Chapter 345: Grandmaster!

From initial shock to numbness, the miners on the second level of the crystal mine had grown accustomed to Happy’s actions and vaguely guessed that he was training the level of his Golden Bell Shield. The only thing they couldn’t understand was why Happy gave up even defensive maneuvers and counterattacks to reduce damage—at that time, few people paid attention to how much experience an elite protective barrier absorbed when facing attacks from NPCs of different levels, let alone these ordinary miners.
Only Jade Coral and Black Rose seemed to gain some insight through Happy’s repeated defenses, watching more and more intently… especially toward the end.
The Golden Bell outside Happy’s body appeared to be becoming more solid, its contours growing clearer, its light more concentrated and no longer purely golden—it now exuded a sense of elegance and grandeur!
“Hah!!!”
With Happy’s bold and resounding shout, a stream of golden light suddenly appeared outside his Golden Bell Shield!
“Boom!!!”
It sounded like the distant chimes of an ancient temple, smooth and harmonious, elegant and majestic, giving off a profound and sacred aura.
King Stone was clearly not deceived by these appearances. As a stone ruler lacking wisdom, he had only the determination to utterly crush his enemy. “Thud!” A dark yellow punch wind struck the Golden Bell Shield at a speed beyond human endurance…
“Boom!!!”
The sound of chimes rang again.
This time, Jade Coral, Black Rose, Lei Zhan, and the others held their breath, staring in disbelief at Happy, who endured King Stone’s powerful punch without moving an inch.
Not a single step back… Happy hadn’t retreated under King Stone’s attacks. It seemed the Golden Bell Shield had absorbed much of King Stone’s force, and even a rebound pushed back his next attack slightly, preventing the relentless and fierce onslaught it had previously suffered.
“…”
Unbelievable!!
A master of the Mysterious Realm hadn’t budged an inch under the attacks of an NPC in the Liberation Realm, and his Golden Bell Shield even dimmed slightly.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
King Stone promptly changed tactics, using his punch wind to strike repeatedly—three punches in a row, moving at blinding speed, slamming into the Golden Bell Shield…
Three faint dents appeared on the round Golden Bell, but soon, the powerful punch wind spread across it again. There was a strange sense that the damage across the contact surface was evenly distributed by the Golden Bell Shield. Its brightness dimmed further.

Happy still stood firm before King Stone, as steady as Mount Tai, with a beautiful curve forming on his lips. He glanced down at his Silver Dragon battle armor, his eyes filled with excitement! The Silver Dragon set, with its 700-point defense, was indeed remarkable—it not only absorbed a significant amount of damage but also provided additional defensive boosts, allowing him to stand firm. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to remain stable like this.

Now…

Golden Bell Shield!

It had finally reached perfection…

The Master-level Golden Bell Shield:

Defense increased by 1,200 points, absorbed 20% of internal energy damage, reduced 20% of effective attacks, and maintained posture. The True Loyalty Art could also be used.

Amidst King Stone’s relentless bombardment, Happy felt a powerful heat stream transforming his body—his strength and bone structure. Mastering the Golden Bell Shield was equivalent to undergoing a complete transformation of his muscles and bones. With his physique strengthened to the extreme, his bone structure and strength naturally improved greatly.

“Ding!”

The system prompt arrived late:

“Congratulations! Your Golden Bell Shield has reached the Master level!”

“You gain an additional 2 points in comprehension, 10 points in bone structure, and 10 points in strength!”

“You also gain 10 points in internal energy!”

Higher bone structure meant better defense; higher strength meant stronger attacks. Innate attributes were still extremely important.

As soon as Happy received the prompt, he couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“Perfect timing!”

The attacks that had been suppressed for half an hour finally poured down on King Stone in their most fierce form…

Seven Stars Sword Technique!!

With his Golden Bell Shield now at full capacity, this was his fourth fully leveled superior skill (Fantasmal Demon had already mastered it during his escape!). Now it was time for the Seven Stars Sword Technique.

The defense of the Golden Bell Shield surged by 200 points instantly. Protected by the perfected Golden Bell Shield and the Silver Dragon set, Happy now had the strength to confront King Stone head-on. Combined with the Seven Stars Sword Technique’s ability to weaken King Stone’s attacks, King Stone no longer had the ability to maintain control.

Yes.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The miners on the second floor of the Crystal Mine turned in disbelief to watch the battle taking place inside.

Once, they had wondered when someone would have the strength to confront King Stone head-on, kill the boss guarding the second floor of the Crystal Mine, and see if they could obtain the highest-grade crystals…

But they never expected that this day would come so soon!!!

“Everyone!”

Happy’s clear voice suddenly rang out, clearly reaching everyone’s ears.

The group’s spirits lifted, and they all pricked up their ears.

“The Five-Faction Alliance has just reached an agreement, but many people will surely still have their own opinions about us. So, I hope everyone can keep this a secret for me. I don’t want the outside world to know about what happened here today.”
After a pause, he added cheerfully, “If anyone spreads this news or posts a REP, I reserve the right to take action.” These words were mainly directed at the miners from the other factions.
Sure enough!
Members of the three major factions all spoke up, promising to keep everything they saw today a secret.
The second level of the Crystal Mine was quite small after all, and with a REP posted online, it would be easy to determine whose perspective it was based on the angle, making it straightforward to trace back.
Happy didn’t say much more. After expressing his thanks, he entered a focused state, determined to take on Stone King.
Stone King also roared furiously.
Punches and sword flashes intertwined!
The two sides clashed back and forth.
Yu Shanhú and Hei Meigui, who were watching the battle, had their shock replaced by excitement.
Ever since Happy officially challenged Stone King, she knew that Stone King’s heart would likely fall into her hands before long…
Out of the four special items that had to be obtained from the bosses in the Liberation Realm, two were almost certainly within reach. In that race of speed, she could get ahead.
Noticing Hei Meigui’s joyful gaze, Yu Shanhú’s heart stirred.
“Maybe we can tell him the truth and ask him for help to get the other two items as well.”
“Girl, that’s not an ordinary task!”
Hei Meigui warned her in a low voice, frowning.
Staring at the silver figure fighting head-on with Stone King without giving an inch, Yu Shanhú’s gaze flickered with complexity. “With his current abilities, this task we value so much isn’t that important to him. Never mind, we’ll see at that time…”
Lei Zhan watched the two girls for a long time before turning his gaze away.