Slap—!
The sound of the palm striking flesh mixed with the clap of thunder in the night sky. The head of the stubbled man, already down for the count, was knocked sideways.
Chu Huaixu stared at him with an icy gaze, wanting to test if the [Information Probe] function was still usable.
In "Borrowing a Sword", players possessed an [Information Probe] function that allowed them to view the basic information of NPCs. Of course, the content they could see was linked to their own access level and the target's level and status. For example, if an NPC's character level was much higher than yours, or if they had a special identity or were tied to a mysterious major event, then tossing an [Information Probe] their way would only display three question marks.
Using the cultivation system of "Borrowing a Sword" as an analogy, the player's [Information Probe] was essentially an enhanced version of Spiritual Sense. The difference was that Spiritual Sense could only detect things like cultivation realm, magic treasures, and technique attributes, whereas [Information Probe] could access a wider range of basic information.
However, Chu Huaixu's [Information Probe] function was currently locked.
"What the hell?" He fell into a deeper state of confusion.
If he could probe some information about his opponent, he would at least know what his current situation was, what kind of predicament he was in, and be able to analyze why the man had come to hunt him down and throw him into the Sky Prison.
Beyond that, there was an even more important point—the [Dao Gate]!
'Why did he say I was trying to infiltrate the Dao Gate?' Chu Huaixu wondered.
The world setting of "Borrowing a Sword" was called the Xuanhuang Realm. The Xuanhuang Realm was divided into four major continents: East, West, North, and South. Among them, the Northern and Southern Continents had already fallen during the previous great calamity for special reasons, becoming forbidden zones.
From the [Map], Chu Huaixu could see that his current location was the Eastern Continent.
And the [Dao Gate] was one of the four great sects of the Eastern Continent.
Those who could join the [Dao Gate] were, without exception, the chosen prodigies of the Eastern Continent. Among the player base, very few could successfully enter the [Dao Gate]. Once they succeeded, it was basically equivalent to launching into the stratosphere, and their future development potential would be much higher. It meant that in real life, you could treat playing the game as your job, earning a substantial income from "Borrowing a Sword" every month.
Chu Huaixu was now almost certain that he had transmigrated into "Borrowing a Sword", and even the timeline had been altered.
Therefore, the [Dao Gate] had become the absolute top priority!
After the [Information Probe] failed, he raised his hand and slapped the stubbled man again.
He should have known to leave him alive, to interrogate him before killing him.
"Useless trash!"
"Take a good moment to reflect on why you were so easy to kill!"
...
...
To Chu Huaixu, the stubbled man was indeed far too weak.
For Chu Huaixu to be ranked second on the female-voted [Must-Try Companion List], he certainly had his own particularly outstanding qualities. His looks, skills, voice, and ability to provide emotional value were all top-notch.
Therefore, even though he almost never took orders from male players, he was still ranked forty-ninth on the male-voted [Must-Try Companion List]. Can you believe it?
Yes, in these two lists, gender was not a restriction; the lines weren't drawn too strictly. Plus, given the typical antics of the players and the leanings of the 'address book' crowd, you could just imagine what the final lists would look like.
Of course, when he teamed up with male players, his main responsibility was definitely to carry them to victory. He would absolutely not provide any services that required "adding extra hours."
Speaking of which, "Borrowing a Sword", like most games, had a [Face-Sculpting Function]. Simply put, after purchasing an account and creating a character, you had one chance to freely modify your appearance. If you wanted to sculpt your face again later, you had to pay an exorbitant fee, comparable to getting plastic surgery in real life. And believe it or not, there really were some crazy people who would take out cosmetic surgery loans just to give their game characters a new look.
As for high-quality companions like Chu Huaixu, who were ranked on the must-try list, when they activated the [Face-Sculpting Function], they would use a full-body scan mode to perfectly replicate their real-life selves, ensuring there was no difference between their online and offline appearances and no deception involved.
These types of companions would be specially marked by the companion platform and would receive official certification. Those who could make it onto the must-try list were basically all of this type. It's worth mentioning that this full-body scan did not use up the one-time [Face-Sculpting Function] chance.
Chu Huaixu was a standard "fox-type" handsome man, with a somewhat vulpine face. If the animated series "Yao-Chinese Folktales" were to be made into a live-action version, he could definitely go and audition for the role of the fox scholar. He certainly wasn't as sinister as the character in the animation, but as a male gaming model, he was definitely a skilled actor.
What excellent model doesn't know how to act?
As for why he could so easily kill the stubbled man, there were two main reasons.
First, a newly created character in "Borrowing a Sword" had physical qualities in all aspects that were a tiny bit higher than those of an ordinary mortal. That was why he had joked with the stubbled man that he was a sports prodigy.
Second, and this point was even more important, was body control!
For a normal person, control over one's own body is definitely not one hundred percent. For example, if you swing your arm and try to stop it precisely at the nine o'clock position, it's very difficult to get it exactly right. But in "Borrowing a Sword", this could be achieved. Of course, even with perfect body control, one still needed to adapt to it to understand one's own limits.
As a veteran [account-rolling] player, Chu Huaixu was all too familiar with this. It was precisely because of this that he could repeatedly dodge the stubbled man's slashes and kill him as easily as killing a dog.
But the problem now was that he was too strong.
"The amount of useful information I can obtain is just too little," Chu Huaixu lifted his umbrella slightly, looking up at the still-raining night sky.
At this moment, he couldn't even check his own identity information; that function was also restricted.
'A starting scenario that obviously comes with an early-game main quest must mean the character has an identity and a past,' he thought.
However, Chu Huaixu was currently clueless about everything.
"Fortunately, even though I've transmigrated, some of the player functions are still here. At least I have some sort of golden finger."
In the next second, a system prompt sounded in his ear: "Ding! The Quest System is about to be granted access!"
A look of joy instantly appeared on Chu Huaixu's face.
"Yes, yes, heaven bless this model bro."
...
...
On a small hill beside the dense forest, two men dressed in black robes and wearing masks were silently observing everything that had just happened.
The man on the left wore a golden mask, while the one on the right wore a silver mask.
Just a moment ago, the Silver-Masked Man couldn't help but exclaim, "To kill him so easily... this newcomer sent by the Organization has such strong body control!"
The Gold-Masked Man also clicked his tongue in wonder, remarking, "His talent in the [Path of Technique] is likely not low."
"My lord, a talent like this should be thrown to the border of our [Moon Kingdom]. Although he's a Pseudo Spirit Embryo, he's definitely a good seedling for body tempering. After a few years of polishing on the border, his achievements would likely not be small," the Silver-Masked Man said.
The Gold-Masked Man nodded slightly. "Sending him to be an outer sect handyman at the [Dao Gate] in the [Mirror Kingdom] is indeed a bit of a waste."
These two masked men were both from the spy network of the Moon Kingdom and had been lying in wait in the Mirror Kingdom for many years. Their organization had no name, or rather, its name was simply [The Organization].
Both of them were already seasoned undercover agents, jointly responsible for receiving new recruits. For the past two years, the pair had complained endlessly, feeling that the recent recruits sent by the Organization were all useless dregs. But when a truly good seedling appeared, they couldn't help but feel it was something of a waste.
Now, their reception work was actually complete.
According to the Organization's tradition, what they called "reception" work was not about making contact with the newcomers. The so-called reception, the "receiving" part, meant "I myself know that I have 'received' him, and that's enough." The "guiding" part meant "guiding him by giving him a proper lesson."
The stubbled man who now lay dead was a member of the Mirror Kingdom's constabulary. It was these two masked men who, through certain means, had let the constabulary know the identity of this young newcomer, which led to the pursuit just now. The purpose was to make the newcomers stumble right at the beginning, completely unaware of how they were exposed, so that they would be more cautious.
—Low profile! Low profile! And more low profile!
But what they hadn't expected was that this kid had such skill, completing the solo kill so easily.
Clean! Decisive! Swift! Ruthless!
And he didn't forget to look cool before and after the fight.
Shortly after, the masked men, observing everything from the shadows, saw the two slaps Chu Huaixu delivered. The corpse of the stubbled man was practically swollen from the blows.
The two masked men instantly looked at each other, speechless.
Seriously? With this temper and disposition, is he really suitable for undercover work?
"The person the Organization sent this time is a bit... a bit unique, eh?" the Gold-Masked Man spoke up.
The Silver-Masked Man nodded. "My lord, I really think he should be at the border!"
The Gold-Masked Man raised a hand and said in a deep voice, "Enough. The Organization must have its reasons for arranging things this way. We just need to do our jobs."
"Yes!" The Silver-Masked Man bowed his head to accept the order.
No matter how outrageous the Organization's actions were, the two of them would obey absolutely. Because everything they had experienced since childhood had long since molded them into the shape the Organization required.
The two of them believed that this young man with the slightly foxy face must have gone through the same thing since he was a child.
As long as that experience exists, as long as that unforgettable memory is there, then the three of us share three common traits:
Loyalty! Loyalty! And... Loyalty!