blade skills. However, in the end, Destiny is primarily a battle royale game, and when it comes to fighting in battle royale mode, blade clashes are just the basics. Other factors such as awareness, situational judgment, and skill usage are equally important and cannot be solely trained through blade practice.”

“Okay.”

.

Chen Xingran nodded and replied earnestly, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. It’s nothing,” Luan Fusheng waved at him. “Well, I should go for training now.”

…

After Luan Fusheng logged out of the game, the room dissolved as well.

Chen Xingran felt a sense of emotion in his heart.

Playing games turned out to be so interesting.

Without having to consider the many limitations of reality, he could confront various experts, with every step being a complex psychological game and feint. Moreover, the sensation of using weapons was incredibly lifelike.

In his previous world, when he first displayed his exceptional talent in the way of weapons, his teacher had exclaimed: “Born in the wrong era. If he had been born in an era when martial arts flourished, he would have made a name for himself. Perhaps he could have become a renowned martial arts master in history.”

Unfortunately, in modern society, martial arts were just a small circle, and his skills had no stage to showcase them.

Now, in this world, although it was an era of technological advancement, the gaming industry was thriving. Chen Xingran looked at the row of weapons on the weapon rack, emanating a cold and gleaming light, and felt an indescribable restlessness spreading within him.

Looking at it from a different perspective, his inexplicable arrival in this world due to a car accident might not be a bad thing.

Chen Xingran didn’t immediately log out of the game but instead created a Martial Arts mode room and, guided by the system, found the practice mode. He summoned an AI training dummy and began practicing on his own.

Through the battle with Luan Fusheng, he found a bit of the feeling he had when he used to visit various martial arts schools, seeking skilled opponents to spar with. And yet, Luan Fusheng was merely a member of the youth training camp.

In this world, with a thriving gaming industry, there were numerous renowned professional players, each with their own unique playstyle and formidable skills.

Just the thought of having so many experts to challenge made Chen Xingran’s eyes light up with excitement.

Inside the practice room, Chen Xingran gripped his Tang sword and repeatedly practiced his moves. If Luan Fusheng were still there to watch, he would surely be amazed.

It was as if the person battling him just now was completely different!

Chen Xingran’s swordsmanship was elusive. At times, it sliced through the air like a gust of wind and left behind a dazzling cold gleam, instilling a chilling sense of intent to kill. At other times, it erupted like a sudden rain, with a cascade of blade lights resembling twinkling stars, overwhelming the senses. And sometimes, his sword intent became harmonious, constructing an impenetrable defense in front of him, accurately blocking the AI’s attacks every time.

Chen Xingran knew how to wield many weapons, but among them, he particularly favored the Tang sword.

His swordsmanship was crafted based on his own style, integrating the strengths of various schools. It was both offensive and defensive, sharp and precise. He could launch attacks from any tricky angle and defend at any moment, leaving no room for error.

Upon closer observation, there was even a hint of the ruthless and sinister shadow of the “Laughing SpringBlade” in his swordsmanship. Seemingly casual, it was actually filled with killing moves that could claim lives in an instant.

The Tang sword in his hands seemed to possess a soul and life of its own. It became an extension of his body, seamlessly merging with every contraction of his muscles and every change in his breathing rhythm.

If Wang Ran, the master of the Laughing SpringBlade, were present, he would have to praise Chen Xingran with a single statement: “This lad has reached the pinnacle of sword intent!”

Chen Xingran continued practicing in the training room for several more hours, deliberately adapting his fighting style to match the game’s mechanics. He changed some of his habitual moves, aiming to quickly strike at the opponent’s vulnerabilities, immobilizing them and leaving no room for respite, maximizing his output in the shortest possible time.

“Clang—”

With the sound of weapons colliding, the AI’s longsword slipped from its grasp and entered a brief state of rigidity.

Inside the practice room, weapons were scattered all over the floor, creating a spectacular sea of weapons at their feet.

After shattering another AI’s sword, Chen Xingran took a deep breath and gracefully sheathed his Tang sword, followed by a beautiful flourish.

Then, Chen Xingran opened the panel and exited the game.

Wu Feiang was already waiting outside the operation cabin.

“Are you done? How was it?” he asked eagerly as he saw Chen Xingran emerge from the cabin.

“Yeah, I gained a lot from it,” Chen Xingran replied with a satisfied smile.

“That’s great.”

“By the way, how much did the ID card and reserved operation cabin cost? I’ll transfer the money to you.”

Chen Xingran wasn’t someone who liked to owe others, so he wanted to repay Wu Feiang for covering the expenses.

He took out his phone from his pocket and operated it with some unfamiliarity.

“…”

As he looked at the balance on the card, Chen Xingran fell silent for a moment.

“Oh… Am I that broke?”

The money on the card was probably only enough for one meal.

“Never mind, it’s not much money. Why take it so seriously?” Wu Feiang waved his hand dismissively, showing no concern. “You’ve been practicing all afternoon. Come on, I’ll treat you to a meal.”

Chen Xingran blushed slightly.

In theory, it should be him treating Wu Feiang since he had helped him. But the problem was… he didn’t have enough balance.

“Um…”

Chen Xingran cleared his throat softly, feeling a bit embarrassed. “Is there any part-time job you can recommend?”

“Huh?” Wu Feiang looked at him in confusion, noticing the subtle blush on Chen Xingran’s face, and suddenly understood.

“A part-time job, huh…” Wu Feiang rubbed his chin, pondering. “Let me think…”

His gaze fell upon Chen Xingran’s exceptionally handsome face. Setting aside his gaming skills, Chen Xingran was undeniably attractive. Someone had secretly taken his picture and posted it on the forum when the semester started, and there were still a bunch of people below the post asking for his contact information.

Wu Feiang’s eyes lit up. “How about trying live streaming?”

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