Chapter 318: Yet Another Master

The flamboyant old man came out from the pavilion. He walked over to Yan Liqiang and asked, “What picul bow will you be using?”

“I will use a ten-picul bow.” Yan Liqiang replied calmly.

“Ji An!” The old man called out softly.

As soon as his voice faded, a servant as old as him came out from the monastery and bowed to the old man in white. “At your service!”

“Bring me two ten-picul bows and a quiver of arrows!”

“Understood!”

The old servant immediately returned to the monastery again. In just a flash, he came back with two bows and a quiver of arrows.

Both were Horned Python Bows. One of them was dark yellow while the other was scarlet in color. The frames had patterns and luster that could only be found on this type of bow. At first glance, Yan Liqiang was able to tell that the workmanship and quality of these bows were far superior to the five-picul Horned Python Bow he used before. These were no doubt the finest Horned Python Bows out in the world.

“Pick whichever one you like!” The old man in white robes smiled and let Yan Liqiang take his pick first.

“No need, both of them are the same!” Yan Liqiang immediately picked up the dark yellow bow and pulled out three arrows from the quiver. “Where are we going to do this?”

“Let’s do it over there!” The old man in white pointed to the west of the bamboo forest. “There’s an open space there, so let’s walk over!”

“Alright. Please lead the way, Senior…”

The old man picked up the other bow and walked in the direction he pointed to, with Yan Liqiang following behind him. They passed through the bamboo forest on a narrow rocky path and arrived at their destination before long. The open space was a spacious grassland that spanned a hundred meters in length. It was the most suitable place for their bet.

Seeing that the old man had stood still in place, Yan Liqiang went to the other side, leaving a distance of about fifty meters between them. He stopped there, stuck two arrows into the ground, and looked at the old man in white robes. “Are you ready, Senior?”

“I am ready. You may start at any time!”

When Yan Liqiang was walking to his spot, the old man had accepted an arrow that the old servant named Ji An handed over to him from the side.

The old servant backed down after handing over the arrow and emotionlessly watched the contest in silence.

Yan Liqiang shot another glance at the old man in white and took a deep breath. In just less than a tenth of a second, he focused his attention and nocked an arrow on his bowstring. He then loosened his grip on the arrow and sent it flying…

The distance of fifty meters allowed arrows to fly at their highest speed, therefore bringing out the maximum potential of a bow and arrow.

An arrow launched by a ten-picul bow could easily penetrate armor across this distance.

Yan Liqiang had only released his first arrow at a seventy percent draw, targeting the hem of that old man’s white robes since the old man said he could win as long as his arrows grazed the hem of his robes. Although Yan Liqiang’s target was his clothes and not the man, he was still worried. If the old man turned out to be all talk or slipped up and accidentally got killed by him, this wouldn’t end well.

Yan Liqiang’s arrow flew at lightning speed. Not to mention, it was released at a weird angle which curved downward instead of traveling in a straight line. While the arrow was ripping halfway through the air at a speed that was difficult to observe with the naked eye…

CLANK…! The sound resonated across the silent bamboo forest.

Impossible…!

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Yan Liqiang nearly gasped out loud. At that split moment, he saw the spark of the two metal arrowheads clashing against each other at a high speed in midair before they were repelled and stuck deep into the ground.

If he didn’t witness this with his very own eyes, he wouldn’t believe anyone could possibly achieve such a feat with their archery.

“Again! Don’t hold back…” The old man smiled and accepted another arrow from the old servant at his side.

Yan Liqiang picked up an arrow from the ground, nocked it on his bowstring, and took a deep breath. In just a split second, he held the ten-picul bow at a full draw. If Yan Liqiang had only unleashed seventy percent of this ten-picul Horned Python Bow’s power just now, then this full draw would unleash its maximum potential.

The bow was drawn to a full moon shape, but Yan Liqiang slightly angled his arrow downward with a solemn expression. He then let out a loud yell, turning both his body and arms at lightning speed on the spot. When he turned, his low aim changed to a high aim — moving from the hem of the robes to the hair bun on the old man’s head. At the same time, Yan Liqiang relied on the huge centrifugal force during his quick turn to release his arrow…

Another arrow was sent flying!

Compared to the first arrow, the second arrow was quicker, more powerful, and discreet. Most importantly, Yan Liqiang revealed one of the ultimate skills he had never shown to anyone else during that quick turn.

Not only was that arrow was released by the bow in his hands, but also his body and hands. It was both an arrow and a hidden weapon. With his Fourth Heavenly Realm in archery and ninth layer in the hidden weapon technique, he combined both techniques into one. This was a deadly move that Yan Liqiang had been refining lately to improve his chances of survival during crucial moments.

The arrow made a beeline for the old man’s hair bun as soon as it left the bowstring. The old man in white drew his bow nearly at the same moment…

However, Yan Liqiang’s arrow suddenly changed course mid-flight. It dipped and went for the hem of the old man’s white robes…

Just when Yan Liqiang thought his arrow definitely wouldn’t miss its mark, he noticed that the arrow the old man fired also dipped at the same time, following a strange trajectory in midair…

CLANK…!

Another clank echoed in the air with a spark…

Yan Liqiang was stupefied. “H-How… is this possible?”

The old man gave him a small smile. “What you released was no longer an arrow, but a hidden weapon and an arrow combined into one. Simply exquisite! However, it wasn’t difficult to counter that. If you can change, so can I!”

Yan Liqiang gulped. “S-Senior… How did you manage to do that?”

“This is the Plucking Plume Technique in archery, a hardly significant technique. Have you heard of it? I can teach you if you want!” The old man in white looked at Yan Liqiang with a smile.

The Plucking Plume Technique? Yan Liqiang had never even heard of the name. Since the old man’s cultivation in archery far exceeded his own, he decided not to continue. His third arrow would not outshine his second arrow because that was his best shot. Even so, the old man breezed through it.

Thinking up to this point, Yan Liqiang no longer hesitated to willingly submit to the man. He went to the old man, kneeled before him, and bowed deeply three times with his forehead touching the ground. “Greetings from Yan Liqiang, Master!”

The old man in the white robes laughed heartily and pulled Yan Liqiang to his feet. He took another good look at Yan Liqiang from head to toe with a satisfied look on his face. “Your Master’s name is Ji Xiaoyao, you better keep that in mind!”

“I will!” Yan Liqiang nodded. He could hardly contain the excitement in his heart. “When will you teach me that godly archery technique, Master?”

“Don’t be hasty now. Let me ask you this — what do you think you should learn first in archery before drawing your bow?” Ji Xiaoyao asked.

Yan Liqiang was immediately taken aback as he scratched his head. “Well… Could it be that one needs to build up his stamina before he can draw a bow?”

“Wrong!” Ji Xiaoyao shook his head with a serious look on his face. “Archery represents the ability to kill enemies from a hundred or even thousands of steps away. Therefore, maintaining distance from enemies at all times is the primary choice for those who cultivate archery. Before you learn how to kill with a bow, learn how to escape first. With that, even if a stronger opponent discovers you, he won’t be able to catch up to you or aim at you. That is the true essence of archery. It is the same logic as learning how to defend first before learning how to fight…”

“So what you mean to say is…”

“If you wish to learn archery, learn how to run first!” Ji Xiaoyao’s reply was quick and absolute.