On her second dive into the game, Ino was far more relaxed, glancing left and right as she combed every corner of the starting room. Only when she was certain nothing else could be found did she step outside.
Then she arrived at the fabled world map.
On the world map, Ino looked like a giant; each stride covered several li, so within a few steps she reached the nearest inn.
Once inside, she shrank from giantess back to her normal size.
"That's amazing."
With a chuckle, Ino decided that, for technology this immersive, ten-thousand ryō an hour was hardly a rip-off.
Play resumed. The inn was packed with people—NPCs—and Ino greeted every one of them.
Though they mechanically repeated the same line, she was still delighted.
Leaving the inn, she wandered aimlessly. Soon she spotted another building, yet no matter what she tried she couldn't enter.
It wasn't just that one; none of the nearby structures would open.
Fuming, Ino logged out and complained to Ge Liang: "Boss, why can't I get in anywhere?"
Ge Liang laughed. "You have to visit the Hermitage of Southern Virtue first—only then will every zone unlock."
"Southern Virtue Hermitage? Where's that?"
"Hard to explain. Try normal mode; I'll guide you."
She nodded, grabbed the mouse, and started steering the little figure.
"Go down here."
"Left here."
"Here—yes, just walk in."
Under Ge Liang's directions, Ino entered the Hermitage, watched a cut-scene, and finally unlocked every building.
"All right, every door's open now—enjoy."
"Got it!" o(^▽^)o
Back inside, Ino resumed her romp: into every building, chatting up every NPC, rummaging through drawers—she was having a blast.
"Huh? Songfeng Sword Technique? Weird name."
After lots of poking around, she reached Lin Pingzhi's home and, in a tucked-away spot, found the sword manual.
In truth, Songfeng Sword Technique was the worst sword art in the legend of jin yong heroes; even at max level its attack was pitiful—fine for mooks, hopeless against bosses.
Ge Liang knew it was trash, but Ino didn't.
After all that searching, any manual felt like treasure; she studied it eagerly despite the odd name.
As if born to it, she picked up the scroll, mentally clicked "Use," and the manual dissolved into light that merged with her body.
Instantly, the Moves of Songfeng Sword Technique appeared in her mind.
"These stances are so intricate."
Unlike kenjutsu in Naruto World, which favors raw destructive power—fast, precise, brutal—Jin-Yong swordplay relies on finesse.
Still a student, Ino nevertheless carried the discernment of the Yamanaka clan.
"Too bad I can only use it in-game; imagine wielding this in real life!"
She shook off the thought and resumed scouring the map.
Now that she knew swordplay, she naturally wanted to test it.
After some meandering she found a few throw-away NPCs willing to fight.
Unlike normal mode, the immersive version used real-time combat.
Relying on her own skills, Ino cut the trash mobs down.
In the past, even these weaklings would have given her trouble.
After all, even the weakest NPCs still knew martial arts.
That realization made her appreciate Songfeng Sword Technique even more.
Just as she was hunting for more foes to max the style, she was forcefully logged out.
"Huh? Boss, what happened?"
Ino was livid; she'd just tasted the elegance of martial arts and wanted more.
"Your hour's up. Pay up if you want to continue."
"I'm broke—just a few more minutes, please?"
Ino now looked exactly like the penniless kid Ge Liang once was, begging the old net-café owner for extra time.
Seeing her like that, Ge Liang of course… refused.
No way—those were System rules, and he lacked authority to bend them.
At least for now.
"No money, no play."
"Tch, stingy."
Realizing his resolve, Ino knew she was done for today.
"Greedy boss—I'm off."
"Come again!"
Once she left, Ge Liang shut the café.
With ten-thousand ryō in hand he could finally buy daily necessities from the System; starvation wouldn't be an issue for days.
Freed from money worries, he decided to try the VR headset himself.
"Tsk, VR gaming—the black-tech dream I chased for years."
"Let's see if it's as wild as the novels claim."
"Heh, Legend of Jin Yong Heroes—here I come."
Ino might be a rookie, but Ge Liang was a veteran; even if some details were fuzzy, he still knew exactly where the top arts were.
Within a few hours he'd assembled a full set of supreme skills.
Internal Energy: Nine-Yang Divine Skill.
Palm Art: Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms.
Movement: Flickering Shadow Step.
Plus a robust reservoir of Internal Energy.
"Nice—now I'm pretty much a top-tier fighter."
That night, after logging off, Ge Liang checked his body.
Compared to hours earlier, he was practically a human tyrannosaurus.
Taking on a hundred old versions of himself would be effortless.
And none of these arts were even max-level yet; once capped, he'd only grow stronger.
"Where would I rank in Naruto World now?"
"Genin? Chunin? Or Jonin?"
He estimated that, even with all three arts maxed, he'd be a Special Jonin at best—on par with an average Jonin in melee but sorely lacking elsewhere.
He still couldn't use Ninjutsu, so he had zero ranged options.
Only in close quarters could he unleash his full might.
"Too bad—however many arts you learn in-game, only one set can manifest in reality."
"Heh, if only that rule didn't exist…"
He shook his head; he knew he was wishing for the impossible.
"Wonder if that girl Ino will come back tomorrow?"