Chapter Sixty: Lord Shang

“Girl, how can you hand over the account book so easily to someone else?!”

The voice rang out, aged and resonant, drawing every eye in the room. A man had descended from the sky, landing atop the roof of the great ship’s cabin. Bathed in moonlight, his figure became clear—a black-clad elder, his hair as white as a crane’s, yet his face youthful.

“Master Shang,” Dan Wanjing called softly upon seeing him.

“Master Shang, what level is he…?” In the eyes of Tang Xuan, Wang Yajun, and the others, this newcomer was yet another boss whose level was shrouded in mystery.

Yet they knew this man well. In “The Twin Dragons of the Tang Dynasty,” he was the number one expert of the Eastern Sea Sect—the greatest master of his generation! Such supreme masters stood above the top-tier experts of level forty or fifty, deemed truly exceptional.

However, while Master Shang was publicly known as the sect’s foremost fighter, the true number one was Lady Dongming herself. Yet she rarely needed to act, for whenever trouble arose, Master Shang’s intervention was more than enough to resolve matters.

Master Shang nodded to Dan Wanjing, then turned his gaze to Tang Xuan and his companions, his tone calm: “Children, if you wish to obtain our sect’s ledger, you must first get past me.”

Wang Yajun, Jiang Wanwan, and the rest changed expressions instantly. They had already guessed that the hard mode version of the Dongming ship scenario would be far more challenging than the standard one, but they hadn’t expected to actually have to face off with a supreme master like Master Shang!

He was one of the world’s true elite. Even outside the confines of this scenario, he would be a match for the likes of the Four Guardian Kings of the Ming Sect—such as Yin Tianzheng, the White-Browed Hidden King, or Xie Xun, the Golden-Haired Lion King. Or perhaps Zuo Lengchan, leader of the Five Mountain Sword Alliance, or Murong Fu, the Southern Murong. All bosses of level fifty or sixty, each standing above the first-rate masters of level forty or fifty.

Though they knew Tang Xuan was highly skilled, facing off against a boss of this caliber left Wang Yajun, Jiang Wanwan, and the other women with little confidence. Such bosses had high stats, formidable inner strength, and legendary techniques!

Just like Zuo Lengchan’s Icy True Qi, Murong Fu’s Star Shifting technique, Yin Tianzheng’s Eagle Claw Skill, Xie Xun’s Seven Injuries Fist and Lion’s Roar—all were daunting opponents.

Wang Yajun and Jiang Wanwan exchanged glances, already plotting to seize the account book from Dan Wanjing while Tang Xuan was engaged with Master Shang. After all, the scenario’s objective was simply to obtain the ledger; that alone would count as a success.

Yet Dan Wanjing was herself a formidable martial artist, and as the princess of Dongming, attacking her might trigger unforeseen consequences. Should her mother, Lady Dongming, be drawn into the fray, it would spell disaster.

As the women hesitated, Tang Xuan let out a loud cry and leaped into the air.

“Master Shang, please grant me your instruction!”

Tang Xuan’s heart surged with excitement. He was eager to test himself, now that he had reached level thirty and mastered three Shaolin supreme techniques. What was his true strength? A master like Master Shang, at level fifty or sixty, would be the perfect benchmark.

He soared upward, his speed so great that only a fleeting shadow remained in the moonlight before he landed before Master Shang atop the cabin roof.

He activated the Shaolin flying technique—a fourth-grade lightness skill at its peak, boosting his speed by three hundred percent. With the added one hundred and twenty percent enhancement from the perfected Arhat Divine Skill, his total speed increase reached four hundred and twenty percent.

With his original maximum skill level granting a speed of 2,120, this boost brought him to 11,024! Even among the world’s foremost masters, none surpassed this.

This was thanks to the perfect-grade Arhat Divine Skill, which brought both a massive speed attribute boost and a one hundred and twenty percent skill enhancement.

Among fourth-grade lightness skills—like Flying Skill, Cloud Ladder, or Golden Wild Goose—the stronger the internal energy, the greater the speed.

“So fast!” Master Shang’s heart skipped a beat.

Dan Wanjing’s eyes sparkled with surprise. She hadn’t imagined that this young man, who had yet to act, possessed such remarkable agility, leaving only a blur beneath the moon.

Tang Xuan drew from his in-game inventory the Purple Phosphorus Staff, launching straight into the Dog-Beating Staff Technique. A whirling mass of staff shadows enveloped Master Shang.

With his attack stat raised to 2,870, the Dog-Beating Staff Technique boosted his attack by three hundred and sixty percent, and the Arhat Divine Skill’s enhancement added another one hundred and twenty percent. Each strike now reached an attack power of 16,646!

The swirling staff shadows seemed almost tangible, brimming with energy.

Yet Master Shang, as the premier expert of the Eastern Sea Sect and a top-tier master of his time, was far from ordinary. With a cry of “Excellent staff work!” his sleeves flashed out silently, charged with immense inner strength, catching the swirling staff shadows. The collision rang out in muffled, thunderous bursts, like heavy blows landing on something dense and unyielding.

Tang Xuan’s lips curled slightly. As expected of a boss at this level—had it been any lesser master without unique skills, none could have withstood such a powerful Dog-Beating Staff Technique.

He spun the Purple Phosphorus Staff in his hands, unleashing the thirty-six moves of the technique—entangle, chop, coil, jab, lift, lure, block, and turn—all executed flawlessly beneath the moonlight, dazzling to behold.

Master Shang stood firm, countering with only the motion of his sleeves. Yet his sleeve technique was extraordinary—at its zenith, the layers of sleeve shadows swept toward the staff shadows like a tempest, their reality and illusion interwoven, their changes unpredictable.

No matter how exquisite the Dog-Beating Staff Technique, it found no easy opening against those endless sleeve shadows.

“Truly a world-class master!” Tang Xuan silently marveled.

Bosses at this level had attributes just a cut above his, and their inner strength matched his own. Their techniques, akin to Zuo Lengchan’s Icy True Qi and other fifth- or sixth-grade internal skills, gave them attribute bonuses equal to his.

Their martial arts were all fifth- or sixth-grade supreme techniques!

Tang Xuan’s only disadvantage was the attribute gap from their higher levels. Fortunately, aside from the Dog-Beating Staff Technique, he had two more Shaolin supreme arts at his disposal.

The Shaolin staff technique required the divine Dog-Beating Staff for maximum power. The other two perfected Shaolin arts needed no external weapons.

“Great Brightness Fist!”

Tang Xuan stowed the Purple Phosphorus Staff in his inventory and clenched his fists, striking at the layers of sleeve shadows.

As his fists shot out, golden energy burst forth, almost tangible, like the golden arm of the Buddha itself descending to subdue demons.

The power now surpassed even that of Master Xuan Zhi when he had first displayed this fist.

A deafening roar erupted.

The Great Brightness Fist collided with the whirling sleeve shadows, detonating like a high-yield explosive.