Sword Among Us

Half an hour passed.

When Master Xuan Kong saw Happy make his final move and had his hand leave the chess board, he stroked his beard and smiled.

“Young patron, that move of yours is indeed great. I have been playing the exquisite Go game for more than ten years here, and I have seen multiple heroes in the world of martial artists, but none of them were able to get out of the game.”

“It’s because you have great Go skills, master, which allowed you to fuse a martial art into this game of Go and gave directions to me. I am lost in wonder at this, senior,” Happy answered cautiously and humbly.

Xuan Kong laughed in a good mood. “Not bad, you have great comprehension. You were able to not be affected by the situation even though you were immersed in the game. Junior Brother Xuan Zhi has taken in a good disciple.”

The system notification arrived.

“Ding!

“Comprehension increased by 1!

“Understood Ten True Dragon Styles.

“Mastered the first style, Dragon Capture. Mastered the second style, Petite Dragon. Mastered the third style, Dragon Swings Its Tail.”

The stream of notifications caused Happy to finally feel at ease.

‘I got it. I finally got Ten True Dragon Styles, just as I hoped.’

Happy pushed himself off the ground in his excitement, and he thanked Master Xuan Kong again.

“Haha, don’t need to thank me. You managed to understand Ten True Dragon Styles because you have great comprehension. If a normal person were to be in your place, even if they wrecked their heads for their entire lives, they might not be able to understand the essence within it.”

Once he finished saying that, Master Xuan Kong said, “Now, it is time for me to fulfill my promise.”

Happy said nothing.

“Many years ago, I told myself that if anyone managed to clear this exquisite Go game so that I can free myself from the shackles I placed on myself, I will give him a martial art manual. Right now, you managed to do it. Come over here and take a look. These are the manuals that I spent years copying by hand. You can choose one of them. Treat it as your reward.”

Happy was stunned.

When he came over, he was just thinking about getting Ten True Dragon Styles once he cleared the exquisite Go game, but he forgot that there was still this reward.

Master Xuan Kong will give him another martial art manual as a reward!

Speaking of which, this was a reward that did not lose to Ten True Dragon Styles at all.

However, in the other world, due to his lack of understanding toward ultimate techniques at that time, he had chosen Golden Bell Cocoon without hesitation, because at that time, it gave him the greatest benefit, and Happy also had the greatest degree of understanding toward it.

However, later on, he was rather regretful toward that choice.

During the early stage of the game, Golden Bell Cocoon was indeed a great help to him, and it could also bring out an astonishing effect, but he can actually use other methods to get Golden Bell Cocoon. And there were plenty of other martial art manuals that were much more valuable than Golden Bell Cocoon in this room.

Right now, when he was faced with a choice again, Happy was excited and delighted, but at the same time, he calmed down.

‘This time, I will have to choose properly.’ Happy told himself.

Right now, he had Tendon Changing Classic, and soon, he will reach Moksha Realm.

There were plenty of martial arts in Moksha Realm that were pretty decent.

Should he choose a martial art? Lightness skill? Body fortification skill? A hidden weapon technique?

What did he currently need the most?

Happy felt a little lost.

He got up and arrived in front of the bookshelves before he began to look through them carefully.

Master Xuan Kong did not bother him. He just stood behind Happy quietly.

Suddenly, Happy’s gaze landed on a Tendon Changing Classic. His eyelid twitched, and he sucked in a deep breath before he quickly picked it up.

When he saw Tendon Changing Classic for the first time, he absolutely had no idea of how important it was, but now, it was different.

Master Xuan Kong laughed behind Happy. “You have good taste. Looks like Junior Brother Xuan Zhi taught you quite a lot. Tendon Changing Classic is a classic for Shaolin Temple, and it can help a person remould a person. Its effects are matchless, and it is just as amazing as Nine Yang Divine Skill. Are you certain that you want it?”

When he heard Master Xuan Kong introducing the manual, Happy’s heart jumped, and his excitement grew even further, but when he heard Xuan Kong ask him that question, he immediately denied it. “No… In truth, I have already learned Tendon Changing Classic.”

“Oh?” Xuan Kong looked dumbfounded, and he sized Happy up. “Your tendons are normal, but your eyes already contain the essence for Tendon Changing Classic. It seems like you are at the beginning stage for practicing the martial art.”

“That is true.” Happy nodded and asked, “I would actually like to ask whether you have Marrow Cleansing Classic here, martial uncle.”

When he said this, Xuan Kong frowned. “You know about Marrow Cleansing Classic as well?”

“Yes, if you have that manual here, I would like to have that.”

“Oh well, since you are fated to obtain Tendon Changing Classic, you must have already been acknowledged by a senior in Shaolin Temple, and you also obtained his legacy.” He stopped talking for a moment, and Xuan Kong found another soft, yellow book manual made of silk from another side of the room.

He turned around and said, “Marrow Cleansing Classic is another Shaolin Temple classic. It is a mental cultivation technique that cultivates your spirit. You cannot practice it with Tendon Changing Classic at the same time. You must only cleanse your marrow after you make your tendons and bones reach perfection. You must remember this!”

When he took that manual, Happy’s heart instantly burned.

[Marrow Cleansing Classic:

[Shaolin Temple classic. Training requirements:

[Affinity: 300, Arm Strength: 300, Comprehension: 300. Qi Realm: Moksha Realm. Can only be practiced once Tendon Changing Classic reaches the eleventh realm. After you practice this, you will strengthen your body further, cultivate your spirit, and be a new person.]

As he stared at the Marrow Cleansing Classic in his hands, Happy felt his entire body burn.

He now had Tendon Changing Classic and Marrow Cleansing Classic in his hands.

This meant that there was no need for him to wait three years. Once he mastered Tendon Changing Classic, he can immediately practice it and strengthen his body further.

He received three great pieces of news today in one go.

Through sheer coincidence, he obtained Mad Monk’s legacy.

Then, he relied on his experiences from the other world and obtained Ten True Dragon Styles. At the same time, he obtained Marrow Cleansing Manual, which was something that he should only be able to obtain three years later.

Even though he died once today, to Happy, these three ultimate techniques were already far beyond what his death was worth!

“Blood Robes… Evil Emperor…”

He put away Marrow Cleansing Classic, and an aggressive expression appeared on Happy’s face.

*****

“Huh? After you logged off the game, you seem to be in a good mood.”

“You can tell?”

“I thought that you would feel depressed when you notice that everyone in the game has already reached Moksha Realm and even Inaction Realm.”

“No way, my fighting spirit is great.”

“Hehe, that’s good.” Young Nurse Yi sighed in relief.

After he logged off the game, Happy chatted a while with Young Nurse Yi, and he suddenly saw a young man sneaking glances inside.

“How did that idiot get here?”

When Young Nurse Yi noticed that Happy’s focus was off, she turned her head around and looked, stuck her tongue out, got up, and left.

Happy instantly had his questions answered. ‘I see, so he’s Young Yi’s boyfriend.’

Happy knew that he was a little too sensitive. He picked up the tab beside him, went to the internet, and began searching for the information he missed over the one year and a half he was gone.

However, right when he entered the forum, he noticed a rather hot trend at the middle, and his name was in there. He immediately frowned.

[Happy, one of the sixteen strongest in the world and once quit in the game in dejection, appeared in Mount Song mysteriously, and his skills are as great as the past! On the first day he came out of egression, he cleared the exquisite Go game that has been a mystery for the past five years! An elite has returned to the game with a roar!”

The popularity for the thread was still increasing. Clearly, there were plenty of people who were chasing after it at the same time.

Happy did not even need to look to know that the person who revealed his identity was the thief to whom he defeated. The people outside the temple must have seen Master Xuan Kong leave with Monk Zhi Heng and how the temple was reduced to dust subsequently. It was not hard for them to link it to the fact that it must be because he cleared the exquisite Go game.

Even though Happy did not want to get in the limelight so soon, when his identity was revealed, he was not too surprised or nervous.

This was confidence.

He was publicly acknowledged as the strongest in the other world, and he was also the person in charge of the strongest sect. He had long since defeated Class One Hall, and his pride had already seeped into his soul as well as his blood. There was no way he will be worried about these things.

However, when he saw this post, Happy cannot hold himself back from clicking into it.

No one will not want to know just how many familiar faces he will be able to draw out when he returned after his one and a half year’s absence.

[Pics or you’re lying!]

[To whomever made the post, Happy’s real name is Chen Kaixin, and he was set up by Blood Robes one and a half years ago. He’s already in coma and is lying in bed. There’s no way he can return to the game.]

[Is it real?]

[If you’re lying, you’re going to have your entire family die.]

[I can be a witness. I’m from the same sect as the person who made the post. The person who entered the temple is really just in Life and Death Realm, and he used Dragon Claw as well as Demon Subduing Vajra Kick, which are the martial arts Happy used to become famous. Besides, he also declared himself to be Master Xuan Jing’s disciple.]

[I’ve already uploaded the battle replay. It’s on the pay-to-view system, and the official developers have already verified it! Those who want to look, go and pay.] This came from the person who made the post.

Ever since this comment was made, the replies began to shoot up like mushrooms after a showed.

[He’s a ghost!]

[An elite just woke up from a coma, and yet he can retain such sharp movements… What the heck?!]

[I’m beginning to wonder whether he was really in a coma…]

[To answer the person above me, I can give you his hospital address.]

[Who is the thread poster who fought against him? How can you lose in two moves against a newb who hasn’t played the game for one and a half years? Are you an actor?]

[Person above me, let’s go and spar.]

[Haha! In the past, Happy was a person who had hopes in winning against Blood Robes and become one of the top eight in the world! You can’t breach the distance between you and an elite when it comes to skills and sharp fighting instincts just through time, you know?]

[This is going to be fun.]

[Happy just got himself an ultimate technique, and he will definitely take back what Blood Robes’ owes him. Blood Alliance is going to be in misfortune now.]

[Happy’s the one who is unlucky, okay? Blood Alliance is full of evil players, and they can do whatever they want to achieve their goals. With Happy’s current strength… Let me say something unpleasant, all of them can easily kill this former sixteenth strongest in the world.]

[I’m worried that Happy will fall into a coma again because of anger.]

[Happy’s awake?]

[I don’t think it’s going to be much of an effect on Blood Alliance.]

[Right now, everyone is working hard to fight against Wild Wolves, and that includes the people from Blood Alliance. No matter how strong Happy is, he’s just an ant before everyone else.]

[After all, he has already quit the game for one and a half years, and he’s still in Life and Death Realm. Sigh…]

[If he woke up earlier, he might not be as helpless now.]

[That’s not necessarily true. Happy managed to get into the top sixteen without relying on any ultimate techniques, and he did not have any sect supporting him either. This time, he got himself a Shaolin Temple ultimate technique, and he might become someone who can stand as equals with One Emperor.]

[Dream on…]

No emotion can be seen on Happy’s face, because most of what these people said was real.

However, he had two trump cards that no one else knew.

One of them was Ten True Dragon Styles, which he did not need to practice and can use with ease, and the other was Tendon Changing Classic, which can help him get stronger and help him reach Moksha Realm sooner.

Ten True Dragon Styles alone was already enough to make him have absolutely no problem whatsoever when he faced first class players.

When he thought of this, the door to his room was opened. Young Yi brought her boyfriend, who looked equally young, to walk inside hesitantly.