The Seven Stages of Archery

Xiao Yi looked at Shi Yuan, the boy who was just fifteen years old. In terms of age, they weren't exactly peers. In the Bloodstone Tribe, the true young warriors of his age had already joined the tribe's battle warriors.

"I'm here to hunt for the tribe, so I hold the stone token from Elder Shi to take a bow," Xiao Yi said calmly, then turned to leave.

"Stop!"

Shi Yuan's gaze was cold as he blocked Xiao Yi's path. His eyes fixed on Xiao Yi as he said, "Didn't you hear me? What are you even doing here? The Bloodstone Tribe doesn't need waste like you. With your mere two pathways of celestial veins, you still dare to try for the Qingyun Bow? Hmph! Put it down! Even if you have Shi Gong's token, our tribe's weapons aren't for you to take freely. You can only take the Blackstone Bow at most."

In that instant, Xiao Yi's gaze turned cold. He studied the boy before him, this fifteen-year-old descendant of the ancient ancestors, who stood just a bit taller than him, almost eight feet tall. His body was strong and vigorous, his blood and energy surging like a furnace. Under Xiao Yi's intense gaze, Shi Yuan suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, an inexplicable fear surfacing in his heart. But the next moment, a wave of humiliation flooded his chest. He couldn't believe that he had been intimidated by this sickly outsider.

"I told you to put it down!" Shi Yuan growled.

His voice was deep like thunder, and instantly, the Bloodstone tribe's warriors in the archery hall turned their attention to them. Several young people showed expressions of mockery.

"Outsiders don't know the rules. They need to be taught a lesson."

"Just over twenty, and he's only just connected two celestial veins. Rumor has it he even triggered a celestial thunder sound. What a waste."

"He's trying to aim for the Qingyun Bow with only two celestial veins? Someone should put him in his place. Even with Shi Gong's protection, he should still stay in line if he wants to be here!"

Shi Yuan moved first. His large hand shot out like an eagle's claw, aimed at the Qingyun Bow in Xiao Yi's hand. The faint azure battle energy emanated around him, and his strike was swift and fierce, cutting through the air with a sharp whistling sound. Within a split second, it was almost upon the Qingyun Bow.

"That's a good move, the Blue Eagle Claw. This is a third-tier combat technique. Shi Yuan has already mastered it, and it's no longer just a rough skill. If he practices for another year or two, when he reaches perfection, he might even understand the 'effortless strength' and reach the Minor Blood Refining stage," one of the boys exclaimed in surprise.

When they saw Shi Yuan easily grab the Qingyun Bow without any response from Xiao Yi, the surrounding Bloodstone warriors shook their heads slightly. Was he dumbstruck? Shi Yuan's eyes flashed with contempt. Then, with a firm grip, his right arm flickered with the same faint azure battle energy.

"Let go!" Shi Yuan barked.

But the next moment, he felt as if the bow itself had rooted into the earth. Despite his immense effort, the icy cold bow refused to budge. Xiao Yi's eyes were frosty as he calmly stared at him, his body unmoving, exuding a faint aura as if he were a mountain standing firm.

He couldn't pull it!

Shi Yuan was shocked. This wasn't right! But before he could react, a tremendous force suddenly surged from the bow, and he was sent flying several feet, crashing to the ground. His bones felt like they were shattered, and he couldn't muster any strength to rise.

"I was just telling you," Xiao Yi's voice rang out. He turned around and left, quickly disappearing from the archery hall, leaving behind a group of stunned youths and astonished Bloodstone warriors.

"He actually sent Shi Yuan flying!"

"Two celestial veins… how could this be possible?!"

Some of the boys who recognized Shi Yuan rushed over to help him up but found his body limp and his muscles slack. He could barely stand.

His face flushed with embarrassment and rage. Shi Yuan's eyes flashed with deep resentment, and in full view of everyone, he struggled to free himself from the boys helping him. Staggering, he hurried out of the hall, only to find that Xiao Yi's figure had already vanished into the distance. The four squad leaders exchanged glances, and a look of surprise flashed in their eyes when they remembered that the Qingyun Bow had been taken by Xiao Yi.

Shi Yuan gritted his teeth. What did Xiao Yi mean by "just telling you"? It was as if he were saying that no matter what Shi Yuan did, nothing would change.

"Damn it!" Shi Yuan muttered under his breath. Ignoring the strange looks from the squad leaders, he dragged his aching body into the tribe.

...

Behind the tribe was an open field covering several hundred square feet. As Xiao Yi approached, he could hear the buzzing sound of bowstrings vibrating. Dozens, even hundreds, of Bloodstone tribe members were practicing archery there, mostly young people. The older youth, along with the adult warriors, mostly entered the wild ancient forests at dawn for hunting. If one's archery skills reached perfection, there was no need to waste time here.

The place was guarded by a squad leader. When he saw Xiao Yi approach, he said nothing but pointed to three piles of arrows after Xiao Yi produced the stone token.

"The Blackstone Bow comes with Blackstone Arrows, the Qingyun Bow with Qingyun Arrows, and the Zixia Bow with Zixia Arrows. You can take thirty-six arrows per day."

Xiao Yi noticed that in one corner of the field, there were many stone arrow tubes, which contained Blackstone Arrows, Qingyun Arrows, and Zixia Arrows. The Blackstone Arrows made up about half, the Qingyun Arrows about thirty percent, and the Zixia Arrows about twenty percent. Each tube contained thirty-six arrows.

Xiao Yi took one tube. Inside were thirty-six Qingyun Arrows, each forged from green iron. The shafts glowed with a faint, eerie light, and the fletching was made from Qingyun leopard fur. Together, these thirty-six arrows weighed over a thousand pounds. Along with the Qingyun Bow and his broken spear, Xiao Yi's burden had already reached nearly three hundred pounds. If it were an average Bloodstone warrior with ten celestial veins, this much weight would affect their movement. However, Xiao Yi had tempered his body with the blood of the Ancient Dragon, and although he had only connected two celestial veins, his strength had reached the equivalent of ten celestial veins. His body was so solid that he had tested it the previous night—his fist could crack rocks that had been weathered by wind and rain for a thousand years, and his energy seemed endless.

After taking the Qingyun Arrows, Xiao Yi stepped into the field. Here, there were pinewood bows and arrows for practicing. Pulling them required only two hundred pounds of force and could handle up to two hundred pounds of strength. Xiao Yi's arrival didn't attract much attention, except from a few nearby youths. Some looked at him with curiosity, while others showed disdain. The news of him triggering the celestial thunder sound but only connecting two celestial veins had already spread throughout the entire Bloodstone Tribe. His grand entrance had ended in a trickle, which was quite a mockery.

Ignoring the gazes around him, Xiao Yi nocked an arrow and drew the bow. Coming from the age of great technological advancements, he had never practiced archery. He simply exerted a thousand pounds of force, and the pinewood bow drew a half-moon arc as he focused on the ironwood post twenty yards away, which was about the size of a water barrel.

The pinewood arrow shot forward with a sharp whistling sound, but it seemed to deviate by two inches. The arrow grazed the wood post and continued its flight into the distance.

"He hasn't even reached the first stage of archery, Wind Breaking. He can't hit a target within twenty yards."

"Typical of a wandering outsider. He has no tribe and probably hasn't practiced archery at all. I don't know how he's survived all these years."

Xiao Yi frowned. His archery skills were truly pathetic. Although Shi Gong had once taught him the basics, his understanding was too shallow, and he couldn't transform it into combat power.

"Tuoba Feng! Tuoba Feng has come to guide his younger brother in archery!"

"It's him! Tuoba Feng, one of the four greatest young warriors in our tribe, the Hundred-man Leader!"

Suddenly, the field became noisy. Xiao Yi looked up and saw a young man approaching in the distance, carrying a large green iron bow. The young man, about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, had sharp eyes like lightning. Though his appearance was ordinary, his aura was immense, and his energy flowed like a blazing furnace, unrestrained.

The entire field felt a pressure on their minds. Even the squad leader, though approaching middle age, stood respectfully and cupped his fists in greeting, saying, "Greetings, Hundred-man Leader Tuoba!"

Tuoba Feng waved his hand and walked directly into the field. He came to the side of a young boy about ten years old—his younger brother, Tuoba Han.

The boy wore a dark blue beastskin cloak, his eyes bright like stars. Though his face was still youthful, there was a heroic aura about him, and his energy surged. The surrounding youths couldn't help but look at him with envy.

"Tuoba Han is incredible. Just a month ago, he connected four celestial veins and isn't any weaker than Shi Lei of that year."

"Tuoba Feng is here to guide his younger brother. Let's watch carefully. I've heard Tuoba Feng's archery is unparalleled, unmatched among the younger generation. He's already glimpsed the Peak of the Sound Breaking stage. In terms of archery, only a few of the Hundred-man Leaders, the three thousand-man Leaders, and the Tribe Chief can compete with him."

Xiao Yi's eyes flickered with surprise. He had heard Shi Gong mention before that archery had seven stages: Wind Breaking, Sound Breaking, Meteor, Extreme Lightning, Thunder, Soul Lock, and Sky Shattering. In the Bloodstone Tribe, a warrior capable of hunting in the wild ancient forests alone must reach the Wind Breaking stage, where arrows can break the wind and always hit their mark within a hundred yards. As for the stages beyond Wind Breaking, they depended on the individual's comprehension and opportunities.

He watched as Tuoba Feng took a pinewood bow, bent it, and nocked an arrow. The string shimmered like a crescent moon, and in that instant, Xiao Yi had an illusion. Tuoba Feng's aura suddenly became ethereal, and a powerful force shot out from him. The arrow hadn't even left the bowstring yet, but the ironwood post a hundred yards away had already been cut with several deep gashes from the invisible force.

Xiao Yi observed intently, paying attention to every motion Tuoba Feng made. His spirit was calm as his battle energy circulated within his body. In his mind, the image of Tuoba Feng appeared—everything from drawing the bow to nocking the arrow. Every faint wave of energy was recorded. At this moment, a wisp of Xiao Yi's battle energy unintentionally brushed against the stone mirror on his chest.

It was as if the world was being shattered. The entire space seemed to tremble, and Xiao Yi's surroundings instantly transformed. Within the blink of an eye, he found himself standing on a vast, desolate land. A hundred yards away, a tall figure stood with his hands behind his back, his back turned towards him.