CLACK—

[Name: Wu Shan]

[Position: Person-in-Charge, Training Hall Eight]

The armory doors opened. Jiang Qiu followed Wu Shan inside, moving quickly past rows of spear shafts arranged like a forest and various spearheads displayed on black foam.

BEEP...

[Authorization Granted]

Wu Shan flipped a black ID Card over in his hand. With a SWIPE, light patterns spread across a second set of steel doors in the deepest part of the room.

A gap slowly widened, and a cool draft brushed against the skin under Jiang Qiu’s black shirt. Dozens of rectangular glass cabinets, arranged in rows, came into view, stretching out before him.

There were fewer than a hundred weapon cabinets, and most were empty.

As he strolled inside, his gaze passed through the glass of a distant cabinet, which faintly reflected the light. A large, crimson-red bow hung suspended in the center, silent and still. His eyes skipped over a dozen more empty glass cases before spotting a large black bow floating in the distance.

"We lost a portion of them during the last Demon Race siege. They’re too expensive to replace, so now there are only twenty-seven Single-Target Qi Blood Bows suitable for beginners left," Wu Shan said, gesturing with an open right hand across a large section. "Every bow has the same price and similar performance. If you see one you like, take it. Then you’ll pay the university one million."

"One million?"

Jiang Qiu’s pupils contracted. He instinctively looked at the great bow in the nearest case.

Its lacquered black body was a recurve, as if two Black Flood Dragons were simultaneously biting down on the handle with their tails. Crimson patterns traced across the bow’s surface, adding to its murderous aura.

He tilted his head up slightly to look at the tips. It was as if small, blood-colored beads had grown from the nocking points, echoing each other from opposite ends. A thick string, like a dragon’s sinew, held them together, preventing the two tips from flying apart.

Its main structure was similar to an ancient great bow, but the masterstroke was the blood-red patterns that ran through its entire body, created with a special technique, and the small, blood-colored beads at either end.

It was this craftsmanship that made a great bow capable of killing demons so expensive.

But he never imagined a single one would cost a million...

Jiang Qiu sighed inwardly at the thought.

"You don’t need to worry about the money. Director Zhao has already authorized me to let you have it on credit. Once the proceeds from your practical training hunt come in, you’ll be more than able to pay for it."

Wu Shan’s single eye swept over the empty glass cabinets. "And don’t worry about the quality of these great bows. They’ve all seen battle. Compared to the standard-issue equipment from the Military Department, as long as your Qi Blood is strong enough, these bows can even kill Top Tier Demon Beasts."

"..."

After pressing his lips together for a moment, Jiang Qiu extended the index finger of his right fist. "I’ll take that one."

"Hmm..." Wu Shan turned his gaze toward it. A great bow, dark as a flood dragon, was suspended in the glass case. "The bow’s name is [Black Flood Dragon]. It killed several Top Tier Demon Beasts in the battle to defend Gao Yuan City. A good choice."

BEEP...

He casually swiped his ID Card. The glass front retracted into the metal base below. A large, rough hand grasped the bow’s grip and held it out horizontally. "These are all a type of Qi Blood Bow. I’ll teach you how to use it in a bit. Take it first."

"Okay."

THUD. The grip settled into his palm with a heavy weight, sending a faint vibration through his chest. His burning gaze traced the curves of the [Black Flood Dragon] as if a magical force was drawing him in, stirring the hot blood hidden in his heart like a spoon in hot soup.

Though mastering the Archery Dao required astonishing strength, long hours of training, and a natural feel for shooting, it compensated for the spear’s inability to kill enemies at long range.

It was just that the barrier to entry was too high. Few high schools could afford to offer specialized Martial Arts courses for it, and he had never had the opportunity or means to get into it before.

He had only learned from the news and online forums that middle schools in the Inner City offered a large number of classes teaching the Archery Dao. After high school, however, they became rare, with most schools specializing in teaching the Spear Dao instead.

’After all, for resource-strapped high schools, the cost of training a student in Spear and Bow Dual Cultivation could be used to train a pure Spear Cultivator, who would likely score higher on the college entrance exams...’

"Jiang Qiu, learning the bow takes a long time to build up proficiency. It’s too rushed for you to be starting the Archery Dao now, and it will be difficult to see any obvious progress in a short time," Wu Shan said, pausing as his right eyebrow lowered. "If you can really get into the Tianjiao Project, you’ll have a head start over others when you enter Northwest Martial University in the future. But that’s just a change in resource allocation. What you really need to improve is your own Martial Arts potential—for example, with something like Advanced Su Fragrance, which can bring about an extreme transformation..."

Jiang Qiu tightened his grip on the bow’s handle, his bright eyes meeting Wu Shan’s gaze, which was as deep as an abyss. "Teacher, please help me find an Incense Refining Expert. As for the money, I’ll transfer it to you after the school collects the payment for the Demon Beasts."

He had been tempted the moment he heard about Advanced Su Fragrance, but he was worried about the five million he had yet to see even a shadow of.

Now, hearing that Director Zhao was helping him apply for the Tianjiao Project and that he would have to prepare for a high-stakes test, his heart began to burn with an inexplicable fire.

’A single Qi Blood Bow costs a million. How could the priceless Advanced Su Fragrance be considered expensive at only five million?’

’I’m destined to go far on the path of Martial Arts. Five million seems like a colossal mountain to me now, but in a few years, it might be nothing more than a pebble. Why should I worry so much about it!’

’As long as I have enough savings to not starve, that’s enough. I’ve survived for so many years, after all. Buying a house and enjoying life are not things I should be thinking about right now.’

’If I improve my potential as much as possible before the college entrance exams, and my Martial Arts path takes me further and faster, I’ll never be short on money!’

"Alright."

Wu Shan nodded. The reflection of the boy holding the bow in his right eye seemed to overlap with a memory from deep within his soul. The heavy corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

’With determination and perseverance, his potential in the Archery Dao will definitely not be low.’

...

Leaving the armory, they exited the outer ring of the training hall building and crossed a transitional walkway. With the great bow on his back, Jiang Qiu followed Wu Shan into the lobby of the cylindrical building at the center.

After several turns, a steel door opened with a BEEP. A smooth field stretched out before them, like looking at the far end of a soccer field from the entrance. A ten-meter-high black curtain wall blocked the view at the very end.

It was larger than three of Qingmu Town’s Central Squares combined. The venue was a rectangular space, at least two hundred meters long.

"This is the school’s Archery Range. When the school was founded, they built it with the idea of possibly training students who pursued the Archery Dao. Unfortunately, it’s been empty ever since. Now, only a few teachers come here occasionally to practice, and the principal’s grandson uses it when he’s back."

Jiang Qiu looked toward the voice and saw Wu Shan walking over, carrying a basket of wooden arrows. "These are for training. They’re called Post Arrows. They have wooden heads. Fired from a traditional bow, they can’t even pierce the hide of a Black Armored Lizard, but a Qi Blood Bow can make them pierce the armor of a Red Armored Giant Lizard.

Give me the bow. I’ll demonstrate for you."

CLANG. He set down the basket of arrows and took the [Black Flood Dragon] bow from Jiang Qiu.

Wu Shan drew a Post Arrow with his right hand and slowly rested it against the thumb of the hand gripping the vertical bow. "Everyone has their own preference for drawing the string. Since this is your first time, you’ll follow me and use the traditional thumb draw.

Hook the string with your thumb, press the second knuckle of your index finger onto the first knuckle of your thumb, and make a fist with your other three fingers. Lightly press the web of your hand against the arrow’s nock to keep it from falling."

He casually nocked the fletching on the string, his right elbow level with his chest and shoulder.

Standing behind the two-hundred-meter line, Wu Shan squeezed his left eye shut. His right brow bone pressed down over his eye socket, his black eye fixed like a goshawk’s on a white, rice-sized dot on the black curtain at the farthest point of his vision. "A Qi Blood Bow is made through a special process. Every time you draw the string, you are mobilizing the Qi Blood of your entire body, which is extremely taxing.

Once the arrow is loosed, it will pierce the wind and shatter armor!"

VMMMM—

In an instant, the thick string was drawn. The shocking vibration sent two strands of hair on Jiang Qiu’s forehead fluttering.

His eyes widened. He saw the scarlet patterns on the [Black Flood Dragon]’s body surge toward the two tips like channels of blood. In that moment, the blood-colored beads flared like fire, and a sky-piercing killing intent condensed on the string, like a ferocious tiger about to pounce, suddenly bending its knees! 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

The bow was not yet at a full draw, but the arrowhead already seemed like an Azure Dragon opening its eyes, with a faint, blood-red aura swirling around it!