"Make way, make way..." Hong Yi heard the shout too. He quickly came to his senses, frowned, and turned to look. Especially in the depths of winter, the Ox-Sinew Bow was affected by the cold, growing stiff and difficult to draw. Though it was said to have a draw weight of eighty catties, in reality it was closer to a hundred. A nine-stone bow—that was to say, Hong Yi now had ten Ox-Sinew Bows in his hands. If he drew them all at once and fired shot after shot... The eighty-cattie Tuomu Ox-Sinew Bow was far harder to draw than the Silk Bow. It wasn't until the entire first lunar month had passed that he finally had to break free of this routine. But after getting used to it, Hong Yi found the solitude rather peaceful. He struck both fists out, putting his whole strength behind them, and heard the whistle of his fists tearing through the air. Imagining ten bows in his hands, all drawn at once, made Hong Yi shudder, to say nothing of firing them in rapid succession. As he practiced drawing and shooting, Hong Yi also came to understand that his body held countless invisible bows: his arms were one bow, his back another, his waist another, his legs another... Hong Yi took stock of what he had gained over the past month. A scholar reflected on his gains, losses, and mistakes three times a day; the same practice could be applied to martial training and soul cultivation. Of course, he wouldn't really whip Hong Yi. He only wanted to scare him into rolling on the ground like a gourd. Every time Hong Yi mustered all his strength to draw the bow, he felt as if he were iron being hammered and tempered in a furnace. The large and small muscles, the large and small tendons, were twisted together with every draw, bound into a single hempen rope. There was only one way to subdue the delusions that arose during contemplation and temper the soul into unyielding resolve: rely on one's own immense concentration. With great wisdom and great concentration, one subdued the demons conjured by the mind's contemplation. Only after reaching perfection could one advance further in cultivation; there were no shortcuts. Rumble! The days passed, one after another, with Hong Yi studying and practicing martial arts behind closed doors by day, and contemplating at night. "When my father was young, he could draw the nine-stone Falling Star Bow and fire shot after shot. That's truly..." After failing, he of course didn't give up. From the first through the fifteenth day of the new year, he spent each day nourishing his spirit and practicing martial arts, then contemplating his soul at night. Because Marquis Wuwen Hong Xuanji was an old top scholar who had served in government for many years, his connections ran deep, and he had a coterie of scholar allies. As a result, the Hong Family's clan school had practically become a large academy, famous throughout Yujing. After walking for the time it took to burn several incense sticks, Hong Yi could see the imposing buildings of the Imperial Academy in the distance. After the sixty-cattie Chestnut-Wood Ox-Horn Silk Bow cracked under the strain, he went to the Guan Shi Shop and bought an eighty-cattie Tuomu Ox-Sinew Bow, then continued practicing his draw and strength. "If this Amitabha Sutra had no Amitabha image to aid it, then unless one were a sage possessed of true great wisdom and concentration, no matter how accomplished a person was, practicing it would inevitably lead to cultivation deviation and soul damage. But even with this Amitabha image, cultivation still depends on one's own concentration." "This past month has been so quiet and comfortable. Not a single person came to disturb me. It must be because Father saw me once and wanted me to prepare for the imperial examinations in peace. But even after a month of cultivation, I still haven't made a breakthrough. My soul hasn't reached the Day Wanderer stage, and though my tendons and muscles feel nearly perfected, I still can't circulate my strength and raise the skin. Much less can I begin practicing the Tiger Demon Bone-Refining Fist." His tendons and muscles grew purer and stronger with every practice. Hong Yi was completely immersed in this life, feeling more exhilarated than ever. His strength increased day by day, and his thoughts grew clearer. The Hong Family's clan school at Marquis Wuwen's Mansion stood in the eastern part of Yujing, near the Imperial Academy, about five or six li from the Hong residence. The Hong Family's clan school was more renowned than those of some princes and dukes. Many people even pulled strings to get their children enrolled. "Hmm?" This was Hong Yi's first failure while practicing the Amitabha Sutra. The Amitabha Sutra's method of contemplation was the source of myriad teachings. Its practice included trials such as White Bone Contemplation, Asura Contemplation, Jade Maiden Contemplation, and Ascension Contemplation. But the further one progressed, the stronger the soul became, and the more powerful the demons conjured by contemplation grew. All manner of illusions appeared, and some might even become real. So the farther one cultivated the Amitabha Sutra, the more difficult it became—ten, a hundred, even a thousand times harder than ordinary cultivation. A man and his horse charged forward with such ferocity that their momentum alone could frighten people into tumbling away in terror. Three months ago, even with only the faintest hope, Hong Yi hadn't despaired or given up. Now that his prospects were much brighter, he was all the more confident. The young masters who left the mansion first thing in the morning all rode in carriages, accompanied by at least two or three young attendants to carry their things. Hong Yi was the only one on his own, with no attendant to accompany him to his studies and no servant to wait on him. Early that morning, the people leaving the mansion for the start of the school term filled the road with carriages and horses, like a market-day crowd. It was quite a spectacle. Although the Amitabha Sutra's contemplation method was the source of myriad teachings, and its practice included trials such as White Bone Contemplation, Asura Contemplation, Jade Maiden Contemplation, and Ascension Contemplation, the further one progressed, the stronger the soul became and the more powerful the demons conjured by contemplation grew. All manner of illusions appeared, and some might even become real. So the farther one cultivated the Amitabha Sutra, the more difficult it became—ten, a hundred, even a thousand times harder than ordinary cultivation. The two riders were highly skilled horsemen. They charged along recklessly, their momentum fierce, yet they struck neither people nor objects. Hong Yi's gaze turned cold. He shifted his body to the side, narrowly avoiding the horse's charge. At the same time, he put all his strength into an Ox Demon Horn Thrust, driving both fists into the horse's belly. Rong Pan was jolted from the saddle by the tremendous momentum and crashed to the ground, his head broken and bleeding. The horse thundered past Hong Yi, ran more than ten paces, then crashed to the ground and rolled several times. As soon as they spotted Hong Yi, the two men exchanged sinister smiles. They tugged their reins, and their speed immediately picked up; in a few bounds, they had galloped behind him. Although Hong Yi hadn't made a breakthrough over the first lunar month, his foundations had grown firmer and more refined, bringing him gradually to the brink of one. The impurities in iron were beaten away with a thousand blows, and it gradually transformed into fine steel. "Make way." The clan school was about to begin its term. The school at Marquis Wuwen's Mansion was very well run, near the Imperial Academy, and its instructors were renowned, learned scholars. Some were men of great reputation; others were Hanlin scholars who had fought through several literary battles and were well versed in the imperial examinations. Hong Yi recognized the two at a glance: Hong Gui, from the third branch of the family, and his cousin Rong Pan. They had been discussing how to teach him a lesson. The change happened in a flash. Most people only saw Rong Pan charge toward Hong Yi on horseback and make a show of whipping him; Hong Yi dodged, then the horse suddenly lost control and crashed to the ground. Early that morning, Rong Pan saw Hong Yi, who seemed to have been frightened witless, and burst out laughing. As he swept past, he raised his riding crop and brought it down hard, though he stopped short of actually striking him. Hong Yi packed his brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone, bundled them up, and headed toward the clan school. But the harder the bow was to draw, the greater its effect on Hong Yi's strength training. After drawing the eighty-cattie Ox-Sinew Bow, Hong Yi felt a fearful dread of his father, Marquis Wuwen Hong Xuanji, and his strength. Once the first lunar month had passed, peace and harmony returned to Yujing. Just then, hurried hoofbeats and shouts sounded from the road behind him. Passersby hurried out of the way, and even those driving leisurely carriages to school steered to the roadside when they heard the noise. It was early morning. At that moment, the two horses had already charged up behind him. One rider was a young master in a cap and silk-padded coat, jade ornaments at his waist, dressed in splendid finery. The other was an attendant, also clad in silk. "Hmm? Wasn't Princess Luo Yun studying at the Imperial Academy?" Looking at the iron thumb ring on his own thumb, Hong Yi suddenly remembered the princess he had met by chance at the Guan Shi Shop. Hong Yi had just stepped outside after getting ready when the mansion's young masters began leaving one after another. Besides his more than ten brothers and sisters, there were also relatives from the side branches, as well as the maids, servants, and attendants who waited on them. The horses and carriages of those leaving the mansion for the start of the school term filled the road early that morning, like a market-day crowd. It was quite a spectacle. The Amitabha Sutra's contemplation method was the source of myriad teachings. Its practice included trials such as White Bone Contemplation, Asura Contemplation, Jade Maiden Contemplation, and Ascension Contemplation. But the further one progressed, the stronger the soul became, and the more powerful the demons conjured by contemplation grew. All manner of illusions appeared, and some might even become real. So the farther one cultivated the Amitabha Sutra, the more difficult it became—ten, a hundred, even a thousand times harder than ordinary cultivation. This was Hong Yi's first failure while practicing the Amitabha Sutra. He hadn't given up even three months ago, when his hopes had been meager. Now that his prospects were much brighter, he was all the more confident. "In just three months, everything has changed beyond recognition..." Hong Yi thought of how, three months ago, he had been a scholar without the strength to truss a chicken. Now he possessed the Amitabha Sutra, the Ox Demon Great Strength Fist, and the Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist. He could draw an eighty-cattie Ox-Sinew Bow and send his soul out to roam by night. Though he still lacked the strength to change his circumstances, he now had hope of growing stronger, one step at a time.
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