Sword Among Us c1-1268

by Black Swordsman Online

  Happy remembered that even though every single player who received the brocade boxes after the emperor's birthday ended as winners, some of them were just temporary winners.

  However, those who obtained high-tier martial art manuals usually received relatively rare martial arts, and their abilities increased by a large margin. It was the same for those who received miraculous medicine. The medicinal pills created by famous physicians would increase their attributes by a small margin or increase their abilities greatly for some time. The equipment and weapons created by famous craftsmen were also rarely seen supreme grade items. Normal masterpieces such as Green Jade Shrouded in Heavenly Silks could never hope to compare to them in terms of attributes.

  A few months later, quite a number of people would show their might.

  In the beginning, there were plenty of people who hastily opened the brocade boxes at the very first moment.

  Only three people waited three days after the quest ended before they opened their brocade boxes. There was also one person who opened the brocade box half a month later.

  The value of the items those three people obtained were the greatest!

  Their treasures ranked at the top of the Masterpiece Ranking Board that would appear later. It was only a year after they appeared that they gradually slid down from the top ranks.

  Hence, when Happy received the notification from the system that he could open the brocade box at any moment to receive the treasures inside, he was in great conflict in his heart. So much so that he did not open the brocade box even after half a day had passed!

  Should he open it right away or should he imitate those three people and open the brocade box after a while?

  Happy could not come to a decision.

  As of right then, he still did not possess the strength to go up against a giant organization. His cultivation could not make up for the disadvantage of having to face multiple people by himself. He also did not have the ability to defend himself completely.

  In silence, Happy placed his hand on the brocade box and tapped it at an irregular interval. There was a frown on his face as he was unable to come to a decision.

  He sat there for half a day!

  When night fell, bright moonlight shone on Happy's body. It also illuminated the mountain across from him. Wailings and the howls of wolves could be heard from over there. The five heavy chains swayed as well, which created a rather noisy, but peaceful scene.

  Happy opened his eyes and decided to put the brocade box into his Universe Bag. When he stood up at the cliff, his heroic bearing and fluttering blue robes made it seem like he had come to a decision. With the round moon high in the sky shining on him, he jumped and landed on the iron chains as lightly as an immortal.

  *****

  In Beijing, there was a stall set up by an old and blind fortune teller. A few hours earlier, a person wearing a black cape had paid him for his services.

  The blind old man was named Iron-mouthed Divine Break, and he had a very resounding reputation in Beijing. He claimed to be the seventeenth successor of Ghost, and all those who paid him for his divination services found that the results were very accurate.

  His divinations allowed him to predict when a player would be the luckiest on that day.

  And the blind old man had a specialty in being able to help wandering martial artists avoid trouble and solve their problems!

  All those who wanted to learn of their enemy's or a certain player's location could pay a certain "divination fee" for that knowledge.

  However, the blind old man could only tell the player's location from ten minutes ago based on his divination techniques. And he could only figure out the general location, not the exact coordinates in the game.

  The divination fee for a person's location were more expensive as well. Every single time, a player would have to pay more than one thousand taels of silver crumbs.

  Even so, Iron-mouthed Divine Breaker was visited by many players!

  Right when they logged in, some of the players who believed in this sort of stuff would offer their money to learn when their luck would be the best, or they would ask him about the important but hidden news.

  The person wearing the black cloak had been in front of the stall since noon.

  Once in a while, he would hand over a bag of silver crumbs and a note to the fortune teller. Once the blind old man took it, he would touch it with his hands and begin counting.

  In a while, practically all the players in Dengfeng City learned that there was one rich player who did not treat his money as anything important. He just kept on handing it over to Iron-mouthed Divine Breaker, but no one knew just what sort of important news he wanted to know.

  Chapter 150 - World of Martial Arts Secret News Log

  The arrival of the emperor's birthday meant that the quest that led to banditry had officially ended. It also meant that a group of people in the game would rise to power.

  During such a critical period of time, a book named World of Martial Arts Secret News Log came into being out of nowhere!

  It was made by a player who gathered information by himself and compiled all that he had into a book. Soon, it spread among countless players and gained their attention. It also caused a commotion in the game!

  World of Martial Arts Secret News Log was just like its name. In it were not just some of the strange news, extraordinary affairs, and major events which had a great effect in the world of martial artists. There were also records of famous players whose names were discussed frequently online.

  However, that was not the most important part. In the final pages of the thin book, which was bound by a thread and cost only fifty taels of silver, were WMA Famous People Rank, WMA Dragon Rank, WMA Phoenix Rank, WMA Rich Rank, and Divine Weapon Rank!

  WMA Famous People Rank listed the countless famous players in World of Martial Arts who were adored by other martial artists, their situations, and their journey to the spotlight.

  The first place belonged to Soul Severing Guest, who was also North Placating Duke. He was a man who hailed from the desert outside the Great Wall and who had overturned the headquarters of Wind and Rain Tower, which lorded over Beijing. He had nearly wiped that sect from the face of the game!

  In his hands, he had the ultimate technique, Nine Gate Breaker Saber Technique!

  Second place was taken by Quicksword Xiao Shan. He had thrice fought against Mountain Range Sect and had managed to get out safely each one. He killed more than four hundred powerful players from Mountain Range Sect, which was a heavy blow to them. They did not manage to keep even a single one of their tribute boxes, and the huge sect was dissolved a few days later. They fell into degeneration.

  Xiao Shan's sword technique was very normal. It was a low-tier martial art named Thunder Sword Style which placed an emphasis on speed. The ultimate technique which made him famous was Earth Shrinker, which was a high-tier lightness skill.

  The third place was taken by the hall master of Class One Hall, Dream Clouds.

  The reason why she was placed among them was because she was the first to reach Grandmaster Realm with her high-tier martial art. She was also a woman who had seven brocade boxes in her hands. If they were to be ranked based on their strength, then Soul Severing Guest and Xiao Shan, who were ranked first and second, were not her opponents. The main reason why she was ranked in third place was because she kept a low profile. If it was not for the event in Shaolin Temple, she would not have even joined the "famous player" ranks just then.

  And the player who was ranked in fourth place was Happy, who was the Blue-robed Noble Sword User from Gusu City!

  He was the champion of the offline martial arts tournament, where he had been able to defeat Blessed Realm players while in Gate Realm. His combat abilities could not be underestimated.

  The other reason was because he was the instigator of the other tragedy in Shaolin Temple. Up till then, there had been many things that players did not understand about that event. In fact, no
t even Iron-mouthed Divine Breaker could elaborate on the details. He could only explain what had happened in the temple!

  However, a part of the story was known. Since he could leave the brocade box, causing three great sects to slaughter each other, then easily retrieve it and severely wound thirty or so Blessed Realm players on the summit of Punishment Mount, he could absolutely enter the ranks of Famous People.

  The people in the lower ranks were all famous after having done something to influence the game. However, compared to the top four, their achievements were slightly inferior.

  The Dragon Rank, Phoenix Rank, Rich Rank, and Divine Weapon Rank had the information that the author, Wandering Know-it-all, had spent one million taels of silver crumbs to learn. They had the results of what he understood from the information he gathered from Iron-mouthed Divine Breaker's mouth.

  The famous players on Dragon Rank and Phoenix Rank were entered there when Wandering Know-it-all received the names of all players who had leveled up their high-tier martial art to Grandmaster Realm.

  The Dragon Rank was just as its name suggested. It was a list of the top one hundred male players in the China server.

  It had a detailed record of their high-tier martial arts, body fortification techniques, lightness skills, and qi cultivation techniques' levels and realms.

  It was the same for the Phoenix Rank.

  However, the Dragon Rank still caused some disagreements.

  For example, a powerful player such as Quicksword Xiao Shan had actually not managed to get into the top one hundred in the Dragon Rank, even though he had the ability to easily take away other people's lives while he fought alone against an army of ten thousand. And Soul Severing Guest, whose abilities were recognized by all, had used only one broken saber to defeat all the powerful players in Beijing, but even he did not manage to make it into the ranks.

  Instead, there were some nameless people in it.

  The person at first place was Ashura of the Night Storm, and it was a name no one had heard before.

  Wandering Know-it-all himself had also added a sentence at the back of the list: [This list is currently ranks people purely based on the realms of their martial arts, body fortification techniques, and lightness skills after all their data is gathered together. It does not take into account their real combat abilities, and you must not treat this as their strength. And there are also a handful of players who have multiple high-tier martial arts but who did not manage to make it into the ranks because their realms were not high enough. You must not believe in it fully, and I promise that I will improve this list in the future.]

  However, the list of martial arts Wandering Know-it-all had for Ashura of the Night Storm shocked everyone.

  It was because that person had actually practiced four high-tier martial arts: Vast Freezing Qi Cultivation Technique, Vast Freezing Sword Technique, Vast Freezing True Qi (which was actually a body fortification technique), and Vast Freezing Body Movement. Even though he only had one in Grandmaster Realm, the set of high-tier martial arts made him rank high on the list, and his name became very intimidating.

  The same situation repeated with everyone else at the top of the list. However, others only had around two high-tier martial arts. Even those who had three high-tier martial arts were rarely found, and most of them either did not have a high-tier body fortification technique or a high-tier lightness skill.

  The person ranked at the top of the Phoenix Rank was named Wind Void!

  Wind Void was also a player who had four high-tier martial arts, and her qi cultivation technique and lightness skill were even stronger than those of Ashura of the Night Storm. She occupied a solid position at the top of the Phoenix Rank.

  The person in second place was Dream Clouds, the Hall Master of Class One Hall.

  The difference in their martial art realms was not great.

  In fact, there were some people who said that Dream Clouds would have definitely suppressed Wind Void if she had not run around in search of the brocade boxes. Without the quest line, she would have certainly taken the throne.

  As for the Rich Rank, it was even simpler.

  Wandering Know-it-all had the fortune teller figure out the players who had the most money in the game and were the ric.h.e.s.t. He evaluated nothing else. The ric.h.e.s.t person at that moment had four hundred taels of gold crumbs and millions of taels of silver crumbs. When they were all added together, she nearly had ten million, and she was worthy of being the ric.h.e.s.t person in the game.

  She was Dream Clouds, the hall master of Class One Hall!

  The people behind her might also have millions of the in-game currency, but the difference was still rather great.

  However, there was another name among the one hundred people on the Rich Rank that drew a lot of attention.

  Even Dream Clouds' bright eyes stopped at the thirty-sixth name on the Rich Rank at the instant she saw it upon opening the book. Then, she moved her gaze elsewhere in a dismissive manner.

  When they saw Happy's name on the Rich Rank, practically all the people believed that Happy, who was entrenched on Punishment Mount, had received one million taels of silver crumbs as his reward after he opened the brocade box.

  To a huge guild, money was just a number, because the people who could truly turn it into power were incredibly few!

  Chapter 151 - High-grade Mount

  The day World of Martial Arts Secret News Log was released, two million copies of the string-bound book were sold at a price of fifty taels of silver crumbs each, and it pushed Wandering Know-it-all to the second place on the Rich Rank. There were even signs that he might take over Dream Clouds as the ric.h.e.s.t person in the game within a very short period of time!

  World of Martial Arts Secret News Log was a good item. Not only did it give people a deeper level of understanding toward the situation, but they also gained an even clearer understanding of where they placed in the game, and also what their goals were.

  However, while it ignited the passion within some players, it also brought many players a lot of trouble!

  The two hundred or so players in the Famous People Rank, Dragon Rank, and Phoenix Rank continuously received invitations from different cities and sects. Many of the players who had focused all their attention on training and did not want to appear before the public could no longer do so after their abilities were revealed. They all got dragged into the chaotic world of martial artists.

  However, the people who suffered the most were not them. The thirty or so "landlords" who had more than one million in terms of money on the Rich Rank were ambushed by large groups of unknown origin in different cities and died on the spot.

  They were targeted because of the setting that stated that all those who died would drop fifty percent of their money. And the reason they didn't protect themselves that well was because they didn't encounter the news about their wealth being exposed straight away.

  Even though many of them had saved their money in banks, their money-filled pockets still gave a lot of people substantial benefits from killing them.

  The news of the people on the Rich Rank dying spread through various areas.

  Once they died, they opened a thread to curse Wandering Know-it-all's actions. They believed that he had invaded their privacy and threatened their assets.

  It was a pity!

  In the world of martial artists, which was filled with disputes, Wandering Know-it-all's actions were not limited, and neither would he be judged for them. Aside from making him even more famous, those people could do nothing against him. In the end, those who could rely on sects would rely on the power of their sects to protect them, and those who could not would hire bodyguards when they went out.

  For a period of time, the atmosphere in World of Martial Arts became even more tense and grave.

  *****

  Once Happy left Punishment Mount, he moved at the speed of lightning. He executed his lightness skill through the trails on Mount Song to its fullest. Soo
n, he reached another deserted trail on Mount Song and vanished from the area.

  He entered the government-made road and swiftly brought out the high-grade Horse Plate he had obtained from the Mystical Realm bandit leader. He then summoned a handsome, purplish-red horse.

  "Neigh!"

  The purplish-red horse was full of energy. Once it was summoned, it raised its front hooves in a very lively manner, threw its head to the sky, and neighed as if it wanted to vent its frustrations for being trapped in a Horse Plate for a long time.

  "What a good horse!"

  Happy's eyes sparkled, and he tugged at the reins before he flipped himself on the horse. He landed on its back in one firm movement, then patted its glossy, shiny, and smooth fur, and c.a.r.e.s.sed its sturdy and beautiful body. With slight force, he patted the horse's b.u.t.t.

  "Giddy up!"

  The purplish-red horse let out a pained but delighted neigh! It exerted force in all its muscles and shot forth like an arrow. It gradually went from a slow trot to a fast charge. The dust behind it flew high in the air. Soon, Happy heard the wind howl beside his ears. Once again, he charged forth like the wind.

  Less than a minute after he left, the chaotic and thunderous sound of horse hooves could be heard on the government-made road!

  "Hurry!"

  "Don't let him run!"

  "Giddy up!"

  "Giddy up! GIDDY UP!"

  In the distance, there was a group of players who hastily struck their horses. Soon, they came to the place where Happy had been earlier. They were all dressed in uniform and had swords and sabers by their waists. They were filled with a murderous air, and they quickly struck their horses' posteriors. Their sights were set on a cloud of dust that had yet to disappear completely, and they chased after it at full speed.

  But after around ten minutes, they found that the distance between them just kept increasing!