Learned Overnight

That familiar sensation came over him again.

And this time, it was stronger than ever before.

Standing there, Chen Sanshi could feel his archery improving at a breathtaking pace.

From seventy paces, to eighty paces, until he could finally pierce a willow leaf from a hundred paces away!

At a hundred paces, a target the size of a willow leaf was invisible to ordinary people.

Yet he could hit it every time—and fire Three shots in an instant!

Twenty instants made the time it took to snap one's fingers.

Three instants were roughly one second.

From drawing an arrow to aiming and firing, it took only one second.

Even the greatest snipers of his previous life needed two seconds to aim!

Beyond the improvement in his archery, the changes to his body were even more obvious.

For some unknown reason, his body began to grow and reshape itself for a second time. Even his bones changed, becoming increasingly suited to wielding a bow, until they reached the extreme.

An archer.

For an archer, the longer the arms, the better suited they were to drawing a bow.

Thus, his arms became strong and slender, like an ape's.

The power of one's waist and back determined the upper limit of drawing a bow.

Thus, the bones in his back grew denser, while his waist became slim and powerful.

Monkey arms and bee waist, surprising bones!

The entire process felt as though he had been anesthetized, finishing at incredible speed.

Even Chen Sanshi's exhaustion was swept away, leaving him refreshed and brimming with strength once more.

He opened his eyes again.

Without realizing it, night had already fallen.

The vast target range was empty, with only a bright moon hanging high overhead.

After simply eating some of the dried rations left over from noon, Chen Sanshi went to the Training Ground. He took the Plum Blossom Iron Spear from the weapon rack and slowly practiced the Thirty-Six Forms of Spearplay, recalling the Basic Soldier Spear Technique.

The stance work layered atop the spear technique wrung his strength dry. Agony flooded his muscles one wave after another, making him tremble uncontrollably, but though he nearly bit his back teeth to pieces, his hands never paused for even a moment.

When he had practiced spearplay before, his whole body had been like a heavy, rusted machine worn down by the years. It could still run, but every turn took tremendous effort and wasted much time.

Now that his archery had reached minor mastery and his body had been reshaped into monkey arms and a bee waist, it was as though that machine had been fitted with brand-new parts.

Thus, when the machine began operating again, it was still heavy, but several times smoother.

The fourth form, complete!

The fifth form, complete!

The sixth form...

He practiced one form after another.

Without a breathing method to lessen the backlash, Chen Sanshi felt his lungs swell as if they were about to burst several times. His throat was thick with blood, as though it had been plastered shut.

Whenever that happened, it meant his body had reached its limit. He would pour a scoop of cold water over himself, rest briefly, and then continue.

Gripping the white waxwood shaft, Chen Sanshi found the Plum Blossom Iron Spear growing more and more familiar in his hands, and his movements became increasingly swift.

The tenth form!

The eleventh form!

Keep going!

The stars shifted, and sun, moon, and universe turned.

Within the Military Camp, soldiers gradually arrived to report in, and the place slowly grew lively.

Xu Wencai crawled out of his tent and stretched toward the sky.

"A day's plan begins in the morning!"

He held a book and flipped through it when he faintly heard shouts of "Ha!"—the kind shouted until one's voice was hoarse.

Finding it grating, Xu Wencai followed the sound and came upon this sight.

The red sun had just risen, rosy clouds filling the sky.

On the Training Ground stood a bare-chested youth.

The youth was not large, yet his physique was exceptionally good. His streamlined muscles were compact and tough, his frame broad above and narrow below, looking from afar like an inverted triangle.

Except...

At this moment, the youth's entire body was flushed red, his eyes webbed with blood. He swung the Plum Blossom Iron Spear in his hands like a crazed, starving wolf.

"Stone trained all night? Has he gone mad?"

Xu Wencai hurried back and dragged Zhu Tong awake.

Since they had only just arrived and had nowhere to stay, they were all sleeping in the dormitory tents. "Old Zhu, hurry and stop him, or something's going to happen!"

When Zhu Tong arrived at the Training Ground and saw the scene, his pupils trembled violently.

What disaster was about to happen?

This clearly...

Meant he was about to succeed!

Looking at the youth's movements, Zhu Tong could clearly see that it was the final form of the Basic Soldier Spear Technique!

Outside the Military Camp, the clatter of armor and disorderly footsteps sounded together.

The soldiers who had left yesterday returned to camp with dark circles beneath their eyes.

Yet the several Hundred Household Commanders walking at the front all looked radiant and refreshed.

"The new girls at Chunman Tower are really something."

"Yeah, yeah, so tender they're practically dripping."

"Fatty Wang, from now on we're brothers of the same path. Take care of us, yeah?"

"Hahahaha, of course, of course."

"You two ought to settle down for a while."

Unlike them, Commander Liu looked somewhat haggard, as if he had not rested well. "Lord Thousand Households flew into a towering rage and ordered us to find that barbarian assassin within ten days. This time, he's truly angry."

"Old Liu, you take things too seriously."

Commander Xiong said, "That barbarian is no weakling. For this meager pay, why should we risk our lives?"

"Exactly. Who knows why Lord Thousand Households is in such a hurry? For all we know, that barbarian has already fled."

Wang Zhi stopped walking. "What's that noise?"

The edge of the Training Ground was packed shoulder to shoulder with people, each craning his neck and scrambling to look inside.

"What are you all doing? I've never seen you this eager during drills. Get lost!"

Wang Zhi kicked several people aside, making the crowd open a path and clear his view.

He saw a red tassel flashing as a Plum Blossom Iron Spear whirled wildly in the youth's hands, whipping up gusts of wind and sending dust flying. It was the Thirty-Six Forms of Spearplay—the full, complete, smooth-as-silk thirty-six forms of the Basic Soldier Spear Technique!

Bang—

On the Training Ground, the Plum Blossom Iron Spear shot forth like lightning, piercing straight through a dummy. Straw burst in every direction, like an enemy's blood splashing into the sky.

Chen Sanshi had also completely wrung out his last thread of strength. Unable to hold on any longer, he planted the iron spear upside down in the ground for support, dropped to one knee, and gulped down blood-scented air.

"It's done!"

Even without a breathing method, he had mastered the Basic Soldier Spear Technique.

Whether or not he could be selected for the vanguard next, at least his position as a Warrior Recruit was secure.

"Fuck..."

Commander Liu's eyes went wide and blank. He reached out and patted the shoulder of the person in front of him. "Old Xiong, he... wasn't he practicing archery yesterday?"

Even the toothpick in Commander Xiong's mouth fell out. "Y-yeah. I remember he was still practicing archery when we left."

"That means he started practicing spearplay last night, and by this morning he could perform the entire set smoothly."

Commander Liu swallowed hard, unable to believe it. "I-in one night, he can make his spearplay this smooth?"

Learned overnight!

What kind of concept was that?

Most crucially, this kid had no breathing method!

Without a breathing method, not only would training progress slow drastically, but the pain endured during the process was no less than the cruel tortures of a prison!

What kind of talent and perseverance did it take to achieve this?

And if he had a breathing method, how long would it take him to master it?

Half a night, or a few hours, or perhaps even less...

No, this kid had to stay!

No matter how he had offended Tianyuan Martial Arts Academy, he would help him settle it.

"Old Xiong, you shameless bastard!"

Commander Liu came back to his senses and suddenly realized that Commander Xiong had long since been eager to squeeze forward.

He stepped up and seized the other man's arm tightly. "We agreed long ago—you can't steal him from me."

"Bullshit! When the hell did I ever say that?"

Commander Xiong struggled with all his strength.

"You lunkhead, wouldn't such a rare genius be wasted in your hands?!"

"You calling me a lunkhead? If you hadn't inherited your old man's post, you wouldn't even have made it to Banner Captain!"

"You lunkhead, want to test your mettle?"

"Bring it on!"

The soldiers looked at one another. They had clearly heard that this kid had offended someone and should soon be unable to survive in the Military Camp. Why, then, were two Hundred Household Commanders nearly coming to blows over him before their very eyes?

Things were often like this.

If the youth merely had decent talent, they might have felt it was a pity, but they would not necessarily be willing to spend their personal favors to help him.

But if they could see truly rare value in him, then that little bit of personal favor was nothing.

Just as Commander Liu and Commander Xiong argued until they were red in the face—

A crafty voice sounded.

"Little Stone, we agreed that I'd teach you in a couple of days."

"Come on. Today is the second day."