The Vanishing

The Zixia Bow settled into his grip, its body radiating a soft violet glow, shimmering with an enchanting luster. It was a top-tier weapon among lower-grade war bows, crafted from the fused spine of a Ziyun Eagle, a lower-tier desolate beast, and green iron. The bowstring, forged from the tempered tendons of a ground python, could withstand an immense force of thirty-six jin.

As the Zixia Arrow rested upon the bowstring, Xiao Yi's gaze sharpened. Behind him, the elderly man's lips curled into a faint smile. Though his frail body trembled uncontrollably, his hands never loosened. His eyes remained fixed on the horizon, bathed in the golden light of the rising sun.

Xiao Yi shifted the arrowhead, first aiming at an ironwood stake a hundred zhang away. Commander Shi Hu's eyes flickered slightly. Only a hundred zhang? For an ordinary squad leader-level warrior, archery skills typically reached the Breaking Wind Realm - Minor Attainment. Stronger ones could attain Major Attainment, while only a handful achieved the second level of archery—Shattering Sound Realm. However, archery differed from the accumulation of blood energy. It required continuous practice, refining one's technique arrow by arrow. From Shi Hu's perspective, even considering Xiao Yi's rapid progress over the past year, it was impossible for him to have elevated his archery skills significantly. At best, he could have reached Breaking Wind Realm - Minor Attainment—that was his absolute limit.

Tuoba Feng remained expressionless, his gaze following Xiao Yi's arrowhead. A few moments later, Xiao Yi shifted his aim again—this time, toward a target two hundred zhang away.

Breaking Wind Realm - Minor Attainment?

Shi Hu nodded subtly. As expected. Advancing to a squad leader's level in a year while also reaching Breaking Wind Realm - Minor Attainment in archery—if he continued at this pace, the commander dared not imagine what lay ahead. Yet, he quickly dismissed such thoughts. Not to mention the sheer difficulty of reaching Blood Refining - Grand Completion, even attaining Small Completion was an arduous feat. Throughout the Bloodstone Tribe's thousand-year history, warriors who reached Small Completion in Blood Refining were not uncommon, but achieving Grand Completion was a once-in-a-century occurrence. Even the tribal chief, Shi Zhixuan, had only managed to shatter his bottleneck and advance to the Bone Tempering Realm due to an extraordinary stroke of luck. That was more than just an advancement—it was a fundamental transformation of life itself.

Among the warriors at the squad leader level, many already looked unsettled. They had spent years honing their skills, yet their archery barely reached Breaking Wind Realm - Minor Attainment. And now, Xiao Yi had done the same in just a year.

Only Breaking Wind Realm - Minor Attainment?

Tuoba Feng's eyes narrowed. Faint green light flickered within his pupils. He had no proof, but deep down—he refused to believe that was all.

A few heartbeats passed.

Then—Xiao Yi's gaze sharpened. The arrowhead shifted once more.

This time, his aim locked onto a target three hundred zhang away.

The Zixia Arrow, ancient yet gleaming, pulsed with a sharp, flickering radiance.

What?!

Shi Hu's heart trembled. His brows furrowed deeply.

Breaking Wind Realm - Major Attainment?!

"That's impossible!" A squad leader finally lost control and shouted.

Breaking Wind Realm - Major Attainment—back then, even Tribal Chief Shi Zhixuan had taken a full three years to achieve it. Such mastery required time to settle and accumulate. Advancing to Major Attainment within a single year? And considering Xiao Yi had already reached squad leader-level strength, many present found themselves questioning reality.

At that very moment, a piercing gleam burst forth from Tuoba Feng's eyes—just as he had anticipated. Xiao Yi's rapid progress in archery was nothing short of astonishing. That fleeting glimpse he had caught back then, those unforgettable marks left by his arrows—who would have thought that, in merely one year, his opponent could deliver such a stunning surprise?

"Elder Shi!" Xiao Yi's voice rumbled deeply. He could feel Elder Shi's body trembling ever more violently.

In that instant, the old man gritted his teeth. Without uttering a single word, he clutched Xiao Yi's shoulder tightly. His shock of white hair lay in disarray beneath the blazing sunrise, and his eyes burned with a fire as fierce as the morning light.

At the tremor of his heart, Xiao Yi roared like thunder. Abruptly, he spun around. The Zixia Arrow vibrated with a buzzing cadence as an unparalleled aura of razor-sharp intensity surged forth. Behind him, the formidable presence of a barbaric elephant took shape—the blue-scaled beast bellowing into the heavens. In that split second, the arrow was set on a course toward a target 500 zhang away.

The arrow departed the bow with a sound reminiscent of an elephant's trumpet. In an instant, Tuoba Feng's face drained of color, and over a dozen centurions were visibly stirred. Commander Shi Hu drew a deep breath; for the first time, admiration flickered in his eyes.

In the void, the Zixia Arrow transformed into several ghostly afterimages, streaking across 500 zhang before plunging into the heart of an ironwood stake. In that very moment, the stake burst asunder, splintering into a flurry of wood chips that rained down over an expanse of three zhang.

Archery—Shattering Sound Realm!

At that moment, Shiyuan's face was etched with bitterness. His fist clenched and unclenched repeatedly until his features flushed red with the strain.

Outside the fortress-like walls of the Bloodstone Tribe, a brief, awed silence befell nearly two thousand warriors—over a hundred squad leaders, more than a dozen centurions, and scores of youths—all holding their breath. Moments later, Commander Shi Hu inhaled deeply and declared, "For our human warriors below the rank of thousand-commander, merely attaining the necessary cultivation suffices for promotion. Xiao Yi, today you have reached the squad leader level; henceforth, you shall serve as one of my warrior squad leaders. Since the era of the Human Emperor Suiren 107 centuries ago, our human warriors have embraced only three military strategies."

As his words echoed, Commander Shi Hu swept his gaze over Shilei and the other forty-six candidates. In measured tones he pronounced, "Those who retreat without fighting—kill them! Those who surrender without a struggle—kill them! Those who flee without combat…"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The two thousand warriors roared in unison, their thunderous voices shattering the clouds above, as an invisible aura of death permeated the air. Every eye burned with unbridled killing intent.

Satisfied, Commander Shi Hu then turned to Xiao Yi. "At present, our tribe comprises 1,914 warriors and 195 squad leaders. Among these forty-six, you shall command ten, temporarily placing them under Captain Shi Qiren's banner. Now, anyone willing to follow Squad Leader Xiao Yi, step forward."

At his command, Shilei and Yunshan exchanged a glance before stepping forward simultaneously. Many of the squad leaders couldn't help but feel a tinge of envy—these two were among the finest prospects in recent years. Yet, whenever they thought of Xiao Yi, their expressions turned strangely unsettled.

Soon after, another seven youths advanced. Shilei and Yunshan watched as Shi Qian gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. After a tense moment, he exhaled sharply, stepped forward, and declared, "This life is yours—I return it to you."

With a slight smile, Xiao Yi said no more. Behind him, Elder Shi collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. His muddled eyes shone with uncontainable excitement as he murmured, "I knew it... it really is possible."

A smile still graced Elder Shi's face as Commander Shi Hu approached him, his eyes reflecting a myriad of complex emotions. Finally, with a long, heavy sigh he said, "You have succeeded."

Succeeded?

Has he truly succeeded?

As the setting sun bowed out, in a secluded corner of the Bloodstone Tribe, before a white-stone dwelling spanning several zhang, Xiao Yi supported Elder Shi as they entered. The white-stone house comprised two rooms, each stone bed draped with soft tiger skin. At the center, atop a slate table, a large basin of roasted tiger meat—golden, glistening with oil, steaming and redolent with rich aromas—commanded attention. In front of the stone table, a stone basin housed a roaring charcoal fire that warmed the entire room.

The elder sank heavily onto the tiger skin, shaking his head as he murmured, "I know my time is short. In my life, I've slain foreign tribes, lost brothers in battle, and loved women—yet I never ascended to the rank of squad leader. But now, with you mastering the Barbarian Elephant's Great Strength Technique, that is enough."

"Elder Shi!" Xiao Yi's voice resonated deeply as he struggled to contain the storm of emotions within.

Extending his hand, Elder Shi patted Xiao Yi's shoulder gently, murmuring, "In truth, that arrow—it was I who fired it. I couldn't hold back; you triggered the Heavenly Pulse Thunder Sound."

"Elder Shi, I know," Xiao Yi replied in a hoarse tone. In a moment of quiet introspection, he began to understand; deep within, he sensed the inevitability of what was to come.

Suddenly, the elder's eyes rekindled with a fierce light. Clasping one of Xiao Yi's hands tightly, his withered arm—dry as brittle twigs and pale as a lifeless relic—resembled a frail chicken's claw.

"I know you carry your past with you. I ask nothing of you now; but in the days ahead, if your cultivation bears fruit, avenge me by slaying more of the foreign tribes. Let the hatred of the great clans across the Hundred Realms burn eternal. And if strength permits, guard my Bloodstone Tribe—ensure our legacy endures through the ages, never to be extinguished."

As Elder Shi's voice dwindled into a soft murmur, moments later, Xiao Yi slowly rose and helped him onto the stone bed, carefully enveloping him with layers of warm tiger skin.

Carrying the tiger skin on his back, Xiao Yi stepped out of the white-stone dwelling. Overhead, stars sparkled brilliantly and the moonlight flowed like liquid silver, while a crisp, cold breeze caressed the land. Among the patrolling warriors of the tribe, eyes fell upon Xiao Yi's solitary figure; at first, they were momentarily stunned, then they stood motionless, their gazes filled with solemn reverence.

Some women wept softly, while the elders sighed in quiet resignation. Time, relentless and indifferent, had claimed its due—friends and comrades alike grew old as twilight descended. Life, with its inevitable beginnings and endings, spares no one; none can escape its inexorable cycle.

High atop the rear mountain's summit, fierce flames danced as the tiger skin curled under their heat, and delicate wisps of blue smoke ascended. An hour later, as the dust of the fire finally settled, Xiao Yi collected a jar of yellow earth and began his slow descent down the mountain.

In the cruel tapestry of existence, he realized that both his triumphs and his failures had left indelible marks. For men, birth and death are but parts of the eternal cycle, and even the mightiest trees must eventually return to the earth.