His sword was like a freezing star, and it was cold as well as sharp. It drifted about, making Purpose unable to tell Yin Zhiping's precise attack trajectory. The first attack alone already showed that his strength right then was at least twice as strong as in the previous fight.
Happy observed it in detail. He could tell at first glance that Yin Zhipin was using Preacher's Swordplay from Complete Reality School. It was one among the seven sword techniques of Complete Reality School. It was very profound, and it could be considered as a supreme-grade martial art in Life and Death Realm.
Yin Zhiping had great comprehension. Even though he had not reached the peak with the technique, he could already bring out quite a lot of its essence, and the drifting style of the sword technique as well as the changes were brought out in full display.
When Happy saw this, he understood Yin Zhiping's strength. His damage was not very high, but his skills were at an ingenious level.
Purpose would have a hard time winning, and his heart sank when he realized that. Disciples from various sects had come for the tournament, and the people who joined Hero's Mountain Villa could not be underestimated.
And just as Happy expected, after a few moves, Purpose was suppressed by Yin Zhiping's ingenious sword technique. His expression became increasingly more solemn, and the contempt that was previously on his face disappeared without a trace. He was caught up in a difficult battle.
If his first fight was already so difficult, his subsequent fights might be even more difficult!
The group's expressions at the foot of the stage were also not very pleasant. They suddenly felt that they were very insignificant.
The great disparity caused many people to feel a little worried.
The players were not going to be fighting against NPCs in the martial arts tournament, but against other players. Hence, there should be a distinct categorization between the strong and weak.
Besides, there would definitely be a few who would get through the big arena and the Street of Arenas to stand on Dragon Tiger Arena in the end to fight against the true elites in the world of martial artists.
If everyone had the chance to get on Dragon Tiger Arena, the tournament would become a joke.
There was a high likeliness that the martial arts tournament was organized for the purpose of letting the players understand the difference between them and real martial artists. There was something that separated them aside from qi realm…
Such as their understanding toward their martial arts.
Once Happy calmed down, he walked toward the place for registration.
At that moment, a few men and women with dejected expressions but who did not bother to hide their awe-inspiring presences suddenly squeezed their way through the crowd. They were talking about the situation at the Street of Arenas among them.
"I ran into an elder from Beggar's Sect at the third level, and he even had eight bags on him[1]. There was no way I could fight against him, so I think it'd be better if we changed spots and tried our luck elsewhere."
As they spoke, they did not even spare a glance at Happy and his group. They just left into the distance.
Chapter 524 - Arena of Hero’s Mountain Villa
Even though Happy did not regard a Beggar's Sect elder with eight bags with much importance, he was still wary of someone like that!
If a Beggar's Sect elder appeared in the Street of Arenas, it was definitely related to Huang Rong.
Guo Jing did not show up. Happy did not know whether he was at Dragon Tiger Arena or making arrangements in the arena. If Beggar's Sect intended to force him to use Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm at Hero's Mountain Villa, they would definitely send heavy hitters to the stage!
That was… a little troublesome.
At first, Happy wanted to change to another place to register his name, but when he thought about how smart Huang Rong was, even if he wanted to avoid it, it would be very difficult for him to do so. Hence, he got rid of the idea and thought of how he could handle the situation.
When he registered his name, the man with the goatee cast Happy a glance.
"Name, sect, title in the world of martial artists."
"Happy, from the Murong Clan. I don't have a title just yet." Once he finished answering, Happy saw that the man had a slightly strange expression.
The man nodded, and after he made a record, he said, "There aren't many who don't have a title, but you will definitely have one after the tournament. Wait there."
Happy nodded and left to return to the group.
He was just in time to hear Distinguished Dragon grumble to Heaven, "The martial arts tournament does live up to its name. Looks like we'll be ranked right at the bottom…"
Even though their abilities were pretty good, they could not help but feel gloomy and somber. After all, even Purpose had a hard time trying to gain an advantage even though he had fought for a long time in the arena... He was suppressed by Yin Zhiping's circle of sword shadows,
"Oh well, we can just treat them as practice targets. The people here all have exquisite techniques. We can treat it as coming here to improve!"
Heaven's dual-wielding relied on technique and skill, and he soon accepted the situation. "Hey, looks like Purpose is about to lose. He has already used a few major moves in succession, which used up quite a lot of his qi. His qi realm has already dropped to Mystical Realm."
When Happy heard this, he also noticed that Purpose's momentum was no longer as great as before. He had a very hard time parrying the attacks. and his footsteps were slightly stiff. A few bloody gashes were swiftly left behind on his body by Yin Zhiping, who seized the chance to attack him.
The master of Unrequited Love Valley had a very unpleasant expression on his face while below the stage. Clearly, he was displeased with his disciple's performance. He snorted coldly, and before Purpose lost, he turned around and left the group to go deep into the streets.
As he walked down with a pale face, he saw the master of Unrequited Love Valley leave in disappointment, which made him feel even more terrible. He did not even greet the others but left the group coldly to head to another street.
"Next… Young Zi!"
The man with the goatee looked up and shouted loudly. Madam Wang of Mantuo Villa cast a profound glance at Young Zi before she sighed.
"It's fine even if you don't fight. You can make your own decision."
With such words, she could be said to have given up on Young Zi. Madam Wang left the group and jumped on a roof nearby lightly. With a few more jumps, she vanished without a trace.
Happy cast Young Zi a pitying glance.
Young Zi's Emperor's Hammer Technique was a martial art that made its user use up quite a lot of qi, and it prioritized defense and counterattack. If she ran into people with sword techniques that were sharper and had more exquisite techniques, there was no doubt that she would be the one who would be suppressed.
Unfortunately for her, Yin Zhiping was the top of the crop among swordsmen, and if he could even suppress Unrequited Love Valley's Unrequited Love Saber Technique, Young Zi's martial art would be unable to stand up against it. She would have no chance of winning, which was why Madam Wang left before the match even started.
As expected, once Young Zi got on the stage, two parts of her body were injured before she was even hit ten times.
Emperor's Hammer Technique needed a long time to settle down after an attack, so if Young Zi did not succeed in one hit, Yin Zhiping could close in on her with just a few slashes, which allowed him to suppress her.
"Thank you for letting me win!"
Yin Zhiping had won three consecutive rounds, but even so, he did not bat an eyelid at his wins.
"Next, Lu Jing!"
When the voice faded away, an elegant figure landed on the stage.
"I am Lu Jing of Peach Blossom Island. Please grant me your guidance."
"My dear Brother Lu, I have to apologize. I have already won three consecutive rounds, and based on the r
ules, I no longer need to continue fighting in the big arena," Yin Zhiping apologized.
Then, he returned his sword into its sheath and received a plate from the man with the goatee. After that, he jumped down the stage, and under Lu Jing's stunned gaze, he quickly vanished.
Happy and the others under the stage quickly relaxed.
Happy's expression changed.
The man with the goatee under the stage clearly had the role of a host and judge. His expression did not change, and he shouted loudly, "The person defending the arena is Lu Jing, and the next challenger is... Happy!"
When Lu Jing heard the words of the man with the goatee, his expression changed in the arena. Anguish came onto his face while he looked at Happy, who was also stunned for a moment before he quickly headed up into the arena.
"It's good that I met you here instead of being defeated and disqualified by you while I fight during the five stages. That'd be too great of a loss!"
When Lu Jing heard that his opponent was Happy, he knew that he would definitely lose.
"Hehe." Happy chuckled softly.
But the moment he prepared to move, he heard Huang Rong suddenly speak up under the stage. Her tone was extremely cold. "You haven't even started fighting, and you have already given up. You only have this much resolve, and you dream about being the successor of Eastern Heretic?"
Her words were like cold water that seeped into bones, and Lu Jing shuddering. It was only then that he noticed that he had just embarrassed himself in front of his master's daughter, and he quickly tried to salvage the situation.
"Sect Master Huang, you are right. I understand my mistake now."
"My father relied on his Seventy-two Flute Technique to defeat many famous martial artists in the world of wanderers, but you are afraid of even one normal disciple from the Murong Clan? Let's hope that you can make amends for your mistake just now, or else, when we go back, my father will surely be very disappointed in you."
Huang Rong sounded very stern by the end, and her words made Lu Jing's face turn pale.
If Huang Yaoshi's impression of him turned sour, he could forget about inheriting more profound martial arts!
At that moment, Lu Jing obtained Huang Rong's quest.
It asked him to force Happy to use Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm or defeat him…
If he succeeded in his quest, his reputation would rise by a lot, and he would gain Huang Rong's affection, but if he failed in his quest, his punishment would be very severe, and all his previous hard work, reputation, and image in Peach Blossom Island would be reset. He would have to start from the beginning again.
Once Lu Jing received the notification from the system, he burst forth with an astonishing fighting spirit.
"Happy!"
Happy quickly sensed Lu Jing's change, and it was especially so when he heard the youth's firm declaration that he would not stop until he died fighting. Happy's gaze became grave then.
He looked at Huang Rong through the corner of his eyes and lamented, 'Huang Rong… looks like she has begun to reveal her claws! But…'
'Aren't you underestimating me too much if you want to rely on Lu Jing to force me to use Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm?!'
Chapter 525 - Elites from Various Places
During the battle at Eternal Peace Temple, Happy had killed Blood Robes and Child's Heart.
While he was in Beijing, he fought against A'da and A'er, who were both Inaction Realm martial artists!
While he was at Mount Song, he killed Zhou Yu with just two moves!
While he was at the pavilion, he struck terror in Class One Hall and caused them to retreat by himself!
Happy's experiences could already be described with the word "legend". Lu Jing had never believed himself to be Happy's opponent since the start, so he had only been thinking about how he could last longer under Happy's hands and allow himself to lose with dignity.
However, Huang Rong's words and the punishment and reward quest she had spontaneously issued to him caused him to be impulsive, and he attacked desperately.
But when martial artists fought against each other, the greatest taboo among them was having an impulsive heart, because surging emotions could affect a person's calmness and judgment. To have concerns and other distracting thoughts was incredibly disadvantageous for them when they fought.
Lu Jing was a typical example of that.
Even though he wanted to perform a little better and force Happy to use Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm, he forgot his initial reasoning due to his rashness.
The moment he attacked, he struck with his fiercest technique—Seventy-two Flute Technique. While he advanced, dazzling flute shadows filled the arena. They formed flickering jade green images that looked like a bamboo forest, and they gave others the feeling that they were attacked by countless enemies. The bamboo forest came charging at Happy with the force of an avalanche.
At the same time, flute sounds that filled the air rose alongside the jade green images. The shrill flute sounds charged violently at Happy like invisible and sharp swords.
But Happy was not affected. He stood on his spot quietly, and qi surged around him to withstand the impact from the sword-shaped charges from all around the place.
Then, when the astonishing bamboo forest came charging at him with the force of an avalanche like a huge tiger which had its jaws wide open, Happy finally took action.
Under the people's shocked gazes, he charged at the bloody mouth of the jade green tiger.
Happy's figure was instantly devoured by the tiger!
But just when Happy was about to be torn to pieces by the countless jade green flute sounds, a peerlessly dazzling sword force pierced the jade green tiger's body. It was instantly torn to countless fine green shadows.
The numerous flute sounds vanished from the arena to reveal the duo's situation.
*****
Drip, drip.
The two people in the arena retained their stances.
Brilliant red blood flowed out in streams. It dyed the hem of Lu Jing's robe before it fell on the stage and gathered into a crimson puddle under his body.
His face was pale, and he stared at the longsword that pierced his c.h.e.s.t in disbelief. His expression was numb, and his c.h.e.s.t heaved. He stared at his bleeding wound, which was only one inch away from his heart.
He had seen very clearly that if a powerful gust of wind from the foot of the stage had not cut through the air and knocked the longsword slightly to the side, the blade would have very accurately pierced his heart.
It was an extremely quick sword, and it was used in a straightforward thrust.
It had shot toward him when his momentum had been at its strongest, and not only had it completely destroyed his state of mind and disabled his subsequent moves, even his body fortification had not been able to block the tiny silver dragon…
It was just one move!
"You do indeed live up to your name as the top on Famous People Rank. You're amazing… cough!"
As Happy drew his sword, Lu Jing finally coughed up a mouthful of blood. He shuddered and instantly sank to his knees before sitting down powerlessly on the floor.
Happy cast Lu Jing a glance before he sheathed his sword while saying "You lost fair and square. There are plenty of people who were killed instantly by this sword, and I was one of them."
Lu Jing said nothing. A hint of red appeared on his face, and he coughed again while supported by two martial artists down the stage.
Huang Rong stood at the foot of the stage with great solemness on her face. Her gaze was complicated. "I didn't expect that your attainments in the sword would have already reached this degree. It's no wonder then why the leaders of the sects praise you so much!"
Her tone carried some hints of indignation as well.
"Sect Master Huang, you praise me too much," Happy answered humbly before he cast a glance at the man with the goatee at the foot of the stage.
The person who attacked and knocked o
ff his sword had been this man, who looked like a merchant and seemed inconspicuous. However, the attack from his finger was not something that a normal person could do. His timing had been impeccable, and his speed could match Lu Xiaofeng's Perception Finger.
The person had attacked very casually, and he did not attract many people's attention.
The man looked up and cast Happy a glance. Then, he shouted loudly without changing his tone, "Next—"
The book had originally been empty, but now, a person's name appeared on it. "Silken Web Hand Lin Jiang."
"Young brother, what a sharp sword technique you have! Allow me to experience it!"
A person from the crowd jumped high into the air. He tapped a few times against the air and moved like lightning before he landed steadily in front of Happy. He laughed heartily before he took off the black Bamboo Hat that covered his face to reveal a thin face that was not thirty yet.
"Silken Web Hand…" Happy quickly cast a glance at the man's protective gear, which protected his arms, and the silver gloves that exuded a chilling light.
He sized up his opponent.
The person who came clearly had extraordinary palm techniques, and his body movement was also pretty good.
It was no wonder then why he had the courage to come up. He should have the confidence to avoid Happy's sword slash from earlier.
That was as expected of a martial arts tournament. Each NPC was created to counter the attacks a player previously showed, and they would appear specifically to deal with them.
It might be a little difficult for Happy to use sword techniques to get rid of the person! However, he did not intend to use Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm in front of Huang Rong.
He held his Nation Protecting Divine Sword with an icepick grip, and as his gaze darkened, he said, "Please grant me your instruction!"
"Ah!"
Silken Web Hand Lin Jiang did not drag things out. With a tap against the ground, he instantly traveled around thirty feet and closed the distance between them. His silver palm wind was like a silver saber. It sliced through the air in front of Happy, and they split up before converging into one.
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