"ohhh!!"
"I've cached this part. I'll practice it diligently when I get back."
"Don't bother trying. I thought I could do it too, but I just ended up wasting my divine paper."
"The gap between people is truly immense. I'm still struggling with my adoptive father, and people are already releasing clear videos."
"I knew you would appear when everyone was most desperate. Bai Zhiyuan, you are my god!"
"??"
"Terrifying woman!"
......
As soon as the video was released, countless comments flooded in.
Current players had been suffering under the full might of Isshin for a long time. Even Chun Hei, whom players relied on, couldn't clear the boss smoothly. The difficulty was evident.
"She's so strong."
Chun Hei opened the video and felt a surge of emotion as he saw many bullet comments cutting him out.
He also felt a slight apology for not being able to defeat the Sword Saint immediately and provide them with a suitable strategy.
This was not his fault. As the final boss meticulously designed by the old thief Lu Li, using outdated methods would inevitably lead to a dead end, making clearing the game impossible.
The video was only two minutes long. At the beginning, Bai Zhiyuan got straight to the point: "This boss is different from any encountered before. When fighting him, don't hold back. Imagine you are fighting a battle to the death with a battle-hardened god of war. Immerse yourself completely in the role, break through your defenses, and fight your last battle."
"Once you harbor any hope, your attention cannot be fully focused. On the battlefield, an experienced opponent will seize this point, and the only outcome will be defeat."
"This video primarily provides a concept. I don't recommend replicating the clear method; fighting with your most comfortable approach is fine."
As she finished speaking.
The pure enjoyment version of the battle arrived. Under the dark moon, a figure wielding the Ziying Sword fought fiercely with the fully armed Weapon Master until the heavens and earth turned dark.
There were no particularly flashy techniques. The actions of each swing and chop made the viewers feel like they could do it themselves.
It wasn't until the Sword Saint was slain that Chun Hei, who had been immersed in the fight, finally snapped back to reality.
"The designer poured a lot of effort into the portrayal of this boss. There are definitely more ways to defeat him than just one. It mainly relies on resolve: a true battle."
Bai Zhiyuan's words were like a revelation to Chun Hei. He slapped his thigh vigorously, "That's it!"
"Yes, yes, yes!!"
He repeated "yes, yes, yes" several times, tears of excitement welling up. This time, Chun Hei truly understood!
The root of his previous defeats lay within his own heart.
From the beginning of the fight, he hadn't imagined it as a real life-or-death duel, after all, it was just a game.
His mind was filled with techniques, memorized patterns, and the best responses to different moves.
He was fighting purely to clear the game, and the Sword Saint was precisely the kind of player who was blocked by this mentality. The more impatient he became, the less he could defeat him.
Imagine, if you were truly in a life-or-death battle, who would be constantly reviewing their opponent's next move and how to counter it?
If you thought like that, you would have died countless times.
The Sword Saint was an absolute powerhouse who had survived countless battles to the death. Facing him required preparedness for death!
Unfortunately, the constant respawns in the early stages caused the tension in the players' hearts to quietly relax.
Even if it wasn't explicitly stated, subconsciously, the thought of "It's okay, I still have chances to revive" would linger.
To look for excuses elsewhere is a major taboo in warfare!
Chun Hei's mind raced with thoughts, and a clear path began to emerge from the chaos.
"So that's how it is. I always thought I was fully committed and completely focused, but it turns out I was just fooling myself."
"To think I believed I had found the right way, that I had disrupted my usual fighting style, and that I idealistically thought the Sword Saint countered all mechanical and rigid output modes. In reality, the Sword Saint counters all lack of focus, all false focus."
"If I cannot immerse myself in a life-or-death duel, then I can never defeat the Sword Saint!"
At this moment, it was as if sacred light enveloped Chun Hei's back, and he himself seemed to have been sublimated!
*Swish!!*
Suddenly,
He immediately got up, walked straight to the computer, turned it on, connected to his stream, put on his VR helmet, all in one go.
It wasn't until he entered the VR world and felt the familiar wind blowing from the reed marsh that he truly came alive.
'Holy crap, the streamer who disappeared for a day is online at this hour?'
'You're finally here, my darling. I felt like ants were crawling all over me because I couldn't see your stream today.'
'That's because you haven't bathed. Get a master to scrub your back, and it'll help immediately.'
'Has the streamer figured out the clear method? Someone has already cleared it online.'
......
As the bullet comments sounded in his ears, Chun Hei realized he had accidentally started streaming, having no memory of the process.
No matter what!
Drawing the Ziying Sword, Chun Hei decisively approached the Sword Saint and, while still in the clarity of his realization, began to fight immediately!
*Clang clang!!*
The battle began. Chun Hei seemed like a different person compared to before, his eyes clear and exuding a subtle confidence, his heart filled with determination.
From the moment he drew his sword, he seemed to have merged with this world. He was Wolf, the one-armed warrior, the most versatile warrior who had undergone countless trials against strong opponents like the Phantom Butterfly, the Ape, the Great Owl, and the Divine Dragon!
Today, in this rainy night, he would present his answer to his final master, the Tengu Sensei. Only one person could walk out of this battlefield, and that person would undoubtedly be himself, who had endured so much hardship!
*Clang clang—clang clang clang!!!*
"Thank you, Teacher Iron Strike, Butterfly!"
The sound of parrying evolved from muffled to crisp, and Chun Hei gradually regained the rhythm and confidence of parrying he had when facing the Phantom Butterfly.
*Swish swish swish!!!*
"Thank you, Teacher Rush, Genichiro Ashina!"
The forward and backward steps were fluid, a technique he mastered after striking with the Ten-String Sword!
*Rumble!!!*
*Crack!!*
"Thank you, Teacher Lightning Strike, Great Serpent!"
A powerful lightning counter forced the Sword Saint to retreat step by step!!
*Clang clang!!*
"Thank you, Teacher Ichimonji Slash, Tomoe!"
Ichimonji blocked the Sword Saint's ultimate move with perfect rhythm!
*Swish swish!!*
"Thank you, Teacher Retreating Step Spin Slash, Great Shinobi Owl!"
The excellent control of distance allowed him to move with ease at the tip of his blade!
*Swish swish swish!!!*
"Thank you, Teacher Iron Umbrella, Guardian Ape; Teacher Fire Umbrella, Blazing Bull; Teacher Demon Umbrella, Headless!"
The flames of Asura burned the heavens and earth, and an iron umbrella stood unmoving!
*Swish swish swish!!!*
"Thank you, Teacher Flying Boat Crossing, Genichiro!"
Chun Hei began to launch his most skilled counterattacks!
*Clang—clang clang!!*
*Slash!!*
"Thank you, Teacher Fast and Slow Blades, Rin!"
After the final exchange of blows, the Sword Saint's posture gauge was full, and Chun Hei, without hesitation, decisively attacked!
"Thank you all. It is because of you that I no longer hesitate when facing the Sword Saint!"
【Immortality Severance】
As the prompt symbolizing victory appeared, the viewers in the live stream, who had been laughing and joking, hadn't even reacted yet. The battle had ended amidst such passionate roars?
'???'
'What just happened?'
'Who are you?'
'Did Bai Zhiyuan possess you?'
'You were so listless just two days ago, and today you're suddenly like a warrior!'
'Little question, do you have many friends?'
'Who is the Sword Saint, master of all weapons and fully accomplished in the Ashina style!'
'Go, old man with the gun.'
'Stop now, he's already cold.'
......
"Perhaps you are all surprised why I seem like a different person today. Facing the Sword Saint, I've gone from struggling to being at ease. Let me explain it to you slowly."
With the final boss defeated, the stone hanging in his heart was lifted, and Chun Hei felt completely relaxed.
"First, I must thank my spiritual mentor—Bai Zhiyuan. Did you all see that clear video released today? Did you gain any insights? I certainly gained a lot."
"The key to fighting Isshin in his prime, as she said, is whether we truly committed ourselves wholeheartedly to the battle. Did we truly treat this battle as a real life-or-death duel? What kind of mindset should we have in a real life-or-death duel?"
"Speaking for myself, I thought I was fully committed, even discarding my habits and fighting techniques, believing I had achieved simplicity. In reality, I was just garbage, no different from a clown in the eyes of the Sword Saint."
"In a true life-or-death duel, our priority should be to kill the target, utilizing all our strengths to fight without regret!"
Sheathing his sword, Chun Hei continued to analyze as he walked towards the Prince, his mentality having undergone a drastic change. Even if he had to do it again, he could still defeat the Sword Saint, and even faster!
"Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice taught me what it means to hesitate and be defeated. I died repeatedly at the beginning, but through long and arduous training, I went from being timid towards enemies to calmly dealing with them. Unlike other games where you're like a god of war from the start, its growth curve is very clear."
"In other games, it's the character that gets stronger; in Sekiro, it's the player themselves who gets stronger."
"Clearing Sekiro taught me to never compromise easily. Dying for several days on a few bosses is normal, but after each failure, I would face my own shortcomings (hesitation leads to defeat, greed for attacks leads to death), push myself out of my comfort zone (perfectly deflecting with the 'shake blade technique'), and summarize my experiences (Rin's fast blades and Snake Sister's slow blades). I would continuously improve my skills (from checking guides to developing my own playstyle) and muster the courage to draw my sword again, leading to the Soulslike encouragement like the Prince's 'Wolf, you must have suffered greatly for me!' that makes me unable to stop!!!"
Speaking until his mouth was dry, Chun Hei felt he still couldn't fully describe the merits of "Sekiro," wishing every viewer in the live stream could personally experience the charm of this VR game.
'Alright, alright, I'll buy it, okay!'
'I didn't remember anything else, except for the line in the game [Hesitation is defeat], which inspired [Writing the character '正' on the thigh] which is really hot~~~~!'
'Old thief Lu Li, forever a god!!!'
......