Chapter 344: The Secrets of the Golden Bell, Unwavering Loyalty

Happy’s actions were not well-received by everyone.
Although King Stone’s turn was not particularly agile, his speed and attacks were astonishing—after all, as an NPC at the Liberation level, his combat strength was extraordinary. A single punch from him would usually result in death or serious injury.
When they saw Happy willingly approaching King Stone, everyone froze in shock, too afraid to watch as Happy was flung away by him. Yu Shanhú and Hei Meigui suddenly felt some regret. They thought Happy must be encountering King Stone for the first time and had no idea just how formidable he was. It was astonishing that even an ordinary disciple at the Mysterious Realm could make King Stone chase after him… With narrowed eyes and tense bodies, the two women quickly prepared to rescue Happy and draw King Stone’s attention.
Yet they didn’t notice that Lei Zhan stood aside with his hands behind his back, seemingly unbothered at all. Not only did he show no signs of tension, but he also stared intently at Happy’s dazzling silver armor. It was the first time he had seen Happy wearing such gear!
Even during his fight with Lu Mingyue, Happy had been dressed in ordinary blue clothes. His serious demeanor now clearly indicated he was well-prepared.
Boom!!!
A dull impact sound echoed through everyone’s ears, instantly drowning out the noisy digging sounds from the second level of the crystal mine.
The moment King Stone collided with Happy, sword light shattered against his massive punch. Yet his fist struck Happy with devastating force.
But…
Happy wasn’t flung away by the punch!
The Golden Bell Shield dimmed significantly, emitting a loud trembling sound as its protective light fluctuated back and forth. It seemed King Stone’s attack had been partially deflected.
Hit by the force like being struck by a giant hammer, Happy stepped back three times before stopping.
“…”
The group was stunned.
Before they could realize what had happened, a stream of energy representing the Mysterious Realm surged out from Happy’s vicinity! Boom! The Golden Bell Shield shone brightly, its golden light resuming its peak state.
Happy stood firm, his expression unreadable.
King Stone’s second punch came swinging hard!
Boom!!!
The Golden Bell Shield trembled again.
Without even trying to dodge, Happy stepped back two more times!
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
Unimpeded, King Stone’s punches rained down like the wind, one after another, striking Happy relentlessly. The golden light on the shield flickered wildly, dropping from its peak state to utter darkness in the blink of an eye.

The onlookers forgot about mining and stared in amazement at Happy, who had withstood dozens of attacks from the Stone King without falling, as if they were witnessing some kind of human monster. Jade Coral and Black Rose gasped in shock, finally realizing that Happy’s resilience wasn’t recklessness but rather the result of being fully prepared from the start. That silver armor must have absorbed much of the damage from the Stone King on his behalf. But Lei Zhan didn’t think so! Boxing techniques were slightly inferior to sword or knife skills—faster in speed but lacking in lethality. Moreover, Happy’s “Golden Bell Shield” provided better defense against pure attacks than the mysterious “Void Spirit Body,” absorbing and dissipating damage while offering nearly a thousand units of physical defense. Combined with the silver armor and his Liberation-level boxing skills, it was indeed difficult to seriously injure Happy in a short time. Now, the only thing that puzzled Lei Zhan was why Happy was using so many Jade Dew Pills—it seemed overly extravagant… Aside from using his sword earlier to reduce some of the Stone King’s damage, he simply let the Stone King attack without blocking or counterattacking, acting like a target. … Truly befitting a Liberation-level boss, even with the Silver Dragon Set reducing damage by nearly one realm, the Stone King’s fierce attacks quickly shattered the Golden Bell Shield. The once-gleaming golden shield became thin and dim, on the verge of shattering with just one more hit. Illusionary Magic Movement! In a critical moment, Happy promptly activated this movement, darting from beneath the Stone King’s left side to behind him… Whoosh! A flash of sword light struck the Stone King briefly before retreating ten meters away, handed over to a disciple of the Blood River Sect to keep distracting the Stone King and forcing it to flee. Jade Coral and Black Rose thought the battle was over and waited for Happy to come over to ask for details, only to find him sitting down in the center of the crystal mine, meditating to heal himself. Star Breathing Technique! A rare sight appeared around Happy’s body—within the deep darkness, a starry pattern gradually lit up. As the breathing technique continued, his internal energy and injuries recovered rapidly. His pale, sickly red complexion faded, and his mental and physical strength quickly reached their peak. Huh! Three minutes passed. Happy opened his eyes again, staring at the Stone King chasing closely behind the Blood River Sect disciple, a rare smile appearing on his face.

Since he was under pursuit by the Jinyiwei and couldn’t train in peace, he came to a special area inaccessible to them. His main goal here was to raise both the “Seven-Star Sword Technique” and the “Golden Bell Shield” to the Master level. It turned out his idea was good. With a Boss from the Liberation Realm as a training partner, progress was much faster than with ordinary Life-and-Death Realm NPCs… Normally, even hundreds of attacks from Life-and-Death Realm NPCs might not raise the level by 0.01, but with King Shi, without affecting his killing power, just two punches could raise it by 0.01. Despite taking three Jade Dew Pills earlier, enduring over a dozen more attacks from King Shi still raised his level by 0.07. At this rate, he would soon reach 99.99. The Golden Bell Shield at the tenth level was worlds apart from that at the eleventh level (Master)! In the ruined temple on Songshan Mountain… The reason Happy chose the “Golden Bell Shield” instead of those eye-catching Shaolin martial arts wasn’t out of disdain for Shaolin’s skills, but because the “Golden Bell Shield” itself was one of the Shaolin’s Seventy-Two Masterful Arts. Moreover, once fully mastered, its power was beyond ordinary imagination—a fact that was gradually revealed only in the later stages of his past life. The Shaolin Temple was hailed as the Temple of National Protection during the Tang Dynasty. At that time, the Golden Bell Shield was still unknown. Yet who would have thought that it carried the meaning of loyal protection of the nation! Indestructible—that was loyalty! With his eyes slightly open, Happy glanced at the status of his Golden Bell Shield. Due to his battles with Lu Mingyue and Silver Fox, he was only 0.70 levels away from perfection. Just ten more rounds… and he would achieve mastery of the Golden Bell Shield… Thinking of this, Happy took a deep breath and rose to his full height from the ground! Boom!! Under the astonished gazes of those around him, a golden hue quickly appeared on the surface of his silver-armored body as he unleashed his full power, charging once again toward King Shi with unwavering determination.