"Just which brat got so lucky? Not only did he get a tribute, he even triggered the quest in the temple and received the NPC's protection…"
A number of players sighed softly as they stared at the bright red dot in the maps in their hands.
"I heard that he entered that place a long time ago. I think it was his intention to stay in there because he knows that we're outside. He wants to leave after the emperor's birthday is over."
"Once the time passes, even if we kill him, it'll be impossible for us to make him drop the tribute."
As the group of people spoke, they cast a look at Monk Zhi Heng who stood in front of the temple!
If it were not because he had used his strength to build an indestructible image, the group might have immediately charged forward to attack him!
Another group not far from them also felt gloom that slowly shifted into indifference because of the stalemate. They sighed in secret because they had escaped death by chance.
They were a small sect which was the first to know that there was still a tribute in Mount Song's small temple.
Since they only numbered a few people, when they received the news by chance, they did not believe that there would be something truly good waiting for them. They had even thought themselves clever when they spread the news to the other large sects who had fought each other until rivers of blood poured down the mountainsides around Shaolin Temple.
Some of the people could no longer withstand the torment of fighting for the tribute, but they lacked a reason to leave. When they heard of another tribute, they brought their men into the mountain without any hesitation.
The people who shifted battlefields had soon come to a realization that the news regarding a tribute being hidden in the small temple were actually real!
An even stronger excitement and battle spirit lit up in the hearts of the people who had already given up on fighting for the tribute. Aside from a handful of groups whose combat abilities had been damaged too much, most of the sects began mobilizing manpower to invade the small temple at all costs while they fought against the other sects to compete for the unexpected discovery.
In the beginning, they flung all caution to the wind and tried to enter in a frenzy, but when corpses began to pile up outside the temple, they gradually calmed down.
When half a day passed, there were at least two hundred players dead outside the temple. They had become souls under Monk Zhi Heng's hands.
More than a dozen sects surrounded the small temple with lots of arrows and bows, but even if they did all they could, they could still not threaten Monk Zhi Heng. They could not even make him move from his spot.
The people became discouraged, but they were unwilling to give up.
"It's not impossible for us to break in. After all, the monk is only one man…" A Daoist with a coronet over his head walked over and made a suggestion. "We can attack him all at once! As long as we can trap that monk, the others can take down the temple. We don't have to care who gets the tribute box first, since we can fight when we get the box out of the temple! What do you think?!"
The leaders of the sects quickly agreed to the suggestion.
*****
Dozens of people from various sects formed suicide squads. They lifted their weapons and activated their qi realms. Then, they solemnly and cautiously formed the pocket formation[1] and drew close to Zhi Heng.
Zhi Heng said nothing. He seemed to have sensed the even more somber and dangerous atmosphere around him. Before everyone could get too close, his indifferent eyes on his cold face shone with a chilly glare that contained no emotions.
The killing intent contained in his cold gaze fused with his awe-inspiring look, which resembled that of the King of Hell. It formed an unseen force that enveloped and pressed down on the players around him!
His gaze instantly caused the players to erupt into action.
Their hearts trembled.
"Go!"
"Aaaahhh!"
The people shouted to encourage themselves. Then, they jumped out as if they were not afraid of death and rushed to Zhi Heng.
The one hundred or so Blessed Realm players attacked at the same time. They advanced with a great and mighty momentum, which created a frightening sight!
It would be difficult for him to fight against four hands when he only had two hands.
While right then, he was faced with hundreds of fists and legs. No matter how fast he was, it would be difficult for him to kill everyone and send them back.
In the blink of an eye, Zhi Heng was submerged underneath a sea of players, who had done this intentionally. He was surrounded, which made it difficult for him to break through.
"It's time!"
"Attack!"
The eyes of the people in the outer layer of the encirclement sparkled, and they jumped up without even waiting for orders. With their fastest speed, they rushed at the mud wall of the temple.
Thud, thud, thud, thud…
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Fly on Grass, Floating on Water, Catch the Cicada in Eight Steps, Cloud-Ascending Ladder! All the lightness skills from various sects became the players' greatest advantage during their competition. Countless sounds of air being torn rose, and the situation outside the temple instantly became even more chaotic.
They were so fast that in a heartbeat they were less than thirty-two feet away from the wall.
The temple was about to be invaded by an innumerable number of players.
Then, a roar that shook the mountain and forest suddenly erupted from within the crowd that surrounded one person!
"ROAR!"
The powerful lion's roar formed a yellow ripple that could be vaguely seen by the n.a.k.e.d eye. More than one hundred players in the encirclement were the first to be affected. They felt as if they had run into an iron wall and were flung away while coughing up blood in the air. This revealed Monk Zhi Heng, who looked murderous while continuously executing Gold Ripping Lion's Roar!
"ROOOOOAAAARRR…"
The sound waves from the lion roars blew at the leaves, dust, and corpses on the ground, and all of them spread out at an astonishing speed.
Before the people who were near the temple could touch the wall, they felt as if they had been struck by lightning! They stopped breathing and crashed to the ground like birds who had been struck down from the sky.
Monk Zhi Heng regarded the players who had been injured badly by the sound waves on the ground as if they were nothing. He spread his arms wide with an angry look on his face. He continued using Lion's Roar, and the sound waves violently raked through the area outside the temple again and again.
Chapter 128 - Solving the Game
Shaolin Temple, which was a respected sect in the world of martial artists, had turned into a dangerous ground that every wanderer knew about in a single night!
On that day, more than five large and small sects, clans, groups, and guilds waged the most devastating and chaotic battle since the game had been launched.
Tens of thousands of Shaolin Disciples were dragged into the fight.
Corpses filled the ground from the foot of the mountain to Mahavira Hall. If anyone counted them, they would find that ten thousand people had died. Their weapons were broken, and blood ran down in streams. Even so, there were still players gathered around the mountain like a flock of birds. They coveted the brocade box and wanted to turn into Duan Yu, Xiao Feng [1], and the likes to slaughter their way through the crowd and get the treasure in a counterattack.
But unfortunately for them, there were no powerful players who were at Duan Yu or Xiao Feng's level among them. The only people there were Blessed Realm players who were about the same level. They competed against each other with resolution, ferocity, stamina, and manpower.
However, the slaughter outside Shaolin Temple quickly had its brilliance covered by another shocking tragedy that happened around a few miles away from them. Nearly one thousand players had went after another brocade box that was in a temple
near the summit. They fought against an NPC monk and were killed when he used Lion's Roar, the ultimate and strongest technique of Buddhists.
The NPC monk had entered killing mode after he killed more than one thousand players. Anyone who drew near three hundred and thirty feet of the temple was killed without any hesitation.
On one side, there were players killing one another, and on the other side was an NPC fighting against players. Naturally, the latter would quickly gain more attention and gazes trained on them.
This was especially so when everyone learned that the NPC monk could actually use the sound waves from Lion's Roar to kill a large group of people. A number of players quickly went to the forums to leave their thoughts. They tried to figure out Monk Zhi Heng's qi realm, and they believed that he far surpassed Life and Death Realm, which was the current highest qi realm known to players. Also, his abilities might not be inferior to those of Lion King Xie Xun, who was written about in the Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber.
When Happy finished his lunch, he returned to his dorm and read about the tragedy that happened outside the small temple from start to finish with his breath held. Then, he let go of his mouse, filled with surprise and happiness.
What surprised him was that someone had actually found him despite the temple behind so hidden away. They had also surrounded so that he could not escape.
But Monk Zhi Heng had not let Happy down. He held back against one thousand men by himself. With his strength, he killed all the players who came close and made sure that no one could enter the temple through brute strength and bother Happy and Master Xuan Kong while they played the exquisite Go game.
"Happy!"
Bai Lang strode into the dorm looking travel weary. When he saw Happy in front of the computer, his eyes lit up.
"You're here. Perfect timing. I want to discuss something with you."
"What is it?"
Over the last few days, the Three Lonely Wolves had traveled up and down the university to talk about the establishment of Beautiful Robes Faction without holding themselves back. They also vigorously tried to draw in the various powerful players in the university. It was almost certain that they wanted to talk about this matter.
"Beautiful Robes Faction has been established. The faction master is Phoenix Dances in Beautiful Robes. Tea Words and B.u.t.t Shaker will be the vice faction masters. They wanted me to contact you to invite you to be the guest faction elder. You will have authority that is second only to the faction master."
"Oh."
Once Happy made that sound, he said nothing else, causing Bai Lang, who had originally been very excited, to gradually become gloomy. "Damn it, could you at least say something? Do you know about your popularity in the university? Everyone is just waiting for you to join the faction. Quite a number of people have said that as long as you join the faction, they will immediately hand in their registration forms."
"You don't have to be in a hurry to build the faction. You should first set up a system," Happy said calmly. "I'm okay with it though, so I can join whenever."
"That's good. I'll call Phoenix Dances later. She'll send you a guild invitation." When Bai Lang heard this, he instantly released a breath of relief. His gaze landed on the computer, and he frowned. "Shaolin monk? Lion's Roar? When did this happen?"
As he spoke, he sat down next to Happy. It seemed that he had just discovered this piece of news.
"Just now."
"Who is it? He sure is amazing to have an NPC guard him." Bai Lang understood the contents of the thread in just one glance, but as he continued reading, shock appeared on his face. "He gained victory by getting rid of one thousand or so people without even attacking, and all he needed to do was hide and watch by the side."
He actually wanted to explain the importance of his quest, but if he told him about it, he might stir up even more of Bai Lang's curiosity. He would then ask even more questions, so in the end, Happy swallowed his words.
"Bai Lang."
"Hmm?" When he turned around, Bai Lang saw Happy with a slightly serious expression. He could not help but be stunned. "What's wrong?"
"Tell Phoenix Dances to restrict the people in the sect so they do not join the fight in Shaolin Temple."
Happy remembered that there were quite a lot of familiar faces in his previous life who worked in Shaolin Temple. Right then, if something like this happened, there was no reason for them to not join in the mess, which worried him.
"Why?"
"There is only one brocade box, and it's destined that only one person will get it. That person will either have extraordinary abilities or an astonishing background. Phoenix Dances just formed the structure of the faction and doesn't have enough power. We shan't have the faction ruined because of this."
"Got it." Bai Lang nodded. "I'll remind her of this when I call her later." He paused for a moment, then asked, "By the way, how goes your training? What's the realm of the high-tier martial art you got from the martial arts tournament?"
"It's at the ninth realm."
Bai Lang's eyes brightened. "Not bad!"
As he spoke, he punched Happy's shoulder. "I heard about it. Up till now, there isn't anyone whose high-tier martial arts reached Grandmaster Realm. The most powerful people are just in the ninth realm or tenth realm… Keep it up! Fight to reach Grandmaster Realm. Then, it'll be impossible for the University of South China to not be famous!"
Once he finished speaking, Bai Lang shoved Happy to the top bunk with his hands and legs, telling him to quickly return to the game to continue training. He looked as if he was worried that if Happy was held up, other people would surpass him.
Happy returned to the small temple and the room which belonged to Master Xuan Kong. When he opened his eyes, he saw Master Xuan Kong with his head lowered and a kind and gentle expression on his face. He also saw the chess board in front of him.
The game of the black dragon killing the white tiger had reached the ninth move.
In the next step, the white tiger would die in the black dragon's belly.
This was what troubled Happy the most.
He wanted to drag out the time until the emperor's birthday arrived, so he could not make any moves…
Immersed in the constellation chart of the black dragon devouring the tiger, Happy did nothing. He only rubbed his fingers against a white piece quietly as he watched the white tiger struggling against death while breathing its last. His gaze was indifferent, and his heart was as calm as an ancient well, and he simply allowed time to pass bit by bit.
Waiting for time to pass was the hardest part of the quest.
Even though he might still end up losing, if he could figure out the profundity of the exquisite Go game, he might be able to ask the Three Lonely Wolves to come over and test their luck as well.
With this thought in mind, Happy began to review the moves made to form the constellation chart in his heart.
Once…
Twice…
Thrice…
He made simulations of the game, and his speed gradually increased as he became more familiar with the moves.
He did not know how much time had passed when he shuddered while sitting across Master Xuan Kong. His hand, which held the white piece, shook as well. He opened his eyes with a face full of disbelief.
The exquisite Go game…
"So that's how it is!"
Chapter 129 - Ten True Dragon Styles
Happy was both happy and sad!
During the critical moment, he came to understand the constellation chart within the exquisite Go game. He actually come to see a series of continuous attacks from the black dragon's actions of devouring the tiger.
When he thought about it repeatedly and ran through multiple simulations in his head, the styles used by the black dragon to devour the tiger became even clearer. In the end, he even formed a simulation of a martial art that could be used by people.
He watched the illusory constellation chart with rapt attention when it
suddenly shattered around him! Happy shuddered, and under the clear sound from the system, he opened his eyes and returned to the quiet room in the temple. Before he could even calm down, notification after notification ran through his ears.
"Congratulations! You successfully solved Master Xuan Kong's exquisite Go game!
"You saw through the Ten True Dragon Styles, which were personally created by Master Xuan Kong.
"Since your qi realm is low right now, you can only use is the first style of the Ten True Dragon Styles—Dragon Capture!
"You understood Dragon Capture!
"With each qi realm you gain, you will automatically learn the next ultimate style of the Ten True Dragon Styles. You will need to reach Mystical Realm for the next style.
"Successfully solved Master Xuan Kong's exquisite Go game. Your Comprehension has increased by three points."
The continuous stream of system notifications reported multiple benefits. Happy was so happy that he was all smiles, and he could not stop himself from grinning even after a long time had passed. He even wanted to seize the gentle and kind Master Xuan Kong before him and kiss him.
'So that's how it is!'
There was no need to truly solve the exquisite Go game, and there was no way to win it either. Master Xuan Kong had been waiting for someone to last until the tenth move, and then with a calm heart, to understand the Ten True Dragon Styles he had created through the board. Hence, the more the players were immersed in gaining victory in the game, the harder it was for them to remove themselves from the thought of winning and calm down.
Happy had known that he would not be able to win the exquisite Go game right from the start, and he had come in with the thought of stalling for time, but instead, he unintentionally solved the mystery contained within the exquisite Go game!
"I, Happy, am but an untalented person, but thank you for helping me, master!" Happy was beside himself with happiness. He stood up, wrapped his fist in his palm, and bowed deeply.
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