Sword Among Us

Happy was both happy and sad!

During the critical moment, he came to understand the constellation chart within the exquisite Go game. He actually come to see a series of continuous attacks from the black dragon’s actions of devouring the tiger.

When he thought about it repeatedly and ran through multiple simulations in his head, the styles used by the black dragon to devour the tiger became even clearer. In the end, he even formed a simulation of a martial art that could be used by people.

He watched the illusory constellation chart with rapt attention when it suddenly shattered around him! Happy shuddered, and under the clear sound from the system, he opened his eyes and returned to the quiet room in the temple. Before he could even calm down, notification after notification ran through his ears.

“Congratulations! You successfully solved Master Xuan Kong’s exquisite Go game!

“You saw through the Ten True Dragon Styles, which were personally created by Master Xuan Kong.

“Since your qi realm is low right now, you can only use is the first style of the Ten True Dragon Styles—Dragon Capture!

“You understood Dragon Capture!

“With each qi realm you gain, you will automatically learn the next ultimate style of the Ten True Dragon Styles. You will need to reach Mystical Realm for the next style.

“Successfully solved Master Xuan Kong’s exquisite Go game. Your Comprehension has increased by three points.”

The continuous stream of system notifications reported multiple benefits. Happy was so happy that he was all smiles, and he could not stop himself from grinning even after a long time had passed. He even wanted to seize the gentle and kind Master Xuan Kong before him and kiss him.

‘So that’s how it is!’

There was no need to truly solve the exquisite Go game, and there was no way to win it either. Master Xuan Kong had been waiting for someone to last until the tenth move, and then with a calm heart, to understand the Ten True Dragon Styles he had created through the board. Hence, the more the players were immersed in gaining victory in the game, the harder it was for them to remove themselves from the thought of winning and calm down.

Happy had known that he would not be able to win the exquisite Go game right from the start, and he had come in with the thought of stalling for time, but instead, he unintentionally solved the mystery contained within the exquisite Go game!

“I, Happy, am but an untalented person, but thank you for helping me, master!” Happy was beside himself with happiness. He stood up, wrapped his fist in his palm, and bowed deeply.

It was an ultimate technique!

In his previous life, Happy had spent a total of three years but still never managed to get any ultimate martial arts. He did not expect that by sheer coincidence and a fortuitous chance, he would get one unintentionally, and it was an ultimate technique that was at the same level as the one obtained by Carefree Sect’s Wu Yazi and Shaolin Temple’s Sweeping Monk.

“Amitabha!”

There was a tiny smile on Master Xuan Kong’s kind face. He knew that Happy had come to understand the Ten True Dragon Styles he had fused into the exquisite Go game during their game.

He cried out the name of Buddha with incredible satisfaction before he said, “Patron, you have a calm heart, and your comprehension is astonishing. You are also a person fated with Buddha. It is only natural that you would come to understand my martial art. But a pity…”

He paused for a moment before smiling in resignation and saying, “It is a pity that I have been exiled from Shaolin Temple many years ago and have sworn an oath to not take in any disciples, or else I might do something that would make me feel guilty toward the Murong Clan—I would fight against the master of the Murong Clan for such a talented jewel as you.”

“Master, you praise me too much.” Happy could not suppress his emotions after he got an ultimate technique. However, he still retained the humility he always had on his face.

“Not bad.” Master Xuan Kong looked at Happy with a praising look while nodding repeatedly. “I drew from the essence of all the martial arts I had learned in my life to create Ten True Dragon Styles. Even though my original intention was to teach this to a Shaolin Disciple and do what little I can to add to the archive of Shaolin martial arts in the world, I have no regrets with a young man like you. The decades I have spent staying in Mount Song have not been in vain.”

As he spoke, Xuan Kong slowly got up.

“I have fulfilled my greatest wish. Naturally, I no longer have any need to stay here.”

While speaking, he swept a glance at the narrow space that was filled with martial art manuals around him with a look that said he was reluctant to part with them. “But the requirement for qi for Ten True Dragon Styles are incredibly high. As of now, it is probably very difficult for you to use them. Happy, you can choose a martial art manual from this room.”

“Understood!”

With respect and gratitude toward Master Xuan Kong, Happy began to peruse the manuals in the book shelves.

There were plenty of high-tier martial art manuals that plenty of martial artists dreamed of obtaining. There were also martial art manuals that had spread out from Shaolin Temple into the world of martial artists and formed the basis of the martial arts of various clans and sects, along with quite a number of martial art manuals that were created personally by grandmasters. If Master Xuan Kong had not acknowledged the fact that he had been exiled by Shaolin Temple, Happy would have really began to wonder whether Master Xuan Kong was a book merchant who resold martial art manuals in the game.

Happy looked at each book, and his heart trembled violently, even though he had returned to the past with three years of experience in the game!

The book collection was just too vast!

Aside from ultimate martial arts like Six Pulses Divine Sword, Wave-like Subtle Steps, Northern Obscure Divine Sword, Nine Yin Divine Manual, and Nine Yang Divine Manual, there were also some unique martial art manuals. There were also high-tier martial art manuals from various sects that were placed in sequence. In fact, Shaolin Temple’s Seventy-two Ultimate Techniques were also included among them. The manuals were all treasures that could not be bought with gold even in his previous life.

“So? Did you find anything you like?”

Master Xuan Kong seemed to be incredibly confident in his book collection. When he saw Happy look around repeatedly, having a hard time making a decision, he could not help but laugh.

Happy looked embarrassed.

In truth, he had an urge to use his quickest speed to put all of the manuals into his Universe Bag, but when he thought about Master Xuan Kong’s monstrous qi cultivation and qi realm, he got rid of that evil thought with great difficulty. He sucked in a deep breath, and his gaze once more swept over the really famous martial art manuals in his past life. In the end, his eyes landed on a manual with a dark yellow cover.

He walked over and brought the book in front of Xuan Kong.

“Master, I’ve made my choice.” Happy handed over the manual in his hand.

Xuan Kong said nothing. He took the book in his hands and cast a glance at the familiar manual. He could not help the smile that stretched across his face and cast Happy a few glances. “Young patron, you are indeed fated with Buddha.

“Shaolin places an emphasis on Zen martial arts when we practice martial arts. We train with strengthening our physical bodies and cultivating moral conduct as our priority. If it was not because you had mixed forms of qi cultivation and such an elegant bearing, I would have truly thought that you were a disciple of Shaolin Temple.”

“I’m actually really a disciple of Shaolin Temple.” Those were words Happy would naturally not say.

When he heard Master Xuan Kong’s words, he answered with a small smile. “I have always admired Shaolin Temple and been very fond of the Zen martial arts it advocates.”

“Good, very good.” Xuan Kong smiled in gratification. “I hope that one day, I can see you use the martial arts you understood from me to wander about the land.”

He returned the manual with the dark yellow cover to Happy’s hand.

The system immediately gave him a notification.

“Master Xuan Kong has granted you a high-tier body fortification technique manual—Golden Bell Cocoon.”

“Thank you for your gift, master.”

Happy put away the manual and promised solemnly, “I swear by my life that I will not let down the martial arts I received from you and Shaolin Temple.”

Xuan Kong nodded in gratification. Then, he sighed sentimentally.

“The exquisite Go game has been solved. There is no longer any need for me to continue staying in this place. Patron, please leave.”

“Understood!”

Happy wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed.

However, right when he said those words, he was filled with regret.

He suddenly remembered that he was still in the temple. If he ended the quest, Master Xuan Kong and Monk Zhi Heng would leave. Once they were gone, wouldn’t it mean that there was no longer anyone to help him block the players outside the temple?!

‘No!’

“Wait! WAIT!!”

But it was too late.

A light breeze blew past him.

The air trembled slightly, and Master Xuan Kong vanished from Happy’s sight. When Happy returned to his senses, the bookshelves around him rotted away and crumbled.

Boom!

Dust filled the air.

“Damn it!”

Happy cursed quietly and quickly moved out of the inner room, which now had dust flying all over.

When he came out, he found that the oil lamps in the temple had already been extinguished, and the hall was dark. The door was shut tight.

‘Ha, thank goodness.’

Happy sucked in a deep breath and tried his best to calm his nerves.

The only thing that he could be thankful for was that Master Xuan Kong had not leveled the temple to the ground. And the players, who were hidden nearby, did not seem to have noticed any changes.

When Happy remembered that he had lost Monk Zhi Heng’s protection, upon which relied his original plan, he became incredibly depressed.

As expected, everything was preordained. When one obtains something, they lose something else, and it was all determined by the heavens.

Right then, he had unexpectedly obtained the Ten True Dragon Styles, but immediately after, he lost the protection he had for his brocade box. Happy shook his head repeatedly with a bitter smile. When he remembered the fact that he was about to face the endless stream players who coveted the tribute, he sucked in a deep breath, calmed his heart, and brought out his Hundred-battle Saber.