"Though the Golden Scaled Robe is a treasure, I can pierce through it with a single finger." Ji Yichuan looked at his son. "These things are external. Your future lies in achieving greatness in the Godfiend Body Refinement. The greatest strength of a Godfiend is their own body. You need to fully tap into your own potential and bring out your inner strength."
"Mhm," Ji Ning nodded solemnly.
"You are undergoing the Godfiend Body Refinement, which will make you stronger, faster, able to see farther, hear more clearly, and even recover quickly from injuries," Ji Yichuan said, looking at his son. "To turn that into true power..."
"First, you need weapons!" Ji Yichuan continued. "You might be ten times stronger than your opponent, but they could kill you with a single arrow from afar. That's the power of weapons."
"Next, you must know how to use those weapons. For example, someone skilled in the sword, even without any internal energy, can defeat a powerful opponent if they've reached the second level of swordsmanship, 'man and sword as one.' Even someone brimming with internal energy can't withstand the sharpness of a sword!" Ji Yichuan explained calmly.
Ji Ning understood this well. A strong brute could be easily killed by a skilled assassin with a dagger in just one move! Physical strength was only one aspect, but technique was what truly determined how much potential could be unleashed. Like in his previous life, elite boxers and fighters all had similar physical prowess, but victory often came down to technique, strategy, and tactics.
"What do you want to learn?" Ji Yichuan asked, looking at his son.
"Ning'er, think carefully," Yuchi Snow added.
The couple already had a plan for their son. After all, in their eyes, he was still young and, despite being clever, couldn't know much. But they still asked for his opinion, wanting him to learn the importance of thinking for himself. Only then would they share their ideas, letting him understand the difference between his thoughts and theirs.
"I want to learn three things," Ji Ning suddenly said.
"First, I want to learn archery," Ji Ning stated.
Since he was pursuing the Godfiend Body Refinement, he'd have amazing eyesight and immense strength. Naturally, he had to use a bow. With Godfiend-level power, an arrow shot would easily surpass the speed of sound, likely making it far more terrifying than a modern heavy sniper rifle. A single arrow could strike enemies from afar, and from what he had read, archery wasn't particularly difficult to learn.
"Second, I want to learn the sword, dual swords!" Ji Ning continued.
The Ji family was renowned for their swordsmanship! His father, Ji Yichuan, was known as the 'Dripping Water Sword.' With such resources available, of course, he had to study swordsmanship!
"Dual swords?" Ji Yichuan frowned. "Go on."
"Third, I want to learn light movement techniques, methods for escaping," Ji Ning added. "That's all."
When facing a powerful enemy, you must be able to run! Only by mastering escape techniques can you live longer, and living longer gives you more opportunities.
Yuchi Snow smiled. "Ning'er, you've covered the basics well, but I think it's best if you stick to a single sword. Our entire Ji clan doesn't have a single dual sword expert. The key to swordsmanship is focus—mastery requires concentrating all your mind on one sword."
"Your mother is right," Ji Yichuan agreed, looking at his son.
"Father, mother, I've been able to focus on two things at once since I was young," Ji Ning said, looking at them. He couldn't explain the *Nuwa Diagram*, so he claimed it was an innate ability.
"What!"
"Focusing on two things at once?"
Ji Yichuan and Yuchi Snow were shocked.
"Do you know what it means to focus on two things at once?" Ji Yichuan asked sternly. "It's not just being distracted but truly thinking about two things simultaneously without any interference between them."
"I really can do it," Ji Ning insisted.
"Then prove it," Ji Yichuan said, his eyes flashing with intensity. He flipped his hand, producing two gray-white stones. "Write with these two stones on the ground. With your left hand, write your mother's name, and with your right hand, write mine—at the same time!"
"Yes, Father," Ji Ning nodded.
Holding the two gray-white stones, which felt like limestone, Ji Ning easily began writing. It felt comfortable to use these stones to write.
Swish! Swish!
His left and right hands simultaneously wrote, one spelling out 'Ji Yichuan' and the other 'Yuchi Snow' in the ancient, complex hieroglyphic script of this world. The strokes were precise and smooth, as if it was effortless.
"Ning'er, you..." Yuchi Snow was stunned.
"This..." Ji Yichuan was equally shocked.
"No wonder you advanced so quickly in the *Crimsonbright Nine Heavens Diagram*," Ji Yichuan murmured. "My son has a soul strong enough to focus on two things at once!"
Ji Yichuan looked at his son as though he were a rare gem, deeply moved. "I've trained for years to achieve this, but I've always focused on one sword... My path is set, and it's hard to change. But my son has this innate talent—he must use dual swords. It'll be like facing two opponents, each perfectly synchronized! His power will increase tenfold!"
"Starting tomorrow, I'll personally teach you swordsmanship!" Ji Yichuan declared, looking at his son.
…
The next morning.
The dense essence of heaven and earth filled the air, making the world misty. Ji Ning had already been brought to the training ground by his father.
"Ji Ning," Ji Yichuan said, pointing to a burly, bearded man in animal hides beside him. "This is 'Meng Yu,' the top archer of our Ji Clan's western estate. His archery skills are exceptional. Meng Yu, show the boy what you can do."
"Yes," Meng Yu replied respectfully.
Ji Yichuan casually picked up four stone grinding wheels, each weighing hundreds of pounds, and threw them into the distance one after another. In the blink of an eye, the four wheels turned into black dots in the sky.
"Ha!" Meng Yu suddenly pulled out a large, black bow and nocked four arrows. Drawing the bowstring, he released the arrows with a swish!
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
The four arrows, gleaming silver, disappeared in an instant, catching up to the four stone wheels and shattering them into pieces.
Ji Ning stared, slack-jawed.
It took him a while to react.
"My father threw those hundreds of pounds of stone grinding wheels like they were cannonballs, a kilometer or two away! And Meng Yu's arrows... they hit them in less than a second. The speed of those arrows must be over 2,000 meters per second," Ji Ning thought, deeply shaken.
"The legendary archer Houyi shot down nine suns with his arrows," Meng Yu laughed. "What I've done is just a tiny skill."
"Meng Yu, won't the stone shards fall and hurt someone?" Ji Ning suddenly asked.
Ji Yichuan shook his head. "Meng Yu is a Xiantian being, and his true energy is infused into the arrows. They didn't just hit the stones—they turned them into dust that will float gently to the ground."
Ji Ning was amazed. That was incredible.
"From today, you'll train in archery with Meng Yu every morning for an hour," Ji Yichuan instructed. "This will be your morning practice. Meng Yu, I'm counting on you."
"It's an honor to teach the young master," Meng Yu laughed.
Ji Yichuan nodded and left.
The training ground fell silent, leaving only Meng Yu and Ji Ning. Not a single servant was around.
"Young master," Meng Yu began. "For an archer, the bow and arrows are crucial. Arrows consist of the arrowhead, shaft, and fletching, while the bow is primarily made up of the bow body and bowstring. Arrows can be mass-produced, but bows are precious."
"There are two types of bows."
"The first is made with a flexible bow body and a tough bowstring. When drawn, the bow body bends, storing energy, which is released to shoot the arrow. This is the most common type and is easier to craft. Ordinary archers usually use this kind of bow."
"The second type of bow has a rigid body and a flexible bowstring. When drawn, the bow body remains stable, while the bowstring stretches and stores immense energy. This is the type of bow I use," Meng Yu said, handing his black bow to Ji Ning.
Ji Ning reached out and grabbed the ancient-looking bow, feeling its weight. It must have weighed over a hundred pounds. He examined it closely. The bow body was made of a glossy, black metal, and the bowstring, about as thick as a finger, had a faint blue hue, emitting a faint, ominous aura.
"The bow body is made from Wind-Thunder Iron, incredibly tough. But the bowstring is even more precious—it's made from the tendon of a giant Jiao Dragon, a powerful demon. Its elasticity is astounding. Even if my strength were ten times greater, I still couldn't break this bow," Meng Yu explained with a smile. "I call it the Thunder Dragon Bow."
Ji Ning's eyes lit up—Jiao Dragon tendons for a bowstring?
"Now, let's start by