During these past few days, Lin Xi already began to practice archery while running behind Tong Wei, but his hit rate was still only barely satisfactory.
The Golden Sunflower symbol opponent wasn't far from himself either, the three-edged spear nailing Jiang Xiaoyi to the ground. Lin Xi felt a huge amount of pressure.
However, the cold flame ignited within his chest instead made the arrows he released become even steadier.
Pa!
The moment 'Golden Sunflower' took a step towards Lin Xi, Lin Xi's second arrow already smashed heavily into his chest.
Lin Xi continuously ran, repeatedly firing arrows. In the past, when he fired arrows this way, he would land two or three arrows out of ten at most, but today, in a situation where there was even more pressure, out of ten arrows, five or six of them actually landed on Golden Sunflower's body.
Only, a moment later, his right arm that had just come off of winstalker training was already sore to the point where he couldn't pull the bowstring anymore. However, Lin Xi whose brows were tightly furrowed instead didn't show the slightest bit of hesitation, shifting the bow to his right hand, his left hand drawing a black arrow from the quiver, continuing to fire in a steady and rapid manner.
Pa!
A black arrow smashed heavily into Golden Sunflower's lower abdomen, making this powerful opponent release a muffled groan of pain, his entire body leaning downwards.
However, at the same time, this powerful opponent viciously flung out the three-edged spear at Lin Xi!
Whoosh!
Under the propulsion of his great strength, as well as this distance that was less than thirty steps, the speed of this three-edged spear wasn't any bit inferior to Lin Xi's arrows. It smashed into Lin Xi's body with incomparable precision.
Lin Xi's expression also instantly became pale, the power that was even greater than the stone temple's spears making his entire body take three steps backwards before falling downwards heavily. His arms actually momentarily lost strength, unable to even raise the Black Stone Power Bow.
'Golden Sunflower' straightened his body in an extremely tyrannical manner. However, right at this time, his figure that rushed at Lin Xi suddenly sunk.
His right leg was tightly gripped by Jiang Xiaoyi who was still powerless to stand up.
Roar!
When turning around, 'Golden Sunflower' released a roar that was full of hidden anger, smashing his fist into Jiang Xiaoyi's body with a pa sound, making his entire body seemingly bounce off the ground.
However, what he just couldn't understand, was that Jiang Xiaoyi still didn't let go.
Cough…
Lin Xi who fell down released a cough for the first time. He got up, the Black Stone Power Bow raised into his hands with difficulty.
Weng!
The bowstring trembled, the black arrow cutting through the wind, an arrow striking Golden Sunflower's right leg.
Golden Sunflower lost his center of balance, going down on one knee. Meanwhile, the coughing Lin Xi instead stood up, staring at him, steadily firing a second arrow straight at Golden Sunflower's neck.
Golden Sunflower's body suddenly went rigid, his arms holding his neck, entire body suddenly going cold.
Lin Xi walked forward, closing in on Golden Sunflower. The Black Stone Power Bow in his hands continuously trembled.
One arrow.
Second arrow.
Third arrow.
Eleven arrows, under this kind of incredibly stable situation, without error, smashed heavily into Golden Sunflower's body.
The valiant Golden Sunflower, after suffering from eleven arrows head-on, fell backwards heavily.
Lin Xi picked up the black longbow, picking up the three-edged spear with his hands that had already lost feeling. He walked up to Golden Sunflower, pointing the spear at Golden Sunflower's armor.
When he saw Jiang Xiaoyi's Rose Flower symbol, Lin Xi looked at Jiang Xiaoyi who was still coughing continuously in shock, asking, "Why did you help me?"
Jiang Xiaoyi shook his head, sitting up from the ground. "I do not know either."
His reply left Lin Xi a bit stunned, and it also made the Golden Sunflower laying on the ground feel a strange speechlessness.
However, Lin Xi's following words left him and Jiang Xiaoyi speechless, then, Jiang Xiaoyi couldn't help but laugh while coughing.
After Lin Xi picked up a golden pentagon emblem from Golden Sunflower's body, he then honestly said to Jiang Xiaoyi, "Rose Flower student, I didn't see your name on the rankings, from the looks of it, you can't withdraw with five emblems today either… that's why if I take a golden pentagon emblem from you too, it shouldn't affect you too much, right… Like this, I'll be able to withdraw with five emblems four times in a row, once more and I can get one point in reward, can even save a bit of strength, train by the yellow perimeter walls. At worst, when I meet you again, I'll help you out too, how about it?"
…
Under Golden Sunflower's speechlessness and Jiang Xiaoyi's coughing and laughter, with the bow on his back, Lin Xi retrieved the black longsword, and then carefully left, heading towards the yellow perimeter walls.
After using an instance of the ability he wasn't even willing to waste on Golden Sunflower, wearing himself out mentally and physically in the stone temple, Lin Xi left the stone temple again. He carefully hobbled his way out of the yellow perimeter walls, leaving the training valley.
The northernmost area of the academy, within the towering mountain range's peaks that were difficult to cross, there was a comparatively more 'short and stout' peak.
The rear mountain belly of this peak was dug out, within it, there were several halls that were brightly lit, a mind clearing herb fragrance wafting through the air within.
Inside the halls that were situated within the mountain belly were desks resting side by side, piled high with letters, random pieces of paper, small sheepskin scrolls, and other things. Many black-robed lecturers were busying about in a rather agitated manner, continuously flipping through them or recording things down.
There were many metal wires with clips attached to them running through these halls, some small sheepskin scrolls and sheets of paper packed with writing held in place by these clips, quickly sliding to different parts of this hall along these metal wires.
Even without computers, it still made one associate this with a bustling New York Stock Exchange scene.
This place was precisely Ailao Peak's rear mountains. Meanwhile, the ones bustling between the piles of letters, papers, and other things, were precisely the 'Milky Way Lecturers' Principal Zhang talked about.
Not long after Lin Xi came out from the training valley, several small sheepskin scrolls recording student performances in the training valley, including Lin Xi's activity, were brought into a hall.
These small sheepskin scrolls were passed along the metal wire, passing between the hands of several Milky Way Lecturers' hands. After several lecturers quickly wrote down some information, they then moved along the metal wire, passed down to a grizzle-haired, big-bellied lecturer at the deepest part of the mountain belly's hall.
The number of people at the innermost depths of the great hall was much fewer than those further out, only twenty something individuals. However, the desks before each of these individuals were at least twice the size of those outside, the things piled on them were also directly proportionate.
This grizzle-haired big-bellied lecturer's frame was large and tall, a small knife scar at the corners of his lips. If Lin Xi saw him, he would definitely think that his appearance was quite similar to Sammo Hung[1]. However, on the bridge of his nose was a bronze frame, the lens polished from crystal, as thick as the bottom of a bottle, a pair of glasses that definitely couldn't be found in the outside world.
If Lin Xi saw this, because this world rarely had glasses like these, Lin Xi would begin to reminisce about many things from his past world again.
In a completely routine manner, this big-bellied old lecturer with a thick pair of glasses on his nose removed several small sheepskin scrolls, skimming them quickly while recording with a small charcoal pen on a book next to him with lightning speed.
Suddenly, his expression was moved, his originally ruddy face, because of his rushed breathing and agitation becoming a dark reddish-purple. At the same time, with a light pa sound, the small charcoal pencil in his hands also snapped because of his excessive force.
After flipping through the book in his hands a bit, comparing them to those small sheepskin scrolls, this chubby old lecturer who looked like Sammo Hung stood up from within the large piles of books and scrolls. Without any regard for the scrolls that were knocked down as a result by this motion, he removed the glasses on the bridge of his nose in a bit of a rushed manner, threw them into his sleeves, and then with the book and small sheepskin scrolls in hand, he ran out of the hall.
Under the twilight scene, this old lecturer with a rather bloated figure grabbed onto the zipline's bar, and then in a rather worrisome shaky manner, quickly hurried to a peak that was two peaks away from Ailao Peak, frantically running the entire time. While slightly gasping for breath, he burst into a small courtyard surrounded by pine trees.
There was only a single elder inside this dark green bricked black-tiled small courtyard. This elder was missing an arm, his entire face covered in wrinkles, but his eyes were filled with a wise and farsighted radiance. The glory and honor he brought back was enough to earn the respect of all of Yunqin Empire's bigwigs, because he was someone who returned from Meteor Lake's great battle, Green Luan Academy's Vice Principal Xia.
"Old Xiao, what's wrong? Why do you seem to be in such a rush?" While looking at the chubby old lecturer who was bursting with anxiety, Vice Principal Xia' eyes were instead filled with expectations.
The fat old lecturer quickly fished out the spectacles in his sleeves, wearing them again. He handed the small book and scrolls over to Vice Principal Xia. "Lin Xi… the Self Defense Department heaven's choice you all selected this time is a bit strange…"
"A bit strange?" Vice Principal Xia received the book and scrolls, but he wasn't in a rush to read them, frowning and asking, "How so?"
"Today was the fourth time he entered the Direct Spear Strikes Stone Temple, but he already crossed a hundred and twenty-five steps… last time, it was a hundred and seventeen. A youngster from Deerwood Town, someone who had never cultivated before, with his cultivation, the third time he entered the stone temple, he could already endure a hundred and seventeen steps, what kind of concept is this?!" The fat lecturer breathed heavily, directly staring at Vice Principal Xia through the crystal lens that was as thick as bottle bottoms. "However, this is obviously not reason enough for me to immediately hurry to where you are. What made me rush here, is that today, during his fight… look at the recordings related to his cultivation, and then at the distance and time he ran frantically for, you will immediately know what I am trying to say!"
Vice Principal Xia's brows furrowed even tighter. He stared at what was recorded on the small scroll, an unprecedented seriousness and shock also appearing on his face. Only after three whole halts of time passed did he come to a rather difficult decision. "Your intention is, his soul force density… is entirely different from a normal person's?"
The fat old lecturer was a bit annoyed. "Xia Zhiqiu! Look at all of the recordings together, this matter is beyond obvious!"
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1. Hong Kong martial arts and action actor ↑