Chapter 543: Guo Jing’s Invitation

Ding!
The moment a man with long arms and thick shoulders landed across from the arena, a clear system notification sounded in Happy’s ears:
“Defeated two members of noble families, completing the ‘Stand Tall with Pride’ task. Insight increased by 3 points.”
“Successfully challenged Bei Lie. Battle assessment: S-grade. Demonstrated skills on the Dragon and Tiger Arena, gaining insights. The level of ‘Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms’ increased by 3 levels, reaching 96.78.”
The unexpected system notifications filled Happy with excitement. An increase of 3 levels for ‘Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms’ at such a time not only meant getting closer to the master realm but also improved its attributes—faster speed and greater destructive power.
However, logically, success in challenging Bei Lie shouldn’t result in such a large level increase.
Happy noticed a sentence in the system’s notification…
“Gained insights on the Dragon and Tiger Arena.”
A thought struck him—could it be…?
That fighting against top martial artists on the Dragon and Tiger Arena and winning would significantly boost one’s martial arts level?
Just as he was lost in thought, a dangerously intense aura suddenly surged from the opposite side: “Kid, haven’t the people of your Murong family warned you to be careful when fighting against me, the Armless Ape?”
Bang!
By the time he regained consciousness, the Armless Ape had closed in like a swift monkey. With a sweeping motion of his long arm, Happy instinctively activated his Little Dragon form, but still took a punch to the chest. His Golden Bell Shield trembled violently as he stumbled back three steps, showing just how powerful the attack was.
Damn it, getting distracted at a time like this!
Happy frowned tightly, not daring to neglect his focus. He quickly gathered his mind and retreated… yet was still hit by a follow-up punch wind. His chest tightened, and his Golden Bell Shield shook violently, on the verge of collapsing.
It was then that Happy finally realized the Armless Ape’s arms seemed longer than normal, and even more agile, which was why none of his dodges had succeeded.
Seeing the opponent attempt the same move again, Happy frowned and used his Dragon Seizing Hand.
A grab and a lock—
The opponent’s attack was instantly disrupted, his body stiffening, and panic flashed in his eyes.
Roar!
With blood boiling in his veins, a massive golden dragon appeared suddenly, blasting Shen Tong flying. Happy seized the opportunity to practice ‘Jinhua Jiuyang Gong’ to restore his internal energy and his Golden Bell Shield.

Shentong didn’t seem to suffer much from the previous attack. Two deep grooves were left in the ground where his feet had dragged, and he staggered violently, with a hint of blood at the corners of his mouth and a fierce expression on his face. “Truly worthy of being a disciple of the Murong family—even able to steal the ‘Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms’.”
“Enough nonsense!”
Happy was somewhat annoyed after being attacked twice in a row by Shentong. Hearing him mention stealing the “Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms” made her even angrier. She turned around, threw a punch, and a furious giant dragon quickly formed in her palm. It opened its maw and then swiftly detached from her body, charging at Shentong vividly.
Realizing that this attack was even more powerful than before, Shentong’s expression changed. He quickly tried to dodge, but the dragon’s agility far exceeded his expectations, leaving him no chance to avoid it. He could only curl up, raise his arms, and endure the second attack…
“Down!!”
Happy roared, channeling her internal energy. An even more ferocious and majestic dragon appeared right after, blasting Shentong into the air at the moment he was severely injured. With a swish of its tail, it threw him off the arena and sent him crashing to the ground.
Ding!
A system prompt immediately appeared:
“Three consecutive successes in the Dragon-Tiger Arena challenge—3 points earned!”
“Defeated the arm-strong ape ‘Shentong’ using the ‘Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms’—level increased by 2, reaching 98.80!”
“Choose to take a break or continue to the second round of challenges!”
“If you choose to take a break, you can challenge any opponent on the stage at any time to continue accumulating points.”
“If you choose to continue the second round, the difficulty increases, and you’ll face opponents among the martial arts masters.”
Hearing this, Happy felt extremely satisfied. As expected, succeeding in challenging one opponent would grant level experience, and it seemed the rewards grew richer as she progressed!
But unfortunately…
As the number of challenges increased, the subsequent opponents would likely become stronger:
The first was Dong Fang Xiong, who, though strong, was too arrogant and had weaknesses; the second was Bei Lie, against whom Happy went all out from the start;
The third was Shentong, who was somewhat unlucky. Since the enhanced effect of his “Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms” hadn’t faded, he took the initiative to challenge others. If faced with a similarly strong opponent who kept getting stronger, he wouldn’t have the ability to withstand even three attacks.
The fourth…
It was unknown who that would be.
Happy chose to step down and rest.

Although he was eager to take his “Eighteen Palms of Subduing Dragons” to perfection here, who knew if his next opponent would be someone like Guo Jing? Adopting a cautious attitude, Happy chose to step down and rest, waiting for an appropriate opponent and a suitable chance to return to the arena!
……
“Well done!”
Miss Murong stood up with satisfaction and welcomed Happy back. At that moment, the experts from the eight major families surrounding them cast complex looks at the two of them… especially the young disciples like Dong Fang Xiong, Bei Lie, and Nan Gong Ruoshui.
The former had been particularly resentful earlier, thinking he had simply been careless and had let the other take advantage of his weakness…
But Bei Lie’s defeat made it clear that Happy hadn’t used his full strength against him at all. Overwhelmed with despair, he stood among the crowd with a pale face, saying nothing. Since Bei Lie had been defeated openly, he had nothing to say. Besides, even the renowned Tongbi Ape had lost even faster, so he had nothing to be ashamed of.
Only Nan Gong Ruoshui felt extremely lucky…
Seeing Happy return, he silently stood behind Miss Murong’s tent again. The mouths of the disciples from the eight major families, who had been mocking him earlier, seemed sealed shut, creating an unusually tense atmosphere.
Just as a new opponent appeared on the arena, Happy saw Guo Jing striding toward them with confident steps…
Happy grew alert and thought to himself:
As expected, what was bound to happen has happened. Hero Guo can’t hold back anymore!
Although the “Eighteen Palms of Subduing Dragons” originated from The Heaven-Supporting Sword and the Dragon-Slaying Saber, it was ultimately the masterpiece of Guo Jing and Huang Rong. He wasn’t quite sure how to explain it. Sighing inwardly, he decided to take it one step at a time and see what Guo Jing had to say…
“Youth Happy, may I borrow a moment to speak with you?”
“Of course.”
Happy exchanged a reassuring glance with Miss Murong and followed Guo Jing to a secluded place.
“Youth Happy, since this is our first meeting, I shouldn’t be so formal. But since you possess the ‘Eighteen Palms of Subduing Dragons,’ everything becomes logical…” Guo Jing paused, then said gravely, “You are a disciple of the Murong family, which has gathered many martial arts from various schools. So, no matter where you obtained the ‘Eighteen Palms of Subduing Dragons’ or if you mastered it on your own, you must know that it is the unique skill of my Beggar Sect, accessible only to its successive leaders.”
“…”
Happy remained silent. “Hero Guo, please go ahead and tell me what you need.”
Guo Jing stared deeply at Happy, nodded, and expressed his thoughts:

“The Eighteen Palms of Subduing Dragons must not be revealed to outsiders. Moreover, outwardly, it can only be said to be understood through the Nine Yang Divine Art. If you fail to have your status as an heir to the Nine Yang Divine Art recognized by the martial world within half a year, I, Guo Jing, will have to take action myself to reclaim it…”
“Furthermore! You owe a favor to the Beggars’ Guild!”
Finally, Guo Jing said something that terrified Happy Heart: “Someday, if the Beggars’ Guild is in trouble, I hope Young Master Happy Heart will lend your full support!” His words seemed to imply something specific.
Without waiting for Happy Heart to respond, he left right away.