"Hey!"
She caught up to them in great indignation and put on the innocent expression of a curious cat.
"You can't do this. Come on, tell me. What do you mean by top-class mercenary? Silver Wolf, are you from INTERPOL, or are you part of the special force? Ack— Ouch!"
Before she could finish speaking, she received a whack on her head.
"You're just a kid. Stop overthinking things." Silver Wolf pulled his hand back with a calm expression. "Just focus on training, or else, you might end up being suppressed in the future, even though you're currently very mighty."
Wind Chimes' expression changed. "Why?!"
She had gained her current achievements after much effort, so it was only natural that she did not believe that she would fade into obscurity again. But Silver Wolf was never the type to joke around, and she had already sneakily cast a glance at Happy. His face was calm, and he seemed to agree with Silver Wolf's opinion, so she instantly became irritated.
"Do you think that after you inherited Six-fingered Demonic Zither's legacy, you are invincible?" Silver Wolf could also tell that Wind Chimes had already become a little negligent with her training, and he wanted to make her alert and wary. "Forget about Happy, even I have many ways to kill you when you're using your zither."
When Wind Chimes heard it, she pulled a long face. "Hmph. Of course you do. I told you myself. The demonic zither's greatest strength is in its ability to kill with sound, and its weakest point is qi. I need to worry about running into great players who have astonishing judgment and movement speed. If someone like you gets close to me, I can do nothing about it."
"I don't have an ultimate technique, and I can already do this, which means that my brothers can do it as well. As long as they get decent martial art manuals and have equally decent equipment to support them, they will have no problem in getting rid of your entire group of people with ultimate techniques."
Silver Wolf saw that Wind Chimes was still indignant and refused to accept the truth, so he added, "Do you want me to get them some equipment so that they can fight against you?"
Happy had a slightly shocked expression while listening to him.
"Did they come from the same place as you did?"
Happy did not know the specific details about where Silver Wolf was currently located in real life, because the man had once mentioned that he needed to keep it a secret.
Wind Chimes originally wanted to agree to his challenge, but when she saw Silver Wolf nod, she instantly became dejected. If she ran into someone who was as calm and resolute in killing as Silver Wolf, it would be very difficult for her to use her zither to great effect.
Silver Wolf decided to strike while the iron was hot and gave Wind Chimes a warning. "So hurry up and increase your qi. The sooner you reach Life and Death Realm, the faster you can bring out the true strength of the demonic zither, and the chances of you staying among the top players in the game will be much higher."
"Got it…"
"Silver Wolf, you mentioned that you have a few friends who are playing the game as well?"
Happy's question attracted Silver Wolf's attention, and he cast Happy a profound glance.
"I wanted to talk to you about it in the past, but I was afraid that you'd misunderstand. For a while, I've been exchanging resources from the clan storage to help them with their development. Now, their progress in the game is pretty good.
"They're all in Life and Death Realm, and I think that it's about time. I want to introduce them to Mu Clan. So, even if you run into true elites in the future, our clan will have a pretty decent force to protect it."
Happy was happy.
"Hm… How many?"
"Three."
"That's great! With three fighters like you serving as garrison, Mu Clan will be even stronger than before. Go make arrangements. We'll welcome them with open arms at any moment they come over."
Happy knew very clearly that those three men should be people who had not appeared in his previous life.
They should have chosen other paths to earn money for the five million Silver Wolf had wanted, but since Happy had intervened and affected Silver Wolf's life, all four of them remained in World of Martial Arts.
When Wind Chimes heard Silver Wolf and Happy's conversation, she became restless again.
"Can I join Mu Clan as well?" she asked suddenly.
Happy was stunned for a moment.
If Demonic Sound Duchess joined them, she would naturally become a great force in Mu Clan. The murderous abilities of the zither notes were so great that they were equivalent to a one-hundred-man elite group.
But Happy did not immediately agree to her request.
"Is this what you want, or is it what your master wants?"
Happy knew about Wind Chimes and Wandering Know-it-all's relationship. Wandering Know-it-all was a diviner, and in his previous life, his reputation and wealth had acc.u.mulated over the years to the point that countless people could not hope to reach, but he had never participated in the wars between sects.
Wind Chimes instantly fell silent. Clearly, Wandering Know-it-all had admonished her in a similar way before.
"After this is over, Class One Hall will definitely come to hate you. For the time being, return south, don't stay in the north," Happy said, changing the topic of conversation.
"What about you?" Wind Chimes asked in reflex.
"I'm still doing a quest. I only learned about you two being trapped after I received a letter from your master. I haven't finished that quest yet, so I have to go back and continue with the quest."
"Then doesn't that mean that I can't play anymore?" Wind Chimes had a gloomy expression on her face.
Happy and Silver Wolf were instantly speechless. They ignored her and continued on their way.
"What are your friends' in-game names?"
"Knife, Bar, and Thunder."
When Silver Wolf said the three names, his voice sounded a bit awkward. It was clear that he felt incredibly embarrassed by the names his brothers gave themselves.
Happy did not feel that there was anything wrong with them. He quietly remembered them and said, "If they have anything they need, they can ask me directly. I have some equipment and martial arts manuals with me."
As of then, Mu Clan was steadily progressing on its path to greatness, and their clan storage was as great as a new century trade city. It had everything, and there was no longer any need for Happy to personally put equipment and other such things inside. Hence, he kept most of his loot for the Three Lonely Wolves, Xu Xin, and some other people.
"You're currently my employer, and I don't want to owe you too much, lest that period of five years is elongated indefinitely," Silver Wolf said with a smile. "Don't worry. They can handle whatever they need themselves, aside from refined equipment, but they can use contribution points to get it from the clan storage."
"Sure, whatever you want." Happy's expression was as calm as usual. He did not force Silver Wolf to accept his suggestion. "If you have anything you need, just tell me. We're at Mount Song now. I need to go up to Shaolin Temple. You'll have to take care of yourselves after this. Be careful."
When he thought about how he had finally reached a breakthrough with Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm after his trip to Beijing and managed to understand two of its attacks, Happy was eager to go up Punishment Mount and verify his strength against Master of Breaking Vows.
He touched the Golden Gloves on his hands, sensed the cold sensation from them, and suddenly, great confidence rose in his heart!
Chapter 500 - Look At You In A Different Light
Once the group parted ways at the foot of Mount Song, Happy returned to Punishment Mount without stopping!
His rewards for the rescue mission were pretty great. Not only had he managed to save Silver Wolf and Wind Chimes, but Zhou Zhiruo also owed him a favor. He also struck a blow to Class One Hall's ego—when they had declared themselves the king of the north—and also gained another layer o
f understanding toward Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm.
When Happy returned to Punishment Mount, he immediately noticed that the atmosphere there had become slightly strange.
From the moment he landed in Punishment Mount from Iron Chain Bridge, more than twenty pairs of eyes fixed on him. Every person slowed down their training discreetly, and with curiosity, admiration, and various complicated emotions stared at him.
"He's here again."
"Did you see? I think he's Happy. It seems he's practicing Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm."
"Whew, he immediately came here after he fought against Class One Hall? This is to the north of Changjiang! He sure has guts."
When a few players saw Happy enter Bodhidharma Cave, they began discussing him in low whispers.
"I wonder what quest makes him so attentive to it."
"It should be something very amazing."
"I'm not too sure what it is, but if it caught his eye, there's no way it's any regular quest. But Old Xu is someone from Class One Hall. The news that Happy is in Punishment Mount should have reached Class One Hall by now."
"If I was in Class One Hall and I learned that Happy was alone in Shaolin Temple, I would definitely attack. He's by himself here, after all. All they need to do is surround the mountain, and he won't be able to run."
"That's not necessarily true."
Happy was silent.
Even though he entered Bodhidharma Cave, he directed his qi to his ears to listen to the conversations of the players outside. He could hear every word, and he instantly became on guard.
"You're here again."
Master of Breaking Vows sat cross-legged inside Bodhidharma Cave like a statue. The sounds of footsteps that suddenly rose in the cave allowed him to swiftly form the image of a familiar young man who was very stubborn. He sighed with a myriad of emotions in his heart and slowly opened his eyes.
After the battle in Beijing, Happy had gained a deeper understanding of Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm, and he was very confident. He walked into the cave with a majestic gait, and when he heard Master of Breaking Vows' words, he laughed loudly.
"You're right! Master, I came to ask for you to grant me your guidance again!"
A flash of surprise appeared briefly in Master of Breaking Vows' eyes. It had only been a few days since they last met, but the young man who had extraordinary abilities seemed to have changed. His presence and aura had increased. Not only was he more confident than before, he also had a domineering air about him that allowed him to look down on others. It was something he did not have before.
Master of Breaking Vows was a unique eminent Shaolin Temple monk. He had not trained his temper enough, and when he sensed the powerful pressure that came from Happy, the fighting spirit in his body instantly lit up.
He laughed madly. "Alright! I'd like to see just what sort of skills you've come to understand!"
Boom!
His wide monk robes instantly sent out waves of powerful air. His aura immediately rose to its peak, and Master of Breaking Vows flew toward Happy, who came over with a majestic gait.
Happy quickly noticed that Master of Breaking Vows had used his full strength, but he was not afraid. He was happy.
"Perfect timing!"
He said nothing else and just raised his hand.
"ROAR! ROAR!"
Two dragon-shaped vortices that seemed to have physical form roared loudly in Bodhidharma Cave. Happy threw his fists together, and he was as fast as lightning! His fists rammed against Master of Breaking Vows' palms through the air with no flourish in their movements.
With Golden Gloves on his hands, Happy's attack speed was increased by more than 50%.
Whoosh!
Happy's momentum did not decrease. His third and fourth moves came even faster than before. They came with an even mightier momentum and rammed heavily against Master of Breaking Vows' weakened palm attacks.
Master of Breaking Vows was completely suppressed immediately into the fight because he did not expect that Happy's speed in hand-to-hand combat would be so vastly different from before. Happy was also used to his attacks, so Master of Breaking Vows could only watch as Happy's palms violently destroyed his palm-generated wind. The remaining attacks crashed fiercely into his body fortification, and with a loud bang, his body, which was in the air, trembled violently!
"It has only been a few days since we met, and now, I have to regard you in a new light!"
While Master of Breaking Vows gasped in surprise, he was not content to sit around and accept his fate. He crossed his arms over his face to block the fifth and sixth attacks that came at him.
However, the secret behind Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm was that each move was stronger than the last. The body fortification around Master of Breaking Vows was vibrating intensely.
When Happy fought in Beijing, he had been forced to use his chain attacks during his fight against A'da and A'er to increase the speed at which he grew stronger so that he could reach the combat strength of those in Inaction Realm. Right then, with Golden Gloves increasing his attributes and his attack speed, it was only natural that Master of Breaking Vows would feel pressure.
When Happy delivered his eighth attack, Master of Breaking Vows was forced back while airborne.
Meanwhile, Happy retained his momentum. His fist-generated and palm-generated winds came nonstop. They made Master of Breaking Vows' body fortification shudder repeatedly.
"Again!"
Master of Breaking Vows gritted his teeth and took the initiative to jump backward. He used the force from Happy's attack to cover more than sixty feet, and his feet landed on the wall.
Crack!
A deep hole was instantly formed on the wall.
He sank down to one knee.
Whoosh!
His monk robes fluttered loudly, and a magnificent light forming the pattern of lotus and peonies [1] appeared behind him. It formed the image of Buddha with a calm expression.
A mighty pressure that Happy had never experienced before descended from the sky!
During that instant, the palm print of Master of Breaking Vows suddenly became much larger, and it seemed to be delivering some sort of psychological energy, because a powerful sense of helplessness rose in Happy's heart.
But it lasted only for a fraction of a second.
Happy's eyes quickly became clear. An indescribable strength and a refusal to admit defeat rose in him. It was as if something wanted to break out of his body, and without hesitating, he shouted, "Break it!"
He threw his fists forward.
Right before the Buddha palm was about to touch Happy, the two dragon-shaped vortices that surrounded Happy's arms released a powerful blinding golden light. A dragon roar that shook the world and contained unparalleled might echoed in Bodhidharma Cave.
At the moment Master of Breaking Vows sensed that astonishing, mighty pressure, it instantly destroyed the pattern of lotuses and peonies made by Buddhist light behind him. Immediately after, a huge golden head of a dragon came roaring at the Buddhist palm.
Boom!
Rumble!
Two astonishing powers crashed violently into each other, and the players on Punishment Mount could clearly sense the lone mountain tremble. The monks who broke their vows and the players nearby were even knocked off Punishment Mount by an invisible force. The faces of the remaining ones instantly turned pale, and they left Punishment Mount.
However, they did see an incredibly dazzling golden light at the mouth of Bodhidharma Cave. It seemed like something peculiar was happening in the cave from which the frequent tremors and powerful impact came nonstop.
At that moment, no one dared to get close to Bodhidharma Cave.
Chapter 501 - Enlightenment! Reach Bodhidharma
The huge golden dragon surrounding Happy let out mighty dragon roars, but its speed clearly became slower.
It was because right before Happy's eyes, Master of Breaking Vows, who had been suppressed throughout the fig
ht, showed an abnormal sight. Even though his body fortification had shattered because of the blow just then and blood trickled out of the corners of his mouth, he formed a strange seal with his hands. Three fingers of each hand curled inward, and only his index fingers and little fingers were stretched out.
At that moment, he shut his eyes to think.
A huge change appeared above Master of Breaking Vows' head, and that change happened right in Bodhidharma Cave itself. Waves of dazzling golden light flowed nonstop through the cave, and they swiftly covered the entire area.
Happy did not even need to observe carefully to know that Master of Breaking Vows, who had been in Bodhidharma Cave for years, seemed to have come to understand Bodhidharma Swordplay during that moment of crisis. He did so well that despite Happy coming to understand the third move of Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm—Flying Dragon in the Sky—he still did not manage to defeat Master of Breaking Vows.
A layer of faint Buddhist light flowed around Master of Breaking Vows. Along with the mantra that came from his lips and the pattern of lotuses and peonies behind him, he looked incredibly grand. Every time he flicked his finger, it contained the essence of Bodhidharma Swordplay, and he easily parried Happy's fierce and matchless palm technique.
Happy's technique was fast. His actions were accompanied by the golden dragon's crazed roars, and his momentum was astonishing, domineering, and awe-inspiring, but unfortunately for him, Bodhidharma Finger, which was derived from Bodhidharma Swordplay, allowed Master of Breaking Vows to have an easy time dealing with him.
Boom!
Boom! Boom!
Happy attacked multiple times with the dragon, but Master of Breaking Vows would just tap at the critical spot and break Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm.
When Happy failed to land any solid blows a few times, he quickly noticed that his momentum was swiftly falling, and there were signs that it was about to fall out of Inaction Realm. When caught in such a situation, Happy had to slow down his attacks and move around Master of Breaking Vows.
He shifted around him slowly. The great golden dragon slowly acc.u.mulated its momentum and steadied itself during that period of time.
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