Chapter 926: Breaking the Impasse, Making a Choice

Half an hour passed…
As Happy finished writing the last word and stepped away from the chessboard, Master Xuan Kong stroked his beard and smiled:
“Your move was truly ingenious, young disciple. I’ve set up the ‘ZhenlongZhenlong (Chinese chess endgame)’ here for over a decade, meeting countless heroes from the martial world—yet none have been able to solve it.”
“It’s Master’s superb chess skills that allow him to integrate martial arts into his gameplay and guide younger generations. I’m in awe,” Happy replied humbly.
“Not bad. You have good insight,” Master Xuan Kong said with a joyful smile. “To remain calm amidst the chaos—you, Junior Brother Xuan Zhi, have indeed found a fine disciple.”
Ding!
System notification:
“Insight increased by 1 point!”
“You’ve mastered the ‘True Dragon Ten Styles’.”
“You now know the first style, ‘Catching the Dragon,’ the second, ‘Little Dragon Form,’ and the third, ‘Dragon’s Tail Swing.’”
The continuous system alerts finally put Happy at ease!
He had it. He had finally obtained the ‘True Dragon Ten Styles’ as he wished.
Eager and excited, Happy stood up and thanked Master Xuan Kong once again.
“Haha, no need to thank me. Your ability to master the ‘True Dragon Ten Styles’ stems from your extraordinary insight. An ordinary person might spend a lifetime without grasping its essence.”
After saying that, Master Xuan Kong added, “It’s time to fulfill my promise now.”
“…”
“Many years ago, I promised myself that whoever could solve the ZhenlongZhenlong (Chinese chess endgame) and free me from my own constraints would be granted a martial arts secret manual… Now you’ve done it… Go take a look. These were all handwritten by me over the years. Choose any one as my reward to you.”
Happy was stunned.
He remembered that solving the ZhenlongZhenlong (Chinese chess endgame) would grant him the ‘True Dragon Ten Styles,’ but he had forgotten about this additional reward.
Master Xuan Kong’s reward was also a martial arts secret manual!
In fact, this was a reward no less valuable than the ‘True Dragon Ten Styles’.
But in another world, because he wasn’t very familiar with ultimate martial arts, he had chosen the ‘Golden Bell Shield’ without hesitation—since it seemed most useful at the time and was the one he knew best.
But…
He had always regretted that choice later on.
Although the ‘Golden Bell Shield’ was very helpful in the early stages and could produce astonishing results, it could be obtained through other means. Yet in this room, many martial arts secret manuals were worth many times more than the ‘Golden Bell Shield’.
Now, faced with another choice, Happy was both excited and surprised, yet also calm…
This time, he must choose carefully.

Happy silently admonished himself:
Now that he had the “Yijin Jing,” he would soon be able to reach the state of liberation. There were many excellent martial arts techniques in that state of liberation… Martial arts? Lightness skills? Defense techniques? Hidden weapon techniques? What was he really in need of? Happy was somewhat confused. He stood up and went to the bookshelf to examine them carefully. Master Xuan Kong did not disturb him, standing quietly behind Happy. Suddenly, Happy’s gaze fell on a copy of the “Yijin Jing”… His eyelids twitched violently, and he gasped in shock. He quickly picked it up… The first time he saw the “Yijin Jing,” he had no idea how precious it was, but now it was different!
“You have good eyesight. It seems Junior Brother Xuan Zhi has taught you a lot.”
Master Xuan Kong laughed behind Happy. “The ‘Yijin Jing’ is a precious secret scripture of Shaolin. It can transform a person completely, with unparalleled effects, second only to the miraculous ‘Jiuyang Shengong’. Do you really want it?”
“No…”
After hearing Master Xuan Kong’s explanation, Happy’s heart raced even more, but upon hearing his question, he immediately denied it. “I’ve actually already learned the ‘Yijin Jing’.”
“Oh?”
Xuan Kong looked surprised and examined him from head to toe. “Your muscles and bones seem normal, but your eyes shine with brilliance—seemingly at the initial stage of practicing the ‘Yijin Jing’.”
“That’s right.”
Happy nodded and asked, “I wonder if you have the ‘Ximesi Jing’ here?”
At these words, Xuan Kong frowned deeply. “…You even know about the ‘Ximesi Jing’?”
“Yes. If you have it, I would like to obtain it.”
“Very well. Since you’ve been fortunate enough to get the ‘Yijin Jing’, it must mean you’ve received recognition and inheritance from some senior at Shaolin Temple…” After a pause, Xuan Kong found a soft yellow silk scroll on the other side and turned back, saying, “The ‘Ximesi Jing’ is another precious scripture of Shaolin. It focuses on cultivating inner spiritual essence. It cannot be practiced alongside the ‘Yijin Jing’. One must first achieve perfection in muscles and bones before they can purify their essence… Remember this!”
As he took the scripture, Happy’s heart burned with excitement.
“The ‘Ximesi Jing’—a precious scripture of Shaolin. Requirements for practice: Root strength 300, arm strength 300, comprehension ability 300. Practice must be done at the state of liberation, and one must also have reached the eleventh level of perfection in the ‘Yijin Jing’. After practicing, it further strengthens one’s body and cultivates inner spiritual essence, enabling complete transformation!”
Looking at the “Ximesi Jing” in his hands, Happy felt as if his entire body was about to burn: He now had both the “Yijin Jing” and the “Ximesi Jing”.

In other words, there’s no need to wait three years at all; once he masters the “Yijin Jing,” he can start practicing immediately to further strengthen himself.
Three good things happened today in a row…
By some strange coincidence, he obtained the teachings of the mad monk; then, thanks to his experiences in another world, he got the “Zhenlong Shishi” along with the “Ximesui Jing,” which he would have only obtained after three years.
Although he died once today, for Kai Xin, acquiring these three supreme techniques was well worth it!!
“Blood-clothed one…”
“Evil Emperor.”
After putting away the “Ximesui Jing,” Kai Xin’s face shone with radiant excitement!
……
“Hey, you seem in a good mood after quitting the game.”
“Did you notice?”
“I thought you’d be frustrated after realizing everyone there had reached the state of liberation or even non-action.”
“How could that be? I’m full of fighting spirit now.”
“Hehe, that’s good then.”
Nurse Xiao Yi breathed a sigh of relief.
After quitting the game, Kai Xin chatted with Nurse Xiao Yi for a while when suddenly he saw a young man sneaking a peek inside.
“Why is this fool here?”
Nurse Xiao Yi noticed Kai Xin’s distracted gaze, glanced back, stuck out her tongue, and walked away.
Kai Xin immediately understood: it was Nurse Xiao Yi’s boyfriend.
Realizing he had been overthinking, he picked up the tablet beside him, opened a website, and browsed through news he had missed over the past year and a half.
But as soon as he entered the forum, he saw his name in a highly popular post, causing him to frown immediately:
“The once-renowned global top-16 expert ‘Kai Xin’ mysteriously reappears at Songshan Shaolin, his skills as sharp as ever! On his first day back, he solves the ‘Zhenlong Canju,’ a puzzle unsolved for five years! The master returns to the martial world, dominating it!”
The popularity of this post continued to rise, clearly with many people following it eagerly.
Without even looking, Kai Xin knew that the one who revealed his identity was that “little thief” he had defeated. After seeing Master Xuan Kong leave with Monk Zhi Heng and the entire temple turn to ashes, it wasn’t hard to guess that solving the “Zhenlong Canju” was related to him.
Though Kai Xin hadn’t expected to be brought to the forefront so quickly, he didn’t show much surprise or nervousness upon being exposed.
Confidence…
In another world, he was recognized as the greatest expert in the Central Plains and the leader of the largest gang. Having long shattered the Yipin Tang, his arrogance was ingrained in his bones and flowed in his veins—how could he worry about such things?
Still…
Seeing this post, Kai Xin couldn’t help but click on it.

No one would want to know how many familiar faces would appear when they return after a year and a half.
“No pictures, no truth!”
“The original poster is a scammer. His real name is Chen Kaixin. He was framed by Xueyi a year and a half ago and has been in a vegetative state, lying in bed—how could he appear in the game?”
“Is it true?”
“Scammers deserve to die.”
“I can testify. I’m from the same sect as the original poster. The person who really entered the temple indeed has the cultivation level of Life and Death Realm. He uses Kaixin’s famous martial arts moves like ‘Dragon Claw Hand’ and ‘Vajra Demon Subduing Leg’. Moreover, he claimed to be a disciple of Monk Xuanzhi…”
“The REP has been broadcast on paid channels, with official verification! Those who want to watch must pay.” — Original poster!
Starting from this page, the number of replies surged:
“Spooky!”
“A vegetative state expert wakes up and still retains such sharp skills—wow!!”
“I doubt he’s really in a vegetative state…”
“Replying to the above: I can provide the hospital address.”
“Who is the original poster who fought him? He was defeated in just two moves by a newbie who hasn’t played in a year and a half—aren’t you an actor?”
“Replying to the above: We can find a place to spar.”
“Haha, back then, Kaixin had a chance to defeat Xueyi and make it to the top eight globally! His skills and fierce fighting instincts can’t be reduced by time…”
“This is getting interesting.”
“With a unique martial art, Kaixin will surely recover his past debts. Blood Alliance is in trouble now.”
“It’s Kaixin who should be in trouble. Those evil experts from Blood Alliance—what tactics wouldn’t they use? With Kaixin’s current strength… to put it bluntly, he can easily defeat any expert who was among the top sixteen globally back then…”
“Worried Kaixin might get sick from stress again!”
“Is Kaixin awake?”
…
“I guess it won’t have much impact on Blood Alliance.”
“Everyone is fighting hard to counter Wild Wolf now, including those from Blood Alliance. Even if Kaixin is strong, he’s still just a small fry.”
“Afraid he’s been away for a year and a half and is still in the Life and Death Realm… sigh…”
“If he could wake up earlier, maybe he wouldn’t be so weak.”
“Not necessarily. Back then, Kaixin had no unique martial arts or background strength yet he made it into the top sixteen globally. With the Shaolin martial art he now has, he might even become an expert on par with the ‘One Emperor’.”
“Just dreaming…”
Kaixin’s expression showed no emotions, and many of what was said was true.
But he now had two trump cards that others didn’t know about…

One is the “True Dragon Ten Styles,” which can be mastered effortlessly without any training, and the other is the “Sinew Transformation Scripture,” which can help him grow rapidly and advance to a state of liberation. Just the “True Dragon Ten Styles” alone are more than enough to handle ordinary first-class experts with ease. As he thought this, the door opened, and Nurse Xiao Yi entered hesitantly, accompanied by her seemingly equally young boyfriend.