Whoosh!
Happy moved like lightning. He shot to the side when he heard the wind move, and then, a huge pit was formed at the spot where he originally was, terrifying him so much that he broke into cold sweat.
If that hit struck someone, if they did not die, they would definitely be disabled!
It was the first time Happy came to learn of the abbot's abilities, and he found that it was very difficult for him to parry the attacks! He felt very dejected at that.
If his strength had not reached a certain level by then, if he had not been part of Shaolin Temple in his past life, which allowed him to have a deep understanding toward their martial artists, and if he did not have Golden Bell Cocoon as well as the defenses from his equipment to withstand the blows from the attacks, there was no way he could have lasted until then.
But as time passed, Happy gradually found his rhythm.
Using Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm to suppress Master Kong Xiang would definitely not work. Happy had no way to receive two of the monk's vajra attacks without getting hurt, unless he used Dragon Fights in Wild.
Happy tried his best to maintain his strength while he used Air Slicing Palm Strike to create trouble for Master Kong Xiang. He also used Ten True Dragon Styles to receive Master Kong Xiang's attacks.
'Thirty-five… thirty-seven…'
Happy counted the moves while completely immersed in the rhythm, so he did not notice that a very heroic-looking man sitting beside Duan Yu on the other side of the spectator seat had slowly stood up. He stared at Happy's figure on the stage with burning eyes with a solemn gaze.
"Sect master?"
"Sect master, what's wrong?"
Duan Yu also noticed that there was something off about the man's expression. He quickly moved his gaze away from One Emperor and Zhou Zhiruo and got up to say, "Big Brother Xiao?"
The man beside Duan Yu was Xiao Feng, the sect master of northern Beggar's Sect!
The solemn look on Xiao Feng's face did not fade away even after some time. He did not answer but instead looked at the rather quiet and honest-looking man who was not good with words, who had a buzz cut, and who was surrounded by four beautiful maids.
"Second brother, do you remember the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm that big brother taught you?"
"Of course."
Xiao Feng's second younger brother was naturally Palace Master Xuzhu of Vulture Spirit Palace, and he nodded vigorously. "There is no way I would dare to forget the ultimate technique of Beggar's Sect."
"But do you remember that I once told you that the original Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm was actually supposed to have twenty-eight moves? I extracted the essence of eighteen of its moves and did not record the remaining ten in the current ultimate technique of the sect."
"Of course I remember."
Xuzhu might have been a little slow and quiet, but Duan Yu quickly reacted to the situation. His eyes lit up, and he said, "Are you saying that someone stole and learned the other ten moves?"
"I don't think he stole it."
Xiao Feng was a forthright and heroic person, so he regarded the concept of accusing someone with unfounded claims with disdain. He only needed one glance to tell that even though the moves Happy executed were incredibly similar, they had been modified and were even more profound. Besides, they had actually gained a unique air when they were matched together with Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm.
The fierce and battle-crazed dragon seemed to have become able to adapt to any situation.
Xiao Feng no longer answered his brothers' questions. He just watched the stage from a distance while mumbling to himself. "That young man might actually be able to last more than one hundred moves before Master Kong Xiang."
The others fell silent.
Vast Heaven had been paying attention to the few legendary martial artists next to him, and when he heard that, his expression changed drastically.
Executing Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm, Ten True Dragon Styles, Golden Bell Cocoon, and Phantasmal Body Movement Skill required a lot of qi, and when under great pressure, Happy needed even more of it!
Yet he could not handle using all the moves repeatedly.
Besides, Dragon Tiger Arena did not allow the usage of any medicine unless it was an antidote. Hence, Happy used up a lot of his qi when he was under the high pressure brought by Master Kong Xiang.
At that moment though, instead of saying that he was fighting hard to last through one hundred moves, it would be more accurate to say that he was trying to save up qi. He did not dare to relax even in the slightest while on the task.
No matter what, however, the speed of palm techniques was always above that of heavy weapons.
Once Happy got closer, he used Dragon Capture!
The vajra froze for a moment. A strange power entered Master Kong Xiang's body through the weapon, and even though it only lasted for a moment, it gave Happy a lot of chances.
His fingers were worth gold, and one hand could serve as a blade!
Master Kong Xiang had just recovered his strength when he was struck by a hidden force on his right elbow. His vajra froze, and Happy caught up to him with continuous short and swift footsteps. He took a step forward with his right foot, and it was just in time to stop Master Kong Xiang from retreating to the spot where he wanted.
"ROAR!"
Master Kong Xiang's upper and lower body were both attacked consecutively. Even if he had extraordinary skills, he was also surrounded by danger.
He withstood two of Happy's palm strikes delivered at full strength with a grunt and flew more than thirty feet away. When he landed, he took a few huge steps backward as well.
Happy did not dare to be careless. He retracted his aura, and his Golden Essence Nine Yang Skill began to circulate madly. He seized the short time Master Kong Xiang's qi had begun tumbling to restore the qi he had lost.
Fortunately, Golden Essence Nine Yang Skill's recovery speed was several times that of Emei Sect's Nine Yang Skill, and when he used it while attacking with Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm, he actually only used up a very small amount of qi. As long as he made careful calculations around his qi and made sure he did not fall below Life and Death Realm, he would be fine.
Even though Happy felt regretful and guilty for fighting against Master Kong Xiang, everyone else saw the two sides actually switch positions in regards to offense and defense. Every time Happy activated Ten True Dragon Styles, Master Kong Xiang became at a disadvantage and was even forced to take a few steps back when Happy set him up.
The two sides exchanged blow for blow as they fought fiercely.
Once they exchanged more than sixty moves, Happy felt even more proficient and familiar with his techniques. Under the great pressure given by Kong Xiang, his Ten True Dragon Styles and Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm had the chance to work together closely once more, which was a rare chance. One of them focused on offense, and the other on defense. One of them focused on pushing forward, and the other on retreating.
Sometimes, Happy was forced to take the initiative to attack for the sake of retreating. At other times, he had to activate Petite Dragon to retreat for the sake of his next attack.
"Last ten moves!"
Master Kong Xiang was repeatedly harassed by Happy's Ten True Dragon Styles and was miraculously suppressed during all sorts of critical moments, which made it difficult for him to exert strength. He was shocked by Happy, but also felt aggrieved. Finally, when the ninetieth move arrived, his momentum changed, and his Demon Subduing True Qi was retracted into his body.
Clang!
Master Kong Xiang stabbed his vajra into the stage and let go of his weapon. His face was solemn as he pushed his palms together.
"Amitabha. Young Swordsman Happy, you have actually managed to force me to this extent. You are indeed someone rare in the younger generation."
While the monk spoke the name of Buddha, he took the posture of Flower-pinching Finger, which was made when Guanyin showed compassion to mor
tals.
Chapter 552 - Surprise
Flower-pinching Finger was one of the seventy-two ultimate techniques of Shaolin Temple!
It was a rather domineering finger technique, and while its might could not compare to that of Six Pulses Divine Sword, Joined Finger, and Throw Spirit Sphere, it had its own uniqueness.
It was soft and silent. It was as gentle as if one was using their fingers to pinch a flower, but when the enemy was unaware of it, the user could subdue the enemy!
When Happy saw that Master Kong Xiang had let go of his vajra and performed the Flower-pinching Finger posture, he immediately knew that getting close to fight against the monk was no longer practical. He tapped against the ground and gently flew dozens of feet away from Master Kong Xiang. He landed sixty-five feet away from him, exhaled, and shut his eyes.
"What is he doing?!"
Quite a number of players at the foot of the stage looked shocked.
Only Zhou Yu and a few other people understood that Happy wanted to use his ability to determine positions by listening to the wind to handle Master Kong Xiang's Flower-pinching Finger, but they were very perplexed. Why was Happy so certain that Master Kong Xiang would use such a rigid fighting style?
"Amitabha."
Master Kong Xiang was looking at Happy when he suddenly cried out the name of Buddha. The people at the foot of the stage immediately felt as if thunder had just roared by their ears. His voice surrounded them, and their ears rang. At the same time, they saw him tap against the air with his finger.
'It's coming!'
Happy might have suddenly lost his senses which could help him determine the location of the attack because of Master Kong Xiang's voice, but he used his perception of the qi flow.
An afterimage that had a hole left behind by a finger was at the spot where Happy originally was.
Thud!
A deep and small hole appeared on the sturdy floor on the stage behind it. Happy's real body had already moved six and a half feet away when he stopped moving.
"Good movements." Master Kong Xiang nodded in praise.
Happy did not dare to be careless, and his tone was respectful. "You showed mercy to me, master."
"Heh heh. Do be careful with the next attacks."
Master Kong Xiang did not deny it as well. His expression became stern then, and he tapped the air with both hands. One tap, two taps, and three taps. Three balls of barely visible ripples appeared in the air in front of him.
Happy's expression changed.
He did not think that the attacks would be so brutal this time! The taps just then were actually three attacks together, and they were all fired very closely to each other. They blocked him from three directions, and those three were all his best escape routes…
What caused him to feel even more suffocated was that Master Kong Xiang had swung his arm when he delivered those three taps. He then spread his hands to quickly tap at the air again and again!
'This is insane!'
Even though Happy had been thinking of holding back, Kong Xiang seemed to have noticed something, and he chose to attack at full force.
An incredibly stern expression appeared on Happy's face. Phantasm Body Movement Skill was activated, and with Petite Dragon, he jumped into the air to avoid the three taps from reaching him. His Golden Bell Cocoon was also swiftly summoned.
A layer of golden light showed up before his body stopped moving. It was like a dazzling, golden sun that quickly appeared from his body to hurry forward and negate the effects of Flower-pinching Finger.
The sixth tap and seventh tap then arrived, breaking the Golden Bell Cocoon!
Master Kong Xiang's expression became more solemn. Even though Happy's Golden Bell Cocoon had been completely destroyed, there were still three moves left before the one hundred moves were done.
"Go!"
Master Kong Xiang never hesitated in his movements. He chased after Happy and poked at the air. Then, he pressed against it with both hands before he quickly tapped twice.
Thud! Thud thud!
Happy's expression changed. His smooth evasions suddenly came to an abrupt halt, and he stopped in a very rigid manner. He punched forward, but the dragon-shaped vortex around him was crushed by an astonishing force. He shuddered and crashed into the floor as if he had been struck by lightning. Two bundles of shattered stones exploded violently at his sides, and two huge pits were formed on the floor beside him.
A stunned expression appeared briefly on Master Kong Xiang's face. Then, he smiled wanly and stopped attacking. "Amitabha! Young Swordsman Happy, you have great wisdom. I am impressed."
Happy had forced him to use the profound secret of Flower-pinching Finger, which was a formless attack, for the final strike, but Kong Xiang did not expect that Happy would choose to receive the first of the three attacks to avoid the subsequent two attacks, which were much fiercer.
"I was lucky."
Happy was actually drenched in cold sweat, and it even spilled on the floor. His memories of that attack from his previous life were still fresh, so he knew that if he did not avoid it, he would have to waste one of the villa master's Illusion Life and Death Pill, since he no longer had the protection of his body fortification.
"Since that's the case, I will admit defeat and go down the stage."
At the moment Kong Xiang turned around, the system sent a notification.
"Ding!
"Increase Comprehension by three points. Increase level of Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm. Successfully reached great completion and Grandmaster Realm!"
An astonishing wave of qi surged into Happy's body, and he sensed that his meridian system had expanded by quite a lot.
He sat up cross-legged and circulated Golden Essence Nine Yang Skill to restore his wounds. At the same time, he quickly checked the condition of his body.
As expected, if he won several consecutive rounds in Hero's Mountain Villa's Dragon Tiger Arena, the level of his Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm increased, and his qi rose by more than ten points. Also, his Arm Strength and Affinity had both gained more than ten points and broke through the great wall that was 130 points.
At that moment, Zhou Zhiruo and One Emperor's fight resumed.
Zhou Zhiruo held Heavenly Sword while One Emperor held a black divine sword in his hand. Both sides had their sword qi move about freely, but neither could do anything to the other. Zhou Zhiruo had Nine Yang Manual to support her, and her speed was incredibly quick while her strength was astonishing. She could perfectly suppress a few of One Emperor's sword techniques, and Happy felt tense just by watching it.
In truth, he did not wish for Zhou Zhiruo to lose, but he also looked forward to fighting against One Emperor!
However, one of them had to lose!
"Let's end this!"
When One Emperor saw that Happy's fight had ended, he let out a fierce bark of laughter, and an astonishing ball of light shot out from him.
Zhou Zhiruo snorted coldly. A huge palm made of white bones quickly formed in front of One Emperor to go up against the ball of fierce black light. Then, it closed around it…
The next moment, the few piercing rays of black sword glares moved like tidal waves and broke through the bone palm to stab violently into Zhou Zhiruo!
She grunted and flew off the stage with her sword!
He might have cut down Nine Yin Skeleton Claw, but the remaining force in it had slammed into his body. He flew into the distance like a kite with its strings snapped and left the stage.
Little North and the others at the foot of the stage were dumbfounded by what they saw. It was only then that they realized why Happy previously said that Zhou Zhiruo was even harder to handle than Kong Xiang. Zhou Zhiruo had a divine weapon with her, and only someone like One Emperor could fight against her. If Little North had gone up, his three precious zombie puppets might have been cut down by a single slash!
When Little North saw One Emperor and Zhou Zhiruo heavily injured, he came to understand ju
st how accurate was Happy's judgment at that time. A woman who knew Nine Yin Manual was indeed terrifying. It was no wonder then why Zhang Wuji had to avoid her at all costs.
However, One Emperor and Zhou Zhiruo had been forced off the stage at the same time, so everyone was concerned about the outcome of their match. Would One Emperor continue with the challenge, or would his journey on the Dragon Tiger Arena end?
That was something they cared about a lot.
The people worrying about it included Happy. He, too, stared at the duo who fell off the stage. He held his breath and listened for the judgment of the villa master as well as the heroes of the world.
Chapter 553 - Retain Right
The villa master stood up!
He looked around at the sect leaders of the six great clans, Five Sword Sect Alliance and other sects, and once he gained a common view, he made his announcement.
"Since the fight ended in a draw, I have decided that both sides will retain the right to continue competing."
The moment he finished speaking, quite a number of people instantly felt relieved.
They looked forward to the fight between One Emperor and Happy, and if they missed out on such an exciting match, they would definitely think that it was a pity.
But there were also a few people who thought it was a pity already.
Vast Heaven was one of them!
If One Emperor was announced to have lost his right to compete, there would be no need to say anything else. Vast Heaven would become the second strongest in the world, and he would be a full step ahead of One Emperor, the delight of which could not be described in words.
Silver Wolf and Little North were also regretful, but their thoughts were different.
Silver Wolf was worried that Happy would lose. After all, One Emperor and Happy's promise was about three months later. But if they fought now, they would be fighting in public, before the eyes of the world.
If Happy lost, his mysteriousness and strength would become a stain. At the very least, everyone would come to know that Happy was not invincible, and that would affect even Mu Clan's morale.
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