On the Archery Range, the sound of whooshing air was as intermittent as rain. One after another, the black silhouettes of arrows streaked across Liu Zili’s line of sight, arcing slightly before slamming into the black curtain wall two hundred meters away, sending out great ripples.

She stood quietly beside the wooden rack where a long spear rested. Her eyes followed an arrow as it flew to the right, and just as they returned, they were pulled away by the next one.

"Whew~" Jiang Qiu took a deep breath. His [Black Flood Dragon] Bow hung down by his left hip as his right hand reached into his quiver and came up empty. "I’m out of Post Arrows..."

He shook his right arm, which felt as if hydrochloric acid had seeped into the muscles. Just as he took a step, a flurry of hurried footsteps approached from the distance.

TAP TAP TAP...

Liu Zili ran up, carrying several dozen Post Arrows that had been left by the black curtain wall. Her dimples were faint, and her almond-shaped eyes, like dewy jewels, seemed clearer than ever before.

CLATTER...

The slender arrows dropped into the quiver, filling the empty space.

"Thanks."

A faint warmth spread through Jiang Qiu’s chest and escaped as a warm breath between his lips. "Let’s take a break. I’ll teach you some spear techniques."

"Okay."

Liu Zili nodded, took the [Black Flood Dragon] Bow from Jiang Qiu’s hands, and ran with light steps toward the distant wooden rack. She returned carrying two long spears.

THRUST, STAB, SWISH—

The sound of a spearhead slicing through the air echoed across the empty Archery Range. Liu Zili’s figure twisted like a nimble flood dragon, just as Jiang Qiu’s had when he first began the Ancient Martial Spear Technique, only with more power. The muscle definition on her forearms was profound, perhaps due to the Wusu Fragrant Medicine Baths she had been taking.

"When you flick the spear and turn your wrist, don’t look at the spearhead." Jiang Qiu’s eyes narrowed. With a soft cry, he casually executed a half-moon arc with his spear. "Watch me."

’Though drawing the bow made my arm sore, demonstrating spear techniques doesn’t require much strength. It’s as easy as picking up food with chopsticks, so it’s not a strain at all.’

’Over the past couple of days, when I was at the Archery Range alone, I would casually practice a few spear moves after finishing my archery training. The only difference now is the extra person.’

And so, he watched Liu Zili practice, move by move, occasionally demonstrating a technique himself.

Time passed, day by day. In the blink of an eye, it was the afternoon of April ninth, after school let out.

FLICK—

A clean arc was flicked up by Liu Zili’s long spear, flinging bean-sized beads of sweat from her glistening forearms. For a brief moment, it seemed to carry a fraction of the momentum from Jiang Qiu’s original technique, flowing as smoothly as water.

Jiang Qiu stood to the side, cradling his own long spear, and watched in silence.

CLICK—

The sound of a door opening interrupted the swishing of the spear. Both of them froze and looked toward the entrance.

"School’s out and you’re still here? Perfect." Wu Shan strode onto the field. "Stop your spear practice for a moment. I have two things to tell you."

"First, because our Field Eight has been designated as an outstanding field, and because Jiang Qiu performed exceptionally well during the last practical training hunt, more resources have been allocated to us. As a result, everyone on our field will receive Wusu Fragrance. The top five will each get two portions. However, Jiang Qiu isn’t counted in the rankings. He gets six portions all to himself."

Liu Zili clenched her sweaty fists, her gaze burning with intensity.

’The Body Refining effect of Wusu Fragrance is truly outstanding. I’ve already reached the Copper Skin Realm. If I can just get two more portions, I might be able to take a huge step toward the Iron Flesh Realm in these last two months.’

’If Jiang Qiu’s place isn’t counted, then after Wang Guanjia, Xie Kuang, Zhang Shan, and Li Si, there’s still one more spot up for grabs!’

’Practicing the spear these past few days has been like following Jiang Qiu’s own path toward the Dao, with a bright lamp lighting the way. The road ahead is wide open!’

’Even though I’ve just started, I can’t see the end of this path. My passion is surging, and without even realizing it, I’ve managed to grasp a bit of Hidden Force on top of my Spearpoint Armor-Piercing technique!’

’It feels like, as long as I follow Jiang Qiu, even someone like me—born in the Shantytown, who only started learning the Ancient Martial Spear Technique in my third year of high school—can catch up to Zhang Shan, Li Si, and the others...’

At this thought, Liu Zili blinked and stole a glance at Jiang Qiu. She lightly pursed her lips, the salty-sweet taste of sweat seeping from the corner of her mouth onto her tongue.

"One more thing," Wu Shan continued. "The Demon Beast Meat and materials recovered from the practical training hunt have all been processed in the Inner City. All payments will be disbursed tomorrow, so make sure you check for the funds."

Wu Shan’s gaze swept past Liu Zili before landing on Jiang Qiu with a deep, meaningful look.

"Oh..." Jiang Qiu paused for a moment, then waved to Liu Zili. "The teacher has something to discuss with me. Why don’t you go home and rest first?"

"Okay."

Liu Zili chuckled, set down her long spear, and casually wiped the sweat from her forehead.

CLICK—

The large steel door opened and then closed. Wu Shan let out a heavy sigh. "We’ve hit a bottleneck in refining the Advanced Su Fragrance. You should prepare yourself."

"Not enough materials?" Jiang Qiu’s heart sank, and he frowned slightly. "How much more money do we need?"

’Middle Level Su Fragrance is already rare and precious; there’s no way Advanced Su Fragrance would be cheap...’

"I’m not sure. The expert just told me that since this is the first time they’re processing a mutated Pebble, conventional refining methods might not be very effective." Wu Shan shook his head, his right eye cloudy. "Usually, when this happens, it’s because the main ingredient is too rare. The refining costs skyrocket. Millions, or even tens of millions, might just be a drop in the bucket. It will take repeated trial and error to successfully refine the Advanced Su Fragrance."

’Millions, or even tens of millions?!’

Jiang Qiu’s eyes widened, his index finger twitching.

’I earned over nine million from the last practical training hunt, and that was from hunting outside the city in a relatively safe environment.’

’Buying the bow and prepaying for the Advanced Su Fragrance already cost me over six million. How am I supposed to scrape together a backup fund of over ten million?!’

Jiang Qiu’s heart tightened. "But I don’t have that kind of money now! Does that mean the Advanced Su Fragrance can’t be made?"

After a moment of silence, a sharp glint flashed in Wu Shan’s right eye. "No. You still have a way to make money. It won’t be easy, though."

"What is it?"

"In about ten days or so, the Military Department’s test will probably begin. In essence, it’s the same as the practical training hunt—you go outside the city to kill demons, and the Demon Beast carcasses are recovered for payment."

Hearing this, Jiang Qiu frowned. ’The only reason I made nine million from the practical training hunt was that after I killed the Demon Plant, all the remaining Black Armored Lizards and Red Armored Giant Lizards mysteriously died along with it.’

’The income was so high because it was split among more than two thousand Demon Beasts.’

’Otherwise, based on what I killed myself, I wouldn’t have even been able to scrape together the five million for the initial payment.’

"You don’t have to worry too much about money. In the Military Department’s test, you’ll be facing more Middle and High Tier Demon Beasts. If you can slay even one High Tier Demon Beast, you could easily make several million."

"Take that Demon Plant you killed, for instance. If its trunk hadn’t withered away, it could have been recovered for over a million."

After a pause, Wu Shan’s voice grew grave. "However, greater rewards mean greater risks. The Military Department’s test is mostly live combat, and this one, in particular, will determine if you can enter the Tianjiao Project and become an Optimizer. The risk of injury or death is significant."

"Don’t think that Qingmu Town only has Black Armored Lizards and Red Armored Giant Lizards. Those are just weak Demon Beasts that were attracted by the Secret Realm’s fluctuations."

"In the mountain ranges and lakes nearest to our Gao Yuan City, there are branches of the Demon Race. Even though the Red Flame Spider Mother moved most of her forces to attack Tianshan City in the north, the number of Demon Beasts led by the nearby Demon Race Commanders is still immense. There are even several Top Tier Demon Beasts still present."

"And among the Demon Beasts, only those at the High Tier or above are considered worthy test subjects for the students in the Tianjiao Project. Many of these are avian demons, which must be shot down with a Qi Blood Bow..."

"Oh, right. How is your Bow Technique coming along?"

Meeting his deep gaze, Jiang Qiu was silent for a moment before replying, "I’m still a ways off from being proficient."

"That’s normal. The training to go from entry-level to proficient is no longer about mastering Qi Blood, but about precision. That requires a much longer period of practice; it’s not something you can achieve overnight." Wu Shan sighed to himself and waved his hand reassuringly. "But it’s fine even if you’re not proficient yet. At the entry level, you’ll still have a chance to kill Middle Tier Demon Beasts, which is enough to earn some money. As for the Tianjiao Project, just do your best."

"You can go back for now."

"Mm."

CLICK—

As Jiang Qiu walked out of the Archery Range, a panel flashed before his eyes.

[Ancient Martial Arrow (Entry-Level)]

[250/500]

[Iron Flesh]

[901/1000]

’Although proficiency in the Archery Dao is still a ways off, my Physical Body Realm is about to break through. Perhaps it will happen tomorrow, right after I receive the Wusu Fragrance...’