014 The Arrogant Monk!

Since their last skill book trade, the Monk had been pestering Morning Breeze for another exchange, but the warrior gear he offered was utter trash—nothing that could catch Morning Breeze’s eye. This time, though, the Monk had managed to procure a one-handed sword; it had to be something formidable.

Morning Breeze called the Monk over to the warehouse, and in less than two minutes, the Monk arrived. Yet, the weapon he handed over was nothing more than a level 17 refined one-handed sword—a blue-grade weapon. Morning Breeze, having already looted a blue sword for his Blood Dragon character, had no use for it. “Blue weapons are a bit outdated. Unless it’s a silver-flash one-hander, I don’t need them anymore.”

“Damn you, Scoundrel Breeze! Blue gear is rare as it is, and you have the nerve to say it’s beneath you? If you think you’re so great, show me two powerful weapons—let’s see if you’re all talk!” The Monk was nearly ready to die on the spot. He’d gone to great lengths to get this sword, hoping to trade it for two skill books, only to have Morning Breeze dismiss it as beneath his notice.

An epic one-handed sword? Or perhaps a rare weapon?

But then Morning Breeze revealed his epic one-handed sword and a blue sword, and the Monk had to admit the man had the right to be picky—he was indeed something else. The Monk suddenly lost all interest in gathering more warrior gear for trades. Enough was enough. He dropped all pretense and declared, “Scoundrel Breeze, I’m now a level 17 Windwalker Brewmaster Monk. Hand over both sets of skill books, or you’ll regret ever leaving the city—I’ll make sure you’re hunted down!”

“So what if you’ve got dual talents? Even the War God Guild has been trying to make things difficult for me outside the city, but have they succeeded? And you think you can threaten me? You should know that those who’ve tried have vanished without a trace!” Morning Breeze knew exactly what Windwalker Brewmaster Monk meant: Windwalker for damage, Brewmaster for tanking—a dual-role class, just like himself. Clearly, the Monk had gotten his hands on a talent gem somewhere.

“Scoundrel Breeze, you truly deserve your reputation. You’re the first not to bow before me after learning I have dual talents!” the Monk laughed. He knew Morning Breeze was no ordinary player—anyone who could grab the first heroic kill on the Betrayed Withered Tree wasn’t to be underestimated. But as the top monk of Shaolin, he wasn’t afraid. “Let’s settle this in the arena. If you lose, you hand over both Windwalker and Brewmaster monk skill books. If I lose, I’ll be your lackey. What do you say?”

“A lackey? Forget it, Monk! Having you as a lackey would be embarrassing!” Morning Breeze replied. He didn’t care for this lecherous Monk. “Lately, I’ve been itching for a fight. If you lose, you’ll be my training dummy for thirty minutes. I need some practice.”

“Deal! Scoundrel Breeze, it’s your straightforwardness I like. To the arena, then—I’ll show you the power of a dual-talent Monk!” The Monk didn’t care what terms Morning Breeze set; he was confident of victory. All he wanted was to collect every monk skill book.

The arena offered a variety of maps, but the Monk selected the most basic—just a flat, 400-by-400-meter square.

Morning Breeze equipped the Brotherhood Sword in his main hand and the blue sword in his off-hand, ready for the duel. The Monk was already itching for action and charged him as soon as the match began. Morning Breeze rushed forward as well, but the Monk rolled to the side, dodging the charge, then rolled back, leaping up to deliver a kick to Morning Breeze’s head.

The legendary Crane Kick!

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Morning Breeze hadn’t expected the Monk’s martial skills to be so sharp—a roll and immediate airborne skill. But his own reflexes were quick; he leaned back, dodging the first kick, only for a second kick to catch him off guard.

“To dodge my first kick, Scoundrel Breeze, you’re definitely a top player!” the Monk said as he landed, throwing a Sun-Piercing Fist at Morning Breeze’s gut.

Parry!

Morning Breeze blocked the punch with his sword. Monks had to build up Chi with basic skills before unleashing their powerful abilities; Crane Kick and Sun-Piercing Fist both built Chi, each attack granting one point.

Bloodthirst!

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Morning Breeze swung his right-hand sword, but since the Monk had the initiative in melee range, Morning Breeze’s attack was a beat slower. Still, after the parry, his strike landed.

“Damn, Scoundrel Breeze! Using an epic weapon—where’s your honor?” the Monk grumbled after taking nearly three hundred damage from a single blow. With only 1800 HP, losing 300 in one hit was a nasty shock. Even with all-blue gear, he’d never taken such high damage. His own kick had barely done a hundred to Morning Breeze—clearly a weapon gap.

“Doesn’t matter how you win, as long as you do!” Morning Breeze fired back. Just now, he’d triggered a free, cooldown-less Whirlwind Strike and was ready to unleash it, but the Monk had dodged away, evidently noticing the status effect appear.

Arena PvP is never as straightforward as fighting monsters; you can’t always maximize your damage. Morning Breeze tried to close in, but the Monk kept his distance at six meters, clearly waiting for his rage to drop and his free Whirlwind Strike to expire.

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Flower Transfer!

The Monk used a healing spell—a Monk recovery skill that heals the user, damages the enemy, and builds one Chi. He was obviously playing for Chi, keeping Morning Breeze at bay and wearing him down. With Morning Breeze wielding an epic sword, the Monk knew he couldn’t win a straight-up brawl—chip damage from eight meters was the way to go.

Sprint!

Morning Breeze wasn’t about to fall for that. He turned and ran, quickly putting more than eight meters between them. Then, just as suddenly, he intercepted, flying back and kicking the Monk in the gut, stunning him for 2.5 seconds. The Monk hadn’t expected Morning Breeze to retreat, then instantly close the gap for a stun.

Fortunately, the Monk had switched to Ox Stance, reducing incoming damage by 20%, lowering crit rate by 8%, and taking only 80% of direct damage with the rest delayed over eight seconds.

Colossus Smash!

Bloodthirst!

Whirlwind Strike!

In 2.5 seconds of stun, Morning Breeze unleashed three skills, dealing over seven hundred damage. The Monk was forced to retreat, shocked by the burst—if not for Ox Stance, the damage would have been even higher.

Healing Orb!

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The Monk summoned a healing orb, moved to absorb it, and cast Flower Transfer to recover more health. After restoring his life and energy, he rolled forward and struck Morning Breeze’s shoulder with a Tiger Palm, the move so quick it was nearly impossible to dodge or parry. Morning Breeze had to take the hit.

Shattering Kick!

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Having landed the Tiger Palm, the Monk spent two Chi to deliver an upward Shattering Kick to Morning Breeze’s chin, sending him flying.

A moment’s carelessness! After Morning Breeze’s successful combo, he hadn’t expected the Monk to counterattack so decisively, taking two skills in a row. As soon as he hit the ground, he leaped up. Warriors only had one healing skill—Frenzied Recovery, which restored 30% max HP. In a drawn-out fight, he’d lose; he needed to finish this quickly.

“Scoundrel Breeze, don’t think you’ll win just because you’ve got an epic weapon!” the Monk taunted, summoning another healing orb to recover. He knew better than to go head-to-head with Morning Breeze; the Brotherhood Sword was just too powerful.

Heroic Throw!

Morning Breeze hurled a spear. The Monk dodged nimbly to the side, but the moment he moved, he realized his mistake—it was too late. Morning Breeze charged, dealing 89 damage, then followed with Bloodthirst, activating Berserker’s Fury for two enraged strikes.

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A single enraged strike exploded for over eleven hundred damage. With Bloodthirst and Charge, the total was over fifteen hundred; in an instant, the Monk was left with only a sliver of health.

Roll!

The Monk tried to escape, but he didn’t dare put too much distance for fear of being intercepted and stunned. He’d gotten cocky for a moment and was immediately punished, left with just 153 HP—any skill from Morning Breeze could finish him off.

Cloud-Seeking Whip!

The Monk drew a long whip and flicked it at Morning Breeze’s hand from a strange angle, yanking the Brotherhood Sword away. This was a disarm skill—he could use the stolen weapon for eight seconds.

Morning Breeze’s main-hand damage was down, and the Monk was ready to withstand his Whirlwind Strike, so for now he was not afraid.

Golden Silken Pill!

The Monk immediately used a recovery skill, restoring 50% max HP—a lifesaver. He followed with Flower Transfer, healing himself and damaging his opponent.

This Monk was something else. From nearly dead, he’d quickly healed back up, then rolled in for a flurry of punches and kicks, slashing with the Brotherhood Sword twice. Morning Breeze couldn’t parry them all.

Morning Breeze didn’t use Whirlwind Strike—he knew the Monk was baiting him, ready to block it with the stolen sword. Instead, he switched to a shield, bracing for the Monk’s assault.

“Think a shield will stop me?” The Monk used Morning Breeze’s defense against him, leaping behind him and planting his hands on the ground. He spun rapidly, kicking with both feet in a spinning kick to Morning Breeze’s back.

Spinning Kick was a difficult skill, requiring a handstand, rapid rotation, and precise kicks; any resistance could throw off the center of gravity and cause failure. But this Monk was clearly a master—his spinning kick landed for a total of 800 damage.

Morning Breeze lashed out with a backward kick, catching the Monk in the back and nearly sending him tumbling. But the Monk recovered swiftly, using the momentum to backflip away, escaping Morning Breeze’s attack and landing upright.

Yet as the Monk retreated, he failed to notice Morning Breeze also backpedaled, opening the gap to over eight meters. At that moment, Morning Breeze intercepted, stunning the Monk. As his Brotherhood Sword returned to his hand, he unleashed Colossus Smash, then Enraged Strike and Bloodthirst. As the Monk stirred from the stun, Morning Breeze’s left hand triggered a free Whirlwind Strike.

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The Monk was stunned for 2.5 seconds, then instantly burst down by Morning Breeze—he fell to his knees, his earlier smugness extinguished. This Monk was formidable—his real-world identity likely that of a true monk, so skilled was he with monk techniques. But that no longer mattered. The Monk had lost, and now he’d serve as Morning Breeze’s training dummy.

So arrogant before me—now you’ll have plenty of time to regret it!