15 Chapter 15 - Nine Blades of Tang (2/2)

”Are you talking to me? You can see me?” asked Sword Demon as shock colored his face.

”I can't see you, but I can feel your presence,” Gu Fei said.

”How is that possible?!” Sword Demon was surprised, but he immediately recalled his failed Backstab that day when they PvP-ed. He thought Gu Fei became aware of the last attack and was able to grab him because Sword Demon had revealed himself prior to attacking.

Putting the two incidents together, could it be Gu Fei already knew he had been here under Stealth mode the whole time?

What is this? Is this still considered control? Sword Demon was at a loss.

”Reveal yourself already!” Gu Fei shouted. He knew Sword Demon was nearby, but he could not see him. Hearing his voice hanging in the air just made the situation too peculiar.

Sword Demon slowly emerged into sight as he released his Stealth.

”What's up?” Gu Fei asked.

”I just wanted to see how you fight monsters,” Sword Demon said.

”So how was it?” Gu Fei asked with a smile.

”It's great!” Sword Demon nodded.

”My Nine Blades of Tang.”

”Nine Blades of Tang?”

”Yup!” Gu Fei nodded.

What is that? Is that what he calls his peak control? If I recalled correctly there's a wuxia online game two years ago that had a similarly named low-level equipment... Sword Demon wept silently as he realized that his vast knowledge and experience was only limited to online games, mistaking the famous Tang sword for some insignificant equipment.

”Three forms of Fenliu!” Gu Fei suddenly called out. With a twist of his wrist, he lifted the sword and delivered three cross slashes into the air.

”Three forms of Duanlang!” The momentum changed as he called out once more. Three fierce slashes were made before him, akin to an enraged tiger descending the mountain.

”Three forms of Chiri!” The blade cut the air before him, with three rapid strokes falling upon a single point with a shake of his arm.

”The Nine Blades of Tang allowed the user to flexibly slice, cut, and stab their targets. Getting anywhere near mastering it would require decades of diligent kung fu practice. How can my mediocre skill be a match?” Gu Fei laughed to himself.

Sword Demon could only nod his head obliviously. He simply had no idea what Gu Fei was talking about. In his eyes, the few strokes that Gu Fei had displayed messily in front of him was not nearly as amazing as him fighting the monsters from before.

”Oh, yeah. Do you have a reason why you're looking for me?” Gu Fei asked.

There was actually something Sword Demon had undecidedly wanted to ask. But after seeing Gu Fei's peak control, he finally decided to go for it, ”I've got a friend who's looking for a few people to form a mercenary group, and I'm wondering if you're interested?”

”Mercenary group?”

”You know what that is?”

”Of course, I do.” There was no way Gu Fei, who was concerned with all aspects of this game, would not know the two major organizational features that existed in-game.

Guilds and mercenary groups.

Guilds were much like gangs in the usual online games. In Parallel World, a guild could be formed through a person's nomination and twenty individuals' agreement.

Meanwhile, mercenary groups were a new feature very different from the traditional type found in most online games. Since there was no required amount of players to establish a mercenary team, even a single player could form one. The mercenary quests given by the system allowed the members to earn money, gain experience, or be rewarded with equipment. Similarly, players and guilds could also release missions for mercenary groups by providing remuneration; by completing a quest, the mercenaries would then be able to acquire the previously agreed upon reward. Naturally, players and guilds could not provide experience as rewards, so many would usually provide equipment, gold, etc. as payment.

Guilds and mercenary groups never clashed with each other. Even if the players were from different guilds, they could still form a mercenary group together. Though, the current trend was for the same guild members to form a mercenary group. While it was possible to have a one-man mercenary group, the quests given by the system were usually impossible to be completed solo. Lone wolves might as well just wait for simple quests made by other players! Therefore, one of the most popular things to do in the game right now was for guilds to groom their mercenary groups.

Gu Fei momentarily laughed and said, ”Oh, you want me to join the Heaven-Defying Guild's mercenary group?”

Sword Demon laughed bitterly, ”Heaven-Defying Guild had already been disbanded.”

”Ack! Why?” Gu Fei was perplexed. Guilds could only be established by level 30 players, while only those above level 20 could second the establishment. Since Sword Demon had already reached level 30, Gu Fei had thought his Heaven-Defying Guild would have long been established.