translator: Oyen Editor: Ciel
Most novice tasks were meant to familiarize players with the basic operations, which was a piece of cake for online game veterans. However, since ‘Peerless Jianghu’ was the first VR-based game in China, the scenes felt too real, and many newbie players couldn’t adapt to the immersive 3D scene after entering the game. As soon as the camera turned, they would feel dizzy, and the map channel was soon filled with various complaints——
“I almost hit the tree just now, and subconsciously felt the pain in my forehead!”
“Can someone tell me how to deal with acrophobia? I heard that joining a sect will allow us to learn a Qinggong skill; I will cry if I have to fly into the air!”
“The skill can’t lock on to a target, the monsters are running around; how am I supposed to hit the monster like this?”
“The task to find Grandma Xu at level 3 is so difficult! Where is Grandma Xu? I have no sense of direction; requesting directions!”
Large numbers of newbies complained; even Qin Mo, who was once an esport player, also encountered some difficulties in completing the novice tasks.
Compared with the simple keyboard and mouse, the touchscreen mode not only looked more advanced, but had higher requirements for finger agility and flexibility.
Qin Mo slid his finger slightly to adjust the angle of the camera. The touchscreen was very sensitive, which required the player’s finger to achieve a fairly precise degree of movement. With even the slightest adjustment, the camera angle would be changed. It could be imagined that in the future, this would become one of the most powerful strategies to calculate the opponent’s visual field, while the precise grasp of the 3D visual field would become the most important aspect of a professional player’s basic skills.
Taking a deep breath, Qin Mo calmed himself down, and carefully observed the game interface.
There was a compass icon and a translucent mini map in the upper right corner of his vision, which was both thoughtful and helpful. Qin Mo followed the compass as he walked the entire Novice Village——The scenery was beautiful, like a paradise without disputes; the shadow of the houses in the village, the figures of the players, and even the reflection of the scenery in the water was clearly presented before one’s eyes.
A more realistic sensory experience was the greatest advantage of VR games, but also the biggest difficulty in actual operation.
The more he discovered, the more Qin Mo loved the game.
Unlike most of the players around him, who were just looking at the beautiful scenery of the VR world, he had a very clear goal——To play in the professional league next year.
So, his observations were also more detailed and professional.
Others might only think of the forest as beautiful when they looked at it, but Qin Mo would pay attention to the density of the forest, the shadows of the trees, the visual angle behind the trees and other more professional details. This was because he knew that when he entered the arena later, the slightest difference in vision could reverse the situation.
He was no longer the teenager he used to be.
From now on, he would build a good foundation in this brand-new game world, and start over.
***
Qin Mo spent nearly two hours slowly finishing the novice tasks. By the time he left the Novice Village, he had mastered the touchscreen operating mode, and could skillfully rotate the camera according to his wishes.
The Village Chief asked him to return to the sect to meet the leader, and sent him directly back to Kunlun Mountain with a transmission array.
Located at the top of Kunlun Mountain, Hanhua Sword Sect was famous for its spectacular snow scenery.
It snowed all year round; the solemn buildings were covered with snow, three snowy peaks towering side by side. From a distance, they looked grand, majestic, and even magnificent.
It seemed that Hanhua Sword Sect disciples mainly wore white for the sake of the scene. Halfway up the mountain, many swordsmen in white could be seen practicing their forms or performing sword dances. Pausing to watch for a while, Qin Mo found that the NPCs were well-designed and had smooth movement patterns. From this, it could be seen that the developers of the game were very attentive.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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——It was simulated almost exactly after the real world!
——Qin Mo had not expected that today’s VR games could achieve such an effect!
In this way, the future of the game would not only consider their’s and the opponent’s fixed field of vision, but the weather, light, vegetation and other external factors also had to be taken into account. This would undoubtedly make the arena more complex, richer, and more interesting.
Only after he had carefully observed the spectacular snow scenery on Kunlun Mountain, did Qin Mo visit the sect leader, walking along the mountain road to reach the main hall of the Hanhua Sword Sect.
The leader of the Hanhua Sword Sect was named Qi Mufeng, aged 30. Wearing a moon white long gown, and holding a sword that glinted with a cold light, the sect leader stood in the main hall, much like a tree carved of jade. He had the nickname of ‘Sword Immortal’ within Peerless Jianghu; perhaps because the swordsman was too handsome, many players joined the Hanhua Sword Sect, causing the surrounding area to be full of people.
Stepping forward to talk to him, Qin Mo selected the option ‘join the sect’. Immediately, the symbol of the Hanhua Sword Sect appeared over the head of his avatar ‘Ink Mark’, and he was rewarded with the basic introductory gift ‘Hanyue Suit’.
After equipping his new gear, Qin Mo listened to the sect leader’s introduction. “Hanhua Sword Sect has two kinds of cultivation routes; one is the <Qiushui Swordsman>, who uses a longsword. They have a slim and light stature, and possess an elegant swordsmanship technique that is as unpredictable as ghosts, but requires strong talent and skill to master. The second is the <Wuhen Swordsman>, who uses a short sword. This sharp sword can be used to kill, and inflicts considerable damage. After you join the sect, your senior brothers and sisters will show you the differences between the two cultivation routes.”
Opening the video that had popped up, Qin Mo carefully observed the senior brothers and sisters’ skill demonstrations. After watching it again, he immediately understood the core settings of the game——combos.
In ‘Peerless Jianghu’, during the period of time between joining a sect and becoming fully leveled, players could learn seven basic skills.
If the same skill was used repeatedly, the resulting effect would be different from if a different combination of skills was used.
Unlike the fixed routine in previous games, due to the emergence of ‘combination skills’ and ‘continuous attack skills’, there was considerable freedom for freestyle play. As follows the proverb, ‘the master leads the way to the door, while practice depends on the individual’——in other words, if you were good enough, you could even create a brand new set of moves.
Each sect had two cultivation routes, which also enriched players’ choices.
Taking the Hanhua Sword Sect as an example; the operation of the <Qiushui Swordsman> required the combination of different skills. While it was more complex, it also possessed a greater control effect. The <Wuhen Swordsman> used the continuous attack skills, which had a simpler mode of operation, but could inflict greater amounts of damage.
After watching the video, Qin Mo chose the long sword as his weapon——he preferred the skill operation of controlling the field.
Alongside the choice of weapon, the <Quishui Swordsman>’s first basic skill ‘Sword Horizon’, as well as the sect’s qinggong ‘Flicker’, appeared in the skills tab. Placing the two skills in the upper left corner of the 16-grid lightscreen, Qin Mo attempted to press them, before following the sect leader’s instructions to attempt the next main task.
The main task was mainly to introduce the background story of the sect, as well as some interesting NPC stories to the players. The story plot was very interesting; Qin Mo enjoyed watching the story while completing the task.
He finally reached level 15 at two in the afternoon.
The sect leader gave him a set of level 15 equipment and taught him the second skill of the Hanhua Sword Sect, ‘Sword Rain Remnant’, before allowing him to descend the mountain in order to practice.
Qin Mo arrived at the first main city of the game——Mingzhou.
As a main city, the number of players in Mingzhou City was naturally several times more than that of Hanhua Sword Sect, with the streets being crowded but lively. However, most of the players were in a hurry, obviously busy with their tasks. In addition, team recruiting notices were appearing continuously in the chat area at the lower left corner, simply because it was much faster to complete the tasks in a group when compared to going solo.
Looking through the team recruitment panel, Qin Mo found one that caught his eye. “Level 15 Mingzhou City main task, anyone can join!”
Qin Mo’s application was immediately approved by the team leader. Following the team mark on the minimap, Qin Mo made his way to the center of Mingzhou City, and saw three teammates waiting for him there. Because Qin Mo had already understood the settings of the various sects in Peerless Jianghu, he was quickly able to distinguish the sects of his three teammates.
——the captain was named 'Mirage'. His appearance in dark green robes, coupled with a medicine basket behind him, indicated that he should have come from the ‘Fangcao Hall’ Sect, a sect that killed with poison.
——'Hide a Dagger behind a Smile'was tall and strong, and dressed in fiery red robes. In his hand was a machete, which matched the look of the north desert’s sect ‘Kuangdao Gate’.
——'Elegant Leaves', dressed in white and armed with a long sword, was obviously from ‘Hanhua Sword Sect’, much like Qin Mo.
“Ink Mark, are you a newbie or a veteran? Have you played this game before?” In the chat at the bottom left corner appeared a message from team leader Mirage.
Gently sliding his finger across the touchscreen panel, Qin Mo opened the character input function and quickly replied, “I am a newbie.”
“Oh, don’t run around later, newbie, and remember to follow me closely. This monster is pretty hard to beat!”
“Okay.”
At this time, another player joined the team, ID Little Medicine Fairy, a female player with the light green dress of Fangcao Hall.
Mirage: “Younger sister’s weapon is the silver needle, are you cultivating as a healer?”
Little Medicine Fairy: “Indeed. I’m a newbie, please take care of me O(∩_∩)O~”
Mirage: “You’re welcome, younger sister. Three of us – Hiding a Dagger Behind a Smile, Elegant Leaves, and myself – have played during the beta test. If you have any questions in the future, feel free to ask us.”
Little Medicine Fairy: “That’s great, thank you.”
Mirage: “I’m going to collect the task, wait for me by the city gate.”
Without further ado, the team leader activated his qinggong skill and rushed off. The three tasks, once picked up, were shared on the team channel, after which everyone was summoned outside Mingzhou City.
The first task: Eliminate 8 beehives in the forest outside the city.
There were many players in the forest attempting the task, and from time to time, there was the loud buzzing of bees. Mirage took everyone deep into the forest in search of an area with many beehives. Just as he was about to type, he saw Little Medicine Fairy rush to the attack the beehive. In the next moment, an overwhelming number of bees rushed towards the four people, producing a very frightening visual effect!
Mirage quickly activated his qinggong to increase the distance between them, and as a result, the newbie Little Medicine Fairy unexpectedly ran to open up another beehive.
“F*ck!” Mirage couldn’t help but to swear, and quickly typed out a message while avoiding the bee swarm, “Why are you opening up so many beehives?”
Little Medicine Fairy replied innocently, “Isn’t the task to kill 8 beehives?”
Mirage was rendered somewhat speechless. “Just because the task is 8, you actually want to corral all 8 beehives and eliminate them together?”
Little Medicine Fairy replied, “In the past, all in-game tasks were accomplished through killing everything together; I’ll heal you guys, so you can try it O(∩_∩)O~”
What the hell?! This was a 3D game! With so many bees, everyone was basically blind!
Mirage was about to type a message, telling her not to cause trouble, only to realise that Little Medicine Fairy had already managed to open up yet another 2 beehives quickly.
Sister, weren’t you a little too aggressive in poking the beehives……
In an instant, they were surrounded by bees on all four sides – front, back, left, and right – with a loud buzz ringing in their ears. If their psychological quality was not good enough, players would probably be scared and might involuntarily cry upon seeing this scene.
The entire party was surrounded by a swarm of bees; Mirage was extremely unhappy, and went to the voice channel to shout his ridicules. “Where exactly is that newbie from? Coming here just to give me trouble?!”
Hiding a Dagger Behind a Smile was being chased by the bee swarm. Unable to type, he could only open the voice. “OMG, I’m going to go blind!”
Elegant Leaves was much calmer. “Calm down, we can die and start over again. It doesn’t hurt to get stung anyway.”
Mirage couldn’t help but to frown. “Little Medicine Fairy really does know how to cause trouble; she is indeed a newbie.”
This was in the game’s built-in voice chat; Qin Mo hadn’t opened the voice channel and thus, could not hear the comments of the three people. At the moment, he was focusing on the bees in front of him.
As Little Medicine Fairy was the first one to open up the beehive, all the bees’ hatred was fixed on her. Bees from all directions swarmed her; scared, Little Medicine Fairy turned to run, and Qin Mo immediately pressed the qinggong skill he had set up earlier——Flicker.
In the game, the white swordsman suddenly flew forward five feet, like a great hawk spreading its wings, before diving down from the air and sweeping his sword forward decisively. He drew two beautiful arcs; with the tip of his sword, he thrust straight ahead, leaving behind the beautiful swordlights, and released the combination skills——Sword Horizon, Sword Rain Remnant!
The snowy white swordlight enveloped the swarm, allowing Sword Horizon to hit twice in succession, causing group damage. Then the effect of Sword Rain Remnant hit, causing an unexpected scene to appear —
The dense swarm of bees, as if under a spell, suddenly froze in place!
Mirage, who was still in the voice channel, choked out, “Why are things so strange; the swarm is paralyzed, but if we get stung, we’re dead… the f*ck? What’s going on?”
Hiding a Dagger Behind a Smile was stupefied. “What’s the situation? The bee swarm is paralyzed?”
The originally calm Elegant Leaves was also surprised. “Isn’t Ink Mark a newbie? How can he operate this complex skill combination, <Heaven Sun Combo>?”
Earlier, the trio had prepared themselves for their deaths and subsequent revivals at the main city. They were ready to restart the task, but after looking at the game again, Ink Mark had fixed all the bees in place.
The swordsman in white was attacking the swarm of bees at a dazzling speed, his sharp sword sweeping in front of him in a fan shape, surrounded by an impenetrable white light.
And the bees, like a group that had collectively lost internet connection, were completely immobilised and dying in his hands.
It was a scene that sent chills down their spines, even for the experienced veterans that they were.
——Was this Ink Mark really a newbie?
Thank you for the chapter!
Qin Mo is handsomeee~
some characters can be really annoying…I think that girl is purposely causing trouble.
Aaaah! My baby Qin Mo is really a genious!
genius* 🤭
Qin Mo a newbie?
HAAAH
qin mo is so freaking cool!! though i’m used to him being a summoner, and he’s best at being one, just like his master, him being a swordsman isn’t actually bad. i can imagine him swinging his sword in a badass way especially now that the game is in VR
In a new game there’s no veteran🤭 the game is cool I’d love to play it. I just finished gls, with new game it becomes more exciting than I expected.
Can the little troublesome fairy be someone important? 👀