Sword Among Us c1-1268
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"Hmph, even if they look cool, what's the use in it? There's only ten spots, and now that we're here, what can they do? They're only this powerful…" some Unrequited Love Valley disciple sneered coldly in their group. The person did not notice though that the people near them slowly distanced themselves away.
The other people from the three groups had clearly noticed that the ten people who had already finished their fights were staring at them with hostile expressions. Regardless of whether they were from Murong Clan, who won the overall match, or the Mantuo Villa disciples, who were defeated and were ridiculed, when they heard the words, they put to memory the faces of the people who spoke.
It was especially so for the Mantuo Villa disciple who was circulating her qi to heal her wounds. Her eyes were cold and filled with fury. Her killing intent was incredibly great!
"Those idiots from Unrequited Love Valley are going to suffer now." Eleventh Crane had naturally noticed his opponent's anger, and he could not help but pity the person who had spoken without thinking about their words.
He knew very clearly just how strong was that female disciple!
The girl should be one of Madam Wang's favorite disciples. Her offense and defense were unparallelled, and her damage was most likely also very domineering. If it were not because Eleventh Crane had listened to Happy's words and delivered his greatest attack head-on instead of moving about quickly, her down-to-earth attacks would have been enough to drain his qi.
He was very fortunate to win just then!
The person who had spoken the arrogant words earlier, however, was about to be very unlucky now that he was targeted by that Mantuo Villa girl with the herculean strength.
Happy deliberately cast a glance at Mantuo Villa's Madam Wang, and he saw that she also had a chilly gaze. That could mean only one thing—the person who had spoken earlier was doomed.
The greatest selling point of the game was how much the players could interact with it. The NPCs would get angry, burn with rage, and would also play favorites!
The person mocked Mantuo Villa and the Murong Clan without even seeing where he was would definitely become a target during the subsequent matches.
"Zi'er, once you heal your wounds, teach that senior brother from Unrequited Love Valley a good lesson."
"Yes, mistress."
The axe-wielding female disciple pushed herself up with a palm against the ground. She easily lifted her axe and walked to the stage with a cold expression.
Thud!
The ignorant male disciple from Unrequited Love Valley was stunned. Then, he was called by the master of Unrequited Love Valley to enter the stage.
Chapter 520 - Title
The Unrequited Love Valley disciple who had boasted and bragged about himself grinned and cackled when he saw the female disciple who had lost just before their arrival and was busy treating herself go to the stage. He thought that he got lucky. He shrugged and went to the stage frivolously and in a very relaxed manner. He drew a masterpiece that had three colors flowing around it and created an arc in a very flashy manner.
"I will say this beforehand, even though you are a woman, I will not show any mercy." His voice was calm, as if he could send her to her feet with just one slash.
"Enough with the nonsense!" Zi'er stood her ground with her axe, and when she heard his words, she quirked her eyebrows. "Hmph, since you said that Mantuo Villa disciples cannot compare to Unrequited Love Valley, I will give you a chance to prove yourself. Don't be like a sissy who can only run his mouth."
The Unrequited Love Valley male disciple originally wanted to enjoy the fight, but it was clear that he did not expect that the woman would attack him with her words right when they arrived on the stage. His face instantly became darker, and he snorted coldly, "You're pretty good with your mouth, I wonder how good your skills are!"
"You'd best live up to your appearance and not end up being completely useless!"
Zi'er was someone who would appear unassuming when she kept quiet, but when she decided to attack, she was astonishing. Her mocking tone and the words that caused others to gasp in amazement shocked the man for a long time. It was clear that he did not expect that his opponent would be so fierce.
As the people watching the fight laughed, his face turned pale before turning red, and he roared in enraged embarrassment. Then, he struck out with his sword.
"It's over." When Happy saw the Unrequited Love Valley disciple's starting stance, he knew that he had already lost his calm. Attacking in such a reckless way at full strength allowed his opponent to see his true strength, and he was filled with weaknesses.
Things progressed just as he expected!
Boom!
Zi'er took a step forward, and at the moment the sword shadows came charging forward, she grabbed her axe hilt, and the greataxe that was as tall as a person was lifted from the ground. A whistling, cold gust of wind soared above her head, and with the momentum to cut down a mountain, she crushed the sparks from her opponent's sword. They shattered into countless pieces.
The horrifying greataxe hit the person's body with a force that could destroy everything with ease.
Body fortifications were incredibly frail at that moment.
Zi'er calmly snorted. "Turns out you don't live up to your appearance and ARE completely useless!"
Then, while the disciples from the five sects looked at each other in shock, she walked down the stage with her axe.
"That girl's good."
"Yeah, she's real fierce!"
Happy's expression remained the same, but he nodded slowly.
The others did not know what martial arts Zi'er used, but he did. Among normal martial arts in the system of martial arts, the ones with the greatest damage were bow techniques, and those that could compare to them were hammer and axe techniques, both of which could be used with axes. Their damage was so high that they did not lose to high-tier Moksha Realm martial arts!
Emperor's Hammer Technique was a supreme-grade martial art manual that cost cities, but could barely be found in the market in his previous life. Its damage was so great that it lived up to its name.
Besides, Zi'er clearly did not have a normal masterpiece, while the boy from Unrequited Love Valley had chosen to fight her head-on once he was provoked by her, which was just marching to his own death.
However, it had to be said that once Zi'er attacked, it caused the disciples around them to look Mantuo Villa straight in the face. They also realized that the Murong Clan disciples who had gone down the stage were extraordinary. If they could defeat this sort of person, their strength was probably even greater.
Those who lost three matches would lose their right to compete. Once everyone fought for ten rounds, those who had not lost their right to compete would gain the right to challenge others. Everyone had ten chances to challenge others and fight against the ten people who had the most points. If they won one round, they would get two points, but they would still lose their right to compete if they lost three rounds.
In the end, the ten who had the most points would become the disciples who would head to the martial arts tournament at Hero's Mountain Villa and receive a title.
When the best disciples of the five sects fought against each other, it was only natural that the onlookers got to watch something amazing!
Intense fighting could be seen everywhere.
For a period of time, the shadows of weapons could be seen everywhere within the area! All sorts of saber glares and sword forces could be seen intersecting with each other while axe howls rose into the air. It officially drew the curtains for the most intense fight for the competition.
Happy continued to use his sword.
The person sent by Peach Blossom Island was Huang Island, and it made Happy slightly wary. Huang Rong was the sect master of Beggar's Sect. There was a possibility that she might have come because of Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm.
If he revealed himself to be in possession of Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm i
n this competition, Happy did not know what sort of accidents might occur. Hence, he insisted on using sword techniques to win his battles.
Even though his Flying Dragon Sword Technique had yet to reach Grandmaster Realm, once he came to understand sword will, he had an easy time dealing with fights of this level!
Besides, even though the opponents from the five forces of power were very outstanding, it was very hard for them to force Happy to use Ten True Dragon Styles. He could end each fight with just two or three slashes, regardless of who his opponent was, and that included Zi'er!
The attack power of Emperor's Hammer Technique might be extraordinary, and it had unparallelled defense, but all it managed to do was make Happy display his attack speed and movement speed for the first time in front of the people from the five sects.
He did not give Zi'er the chance to fight against him head-on. He avoided such a tactic and attacked her from the side. After three slashes, he executed a profound kick, and with the smallest amount of force, he won against the herculean power contained within Emperor's Hammer Technique. He just kicked Zi'er off the stage.
He fought twenty matches, and he gained twenty points to become the person with the highest points in the tournament!
Eleventh Crane and Young Fallen Rain did not make Happy disappointed. They became the third and second people who did not need to continue competing after gaining respectively fourteen and fifteen victories.
The challenges began!
However, even though the trio stood on the stage for a long time, no one came to bother them.
Instead, Distinguished Dragon and Heaven were challenged repeatedly. They lost twice, but they immediately fought their way back to the top ten, and they were ranked at the ninth and tenth places.
Once the five spokespeople gathered together to talk to each other, they came to a conclusion of what titles they should give them.
"Flashing Sword Distinguished Dragon! Your sword moves like a flash, catching people off guard."
"Unyielding Blade Heaven! When you wield your dual swords, you fight to the end of your life."
"Emperor's Axe Young Zi!" Mantuo Villa's Young Zi had gained a place in the end among the top ten with her domineering Emperor's Hammer Technique, and she gained the mighty name of Emperor's Axe.
The seventh place belonged to an Unrequited Love Valley disciple called Purpose. His Unrequited Love Saber Technique was given to him personally by the valley master of Unrequited Love Valley, and his it contained a dismal presence that could disturb a person's will, which made their morale plummet and got them caught up in their own negative emotions. He gained the title Love and Emotions Ending Swordsman.
The sixth was Nangong Ying of Nangong Clan, an old acquaintance of Happy's. However, she seemed to have already expected it. The distance between them had widened due to the passage of time, and they were practically strangers at that moment, but she now had respect in her eyes when she looked at him.
She never came to speak to him, but her Nangong Ying's sword technique was indeed extraordinary. Her Nine Abyss Swordplay, which belonged to the Nangong Clan, looked pretty solid, and she was the one who caused Distinguished Dragon and Heaven to suffer their first losses in the tournament one after another.
The fifth and fourth places took everyone by slight surprise.
One of them was Purple Robes, who had been a nameless nobody before that. Every time, he would win by a slight advantage, but he was the type who became stronger the stronger his opponent was, and even when he faced up against Emperor's Axe, he never retreated. He used Happy's strategy and easily won.
The title he gained was also very interesting—Purple Robes Swordsman.
The fourth was Lu Jing, who was another successor of Peach Blossom Island. His Seventy-two Flute Techniques gave people the feeling that they were facing off an immense forest. He did not amaze the people too much, and neither was his presence very shocking, but Distinguished Dragon and Heaven simply could not win against him, so he gained the title Eastern Heretic Junior.
Young Fallen Rain was Needles in Sleeves!
Nine among the ten gained titles, but Happy did not receive any evaluation from the five.
Chapter 521 - Hero’s Mountain Villa
When the tournament ended, the result of the Murong Clan taking up six spots among the ten slots given to the five sects exceeded everyone's expectations.
The master of Unrequited Love Valley and Master Nangong had very sour expressions. Madam Wang of Mantuo Villa stared at the Murong Clan Lady, who looked gratified. There was a complicated look in Madam Wang's eyes.
The Murong Clan could be said to have gained a lot of glory. Only four people from the other four sects managed to get into the top ten. The Murong Clan had completely dominated the younger generation tournament.
Huang Rong of Peach Blossom Island did not seem to have been affected by the result. She just stared at Happy with a contemplative expression before she said, "Young Swordsman Happy, do you know why we didn't evaluate you at all or gave you a title?"
'You naturally have your reasons for doing so.' Happy might have thought that way in his heart, but he did not dare say it. He just smiled faintly. "I don't know."
"A title is the most straightforward evaluation of a martial artist."
Huang Rong seemed to have expected that Happy would say that. Her expression did not change as she started chatting with him in an eloquent and relaxed manner. "The titles we gave the nine contain our evaluation and understanding toward them, but…"
She paused for a moment, and her tone changed. "We know you the least among the ten. Rumors have it that you, Young Swordsman Happy, are very strong. Eminent Monk Kong Xiang of Shaolin Temple even said some time ago that you have the ability to fight against Inaction Realm martial artists, and one of your ultimate techniques is a palm technique that is incredibly similar to Beggar's Sect's Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm.
"The young disciples you faced cannot be used to gauge your real strength, which is why we cannot give you a title, or at least, we cannot give you one before we see your true strength and can make a good judgment."
'I knew it!'
In the end, Huang Rong could not hold herself back anymore. As the sect master of Northern Beggar's Sect, she could not help but mention Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm. However, Happy would not foolishly admit to it.
He evaded the mention of it and said, "Titles are not important. What's truly important is that I can go to Hero's Mountain Villa and join the martial arts tournament. I have already obtained the right to do so, right?"
"That's right."
The Murong Clan Lady did not wait for Huang Rong to speak again. "Others, you may leave now. The ten disciples who have obtained the right to participate in the tournament, come with us to Hero's Mountain Villa. As for you, Happy, your title will naturally be given to you when we are at the martial arts tournament and more martial artists come to challenge you."
The people were stunned!
When they looked at Happy, their gazes were filled with admiration and envy.
Countless martial artists would gather from everywhere at Hero's Mountain Villa, and there would be numerous amazingly talented people around. The situation was pretty good for them since they could go there and display their abilities, but Happy would gain his title while under the eyes of the world. This treatment was not something that a normal person could get!
Happy himself was also rather worked up, and his emotions surged.
But soon, he calmed down, frowned, and asked, "Where is Hero's Mountain Villa?"
Happy remembered that this martial arts tournament was never organized in his previous life. Besides, he only heard about Virtue Gathering Villa, not Hero's Mountain Villa.
What was even more surprising was that since so many martial artists were going to be gathered there, it should attract the martial artists' attention, and some hints about it should appear.
But the news had already been announced f
or four days, but no one knew where Hero's Mountain Villa was.
In fact, Happy suspected that it was a mysterious place that had been newly developed, because if it were really in China, there was no way the players would have missed it.
"No ordinary person can find out where Hero's Mountain Villa is."
Once the Murong Clan Lady answered in a vague manner, she exchanged a glance with Madam Wang, and the latter nodded before she said, "We will head to the port."
'The port?!'
Quite a number of disciples from the five sects who had stayed behind to learn of some news were shocked. Then, bitter expressions appeared on their faces. If the group traveled on the land, they might be able to follow after them and watch the glorious martial arts tournament in Hero's Mountain Villa, but the system clearly had the intention to separate the tournament from the eyes and ears of other players. If they had to travel on the sea to get to the place, it would be impossible for them to find Hero's Mountain Villa without a boat.
The group stepped on the ship Madam Wang prepared and had it sail to the river in a relaxed manner. Soon, they completely vanished from the sights of the dozens of disciples from the five sects.
At the same time, the other sects in the world of martial artists used different ways to hide their tracks while bringing their young martial artists who had earned the right to compete in the tournament to the mysterious Hero's Mountain Villa.
*****
Hero's Mountain Villa was indeed built in another region. Regardless of whether it was an island in the sea or a mysterious paradise on earth, it was impossible for the martial artists from all over the world to gather there within a short amount of time.
However, Happy and the others received the notification that they would reach Hero's Mountain Villa four hours later!
They logged off to make preparations, and when they returned to the game, they had already arrived in the region where Hero's Mountain Villa was.