Chapter 1 (1/2)

Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon

Great Zhou Dynasty, Wu State, Eastcalm Prefecture.

From the main entrance of one of the eight major Dao Academies in Eastcalm Prefecture—Mirror Lake Dao Academy—a youth with a saber by his waist walked out.

“Senior Brother Meng.”

“Good day, Senior Brother Meng.”

“Greetings, Senior Brother Meng.”

The fellow disciples around him were rather friendly.

The young man nodded slightly at his junior brothers and sisters. In fact, many of them were older than him. However, the Dao Academy held the accomplished disciples with high regard. He had entered the Dao Academy’s Mountain River Pavilion two years ago. The twenty-two disciples from the Mountain River Pavilion were also the strongest twenty-two disciples of Mirror Lake Dao Academy. They were admired by many junior brothers and sisters. As for Senior Brother Meng, he was highly respected because he often gave them pointers. The other seniors from the Mountain River Pavilion couldn’t be bothered wasting time on them.

“Young Master, Young Master!” A familiar voice sounded out from the side.

A green-dressed girl ran out from the side. Meng Chuan chuckled when he saw this. “Green Bamboo, why are you here?”

“My lady wishes for you to tour the East Mountain with her. It snowed heavily last night, making for a beautiful snowy landscape,” said the green-robed maiden with a giggle.

“Visit East Mountain?” Meng Chuan frowned and said, “East Mountain is too far away. I’m afraid we’ll be spending the night at East Mountain if we make the trip. We’ll only be back tomorrow.”

The green-robed maiden laughed. “Our Yun family happens to own a villa in East Mountain that would serve as your accommodation.”

Meng Chuan shook his head and said, “Go back and tell Qingping that the Jadesun Palace’s Demon-Slaying Meet will be in a month. I need to focus on my cultivation and prepare myself. I cannot accompany her.”

“About that…” The green-robed maiden hesitated.

“Just tell her that when you get back,” instructed Meng Chuan. “Also, make her spend more time cultivating. She shouldn’t be thinking about having fun all the time.”

“Yes, Young Master.” The green-robed maiden had no choice but to obediently answer him and return to report to her lady.

Meng Chuan shook his head slightly.

Yun Qingping—who he had been engaged to since he was young—left him exasperated.

…

Mirror Lake Dao Academy was built on the eastern sh.o.r.e of Mirror Lake. There were many residences on the west bank of Mirror Lake. One of them was Meng Manor.

“Young Master.” There were two guards at the entrance of the manor, and they were rather respectful when they saw Meng Chuan.

“Is my father in?”

“Master went to the ancestral mansion after they sent someone over. It happened just a moment ago,” said the guard.

Meng Chuan nodded thoughtfully and entered the manor.

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Very quickly, he heard the whistling sound of arrows. He followed the sounds and arrived at the training grounds.

There was a red-dressed girl shooting arrows. An arrow traversed hundreds of feet and landed on a target dummy. Each subsequent arrow struck its predecessor’s shaft, one after another.

Meng Chuan watched from the side as she practiced her archery.

Her name was Liu Qiyue—the only daughter of his father’s friend, Liu Yebai. It was a friends.h.i.+p forged through life and death situations.

When Meng Chuan was eight, Liu Yebai brought his daughter to Meng Manor and took up residence ever since.

Qiyue was very similar to him—they had lost their mothers when they were young. They had cultivated together from a young age to this very day; thus, they enjoyed a deep relations.h.i.+p.

“Ah Chuan, you’re back.” The red-dressed girl’s eyes lit up when she saw Meng Chuan. “It’s so boring shooting these target dummies. Come, be my target dummy. If it weren’t for the fact that I was waiting for you, I would have gone to the Dao Academy to practice my archery. The Dao Academy’s archery field is much larger.”

“Alright, I’ll be your target dummy.” Meng Chuan smiled and walked to the center of the training grounds.

The red-dressed girl switched quivers—none of the arrows had arrowheads. Her eyes lit up as she looked at Meng Chuan. “Ah Chuan, you have to be careful. Don’t get thrashed by me again.”

“You be careful, too. This time, I will definitely crack your Seven Star Strafe.” Meng Chuan focused, awaiting the barrage of attacks.

Liu Qiyue giggled. Following that, her fingers moved like a phantom. She instantly drew her bow and fired, as though aiming was unnecessary.

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Arrow after arrow shot out as she repeated the entire process over and over—removing an arrow from the quiver on her back, drawing her bow and shooting… It was akin to a normal person breathing. Every arrow was stunningly fast and powerful.

The saber at Meng Chuan’s waist was already unsheathed.

Any arrow flying towards him was blocked by the domain formed by his blade trajectories.

“Ah Chuan, your saber arts are becoming more and more powerful. From the looks of it, I will need to use Seven Star Strafe,” Liu Qiyue said with a cheeky smile as she shot. Clearly, it was very easy for her to shoot such arrows.

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Before the sound faded, the arrow shot out by the red-dressed girl was accompanied by an ear-piercing screech.

Here it comes! Meng Chuan turned even more solemn.

Pfft. Pfft.

Meng Chuan’s saber produced an arc, blocking the arrows like a dome. However, the Seven Star Strafe was a killer move that consumed a great deal of Quintessential Energy. The projectile speed would only increase with each arrow.

At the sixth arrow, Meng Chuan’s saber missed. He then felt a pain in his chest before involuntarily stumbling. His chest was probably bruised.

“I still can’t block it.” Meng Chuan shook his head helplessly.

“You’ve already blocked four of the five killer moves I’ve developed. All that’s left is the Seven Star Strafe,” said Liu Qiyue with a smile. “That’s already very impressive. Back in the Dao Academy, no one at the Marrow Cleansing realm is able to block my Triple Phantom Arrow, but you can.”

“I’ve been defending against your bow and arrows since I was young. Of course, I’m better than those at your Dao Academy.” Meng Chuan shook his head. “Besides, your arrows are headless. Adding them would only make the arrows faster. I’m afraid I won’t be able to fend off more than half of your five killer moves.”

“Ah Chuan, haven’t you heard? When everyone’s in the same realm, n.o.body can withstand the barrage of attacks from a sharpshooter,” Liu Qiyue said smugly.

“Qiyue… If it was a situation of life and death, I would’ve rushed to your side.”

“Sharpshooters have guards.” Liu Qiyue pursed her lips. “My guards will hold you back, then you will become my target dummy. Perhaps in the future, you will become my guard!”

Meng Chuan laughed.

He knew very well how terrifying a sharpshooter was. In any faction, top sharpshooters enjoyed extremely high status and were protected very well.

Qiyue was very talented in archery.