Apocalypse: Everyone Levels Up, I Return to the Time Before the Server Opened-Chapter 81

Chapter 81: The Sweet-Talking Youth!

“Can I join the Sword Sect now?” Ye Qiu sheathed his sword and asked calmly.

That had been quite a close call.

Fortunately, he’d always been cautious.

Just in case something unexpected happened, he had used the Light Shield skill in advance. It was a skill that blocks one instance of any attack.

And as it turned out, he was right to be cautious.

Even NPCs in this game could be cunning.

They had agreed to spar using level 20 stats, but halfway through, his opponent had secretly removed the level cap and unleashed his full power!

He was clearly trying to kill him!

Good thing Ye Qiu had prepared for this.

Even though dying in the game didn’t mean permanent death, it still cost equipment and experience.

Ye Qiu wasn’t about to die for nothing.

“Um...” Xu Shangyin snapped out of her daze and quickly said, “To join the Sword Sect, you’ll still need to pass the elders’ assessments. This way, please.”

This time, she pointed to the corridor on the right.

“Thank you,” Ye Qiu replied sincerely.

He had heard her trying to stop the duel earlier.

Even though it hadn’t helped in the end, he appreciated the gesture.

With that, he turned and entered the passage.

Once Ye Qiu had left, the surrounding NPCs finally began to speak.

“That outsider was incredible!”

“Yeah, level 20, no class advancement, and he still defeated Li Damou — who’s level 64 and already a Sword Demon!”

“Unbelievable!”

“Especially that final move — a basic ‘Slash’ — and yet he easily floored his opponent. That was brilliant!”

“Hey, how come Li Damou’s full-power strike didn’t even affect that outsider?”

“I saw it clearly! There was a faint shield around him. It blocked the hit!”

“As expected of those legendary outsiders. Always full of tricks!”

“Don’t be too envious. Outsiders may have tricks, but their lifespans are short. No matter how strong they get, they rarely live past 100!”

The crowd murmured in discussion.

They were actually quite familiar with “players” as a group.

After all, this Trial City had seen many waves of outsiders appear before.

But in time, all of them eventually died of old age. None had lived more than a century.

Cycle after cycle, history repeated itself.

The local NPCs were already used to it.

While everyone was chatting, no one noticed that Li Damou, who had been knocked down, had quietly gotten up and left with shame and hatred written all over his face.

Meanwhile, Ye Qiu followed Xu Shangyin from the main hall, through the corridor, into the central chamber of this tower level.

Each floor of the tower was enormous, about the size of four to five football fields!

As they walked, Xu Shangyin reminded him, “Our Sword Sect has very strict standards. Sometimes we don’t even recruit one person in an entire year and that’s for local swordsmen. As for outsiders like you, there’s never been a precedent.”

Ye Qiu nodded repeatedly, but inside he was already planning.

Should he use one of his “critical” techniques?

Soon, he shook off the idea.

First, he didn’t know the elders personally.

He had no clue what they liked or disliked.

What if he gave the wrong gift?

Like... gifting Maotai wine to an elder who didn’t drink. Wouldn’t that be shooting himself in the foot?

In the end, he’d just have to play it by ear.

“Excuse me, beautiful big sis,” Ye Qiu suddenly asked, “Is one of the elders named Han Wenqing?”

As he spoke, his gaze remained fixed on the surroundings, on the variety of swords stabbed into the walls, floors, and furniture.

They were part of the test, according to the guide.

Xu Shangyin froze for a moment.

“‘Beautiful big sis’?”

That was the first time anyone had called her that.

Her cheeks flushed slightly before she replied in surprise, “You know Elder Han?”

Ye Qiu shook his head. “I’ve only heard of his name.”

Xu Shangyin said, “Elder Han is indeed very famous. He’s not just a Sword Sect elder, he’s also an honorary elder of the Magic Association, Hunter’s Tribe, Inquisition, War God Hall,  Natural Domain, the Heretics, Totem Land, Holy Church, Hidden Corners, and Chaos Pit. In Zhouxing City, his status is second only to the city lord!”

Ye Qiu had already known all this.

Hearing it again now brought a wave of emotion.

Because in the future, Elder Han Wenqing would be one of the few NPCs who died saving players.

Luckily, he was still alive now.

Xu Shangyin continued, “Elder Han’s primary allegiance is still with the Sword Sect, so he spends most of his time on this floor. Sometimes, he personally oversees the outsider trials.”

Ye Qiu nodded to show he understood.

Xu Shangyin gave him a worried look. “You’d better pray Elder Han isn’t there.”

“Why?” Ye Qiu asked.

“Because he’s famously strict!” she said seriously.

“Since the tower was built, not a single person has ever passed a trial that Elder Han oversaw. No one has ever become a full member of the Sword Sect on his watch!”

But Ye Qiu’s eyes lit up with anticipation.

As they spoke, they arrived at a wide passage.

Inside, several people stood, each with swords on their backs, but dressed differently from official Sword Sect members.

Ye Qiu used Heavenly Eye to examine them.

Xu Shangyin whispered, “They’re all here for the trial. Wait here. I’ll register you.

When they call your name, you can go in.”

“Thanks, pretty big sis!”

Ye Qiu’s sweet words made Xu Shangyin’s earlobes turn red, but her lips curved up slightly, and dimples appeared on her cheeks.

A glint of delight flickered in her eyes.

Everyone liked compliments, especially women.

[Ding! Xu Shangyin’s affection for you has increased.]

After she left, Ye Qiu glanced around at the other NPCs.

He noticed that most of them were at least level 50.

Only he was level 20 and still hadn’t changed class!

The competition had suddenly gotten way tougher.

As for why he hadn’t advanced his class yet? It wasn’t that he didn’t want to.

But once he did, he wouldn’t be able to change classes again for at least a year.

And this game was full of hidden class options, which were usually much stronger than regular classes.

“Next: Moonlit Sword Immortal, Hu Tianshuo!”

“That’s me!”

A man inside was called out and came out dejected.

His sword was broken into pieces, and he looked like he was on the verge of tears.

Then, the next candidate entered: a handsome Sword Immortal with a crescent-shaped mark on his forehead.

He was level 60, the highest among all the candidates.

Unlike players, native NPCs couldn’t grind for XP.

They had to cultivate to level up.

And the higher they got, the harder it became.

Sometimes it could take years to go from level 59 to 60.

Of course, there were monstrous prodigies, too.

Ye Qiu had met NPCs in his past life who reached level 100 before they were even teenagers, absolutely jaw-dropping.

So, players really had no reason to be smug.

One by one, people went in.

One by one, they came out.

Soon after…

“Hey, bad luck for you. Elder Han is supervising the trial today,” Xu Shangyin came out and gave Ye Qiu a sympathetic look.

But to her surprise, there wasn’t a hint of worry on Ye Qiu’s face.

In fact, he even looked a bit excited!

To be honest, she really did hope this sweet-talking young man would make it into the Sword Sect.

But based on past experience, it was almost impossible.

“Next: Outer Human, Ye Qiu!”

Whoosh!

Hearing the call, the group of NPC candidates froze, then looked around.

“That’s me, that’s me...” Ye Qiu stood up.

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