As for Little North, the brat was thinking about how great it would be if he could stand above One Emperor in terms of rank. They were in a martial arts tournament, and if he could get a higher rank, how awesome would that be when he went out to boast about it?! AH, SUCH A PITY!
When One Emperor heard the villa master's announcement, he cast a deep glance at Zhou Zhiruo. Then, he returned to the stage without saying a word.
At that moment, Momo, who had never spoken, suddenly redirected her gaze and looked at Silver Wolf. "Up until this moment, One Emperor has never lost. Yet he fought on even grounds with Zhou Zhiruo, so he might think that he lost to Happy in some sense. Happy's chance has arrived."
"What?"
"Didn't you notice that One Emperor's aura seemed to have changed slightly?" Momo pointed at the person on the stage.
The group was stunned. Little North and Silver Wolf looked at each other before they quickly observed the situation seriously.
Once they examined it, they looked at each other at a loss. It was just as Momo said. Even though One Emperor looked very calm, compared to before, something seemed to have been added to his aura.
It seemed like One Emperor's temperament had changed!
"This is a good chance!"
A faint hint of a smile appeared on Little North's and Silver Wolf' lips. They naturally did not wish for One Emperor to win. Right now, anything that would prove beneficial to Happy was something that was worthy of happiness.
However, Happy did not notice that.
Another challenger soon got up to his stage once Master Kong Xiang got down! He was short, thin, old, ugly, had a fierce expression, and an awe-inspiring presence about him. He was also an old acquaintance.
Black-winged Bat King of Ming Cult, Wei Yixiao!
"Hehe, boy, Master Kong Xiang might have let you have an easy time with those one hundred moves, but I won't give you such a chance. Bring out your real abilities and let me see just what is it about you that made the elites of the six great sects and my cult master regard you so highly."
Happy had already finished circulating his qi, and when he heard those words, he stood up and revealed a faint smile. "Since you have the heart to grant me guidance, then I will naturally show you my respect by obeying you, Bat King Wei."
He had not expected that his opponent in the fifth round would be someone like that!
Happy was a little beside himself with happiness.
Even though Bat King Wei's lightness skill was matchless and his Freezing Soft Palm was a powerful killing tool, Happy had Nine Yang Skill, which could counter freezing attacks.
The only thing which was slightly more threatening to Happy was Wei Yixiao's lightness skill.
But when the threat had been reduced by half, Wei Yixiao was no longer his opponent!
"Please!"
Wei Yixiao seemed to have been provoked by Happy's relaxed smile. He glared at Happy, snorted coldly, and left behind an afterimage on the floor. He closed the distance between them like a phantasmal bolt of lightning.
"Hahahaha! Bat King Wei, do you dare receive one of my strikes?!"
Wei Yixiao was an expert in lightness skills, and he avoided four palm strikes in one go. But when he heard Happy's provocation, he was so irritated that his eyebrows twitched.
He instantly closed in on Happy and shouted fiercely. "Brat, you sure have guts! Take this!"
He pounced forward from the afterimages he left behind in the air. His hands had turned into crystals, and the cold wind that blew was bone-chilling!
The great chill instantly froze the air around him, and an astonishing chill swept through the stage.
Happy was the first to be affected.
But he had already circulated Golden Essence Nine Yang Skill through his body, and it dispelled the chill around him. In fact, his qi even started burning fiercely and showed signs of circulating even faster than before.
In an instant, Happy recovered. He laughed loudly and pushed forward with both palms. He did not bother to dodge the attack and went forth to fight against this Inaction Realm martial artist head-on!
When Wei Yixiao saw that Happy's momentum had increased to the peak and he had gained the courage to fight against him because of it, he laughed fiercely and continuously. "You ignorant brat, I'll let you know why you shouldn't be conceited when you meet your seniors."
The crystalline Freezing Soft Palm rammed against Happy's palm.
Happy's palm was supposed to immediately freeze up, and even his qi should freeze to the point that it would no longer circulate, but a ball of red light rose from Happy's face, and an astonishing wave of heat went charging back to Wei Yixiao from his palms.
He felt as if his Freezing Soft Palm had rammed against a ball of magma, and it instantly melted.
Wei Yixiao had already perfected his Freezing Soft Palm, but his qi had once deviated while he practiced it, and he was the most wary of martial arts that focused purely on yang qi.
Once he exchanged blows with Happy, he immediately felt the backlash from his Freezing Soft Palm, and he cried out in surprise. "Gah! Hot! Boy, what's that technique?!"
He retreated dozens of feet back with his palm partially red and partially white. It did not stop trembling.
His gaze when he looked at Happy also became wary.
"It's Nine Yang Skill, obviously. This is something that Cult Master Zhang should know clearly. Senior Wei, don't go, please allow me to see your skills again!"
Happy laughed heartily, and his momentum became even greater. He tapped against the ground and chased after Wei Yixiao while he had the advantage.
Wei Yixiao was shocked.
But Happy was happy that this sort of situation happened. He executed a few more palm strikes, and once his momentum increased to Inaction Realm, he finally reached his peak. Every time he executed a palm strike, their power would be accompanied by an astonishing heatwave that formed a tornado that Wei Yixiao did not dare approach. His presence became increasingly chaotic, and his face was a mixture of rage and fear.
In the end, Zhang Wuji could not bear to watch what was going on on the stage and called out, "Bat King Wei, your Freezing Soft Palm is countered by his Nine Yang Skill; you aren't his opponent! Please step down!"
"Hmph! Since my cult master has already given his orders, I'll spare you once. Brat, don't let me meet you next time, or else, I'll suck your blood dry. Hmph!"
Wei Yixiao was the Chief Dharma Protector of Ming Cult, but he was forced to dodge and evade the attacks of a junior martial artist. He had made a laughing stock of himself, and it was something very embarrassing for him.
Happy could not help but laugh.
"Senior Wei, you allowed me to win. I will change my ways if I have offended you, and I will definitely go to your cult to ask you for your forgiveness some day!" He knew that Bat King Wei might have a foul mouth, but he was actually someone rather pleasant.
"Hmph, stop with that act, brat."
Wei Yixiao ignored Happy. While he cursed up a storm, he stormed down the stage, and it caused others to laugh.
Chapter 554 - One Emperor’s Sixth Sword!
The martial artists of the world laughed, but many players found themselves unable to do so!
Wei Yixiao's lightness skill was something that terrified the world. It was so fast that others found it hard to notice and capture his tracks. With Freezing Soft Palm, he practically created the perfect combo to kill people. His strength might not be as great as that of Master Kong Xiang, but he was much more difficult to handle and fight compared to Master Kong Xiang!
Happy had been able to win against him so easily, and this caused Orochimaru, who practiced Profound Abyss Divine Palm, to break out in cold sweat. He once again considered himself lucky to not have attacked Happy while at Eternal Peace Temple.
The people from Class One Hall were shocked by Happy's decisive win too.
They thought that Happy would stop at four points, so they did not expect that Happy w
ould leave everyone behind by such a large degree, and that included One Emperor, who only had three points by then.
Happy won five consecutive rounds and obtained five points!
When he fought against Wei Yixiao, he obtained a notification from the system that his Golden Essence Nine Yang Skill had increased by a realm. It shot from the eighth realm straight to the peak of the ninth realm, and his qi also rose by more than ten points. Right then, his qi had already reached 467 points!
Happy was delighted.
No matter what were the end results of the martial arts tournament, winning five consecutive rounds and gaining dozens of qi points meant that he had saved up on two months' worth of training.
*****
At that moment, One Emperor's expression was terrible!
Fighting to a draw against Zhou Zhiruo was against his expectations. Right then, he still had three points, so he could only continue searching for his next opponent.
But his luck was really terrible.
His next opponent was actually Ling Huchong, a person who practiced Nine Solitary Swords, and who also had incredibly great sword skills.
One Emperor said nothing, but quite a number of people at the foot of the stage lamented his lack of luck.
Even though One Emperor's damage was incredible, compared to Ling Huchong, who could turn bad sword skills into something amazing, it was clear that he was weaker.
His dejected looking swordsman of a master had been drinking quietly behind him all this while, but One Emperor saw that at that moment, he stopped drinking. A hint of graveness appeared in his eyes.
For the first time, a heavy weight settled on One Emperor's heart.
He quickly noticed that his state of mind had changed! Emotions that he never had before affected his mood, and they also affected the sword will in his heart.
His fight against Zhou Zhiruo had caused him to be slightly displeased, but this time, he sensed an even stronger sword will from Ling Huchong.
His will was shaken!
'Happy, looks like I'll have to break my promise with you.' One Emperor sighed in his heart while smiling bitterly.
Happy quickly opened his eyes.
His gaze moved to One Emperor. At that moment, Happy finally realized One Emperor's difficulty, and when he saw Ling Huchong, his heart trembled.
'It's him!'
Ling Huchong's Nine Solitary Swords might not be perfect, but there were few people in the world of martial arts who could compare to him. He was a legendary character in Happy's previous life, and he did not expect…
There were countless people who lamented this fact.
When they saw Ling Huchong get up the stage to face One Emperor, the countless spectators on the official website who had been longing for the fight felt their emotions plummet. All of them looked incredibly somber!
Even though the fight between One Emperor and Ling Huchong was as fierce as possible, the disparity of strength between them was obviously too great. Ling Huchong attacked in a very casual and free manner, as if he was a drunkard strutting down the streets, while One Emperor was forced into a defensive position for the first time ever.
Within a short period of time, Ling Huchong managed to force One Emperor into a corner.
Happy felt grief in his heart, and he could not bear to look at it anymore.
He looked away.
"Young Swordsman Happy, your opponent for the sixth round will be me."
At that moment, a heroic voice came out of nowhere to attract his attention. Happy turned his head around to look, and he did so just in time to see Xiao Feng rise from his seat. Under Duan Yu and Xuzhu's gazes, he jumped up on the stage! He walked forward in a majestic gait, and his presence was bold as well as heroic!
"I see. It's the sect master of northern Beggar's Sect, Great Hero Xiao."
Then, he felt his heart sink. He knew that he would most likely be unable to win his sixth round…
Xiao Feng's strength was about the same as that of Guo Jing. Happy and Xiao Feng were simply not at the same level.
However, since Happy faced the sect master of Beggar's Sect, who was a legendary martial artist who was the most skilled with Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm, he was filled with respect toward him. He had never had the chance to fight against someone of his caliber in his previous life, so why should he avoid it now?
"Even if I lose, it will be a joy to fight against you, Great Hero Xiao." Happy laughed heartily before he said firmly, "Please!"
"You have a heroic and bold spirit in you, boy! Since that's the case, I will not put on any pretense. I will not hold back in this fight, boy. Do your best and let me witness your twenty-eight palms!"
Happy said nothing, but when he heard his words, he felt his heart sink. Still, he answered without hesitation. "I will show my respect to you by obeying!"
His boiling blood that had not calmed down from the fight against Wei Yixiao started burning even more madly. He tapped against the ground, and with a burning fighting spirit, he rushed to Xiao Feng! A terrifying momentum surged up Happy's body.
A faint hint of solemnity and puzzlement appeared on Xiao Feng's face.
"Perfecting timing!"
As he spoke, he clenched his fists, did a straight left, right thrust, an uppercut, and a hammer fist. The weather above the stage changed. An astonishing qi flow gathered on Xiao Feng's palms, and even Guo Jing, who was at the foot of the stage, stood up swiftly. There was a solemn expression in his eyes.
"This is…"
"ROAR!"
He intersected his arms, and a furious dragon roar rose into the air. A huge golden dragon shot out from Xiao Feng's palms to charge toward Happy.
Arrogant Dragon's Regrets!
At that instant, a powerful pressure that Happy could not resist suppressed his mobility. He felt a great dragon descend from the sky. A power that caused the world to be in despair locked down on him and enveloped his entire body.
Boom!
His body shuddered. The golden dragon shot through his body like lightning…
At the same time, Ling Huchong and One Emperor's battle also came to an end.
A clear and loud sword w.h.i.n.e that was accompanied by a sword whistle filled with the presence of death rose from that stage.
One Emperor was covered in blood, and he flew out of the stage like a kite with its string snapped.
However, at the instant he fell, he opened his eyes swiftly. They were like two cold stars that shone with an astonishing spark.
One Emperor attacked resolutely. A black bolt of lightning sliced through the air, and instantly pierced Ling Huchong's shoulder. Then, One Emperor crashed violently into the arms of the abject swordsman, who had appeared at the foot of the stage at some point in time.
The abject swordsman had a complicated expression on his face when he looked at Ling Huchong, who was injured on the stage. He then looked away and examined One Emperor. For the first time, he revealed an incredibly awe-inspiring and gratified expression.
"You are indeed much more exceptional that what I expected. You only needed a very short time to understand the sixth slash… It is a commendable feat. Now, do you understand who is the greatest enemy among swordsmen?"
One Emperor's expression might have been pale, but there was an incredibly determined and sharp look in his eyes.
"I understand."
As he spoke, he stared at Happy, who was caught by the Murong Clan Lady, with a burning spark in his eyes. A powerful d.e.s.i.r.e to fight was seen on his face.
Chapter 555 - Understanding! Epiphany!
When One Emperor was defeated, he finally broke through the pressure Ling Huchong brought on him, and he released the sword will that was suppressed in his heart. It was stronger than ever before, and one that he had never been able to understand—the sixth slash!
Even Ling Huchong had been unable to react to it. His shoulder was injured, and blood poured out like a stream. As he stood on the stage, he stared at One Emperor
and the abject swordsman without any movement.
And on the other stage was Happy who had lost to Xiao Feng's one move—Arrogant Dragon's Regrets, which had the greatest power in Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm!
When the people saw that Happy had not been able to receive a single attack from Xiao Feng, there were quite a number of them at the foot of the stage who rejoiced at his misfortune.
But at that moment…
"Young Swordsman Happy, this is all that I can do. I hope that you can understand the essence of that move," Xiao Feng said loudly on the stage.
The people on the stage were incredibly shocked. Then, they remembered something!
Xiao Feng had used Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm just then. Could it be that Happy had chosen not to fight back against that blow because he was trying to understand the ingenuity of Xiao Feng's attack?
Bang!
The crowd burst into a ruckus, and the heroes of the world were also incredibly puzzled. They did not understand why Sect Master Xiao Feng of Northern Beggar's Sect would show such respect to Happy.
But Happy understood that this meant that he now owed two favors to Beggar's Sect. One of them was for Guo Jing of Southern Beggar's Sect, and the other was for Xiao Feng of Northern Beggar's Sect.
It was not easy to return an NPC's favor…
Besides, Arrogant Dragon's Regret was the greatest skill among the eighteen palm strikes, and he had just personally experienced as well as gained an epiphany of its strength. Its might was incredibly great, and it was as quick as lighting.
Happy could not dodge it.
Later though, if he managed to understand it fully before his fight against One Emperor, there was no telling just who would win in the end.
Happy calmly got out of the Murong Clan Lady's hold, wrapped his fist in his palm, and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Great Hero Xiao. I will remember it."
Ling Huchong sat down to meditate and heal his wounds. When he recovered, silence descended on the arena for a short period of time.
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