Piercing Willow Archery

Wang Heng's movements stiffened abruptly.

It wasn't his; it was actually Hong Ming's?

He felt a bit surprised, but more than that, he felt embarrassed.

His gaze swept across the area, and fortunately, no one had noticed his awkward predicament.

At this moment, everyone's eyes were fixed squarely on Hong Ming.

Hong Ming was actually even more bewildered than Wang Heng; he remembered that Huang Chun had already returned to the barracks, so could the man have had a change of heart?

Thinking this, he glanced at Wang Heng, then stepped past the crowd to accept the document.

The one Huang Chun had given him before was fake, but the one in his hand now was a genuine appointment document.

After flipping through it for a moment, Hong Ming tucked it away.

When he looked up again, Wang Heng and Zhou Min had already vanished in a dejected retreat.

The other Water Soldiers saw that Hong Ming had managed to secure the document against all odds; though they found it dramatic, they didn't pay it much mind and dispersed.

Qin Hao, however, took the initiative to come over and offer his congratulations before leaving.

The drill ground returned to its usual bustling state, yet Hong Ming remained suspicious and uneasy.

He scanned his surroundings, and seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he suppressed his wandering thoughts and immersed himself in cultivation once more.

Before receiving the document, Hong Ming practiced martial arts on the drill ground in the morning and had his afternoons free.

Now that he had the document, he was required to report to the camp at the designated time in the afternoon.

The document specified a three-day window, but Hong Ming didn't wait that long and headed to the Archery Battalion that very afternoon.

This was his first time stepping into the formal camp, where various drill grounds were scattered like stars in the sky.

There were arenas for training in hand-to-hand combat, equipment yards for sharpening weapons, and archery ranges specifically for archers to hone their skills.

The various grounds were separated by fences into distinct areas of different sizes, clearly demarcated and undisturbed by one another.

Figures could be seen drilling in formation inside and outside the grounds, with shouts and battle cries rising one after another, filling the air with a chilling, murderous aura that seemed to pierce the very heavens.

The Archery Battalion where Hong Ming was to report was located on the east side of the camp, and that entire area fell under its jurisdiction.

He walked with a light, steady pace along the camp road, his eyes quietly taking in everything around him.

Adjacent to the Huai River, the terrain here was open and well-ventilated, making it an excellent place for archery practice.

Multiple drill grounds were set up on both sides of the camp, most of which were archery ranges for the archers' daily training.

Inside the archery ranges, rows of targets stood neatly arranged at the northern end of the grounds.

On the southern side stood many archers practicing their craft, currently drawing their bows and focusing their aim.

As the arrows tore through the air, the whistling sounds were continuous, echoing like a rising tide.

Walking and observing in this manner, Hong Ming arrived at the camp registration office before he knew it and presented his document.

The document had already specified his assigned unit: the Third Battalion of the Archery Battalion.

However, being a newcomer, he didn't know where the Third Battalion was located, and after a reminder from the staff, it took him some time to find it.

"You are Hong Ming? The new archer?"

The person receiving Hong Ming was a burly, upright-looking man who quickly verified the information on the document.

After confirming everything was correct, he returned the document.

He greeted Hong Ming, saying, "My name is Li Mo. Squad Leader Han has already assigned you to me. I will be in charge of your training from here on out. You haven't had any contact with archery before, have you?"

"No," Hong Ming replied honestly.

Li Mo had expected as much, and after the routine questioning, he took him to collect his supplies.

There were two main items: ten arrows and a yellowed booklet.

The arrows were made of ironwood, sturdy and durable, and engraved with Hong Ming's name; they were considered standard equipment for an ordinary archer.

The contents of the yellowed booklet were somewhat complex, listing the various rules of the Archery Battalion as well as the essentials of an archery technique.

The latter even had a resounding name: Piercing Willow Archery.

Li Mo explained one by one, "You must be frugal with these ten arrows. Although they are now your private property, if they are damaged or lost, you will have to pay for their repair or replacement yourself."

"As for this Piercing Willow Archery, it is the technique you will be practicing for the next period of time."

Hong Ming listened attentively and nodded slightly to show he had committed it to memory.

The hour was still early, so after collecting the supplies, Li Mo led Hong Ming to an archery range.

The range was not large, about ten zhang long and three zhang wide, which was just right for a beginner like Hong Ming.

Li Mo was clearly well-versed in the Piercing Willow Archery, and the relevant content flowed from his lips with ease.

It wasn't exactly the same as the booklet, but the meaning was much the same.

He began to impart the essentials of the Piercing Willow Archery to Hong Ming, which, summarized, were actually quite simple.

It boiled down to three phrases: eyes reach, hands reach, and the shot reaches.

Eyes must see far, arms must be strong, and the shot must be precise.

"Hong Ming, while the name Piercing Willow Archery sounds plain, mastering it is by no means an easy task."

Although Hong Ming had been listening with rapt attention the entire time, Li Mo still solemnly reminded him, "Just like the Coiling Dragon Stake and Frost Sky Fist you have learned, this is also a superior archery technique."

A superior archery technique!

Hong Ming's expression shifted slightly upon hearing this.

By now, he was no longer a novice, and naturally understood how martial arts manuals were classified.

Martial arts were divided into martial foundations and martial techniques.

The Coiling Dragon Stake belonged to martial foundations, while the Frost Sky Fist and Piercing Willow Archery could both be categorized as martial techniques.

Both shared the same tier classifications: inferior, intermediate, and superior.

Since the Coiling Dragon Stake and Frost Sky Fist were both superior martial arts, he had assumed Piercing Willow Archery was some roadside trinket; he had never expected it to be a superior martial art as well.

Li Mo continued his introduction: "Piercing Willow Archery is divided into three realms: Entry, Minor Accomplishment, and Major Accomplishment."

He broke it down in detail: "Hitting the mark every time from one hundred meters away counts as Entry; reaching three hundred meters is Minor Accomplishment, and reaching five hundred meters is Major Accomplishment!"

When mentioning the Major Accomplishment of Piercing Willow Archery, a hint of longing could not help but surface in his tone.

This longing was immediately transmitted to Hong Ming: "If you can train this archery to Major Accomplishment in your lifetime, promotion and wealth will be within reach. By then, let alone the squad leaders of the various battalions, even the commander who oversees our Archery Battalion will have to look at you with high regard and show you three parts respect!"

Although archery was unrelated to martial cultivation, those who reached Major Accomplishment were all exceptionally skilled, in no way inferior to Transformation Force martial artists.

If one's own cultivation could keep up, one could even shoot and kill Transformation Force experts from a distance.

Such a level of mastery was found in fewer than a handful of people in the entire Archery Battalion, which showed just how rare it was.

With the pep talk finished, Li Mo wasted no more words and began to teach Hong Ming the archery technique through personal instruction.

His method of teaching was simple and unadorned, combining theory with practical application.

The theory did not stump Hong Ming; he went through it five times and committed all the essentials to heart.

However, when it came to practical application, he found himself somewhat lacking.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Following his grasp of the theory, Hong Ming's subsequent arrows all missed their mark, failing to even graze the edge of the target ten zhang away.

"Your arm strength is sufficient, and your eyesight is passable, but your accuracy is lacking."

Li Mo pointed out Hong Ming's errors with great patience and offered comfort, "Take it slow; with enough practice, you will succeed. There was a guy in our battalion who practiced for a full half-month without any accuracy, and only then did he slowly start to improve."

Half a month?

Hong Ming felt comforted, yet curious: "Brother Li, then how long did it take the fastest person in our battalion?"

"Ten tries!"

Li Mo hesitated for a split second before spitting it out.

The fastest person wasn't measured in days, but in attempts!

Hong Ming fell completely silent; his heart, just comforted, was instantly dealt a critical blow.

He had already exceeded ten arrows!