Sword Among Us Chapter 7: Three Moves

A coat of average quality could be made from a Complete Wolf Pelt. When Happy returned to Gusu City with the rewards he reaped, he managed to get forty taels of silver crumbs from the clothing shop. 

As a newbie, he could buy a set of equipment of average quality with forty taels of silver crumbs. In fact, he could even buy two simple martial art manuals in the market or a long saber or shortsword. With such items, he could make himself look more like a wanderer!

However, Happy did not have such intentions. With the money in hand, he hurried out of the city and headed to Purple Bamboo Forest, which was to the east of the city.

He had spent the entire day dealing with dozens of adult wolves, and they had contributed quite a lot to his growth. Aside from the forty taels of silver crumbs, they had also raised his Long Fist from the first realm to the sixth realm. The martial art had reached Level 53.8. 

However, as the lethality of the technique increased, it became increasingly more difficult to ensure that the wolf pelt remained in perfect condition. During the second half of the day, Happy did not even have the mood to pick up the wolf pelts anymore. He just left them there to dry in the wind before they vanished. 

The way to increase the levels of all martial arts was the same. The stronger the opponent one faced and the more in sync the mind and body were, the faster the martial art would improve. 

Once the martial art reached the sixth realm, however, it would be difficult for adult wolves to help with improving the martial art any further. That was why the moment it happened, Happy left the forest and returned to fulfill his promise. 

"Heh. You really came."

There were not that many onlookers this time around Purple Bamboo Forest, but there were some who were still determined to enter the sect of the master of Purple Bamboo Forest. When they saw the young house servant from the Murong Clan, delight filled their faces. 

With their judgment, they were naturally unable to tell just what was the difference between the Happy on that day compared to the one before. 

"Go."

The master of Purple Bamboo Forest gave a signal from the pavilion, and the sword servant walked out with his sword. He stood like a wall before Happy with faint traces of derision and mockery in his eyes. 

"I made a mistake by delivering the second strike last time. This time, I will not give you the same chance again."

Once the sword servant found out that the boy before him was a spy sent by the Murong Clan to learn their foundations, he was no longer as cordial as before. 

Happy did not bother with small talk either and just placed his palms flat against each other. 

"Please grant me your instruction!"

The sword servant might be in a hurry to send him away, but Happy, too, was in a hurry to prove to him his hard work over the past few days. While the disparity between their strength was great, Happy believed that he had a certain degree of chance to withstand three of his attacks. 

The woman in the pavilion stopped playing her zither. With her eyes shining, she looked at them from the forest with an expression of interest. 

The players around the area felt that the situation was abnormally exciting. They quickly found their spots to stand around and stare at the fighters. After all, they had played World of Martial Arts for a long time, but they had never actually managed to see any NPC fight against a player. 

"Receive my Mad Demon Staff Technique!"

When the sword servant shouted those words, he did not use the longsword in his hands. Instead, with an abnormal degree of flashiness, he attacked with a hand aimed at the boy's chest.

Even though he knew that the boy came from the Murong Clan and had definitely received instructions from a powerful martial artist, he refused to believe that a boy who had just recently began to learn martial arts could learn anything useful within a few days. 

The momentum of his first attack might have been fierce, but he held back a little. He did not use his full strength. 

Even though his strength had been seen through, Happy still did not show any emotion!

The moment the sword servant's attack reached its peak, Happy moved to the side and narrowly avoided the strike. By doing so, he managed to avoid the sword servant's first attack. 

His actions were performed in a calm and collected fashion. They were swift, simple, and had even a hint of indifference to them. In the meantime, the sword servant who had been careless and missed his attack looked ridiculous. 

"There are two more strikes."

"You impudent brat!"

After being mocked by the boy, the sword servant flew into a rage. 

Whoosh!

The sword in his hand was thrown swiftly into the air; the sword servant had let go of his sword! He formed his hands into the shape of claws and moved as if he was flying. In an instant, he closed in on Happy, giving him no time to dodge. 

But Happy did not plan to dodge anyway!

He simply allowed himself to be grabbed by his shoulders. Then, at the instant the sword servant was taken aback by his action, he exerted force and executed a Python Flip. He twisted his shoulder, caught the sword servant off guard, released the strength he had in his shoulder, tapped the sword servant on the chest, and used his full strength to send the man flying several feet away from him. 

The boy and sword landed on the ground at the same time!

"There's still the last atta—"

"Very good!"

Before Happy could finish speaking, the sword servant suddenly spoke loudly. He was not angry, but rather amused.

"A well executed Python Flip. You are truly an intelligent boy! Very well, I accept my defeat!"

At that moment, he fully understood Happy's strategy. 

Happy used the sword servant's derision against him in the first attack and moved lightly to avoid the attack. By doing so, he would be considered to have withstood the attack, and he also hid the fact that he practiced Shaolin's Long Fist. Then, during the critical moment, he used a Python Flip to escape his clutches and withstood the second attack! 

Because of it, regardless of whether he managed to withstand the third attack, Happy would be considered to have made it through all the attacks. The Murong Clan had already won its gamble. 

It was, of course, not pleasant to lose to a child, but it was worthy of a drink to be toyed around by an intelligent boy with great comprehension! The sword servant was not a petty person nor someone who broke his promises. He went into the forest and brought out a long, dark-purple bamboo which he handed to Happy. He also gave him a book. 

"Brat, by the looks of it, you have only started learning martial arts. If you find yourself unable to continue staying in the Murong Clan, come and search for my master. I will give you this qi cultivation book. While Complete Reality Qi Cultivation Technique is a traditional technique from a legit school, it is still a normal, low-tier qi cultivation technique. With your comprehension, practicing that qi cultivation technique is a disgrace to you… I will give you this book. When you are free, practice it."

Happy quickly glanced at the words on the book, and his heart trembled. He sucked in a few deep breaths before expressing his gratitude. 

"Noble sir, thank you for your gift! Please tell me your names."

A normal sword servant had actually generously gifted Happy Seven Stars Sword, the high-tier martial art from Complete Reality School. It not only had high-level incantations for qi cultivation techniques, but also contained forty-nine ingenious sword skills. While it could not be considered a peerless martial art, a player could still move into the ranks of the powerful with this sword manual alone. 

Such a gift was very good!

"There is no need for you to ask for our names. I will give you this plate. If you decide to leave the Murong Clan, you can head to Sword of Heavenly Lake Faction. They will treat you politely."

Once he finished speaking, the sword servant turned around and left. 

Happy might still have had some questions unanswered, but he knew that even if he continued lingering around the area, he would not be able to learn anything. He could only return to the Murong Clan with surprise, delight, and concern while carrying the manual and the purple bamboo. 

"A sword servant… from Sword of Heavenly Lake Faction?"

The Murong Clan Lady had been waiting for him in the backyard for a long time. When she saw the plate Happy handed to her, she pondered over it for a moment before swiftly returning the plate to him. 

"It's a rather famous sect, alright. They are also quite generous with their gifts, hmm? Seven Stars Sword, eh? Bah! Do they think that the Murong Clan doesn't have any high-tier martial arts? How dare they try to poach Murong Clan disciples in Gusu City's territory… Happy!"

Happy did not say anything to interrupt the Murong Clan Lady since the start of her rant, but he was already dancing in joy in his heart. He actually longed for the Murong Clan Lady to be so agitated that she would just teach him Shifting Stars. 

"From now on, you are Murong Clan's inner sect disciple. Hmph! There is no need for you to continue practicing Complete Reality Qi Cultivation Technique. Didn't he give you Seven Stars Sword?

"It's quite well-timed, because I will give you another book. It will teach you the Murong Clan's Swimming Dragon. Once you learn and understand the martial arts from the other sects to a certain degree, report to the master of the clan. He will teach you Shifting Stars."

"My Lady, thank you for teaching me!"

Chapter end