"Master, you praise me too much," Happy said. "If Great Swordsman Song hadn't held back the elites beside Zhao Min, I wouldn't have had the chance to sneak into the tall tower. I cannot be the one who takes all the credit."
"Young Swordsman Happy, you don't have to be humble. If you hadn't been so meticulous in your planning, I would have destroyed everything. They do say that each new generation will surpass the previous one. I have to take my hat off for you. Wudang Sect will remember your achievements in saving the six great sects."
The elites from Kunlun Sect, Mount Hua Sect, and Kongtong Sect also came up to offer their thanks. They also gave him a token of their gratitude—one high-tier Life and Death Realm martial art manual.
At least they didn't make Happy work for them for nothing!
Just like that, the quest to save the elites of the six great system-allocated sects from Eternal Peace Temple came to a perfect end and ended completely.
But while Happy held the five high-tier martial art manuals, his heart was not on the valuable manuals.
He did not manage to get the Nine Yang Skills from Shaolin Temple and Wudang Sect. It would seem like his efforts on those sides were not enough. However, the abbot had sent him an invitation, so if he truly went to Shaolin Temple, he might actually be able to get a quest.
As for Wudang Sect, since he had a relationship with Great Swordsman Song, he would not have trouble getting in and out of it.
'If there is a possibility, I must get Nine Yang Divine Skill!'
Happy understood the importance of Nine Yang Divine Skill, but there seemed to be signs from Zhou Zhiruo hinting toward a new questline that caught him off guard—Seize Heavenly Sword.
Even so, he did not want to give up on the quest for Nine Yang Divine Skill so easily.
*****
Once the elites from the six great system-allocated sects left, Happy put away the manuals and returned to Eternal Peace County. He was prepared to leave the place to head to Emei Sect.
On his way, when he went past a forest, he suddenly heard the sounds of a trigger rising from the forest.
Whoosh!
Dozens of arrows came charging at him at a great force with shrill and piercing whistles!
"You sure have guts."
With one glance at the deliberately planned arrows to block his path and that they could pierce through his defense, Happy could tell that the ambush was done by a player. He quirked his eyebrows, and a cold look appeared in his eyes.
Happy avoided the ambush with no problem and cast an indifferent glance at the forest, which had returned to peace once the arrows appeared. He then redirected his eyes forward.
Whoosh!
A wave of pure qi from a palm attack came charging at him.
The wind danced madly, and a layer of dirt shot up from the ground that seemed to have no abnormalities. A dense needle shower came from there. They were everywhere, and quite a number of them were black and poisoned.
"Hmph!"
Happy cast his gaze into the forest again and let out a faint sigh.
"It has been a few months since we met, and you don't even dare to show up in front of me now, Orochimaru?"
Right after he finished speaking, a cold breeze blew over the government-made road beyond the forest.
Chapter 455 - Feelings Are Hurt When Money Comes into Play
Happy waited for dozens of seconds on the spot before a person came out slowly from the forest. He was thin, dressed in tight-fitting clothes, and with swords on his back. His eyes were long, narrow, and cold, which matched his expression.
Compared to the offline tournament, Orochimaru had become much thinner, but his qi had become much stronger. He was enveloped in a chill that caused others to become afraid of him. His gaze was cold, and his eyes shone with a wary and solemn light.
"We meet again." Orochimaru's first sentence was spoken in a very indifferent tone. Some of his killing intent was gone, and he sounded much more level-headed and calm.
"Yes, we meet again."
Happy curled up his lips slightly.
Both of them sounded calm. If it were not for the previous scene, anyone who was not familiar with the two would definitely think that they were two friends who had not met each other for a long time.
"I was ordered to kill you," Orochimaru said in a cold voice.
Happy stared at Orochimaru coldly. It had been five months since they last met, and his arrogant way of speaking when he made a ruckus to make the University of South China suffer utter humiliation was gone. He had grown calm, and he seemed to have reeled in his emotions to a large degree. He had also become much more m.a.t.u.r.e.
Orochimaru was a very cautious and careful person. Even though he was incredibly ruthless and diabolical, based on Happy's understanding of him, at the moment Happy saw through his scheme, he should not have showed up. He should have fled far away to look for another chance to set up an ambush.
Could it be that he could not take Happy's provocation, since he appeared in front of him without bothering to hide?
"You know that you can't kill me."
Happy held his sword while standing where he was.
A complicated look flashed past Orochimaru's eyes. He hesitated for a few seconds before he said, "I have a question. The traps I set just now were hidden, and I believe that I have set them up very carefully. There were no signs pointing toward their existence, so how did you notice them?"
"Did you think that I would actually tell you?" Happy nonchalantly retorted.
Orochimaru nodded quietly. "That's right, if I were in your place, I wouldn't tell you my secret either. But everything about you over the past few months has been very mysterious. In less than half a year, not only did you surpass me, you appeared on the top of the Famous People Rank and became the third on the Dragon Rank.
"The players have acknowledged publicly that you are a top-tier player on the same rank as One Emperor and Zhou Yu, so I thought that top-class players at your level will have extraordinary magnanimity."
"It's useless even if you try to provoke me." Happy's tone turned cold. "I have never thought of myself as someone magnanimous. Did you receive a request from Xuanming Elders to come and kill me?"
"As expected of the top player on the Famous People Rank, you have a sharp mind. I didn't expect you to guess it."
Orochimaru's eyes flashed.
"But you know that you can't kill me."
Happy suddenly found himself unable to attack. Time had washed away every emotion and memory he had toward Orochimaru. The man's name was almost gone from his memory altogether.
Besides, even if Orochimaru had once incited the University of South China's public wrath, he had never attacked anyone from the University of South China, so there was no need for them to fight to the death because of some small conflict in the past. If Orochimaru had changed, Happy did not want to get himself another enemy out of the blue.
"I know that with my current strength, I cannot kill you, but this concerns whether I can get Profound Abyss Divine Palm, and I cannot refuse my master's request," Orochimaru told the truth with a complicated expression.
'Master?'
Happy focused. He stared at Orochimaru in a daze, and a contemplative expression appeared in his eyes.
He suddenly understood things and cast a profound glance at Orochimaru before he calmly equipped his Golden Armor Set and took up his Nation Protecting Divine Sword in a reverse grip. He then looked around him warily.
Entering evil sects or denominations of righteous sects was different from entering proper sects!
Disciples of righteous sects could have a choice of whether they wanted to take up their master's quests. Even if they gave up on the quest or failed it, they would just lose some of their reputation.
But it was different for disciples of evil sects, especially those who were disciples of ruthless villains!
Most powerful martial artists from evil sects were wild and selfish. They would order t
heir disciples on a whim and force them to take quests. If they went against them, they would kill the disciples with one palm strike.
Quite a number of players who entered sects of the powerful villains had similar experiences. Whenever their masters issued a quest with a fierce gaze, if their choice of words was not proper, the player would get struck by a palm strike. If they had just entered the sect and were not close to their masters, it was not unusual for them to be killed right there and then
When Happy heard Orochimaru call Xuanming Elders his masters, he immediately understood that Orochimaru must have been forced to do something entirely beyond him. He had to come and set up an ambush to retrieve the personal item of the consort of Ruyang Mansion.
"Why are you still rambling on?"
Lu Zhangke's voice rose from behind Orochimaru, and his tone was ghastly. His killing intent also spilled outward.
"Boy, you only have yourself to blame for being alone and leaving the six sects' group to move about on your own."
"Oh? Senior Lu, are you really that confident that you can kill me?" When Happy, who was already in his gear, saw Lu Zhangke, he did not panic. "Senior, you seem to have forgotten that you didn't manage to kill me while we were at Eternal peace Temple, and that proves that I have ways to protect myself.
"If I manage to flee again by a stroke of luck, I will accidentally send those items to Ruyang Mansion. I wonder, what will you do at that time? In my opinion, it's best if you take your precious disciple and leave right now; otherwise, if something happens, you might regret it."
Lu Zhangke's expression changed!
Orochimaru stood quietly by the side. He did not know why Lu Zhangke wanted to kill Happy, but based on what Happy said, he could guess some things, and he chose not to speak.
Lu Zhangke's eyes flashed, and after some pondering, he said, "Fight against me for ten rounds! If you can last against me for ten rounds, then I, Lu Zhangke, will not bother you again."
"Senior Lu, do you think I am young and foolish, or just plain ignorant? Even if I don't die after fighting against you for ten rounds, half my life will be gone. At that time, you will never let me go. Did you seriously think that everyone in the world is as stupid as He Biweng?"
Happy sneered at him in disdain.
He Biweng loved wine and was rash. His mind was indeed much more inferior compared to that of the cunning Lu Zhangke.
Lu Zhangke had skills and a sharp mind. If Happy truly had to withstand ten Profound Abyss Divine Palm strikes, even if Happy did not die, he would lose half his life lost to frostbite. Even if he wanted to run then, he would be unable.
When Lu Zhangke saw that he could not deceive Happy, his expression turned sour.
"What do you want in exchange for those items?" When he asked that question, it was clear that he had already decided to compromise.
An Inaction Realm fighter had decided to reach a compromise before a Life and Death Realm player, which proved to Orochimaru that Happy was not a simple character. It seemed that no trap could deceive him, and he knew that the words he said just then had not been wasted.
Happy smiled and said with a drawl, "Those things are completely useless to me. I have absolutely no problem in returning them to you." Once he said those words, his tone changed. "But Senior Lu, don't you think you should offer up something for them?"
"State a price!"
Lu Zhangke tilted his cold face upward.
"Feelings will be hurt when money comes into play, you know? I only want one thing, the Heavenly Sword in Princess Zhao Min's hands." A charming and hearty smile bloomed on Happy's face after saying that.
A gentle breeze blew between Lu Zhangke and Happy.
Chapter 456 - Moon Invitation
Somehow, news of Happy leading the elites of the six great system-allocated sects to forcefully break into Eternal Peace Temple to save the leaders of the six sects had spread. Countless players talked about it online, and their discussions centered around the change in the plot, Mistress Annihilation's death, the completion rate for Happy's quest, and his rewards.
[Saving the leaders of the six sects is a major thing…]
[I didn't expect that someone would be able to change the plot and save the elites from the six sects before Zhang Wuji. I thought that they can only take action after Zhang Wuji appears.]
***
[Tsk tsk, who said he wouldn't complete the quest?! But seriously, there were six Inaction Realm fighters guarding Eternal Peace Temple, and they were Xuanming Elders, Zhao Min's three servants, and Ku Toutuo, along with Divine Arrow Eight Heroes. I wonder how he did it.]
[I heard that the official developers wanted the battle replay for Eternal Peace Temple's quest from Happy, but he didn't agree to it.]
[Where did you get that news from?]
[I have a friend who does maintenance for the official website.]
***
[Something's wrong. Mistress Annihilation is dead, and she's the one who gives the quest. Can it be that Happy actually failed the quest? Why else did he not appear in the past few days? No one could tell via divination that he obtained a new martial art either.]
[Mistress Annihilation had to die. Besides, even if she's dead, Emei Sect is still around.]
[Perhaps the reward for the quest isn't a martial art manual or a divine weapon.]
[Class One Hall suffered great losses this time.]
[That's right. They wanted to win big in Eternal Peace Temple, but Happy stole their wind, and he even managed to get the quest to save the six sects. Now, Chivalry Sect and Mu Clan have become even stronger.]
[Happy vanished again. I wonder whether he has gone to Class One Hall.]
[It's possible. When Beautiful Robes Faction was attacked, didn't Happy kill Barren Murderer? This time, he killed Blood Robes, and that woman from Class One Hall is definitely panicking right now. I heard that she emptied two branches in Baokang overnight and shifted them to the cities in Western Region.]
*****
While discussions ran wild online, the person who caused that storm was leaning against his couch calmly while enjoying the bright sun shining on him as he leisurely ate the red bean paste and churros that a beautiful and charming beauty had brought him.
It was the weekend, and it was a rare chance for Xu Xin to be able to enjoy breakfast together with Happy. She scooped a spoonful of red bean paste and ate it while she took a nibble of churros. She looked very satisfied, and Happy felt that his heart was in a great state of comfort because he got to enjoy a beautiful scene while he ate good food.
"Xin."
"Hmm?"
Xu Xin's fluttered her beautiful eyelashes, and a pair of charming eyes landed on Happy's face.
Both of them were already used to this peaceful calm and gentleness, and when they spoke to each other, their words were simple. They preferred to use their eyes to communicate.
"I saw that you reached Life and Death Realm yesterday."
Happy's lips curled in a beautiful arc as he watched the girl's beautiful and charming face.
Xu Xin's eyes lit up. "You're checking up on South China Martial Arts Ranking Board?"
"Of course." Happy was rendered speechless by Xu Xin's surprise and sighed. "No matter what, I'm one of the developers of South China Martial Arts Ranking Board. I can't just ignore it. Also, I might not pay attention to the others, but there's no way I won't pay attention to my friends, especially the lady who takes care of my meals."
"At least you're honest." Xu Xin stood up and picked a churros for him. "Accept my gift for you."
"Thank you for your gift, milady."
"Good boy!"
Happy was a good sport and accepted Xu Xin's joke. He then said, "Now that you're in Life and Death Realm, it'll be of great importance for you to get a Life and Death Realm martial art. Do you have any in mind right now?"
"No…" Xu Xin looked dejected and fiddled with her red bean paste dispiritedly. "I've been busy with the quests my master gave me and p
racticing my martial arts. I didn't have time to contribute to the clan. The demands for the Life and Death Realm martials arts in the clan are so high too. There are thousands of people ranked in front of me."
"It's fine. I have a few Life and Death Realm manuals with me right now, and they're pretty good. You can think of it as me giving you special favors."
"Really?" Xu Xin was delighted.
Even though she was not in a hurry to get a Life and Death Realm martial art manual since many still did not have them, she still had a feeling that she was holding back everyone, was behind everyone, and could not appear in the frontlines to fight. There were a few times she wanted to tell Happy about it, but she was worried about various things and did not say anything in the end.
So when she heard that Happy had extra Life and Death martial art manuals, she was instantly delighted!
But soon, she shook her.
"Forget it, Young Black and Young White don't have Life and Death martial art manuals either. It's better if you hand some to them first. I can't help in anything anyway. You can give me a manual next time you have extra…"
"I've already prepared theirs."
Once he said that, Happy saw Xu Xin look at him with surprise. Then, she began to eat her churros in a delighted manner, and warmth filled his heart.
'You always place yourself at the back for everything, silly girl.'
Every single time Qi Ci, Bai Lang, and Chen Fan came over, they would talk to him about Xu Xin. Happy knew that she had been making use of her time to study and practice martial arts, and she had been forcing herself a lot just so that she could catch up with the others. After hearing that, Happy had been thinking about how he could help her.
The problem was that if he took care of Xu Xin on a daily basis, he would not be helping her. Instead, he would be giving her pressure!
That was why he had not interfered with the things concerning her and allowed her to get through the most difficult period on her own. Right now though, if she gained a Life and Death Realm martial art manual, she would be able to quickly stand out from among the large group of martial artists who did not have Life and Death Realm martial arts. She would be able to stand on equal ground with the top players!
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