The NPCs in Moksha Realm were rather rare in the game. Since there were a lot of players around, there was also a huge need for such NPCs… If one was killed, it would only respawn after some time. The players would then have to either wait, or head very far, across mountains and rivers, in search of a second one.
It was very difficult to train against Moksha Realm NPCs, but it was even harder to run into Inaction Realm martial artists!
Fortunately, Happy had quite a lot of training places from his previous life stored in his head. The four-man formation in front of him was one of them. They were disciples who were abandoned by Sword Sect, but who had an extraordinary formation. They had also gained some achievements with their martial arts, which was why they could compare to Inaction Realm martial artists.
Besides, by pure chance, Happy had also discovered that attacking people was not the only way for Joined Finger to absorb experience. It could also absorb experience by striking weapons.
Joined Finger's damage was incredibly terrifying when it was used against a person, but if he used his qi to deliver a force of impact on them through the weapon, the damage would be reduced by a large margin.
What was the most surprising was that the teamwork between the four disciples allowed them to take turns withstanding Happy's finger technique. They could slowly recover from their injuries, and after half a day, when they returned to the fray after resting, their injuries would have fully healed.
This discovery made Happy overjoyed, and he immediately came up with a spontaneous extreme method of training!
While the four launched a pincer attack on him, he could train another body fortification technique as he continued to attack to fight against their attacks and push Joined Finger to the seventh realm.
Even though it would be rather dangerous if he did not wear any equipment, the advantage of practicing Nine Yang Divine Skill was that his Body Movement, Affinity, and defense were also increased.
When he moved, he could do so in a more dexterous and relaxed manner. His reaction was also faster, so as long as he was not careless, it would be very difficult for him to get heavily injured.
Happy could even sense that once his strength increased by leaps and bounds, his abilities were already infinitesimally close to his previous self when he was at the peak.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Happy's finger attacks were each more powerful than the last. The speed was also each faster than before, and it could catch others off guard.
The pressure on his sparring partners increased day by day. In the beginning, they would only be slightly injured, but a few days later, each attack could make their purlicues hurt. They could not hold their weapons tightly. Every time the four disciples from Sword Sect saw Happy come toward them, they would be excited but nervous as well.
They were excited because there was someone who was willing to spar with them, because of which their abilities had also increased. But what caused them to be nervous was that they gained an increasingly clear understanding that it would be very easy for Happy to take their lives. All he needed to do was to switch his target to their bodies from their weapons, and it would be enough.
Happy had also noticed that, which was why he resolutely took off his Golden Gloves.
Once he lost 2,000 points in damage, his power naturally decreased by a large degree. The four regained a chance to fight against him.
After the two parties used each other as training targets for more than half a month, the four disciples of Sword Sect, who had never spoken, took the initiative to speak when Happy was prepared to leave. "Young Swordsman, please stay where you are!"
"Hmm?"
Happy was prepared to log off to eat, but he suddenly heard the four disciples of Sword Sect speak to him, even though he had previously assumed that they were mute. He turned his head around in a stiff manner, and when he saw the four kneeling on the ground, he could not help but be curious.
"What are you…"
"Over this period of time, we have been fortunate enough for you to regard us highly and spar with us, but never try to kill us! We can tell that you are very strong, but you never harbored any killing intent toward us. After seeing your grace, we talked about it for a long time, and we hope that you can agree to a request from us."
He had not expected that there would be a hidden quest from the abandoned disciples whom the players could kill and that he would actually manage to trigger it after more than half a month of just fighting with them.
Happy immediately became incredibly curious. "Pray, do tell."
Chapter 577 - The Abandoned Disciples of Sword Sect, the Birth of Heaven Crystal?
The four disciples of Sword Sect slowly mentioned their troubling and sad past!
They were originally four rather good disciples in Sword Sect, but one time, when they went out to carry out an important quest, they accidentally lost an important treasure they were supposed to escort in secret.
Since the quest was carried out in high secrecy, only the four of them and a few elders in Sword Sect knew about it, so the matter turned complicated and troublesome.
On their way back to Sword Sect, they found themselves surrounded by members of their sect.
Fortunately, their relationship with the people in Sword Sect was pretty good, so they did not cross swords with them. However, their sect members told them that once the news spread, the great elder of Sword Sect believed that they had leaked word of the treasure or kept it for themselves. They were to go back to Sword Sect to plead guilty for their crimes, and if they resisted, the people sent by Sword Sect had even been given the orders to kill them.
When the four thought about it carefully, they realized that the people from the elder council were probably behind it. They fled and lived off the land for years while they hid their names and searched for news regarding the lost treasure.
Recently though, they suddenly obtained news that the son of a great elder had received the sect master's recognition and was promoted to become the successor of the inner sect. The reason behind it was because that great elder's son had retrieved the lost treasure.
There were rumors saying that he had retrieved it from the four's hands, and when the four heard it, they realized that it had become even more impossible for them to wash away the stain, so the thought of taking revenge took root in their hearts.
"This is something of Sword Sect itself. What use is there in telling me this?"
Happy might pity the four disciples, but when he thought about how the quest involved a person in a high position within a top-class system-allocated sect, he did not feel confident.
The quartet's faces turned dejected, but one of them collected his courage and said, "Indeed, we should not think about dragging you into this mess, but we know that your name has spread across the lands, and the sects pay a lot of respect to you, Young Swordsman Happy."
He stopped talking for a moment before he said, "Besides, this treasure is actually related to a great secret within Sword Sect."
"Hmm?"
Happy's eyes lit up with endless curiosity. A secret of a great sect was usually a divine weapon or an ultimate weapon, which was a great temptation to any martial artist.
"A few years ago, the secret that Sword Sect asked us to escort was a few pieces of a divine weapon! Young Swordsman Happy, I wonder if you've ever heard of the story of Heaven Crystal."
When Happy heard the name, his heart trembled, and he cried out in surprise. "Heaven Crystal?!"
"That's right. Many years ago, it once belonged to the Nangong Clan. It later dominated the world of martial artists for a period of time. Heaven Crystal was its name, and it killed many people."
The four nodded while speaking, and their expressions were filled with excitement. "Some people said that those who get Heaven Crystal can also obtain Heaven Crystal Sword Technique. It contains endless power, and even the gods and spirits avoid it.
"Several years ago, we obtained a request from the sect master of Sword
Sect, and he asked us to escort the pieces of Heaven Crystal to the mighty clan in the north. They wanted to use the strength of the Nangong Clan and the mighty clan in the north to repair Heaven Crystal.
"But much to our surprise, we were ambushed by our own people on the way. We managed to survive, but the pieces of Heaven Crystal ended up in the hands of Sword Sect."
When Happy heard them say that, he suddenly could not hold back from laughing coldly. "What a complicated turn of events. Looks like Heaven Crystal did not return to your elder, but your sect master."
The four looked at each other, and their expressions were full of dejectedness.
Even though they had thought of what Happy told them, they did not want to admit to it. However, it was fact that Heaven Crystal had been tasked to be escorted by a few disciples even though it was an incredibly important treasure! That was more than a little careless, and it showed that there were plenty of loopholes in the plan.
On top of that, the sect master of Sword Sect did not show any intention of investigating the matter. He just went straight ahead to reward the great elder's son.
This made the four feel aggrieved and incredibly angry. They wanted to make something burn and vent all the grievance and anger they had suffered over the years!
"What's the use in you telling me this?" Happy contemplated their words deeply before he said, "Right now, Heaven Crystal is back in Sword Sect. Do you want me to steal it or go up to Sword Sect to kill someone to help you exact revenge? Am I really that simple of a person in your eyes?"
"Young Swordsman Happy, that's not what we meant. We do not dare to have such thoughts."
"We have received more news," he explained. "It seems like Sword Sect intends to transport Heaven Crystal once more to work with the mighty clan in the north and the Nangong Clan. They want to repair Heaven Crystal."
Happy was silent for a while before he asked, "Who is the person in charge of escorting the pieces this time?"
"A top-tier fighter in the elder council. I heard that the sect master will be personally leading the group, and he will be staying some time in the mighty clan in the north," the abandoned disciple of Sword Sect answered. While he spoke, he enunciated his words clearly, and he could not hide the hate in his voice.
Happy stared at him. "So, they really intend to work together this time."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Based on what we understood over this period of time, regardless of whether it is the mighty clan in the north or the Nangong Clan, their strength is no longer as great as before. Even if they work together, they are not Sword Sect's opponent.
"A few years ago, Sword Sect intentionally used the plan to deceive the public and stall for time. Even though the relationship between the three parties became tense because of it, now that they've obtained Heaven Crystal again, they might be certain that the two clans cannot fight against them and want to obtain the Heaven Crystal Sword Technique inside once they used the two families to repair it!"
When Happy heard the abandoned disciple's answer, he nodded slowly. He finally believed their words.
However, they gave up on four disciples for a divine weapon. Such a method really disgusted Happy.
"What do you want me to do?" Happy looked the four in the eye and said, "I am not strong. It'd be impossible for me to steal Heaven Crystal. So I wonder, what is it that you wish for me to do?"
The four looked at each other.
The person in the lead then said, "It's like this. Over the past few years, we have been paying attention to the Nangong Clan and the mighty clan in the north. We have even cultivated a few disciples of our own before placing them at Sword Creation Lake in the mighty clan in the north.
"We're waiting for the moment when Sword Sect will take action to repair Heaven Crystal. I hope that you can lend us a hand at that time and seize the repaired Heaven Crystal.
"Of course, we are just trying to vent the hate in our hearts. We don't dare to ask you to show your face. We will be in charge of making a mess of the situation and attracting their attention. Young Swordsman Happy, please take action during the chaos and take away Heaven Crystal."
"When is the operation?"
"The earliest will be in two months," the leader answered. "Sword Sect will need half a month to send Heaven Crystal to the mighty clan in the north. And to repair it, they will need at least a month and a half, which is two months later. This is the information we got from the mighty clan in the north. Once they're done, we will send a letter to notify you."
'Two months later. That means it will be very close to the time of the fight I promised One Emperor.'
But when he thought about Heaven Crystal, which was the divine weapon that shocked the world in the Legend of Emperors and remembered how it was a weapon at the ranks of Tiger, he felt fire burn in his heart, and in the end, he nodded and agreed to it.
Chapter 578 - Beggar’s Sect’s Letter
During the period of time Happy concentrated on practicing Joined Finger, some major events occurred in the game related to the evil cult.
Before the event in Hero's Mountain Villa ended, the elites of the evil cult appeared in the land. They attacked the disciples from the sects who had strayed off from their group and even gathered together in large groups to attack the forces of the major sects.
Signs of evil cult members could be seen all around the six great sects.
Some of the branches of Ming Cult and Beggar's Sect were also attacked by the evil cult, and they suffered heavy losses.
The world of martial artists was unstable, and everyone was ill at ease!
At that moment, sects that were originally absent from the game suddenly appeared. Many of the newcomers who entered World of Martial Arts joined those new sects.
Among them were Flowers Sect, Yin Weed Sect, Sky Demon Sect, Heaven Repairer Dao, and other evil cults. There were also Song House, Stone Dragon Dao, Great Whale Sect, Roc Faction, along with the incredibly mysterious Kind Boathouse, which was located somewhere in the world of martial artists.
What attracted the people's attention the most was naturally Kind Boathouse. Not only were they rumored to only accept female disciples, they also only accepted disciples with incredibly high Comprehension.
As of then, there was still no one who said that they had managed to join Kind Boathouse.
The appearance of the rebel army caused World of Martial Arts, which had not completely progressed out of the plot of Heavenly Sword and Dragon, to instantly enter the era in which the rebel army rose to power and extinguished the Sui Dynasty.
The plot of Twin of Brothers started everywhere on the land, and countless scenes of people fighting against each other could be seen!
Warlords all over the land began to divide their territory with force!
There was the Song House, which rose to power by selling weapons, the Yuwen House, which was created by General Yuwen Hua of the imperial court, and Li House, which recently rose to power out of nowhere.
The new and old players rushed to search for different quests from different factions in the hopes of being able to be part of the plot and do some of the hidden quests that came with Twin of Brothers.
Xu Zhiling and Kou Zhong were naturally the most important characters, and they became the focus of many people.
Also, Eunuch Yang's Warehouse, which was rumored to be able to destroy the Sui Dynasty, was also an important plot point. It attracted many players and sects into searching for it.
There were actually quite a few people who went ahead to that place and searched through it completely, but they obtained nothing. Instead, they became the subject of a lot of mockery.
There were also a lot of people who gained a lot of rewards from the new developments.
Flowers Sect's Womanizer Hou Xibai (he gained his nickname because he went to all sorts of brothels) was the successor of Flowers Sect's Shi Zhixuan. There were a few beautiful female players who caught his attention, and they gaine
d a title in the game because of it.
One of them was a female disciple from Emei Sect who was charming and as beautiful as an immortal. She had long, silky hair that reached her waist. Her waist was thin, and her body long. She had a natural charm to her, and many men found her s.e.xy. Once she came to know Hou Xibai, she gained the name Blue Phoenix Immortal, and she was fortunate enough to become part of Hou Xibai's Beauty Fan!
Due to Blue Phoenix Immortal's fate, World of Martial Arts was shocked!
Many of the girls in reality who had not joined the game because of lack of interest entered it, and a few world-class beauties appeared. They gained Hou Xibai's attention after they presented themselves to him in different fashions.
There were a few examples of beautiful female players' names not only spreading far and wide through the game, but also reality. Their battle replays were sold like hot cakes on the pay-to-view battle replay system.
Hou Xibai had accidentally triggered the beauty contest by choosing girls to join his Beauty Fan. While it was only one of the segments in the plot, it started a new trend in World of Martial Arts.
A lof of the media even in the outside world realized its effect and power. Some people began hosting their beauty contests in the game, and some of them stated that they would have NPCs serve as judges to show that they were fair and to attract attention.
But unfortunately for them, NPC Hou Xibai regarded their beauty contest in disdain. Even though the beauty contests that were organized later ended in a rather tragic fashion, the TV stations managed to gain astonishing viewership counts. They became famous in one go, and it could be considered as another form of success.
*****
Tang Feng, hall master of Assassin Hall who had rich experience in assassation, unintentionally found Shadow Assassin Yang Xuyan's tracks and received a Shadow Killing Sword Technique.
The naturally coquettish Wan Wan, successor of Yin Weed Faction's Empress Yin, also appeared in the game a few times. Every time she showed up, she only had a chiffon covering her body. She had delicate curves and fair skin, which made her an alluring vixen who always went barefoot. Everytime she appeared, she would shock everyone in the game, and many people in cities idolized her madly.
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