"The body of this bow is made from a mutated millennium bloodwood, and the bowstring is woven from five-hundred-year-old beast tendons mixed with rare materials. These are things you can't buy anywhere on the market."
Fifty stones.
Converted, that was nearly ten thousand catties of draw weight—an incredible force. For a martial artist at the tempering organs stage, it was manageable, though still demanding.
Chen Sanshi crouched down and carefully assembled the bow with the provided tools. Even the grip appeared to be wrapped in beast hide—the texture under his fingers was firm yet supple, perfectly fitted to his hand.
Once it was ready, he drew in a steady breath, channeled his qi and blood, and slowly pulled the bowstring back. His aim locked onto a pine tree roughly two hundred steps away, its trunk about twenty centimeters thick.
"Whumm—"
"Bang—"
The air screamed as the arrow ripped through it. In a blink, it pierced through the first tree, then the second, and finally embedded halfway into the third before stopping. The first two trees now had gaping holes clean through their trunks.
"What a shot!"
The higher the draw weight, the greater the power—and the faster the arrow.
With this fifty-stone bow, even a martial artist at the tempering organs stage wouldn't need to spend half as much time fighting as he had back when he faced Luo Dongquan and his men. If the opponent didn't close in fast, within fifteen arrows—no, within five seconds—they'd be forced to expose a flaw.
Chen Sanshi felt pure exhilaration wash over him. It was like a swordsman being gifted a legendary blade—far more thrilling than receiving piles of gold.
He clasped his hands and said, "Brother Buqi, thank the Grand Commander for me."
Sun Buqi grinned. "Don't mention it. You did save his son and daughter, after all. Compared to that, this bow's nothing. Honestly, he should've taken you in as a direct disciple already. But you know how stiff he is—rules above all."
"Buqi," Chen Sanshi asked, "can this bow channel internal force—refined strength?"
"I don't think so," Sun Buqi said after some thought. "That bow was something my father used in his youth. He doesn't use bows anymore, so even though it's precious, it's mostly symbolic now. Just take it.
"As for using internal force with it—I asked him about that. He said some rare materials can temporarily store internal force, but you can't buy them anywhere. You'd have to find them yourself."
Chen Sanshi nodded. "Got it. I'll remember."
So, there was hope.
For now, though, this fifty-stone bow was more than enough. The matter of Transforming Strength could wait until he actually reached that stage.
What mattered now was finding a spirit beast and improving his cultivation as quickly as possible.
He wasn't the type to assume that saving the Grand Commander's children would earn him a free pass to success. Sure, that connection might bring him some protection in the future—but whether he earned a direct transmission or not would still depend on his own ability.
After all, even if someone handed him the teachings, if he lacked the strength, he wouldn't be able to master them. First, he needed to prove he was worthy.
"Up the mountain!"
Chen Sanshi shouldered the massive bow, spirits high.
The Luotian Mountain Range stretched for tens of thousands of li. Only after stepping into its depths could one truly understand its scale—layer upon layer of ridges fading into the horizon, as if the world itself had no end.
Snow had fallen in Liangzhou, but it was light. The forest was dusted white, the thin layer of snow not enough to hinder movement. Still, in winter, many animals preferred to stay hidden.
Chen Sanshi could take his time searching—but with mountains this vast, who knew when they'd actually find anything?
"General, this way!"
Bai Tingzhi led from the front, cutting through the snow-covered undergrowth, while Chen Sanshi and Sun Buqi followed close behind.
Along the way, Chen Sanshi honed his [Tracking and Hiding] skill.
The Luotian Range was indeed rich with wildlife. Almost every two li, they'd encounter a large animal—boars, deer, or wild oxen—roaming through the silent forest.
"Poison beast!"
Sun Buqi suddenly pointed toward a pile of rocks about a hundred steps away.
Following his gaze, Chen Sanshi spotted a massive gray wolf.
It was nearly twice the size of a normal wolf, its eyes glowing red as if blood were about to drip from them. It crouched low, tearing at the carcass of a freshly killed deer.
"Don't move! Nobody move!"
Sun Buqi raised the old fifteen-stone bow Chen Sanshi had retired and took careful aim. He held his breath for several counts, then released the string—but the arrow veered wildly, missing the target by nearly ten full steps.
Bai Tingzhi couldn't help but say, "Young Master Sun, your aim is terrible."
"Awroo!"
"Careful! It's coming!"
Normally, most animals—wolves especially—would run the moment they encountered humans. But this one didn't.
Instead, it charged straight toward them.
"I got this!"
Sun Buqi kept firing, loosing arrow after arrow. Not one found its mark. When the wolf was barely twenty steps away, he finally threw the bow aside, grabbed his spear, and unleashed Flying Serpent Sweeps the Wind.
The spear struck true, piercing through the wolf's chest and pinning it to the ground.
Sun Buqi flicked the spear, shaking off the blood. "See that, Sanshi? That's a poison beast."
Chen Sanshi knelt beside the carcass to examine it. The creature's size was unnatural, but its most striking feature was its blood-red eyes. Other than that, it looked normal.
"Just look at the eyes," Bai Tingzhi said. "That's the difference between poison beasts and spirit beasts. Poison beasts always have red eyes—and at night, they glow. Their flesh is toxic; anyone who eats it will be poisoned."
"What causes that?" Chen Sanshi asked, genuinely curious. His hunter's instincts demanded to know.
"No idea," Bai Tingzhi admitted.
"Then let's keep moving."
They pressed deeper into the mountains, scaling ridges and weaving through valleys.
As they traveled, Chen Sanshi's [Tracking and Hiding] proficiency continued to rise. His senses sharpened. The world grew clearer—so clear that soon he could make out even the faintest movements. Not just fur or footprints anymore; it felt like he could see through living creatures—their bones, their blood, their very life force.
A sudden dizziness swept over him.
Then, a translucent interface appeared before his eyes.
[Tracking and Hiding (Major Achievement)]
[Progress: Cannot be raised further]
[Effect: Qi Observation Technique]
[Qi Observation Technique: Perceive the qi of Heaven, Earth, and Man—nothing can remain hidden.]
In that instant, Chen Sanshi felt a strange, mysterious energy flow through his body and gather behind his eyes.
When he opened them again, everything had changed.
Now, every being radiated qi.
The gray rabbit darting across the snow, the hawk circling above, the black bear hibernating in a hollow tree, the ground squirrel burrowed beneath the roots—all glowed with faint life energy.
Even people.
The qi surrounding Sun Buqi was faint and scattered, while Bai Tingzhi's appeared vibrant and strong. But compared to them both, Chen Sanshi's own qi was the most powerful of all—steady, dense, and bright.
Perhaps it was related to cultivation realm.
When he looked at the dead wolf again, he noticed that the qi emanating from its body was completely different from any living creature or person. It was blood-red—faint, yet carrying an eerie, unsettling aura.
'So what about spirit beasts?' he wondered.
'What kind of qi do they have?'
'And this Art of Seeing Qi—what's its principle? Why does every living being carry a trace of qi?'
Even the earth beneath his feet seemed to breathe with its own energy.
He gazed down. The ground itself shimmered with a chaotic, multi-colored qi.
'Could it be,' he thought, 'that the reason humans can cultivate martial arts and break through the limits of the flesh… is tied to this very qi?'
He immediately activated his Haoran Breathing Method.
And sure enough—when the method combined with his stance training, it began to draw in the world's scattered qi. That energy flowed into his body, merging with his blood and tempering his flesh from within.
'So that's it!'
The [Qi Observation Technique] wasn't just for seeing.
Within a certain range, Chen Sanshi could now sense the qi of every living creature nearby. That meant he could never again be caught off guard or ambushed. He could even track people by the faint traces of qi they left behind.
This ability truly pushed [Tracking and Hiding] to its absolute limit.
Unfortunately, he couldn't advance it any further.
"Sanshi, what are you staring at?"
Sun Buqi waved a hand in front of his face. "Let's go. We've still got a long way to climb."
"Yeah," Chen Sanshi replied, pulling himself from his thoughts and following the others up the trail.
On the way, something flickered in the corner of his vision—qi flaring briefly on the right-hand side before vanishing.
The Luotian Mountains were vast and teeming with life. Countless hunters lived off its bounty, so it wasn't surprising that others were somewhere nearby.
"Up ahead!"
By dusk, Bai Tingzhi raised a hand for them to halt.
"A while back, I spotted a saber-toothed tiger hunting a white deer near here," he said. "But I couldn't find its lair. We'll have to search together, my lord."
"That's enough to go on."
Chen Sanshi's eyes gleamed like lightning. Through his Qi Observation Technique, every living being within two hundred steps was visible to him—there was no hiding, no ambush possible.
In addition, the effects of his old abilities—Extraordinary Insight and Moves as Light as a Swallow—hadn't disappeared. They had instead merged into this vision, becoming even sharper.
It didn't take long for him to trace the disturbed tracks and the frightened animal trails that led them to a shallow cave—clearly the saber-tooth's den.
"Wait a bit," Chen Sanshi said, crouching in the brush nearby.
Unlike common tigers, saber-toothed tigers were true spirit beasts—ferocious creatures whose power could rival that of a martial artist at tempering organs.
A seasoned hunter by nature, he planned to lure it out first by using other prey.
"My lord, let me go ahead!"
Before he could stop him, Bai Tingzhi drew his broadsword and charged straight into the cave.
"Roar—!"
A thunderous roar echoed, rattling their bones.
Then came the sounds of claws against stone—combat.
"This beast's no joke!"
Moments later, Bai Tingzhi stumbled back out, his clothes torn to ribbons. Clearly, he had crossed blows with the creature and survived only thanks to his Diamond Body, which had taken the brunt of several strikes.
"Roar!!"
The next instant, a massive shadow burst out from the cave.
What a monster!
The saber-toothed tiger towered over eight chi tall, its body stretching nearly fifteen feet long. Its enormous jaws parted to reveal two ivory fangs as long as swords, gleaming with a metallic sheen. Its forelimbs were like iron blades, each claw shimmering blood-red in the fading light.
Even more terrifying was its speed. Despite its size, it exploded forward with the force of a martial artist at Minor Achievement of tempering organs. With a single bound—over ten zhang—it came crashing down upon Bai Tingzhi.
"Clang—!"
The sound of metal grinding against metal rang through the forest as Bai Tingzhi's Diamond Body blocked the strike. The impact still hurled him several zhang through the air before he slammed into the trees.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!"
Sun Buqi fired wildly, loosing arrows in quick succession. Two struck their mark—but neither hit a vital spot. Instead of wounding it fatally, they only enraged the beast further.
"Roar!!"
The saber-tooth's fury erupted. It launched itself from a slope, descending like a storm from the heavens—a living embodiment of death.
"Bang!"
An arrow as heavy as a spear ripped through the air, slamming straight into its heart.
The beast froze mid-leap, its massive body crashing to the ground with a thunderous thud. It rolled several times before finally going still.
A clean kill.
The fifty-stone bow had shown its worth.
Beasts, unlike men, lacked the instinct to dodge. Against a weapon of such force, one well-placed shot was all it took.
"Impressive," Chen Sanshi muttered.
Even so, the creature still wasn't fully dead—it struggled to rise, muscles twitching violently. Its vitality was terrifying.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
He calmly nocked and loosed three more arrows, each finding the mark. Only then did the saber-tooth finally fall silent.
"Great shot!" Bai Tingzhi said, crawling to his feet, covered in dirt but full of admiration.
To strike a heart so precisely at such speed—it was an art few could master.
"Within three hundred steps, Sanshi can hit a willow leaf mid-air," Sun Buqi said with pride. "He even taught me my archery."
Bai Tingzhi couldn't help but laugh.
Chen Sanshi, however, didn't answer. He approached the saber-tooth's corpse and studied it closely.
Its qi glowed faintly blue—different from the red of the poison beasts.
'So this is what a spirit beast's qi looks like… light blue.'
He pondered in silence. The varying colors of qi throughout heaven and earth must be linked to something greater—perhaps the traces of immortals left behind long ago.
Unfortunately, he couldn't yet understand the connection.
And few in the world could.
Maybe the Grand Commander, Sun Xiangzong—whose cultivation surpassed even Martial Saints—knew. Perhaps, beyond the Martial Saint realm, true advancement required understanding and wielding these different types of qi.
'What color would the Grand Commander's qi be?'
He'd never seen the man in person.
But soon he would.
During the upcoming Elite Selection, not only the Grand Commander but also the Governor, the Inspecting General, and many respected officers of Liangzhou would attend. Some said that distinguished candidates might even be chosen as sons-in-law by noble families.
Just like how the capital's high officials liked to marry their daughters to top scholars.
"Lord Chen, poison beasts!"
Chen Sanshi was about to haul the saber-tooth's carcass away when Bai Tingzhi's shout snapped him alert.
He turned sharply toward the eastern forest—where the air rippled, and something stirred among the trees.
It was a small monkey—its fur a dull brown, except for a patch of white on the crown of its head. Its eyes glowed blood-red, its body covered in wounds and matted blood.
It stumbled toward them, swaying unsteadily before collapsing face-first onto the ground, dead.
"What kind of wretched beast is this?"
Bai Tingzhi crouched down to inspect it. "How did it even get hurt like this?"
"Not good! We have to leave—now!"
Sun Buqi's voice turned sharp. "That's a baby soldier ape! These things can imitate humans using weapons. There are a lot of them in the Luotian Mountains, with varying strengths—and worst of all, they hold grudges!"
He hurriedly continued, "No matter who kills their young, the entire troop will swarm out for revenge. Many martial artists who came here to hunt ended up torn apart by them.
"Later, some of them were poisoned and turned into poison beasts. Since then, no one dares to provoke them anymore!"
"Aw! Aw! Aw! Aw! Aw—!"
Before he could finish, cries echoed from every direction—shrill and furious.
From the trees and brush emerged wave after wave of long-armed apes, leaping and swinging through the treetops. In only a few breaths, they had completely surrounded the area.
Each one carried a weapon—some old and rusted, some new and gleaming, some broken, others finely forged. It wasn't hard to imagine how many hunters had fallen to their claws and stolen blades.
At the front stood a massive white-haired elder ape, clutching a módao in its hands.
Every one of them radiated blood-red qi.
The old white ape's qi was especially fierce—stronger even than the saber-tooth tiger's had been. More alarmingly, its eyes showed intelligence. It looked down at the corpse of the young ape, then up at the humans. Its face twisted with rage, and it bared its fangs while swinging its heavy blade with a roar.
"Awrooo!"
The forest exploded with movement as the troop charged down from all sides.
"Damn it! Why'd that little beast have to die right in front of us?"
Sun Buqi's face turned grim. "And this isn't even their territory! What are they doing here?"
There was only one explanation.
Someone had led them here—on purpose.
Chen Sanshi's senses sharpened. He caught a flicker of unfamiliar qi and faint rustling deeper in the forest. The trees blocked his view, but the presence was unmistakable.
'Stronger than mine… likely Major Achievement in tempering organs.'
'So it's them…'
——
"Your Highness."
Yin Hanwen crouched behind a thick tree trunk, watching the distant battle unfold. His eyes gleamed with malice. "They've disrespected you again and again—especially that bastard Bai. Let them have a taste of what happens when they cross you."
They had guessed the trio would head up the mountain to hunt and decided to take advantage.
If they couldn't fight openly within the Eight Great Camps, then they'd simply act outside the boundaries.
And even better—they didn't have to dirty their own hands. They could let the poison beasts do the work. Even if things went wrong, no one could trace it back to them.
Cao Fan's tone was cold. "Chen Sanshi's one of Yan's faction anyway. No need to win him over. If the others die, fine. But Sun Buqi's there too—will he be all right?"
"Don't worry, Your Highness."
Yin Hanwen smirked. "We'll keep watch. If things get too serious, we'll step in and 'rescue' Sun Buqi. No one will suspect a thing."
Tang Yingke frowned uneasily. "Isn't this going a bit too far? They've offended you, yes, but do they really deserve to die for it?"
"Shut it, Tang!"
Yin Hanwen's eyes flashed. "You're with us—or against us!"
Wen Qiushi chuckled darkly. "I'm more concerned whether these soldier apes are strong enough to finish them off."
"Guess we'll find out," Yin Hanwen said. "Might as well see what they're truly capable of."
"Eh—look!"
Below them, the clash began.
Unable to stay silent any longer, Tang Yingke drew his sword and sprinted forward. "Brother Buqi, I'll help you!"
"Tang, are you insane?!" Wen Qiushi lunged to grab him but was too late.
"Let him go!" Yin Hanwen snarled. "He wouldn't dare tell anyone it was us anyway. His father's nothing but a fence-sitter in court—he's the same kind of coward. We'll deal with him later. Best if he dies here."
Then they froze.
All three watched, speechless.
In the clearing below, Chen Sanshi's bow sang like thunder. Each time the bowstring twanged, another soldier ape dropped dead. In less than a cup of tea's time, over thirty apes had fallen.
Even the white-haired leader lasted only a few moments—after deflecting five arrows with its blade, one final shot pierced straight through its skull.
"This bow… it's at least a thirty-stone draw!"
Cao Fan's eyes widened. "And his archery—how can it be this precise?"
Yin Hanwen clenched his fists. "Don't worry, Your Highness. Archery isn't part of the Elite Selection. Against high-level martial artists, bows don't matter much anyway. It's just frustrating that we can't rely on these beasts anymore."
"Then we should leave," Wen Qiushi said nervously. "If they find out and report this to the Grand Commander's office, Sun Xiangzong won't care who we are."
"Go!" Cao Fan ordered.
"Watch out!"
The warning came too late.
At that exact moment, Chen Sanshi drew another arrow—not at a beast this time, but directly at their position.
"Bang—!"
The arrow ripped straight through a tree trunk and smashed into Yin Hanwen's shoulder. If it had been an inch closer, it would've pierced his heart.
"Ahhh!"
"Quiet!"
Cao Fan lunged forward, clamping a hand over Yin Hanwen's mouth to muffle his scream, then threw him over his shoulder.
"He did it on purpose!" Yin Hanwen finally howled once they'd fled more than two li away. "Your Highness, he shot me! He dared to shoot me!"
"If you hadn't been hiding there, he'd have killed you outright," Cao Fan snapped through gritted teeth. "You're the one who came up with this scheme! We can't be seen. We'll deal with him during the Selection—on the training field!"
"I… I don't think I'll make it to the Selection…" Yin Hanwen groaned, clutching his bleeding shoulder.
Before the competition even began, they had already lost one man—and had no choice but to swallow the humiliation in silence.
They could only retreat into the forest, nursing both injury and shame.