Sword Among Us

“I was wondering just what sort of man would be the person who saved the six great sects, considering his name has spread so far and wide, but I didn’t expect that he would be a brat who hasn’t even weaned yet. It’s as expected of someone who came from a certain family. Could the people who spread the news be people hired from the Murong Clan?”

“Brother Xicheng, how could you say that to Lady Murong?”

“That’s right. I believe that even if this truly happened, Lady Murong wouldn’t know about it. Isn’t that so, Lady Murong?”

The aristocratic people were dressed in brocade robes and wore jade accessories while mocking the Murong Clan one after another. Their words were very unpleasant.

Happy frowned in secret.

When he came, the Murong Clan Lady had reminded him that the eight aristocratic families were filled with hostility toward the Murong Clan and that they might take action during the martial arts tournament. He did not expect, however, that before he even gained his footing, all sorts of provocations would have already begun.

At the moment the system rang, Happy frowned.

“Ding!

“You are currently facing the provocation from the eight aristocraric families, and Lady Murong cannot ignore this. Are you willing to take the initiative to challenge them and fight for Lady Murong? Will you fight against the elites from the eight aristocratic families so that the Murong Clan can hold its head high?”

When Happy saw that the Murong Clan Lady did not take any action and just watched the situation as if she heard nothing, he did not immediately speak.

He was still not entirely certain of the rules of Dragon Tiger Arena, and challenging others recklessly was not his style.

As expected, the Murong Clan Lady soon sent him a secret message before continuing to explain the rules of Dragon Tiger Arena. “Happy, don’t be affected by their provocation. The people who spoke are all nobodies in the eight aristocratic families. There are only three who are truly powerful… the three who have not spoken since the start.”

When Happy heard that, he was stunned.

He subconsciously cast a glance to the side and saw three young adults who had not said anything.

They were two men and one woman!

The woman was dressed in a long white dress. She looked as cold as ice, and she stared at the stage without even blinking. She exuded a chilly presence, and she looked like an immortal who had descended to the mortal world. Her presence was comparable to that of the Murong Clan Lady.

One of the two men had an otherworldly elegance, was heroic-looking, and prideful, while the other was built, tall, level-headed, and had lively eyes.

Happy could tell at first glance that they were not easy to deal with; they might already be in Inaction Realm.

‘Thank goodness I didn’t attack recklessly,’ Happy thought in his heart.

“The strength of those three is similar to mine. The woman’s name is Nangong Ruoshui, and she practices the Nangong Clan’s Nine Profound Art. One of the men is Dongfang Xiong, and he practices Sunrise Sword, the other is Bei Lie, who inherited Will from Divine Weapon. He was born with great strength, and his qi is greater than others. His fists can block divine weapons, and he is the strongest among the three.”

The Murong Clan Lady explained their situations before she said, “They are the only genii of the current young generation among the eight aristocratic families. As long as you can defeat any one of them, they will no longer dare to curse and defame the Murong Clan without reason. Naturally, they will also not doubt your strength.”

Happy said nothing. He nodded quietly to show that he put her words to memory.

The Murong Clan Lady said, “There is one rule on Dragon Tiger Arena. When you go up to fight on the stage, you are not allowed to use any medicine. Once you finish fighting, you can restore your qi, but unless you lose, you must continue fighting three rounds on the stage.”

She stopped talking for a moment, but she could not hold herself and looked at Happy.

“If you go up and fight, those three will definitely attack you. that’s why you need to be mentally prepared.”

Another system’s notification arrived.

“Ding!

“Dragon Tiger Arena point accumulation system!

“If you win one round, you get one point. If you win three consecutive rounds, you can temporarily leave the arena and return to the spectator seat. You may resume challenging the others at any moment you want! Once you lose, the current number of times you won will be recorded, and you will lose the right to continue challenging Dragon Tiger Arena.

“The number of times you win will correspond to your points. Once the martial arts tournament ends, the ranks will be decided from the person with the highest points to the lowest.

“The champion will get a divine weapon, the first runner-up will get an Illusion Life and Death Pill, the second runner-up will get an Origin Leopard Pill and a Life and Death Realm martial art manual to their liking. The other elites at Dragon Tiger Arena will each get a bottle of Small Reversion Pills.”

‘I see.’

The frown on Happy’s face vanished.

He had mostly come to understand the rules of Dragon Tiger Arena.

At that moment, a voice from the other side attracted Happy’s attention. When he heard Guo Jing’s name, his eyes lit up, and his eyebrows quirked while he looked at the stage.

A middle-aged man with a built and solid body walked majestically to the stage on which Zhang Wuji stood. Zhang Wuji’s title of the cult master of Ming Cult intimidated quite a number of martial art elites in the area.

“Guo Jing of Xiangyang City!”

When Guo Jing walked up the stage, he wrapped his fist in his palm and saluted Zhang Wuji. He did not do anything else, and an aura that filled the entire place surged up his body before it went pressing down at Zhang Wuji.

Thud!

He took his first step forward.

As Guo Jing moved, the wind of the entire arena instantly vanished, as if the empty space in the world had frozen up to to gather on Guo Jing’s body.

Everyone held their breaths and watched Zhang Wuji’s reaction.

There were only two people in the area whose gazes burned while they stared at the faint dragon-shaped aura qi flow that appeared behind Guo Jing.

It was different from the dragon-shaped qi flow that Happy had created.

If Happy wanted to create a complete dragon’s body, he had to execute more than ten moves. He could only bring out this sort of might at the tenth move while using his continuously increasing momentum and the profound secret of Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm.

Guo Jing only raised his foot in a simple manner, but he already created an invincible might that filled the air. The distance between them could be seen with just one glance!

‘Looks like qi realm is indeed very important.’ Happy smiled wanly.

His Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm was near the eleventh realm, but skill alone would not help him achieve Guo Jing’s level, where he could change the atmosphere around him by just raising his foot.

Suddenly, Happy thought wickedly about Qiao Feng from Demi-gods and Semi-devils. He wondered which of the users of Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm would be stronger if they fought against each other using the same technique?

That thought only appeared fleetingly before Happy’s gaze returned to Guo Jing.

He saw Guo Jing move forward step by step, and his momentum became stronger as it accumulated. The dragon-shaped qi flow behind him formed the picture of an eight-clawed dragon, and it was a sight that left others dumbfounded.

The dragon’s face was awe-inspiring, and it gave off an incredibly oppressive atmosphere! For the first time since the start of the tournament, Zhang Wuji’s expression grew solemn, and he circulated Taichi Art to handle the situation.

“I am Zhang Wuji of Ming Cult. Please allow me to witness your skill!”

His qi rotated around him, and it formed a profound picture of the Taichi symbol. He shut his eyes tightly, and the momentum as well as oppressive pressure Guo Jing formed was instantly negated.

Happy watched how the people around him looked over it with praise, but Happy frowned slightly.

The Murong Clan Lady noticed that there was something strange about Happy’s expression. “What’s wrong? Did you gain an epiphany?”

“Not now.” Happy shook his head.

If Zhang Wuji tried to use Taichi Art to attack Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm, things might not go very well for him.

Even though Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm’s fierce and peerless fighting style seemed to be able to be countered by Taichi’s gentle style of fighting, Happy, who understood the profound secret within Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm well, knew that once Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm had the chance to develop, the strength that would explode forth would be beyond imagination. If Zhang Wuji only thought about avoiding, he would allow Guo Jing’s Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm to reach a breakthrough, and it would reach an even more astonishing height!

As he thought about it, a dragon roar that sounded like a thunderclap signalled the beginning of the fight between the two peerless martial artists of their time!