Enhanced Silent Divine Crossbow!

"Back?" Huang Fei's voice carried that characteristic languor.

"Yeah." Tang San didn't say more, sitting down on his bed to lay out the parts from his cloth bag one by one.

Cylinders, springs, arrow shafts, trigger mechanisms—the parts for ten sets of Silent Sleeve Arrow lay across the bed, casting a cold, metallic sheen in the dim light.

He began to assemble them.

The first one took about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea.

It wasn't because it was difficult, but because he hadn't touched these things in so long that his fingers needed to rediscover that familiar sensation.

Inserting the spring into the base of the cylinder, installing the trigger, loading the arrow, and snapping on the cap—every step was etched into his muscle memory. He didn't need to think; his fingers knew exactly how to move.

When the first set was assembled, he held the cylinder toward the wall and pulled the trigger.

"Click."

The arrow shot from the muzzle, embedding itself deep into the earthen wall.

Tang San walked over, pulled the arrow out, and inspected the depth. Not deep enough. The spring tension needed to be increased.

He noted the issue in his mind and returned to the bed to assemble the second set.

The second set took nearly half the time of the first.

Then the third, the fourth... by the time all ten were finished, the bell for dinner was ringing outside the window.

Tang San tucked six sets of Silent Sleeve Arrow into his Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges, then picked the best of the remaining four and set it aside.

"Huang Fei," he called out.

"Yeah." Huang Fei was still leaning against the headboard, his posture almost unchanged—if one had to point out a change, it was that he had shifted his hands from behind his head, left hand now on top of the right.

"This is for you." Tang San handed over the set of Silent Sleeve Arrow. "Silent Sleeve Arrow, I made it. Strap it to your arm and hide it with your sleeve; you can use it if you run into danger. It doesn't require soul power, anyone can use it."

Huang Fei opened his eyes, looked at the metal cylinder in Tang San's hand, then looked at Tang San's face.

Tang San's expression was earnest, his eyes filled with an undisguised sincerity—when he made these, Huang Fei was the first person he thought of.

Huang Fei reached out to take it, turning it over in his hands.

The cylinder was small, about six inches long and the thickness of an adult's wrist. The metal surface was polished smooth, glowing with a silver-gray luster under the light.

There was a tiny mechanism at the muzzle that could be triggered with a light press.

"Sleeve arrow?" Huang Fei asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Right. Strap it to your arm and cover it with your sleeve."

As Tang San spoke, he revealed his own set, already strapped on, to show him.

The cylinder was secured to the inside of his forearm by two leather straps, the arrow tube flush against his skin. Once his sleeve fell, there was no trace of it at all.

"It's most effective for surprise attacks at close range," Tang San added.

Huang Fei nodded and placed the sleeve arrow beside his pillow.

He didn't strap it on immediately, nor did he decline. He simply said, "Thanks," in a flat tone, but Tang San could tell it wasn't perfunctory.

Outside Dormitory Seven, the setting sun was sinking behind the western mountains.

Orange light filtered through the window, bathing the entire room in warm tones.

Tang San packed away the remaining sleeve arrows, stood up, and prepared to head to the cafeteria for dinner.

As he reached the door, he looked back.

Huang Fei was still leaning against the headboard, his posture unchanged, but his eyes were open.

He was looking at the metal cylinder beside his pillow, a faint, subtle smile playing on his lips.

Tang San didn't think much of it and pushed the door open to leave. What he didn't know was that the moment he stepped out of Dormitory Seven, Huang Fei heard a cold, mechanical chime in his mind.

"Ding—Target Tang San detected. Acquired hidden weapon 'Silent Sleeve Arrow' (Common Quality). Host has triggered the reward mechanism—generating corresponding reward..."

"Generation complete. Congratulations to the Host for obtaining: 'Silent Divine Crossbow' (Enhanced Version)."

"Claim now?"

Huang Fei closed his eyes, his lips moving slightly: "Claim."

"Reward issued. Please enter the private space to claim. It is recommended to choose a location with no one around."

Huang Fei opened his eyes, picked up the sleeve arrow Tang San had given him from beside the pillow, tucked it under his quilt, and rolled out of bed.

He walked out of Dormitory Seven, crossed the corridor, and pushed open the door to the public washroom.

The washroom was empty; everyone had gone to dinner at this hour. The steam hadn't risen yet, and the tiles felt cool to the touch.

He walked to the furthest corner, confirmed no one was around, and focused his intent.

A silver-white light emerged from his waist—the storage space of Forty-Eight Moons Embracing the Stars had been opened.

What drifted out wasn't just one item, but an object much smaller than Tang San's sleeve arrow.

Huang Fei reached out and caught it.

It was about three inches long, slightly thinner than an adult's pinky finger, with a streamlined shape. The casing was a metal that sat between silver and dark gray—not iron, not steel, and it didn't seem to be any metal known to this world.

The surface lacked any seams or screw marks, appearing seamless as if a solid block of metal had been molded directly into this shape by some force.

It was incredibly light, with almost no discernible weight in the hand.

Huang Fei turned it over and saw two tiny characters engraved on the barrel wall: "Divine Crossbow."

The characters were silver, blending almost perfectly with the color of the barrel, making them impossible to spot without close inspection.

He tried sensing it with his intent—yes, this thing did not require manual triggering.

Like the Forty-Eight Moons Embracing the Stars, it could merge into the body and be controlled by thought.

Engaging the mechanism, firing the arrows, or even unleashing a continuous volley—every operation required nothing more than a single thought.

Huang Fei injected a sliver of his soul power into it.

In an instant, all information regarding this hidden weapon flooded his mind: Silent Divine Crossbow, an enhanced version of the Silent Sleeve Arrow.

Arrow capacity: twelve shots per load, no manual reloading required. Range: three times that of the Silent Sleeve Arrow.

Penetration: five times that of the Silent Sleeve Arrow. Additional effect: upon impact, the arrow induces a brief paralysis effect, the duration of which depends on the target's Soul Power Level.

The most outrageous part was its size—only three inches long, a full half smaller than Tang San's sleeve arrow.

This meant he could not only strap it to his forearm but also to the inside of his wrist, his ankle, or even conceal it within his palm.

It was far more covert and capable of catching anyone off guard.

Huang Fei pressed the Silent Divine Crossbow against the inside of his right forearm and shifted his intent—the silver metal seemed to come alive, spreading out to conform to his skin and forming a thin, almost imperceptible patch.

Once his sleeve was lowered, nothing could be seen.

He tried again, triggering it directly with his consciousness—a faint vibration came from the inside of his forearm, the signal that an arrow was about to launch, but he interrupted it in time, preventing it from actually firing.

The entire process was absurdly quiet.

There was no sound at all.