Sword Among Us c1-1268

by Black Swordsman Online

  Happy was rendered speechless. He sighed.

  There was just no way he could feel at ease with an expert thief by his side.

  Of course, even though this man was used to stealing things, Happy's experiences of training hard in the game were not for show. He looked through the other trinkets he obtained and could not help but feel a little pity. "That silver longbow should have been a high-grade masterpiece. It's a pity that I didn't manage to make it drop. Tsk…"

  But his rewards could already be considered great!

  Besides giving him a high-tier manual, a middle-grade masterpiece, a high-grade Horse Plate, the Mystical Grade bandit leader had also given him a few other low-tier martial art manuals and 2,000 taels of gold crumbs.

  Furthermore, he got a Class S battle assessment for the second time!

  Receiving the highest danger of battle assessment had not only increased Happy's Comprehension and Body Movement by three points, it also pushed his high-tier martial art, Flowering Knights' Song, into the later stage of the ninth realm from its initial eighth realm. With just one more step, he would enter the tenth realm.

  Even though it might seem as if he had just gained one realm, high-tier martial arts were different from low-tier martial arts. A low-tier martial art could be level up within half a day, whereas high-tier martial arts would need more time the higher the realm was. The time necessary would practically multiply in length with each increase in realm. Thunderous Battle had trained for nearly five days to get from the eighth realm to the later stage of the ninth realm. From this, it could be seen just how hard it was to walk down to master high-tier martial arts.

  But while it was difficult to practice them, the increase in qi with each new realm was something that low-tier martial arts could never hope to compare. In fact, the increase was even greater than of throwing knives, hidden weapons, qi cultivation techniques, and body fortification techniques.

  A normal high-tier martial art could increase one's qi by at least 25 points.

  After all the time he spent practicing Flowering Knights' Song, Happy's qi had increased by more than twenty points. When his realm increased, his qi reached 126 points.

  To reach the Gate Realm, 40 Qi Points were required. To reach Blessed Realm, 80 Qi Points were required. To reach Mystical Realm, 160 Qi Points were required. To reach Life and Death Realm, 240 Qi Points were required.

  Happy now only needed 34 Qi Points to reach Mystical Realm.

  "34 Qi Points."

  Happy quirked an eyebrow.

  Hence, while the increase in his qi if he practiced high-tier martial arts was great, it would waste too much of his time. Happy did not have the intention to learn too many of them.

  "Hey, instead of spending our time daydreaming in this place, why don't we take a stroll and look for stuff to do? There is definitely a place to practice martial arts in Mount Song, right?"

  All-powerful Medicinal Stone could no longer sit still. He gave another suggestion.

  Happy just ignored him.

  'Practice martial arts?'

  All the places that were available to practice martial arts were areas were wanderers would go to, which meant that there would be people there. He did not want others to notice that there was a red dot within three-tenths of a mile from them. While it would mean a fortuitous event and treasures for others, to him, it would just spell endless trouble!

  Once the news spread to Mount Song, not only would he attract the attention of the thirteen staff-using monks, he would also attract the attention of millions of Shaolin Disciples. Happy did not have the intention to turn into a genocidal maniac.

  Half a minute went by…

  All-powerful Medicinal Stone moved around, choosing a couple different spots and stayed in them for a while before he switched to another spot. He stared at Happy, who sat on the ground for a very long time without moving, unable to understand him.

  "No way…" he said again. "Do you intend to sit here until the emperor's birthday arrives?"

  His gaze was incredibly bitter.

  Happy was speechless.

  He opened his eyes and cast All-powerful Medicinal Stone a glance. Then, he could not help but let out a sigh that was filled with various emotions.

  "Don't worry, I'm not that stupid and boring."

  "If you still refused to speak, I would have thought that you've fossilized after sitting for so long." All-powerful Medicinal Stone rolled his eyes in an unhappy manner. This was the first time he met a young man who could remain silent for so long.

  "When night arrives, the wild beasts around Mount Song will be very enthusiastic. At that time, you'll be very busy. So it'd be best if you rested a little more and saved up your strength, or you'll end up not being able to endure the fight."

  His serious and earnest expression made All-powerful Medicinal Stone believe his words. He swept his gaze around the depths of the forest, which had already darkened, and he took a deep breath. His voice also became much softer.

  "The wild beasts will run amok? Are you serious?"

  "Yup."

  "Then… will there be rats? I'm scared of rats the most."

  All-powerful Medicinal Stone shrank a little. He gulped, and his nervous expression made Happy feel troubled once he saw it. He wanted badly to just stand up and run until he disappeared from All-powerful Medicinal Stone's sight. With this utterly eccentric person by his side, Happy did not know whether he wanted to laugh or cry.

  Chapter 122 - A Mass Gathering in Shaolin

  When Happy logged out of the game, he seized the time to go to the cafeteria to offer a sacrifice for the most important temple in his world—his body.

  The topic that students from different courses talked about the most often on the main road to the university and the cafeteria was still World of Martial Arts. They spoke about who got what item on that day, who earned how much money, or what sort of quest they got. They were very invested in it, but the most commonly discussed topic was still the tributes that brought about great unrest in the game.

  "Tsk tsk, did you hear? Something major happened in Shaolin Temple today."

  A few people who were not too far away from Happy ate their food while speaking to each other with great interest.

  "Yeah, I heard. It's about the chaotic battle that erupted because of the few tributes the thirteen staff-using monks protected. Tsk tsk, I heard that not only did a large number of Shaolin Disciples get involved later on, the large sects from Dengfeng County and Zhengzhou even mobilized their forces because they wanted to snatch the tribute box from the thirteen staff-using monks.

  Happy said nothing, but his hands shoving the food into his mouth stopped, and he frowned a little. While acting calm, he turned his head slightly to the side to listen, and the people's conversation entered his ears more clearly.

  "When I came down, I heard that all of Shaolin Temple was sent into complete chaos, but the NPCs completely ignored it. Who knows how long this battle will last."

  Boy A had a longing look on his face. "This is the first time I've seen Mount Song bustling with so much activity. Tsk tsk, no matter where I go, there will be people around. They're constantly shoving and killing one another. Even if you rush to the forefront, you don't know to whom the brocade box actually belongs, so no one can who will have it in the end…"

  "Nonsense, it'll naturally belong to the group who will last till the end," Boy B commented simply.

  "That's not necessarily the case!" Boy C refuted while shaking his head. "I heard that a few groups have already gathered at the foot of Shaoshi Mountain. All of them came from the large sects in the big cities nearby. Their brocade boxes have all been confiscated by the NPCs, so they've made up their minds to take Shaolin Temple's tribute…"

  He did not expect that the box that should have ended up in Black Heron's hands and should have been brought far away would have a different progression because of Happy joining the event.

  Based on what he heard, it seemed that not onl
y did the third brocade box not land in Black Heron's hands, it had even brought about an unprecedented disaster to Shaolin Temple!

  "Hiss…" When he thought of this, Happy instantly lost his d.e.s.i.r.e to finish the last bites of food in his bowl. He put down his cutlery to where they should belong and quickly returned to his dorm.

  Only Bai Lang of the Three Lonely Wolves was in the dorm. He sat in front of his computer and stared at its screen seriously. He did not even notice when Happy stopped behind him.

  "This a.d.u.l.t artistic film is a bit behind the times…"

  While he was engrossed with studying some of the more complicated positions in the film, he suddenly heard something behind him. Bai Lang nudged his glasses up and snorted derisively before he refuted his statement. "If you don't understand anything, don't say anything. This is the newest issue this month—"

  "You're not managing the website anymore?"

  "Who said I'm not? Don't you see that I'm searching for inspiration? I'm doing both at once!"

  While Bai Lang defended himself in a very confident and upright manner, he invited Happy to get corrupted together.

  "Go away."

  Happy rolled his eyes. He ignored Bai Lang, snatched his mouse, and closed the muted film. He then opened a website and said, "Did you hear about Shaolin Temple?"

  "Oh." As expected of the maintainer of South China Martial Arts Ranking Board, right after Happy mentioned the issue, Bai Lang understood what he meant. His expression became serious, and he nodded.

  "I know. The thirteen staff-using Shaolin Monks are the most pitiful bunch. They were first killed by Black Heron with his team, then after they snatched one of the boxes back after they revived, someone spread the news, and they were chased by a dozen sects. Half of their people died, and they lost their tribute again."

  "What happened next?" When Happy heard that, he knew that the situation was bad.

  "What do you mean what happened next? Things haven't ended yet. They're still fighting." Bai Lang habitually nudged his glasses up while speaking in a calm tone. "Before, only groups with a lot of tributes would stir up such a large-scale battle, but now, most of the tributes have been confiscated by the system. Their numbers have been drastically reduced.

  "There are fewer than one hundred tribute boxes among the players. You can guess just how valuable they've become now, right? So all the big sects in Zhengzhou have gone mad! They've mobilized all their forces for this item, and they're prepared to fight to the death for it."

  He paused for a moment before he told Happy, "Fortunately, we listened to your warning in the beginning and did not get involved in this matter. We just focused on training, and right now, all of us are in Blessed Realm. By the way, Chen Fan and Young Seven are making preparations to build a sect, and they intend to bring all the students in the University of South China into it. Over the past few days, they've asked the opinions from quite a number of people from the Power Ranking Board. What do you think those people said?"

  Happy was busy worrying about the large-scale chaos that erupted in Shaolin Temple, so when he heard Bai Lang change the topic, he could not help but be stunned. "Build a sect?"

  An unexpected change had happened again.

  And the people who brought up the matter first were even the Three Lonely Wolves…

  "What's with that face? You don't seem to be very excited by the idea of us building a sect." Bai Lang cast Happy a glance with a strange look on his face. He felt a little resigned.

  "Oh, well, judging by your look, you wouldn't be able to guess it either. Tea Words, Phoenix Dances, and even Rascal as well as Puffy have said that as long as you entered, all of them would join. We've thought about it. Once you join, you can continue to retain that sense of mysteriousness around you. So…"

  When he said that, Bai Lang paused. However, his intentions were clearly reflected in his eyes behind his glasses. He wanted to fulfill his duties and make an announcement. As long as Happy said that he would join the sect, not only would all the powerful players at the top of South China Martial Arts Ranking Board's Power Ranking Board join, perhaps all the students in the University of South China would join out of their admiration for Happy, and they would form an organization with considerable strength.

  "Do you intend to manage the website while managing the sect at the same time?" Happy did not give his answer immediately. Instead, he posed a question for Bai Lang with a frown on his face.

  Bai Lang seemed to have been prepared for that question a long time ago. When he heard it, he smiled.

  "I knew you'd ask that. Xu Xin asked us about this as well. We thought about it, and we know that the three of us will definitely not be able to handle it. Tea Words doesn't know how to manage a sect as well. So, the sect master will be Phoenix Dances in Beautiful Robes. On one hand, she would attract all the female players in our university to join the sect, and on the other hand, a female sect master can also increase the unity of a sect. You know that there are some people in our university who are at odds with each other, right? Phoenix Dances' power to rally people together is much greater than ours."

  Happy was rendered speechless. He only barely managed to quell the discomfort he felt.

  If Phoenix Dances in Beautiful Robes became the sect master, then the matter would not be as complicated as he thought. The events from his past life had just taken a turn, and the two sects were merged into one. He could still accept this.

  "What's up with you? Why did your expression become like that when I said Phoenix Dances is going to be the sect master? Are you actually interested in that girl?" Bai Lang asked in a very nosy manner. "You can't be this way, you know? You can't just switch your sights to someone else when Young Xin Xin is now interested in you."

  "What the heck are you even saying? There's nothing of that sort. Phoenix Dances is much better than all of you as a sect master. I can join. You handle the announcement. I'll go play the game now."

  After he finished speaking, he pounced on his bed impatiently.

  By then, Shaoshi Mountain was overcrowded. If some careless idiots ran too far away and discovered that there were two red dots near their area, things were going to get really "fun."

  After all, even if they logged off, the marks of their tributes would still remain on the maps.

  Chapter 123 - A Small Temple in the Depths of the Mountain, an Eminent Monk

  When Happy returned to the game, it was so dark around him that he could not see a thing. He had to get familiar with the darkness for some time before he gradually got used to his surroundings and was able to see around himself.

  There was still the residue of a bonfire on the ground, but All-powerful Medicinal Stone was nowhere to be found. A white pigeon suddenly appeared in front of Happy, flapping its wings. The fluttering sounds instantly broke the silence around him.

  He took the letter and opened it.

  [I have some matters to attend to, so I'll be off first!]

  The person who wrote the letter was All-powerful Medicinal Stone.

  Right after he finished reading, another messenger pigeon appeared.

  Flap! Flap! Flap!

  Happy was stunned.

  It was also a letter from the unkempt man. This time, there was more content there. He spoke about the battle that happened all over Mount Song right then, and he also cautioned Happy to be careful.

  Happy folded the letter and brought out his map to take a look. Just as expected, there was only one red dot on the map. All-powerful Medicinal Stone was already three-tenths of a mile away from him!

  Happy put away the map. He could already make a general guess of what happened. The unkempt man could not withstand being lonely and should have gone over to watch the fight. With how restless and fidgety he was, it was very difficult for him to stay in one place for a prolonged period of time.

  Besides, he was a loner who was rumored to love taking part in trouble and dishing out wild cards whenever he could.

  "It's better
if he left. Now I can go over there."

  With the thief missing from his side, Happy instantly felt as if he had been relieved of a great burden. His body became light, and with the night wind blowing in his favor, he headed to an even darker spot with familiarity.

  Soon after he left, a group of full-equipped players who had extraordinary presences charged to where Happy was from the depths of the forest.

  Someone from the group cast a glance at the map and said viciously, "He already left. We were too late."

  Before he finished speaking, a sonorous voice rose into the air. "Don't make your conclusion so soon. He just logged in, so he should not be too far away. Send a messenger pigeon to fourth right now, and have him look for Half Immortal to tell another fortune and figure out the coordinates of the brocade box. As long as we can determine the direction, it'll just be a matter of time before we find him."

  When the messenger pigeon flapped its wings and left the forest, the master of the sonorous voice let out a smug snort through his nose.

  "Hmph, when I heard magpies chirping by my ears today, I knew that I'll definitely be lucky. The thirteen staff-using monks lost three brocade boxes, and those people only know that two of them have been stolen, but they didn't know that the bandit leader, who had the third brocade box, was killed… Heh heh, it's entirely their fault that we Seventeen Swordsmen of Yan Mountains will become rich!"

  "Big brother, you're really wise! There are now fewer than one hundred tributes left in the game. When the emperor's birthday arrives, the number will definitely be reduced even further. If we can get one, our names will definitely ring through the entire game!"

  The sonorous voice rose again. "There is no ifs in this! We will definitely be able to get that brocade box! Alright! Everyone, rest where you are. Remember, don't light a fire and alert the enemy. Also, Mount Song is filled with people right now. It won't be good if someone sets their sights on us."

  The group voiced their obedience!