Repairing the Hard Bow

"Are you Old Zhang's descendant?"

An old man with white hair and beard, but muscles all over his body, stood before an anvil, hammering a blade with all his strength.

After confiscating a chest of exotic beast sinews and bones from Cao Li's home, Li Yi had visited Old Zhang. After obtaining the forging blueprint for the Army-Breaking Bow from him, he had entrusted Old Zhang with finding a qualified blacksmith.

This Master Tang Yiping was the master craftsman Old Zhang had introduced to Li Yi.

"That would be me!"

Li Yi took out the token Old Zhang had given him and explained his requirements.

"Hand over the blueprint!"

Master Tang nodded, took the blueprint from Li Yi, and examined it carefully.

"This Army-Breaking Bow was forged by my ancestor for the Zhang family. Once I go back and look through the manuscripts he left behind, there should be forging records related to it."

After setting down the manuscript, Master Tang asked Li Yi for the Army-Breaking Bow and began studying it.

"The repair work on this bow is decent, but it can only last another two or three years at most."

As he spoke, Master Tang picked up a small hammer and lightly tapped it.

"Still, I can melt this bow down and use some of the salvageable refined iron in your new bow."

"Have you prepared any materials?"

Seeing this, Li Yi hurriedly directed Liu Ye and the other man to open the chest they had carried over.

Inside were the exotic beast sinews and bones looted from Cao Li's home.

Master Tang stepped forward, picked up the exotic beast sinews and bones from the chest, and inspected them carefully.

"These are the sinews and bones of a White Plains Furious Bull. Good stuff!"

Master Tang's face lit up with delight as he kept turning the materials over in his hands.

According to General Guan, humans could cultivate martial arts and break through the limits of the human body. Some exceptionally gifted wild beasts could likewise, through certain means, break through the limits of their own species.

Such creatures were known as exotic beasts!

Every bit of an exotic beast's flesh and blood was useful for a martial artist's cultivation. Their flesh could serve as blood food to replenish one's body, while their hides, bones, sinews, and the like could be used to forge weapons and equipment. They were truly treasure from head to toe!

Seeing Master Tang's expression, Li Yi took the dark blue metal General Guan had gifted him from his robe.

"Master Tang, take a look at this. Can it be used to forge a longbow?"

"Blue Yin Iron?"

Seeing the metal Li Yi had produced, Tang Yiping was greatly shocked and hurriedly stepped forward to take it.

"It absolutely can! With this piece of Blue Yin Iron, I might be able to forge you a divine bow worthy of the weapon rankings!"

Running his fingers over the Blue Yin Iron, Tang Yiping pondered for a moment before continuing.

"Since you have these two materials, this old man will take out something suitable from his own collection and forge it together with them. I'll do my best to make you a divine bow."

"By the way, how many stone of draw weight can you manage now?"

Li Yi said solemnly, "I can currently draw a seven-stone bow."

After thinking for a moment, Li Yi added, "Before long, I'll be able to draw a ten-stone bow. So I hope this bow can be as powerful as possible, enough to last me for a while."

Ten stone soon?

Tang Yiping froze. This kid before him was definitely not yet twenty, yet he was already close to drawing a ten-stone heavy bow.

That brat Old Zhang had really found a treasure this time!

"Then come back in half a month to collect your bow!"

"Also, I plan to add some materials of my own to this divine bow. Including the forging fee, give me one hundred and thirty taels of silver!"

One hundred and thirty taels?

Li Yi was startled by the exorbitant price!

On the market, even a seven-stone bow only cost eighty or ninety taels of silver. Why was Tang Yiping charging so much?

Perhaps guessing Li Yi's thoughts, Tang Yiping chuckled.

"The bow I'm planning to forge for you will not be an ordinary bow. It will definitely be worth every penny!"

Remembering how the Army-Breaking Bow had felt in his hands before, Li Yi decided to take a gamble.

Old Zhang wanted him to handle a matter for him, so there was absolutely no reason for the old man to deceive him.

Moreover, Li Yi was a company commander stationed at Wild Goose Pass. If Tang Yiping wanted to make a living at Wild Goose Pass, he would not lightly offend the Chen Kingdom army.

Since that was the case, it was worth a try!

"Then I'll leave it to you, Master Tang!"

"Later, I'll have someone deliver seventy taels of silver as a deposit!"

Taking half the payment upfront was the rule of the blacksmith's shop.

The other half would be paid to the smith once the weapon was finished and confirmed to be without issue.

At that moment, Tang Yiping's mind was entirely on the Blue Yin Iron in his hands. Seeing this, the shopkeeper quickly picked up where Li Yi had left off.

After finalizing the matter of the longbow, Li Yi returned home to keep Liu Fang company.

Woooo~

The horn sounded. Li Yi shot to his feet and shouted:

"To the right—three volleys!"

At Li Yi's command, more than a hundred archers split into three ranks, drawing their bows and nocking arrows without pause.

As the rain of arrows fell, cries of agony rang out one after another.

"Fourth Company, raise your shields!"

As Li Yi directed the archers to unleash their arrow rain, Han Jia led the infantry of the Fourth Company forward, planting large shields before the archers to block the charge of Qing Kingdom light cavalry.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Wave after wave of arrows flew out. Standing amid the crowd, Li Yi watched the Qing Kingdom light cavalry being harried by the arrow rain.

"Found you!"

Suddenly, Li Yi's eyes lit up. In an instant, he took out three arrows and set them on his iron-backed bow.

Three Stars in a Row!

The Three Stars in a Row that had previously allowed him to kill the rebel leader across ranks appeared once more on the soil of Wild Goose Pass.

Thud!

A few breaths later, a Qing Kingdom light cavalryman was struck in the vital points by three iron arrows and instantly toppled from his horse.

The moment this man was slain by Li Yi's Three Stars in a Row, the Qing Kingdom light cavalry fell into chaos.

Clearly, the man killed had been the centurion of the Qing Kingdom light cavalry!

"Fire at will!"

"Fourth Company, advance!"

Seeing the enemy troops in utter disarray, Li Yi immediately changed his orders and relentlessly slaughtered the Qing Kingdom soldiers.

A long while later, the only ones left on the battlefield were the Chen Kingdom soldiers under Li Yi's command.

"This wave of Qing Kingdom harassment has been beaten back. Let's return!"

After Han Jia led his men in clearing up the battlefield, Li Yi brought the archer battalion back into Wild Goose Pass.

Ever since three days ago, the Qing Kingdom had continuously dispatched unit after unit to harass Wild Goose Pass.

Including this force of light cavalry, this was already the third wave of Qing Kingdom troops Li Yi had repelled in just three days.

At that moment, General Guan's main camp was crowded with officers.

Soldiers constantly hurried in and out of the camp, gathering and relaying intelligence from every direction and delivering numerous orders.

"Reporting to the general, the light cavalry harassing the western side of the city has been repelled under my command. We killed one hundred and twenty-five enemies in this battle, with seventeen casualties on our side!"

"What?"

"Is that casualty ratio real?"

"He didn't kill civilians to claim military merit, did he?"

At Li Yi's report, the entire camp erupted into an uproar.

They had killed over a hundred enemies while suffering barely a fraction of that number in casualties. Even the founding emperor of the Chen Kingdom might not have achieved such a record!

Listening to the doubts, praise, and astonished cries around him, Li Yi remained unperturbed, standing tall in the main camp.

"Good!"

"As expected of Cloud-Piercing Arrow Li Yi. This military achievement has truly given our morale a tremendous boost!"

General Guan glanced at the proof of kills Li Yi had brought, laughed heartily, and slapped the desk before him.

Stroking his long beard, General Guan pondered for a moment before saying:

"Pass down my orders!"

"Li Yi has rendered outstanding merit in this battle. Reward him with one hundred taels of silver. Reward the archer battalion with fifteen live sheep and two hundred taels of silver!"

"Furthermore, spread this battle record through every camp!"

In their clashes with the Qing Kingdom army, the Chen Kingdom had always been at a disadvantage. Li Yi's record could serve as a benchmark to inspire every unit.

"Thank you for the reward, General!"

General Guan's little scheme was immediately clear to Li Yi.

But this was also a good thing for Li Yi. The greater his reputation, the steadier his position in the army, and the better his chances of climbing higher!

After three consecutive days of battle, Li Yi and the archers under his command were granted two days of leave.

After personally distributing the reward silver to the soldiers, Li Yi ordered that half of the fifteen live ones be slaughtered to reward the entire archer battalion.

After celebrating wildly with the soldiers, Li Yi returned to his own tent.

[Gale Breathing Method (Proficient): 1597/1600]

[Effect: Five Senses Divine, Body Like Resilient Grass]

After this period of warfare and cultivation, his mastery of the breathing method was now just one step away from a breakthrough.

"Tonight will be the time of my breakthrough!"

Li Yi's eyes shone brightly. Sitting cross-legged on his bed, he began to cultivate.

At the same time, the many cultivation experiences Song Jie had imparted surfaced in Li Yi's mind.

As time passed, Li Yi's grasp of the breathing method grew ever deeper.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Several strikes of a bronze gong rang out, and the military camp gradually began to bustle with activity.

Li Yi slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air.

After a night of cultivation, the Gale Breathing Method had already broken through from the Proficient realm to the Lesser Mastery realm!

"The time to break through to the third level of Body Tempering is now!"

Feeling the vastly transformed breathing method, Li Yi grabbed the Plum Blossom Spear at his side and dashed out of the tent in a single stride.

The sky was just beginning to brighten, and the soldiers in the camp were getting up and tidying themselves.

Feeling the cold morning dew, Li Yi's expression grew increasingly calm.

"The first realm of Body Tempering is the beginning of martial cultivation. It emphasizes qi and blood, tempering skin and flesh!"

"If one wishes to break through, the best method is to stir the qi and blood throughout the entire body!"

With that thought, Li Yi headed straight for the training ground.

"Liu Ye, watch the surroundings. Don't let anyone disturb me!"

After instructing Liu Ye, the captain of his personal guard, to have his men secure the training ground, Li Yi bared his upper body and began practicing the Gale-Rending Formation-Breaking Spear!

As Li Yi thrust his spear again and again, his already surging qi and blood was gradually stirred, causing his body to slowly warm.

As time went on, wisps of warm vapor rose from Li Yi's body. Meeting the surrounding chill, they condensed into droplets of dew.

Whoosh!

"Gale Triple Thrust!"

Suddenly, Li Yi let out a low roar. The Plum Blossom Spear in his hand thrust out in rapid succession, three streams of force stacking atop one another, even producing a shriek of tearing air across the training ground.

"Kill!"

Li Yi had already worked himself into a fervor, continuously swinging the long spear in his hand. The dew condensed on its tip scattered in every direction with his movements.

No one knew how much time had passed. The scattered dew had formed a circle around Li Yi.

Smack!

Just as the sun rose completely, Li Yi suddenly withdrew his spear and stood still, slowly exhaling a breath of stale air.

"Finally, I've done it!"

"Third level of Body Tempering! The Hard Flesh Realm!"

Planting the Plum Blossom Spear at his side, Li Yi lowered his head to examine his upper body.

His sweat-covered physique glimmered with a dim sheen. With a light pinch, he could even feel its hard, solid texture.