Obtaining the Overlord Bow

Two Jinwu Guards in armor sat in the hall drinking tea, their posture bold and unrestrained.

The taller Jinwu Guard, named Gao He, suddenly slammed his teacup down, showing impatience.

"What a nerve, this Acting Centurion dares to keep us waiting so long?"

"I really don't know what kind of rotten luck he has to get us to deliver this Overlord Bow to him."

The other Jinwu Guard was named Ma Xiong, and like his name suggested, he was built like a bear with a broad back.

"What was his name again? Shen Qing, right?"

"I heard he has quite a reputation."

Gao He chuckled, "What reputation? How big is it?"

"World-Crossing Yama, how's that for a big title?"

Gao He scoffed, "That's quite a famous name, but does a mere Acting Centurion deserve it?"

"Be careful, one day he might just... hahaha."

The two spoke loudly enough that the Imperial Guards stationed outside the room couldn't help but frown repeatedly.

Aren't these two a bit too despicable?

Even though they didn't finish their sentences, everyone understood they weren't saying anything good.

Criticizing someone in their own home is clearly disrespectful.

However, due to their cultivation and rank, they couldn't offer any fitting retort.

Suddenly, a slight commotion sounded from outside. Shen Qing walked into the courtyard, and the Imperial Guards quickly bowed.

"Greetings, Lord Shen!"

But before they could finish speaking, Shen Qing zipped past them like a gust of wind, flying over their heads at an incredible speed.

The next moment, he transformed into a ferocious beast and lunged directly into the hall, kicking the Jinwu Guard named Gao He squarely in the chest. The speed was so astonishing that Ma Xiong, who was beside him, was still drinking tea and hadn't even registered that his teammate had been sent flying.

With a bang.

The hall wall was smashed open, creating a large hole. Gao He lay amidst the rubble, clutching his chest and writhing in pain. Shen Qing had held back his strength, but it was still more than enough to make him suffer.

Shen Qing's voice rang out coldly.

"You've got a nasty mouth, cursing me in my own home? Did your mother never teach you how to speak?"

At this moment, Ma Xiong finally reacted, slamming the table and leaping to his feet.

Shen Qing turned his head and glanced at him, "What do you want?"

Ma Xiong's body stiffened slightly, beads of sweat trickling down his forehead. Being stared at by Shen Qing sent a chill down their spines.

It felt like having their heads placed in a tiger's mouth, where the slightest wrong move would result in the tiger snapping shut.

Ma Xiong's throat bobbed slightly as he swallowed. He lowered his head and slowly extended his palm.

"I... I think... there's some dust on this table, I'll wipe it..."

Ma Xiong slowly bent down, continuously wiping the already spotless tabletop with his sleeve.

Gao He on the ground also managed to catch his breath and struggled to sit up.

"Shen Qing! Aren't you being too disrespectful? I only said a few words to you!"

Shen Qing kicked him in the face.

"Respect? You're talking about respect now? Why didn't you think about it when your mouth was running wild earlier? Did your mother not teach you what manners are? Then I'll teach you."

Gao He dared not speak further, nor could he. Shen Qing's kick to his face felt no different than being hit by a hammer. He could only feel something rattling inside his head.

Ma Xiong swallowed hard, not daring to utter a word. He had seen Gao He's miserable state and knew his background. Gao He practiced a powerful body-hardening technique, making him resistant to ordinary blunt weapons.

Yet, Shen Qing had crippled him with just two casual kicks.

Shen Qing snorted and walked towards the main seat, sitting down with a swagger. He quietly watched Ma Xiong.

Ma Xiong had lost all his earlier bold and unrestrained demeanor. Now, he stood ramrod straight, legs pressed together, looking exactly like a timid bride who had just married into a difficult family.

Shen Qing snorted, not giving either of them a pleasant look.

"Jinwu Guards, why have you come to find me?"

Ma Xiong swallowed again and quickly took a letter from his embrace and walked up to Shen Qing.

"We... we are just here to deliver a message."

Shen Qing let out a cold laugh and didn't take the letter.

"Deliver a message? Acting all high and mighty, I thought the King of Guanzhong himself had arrived."

Ma Xiong's face paled slightly, "Lord Shen..."

"It was my fault for having a loose tongue."

Shen Qing snorted, opened the letter, and scanned it briefly, roughly understanding its contents.

The higher-ups wanted to make a move against the martial world of Yongning Commandery. They intended to establish an organization called the Martial Alliance, inviting various sects to join under the guise of unified coordination. They wanted Shen Qing to be the overall commander of this plan.

Shen Qing let out a light chuckle. "So they're treating Yongning Commandery as a pilot province, huh? Trying out the new policies here first."

The specific details were still being drafted, and the appointment letter wouldn't be sent over for some time. They had only sent the Jinwu Guard to deliver a message, asking Shen Qing to make some preparations.

Shen Qing casually tossed the letter aside. "Commander-in-chief again, unifying the martial world again. I don't see anything concrete, just empty promises."

Back in his previous life, he'd eaten these kinds of empty promises three times a week, five times a month. Shen Qing was already sick of it.

"Whose orders are these? Zhu Lingyue's or Shi Guyan's?"

Ma Xiong's legs went weak, almost buckling him to the ground. He had heard Shi Guyan's name more than once – the Shi Guyan who had been prime minister for four hundred years. He hadn't heard Zhu Lingyue's name, but he knew the royal family was surnamed Zhu.

Ma Xiong's face paled slightly, and he looked at Shen Qing with trepidation. "Is this guy that bold?"

Legend had it that Zhao Zilong was full of courage. "Are you Zhao Zilong incarnate?"

Ma Xiong was afraid Shen Qing would say something else that would terrify him, so he quickly said, "Lord Shen, Lord Shen, we have something, something. The higher-ups entrusted us to bring something to you."

Shen Qing was displeased. "If you have something, why didn't you bring it out sooner?"

Ma Xiong gave a sheepish smile and opened the rosewood box, revealing the Overlord Bow with its black handle and golden patterns. Shen Qing's eyes lit up.

The Overlord Bow was as black as ink, its golden patterns flowing like lava, wild and unrestrained. The entire bow exuded a sense of untamed, powerful beauty.

Shen Qing grabbed the bow's grip. "It's got some weight. What's this bow called?"

Ma Xiong quickly explained, "My lord, this bow is the one used by the current Bow Saint, Grandmaster Realm Zhuge Qunying. Its name is the Overlord Bow. It was bestowed upon the Bow Saint by Emperor Jing when he was with the Jinwu Guard."

"The body of this bow is made from the heartwood of a thousand-year-old golden pine tree, and the string is made from the sinews of the fierce Golden Sea Python. The power of this bow is enough to kill a Grandmaster. However, to draw this bow fully, one must be in the Grandmaster Realm, and not just any Grandmaster. It requires considerable strength. Being able to draw this bow while in the Xiantian Realm would be considered..."

Ma Xiong's mouth opened wider and wider, but his voice suddenly stopped.

A faint sound of dragons and elephants emanated from Shen Qing's body. The bowstring, made from Golden Sea Python sinews, was slowly drawn back by Shen Qing. As True Qi surged in, the golden patterns on the bow seemed to begin flowing, emitting a constant hum as if responding to Shen Qing.

As the bowstring was drawn taut, a roar erupted, like the enraged cry of the Golden Sea Python.

Ma Xiong's mouth was agape, his inner shock beyond words.

Gao He, who had been lying unconscious on the ground, also woke up. He looked at the fully drawn Overlord Bow and muttered to himself, "Did I sleepwalk into this?"

With that, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted again.

Shen Qing lowered the bowstring, his admiration for the Overlord Bow unconcealed. He looked at Ma Xiong. "Not bad, it's indeed a good bow. But the commotion was a bit too much. Can it be hidden a little?"

The bow was good, and its power was immense. But just drawing it caused golden light and snake hisses. Wasn't that like telling the enemy, "Hey, your dad is about to shoot you, hurry up and dodge"? Whether they could dodge it or not was another matter, but Shen Qing thought it was stupid.

Ma Xiong cupped his jaw, closing his mouth. Perhaps he was too scared, his voice stuttering, "Y-yes, there is. Inside the box... there's a matching bow... technique."

Shen Qing glanced at the rosewood box and indeed saw a small hidden compartment. "Can you finish your sentence in one go? Just say it all at once. Is there anything else? If you tell me later, I'll smack you."

Ma Xiong immediately shook his head like a rattle drum.

Shen Qing opened the hidden compartment and took out a small booklet. The cover read, "Overlord Bow Technique."

After a moment of thought, Shen Qing decided to go all in. He used four chances to upgrade his attributes.

[Basic Archery (Green)] upgraded to... [Archery Master (Gold)] upgraded to: [Reincarnated God of Archery (Red)]

Ma Xiong stood there for a long time. Seeing Shen Qing engrossed in the manual and ignoring him, he quietly said, "Lord Shen, if there's nothing else, may I take my leave?"

Shen Qing glanced at him. "Leave? You want to leave?"

"Didn't you see the wall collapsed? You want to leave without fixing it?"