Chapter 5: Beginner’s Introduction

“Good!”
A soft, pleasant voice came from the owner of the Purple Bamboo Forest, reaching Happy’s ears, carrying a hint of approval and slight mockery: “I’m curious to see if, aside from their boldness, the Murong family also possesses the same strength as their reputation in the martial world! Sword Slave, please teach this kid.”
Sword Slave, who had been standing motionless in the pavilion, stepped forward immediately, showing no hesitation despite his opponent being a child. Yet compared to the others, his action already left a deep impression on the players present regarding this player named Happy.
But to their disappointment…
The eloquent and imposing child turned out to be inferior to them. Sword Slave used just two simple moves to defeat Happy, with no sign of a true duel.
“Thank you for your guidance. I’ll come back again.”
Happy stood up, undeterred at all, bowed, and left quickly amidst the scornful and gloating gazes of the others, without waiting for a reply.
Staring at the child’s small figure, Sword Slave stood there in shock for a long time before turning back to the pavilion.
“You used two moves to deal with a child?”
“Sword Slave is at fault.”
“Never mind. This child is extraordinary—his demeanor, his expression… If I weren’t familiar with the Murong family’s members, I might have thought it was a direct descendant of the Murong family who came to steal martial arts skills,” said the owner of the Purple Bamboo Forest thoughtfully. “Letting him go this time, Miss Murong surely won’t give up easily. You should continue to spar with him and give him some guidance…”
“But master… why…”
“No need to ask more.” The owner of the Purple Bamboo Forest seemed to know what Sword Slave wanted to say and smiled lightly. “If someone from the Murong family wants to steal martial arts skills, it’s hard to guard against. So what if they steal a few moves? But this child is quite interesting—he even openly stated his purpose… Interesting.”
Of course, Happy had no way of knowing any of this.
Back at the Murong mansion, Miss Murong, dressed in white, was indeed waiting in the backyard.
“Miss, Happy failed to defeat Purple Bamboo. Please punish me.”
“You sparred with Sword Slave from the Purple Bamboo Forest?”
Miss Murong glanced at Happy’s dusty clothes and frowned slightly. “Did you mention the name of the Murong family?”
“Yes.”
Happy recounted what had happened at the Purple Bamboo Forest, and she nodded repeatedly:
“Well done. You didn’t lose the dignity of our Murong family. By the way, you said Sword Slave used two moves against you? Show me…”
Miss Murong said in an unyielding tone.
“Yes.”
By now, Happy had understood the general situation of this task.

Miss Murong planned to use her duel with the Sword Slave to uncover more about the master of the Purple Bamboo Forest and his martial arts. As long as she could memorize the moves, the subsequent plot would be clear. Miss Murong would likely start teaching her some martial arts based on the opponent’s moves.

Immediately, Happy suppressed her excitement and without hesitation demonstrated the two moves the Sword Slave had used against her, along with the evasion techniques she had used in panic.

After all, Happy had three years of experience in the martial world. She not only remembered the moves instantly but also executed them skillfully, perfectly capturing the essence of the Sword Slave’s moves. This impressed Miss Murong, who exclaimed in surprise, “The first move is rather ordinary—it’s the third form of Hunyuan Hand, Iron Palm Shaking the Universe. It doesn’t require internal energy to deal with you and lacks power… But you surprisingly avoided the ‘Shaking’ technique. He probably thought you were underestimating him, so he revealed his true strength by using the Crazy Staff technique of the Beggar Sect. So he’s from the Beggar Sect… No, the Beggar Sect can’t have a woman with such grace.” Lost in thought, Miss Murong didn’t question the real reason behind Happy’s evasion of Iron Palm Shaking the Universe.

“The Crazy Staff technique relies on speed to overcome slowness… Well, since he disdains using internal energy against a child like you, it seems he’ll teach you martial arts to protect your lower body and joints… Among all martial arts, Shaolin Long Fist is the best for strengthening the lower body—robust, solid, and using strength to overcome cleverness.”

Miss Murong magically produced a bound book and handed it to Happy, instructing her, “I give you three days to break through his Crazy Staff technique! You can continue practicing the Quan Zhen Xin Fa. If you have any questions, come to see me during this time…”

With that, she vanished again, leaving Happy with a puzzled expression, holding a copy of Shaolin Long Fist, a martial arts manual available to all lay disciples worldwide.

…Still a basic martial art.

“For the sake of progress, I’ll endure!”
With determination in her eyes, Happy began practicing alone in the backyard—after all, the biggest regret of her journey in the martial world so far was not having acquired even a fraction of an unparalleled martial art. Now that she had such a rare opportunity, how could she not pursue it to the end?

Soon, Happy started practicing Shaolin Long Fist skillfully in the backyard.

As the most fundamental introductory martial art of the Shaolin Sect and the basic skill of its top martial arts schools, how could Happy not have learned it?

But the experience from the previous round couldn’t be directly retrieved in the game; she had to practice again to slowly regain those skills…

Although it was a detour, the practice proved to be twice as effective, making it easier to master. Soon, the sounds in the courtyard gradually took on a rhythm and connected swiftly, with each punch accompanied by a faint whooshing sound. When tired, he would meditate, using the Quanxin Method to restore his strength and energy, then return to mastering the Shaolin Long Fist. In just one day, Happy advanced the Quanxin Method to its second level—the speed of its operation gradually increased. As his meridians expanded and his physique grew stronger, the power of the Shaolin Long Fist also grew, allowing him to unleash sudden, powerful strikes that even created a sound as they pierced the air. No one in the Murong family could match his rapid progress.

However…

Ordinary practice could never lead to true improvement in martial arts, a truth Happy understood well. Once the Shaolin Long Fist reached level ten, progress stalled, and no further advancement was possible. If not for Happy’s continuous exploration and integration of his past understanding of the Shaolin Long Fist, he would have left the Murong estate long ago to seek real combat experience outside the city.

Although the Shaolin Long Fist was sufficient as long as one became proficient in the “Frenzied Staff Technique,” Happy was someone who strived for excellence in everything. Since Miss Murong had given him three days to study and understand it, he wasn’t in a hurry. He planned to keep honing his skills before facing the Sword Slave at his peak.

Frenzied Staff Technique…

He had to overcome not only that technique but also the fact that his opponent was likely not a member of the Beggars’ Sect. Yet, the Shaolin Long Fist was a fundamental skill of Shaolin’s aggressive style—within three moves, it could match many inferior martial arts without falling behind. He certainly didn’t want to be knocked down by the Sword Slave a second time!