Wang Ping walked out of the Inner Yamen, feigning an air of lingering anxiety.
His pace quickened. He skipped the Drill Ground entirely and sprinted all the way back, his facial muscles tense, terrified that if he relaxed for even a second, he would burst out laughing.
Chen Haoyan was shrewd indeed.
Even when it came to his reward, the Cloud-Piercing Heaven-Shaking Bow, the manual was simply too thick to take away. He could only study it by borrowing it to read on-site.
This practically eliminated the risk of the martial art leaking out.
At the same time, Chen Haoyan was likely so generous because he was certain Wang Ping could not finish reading the cultivation method manual within three days.
In all fairness, it was a perfectly sound judgment.
As long as it applied to a Mortal.
‘Too thick for me? With a single sweep of my spiritual sense, I could read a hundred times that amount. In fact, I already have the entire martial art memorized!’
Not to mention he had the Outer Heavenly Demon as a safety net. A suicidal mission meant nothing to him. He might have looked like the coerced party in this transaction, but in reality, he was the one making a killing. He had given up practically nothing to obtain a mid-tier martial art—and that wasn't even all of it.Lost in thought, Wang Ping soon arrived before a warehouse.
This was the Armory.
Wang Ping stepped forward and presented a requisition order stamped with the chief constable's seal. "I am Wang Ping, ordered to retrieve the Black Hornless Dragon Bow from the armory."
"What?"
The official guarding the Armory stared blankly. He took the order and scrutinized it carefully before finally frowning and unlocking the doors.
"Strange. Where would you ever need to use a prohibited weapon like the Black Hornless Dragon Bow?"
Despite his grumbling, orders were absolute. Written in black and white, the official couldn't disobey. He soon emerged from the warehouse carrying a giant bow forged entirely of dark gold.
The bow was sinuous, shaped like two coiled hornless dragons whose open jaws clamped onto either end of the string. The bowstring itself was a pitch-black cord as thick as a thumb—less like a string and more like a giant python. Resting alongside it were three arrows the size of short spears, radiating a piercing, chilling aura.
‘What a magnificent bow!’
Wang Ping's eyes narrowed. This was Chen Haoyan's counteroffer after Wang Ping had demanded more money: a weapon perfectly suited for the Cloud-Piercing Heaven-Shaking Bow.
‘With this bow, achieving entry-level mastery within three days is actually possible!’
At that thought, the contents of the Cloud-Piercing Heaven-Shaking Bow flashed through his mind. This martial art specialized in bones and blood, but also required the coordination of the tendons.
The Six Gates of External Arts were skin, flesh, tendons, bones, blood, and marrow.
Bones represented pressure resistance, blood represented explosive power, and tendons provided physical strength. Only by fusing all three could one fire the strongest arrow.
‘No wonder they said the True Dragon Tendon is best suited for practicing this martial art.’
‘The art itself doesn't refine the tendons, so the innate divine strength of the True Dragon Tendon perfectly covers its weakness to unleash its true might.’
Furthermore, as a mid-tier martial art, the Cloud-Piercing Heaven-Shaking Bow was entirely different from the low-tier arts Wang Ping had practiced. Entry-level mastery granted Blood Like Fire, minor completion granted Bones Like a Tiger, major completion unlocked the Art of War: Frost-Chilling Arrow, and full consummation yielded the Art of War: Formation-Breaking Heavenly Dipper. Every step forward offered immense gains.
Anticipation swelled in Wang Ping's chest. ‘If I can push this martial art to full consummation, I'll have conquered half of the Six Gates of External Arts.’
...
Early the next morning.
It was the first day of his three-day deadline. Refusing to slack off, Wang Ping changed his clothes long before dawn, grabbed the Black Hornless Dragon Bow, and strode onto the Drill Ground.
He was there for one thing: archery practice!
At that moment, his spiritual sense once again proved the sheer value of the Immortal Dao. Guided by its power, Wang Ping wasn't so much shooting arrows as he was commanding them.
With every shot, his spiritual sense pre-calculated the trajectory and target. All he had to do was release the bowstring. The result was absolute perfection—every single arrow found its mark.
Thwack!
Another arrow slammed dead center into the bullseye, yet Wang Ping frowned. An ache radiated through his hands from holding the bow and drawing the string, and his blood and qi circulation felt sluggish.
"My body can't keep up."
The toll of practicing a mid-tier martial art was clearly on a completely different level than a low-tier one. He hadn't even practiced for two hours, yet his stomach felt completely empty.
His stomach growled.
With a dull rumble from his stomach, Wang Ping lowered the Black Hornless Dragon Bow. To his surprise, his footing felt light and weak. He swayed in place for a moment before barely steadying himself.
Yet he had clearly already eaten breakfast. The only reason for this was that the complimentary dietary supplements provided by the Yuelai Tower could no longer keep up with his current vitality and blood consumption. His options were clear: either spend heavily to buy higher-grade ingredients, or balance work and rest by practicing only a little each day to advance gradually.
‘Taking it slow is out of the question.’
‘I only have three days left. In three days, I have to help Chen Haoyan escort that Lotus Blade. Nine times out of ten, I'll drop dead doing it.’
Since he was probably going to die anyway, now was the time to train to the absolute limit!
With this in mind, Wang Ping decided to visit the Yuelai Tower later to see if he could purchase some higher-grade ingredients to replenish his drained vitality and blood.
Then again, given his current state, exactly how much would such dietary supplements cost? He had just obtained a gold ingot, the equivalent of a hundred silver taels.
Surely that would be enough?
Just as Wang Ping was calculating his finances, another person strolled onto the Drill Ground carrying a tobacco pipe. Upon spotting Wang Ping, the newcomer let out a hearty laugh.
"I knew I'd find you here, Brother Wang."
The arrival was Liu Ye.
Before Wang Ping could speak, Liu Ye beat him to it. "Congratulations, Brother Wang. Your reputation has skyrocketed! Your moniker has spread across the entire county."
"Oh?"
Wang Ping blinked in surprise before giving a calm nod. He had cut down Xie Shi with a single, dashing strike on a rainy night—it was only natural that he had earned a moniker.
"What moniker?" Wang Ping asked curiously.
A strange smile crept onto Liu Ye's face. He enunciated every syllable. "It's quite the formidable title. It's called the Great Dragon Spear!"
Great Dragon Spear?
Wang Ping blinked in confusion. "Why is that? I killed a White Lotus rebel with a saber. Shouldn't my moniker be the Night-Slashing Saber, or the Dragon-Cleaving Saber, or something along those lines?"
"Who cares about a rebel? There are plenty of those these days!"
Liu Ye shook his head. "Taking on a hundred opponents single-handedly at the Red Phoenix Tower last night, piercing through a horde of women with your mighty spear—now that is a true legend! That is where the name Great Dragon Spear came from. Quite a few widows in the city have been quietly asking around. They want to witness the legendary Great Dragon Spear with their own eyes and learn a thing or two from you!"
Wang Ping: "..."
So that was what the Great Dragon Spear meant? Fuck me. He had thought people were finally appreciating his talent, only to realize they were just lusting after his body.
Shameless wretches!
At that thought, Wang Ping instantly shook his head. "Brother Liu, you have a deep misunderstanding of me. This isn't what I wanted. I actually have no interest in women."
‘Shameless little brat.’
‘I haven't even settled the bill for the damages at the Red Phoenix Tower with you yet.’
While Liu Ye cursed him internally, he still gave a thumbs-up and sighed in admiration. "Brother Wang is utterly devoted to the martial path, with ambitions that reach the heavens. I can only bow in shame at my own inferiority."
"It's nothing... oh, right."
Saying this, Wang Ping suddenly glanced around. Seeing that they were alone, he grabbed Liu Ye and shoved a manual into his arms.
Liu Ye froze. "What is this...?"
A moment later, his expression drastically changed as he clearly saw the name on the manual. "The Cloud-Piercing Heaven-Shaking Bow! You accepted that mission?"
Wang Ping nodded, continuing, "Don't worry, the magistrate granted me permission to teach it to one other person. I have no parents to care for and no children to raise, and you've always treated me best, Brother Liu. I caused you a lot of trouble with what I did to the Red Phoenix Tower last night, so I'm passing this martial art on to you, just as promised."
"This manual is just a table of contents, though. For the full text, you'll have to go to the magistrate to borrow it."
Liu Ye didn't respond.
Looking at Wang Ping's earnest face, the old bailiff couldn't even react at first. He stood completely frozen in place, remaining silent for a long time.
After a moment, he finally spoke, his voice slightly stiff.
"Kid, are you being serious?"
When he had practically given the Iron Ox Art away for a pittance, he hadn't truly expected any return. Once Wang Ping rose to power, he had expected it even less.
He never imagined Wang Ping would actually honor his word. It was a mid-tier martial art, yet the young man was handing it over just like that. Judging by his posture, it practically looked like a dying man's final entrustment. Thinking about how he had just been calculating the damages to the Red Phoenix Tower, Liu Ye wanted to slap himself.
He treated me with pure sincerity, and my head was filled with nothing but business.
He was getting old. Truly old.
Looking at the young man before him, Wang Ping was about the same age as his own son. And looking at his posture, he seemed a bit weak. His vitality and blood were clearly drained...
"...Hm?"
At that realization, Liu Ye suddenly frowned. "Brother Wang, have you already tried practicing this martial art? You must have overdone it, and your vitality and blood can't keep up."
"Ah, it's nothing."
Wang Ping offered a hearty laugh and took out the gold ingot. "I just got my reward. I was going to go to the Yuelai Tower to buy some high-grade ingredients to replenish myself."
"The Yuelai Tower? What kind of high-grade ingredients would they have!"
Liu Ye shook his head. "Brother Wang, if you trust me, let me handle this. I guarantee it will be enough to sustain the vitality and blood consumption of a mid-tier martial art."
"Wouldn't that be imposing?" Wang Ping said, feigning modesty.
Liu Ye waved him off. "Nonsense! I've been hustling in this county for decades. I have connections everywhere. It's a trivial matter!"
"Then... I'll leave it to you, Brother Liu."
Wang Ping was delighted. With enough dietary supplements, the aid of his spiritual sense, and training through the night, he would definitely reach entry-level mastery of the Cloud-Piercing Heaven-Shaking Bow within three days!
...
In a remote village outside Longxing County.
"Xie Shi is dead..."
A travel-worn old farmer carrying a bamboo basket had just returned from the Outer Market. After exchanging a few pleasantries with his neighbors, he went back to his own courtyard.
However, after securing his doors and windows, the old farmer's hunched back snapped perfectly straight, and his cloudy eyes regained their clarity. His face and body suddenly contorted until he transformed back into an old Daoist priest with a transcendent bearing. With a faint smile, he gazed toward the county seat.
This person was Shouchong.
Unexpectedly, Shouchong showed no signs of mourning for his good disciple Xie Shi. He even nodded in satisfaction.
"A good death!"
In his eyes, Xie Shi had tested out the most critical piece of intelligence: Chen Haoyan was indeed guarding the Lotus Blade day and night inside the County Yamen.
"He believed it! He really believed it!"
"If I'm not mistaken, he should already be scheming to draw the snake from its hole, trying to force me to walk straight into a trap to retrieve the Lotus Blade."
At that thought, Shouchong immediately let out a cold sneer.
Was the Lotus Blade important?
Of course it was, but a cunning rabbit had three burrows. When he had sent it out, he had been fully prepared to abandon it if things couldn't be done. How could he not have left a backup plan?
Furthermore, the White Lotus Sect's karmic fortune upon it had already scattered. In truth, the flying blade's value to him had already drastically plummeted. Admittedly, abandoning the flying blade would severely damage his foundation and cause his martial arts to regress—a heavy price to pay—but he could barely endure it. All he had to do was earn back more to offset the loss.
So, how could he earn back more?
"He wants to play at drawing the snake from its hole with me, so I'll give him a taste of luring the tiger from the mountain."
"Youren Temple..."
His decision made, Shouchong walked into the back room. A shrine came into view, its interior completely obscured by a heavy curtain.
Shouchong reached into his robes and withdrew three long sticks of incense.
Then, he pinched the three sticks of incense, lit them with flint, and used a bizarre ritual—kowtowing with every step—until he arrived before the shrine.
The three sticks of incense fell before the shrine, instantly burning brighter. Billowing blue smoke rose, but was caught by an invisible wind that drew it deep into the shrine.
Subsequently, Shouchong's voice drifted ethereally, speaking as if chanting an incantation.
"I respectfully beseech the Liansheng Bodhisattva to deliver the people of this world."
Whoosh!
Inside the tightly sealed house, the howling of wind suddenly rang out. The three long sticks of incense, which could originally have burned for a long time, were reduced to ash in a single breath.
At the same time, the fierce wind blew aside the heavy curtain before the shrine, revealing the idol within.
It was a statue of a compassionate, holy, and breathtakingly beautiful woman. Draped in jade-white clothes, she sat upright upon a lotus throne, her hands forming the Planting Lotus in Fire Seal.
Above it was this woman's dharma name:
The Liansheng Bodhisattva.
This was the origin of the White Lotus Sect.
A look of fanaticism gradually surfaced on Shouchong's face. All of his martial arts had been granted by this Bodhisattva. It was a tremendous destiny that belonged solely to him.
Looking back at the past, he had been nothing more than one of the billions of commoners living under the rule of the Great Shun Imperial Court. He had spent his days going out early and returning late, tilling the earth and planting crops, yet never able to fill his belly. It wasn't until a certain day when he unearthed this Bodhisattva statue from his fields that he truly shed his mortal body and underwent a rebirth.
What a wonderful thing this was!
So, naturally—he wished to share this wonderful thing with everyone. This was his good intention, and the grand vision of the Liansheng Bodhisattva.
He believed that as long as more and more people joined the White Lotus Sect and shared in the Liansheng Bodhisattva's compassion, the world would certainly become a better place.
"Have pity on the people of this world, for their sorrows are so many..."
As Shouchong prostrated in sincere devotion, the Bodhisattva's appearance gradually twisted beneath the swirling blue smoke, seemingly forming a satisfied smile.