Sword Among Us c1-1268
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With one palm strike, he struck away the throwing knives and hidden weapons that came flying at him without losing his momentum. He shot above the crowd like a bird, and with a roaring dragon-shaped vortex crashed into the crowd.
"No good, it's Happy!"
"RUN!"
The might of his fist could at most cause a few people to fly away, but many noticed the dragon-shaped vortex on Happy's arm as well as heard the dragon's roar in their ears.
Instantly, their faces turned pale. They recognized Happy, and as they cried out in surprise, they quickly scattered and fled.
"Why is this fiend here?!"
A person's reputation was very important!
Happy might have vanished for two months in the game, but the person who had caused Class One Hall to be in their current state of weakness and made the four great sects divide the territory in the game equally was him. He killed Zhou Yu with two moves, intimidated Dream Clouds, Blood Robes, Zhou Yu, and a group of other top-class elites, and he also forced Class One Hall to retreat repeatedly to the north.
Profound Sky Sect might be arrogant, but they knew that they were not as domineering as Class One Hall! They also did not think that their measly dozen people were stronger than the one thousand people in Beijing.
"You'll all die here."
Happy tapped against the ground and shot in front of the escaping people like a bolt of lightning. His palms moved like the wind.
"AH!"
"AAAHH!!"
The eight players who were right in front were hit so hard that they coughed up blood and flew back before crashing on the ground and rolling a few times on it like a ball. The others s.u.c.k.e.d in sharp breaths, and it was only then that they realized that Happy's movement speed surpassed what they understood.
"Happy!"
"Why are you here?"
"This is great! These bastards from Profound Sky Sect don't even look at who they're attacking. How dare they try to attack the people from Murong Clan and Gusu's six man group!"
When Happy took off his Bamboo Hate, the anxiety on Whirlwind Young Li's face vanished, and he placed his hands on his waist with smugness on his face.
"What's going on? Why are you fighting against these people?"
Eleventh Crane put away his bow and glared at Profound Sky Sect members who were so shocked that they looked like they were struck by lightning. He came over then and offered an explanation.
"Something happened. Recently, we noticed a tomb filled with traps downstream of Gusu City. Once we finished the quest, the tomb turned into a crystal mine, and Profound Sky Sect appeared to suppress us from all sides. They locked down the mine, monopolizing it. We've fought against them a few times, but we didn't expect them to gather their people outside the city to kill us."
When Happy heard of a tomb with traps, he quirked his eyebrows, but he soon recovered.
"Are those people over there also from Profound Sky Sect?"
"They're people Young Li and the others brought up over this period of time," Eleventh Crane said while walking over.
When Happy heard this, he was stunned.
He redirected his gaze, and it was only then that he noticed that there was a strange picture serving as a sect emblem on Young Li's c.h.e.s.t. Eastern Green Gate and the others had similar emblems, and they looked very embarrassed.
It was only at that moment that he remembered them saying that they wanted to rely on themselves to carve out their successes through their own efforts. By the looks of it, the six had been able to do it.
"We'll talk about the other matters later!" Once Happy said that, he released an astonishing presence. "We have to save them first!"
When they sensed the gazes Happy and the others cast on them, the Profound Sky Sect members instantly felt as if they had fallen into ice, and they g.r.o.a.n.e.d in their hearts. They immediately cursed the person who had organized the operation.
Chapter 512 - Ancient Tomb Filled with Traps!
Right when the news of Happy appearing in Gusu City spread out, Profound Sky Sect, who had risen to power less than half a month ago in Gusu City and was incredibly fierce, disappeared without a trace. There were some who left, while the others just scattered. No signs of Profound Sky Sect members could be found in Gusu City anymore.
Gusu Tower, which was set up by Whirlwind Young Li, Eastern Green Gate, and the others, were worshipped by countless people. When they learned that Whirlwind Young Li and Eastern Green Gate had been friends with Happy for a long time, Gusu Tower became twice as strong overnight.
When Happy returned to Gusu City, he had Whirlwind Young Li, Eastern Green Gate, the others by his side, and he asked about the ancient tomb filled with traps downstream of the area outside Gusu City.
Whirlwind Young Li was incredibly excited. "Oh, you're talking about that? It is no longer an ancient tomb. It has already become a crystal mine. The master who built that ancient tomb wanted to hide the secret of the crystal mine, so he intentionally sealed off the path to it. He didn't expect that it would end up benefiting us. Heh heh.
"|With a crystal mine as our resource point, the development of our tower will become much faster, and the profit of our people will also increase exponentially. If we can get a unakite, we'll be rich."
"Yes, we didn't know that one single resource point could earn us so much money in the past. A few days ago, a few of our tower members dug out a few unakites and dozens of Stones with Water. We earned tens of millions."
Eastern Green Gate's words dazed Happy, and he suddenly felt that there was a distance between them.
He sank into deep silence.
"Use this crystal mine well. If any sect like Profound Sky Sect causes you trouble in the future, just tell me straight away."
No matter what, this part of land belonged to Jiangnan. Not only was it within Chivalry Sect's sphere of influence, Mu Clan also extended its reach to this place. If anything really happened, Mu Clan and Chivalry Sect could both interfere in time.
Whirlwind Young Li looked at Happy with a complicated look. He hesitated for a few seconds before he finally mustered his courage.
"Happy, I'm sorry…"
"Huh?" Happy was stunned.
Then, he saw Whirlwind Young Li, Eastern Green Gate, and the others put on awkward and ashamed expressions as wekk. Whirlwind Young Li said, "We've just occupied this resource point and began to excavate from it. When we heard you mention the crystal mine just now, we thought that you wanted to take that resource point from us. Aren't we just sc.u.m?"
When he finished speaking, they did not even dare to meet Happy's eyes.
Happy smiled. "I see, so that's how it is. Your expressions had been really weird while we were on our way back. So you're worried that I'd take that place, huh? Don't worry. I haven't reached the stage where I'll snatch resource points from my own friends."
"We…"
Right when Eastern Green Gate was about to speak, Happy spoke up again and interrupted him. "You don't have to say anything. I know that you've just built your own sect, and if you have problems in protecting your own and your tower's benefits, you won't be able to make your tower members accept your leadership. Don't worry, I can understand it."
When Eastern Green Gate heard Happy's words, the words that had been on his tongue died away, and he looked visibly touched.
As they conversed with each other, the group returned to Gusu City and entered Murong Clan.
It was only then that Happy remembered that he still had something very important that he had not asked about.
He stopped moving. "Young Li."
Whirlwind Young Li also stopped.
"Just one question. Who's the one who completed the quest for the ancient tomb?"
When they heard Happy ask about the ancient tomb again, strange expressions appeared on the faces of the people behind them. They trained their gazes on Eleventh Crane.
Eleventh Crane walked over with a hint of puzzlement as well as expectation. "I was the
one who completed the quest in the ancient tomb."
Happy was pleasantly surprised about the happenings when he came to understand why Whirlwind Young Li and the others would have the chance to be the first to excavate crystals from the crystal mine downstream. They were in a favorable position to get the crystal mine.
"This is what's happening." Happy changed his tone. "I once found an ancient tomb that is also filled with traps while I was in the north. I want to ask whether you noticed anything strange in the ancient tomb."
"Anything strange?"
A sparkle appeared in Eleventh Crane's eyes, and he cast Happy a profound look. He lowered his head calmly and brought out a snow-white object from his Universe Bag.
"Is this considered strange?"
Eleventh Crane held a snow-white jade slit ring that resembled a comma with the curve looking incredibly like the arc on the Taichi symbol. There was an exquisite and small hole at the center of the largest part of the jade slit ring.
"There's no name, no attributes, no quest within it, and no information about it. Are you talking about this?" While speaking, Eleventh Crane handed the jade slit ring to Happy with an expectant and nervous gaze.
Happy only needed to give it a look to know that it was precisely the item he had in his memories.
However, he resisted the urge to take it. He touched the jade slit ring that had a hint of warmth on its round and cold surface before he nodded.
"It's precisely that."
"You know what this is? What's its use?" Surprised delight appeared on Eleventh Crane's face.
In truth, he got this item off a puppet at the peak of Moksha Realm within the depths of the ancient tomb. A puppet trap at Moksha Realm had defenses that even surpassed those of a Stone King, but he used half a day and a lot of special arrows to whittle down its HP and finally killed it.
And no matter where he went, he could not find any information regarding this jade slit ring. In fact, even diviners could not figure out its origins. After half a month, Eleventh Crane became utterly disappointed.
However, he did not expect that when Happy heard about the ancient tomb filled with traps, he seemed to know that there would be this sort of item within it. But as delight filled him, he also felt disheartened.
After all, he had spent a great deal of effort to get the jade slit ring, and it was the most mysterious item he had. He did not expect that the answer to its mystery would be in someone else's hands. It was inevitable then that he would feel disheartened.
"Looks like you still don't know what this item is used for."
Happy cast a glance at Eleventh Crane's face. There was a disheartened expression on his face, along with a refusal to admit that he had been unable to learn the answer.
Happy toyed with the mysterious jade slit ring in his hands before returning it to its owner. "Open your map and take a look."
Eleventh Crane took the jade slit ring and did what Happy said. Then, he shuddered. Incredulity appeared in his eyes, and he looked as if he had just experienced great shock.
"What's wrong?"
"Aside from me, there's another mark on the map." Eleventh Crane finally understood the secret of the jade slit ring due to Happy's suggestion. "What is this?"
"I don't know as of now, but I do know that there isn't just one of these things, so the piece that you have in your hands is incomplete. If you don't mind, I'd like to exchange it with one fourth-echelon equipment," Happy said.
When he said that, Eleventh Crane shuddered. He was frozen in shock.
'A fourth-echelon equipment! Is this jade slit ring worth this price?'
The price Happy offered was simply beyond what he could understand.
Chapter 513 - The Promise from Murong Clan’s Master
Eleventh Crane thought hard about the offer. The fortune contained within this mysterious jade slit ring could be a martial art manual, hidden quest, or a divine weapon, but he had not received any clue about it for a long time, and even when Happy told him about it, he still found himself unable to do anything about it. He did not understand the true value of it, but he did know about the value of a fourth-echelon equipment very well.
Once Happy made the offer, Eleventh Crane agreed to it practically without thinking. He said that it would be best if he could get a weapon or armor.
Lately, the grade one equipment that players created on their own had been coming out one after another. Even though they did not have any innate attributes, their defenses were usually very high, so much so that they surpassed normal grade one masterpieces, which was why they were still very popular among many players.
Happy did not answer immediately. He sent a messenger pigeon to Thunderous Battle and had him form an inventory list so that Eleventh Crane could choose on his own.
As for him, he took the jade slit ring and walked into Murong Clan calmly. He left behind Whirlwind Young Li and the others surrounding Eleventh Crane while filled with harmless envy toward him.
In the current World of Martial Arts, fourth-echelon equipment was the sign of a great player jumping to the ranks of top-class players!
"Old Crane! You have to treat us to a meal now!"
"Hahahaha… I definitely have to…"
Eleventh Crane smiled so wildly that his teeth could be seen. He wrapped his fist in his palm and saluted his friends.
Once Happy entered Mu Clan, he was led to the main hall of Murong Mansion under Uncle Rong's lead.
Happy quickly noticed that there was something abnormal about Uncle Rong's expression. Murong Clan seemed to be swathed in a rather solemn atmosphere. What surprised him even more was that last time, the main hall of Murong Mansion was a region where only the inner members of Murong Clan (who were also NPCs) could come and go freely, so it was basically an important ground for the clan.
This time, however, it was open to many Murong Clan disciples, and quite a number of elegant men and women walked in and out of the hall. When they saw Uncle Rong personally lead someone over, they could not help but cast him a few more looks.
Happy could not suppress his curiosity and asked, "Uncle Rong, did something major happen in our clan?"
Uncle Rong answered in a solemn voice. "The master has long since ordered that once you returned, I was to immediately bring you to him. You will naturally understand everything else when you see the master. The lady is also there."
Happy did not say anything, but he understood what had happened.
He had only completed half of Shifting Star's quest, so it should not be enough for him to meet Murong Clan Master personally, so he was probably going to meet them for the matter with the salt ship and him killing General Yang.
With various questions in his head, Happy followed Uncle Rong and entered a side hall attached to the main hall.
The Murong Clan Lady, who was dressed in white, stood beside the ink wash painting in a dainty manner.
Beside her was a middle-aged man with extraordinary bearing. He stood with his back facing Happy in a relaxed manner while he admired the ink wash painting of mountains and rivers. With just one glance, he could attract a person's full attention. He gave off the feeling that he was a great man worthy of admiration.
"Master, Happy has arrived," Uncle Rong said to the person.
Murong Clan Master turned his head around. He had an old face, and there was a hideous scar on his forehead. It caused Happy to feel that there was a huge disparity between the person's back and his face.
"You're here." His voice was sonorous, steady, elegan, and clear.
It was the first time Happy met Murong Clan Master He s.u.c.k.e.d in a sharp breath before he snapped out of his amazement and went up to greet him.
"I, Happy, greet the master."
"I heard from my Yu'er that you are a model hero of Murong Clan's current generation. I will not beat around the bush for your reward. I was not around last time, and Yu'er said you did well during your mission to protect the salt ship. General Yang's death might have brought
us some trouble, but now, we no longer face any obstacles on our sea route to sell salt."
Muron Clan's master's voice was calm, and he regarded Happy with an admiring look. "But I did not expect that you would be able to improve so quickly within just a short few months. Not only did you perform outstandingly at Light Summit, you also obtained unanimous praise from the six great sects.
"There are a few sect leaders who sing praises about you, especially Emei Sect's Sect Leader Zhou. She said that you are the benefactor of Emei. You have brought great glory to me."
He paused for a moment before he changed his tone. "Since you have performed outstandingly at Light Summit, Yu'er has been urging me to summon you back to reward you, and I have been thinking all this while how I should do it. You do not seem to need any weapons or equipment."
Murong Clan Master observed Happy's face, and Happy felt as if he had been seen through. "When the martial arts tournament is officially launched, follow Yu'er to Hero's Mountain Villa to join the martial arts tournament. During the tournament, you must remember to bring glory to the Murong Clan again.
"Do not let the Nangong Clan or any other clan suppress us. As long as you manage to get into the top three, when you return, I will give you Shifting Stars before the end of your quest. What do you think?"
"I understand." Happy was happy.
He originally thought that since he still had more than forty martial arts that had not reached the requirements, he would have to push back practicing Shifting Star until half a year later, or perhaps even later.
He did not expect that Murong Clan Master would bring it up ahead at that moment.
"Don't be too happy just yet!" Murong Clan Master's tone suddenly became incredibly stern and solemn. "While I was in Beijing, quite a number of martial artists sent me word, and they mentioned your deeds in Beijing. You have a lot of courage for daring to invade Ruyang Mansion. If it were not because Prince Ruyang is currently having trouble protecting even himself, perhaps even I would have no choice but to expel you."