Sword Among Us

Panda Novel

The current World of Martial Arts was no longer the World of Martial Arts in the past.

In the past, an elite in Life and Death Realm can already be considered a first class elite with just a set of grade one masterpieces at the fourth echelon. In fact, they can even jump straight to the ranks of the top class elites.

But now, after one year and a half, the people were now completely different, even though the game was the same as ever.

The game was filled with Moksha Realm elites.

Everyone paid attention to refining their four attributes. As long as their equipment was the same, their strength will basically be equals. Anyone who wanted to be above someone else must have a decent base in their martial arts, superior wisdom and boy constitution, top-class martial arts, and equipment that was better than what was in the market. None of those can be missing.

Now, Happy’s base for his martial arts was already so good that there was no doubt for it.

But since he had not been training for one year and a half, Life and Death Realm was already at the level that was below the main trend.

While his wisdom and body constitution was pretty good, it can no longer be considered to be above others. Time can allow many those who were mediocre to close the distance between themselves and him. Some can even surpass him.

As for top-class martial arts? Happy never had any.

His equipment was also very awkward. Grade one masterpieces at the fourth echelon were something that were considered to be items Happy did not need to have in the other world, and they were definitely items that the players did not need after the game had been running for five years.

Happy lost in all the four advantages.

Right now, if he really wanted to get back on his feet and climb to the peak, the difficulty will be a thousand times harder than trying to get to the top of the world in the other universe.

A miracle in the fortuitous event. That was what he needed.

At this moment, a normal high intensity training and hard work can no longer help Happy reach his goal. At the very least, he will be unable to cover up for the lack of training for one year and a half years within the next few years.

This was the future, not the other life.

In the other world, he had experience that no one ever had, but in this world, many people had experience he did not have.

“Let’s hope master has an underlying meaning behind what he said.”

When he arrived at the cliff shrouded by clouds, Happy’s gaze as he stared at the fog ahead of him gradually became firmer.

At that moment, the area behind Happy was very quiet.

Now that the game had been running for five years, no one cared anymore about the monks who were only at Mystical Realm, and the monks who broke their vows will also take the initiative to cause trouble to players at Life and Death Realm or even those at Moksha Realm.

And since there was no one around, no one noticed another person walked into the clouds and fog Mad Monk created with his head held high.

“I am Shaolin Disciple Happy. I’ve come here on orders from my master, Monk Xuan Jing to come to Punishment Monk to receive your teachings.”

“Enough with the nonsense. If you want to inherit my legacy, then last through ten of my moves. Life and death already has nothing to do with me.” Mad Monk’s voice came from the fog. Even if so many years passed. His voice was still airy and majestic.

‘I knew it! It’s still the same sentence.’

Happy was disappointed.

The plot-relevant quest he expected was not triggered, and Happy instantly felt like retreating. Plenty of Moksha Realm elites and even One Emperor were unable to clear this, and Happy did not have the confidence that he can clear it.

But right when he moved his feet, he suddenly thought of how hard he will have to train in the future, and he immediately stopped moving!

He stopped playing one and a half years ago.

When he first entered the game, he was only late by around one month. In the end, he needed a total of three months before he barely made it into the ranks of the top-class elites at that time.

Right now, he was one qi realm away from the others, and he had a one year and a half’s delay.

If he wanted to catch up to Blood Robes, One Emperor, and Evil Emperor, whom he never met but had the ambition of taking over the whole world, it was clear that using normal methods was no longer feasible.

He cannot spend another three years in this.

He repositioned his body, which was already turning around.

Within a moment, Happy cast aside all worries, and his heart was calm as water.

Even if he fell off the cliff, he will only lose ten percent of his strength.

He automatically circulated the orthodox Shaolin Temple’s Demon Subduing Qi Cultivation Theory, and he was covered in true qi.

Then, he activated his qi realm.

Bang!

A soft sound rose, and a faint qi flow gently rushed into the area with the fog.

After his character was revived, this was the first time Happy activated his qi realm. Every time he activated one qi realm, his body will shudder a little, as if the blocked meridian system will force its way through his body to make a smooth path for his qi. At the same time, he felt a sense of delight and excitement that he had not felt for a long time.

Blessed Realm!

He closed his eyes and activated the second qi realm.

“Bang!”

Happy’s body shuddered again.

Blessed Realm!

Bang!

Mystical Realm!

Crackling sounds rose.

Bang!

Life and Death Realm!

He activated all his qi realms, and a life force that made him feel relieved as well as a familiar power flowed into Happy’s body, causing him to be unable to help but release a delighted sound, showing just how much a pleasant feeling he felt in him.

“Have you made your decision?” Mad Monk’s voice rose in the area with the fog again.

When that voice entered his ears, Happy answered with so great a composure that he was like an immovable mountain. “Please grant me your instruction, master.”

His voice was clear, and it was neither arrogant nor humble. “Alright, you will try to fend against ten moves from me. Regardless of what methods you use, as long as you can receive these ten moves, I will take you in as my successor, if you can’t, I will throw you off the mountain.”

Mad Monk seemed to be encouraging Happy to take those ten moves.

Warmth surged in his heart.

Whoosh!

Mad Monk attacked.

An astonishing qi force suddenly came charging at him from the thick fog. The momentum was not small, and it nearly distorted most of the fog in the area to form a huge fist.

When he faced Mad Monk’s attack, Happy acted calmly.

“Golden Bell Cocoon!”

A golden bell rose from his body, and he moved ingeniously.

By the looks of it, he seemed like he wanted to receive the attack head on, but at the final moment, he used his body fortification to cleverly withstand some of the damage from the attack. His Golden Bell Cocoon never once swayed.

This was an experience Happy had gained over the past few years.

When it came to experience in handling those at Myth Realm, Happy can be considered to be among the top.

He had already been beginning to face them while he was in this world, and when he went to the other world, he used his Nine Yang Divine Skill to practically understand many Myth Realm martial artists’ skills during his trip at the plains.

Hence, Happy remembered one thing. Before his enemy showed his face, he will not take the initiative to attack so that he will not reveal too many openings and give his enemies a chance to attack him.

Reality proved that his strategy was a little effective.

At the very least, this attack allowed Happy to gain some initial data.

Mad Monk only used an attack at the level of Life and Death Realm. His Golden Bell Cocoon was practically undamaged.

“Not bad! You used your Golden Bell Cocoon pretty well.” Mad Monk’s voice came from the fog, and he laughed.

“Second move.”

Happy listened to the wind to determine the location of the attack, and he quickly locked down on the changes in the flow of air in the thick fog. Two fists that were the exact same as the fist just now appeared.

‘Is it so simple?’

Happy could not quite believe it.

He was nearly unable to hold himself from attacking.

But when he thought about it, he knew that it was impossible for things to be so simple. Hence, he immediately became calm again and waited. When the fist-generated wind closed in on his body, he used Arhat Hand Remover to receive the attack.

It was very difficult for Life and Death Realm attacks to create any sort of damage or effect on the current Happy.

When the third move came, Happy discovered that it was still an attack at the level of Life and Death Realm.

This time, another fist was added, and the attack was a three-pronged attack.

‘The difficulty is increasing.’

Happy finally became alert.

He managed to withstand the attack head on without being harmed, again.

“Fourth move.”

Happy seemed to be able to hear the faint sound of someone activating their qi realm in the thick fog.

Right when this thought appeared, a whistling sound came at his face.

‘So fast!’

This attack was one time faster than the attack just now.

This was clearly an attack with the power of those at the peak of Moksha Realm.

However, Happy quickly reacted to it. He raised an arm, and with a pleasant sonic boom, his fist accurately rammed into the fist-generated wind that came at his fist.

Bang!

Happy took one small step back.

Right when he moved, two howling fist-generated wind came charging at his face, and the power in it was completely the same as the one fist-generated wind from before. However, the increased attack rhythm instantly jacked up the level of threat in the attack.

Happy was even more certain now that with each move, the difficulty will increase in an orderly manner.

When the attack was about to touch him, Happy activated his Golden Bell Cocoon again. At the same time, he pushed his palms together, and a pure as well as thick qi force rammed fiercely against one of the fist-generated wind.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Before Happy could destroy the second fist-generated wind, Mad Monk had already delivered his fifth attack.

The speed increased.

Four fist-generated wind came closely one after another.

Happy’s expression finally changed.

Mad Monk actually used a gentle method in attacking in the beginning so that his challengers will get used to it and make them careless. Later on, not only will the attack power increase like a steep slope, his attack speed will also increase by a large margin.

When the fifth and sixth attacks arrived, an even more astonishing presence started brewing in the thick fog. Now, Happy faced an attack at the peak of Inaction Realm.

This was practically the same as a full powered strike from a great elder in the evil cult. To the current Happy, it can already create a certain degree of threat.

If he did not increase his progress in handling those attacks, he will be forced into an even more defensive position later on.

“Break!” In his shock, Happy decided to not retreat. Instead, he moved forward and jumped up.

While he was airborne, he swung his foot.

Demon Subduing Vajra Kick!

He also activated Wind Spirit Spin!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

All three fist-generated gusts of wind were destroyed at the same time.

But that was not all, when he executed his Demon Subduing Vajra Kick, Happy used the force in the air to pounce into the direction where the presence belonging to those at the peak of Inaction Realm was. Then, he delivered two remote palm strikes without hesitation.

“Huh?” A faint, surprised gasp rose from the thick fog.

When the fierce sound of qi force breaking rose, Happy knew that he succeeded.

Mad Monk’s seventh move was destroyed at the moment he accumulated enough power for it. After all, there was no way someone can actually hide the presence from Inaction Realm, and it finally gave Happy a direction.

Even though there was a fist-generated wind in Life and Death Realm can actually completely destroy an attack at the peak of Inaction Realm, if it contained hidden force, then it was another matter entirely.

Mad Monk’s voice then became serious. “Very good. It has been a long time since anyone forced me to use the eighth move and ninth move. Boy, you’re pretty good, but a pity, because this is the end.”

The density of the thick fog suddenly became greater. When Happy’s vision was limited, two presences at the peak of Inaction Realm suddenly rose.

Then, the third presence at the peak of Inaction Realm appeared!

It was as if Happy was instantly surrounded by five elites at the peak of Inaction Realm.

‘Would be great if I practiced Shifting Stars.’ Happy instantly smiled wryly.

Five attacks at the peak of Inaction Realm was not a joke. It was enough to push him down from Punishment Mount.

“Take this.” Mad Monk snorted coldly. A terrifying presence that covered the entire world instantly descended from the sky and sealed off all the possible routes Happy can take to escape.

‘Loyalty to Protect the Country!’

During the critical moment, Happy gritted his teeth and activated the profound secret for Golden Bell Cocoon!

A layer of golden light rose from his body. At the moment the attack was about to touch his body, it was like a sturdy wall and blocked the five attacks miraculously.

He saw a chance to escape! But it will be gone in a moment!

But who was Happy? He seized that chance and escaped from that dangerous situation with a whoosh!

‘I made it through the ninth move!’

Just when Happy put on an excited smile, an absolutely terrifying momentum suddenly descended on Punishment Mount.

He did not have the chance to react to the situation at all. Happy grunted, and he was sent flying away by a powerful force he never sensed before.

This was an attack at the level of those at the peak of Myth Realm, and the speed was at the same level. There was no way he can avoid or fight against it.

He flew at least one hundred feet horizontally away from where he was!

He froze for a moment. Then, a sudden, shocking feeling of weightlessness rose from below him.

At that moment, Happy’s entire body turned cold.

He had already left Punishment Mount.