Chapter One Hundred Forty
Sheng Zhangku said, "It's probably because they haven't overcome the limitations of External Cultivation. Reforging bones and tendons at the ninth level is unbearable for most people. After attempting it once, many lack the courage to try a second time. So during the second Reforging, they resort to methods to numb their senses and reduce the pain. While this can somewhat enhance their Mental Strength during the process, it’s far from sufficient. Often, they forge a formidable physique but lack the corresponding Mental Strength to control it. Even at their peak, they struggle to match ninth-level Inner Cultivators. As assassins, there’s another critical flaw—insufficient Mental Strength combined with a cumbersome body makes it difficult to conceal their movements."
He sighed, "So, if they encounter an Inner Cultivator of the same level, their chances of winning are slim. If they’re surrounded by two or more high-level experts, it’s likely a death sentence."
"If Inner Cultivators also Reforge their bodies, wouldn’t they be even stronger?" An Jiu asked.
Sheng Zhangku absentmindedly twirled his brush, splattering ink on the paper again. "Naturally. It’s not like no one has tried, but most who did met tragic ends. Without absolute self-control, excessive stimulation causes True Energy to run wild, eventually leading to a fatal explosion."
An Jiu noticed that Sheng Zhangku’s cultivation was low, with almost no True Energy, and asked, "Why haven’t you Reforged your body?"
He shook his head decisively and said matter-of-factly, "I’m afraid of pain."
An Jiu had met Sheng Zhangku a few times before. He was usually quite laid-back, often using vague terms like "probably," "possibly," or "I guess" in conversation. This was the first time she’d heard him express something so quickly and decisively. She found him somewhat amusing.
An Jiu didn’t press further and returned to reviewing the materials.
After going through over twenty files, she realized their cultivation methods were largely similar—Reforging, tempering the body, and practicing various Martial Arts.
Still, she patiently read through every single one.
In the end, she at least gleaned one useful piece of information: aside from internal techniques and movement skills like qinggong, External Cultivators could practice any Martial Arts.
When An Jiu took her leave, Sheng Zhangku was lost in thought. She left on her own.
Originally, living like this for a year or two wouldn’t have been bad. But things didn’t go as planned. As soon as An Jiu returned to her quarters, she received news: there would be a new trial in two days, and everyone was to prepare.
An Jiu didn’t dwell on it. After all, in the Crane Control Army trials she’d participated in, she’d never actually completed a mission—something always went wrong, forcing the trial to halt. So her priority was simply staying alive.
That night, several Instructors gathered everyone at the training grounds for a mission briefing and pep talk.
Moonlight silvered the ground, and a cool summer breeze drifted through the air.
Over a dozen people stood stiffly on the training grounds, hands clasped behind their backs.
Tian Jiaotou’s authoritative voice, laced with pressure, reached everyone’s ears at a measured pace. "This time, there are two targets, so you’ll split into the same two groups as last time. The targets are suspected to be Liao spies, posing as merchants. The location and route maps will be given to you before departure. It’s up to you to confirm whether they’re truly spies. Additionally, your performance in each trial will be recorded and scored. Those who fail will ultimately face execution."
An Jiu was speechless. So slacking off wasn’t an option.
Earth Instructor stood silently on the martial platform, face hidden, but the resentment radiating from him was unmistakable.Recently, he had been quite frustrated. Aside from not having the chance to get close to Mo Sigui to gain some benefits, everything else seemed to be going wrong as well.
The Earth Instructor had taken a dislike to An Jiu for several reasons: first, the Profound Instructor had lost face because of her; second, An Jiu’s face was too good-looking, which irked him in every way; and third, Lou Mingyue had offended him more than once, and An Jiu was on good terms with her.
Now, there was another reason—he was jealous of An Jiu’s closeness to Mo Sigui, certain she had gained many advantages from it.
The Earth Instructor actually had the authority to manipulate the assignments for this trial. He could have made An Jiu take the lead, but he wasn’t foolish enough to dig his own grave by making an enemy of Mo Sigui… Right now, the most important thing was advancement! He could put on a slight facade in front of others—everyone thought he was at the ninth rank, but in truth, he had been stuck at the eighth rank for years, just a hair’s breadth away from the ninth, yet unable to cross that line.
After the Heaven Instructor finished speaking, the Earth Instructor suddenly thought of something particularly amusing and let out a few giggles, successfully drawing sidelong glances from everyone.
Unnecessarily, he adjusted his already neat armguards, cleared his throat, and reminded himself not to appear too pleased, not too pleased…
“Well, you see, this Instructor was just recalling the last trial, where a poor child panicked and set off all the colored signal flares. I found it both amusing and deeply regrettable. Although this Instructor believes it wasn’t a big deal, rules are rules, so…” He emphasized his words, raising a delicate finger to adjust his mask, then continued in a gentle, benevolent tone, “The Academicians have decided to deduct points as punishment. Poor child—starting with zero points and now losing two more. She’ll have to work even harder!”
Finally, he looked at An Jiu and called her out by name, “Mei Shisi, losing points isn’t the end. This Instructor has always had high hopes for you, you know.”
The total score for the trial was twenty points. Those like Lou Mingyue, who had won in training and internal trials, had at least two points by now. Only An Jiu, who had joined last, still had her initial zero.
Damn! What kind of stupid rule is this? An Jiu cursed inwardly. If she hadn’t set off those signals, the Crane Control Army’s rescue might not have arrived so quickly! And no one had even explained the rules to her!
That damn freak! An Jiu glared coldly at the Earth Instructor but refrained from exerting any pressure.
Seeing her reaction, the Earth Instructor’s frustration vanished instantly, his eyes crinkling with amusement. “Such a little cutie.”
An Jiu, “…”
“Dismissed,” the Heaven Instructor announced.
The group dispersed—some heading to the armory, others to the library.
An Jiu returned to her quarters, but Lou Mingyue caught up to her. “Let’s go to the armory. Rumor has it they’re opening the second-tier weapons this time. A good weapon gives you an edge.”
The Crane Control Institute’s weapons were divided into four tiers, with the lowest being the third tier and the highest the zero tier. Last time, they had only been given the lowest-tier weapons. As for someone like Lou Mingyue, who already possessed a top-tier weapon, the armory visit was mainly to stock up on usable hidden weapons.
An Jiu nodded and followed her.
The two entered the armory side by side. The second-tier armory was noticeably better—unlike the last time, when weapons had been haphazardly piled up with dozens of each type, these were neatly arranged on wooden racks, and the selection was much smaller.
An Jiu went straight for the crossbows. A dedicated rack held dozens of bows of varying designs. She tested two at random and found little difference in draw weight, only minor variations in feel.Her gaze swept across the room and landed on a pitch-black bow in the far corner. It had no intricate design, just slightly upturned ends and a taut dark green string stretched between them.
For some reason, though there was nothing particularly remarkable about it, An Jiu felt it was different from all the other bows.
She took a few steps forward and reached out to grasp it.
The black bow was icy cold to the touch, the chill seeping into her palm and making her uncomfortable—as if she were touching a corpse. It almost seemed as though the bow itself was rejecting her. Upon closer inspection, she noticed there were only two arrows with it, also entirely black.
She picked up the bow and arrows, flicking the string with her finger. It emitted a metallic hum, resonant like struck metal.
The sound was pleasant enough, but using this bow for sniping would immediately reveal her hiding place...
She tried drawing the bow and found it heavy. Yet when she pulled it back just six inches, the string made a sound as if it were about to snap.
So many flaws.
Just as she was about to give up, An Jiu lowered her gaze and saw the words "Dragon Subduing Bow" inscribed on the stand holding the weapon.
Legend had it that the emperor was the true dragon, and yet this bow dared to bear such an audacious name! An Jiu felt it couldn’t be ordinary, so she ignored all the oddities and decisively chose it.
She slung the Dragon Subduing Bow over her shoulder, selected a few hidden weapons, and prepared to leave.
Lou Mingyue had already chosen her weapon and was waiting by the door.
The armory official had been standing idly at the entrance with his sleeves tucked, but when he spotted the Dragon Subduing Bow on An Jiu’s back, his expression shifted strangely.
Noticing his gaze, An Jiu paused and turned to face him.
The official hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Miss, you should pick a different bow."
"Why?" An Jiu knew the bow had many flaws, but she was curious about its origins. How could a bow with no redeeming qualities dare to carry such a bold name?
"This bow has undergone Skyfire tempering and is now a dead bow—it can barely shoot arrows anymore." The official inwardly cursed himself for forgetting to store away this broken weapon. Though it was useless, its name alone was problematic. If the Emperor found out it had been taken out, would he punish them...?
"Because of its name?" An Jiu asked. (To be continued...)
OpenNovel