Hidden Shadow – CH 140

Chapter One-Hundred-Forty: Dragon-Subduing Bow

Headmaster Sheng said, “It’s probably because they have not overcome the limitations of external cultivation. For ninth-level external cultivators, ordinary people can hardly endure the pain of rebuilding their bones and muscles. Most people, after trying once, do not have the courage to try a second time. So, during the second rebuilding, they try to numb their senses to reduce the pain. In this way, although they can improve their mental strength to some extent, it is far from enough. Often, they forge a powerful physical body, but lack the equally powerful mental strength to control it. Even at their limit, they can hardly match a ninth-level internal cultivator. As assassins, there’s another crucial point—insufficient mental strength and a cumbersome physical body make it difficult to conceal their whereabouts.”

He sighed, “So, I am afraid that once they encounter a high-level internal cultivator, their chances of winning are slim. If they are attacked by two or more high-level experts, their chances of survival are probably slim.”

“If internal cultivators also rebuild their bodies, would not they be even more powerful?” An Jiu asked.

Headmaster Sheng habitually twirled his pen, flicking another ink splatter onto the paper. “Of course,” he said, “it’s not that no one has tried, but most who have done so have met a tragic end. Without absolute self-control, excessive stimulation can cause internal energy to surge wildly, ultimately leading to death by explosion.”

An Jiu noticed that Headmaster Sheng’s cultivation was low, with almost no internal energy, and asked, “Why does Headmaster Sheng not rebuild his body?”

He decisively shook his head, stating matter-of-factly, “I am afraid of pain.”

An Jiu had met Headmaster Sheng several times; he was usually quite nonchalant, even using uncertain words like “approximately,” “maybe,” and “I guess” when speaking. This was the first time An Jiu had heard him express something so quickly and decisively. She found him interesting.

An Jiu stopped asking questions and buried herself in the documents.

After reviewing over twenty documents, she found that these people’s cultivation methods were all very similar, nothing more than rebuilding and tempering the body and practicing various martial arts.

But she still patiently read through them all.

Ultimately, she gleaned at least one useful piece of information: aside from internal energy cultivation techniques and lightness skills, external cultivation allowed one to practice any martial art.

When An Jiu took her leave, Headmaster Sheng was lost in thought. She then departed on her own.

If life could continue like this for a year or two, it would not be bad. However, things did not go as planned. An Jiu had just returned to her residence when she received news: a new trial would be held the day after tomorrow, and everyone was to prepare.

An Jiu did not take it to heart. In any case, she had never completed a single trial with the Konghe Army she participated in; one problem or another always caused the trial to be interrupted. So, preserving her life was the priority.

As night fell, several instructors held a task assignment and briefing session on the training ground.

The moonlight was like silver, and a cool summer breeze blew.

A dozen or so people stood with their hands behind their backs on the training ground. They stood ramrod straight.

The Heaven Instructor’s slightly authoritative voice carried calmly to everyone’s ears, “This time, there are two targets, so you will split into two groups as before. The targets are suspected to be Liao Kingdom spies posing as merchants. The location and route map will be given to you before departure. Whether they are indeed spies is up to you to determine. Furthermore, your performance in each trial will be recorded in your score; those who fail will ultimately face the death penalty.”

An Jiu was speechless. It seemed that not fighting was unacceptable.

The Earth Instructor stood on the training platform without speaking or showing his face, but everyone could see the resentment emanating from him.

He had been very depressed lately. Besides not having a chance to get close to Mo Sigui and gain some benefits, everything else was going wrong.

The Earth Instructor disliked An Jiu for three reasons: first, the Xuan Instructor had offended him because of An Jiu; second, An Jiu’s face was too beautiful, and he could not stand it; and third, Lou Mingyue had offended him more than once, while An Jiu was on good terms with her.

Now, another reason had been added: he was jealous of An Jiu’s close relationship with Mo Sigui, assuming she had gained a lot from it.

The Earth Instructor actually had the power to manipulate the assignments for this trial, letting An Jiu go first. But he was not foolish enough to dig his own grave and make an enemy of Mo Sigui… The most important thing now was advancement! He could feign advancement in front of outsiders; everyone thought he was at level nine, when in reality he’d been at level eight for years, just one step away from level nine, unable to cross that threshold.

After the Heaven Instructor finished speaking, the Earth Instructor suddenly remembered something particularly amusing and chuckled twice, successfully attracting a lot of attention.

He pointlessly straightened his neatly arranged hand guards, cleared his throat, and told himself he could not show too much joy, he could not be too happy…

“Oh, it is like this,” he emphasized, adjusting his mask with a delicate gesture. “I was thinking about the last trial, and a poor child, in her desperation, released all her colored signals. I found it both amusing and a pity. Although I do not think it is a big deal, the rules cannot be broken, so…” He stressed, adjusting his mask with a gentle, kind voice, “The academicians have decided to deduct points from her. Poor child, she got zero points and even had two points deducted! She will have to work harder!”

He finally looked at An Jiu, calling her name. “Fourteenth Young Lady, it is all right if you get a deduction. I’ve always had high hopes for you.”

The trial’s total score was twenty points. People standing here, like Lou Mingyue and the others, having won in training and internal trials, had at least two points. Only An Jiu came in last, so she started with zero points.

“Damn it! What a ridiculous rule!” An Jiu cursed inwardly. If she had not given the signal, the Konghe Army’s rescue probably would not have arrived so quickly! And no one had explained it to her!

“Damn freak!” An Jiu looked at the Earth Instructor with a cold gaze but did not use her aura of power.

Seeing her like this, the Earth Instructor’s annoyance vanished, and his eyes curved into a smile. “What a lovely little thing.”

An Jiu: “…”

“Dismissed,” said the Heaven Instructor.

The group dispersed. Some headed to the armory, others to the library.

An Jiu returned to her residence, and Lou Mingyue caught up with her. “Let’s go to the armory. It is said that second-class weapons are available this time. Having a powerful weapon will give you a better chance.”

The Konghe Academy’s weapons were divided into four grades, the lowest being third-class and the highest being zero. Last time, they used the lowest-grade weapons. People like Lou Mingyue, who already possessed a top-tier weapon, went to the armory mainly to choose some usable hidden weapons.

An Jiu nodded and followed her down a different path.

The two entered the armory side by side. The second-class armory looked slightly better; last time, the weapons were haphazardly piled up, dozens of each type, but this time they were neatly arranged on wooden shelves, and the number of weapons was relatively smaller.

An Jiu went straight for the bows and crossbows. A specially made bow rack held dozens of bows of various shapes. An Jiu casually tried two, finding little difference in strength, only minor variations.

Her gaze swept across the room, and in the innermost corner was a completely black bow. It had no complex design, its ends slightly upturned, and a taut, dark blue string.

For some reason, despite its unremarkable appearance, An Jiu felt it was different from the other bows.

She took a few steps forward and reached out to grasp it.

The black bow was icy cold, seeping into her palm, making her uncomfortable, like touching a corpse, or as if the bow was repelling her. Looking closer, she saw that the bow only had two arrows, which were also completely black.

She picked up the bow and arrow, flicked the string with her finger, and heard a buzzing sound like metal.

It sounded quite nice, but using this bow for sniping would immediately reveal her hiding place…

She tried to draw the bow, finding it very heavy, but it made a snapping sound as soon as she drew it six inches.

So many flaws.

Just as she was about to give up, An Jiu glanced down and saw the words “Dragon-Subduing Bow” written on the rack holding the bow.

Legend had it that the Emperor was a real dragon, and this bow was so arrogantly called the “Dragon-Subduing Bow”! An Jiu felt it must be extraordinary, so she ignored the oddities and decisively chose it.

An Jiu carried the Dragon-Subduing Bow on her back, selected a few other hidden weapons, and prepared to leave.

Lou Mingyue had already chosen her weapons and was waiting for her at the door.

The official guarding the armory, who had been squatting at the door with his sleeves tucked in, gave An Jiu a strange look when he saw the Dragon-Subduing Bow on her back.

An Jiu noticed his gaze, stopped, and turned around.

The official paused for a moment, then said, “Miss, please choose a different bow.”

“Why?” An Jiu knew this bow had many flaws, but she was eager to know its origin. What right did a bow with no redeeming qualities have to be given such an arrogant name?

“This bow has been forged in heavenly fire; it is practically a dead bow, barely able to fire an arrow.” The official was secretly annoyed that he had forgotten to put this broken bow away. Although it was damaged, it had such a name. If the Emperor knew it had circulated, would he punish him…?

“Because of the bow’s name?” An Jiu asked.