Sword Among Us Chapter 5: Beginner Novice Level

"Very well!"

A gentle and pleasant voice came from the mouth of the master of Purple Bamboo Forest. There was a faint hint of admiration and mockery in it. "I would like to see whether the Murong Clan lives up to its name in terms of their martial arts, just like they did with their courage! My dear sword servant, give instructions to this boy."

The sword servant, who had not been doing anything in the sword pavilion, immediately moved forward. He did not show any hesitation even if his opponent was just a boy. However, once the sword servant walked out of the pavilion, many players outside the forest gained a deep impression of the player called Happy. 

However, they were in for a disappointment. 

The eloquent boy with the extraordinary bearing was even weaker than they were. The sword servant only used two simple skills before Happy was sent flying. No sign of the strong fighting against the strong could be seen. 

"Thank you for your lesson. I will come again."

Happy stood up. He did not feel defeated at all. He wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed. Before the other could speak, he quickly walked away while the crowd looked at him with gazes mixed with derision and pleasure derived from his misery. 

The sword servant stood dumbly on the spot for a long time while staring at the boy's thin back. He then turned around and returned to the pavilion. 

"You actually needed to use two skills against a child?"

"I understand my mistake."

The master of Purple Bamboo Forest could not help but lament. "It is fine. This child is not ordinary. That bearing and those mannerisms… If I did not have an understanding toward the disciples of the Murong Clan, I would have thought a successor disciple from the Murong Clan had come over to learn our martial arts. When he goes back, the Murong Clan Lady will definitely not let this matter slide. Continue fighting against him and grant him instruction…"

"But master, why…"

"You do not need to ask." The master of Purple Bamboo Forest seemed to know what the sword servant wanted to ask, so she chuckled softly. "You will not be able to defend against the people from the Murong Clan learning your craft. Since that is the case, it doesn't matter if we let them learn a few tricks. But the child is quite interesting as well. He actually came forth and told us his intentions honestly… He is very interesting."

Naturally, Happy knew nothing about this. 

When he returned to Murong Mansion, the white-clad Murong Clan Lady was waiting for him in the backyard. 

"My lady, I did not manage to get the purple bamboos. Please punish me."

"You fought against the sword servant of Purple Bamboo Forest?" The Murong Clan Lady cast a glance at Happy's dusty clothes and frowned slightly. "Did you mention the name of our clan?"

"Yes."

Happy narrated his encounter in Purple Bamboo Forest, and the woman nodded repeatedly. 

"You did well. You had the bearing the Murong Clan should have. By the way, you said that the sword servant delivered two strikes? Show them to me," said the Murong Clan Lady with a tone that allowed no refusal. 

"Yes." 

Happy had already understood the general gist of the quest. 

The Murong Clan Lady intended to investigate the foundations and skills of the Purple Bamboo Forest master through him when he fought against her sword servant. As long as he could remember the skills, he had an idea of what would happen next. The Murong Clan Lady should slowly teach him some skills that would specifically counter the sword servant's skills. 

At that moment, Happy suppressed the excitement in his heart and demonstrated the two skills the sword servant had used to attack him. He also showed her how he moved to avoid the attacks while flustered. 

After all, Happy already had three years' worth of experience in World of Martial Arts. Not only could he remember some skills after looking at them once, he could also bring out their form when he demonstrated them. When he executed the skills, he even perfectly emulated the sword servant's charm, and the Murong Clan Lady was quite surprised when she saw this. 

She could not help but say, "The first skill is rather normal. He used the third style from Turbid Principles Hand, Iron Palm Shakes Heavens. He did not need to use qi against you, and there was no power behind his attack. But surprisingly, you managed to avoid the tremors, and so, he should have thought that you were pretending to be weak and revealed his skills. 

"He used Beggar Sect's Mad Demon Staff Technique, so they are from Beggar's Sect…? But that's not right. It's impossible for Beggar's Sect to have such an elegant woman." The Murong Clan Lady fell into deep thought. She did not ponder about the reason why Happy could avoid Iron Hand Shakes Heavens.

"Mad Demon Staff Technique places an emphasis on speed and hopes to achieve victory by oppressing slow attacks with fast attacks… Hmm, he still found it beneath himself to use qi against a child like you. Looks like I will have to teach you martial arts that protect your lower body and joints. The martial art that relies the most on the lower body is Shaolin's Long Fist. It is energetic, sturdy, and relies on strength to subjugate the nimble."

The Murong Clan Lady brought out a book tied together with a string as if she conjured it out of thin air. She handed it to Happy with a reminder. 

"I will give you three days to break his Mad Demon Staff Technique! Don't forget to continue practicing Complete Reality Qi Cultivation Technique. During this period, if you have any questions, come and find me here."

Once she finished speaking, she walked away, leaving Happy alone while he looked like he did not know whether he wanted to laugh or cry. He held the martial arts book that all Shaolin secular disciples in the world could receive—Shaolin's Long Fist. 

And it was even a beginner's martial art. 

'I will endure this for the sake of Shifting Stars!'

Resolution shone in Happy's eyes. He then began training in the backyard. He could do nothing else about it; after all, his greatest regret in his previous life was that he had never received a matchless martial art. And right then, he had ran into a rare and valuable chance to get one, so there was no way he would not pursue it to the end.

When Happy began to train, his moves were actually quite on point. 

Shaolin's Long Fist was the most basic of all martial arts Shaolin monks would learn when they joined Shaolin Temple, which was a respectful sect in the world of martial artists. Thus, there was no way that Happy would have never learned it before.

However, he could not directly transfer his gaming experience from his previous playthrough into this game. He could only practice the skills again to slowly bring out the feeling he once had when he executed them. 

Even though he had to start anew, he could get the same results with half the effort this time, and he could execute the skills with ease. Soon, the noise in the backyard gained a rhythm, and the sounds became linked together. Every single time Happy executed a punch, the roaring of the wind could be heard. 

When he grew tired, he would meditate and use Complete Reality Qi Cultivation Technique to restore his stamina and spirit. Then, he would throw himself back into understanding Shaolin's Long Fist. In just a day, he pushed his Complete Reality Qi Cultivation Technique to Level 2, and his speed when he circulated his qi gradually increased too. 

As his meridian system was opened up and his body became stronger, the might of Shaolin's Long Fist also increased slowly. When he dealt a swift, explosive punch with all his strength, he could even make the air roar. He improved so quickly that perhaps no one in the Murong Clan could compare to him. 

But with just normal training, he would never be able to gain true improvement in the path of martial arts. This was something Happy knew very well. 

When his Shaolin's Long Fist reached Level 10, it would stop progressing. The progress bar would simply refuse to budge. If Happy were not busy with continuously studying and fusing his understanding of Shaolin's Long Fist from his previous playthrough into his current one, he would have left Murong Mansion a long time ago in search of real fights outside the city. 

Even though Shaolin's Long Fist could handle Mad Demon Staff Technique once he was familiar with it, Happy was a person who strove to do his best in whatever he did. Since the Murong Clan Lady gave him three days to study and understand the technique, he was not in a hurry to try it out. He intended to continue polishing his skills until he could meet the sword servant head on at the peak of his condition. 

He was going to suppress Mad Demon Staff Technique. The sword servant should not be a disciple from Beggar's Sect, but Shaolin's Long Fist was the basic skill of all the strong and fierce techniques in Shaolin, so it could be used against various practitioners of low-tier martial arts without its user being at a disadvantage at the first three strikes. 

Happy did not wish to be sent face-down the second time by the sword servant!