"Green Lotus Sword Canon"
The moment the golden jade slip was opened,
a formidable aura of a top-tier item enveloped Chen Ping An.
["I am the madman of Chu, mocking Confucius with a phoenix song.With a three-foot sword in hand, I point straight to the sorrow of the nine heavens." The Green Lotus Sword Canon, created by the Green Lotus Sword Immortal, comprises 36 foundational sword techniques and 12 sword forms. It is of the仙level. Anyone with unblocked meridians can practice the Green Lotus Sword Canon. However, to reach the pinnacle, one must possess sword bone, sword spiritual root, and sword heart!]
The item was indeed an exceptional item.
But after reading the introduction, Chen Ping An had a strange expression.
Wasn't the Green Lotus Sword Immortal Li Bai?
Wasn't Li Bai the Poet Immortal?
When did he become a sword immortal?
"Forget it, these days, anything goes. If Tang Seng can wield a Gatling gun, Li Bai can be a sword immortal too." Chen Ping An shook his head and thought. He recalled that Fang Qingzhi used a sword. This Green Lotus Sword Canon could be used by her.
A仙-level sword technique must be incredibly powerful.
The Green Lotus Sword Canon had opened to the first page. Chen Ping An initially thought it was just a game item. However, the first page actually had text and a ink brush drawing.
"Whoa—! So this is a small workshop? Terrifying!!"
[Sword Chapter One·Crane Stand: Stand with legs together, bend the knee and lift one foot into a crane-like stance (beginners may omit lifting the leg). Keep the body straight, hold the sword upright in front and parallel to the body. The sword handle should be parallel to the ground, and the sword body close to the arm while remaining vertical. Breathe steadily, calm the mind, and focus on the integration of the sword and your breath.]
An illustration was provided for a clearer understanding.
Chen Ping An continued flipping through and found more.
[Sword Chapter Two·Pine Stretch] also had explanations and images.
[Sword Chapter Three·Hold the Edge]
...
[Sword Chapter Thirty-Five·Return to One]
[Sword Chapter Thirty-Six·Free and Easy Wandering]
He kept flipping until the end, each sword chapter accompanied by text and images, no shortcuts at all!
Chen Ping An was now in awe of the game developer's dedication and hardcore approach. The frustration from being scammed out of money eased a bit.
The 36 sword chapters seemed foundational.
There were 12 sword forms afterward.
As he was about to continue, a prompt popped up: [You have not mastered Sword Chapters One to Twelve and cannot access the sword forms!]
"What? I have to learn them? How?" Chen Ping An instinctively looked for a payment window but found none. The Green Lotus Sword Canon didn't seem to upgrade via cash.
[Start learning Sword Chapter One?]
〈Yes〉
〈Think Again〉
Without hesitation, Chen Ping An selected yes.
He wanted to see how the game worked.
[Switching camera]
The game screen disappeared, the camera opened in selfie recording mode, and the game window continued to float on top.
[Please practice according to the Green Lotus Sword Canon, Sword Chapter One·Crane Stand. Current progress:Primary (0%)]
"Wait, what?"
Chen Ping An watched his own image on the screen with a twitching mouth.
If he wasn't mistaken,
the game wanted him to perform the Crane Stand pose right now, right?
And record a video to upload?
Was this a cash-free hassle?!
Chen Ping An felt he'd be insane to follow the game's demands.
Come to think of it, did the game developer have some weird preferences? Like watching players strike all sorts of awkward poses, then laughing wildly at the server while eating takeout!
"I, Chen Ping An, won't let you get away with this."
Chen Ping An snorted coldly.
He had now seen through the game developer's intentions.
He just needed to refuse, and a payment button would appear soon.
All part of the scheme!
Like some games offering super grindy rewards, and when players can't grind anymore, they naturally choose to pay.
But after waiting for a while, Chen Ping An didn't see a payment button.
"Tsk, then I'll just give this sword technique to Fang Qingzhi," he closed the page and dragged the[Green Lotus Sword Canon]toward Fang Qingzhi's side.
[You cannot directly teach Fang Qingzhi the〈Green Lotus Sword Canon〉. Please first cultivate the 36 sword chapters of the〈Green Lotus Sword Canon〉to the〈Primary Glimpse〉stage to unlock the sword technique teaching!]
"Whoa! What the heck?!"
Chen Ping An was furious.
What kind of game was this?
There was a question mark in a circle at the top right of the pop-up.
He clicked it on a whim.
[〈Help〉The purpose of this game is to provide players with the most authentic development experience. Players can offer resources and various assistance to their electronic girlfriends and can also be their guides and spiritual supports. However, to better guide your electronic girlfriend, please improve yourself as well～]
Upon seeing this reminder.
Chen Ping An fell silent.
Previously, he had no interest in watching others play games not only because games cost money but also because they lacked immersion. No matter how good your marksmanship, you're not the game's first-person storming Site A; no matter how skilled you are at jungling, you're not the wild king dominating the map.
Games and reality are ultimately separate.
But this electronic girlfriend game seemed to be trying something new.
Innovative, yet prone to failure in today's gaming industry.
However, Chen Ping An had to admit.
He was intrigued.
The sense of achievement from personally teaching an electronic girlfriend.
Learning it himself first, then teaching that naive girl, watching her overcome challenges and defeat enemies with the sword techniques he taught...
Wasn't this exactly the immersion lacking in modern games?
Admittedly, it was cash-heavy and hardcore.
But he loved such games.
Chen Ping An reopened the Green Lotus Sword Canon study page.
He set his phone on a live streaming stand, took a deep breath, and said, "Alright, to teach Fang Qingzhi a world-class sword technique, let the game developers mock me. They can't see me anyway."
Without a sword, he used a clothes rod as a substitute.
Chen Ping An found the text and images straightforward.
But executing the moves was far from simple.
First, the sword mustn't wobble. Previously, his hand would shake holding a water bottle, but today it was inexplicably steady. However, he also had to maintain two perpendicular alignments: the sword with the ground and the sword with his arm. Plus, the sword had to be parallel to his body.
Performing the move for a short time was manageable.
But within two minutes, his hand started to ache.
What's more, Chen Ping An discovered that after sweating profusely for half an hour, his cultivation progress for Sword Chapter One〈Primary Glimpse〉had barely reached one percent!
Yet, he had astonishing perseverance.
Chen Ping An persisted for a full hour.
Only stopping when his back was drenched in sweat.
"Whoa, I can't take it anymore. I'm falling apart." He shakily lowered the clothes rod and stretched his stiff body.
It was quite late now, almost midnight. He hadn't washed his clothes or taken a shower, emitting an unpleasant sour odor.
"If I treat this cultivation as exercise, it's manageable."
Chen Ping An massaged his sore arm, not giving up. He planned to rest and continue practicing in the morning.
At that moment.
Suddenly, a 'thud' came from the doorway.
It sounded like something had collided with the door.