With no one around, he felt no shame in his appearance.
At the entrance of the hall, where a small leather scroll was affixed, Lin Xi paused to catch his breath for a moment before shouldering the black-horned bow and quiver that lay on the ground, and stepped out of the hall, leaving the yellow walls behind.
He had spent a considerable amount of time within the hall, and by the time he emerged, the sun had already set, leaving only a crimson glow of sunset clouds.
The forest was shrouded in a gloomy gray, yet Lin Xi moved at a painfully slow pace, limping as he walked.
His condition was far more dire than that of Mu Shan Zi earlier; even if he could draw the bow, he might not be able to maintain stability to hit his target. Fortunately, he had not encountered any opponents clad in black armor along the way and successfully made his way to the wooden path he had discovered earlier, carrying five golden five-pointed badges.
One of the academy's true recluses, the white-haired, black-robed elder Luo Houyuan, stood silently on a branch no thicker than a thumb, his dim eyes keenly observing Lin Xi as he exited the yellow walls and made his way towards the wooden path.
The branch swayed gently in the mountain breeze, appearing as though it might snap at any moment, yet under his control, it remained in a delicate balance until Lin Xi stepped onto the wooden path. Only then did the branch break with a sharp crack as he leapt down.
In this testing valley, there were twenty-three instructors responsible for guiding and recording each new student's movements and achievements, including intentionally creating mishaps to gather scattered students for combat. This elder was not among those twenty-three instructors, meaning he could choose to meet new students at his discretion; if he preferred not to, other instructors would take his place. The academy allowed him the freedom to act without assigning any fixed tasks.
To be honest, Lin Xi did not find his performance on the first day particularly remarkable, nor did he feel any sense of awe regarding his record in the first stage of the "Direct Hit Spear." However, certain qualities about him managed to capture the elder's attention throughout the ordeal.
"Teacher Luo."
Upon reaching the wooden path, Lin Xi quickly spotted Luo Houyuan, who had just landed there, and immediately bowed in respect.
"Weapons are not permitted to be taken out of the testing valley," Luo Houyuan stated, having observed Lin Xi's entire process in the valley. He then calmly suggested, "However, if you are able, you might as well shoot the remaining arrows here. Though it may not significantly improve your archery skills, research conducted by the academy has confirmed that pain stimuli approaching but not exceeding one's limits can aid in soul power cultivation, enhancing the effects of subsequent meditation practice."
"Shoot the remaining arrows in such a state?"
After discarding the black long knife he had been using as a walking stick, Lin Xi turned to glance at the dozen or so black-feathered arrows left in his quiver, unable to suppress a bitter smile.
The standard black-horned bow used by the local military was already more taxing than the wooden bow he practiced with; under normal circumstances, he could draw the bow no more than thirty times with one hand. In his current condition, shooting another ten arrows would be a true ordeal.
Yet, recalling the records from the first stage stone hall, his inherent competitiveness, and the elder's well-meaning tone, he nodded in agreement, furrowing his brow as he grasped the black-horned bow, aiming at a nearby large tree.
Enduring the agonizing spasms of pain, Lin Xi took his time to draw the bow and aim before releasing the string. With a soft thud, the arrow flew and embedded itself into the trunk of the tree.
This display of tenacity sparked a rare glimmer of admiration in Luo Houyuan's eyes.
After switching hands and finally shooting the remaining arrows, Lin Xi gasped for breath, his face pale with pain, his academy attire soaked as if he had just emerged from water.
Once he set down the black-horned bow and the empty quiver, Luo Houyuan looked at him and said slowly, "Considering your enrollment timeline, Xu Shengmo should not have taught you the Qingluan Twenty-Four Styles yet, correct?"
Lin Xi inhaled deeply and replied, "We've only had one class; he hasn't taught us the Qingluan Twenty-Four Styles yet."
Luo Houyuan nodded at Lin Xi, "If you had learned the Qingluan Twenty-Four Styles, you would have been able to endure longer in there."
Lin Xi was not surprised that his performance in the valley would be recorded by the instructors, yet he did not grasp the meaning behind Luo Houyuan's words, so he merely nodded in response.
Luo Houyuan glanced at the darkening sky, "If you are interested, aside from practicing the Qingluan Twenty-Four Styles, you might try these two movements."
With that, he turned his right wrist inward and bent his entire right arm backward as if scratching his back, while his left hand curved from beneath his ribs toward his back, attempting to pull the right arm without the two hands touching, creating a bizarre posture as both arms and wrists twisted slowly.
After about twenty-five seconds, the two hands switched positions and repeated the strange posture once more.
"Yoga?"
As Lin Xi struggled to endure the pain while attempting to mimic the odd position, the thought crossed his mind. Meanwhile, Luo Houyuan looked at him earnestly and instructed, "The movements I teach you must not be shared with any other students."
"Ah!"
Lin Xi could not help but ask why, but the question triggered a sharp pain, causing him to cry out.
...
...
"Ah!"
As night fell, in the cafeteria of the New Student Hall, Mu Shan Zi, who was tearing into a roast chicken leg, involuntarily let out a cry of agony as pain shot through him.
His grimacing expression drew gleeful reactions from many who usually disliked him, and after his wail, Mu Shan Zi bit into the chicken leg with frustration, cursing the black-armored "Silver Fox" who had evaded his arrows, leading to his expulsion from the competition.
"After all, the instructor mentioned that weapons could be carelessly discarded in the woods, with each position varying. Next time, without a bow and arrow, I'll make sure you suffer greatly when you encounter me!"
As he raged, a figure limped through the entrance of the cafeteria.
Upon seeing who it was, Li Kaiyun and Tang Ke both stood up and waved, while Mu Shan Zi, recognizing Lin Xi, could not help but break into a grin, his previous annoyance forgotten.
Lin Xi's face bore several purplish bruises, and judging by his furrowed brow and pallid complexion, he appeared to be in even worse shape than Mu Shan Zi.
Notably, Lin Xi's hands trembled slightly.
"Lin Xi, it seems you've had quite a rough time. Are you still able to walk? Do you need me to help you?" Mu Shan Zi called out, relishing in his misfortune.
Seeing Mu Shan Zi, Lin Xi couldn't help but chuckle, recalling how he had shot him down and how he had missed the shot aimed at his knee in the valley. "I'm alright. How about you? You seem to have been through a few battles yourself. How many golden five-pointed badges did you manage to collect before being eliminated today?"
"I…" Mu Shan Zi's face turned a shade of deep crimson, angered and embarrassed, "Lin Xi, how many did you get?"
"Don't mind him; he's insufferable," Bian Linghan tugged at Lin Xi's sleeve, urging him to sit down and eat. She then whispered to him, "I heard he was knocked down today and was shouting in the testing valley, resulting in his golden five-pointed badges being snatched away. Everyone now knows he was wearing black armor marked with a wolf's head."
"Is that so?" Lin Xi could not suppress a chuckle as he sat down.
"What's with you? You charged into the fire without a care this morning. I didn't see how recklessly you rushed in… Where did they take you afterward? You went to the testing valley again with your burns still unhealed?" Flower Jiyue, seated beside Bian Linghan, frowned disapprovingly as she looked at Lin Xi's still-healing burns.
"You really are reckless. When the female associate professor rescued you, you were already unconscious. Even the chubby kid was crying. Thankfully, the associate professor assured us you were fine; otherwise, we would have been in a panic," Tang Ke remarked, casting a concerned glance at Lin Xi. "Who did this to you in the testing valley?"
"Associate Professor An brought me back to her infirmary. My burns aren't serious; she treated them, and I should be fine by tomorrow. I went to the testing valley on her suggestion. I didn't get injured there; it was in the comprehensive training area behind the yellow walls that I ended up like this." Lin Xi explained with a smile while munching on a piece of sticky rice and steamed pork.
Flower Jiyue rapped the table with her chopsticks, thinking it was absurd that everyone was so worried about him, yet he returned in such a state and was still able to smile.
"Are you really not hurt by anyone?" Tang Ke seemed skeptical of Lin Xi, suspecting he was too proud to admit defeat, wanting to take revenge regardless, "How many stars did you achieve when you left today?"
"Five-star achievement," Lin Xi replied honestly, taking a large bite of roasted sweet potato.
The others exchanged glances, thinking how competitive he was. Especially Tang Ke, who had initially planned to help Lin Xi take revenge, now rolled her eyes in disbelief.
"By the way, did you all go to the testing valley today?" After finally swallowing a mouthful of sweet potato, Lin Xi eagerly asked Tang Ke and Bian Linghan, "What marks are on your armor?"
"We went, but as for the marks, we all agreed not to disclose them," Flower Jiyue and Bian Linghan replied in unison, "What if one of us is among those who defeated you today? It would be too embarrassing…"
"I assure you none of you were involved…" Lin Xi mumbled while focusing on his meal. Just then, a student in a red academy uniform entered, drawing the attention of many new students from the Zhi Ge system as he approached Lin Xi directly.