Sword Among Us

While Wuhu was in commotion, the University of South China also burst into an uproar.

Happy’s name held an extraordinary meaning to them. He represented the top player on the Power Ranking Board of South China Martial Arts Ranking Board. Even though he did not participate in the conflict and competition in the university, the Three Lonely Wolves had made an exception and allowed his name to forever be fixed on the top of the Power Ranking Board. He was the spiritual pillar of support for the University of South China and Beautiful Robes Faction!

Everyone had thought that after Happy had gone silent for more than half a month, they had more or less caught up to him a little, but they did not expect that the first thing he did once he came out of isolated training would be to destroy Five Venoms.

It was a sect that was rather powerful and famous in World of Martial Arts. Yet within less than an hour, Happy had pulled out their flag, destroyed their plate, killed off all their elites, and immobilized Sect Master Proud over All Life, who had one arm severed. He had to watch his sect’s foundation being destroyed and then could only disappear from World of Martial Arts without a sound! However, before he retreated, he announced that when he came back, he would definitely return all the humiliation Five Venoms had suffered on that day and settle the grudge with Happy in full!

As the loud sound of the sect shattering was heard, Proud over All Life disappeared from World of Martial Arts.

All the sect members of Five Members were no longer affiliated to any sects. They became lost.

Five Venoms completely disappeared from the game.

The person who had destroyed Five Venoms alone looked as if he had done something incredibly insignificant. He did not even care to pick up the loot on the ground. He just jumped on his horse and left through the path that the crowd had automatically opened for him. Countless players followed him with admiring, respectful, envious, and complicated gazes.

“What the heck?!”

“That was too beautiful! When can we do something so insane and surprise the entire game like this as well?! No wonder Phoenix Dances is attracted to Boss Happy! This bearing is so… I’m so jealous!”

Because of the transmission of information in the University of South China’s South China Martial Arts Ranking Board, the students got to know the news at the very first moment, and the topic about Happy became instantly trending.

The higher ups of Beautiful Robes Faction were in high spirits, because the stronger Happy was, the more space they would have to further develop, and their speed in developing their faction would also increase.

The only person who might not have been happy in the University of South China was Li Ning.

Before World of Martial Arts was launched, many students would come to him, since he was an assistant tutor in the Computer Engineering Department. Many of his juniors would surround him with respectful and admiring gazes, but now, everyone talked about Happy as well as everything that happened within World of Martial Arts. It made him feel a sense of loss.

What made him even more displeased was that the girl he had been paying attention to quietly had disappeared without a trace ever since she had asked him for a favor. She was also constantly in the game.

“Why are you lot so addicted to a VR world? This is just a world made up by 1s and 0s. It’s just a bunch of boring code… Why am I being so childish?!” Li Ning mumbled under his breath while he sat in his dorm.

There was a brand new package before him. He tore open the exquisite packaging, and within it was a VR helmet that had made him hesitate for a long time.

However, the battle replay that had been uploaded online recently had deeply attracted him to the game. There was no boy who did not have the thoughts of wandering around the lands and living according to their hearts’ desires.

So what if he was a hacker, he was still a man…

*****

“Boss, why did you..! Why did you run off alone for something so exciting and show off on your own?! You didn’t even bring me along with you…”

When Happy returned to White Tiger Forest, Little North rushed over from another place when he heard about it. He grumbled up a storm, and his “resentful” gaze was fixed on the perpetrator.

Happy had long since become used to Little North’s sporadic bad tastes. He continued to train while he diverted the topic.

“Where’s Big Brother Thunder?”

“Him?” Little North might have been a bit of a chatterbox, but when it came to serious matters, he would not chatter on about nothing. “Once he mastered his lightness skill, Big Brother Thunder has been farming in Fox Cave.

“Didn’t you say that Beautiful Robes Faction or whatever you call it is still lacking in high-tier martial art manuals? He said that since he’s free, he will go and kill the bandits on the islands at the center of Wuhu, and during the night, he would go to Fox Cave. I heard that he already got himself around ten Heaven’s Illusory Claw manuals. He’s now stinking rich.”

Right after he finished speaking, Thunderous Battle’s familiar and boisterous laughter rang out from the treetop behind Little North.

“Who’s stinking rich now?”

“Who else?” Little North rolled his eyes without even turning his head around.

“Big Brother Thunder, you’re awful. You actually left me behind to farm money. And Boss Happy, you’re even worse, you’re a promise breaker. You went to show off on your own, and in the end, I didn’t get anything at all over the past few days. Ah… Hurry up and give me some loot! Or else I’ll hold a grudge against you for the rest of my life!”

Whoosh…

The soft sound of air moving around rose, and Thunderous Battle flew down gently. He landed without a sound. Clearly, he had already reached some mastery with his Fox Monster’s Phantasmal Shadow.

“Enough with it,” Thunderous Battle said. He was vexed.

“Kid, you got some good stuff in the ancient tomb over the past few days, right? One single Phantasm Body Movement Skill of yours is worth ten of my Heaven’s Illusory Claws. And how much is your Hoof Shadow Horse Plate worth? I haven’t even asked you for a Hoof Shadow Horse Plate, so don’t go trying to argue with me.”

“Ah…” Little North opened his mouth, but he found himself tongue-tied, and he could say nothing about it. He did not think that his secret would have been discovered. Big Brother Thunder was indeed a sensitive and attentive man, even though he looked like a brute.

Happy smiled while listening to the two argue and continuing to practice his sword technique.

What truly happened was that after Thunderous Battle mastered his lightness skill, he left on his own for a while.

Little North continued to stay in White Tiger Forest. After all, he was a Hoof Shadow fan, and since he knew that a Hoof Shadow would respawn once every three days, he would naturally not miss out on the chance to get it. He sent his zombie puppets to wander around a circular area of dozens of miles every single day and searched for the signs of a Hoof Shadow based on the clues Happy had provided before.

Over the past half a month, he had actually managed to get four Hoof Shadow Horse Plates and four Phantasm Body Movement Skill manuals. Thunderous Battle’s loot was really nothing compared to Little North’s.

After all, a normal high-tier martial art manual was worth at most two hundred and fifty thousand taels of silver, but a Hoof Shadow Horse Plate had been jacked up to one million and five hundred thousand taels of silver crumbs for each plate. Phantasm Body Movement Sill manuals had even shot up to two million taels of silver, and the price was still rising. If he sold all of them in exchange for in-game money, Little North would be the real millionaire among them right then!

“Alright, alright.” Little North looked as if he had accepted his fate. “After all, you’re my big brothers. Each of you will get one Horse Plate. Don’t go around saying I’m stingy now.” He brought out two Horse Plates and tossed one to Thunderous Battle and another to Happy.

Thunderous Battle accepted it with a grin.

This was what was meant by oppressing local tyrants.

Happy also accepted it. No matter what, his purplish red horse would always be a few classes inferior to a Hoof Shadow.

However, Little North soon traded two Phantasm Body Movement Skill manuals over, and Happy could not help but be stunned.

“What’s this for?”

“Boss, keep it. I only got my Hoof Shadows because of your information. Besides, I also got my technique from you. Did you actually think that I would have been able to get my Hoof Shadows alone?” Little North said very seriously.

“If I don’t have money, I’ll ask for some from you. What’s the point of you giving me two manuals? Take it back.”

Happy might have been a little tempted, but not enough to accept Little North blindly dividing his spoils with him for nothing. He canceled the trade and said, “If you want to give it to me, you can. I can help you put it in Beautiful Robes Faction’s store so you earn some contribution points.”

“Are you saying we can join Beautiful Robes Faction?”

Little North’s eyes lit up. He had been interested in the mysterious faction supporting Happy for some time, and even Thunderous Battle’s expression grew attentive.

“If you don’t join now, when I eventually become part of the faction, how will you be supposed to get your contribution points?” Happy said with a smile.

“Beautiful Robes Faction has already formed an independent system offline. When the time is right, we can enter it. You can think about it. Now, we should discuss the matter regarding Fox Cave.”

Little North and Thunderous Battle looked at each other. They knew that Happy’s words meant that he had officially extended an invitation for them to join Beautiful Robes Faction on behalf of the faction.