Promoted to Section Chief

"Li Yi had repeatedly distinguished himself in battle and governed his troops well. He is hereby promoted to Company Commander!"

A clerk delivered the promotion document personally signed by the general into Li Yi's hands.

Looking at the document, Li Yi nodded in satisfaction.

After more than two months stationed at Wild Goose Pass, Li Yi had relied on the many merits he had accumulated in daily battles to successfully shed the word "acting," rising from acting company commander to an official company commander!

And after two months of training and elimination, the First Archers' Unit was now elite among elites. Any archer from within could be sent out to serve as a squad leader!

Even more frighteningly, every archer in the First Unit could perform a double shot!

The Second and Third Units consisted of archers eliminated from the First Unit, yet if placed in any other army, they would still be first-rate bowmen.

At the same time, the Fourth Unit under Han Jia's command was also composed of many elite infantrymen, including more than a dozen hardened soldiers at Body Tempering Level One!

After these two months of management, Li Yi's archers' camp had become General Guan's right-hand man alongside the heavy cavalry camp commanded by Centurion Song Jie!

Meanwhile, Liu Ye, Li Tao, and Wang Hao each commanded a squad, together forming Li Yi's personal guard.

"Thanks, brother!"

Li Yi smiled faintly and quietly slipped a cloth pouch to the clerk.

Feeling the weight of the pouch, the clerk's expression grew all the more sincere, his face breaking into a beaming smile.

"Tonight, the archers' camp celebrates! Slaughter ten sheep, and reward every soldier with a cup of wine!"

After putting away the document, Li Yi loudly announced it to the soldiers throughout the camp.

For a time, the entire military camp brimmed with joyous energy. Many soldiers repeatedly praised Li Yi, while several newcomers who had only recently enlisted clutched their bowls of mutton, so moved that tears streamed down their faces.

Officers like Li Yi, who treated their soldiers well and rewarded them with wine and meat, were few and far between!

Watching the soldiers grow ever more obedient and admiring toward him, Li Yi nodded in satisfaction and returned to his tent.

Wasn't the reason he had spent so lavishly on these rewards of wine and meat precisely to win people's hearts and forge an elite force that answered only to him?

After returning to the tent and giving a few instructions, Li Yi took his personal guards and headed back to his home in the city.

Liu Fang's belly was growing ever larger. Whenever he had the chance, Li Yi would hurry home to keep her company and, in passing, guide Li Xin and Li Yue in their cultivation.

"Uncle Yi, the blacksmith shop sent word that the item you commissioned is nearly finished. They asked you to visit the shop whenever you have time."

Liu Fang's nephew, Dog Egg, now ran errands and handled odd jobs for Li Yi's household. He also assisted Li Xin in dealing with many matters.

Hearing this, Li Yi was instantly delighted.

Could it be that Master Tang had finally finished forging the longbow?

At the thought, the joy in Li Yi's voice could not be suppressed.

"Dog Egg, make the arrangements tomorrow morning. I'm going to visit Master Tang!"

Because Liu Fang was pregnant, Li Yi's residence had acquired a carriage, which Dog Egg normally managed.

"Hyah—"

As Dog Egg flicked the horsewhip, a carriage carrying Li Yi slowly made its way toward the western part of the city.

Autumn was drawing near, and more and more merchants passed through the city, all hoping to buy more goods and bring them back to their homelands before the snow fell.

The western district, where artisans gathered, was the destination of many such merchants.

By the time Li Yi arrived at Tang's Blacksmith Shop, it was nearly noon.

"Lord Li has arrived! Please, come in, come in!"

Li Yi's reputation in the army was growing ever more formidable. Merchants like Tang's Blacksmith Shop, which worked closely with the military, naturally knew of Li Yi's strength and status and did not dare slight him in the least.

The moment Li Yi stepped down from the carriage, the blacksmith shop's proprietor hurried out from behind the counter to welcome him.

"This is fine tea brought in from the south. Would Lord Li care to try some?"

Accompanied by the proprietor, Li Yi entered the reception room. He lifted a cup of fragrant tea and took a shallow sip.

"Proprietor, how is the item Master Tang is forging for me coming along?"

Setting down the teacup, Li Yi asked mildly.

The proprietor chuckled. The fat on his pale, plump face quivered slightly as he said with a hint of ingratiation:

"It is nearly finished. Only the final step remains."

"But that step requires your presence, so it has been left unfinished until now."

"Still, please rest assured, my lord. Wait here a moment. I have already sent someone to make the preparations, and the longbow will be completed shortly!"

Seeing this, Li Yi began to wander casually around the blacksmith shop.

His strength was steadily advancing. After comprehending the cultivation insights he had obtained from Cao Cheng regarding the [Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Spear], his progress in the [Gale-Rending Formation-Breaking Spear] had improved by leaps and bounds.

The Plum Blossom Spear he had acquired earlier in Qinghe County was gradually falling behind his pace, no longer able to bear the force of the [Gale-Rending Formation-Breaking Spear].

At present, Li Yi also needed to replace it with a suitable long spear.

Just as Li Yi was trying out various long spears in the armory, an apprentice hurried over and whispered a few words into the proprietor's ear.

"Lord Li, everything is ready. Please follow me to the rear courtyard."

After receiving the apprentice's report, the shopkeeper hurriedly led Li Yi toward the rear courtyard.

There, Master Tang was burning incense and praying, while several apprentices busied themselves fanning the fire and carrying supplies.

"Master Tang, you've worked hard!"

Seeing the fatigue on Master Tang's face, Li Yi repeatedly expressed his concern.

Tang Yiping planted the incense directly into the censer before him and rose to his feet. His muscular body looked particularly striking beneath the sunlight.

"To have the chance to forge a divine weapon is an honor for me as well!"

"Enough nonsense. Let's begin at once!"

With a click, Tang Yiping opened a wooden box and took out a bow stave that had yet to be strung.

The bow was nearly four feet long, black from end to end, with occasional flashes of blue-silver light.

At Master Tang's gesture, Li Yi accepted the bow stave and examined it carefully.

The moment it landed in his hands, its weight made his arm sink. After giving it a few light swings, Li Yi's eyes immediately lit up.

This was a good bow!

It fit his hand perfectly!

Watching Li Yi continually handle the unfinished bow, Tang Yiping said with considerable pride, "Besides the White Plains Furious Bull beast sinews and bones, as well as the Blue Yin Iron you brought, I also added a portion of Mercury Alloy and many other supplementary materials!"

As he spoke, Master Tang pulled a bundle of translucent thread from his robes.

"And this bowstring is woven from White Plains Furious Bull sinew and Century Cold Silkworm Silk!"

Taking the bow stave back from Li Yi, Master Tang wore an unreadable expression.

"Actually, this bow is nearly complete. It's only lacking one final ingredient!"

An apprentice approached Li Yi carrying a bowl and a small knife.

"I'll use your essence blood to temper it in the fire. With the blood-forging method, I'll create a divine bow!"

"If this bow succeeds, it will surely enter the Weapon Rankings!"

By now, Li Yi was no longer completely ignorant. He had gained at least a little understanding of the affairs of the world.

The Weapon Rankings was a list that ranked divine weapons and precious arms from the states of Chen, Qing, and several others according to their power and characteristics.

Every weapon on the list possessed immense might and could raise a martial artist's strength by several tenths!

He had never expected the blacksmith Old Zhang had recommended to possess such ability—to be capable of forging a weapon like this!

As for the blood-forging method, Li Yi had heard of it as well.

The famed swords Gan Jiang and Mo Ye, for example, had been forged when their maker Gan Jiang sacrificed himself to the blade!

Thinking of this, Li Yi did not hesitate. He took the knife and sliced across his palm, while simultaneously circulating his breathing technique. Streams of crimson essence blood were forced from his body into the bowl.

By the time the fist-sized porcelain bowl was filled with essence blood, Li Yi's face had turned several shades paler.

"You brat, I didn't expect your martial talent to be so good too!"

Seeing the essence blood in the bowl, Tang Yiping raised his brows in surprise.

He had initially thought that Li Yi was merely talented in archery. Yet from the looks of things, Li Yi's martial talent was also far beyond that of ordinary people.

Taking the medicinal pill handed over by his personal guard, Li Yi sat to one side and recovered the essence blood and vitality he had lost.

"More fire!"

Master Tang shouted, and the two apprentices tending the flames hurriedly pulled the bellows. The heat within the forge grew ever more scorching.

As the apprentices stoked the fire, Master Tang smeared half the essence blood over the bow stave, then tossed it into the furnace.

Once the stave had turned red-hot and the essence blood was no longer visible, Master Tang swiftly clamped it out, hammering it while splashing the remaining essence blood over it.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

The sound of hammering rang through the rear courtyard. After a long while, Tang Yiping looked at the bow stave in his hands with satisfaction, then tossed it into the water pool.

Sizzle!

A cloud of mist rose from the water. Master Tang picked up a towel and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Wait a little longer, and this bow will be complete!"

Li Yi, resting nearby, curiously watched the bow stave in the pool.

Strangely enough, as the mist dispersed, Li Yi discovered that he could vaguely sense the bow within the water!

"Come on, let's see how it performs."

After fastening the bowstring, Tang Yiping led Li Yi through repeated tests of the bow's various specifications.

After firing several arrows, the smile on Li Yi's face simply would not fade.

This longbow, forged at the cost of immense materials and silver, began with a draw weight of seven shi. Moreover, because of the blood-forging process, Blue Yin Iron, and Mercury Alloy, its body could contain the power of qi and blood.

As long as Li Yi poured the power of his blood and qi into the bow, its draw strength would continue to increase.

Simply put, once Li Yi could use an eight-stone, or even nine-stone bow, he would only need to infuse it with the corresponding amount of blood and qi, and the bow would automatically increase its draw weight to suit its wielder.

This was an exceedingly rare semi-growing bow!

"This bow will be enough to see you through to the True Qi Realm."

"When the day comes that you break through to the True Qi Realm, come find me again. I can upgrade this bow for you!"

Taking Li Yi's talent into account, Master Tang had deliberately left room for it to advance.

"Oh, right. This bow can store Sha Qi. The more enemies you kill, the heavier the Sha Qi on the bow will become. Once it accumulates to a certain extent, you can attach that Sha Qi to your arrowheads and kill your enemies with it!"

"With this bow's power, it is more than qualified to enter the Weapon Rankings!"

"As for this bow's subtleties, you can explore them yourself."

Listening to Tang Yiping's introduction, Li Yi was greatly delighted. With this divine bow, worthy of the Weapon Rankings, his archery would surely rise to another level!

After the test was complete, Master Tang handed the bow to Li Yi with satisfaction and said, "Now, give your bow a name!"

"A name for the bow?"

Li Yi sank into thought. Suddenly, he recalled the Army-Breaking Bow he had obtained from Old Zhang.

Like the Army-Breaking Bow, this bow had been forged from the same blueprint, using the sinews and bones of exotic beasts. The smiths who made them shared the same lineage, and both could gather Sha Qi by killing enemies!

In that case, this bow's name...

"Let's call it Seven Killings!"

"Seven Killings Bow!"