How Could Archery Possibly Reach the Beginner Level?

Buzz, whoosh—

Wu Shan suddenly released his right hand. The arrow flashed like a black line as it left the string, slicing through ripples in the air.

Before his gaze could follow it, a distant boom rang out. When he turned to look, white ripples had spread across the black screen wall from a tiny white dot at its center, as if a ten-thousand-pound boulder had been dropped into a pool of black water. The entire wall trembled with ripples that refused to settle for a long while.

"See that little white dot in the middle? The closer you are to it, the greater the power and the larger the ripples." Wu Shan slowly exhaled a breath of stale air through his nose and handed the [Black Flood Dragon] Bow back. "Give it a try."

"Alright."

Following what he had just seen, Jiang Qiu picked up an arrow and rested it on the thumb of his left hand holding the bow grip. He took a deep breath, looked at the distant grain-sized white dot, and could not help frowning.

How was he supposed to aim?

Tap.

A large hand raised his right elbow until it was level with his chest and shoulder. "Keep your hand position like this from now on. Only by shooting the same way every time will it be easier to aim and adjust your point of impact.

Begin."

Huff—

Jiang Qiu spread his feet half a step apart, front and back, and slightly lifted his chest. With a buzz, he drew the thick bowstring to the side of his right chest. The force throughout his body surged toward his right thumb like a burst dam. The blood vessels pressed into his flesh instantly roared and boiled, as if a raging fire had suddenly caught dry kindling!

The instant the blood-red patterns and blood-red beads on the bow lit up, he could not tell whether he was pulling the string or the string was pulling him. Every muscle in his body felt like a steel rod being twisted into a rope.

This sensation of tendons and bones grinding against each other was like when he had first learned the First Eight Moves of the Ancient Martial Arts Spear Technique—Block, Grab, Thrust Spear!

Twanged, whoosh—

The thick string snapped forward. The Dunjian arrow tore through the air and struck the joint between the upper-right corner of the black screen wall and its protective steel plate with a tap. Faint white ripples spread out before vanishing in an instant.

Profound Archery practiced once

Ancient Martial Arts Archery (Not Initiated)

1/100

"Huff... hah..." Jiang Qiu deeply exhaled, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together. His blood churned like a fountain. "Why does drawing the bow once feel like I had a tendon ripped out?"

"Don't place your index finger in front of the string. Otherwise, when the string shoots forward, it'll hit your finger, and the arrow will definitely veer off.

Also, when you draw the bow, feel the circulation path of the Zhou Tian Qi Art. Get hold of the rhythm, then try again."

At Wu Shan's shout, Jiang Qiu casually pulled another Dunjian arrow from the quiver, nocked it, and took a deep breath.

Draw—

With his elbow level with his chest, he pulled the string into a half-moon shape. A breath sank from his chest, and a pulling force spread from the pad of his thumb. The patterns on the bow lit up, while the two blood-red beads seemed like turbines in the deep sea, endlessly devouring the blood qi in Jiang Qiu's body. His blood boiled like pebbles dropped into scalding oil.

His held breath remained utterly still until the moment his right hand released the string. Then a chestful of stale air burst out. With a whoosh, the arrow leaped through the air and struck the broad black screen wall with a tap, stirring white ripples like a small stone falling into water.

Profound Archery practiced once

Ancient Martial Arts Archery (Not Initiated)

2/100

Iron Flesh

502/1000

"Huff..."

Jiang Qiu exhaled heavily and lowered his gaze to his arms. The veins on them jumped like little snakes, his muscles felt like iron pincers clenched tight, and a burning heat crawled up his back like red ants.

Drawing the bow once made every ounce of strength in his body erupt. Even though he had deliberately suppressed the explosive force, he was already feeling weak after only two arrows.

Was this how the Blood Qi Bow killed demons?

With that thought, Jiang Qiu casually took out a third arrow and nocked it with a tap. His lowered brows squeezed out a glint of light from his eyes.

A little to the left. Two parts higher.

Draw—

Whoosh—

Profound Archery practiced once

"Huff—" Jiang Qiu's right arm trembled, his face slightly pale as a bead of sweat the size of a soybean slid down his cheek. "Hah—"

"This arrow was only five meters from the little white dot. Your talent in the bow isn't bad." Wu Shan stood with his hands behind his back, glanced at the fading white ripples at the edge of the field of vision, then looked back at Jiang Qiu wiping away sweat. "But you can't draw the Blood Qi Bow too many times in a row. The Iron Flesh Realm only barely lets you draw it. If you draw it too often, your body won't be able to handle it.

Normally, you should first train with a traditional bow, then spend several months transitioning to the Blood Qi Bow. But you don't have much time, so you can only force yourself onto the Blood Qi Bow.

Rest for a while. Feel that sensation of your entire body's strength exploding and burning as you draw and nock the bow. Try to connect that feeling with the moves you practice in the Ancient Martial Arts Spear Technique. Training with the bow may not necessarily fail to improve your mastery of the Ancient Martial Arts Spear Technique.

Once you reach mastery in any Weapon Grand Dao, it becomes difficult to improve through ordinary training. Drawing connections from one discipline to another and gaining enlightenment through life-and-death experiences are the key. This is also what the prodigies in the Heavenly Prodigy Project need to do.

I'm not good at teaching archery. Practice on your own first and find the feeling of progress as much as possible. I need to go teach the ordinary classes the Ancient Martial Arts Spear Technique."

"Alright."

After watching Wu Shan's departing back, Jiang Qiu picked up another Dunjian arrow and set it on the string. He closed his left eye and opened his right, focusing as he adjusted his position. In his mind, he simulated a broken, blurry arc of the arrow's trajectory.

His elbow shifted slightly according to the simulated posture. He lightly drew the string, and the patterns on the bow grip gave off a faint, somewhat dim glow.

"If I don't draw it far enough and lack that pressure of blood qi being drained, it doesn't count as practice."

Muttering to himself, Jiang Qiu continued adjusting his bow-drawing posture.

Once his strength had recovered, he drew the bow open with a buzz.

Whoosh—

Profound Archery practiced once

Ancient Martial Arts Archery (Not Initiated)

41/100

Watching the white ripples on the opposite wall pass over the little white dot, Jiang Qiu casually wiped the sweat from his face. His chest rose and fell heavily. "Several arrows in a row were only around three meters away from the little white dot."

Practicing archery was even more exhausting than practicing the spear. After a full day, it felt as though all his blood had been drained. Yet that sensation of explosive power at long range was also utterly exhilarating. The arrowhead was as fierce as a spearhead.

And his progress was fast. If he kept up today's intensity, he could reach the beginner level the day after tomorrow.

Thinking that, Jiang Qiu raised his trembling, blood-filled right arm and glanced at his left hand gripping the [Black Flood Dragon] Bow at his side. "If I keep up this intensity tomorrow, won't the tendons and bones in both my hands be shattered by the recoil?"

Click—

The sound of a door opening suddenly interrupted Jiang Qiu's thoughts. Footsteps thudded against his chest, and when he turned, he saw Wu Shan with deeply furrowed brows. "Director Zhao sent word. General Mo, who is in charge of the Heavenly Prodigy Project, is willing to give you an opportunity, but there's only one spot."

"Only one spot?" Jiang Qiu frowned. "Does that mean I'm not the only one?"

"Do you remember the genius from First High I mentioned? The one whose application to the Heavenly Prodigy Project was rejected by the Martial Arts Education Department." Wu Shan took a shallow breath. "General Mo knows about it. He said the Heavenly Prodigy Project isn't somewhere people can enter just because they want to. Even exceptions need rules.

What he means is, that student from First High failed even to apply for entry, while you can directly participate in the Heavenly Prodigy Project. That would be against the rules and weaken the authority of the regulations.

But Director Zhao strongly recommended you to him, and he's interested in you as well, so he decided to give you a chance. For fairness, that student must be given a chance too. A day from now, that student from First High will come here to challenge you. Whoever wins can further qualify to enter the Heavenly Prodigy Project."

Jiang Qiu let out a breath of relief.

This should not be difficult. Even if there were many restrictions on spear competitions between students, and killing moves like Soaring Dragon Thrust could not be used—

Didn't he still have Spear Sense, Penetrating Force, and Copper Transformation?

With that thought, Jiang Qiu casually wiped the sweat from the corner of his mouth. "One day isn't urgent."

"No, it's very urgent." Wu Shan's expression hardened like cold iron. Muddy light swirled in his right eye, reflecting Jiang Qiu's panting figure as he held the bow. "The focus of the competition won't be spear techniques. It'll be archery!

After all, both of you have mastered the spear. You're roughly on par with the students in the Heavenly Prodigy Project, so the gap in spear techniques won't be large.

But archery is different. Without enough accumulated training, entering the Heavenly Prodigy Project requires unrivaled talent to catch up in progress.

First High has been an Outstanding Student source base for many years in a row. Its teaching staff keeps improving, and it has a huge student body. They can afford to produce more than two hundred Outstanding Students every year, and they even have a dedicated archery class to provide extra training for talented students interested in the bow.

Your opponent is called Liu Yong. Back in middle school, he failed to enter the Heavenly Prodigy Project because of a poor performance. Later, he joined the archery class and gradually displayed considerable talent with the bow. He is now known as First High's number-one genius, and it's very likely that he has already reached the beginner level in archery!

If he hadn't reached the beginner level in archery, then even if he had mastered the moves of the Ancient Martial Spear, he wouldn't have dared apply to the Heavenly Prodigy Project on the eve of the college entrance examination.

Only by mastering the Ancient Martial Spear and reaching the beginner level in archery can one barely keep up with those geniuses in the Heavenly Prodigy Project, avoid disgracing its name, and avoid wasting the Military Department's time and resources!

But you only touched the Blood Qi Bow today. How could you possibly reach the beginner level in less than two days?"