Chapter 126: Draw the Bow, Drink Blood—Only Immense Strength Can Master It (Request Subscription)

Wu Garden!

Lin Chen lifted his gaze, looking at this Director of the Wuzheng Office.

He had not expected this Director of the Wuzhengsuo to open with a question about Wu Garden.

Over the past several months of contact with Wu Garden, Lin Chen was certain it held no ill will toward him, and from the words of Senior Yan, he vaguely sensed Wu Garden’s origins were immense.

Wu Garden held no ill will toward him, but Lin Chen did not know how the Wuzheng Office viewed Wu Garden.

“Disciple has indeed had contact with Wu Garden, originally…”

“You need not tell me the details of your contact with Wu Garden.”

Qiu Rufeng interrupted Lin Chen’s words; seeing Lin Chen’s puzzled expression, he smiled: “Wu Garden is not part of our Great Liang’s forces—other nations have Wu Gardens too, and our Great Liang’s stance toward Wu Garden is clear: we permit our martial artists to interact with Wu Garden.”

Su Lingchuan and He Ruyun had told Lin Chen things known only to ranked martial artists in Great Liang, including its history and past—Qiu Rufeng naturally knew of this.

“Director, what exactly are Wu Garden’s origins?”

“As for Wu Garden’s origins, even old man cannot explain clearly—I only know one thing: when the Taizu Emperor founded the Wuzheng Force, Wu Garden lent its aid, and our Great Liang’s Wu Garden, like our nation itself, holds deep hatred for demons and monsters.”

Great Liang’s Wu Garden holds deep hatred for demons and monsters?

Lin Chen seized on the key point and asked curiously: “Do other nations’ Wu Gardens hold different attitudes toward demonkind?”

“Zheng State has established demonic beasts as its national guardian beasts—what do you think Zheng State’s Wu Garden thinks of demonkind?”

After a moment’s thought, Lin Chen understood: if Zheng State had made demonic beasts its national guardians, then Zheng State’s Wu Garden, to exist within Zheng State without opposition from its court, must align with the court’s stance.

“Some nations collude with demonic beasts, conspire with them, and constantly harass other nations. You’ve trained for a year—you know that rare birds’ flesh boosts blood qi and aids martial breakthroughs, yet demonic beasts’ flesh grants martial artists benefits several times, even tenfold greater. For some nations, sacrificing common folk to ally with demonkind and gain strength is a profitable bargain.”

Qiu Rufeng’s face carried disdain: “The reason demons and monsters ran rampant in our Great Liang’s predecessors—Great Chu, Great Song—was largely because court clans conspired with demons and monsters: demons needed human flesh, clans needed demon flesh; both sides got what they wanted.”

“Director, if our Great Liang martial artists need demon flesh…”

“Go to the northern frontier, go to the eastern seas, join the army. Our northern ice plains are the domain of snowland demonkind; our eastern seas harbor sea-demon tribes.”

Enlist and go to the borderlands, slay demonic beasts, and earn demon flesh—or join government service and trade your contributions to the court for demon flesh. The purple crystal marrow fluid your Su my lord gave you came from the eastern sea demon realms.

Qiu Rufeng smiled warmly: “Of course, there is another path to obtain demon flesh to bathe your body and enhance your physical strength.”

Seeing the director’s smile, Lin Chen formed a guess.

“Since you’ve guessed, speak it—let me see if your guess is right.”

“Disciple dares to guess—is it related to the Talent System?”

The Wuzheng Office director would not mention demonkind without reason—and Lin Chen had been in the martial arts academy for half a year, the time when the Talent System began.

“Sharp.”

Qiu Rufeng stroked his beard, pleased Lin Chen grasped this so quickly.

“Great Liang has many young martial artists, yet martial resources are extremely scarce. But the Taizu Emperor established the policy of strengthening the nation through martial arts, founding the Wuzheng Force—not only to let all Great Liang citizens access martial arts, but also to select gifted youths.”

“The Wuzheng Force has set three tiers for talent: the first tier is the academy’s examination rewards—those who earn them may be called county-level talents.”

Hearing this, Lin Chen recalled the academy rewards he received when his Water Cloud Palm reached minor and major mastery.

Judging from this county tournament’s results, Zhang Qi and Shen Ge would also qualify for these academy rewards.

County-level talent truly fits.

“The second tier is prefecture-level talent—those who rank in the top ten of the prefectural examination qualify and receive corresponding rewards.”

“Above that is the final tier: Dao-level talent—the Wuzheng Office’s Talent System. Someone like you, who completes a martial scripture within half a year, may be called a Jiangnan Dao talent.”

“The Wuzheng Office merely reports qualified students to Jiangnan Dao; the three-month special training is actually managed by Jiangnan Dao’s Wuzheng Bureau.”

Lin Chen listened quietly, unable to help but admire the Taizu Emperor and the Wuzheng Force’s senior figures—this talent selection system was extremely standardized, truly hierarchical.

The only thing he regretted was that the highest tier was only Dao-level talent?

Shouldn’t there be a national-level talent?

A title like “national prodigy.”

Novels always wrote it that way.

“Any confusion?” Qiu Rufeng asked, noticing Lin Chen’s shifting expression.

“Director, disciple feels that if there is Dao-level talent, shouldn’t there be something higher?”

Qiu Rufeng smiled broadly: “Don’t forget the martial imperial examinations.”

Lin Chen suddenly understood—he had indeed forgotten. The martial imperial examinations were precisely the realm of Great Liang’s supreme prodigies.

Yet he thought of his own instructor, already in his thirties, still taking the exams—could such an age still be called a prodigy?

“Though our court grants certain privileges to talents like you, there are limits—this was set by the Taizu Emperor. Great Liang has never risen through one or two supreme martial artists, but through countless martial artists.”

“This is also why academy students may stay at most three years—the court trains you for only three years; after that, how far you advance depends entirely on your own destiny.”

“Given your background, this three-month special training is extremely vital—it will be your only chance to enjoy talent benefits. After this training, even if you prove even more talented, the Wuzheng Bureau and I will not grant you further cultivation resources without cause.”

Qiu Rufeng looked at Lin Chen solemnly.

When he first became Wuzhengsuo director, he had not understood the Taizu Emperor’s rule—but after years as director in Raozhou Prefecture, he finally grasped the Taizu Emperor’s boldness.

Great Liang has sixteen Dao regions, plus the capital and three frontier strongholds. If we selected one more tier of talent, our resources could easily bear it—after all, only one or two emerge from each Dao, totaling no more than fifty across all of Great Liang.

Yet the Taizu Emperor capped talent at the Dao tier—these talents must strive on their own for cultivation resources and ultimately compete in the imperial examinations.

The imperial examinations are the most widespread and fairest path for martial artists to ascend in Great Liang.

Even talents may receive resources only up to the Dao tier, yet it is enough to reach the Organ Refining realm; those who enter the examinations include not only Organ Refining, but even Ranked martial artists.

Even if their talent is inferior, their longer cultivation time gives them a chance to rival martial prodigies.

Precisely because of the Taizu Emperor’s rules, those without exceptional talent still never abandon their martial path.

If talent is lacking, compensate with diligence—strive harder to earn more cultivation resources and catch up to the prodigies.

The balance between cultivating martial prodigies and enabling ordinary martial artists’ advancement, after the Taizu Emperor set the tone, underwent multiple court adjustments to reach today’s system.

“Thank you, Director, for your guidance—I understand.”

Lin Chen had not expected the director to explain so thoroughly—he had thought a few brief pointers would suffice.

“Since you walk the extreme martial path, you need cultivation resources even more to bridge the gap in your realm advancement. I intend to report your deeds to Jiangnan Dao and designate you as a model for humble-origin students in Jiangnan Dao—are you willing?”

“Disciple is willing.”

Lin Chen suddenly understood—the director had told him all this just to wait for this moment.

He lacked resources; once Jiangnan Dao recognized him as a model, he would surely receive rewards—just as Su my lord had previously named him a humble-origin model in Poyang County.

“I won’t hide it from you: if the Wuzheng Bureau approves, it will benefit not only me and you, but also the entire Raozhou Prefecture’s martial arts.”

Qiu Rufeng’s aged eyes gleamed: “The court allocates fixed martial cultivation resources to each region annually, but how they are distributed among the Dao regions depends on each region’s performance. The Dao region producing the next martial imperial champion gains a thirty percent increase in resources next year—and within Jiangnan Dao, resource allocation among prefectures will also shift.”

Qiu Rufeng did not reveal the exact allocation ratios, but Lin Chen, having lived two lives, had a rough guess: the higher a region’s ranking, the more resources it received; the lower, the fewer.

Would this lead to the strong becoming stronger and the weak becoming weaker—creating imbalance among regional martial forces?

Lin Chen understood this clearly: absolute fairness does not exist. Great Liang’s system was already quite good, and he suspected the court had support measures for regions consistently lagging in martial strength.

Court policies were still far removed from him.

He was merely a small Qi-Opening martial artist—his goal was to enter the Ranked realm within three years.

“I’ve told you all you need to know. Go now—Mr. Xu is waiting outside. As per your county tournament reward, you may select one item from the Wuzheng Office’s Class-C Treasure Vault—Mr. Xu will escort you.” “Disciple takes leave.”

Lin Chen bowed and exited the courtyard. As the director said, Mr. Xu stood several zhang away, waiting for him.

“The Class-C Treasure Vault lies within the Wuzheng Office—follow me.”

Xu Luncai, as always, spoke little. Lin Chen dared not press for familiarity, following him into the Wuzheng Office’s rear courtyard. As they penetrated deeper, he clearly felt the security had grown far stricter than the front areas.

Not quite one guard every three steps, one sentry every five—yet patrols were constant, and every martial artist exuded the aura of Qi-Opening realm; their leader radiated Organ Refining power. Lin Chen suspected hidden Ranked martial artists guarded this area.

Finally, Lin Chen stopped before a massive iron gate with Mr. Xu.

“I, by the director’s order, escort Lin Chen, first-place winner of the Poyang County Tournament, to select his reward from the Treasure Vault.”

The iron gate guard nodded, pulled out a ledger from his robe, and wrote Lin Chen’s name in it.

“By regulation, entrants must remove all clothing.”

The guard’s gaze fell on a small room beside the gate. Lin Chen understood—he was to enter and strip.

“The Class-C Treasure Vault holds mostly items needed by Organ Refining martial artists. Some odd objects appear mysterious but are useless.”

As Lin Chen stepped into the small room, Xu Luncai’s voice came from behind—Lin Chen froze, then immediately bowed in gratitude. Mr. Xu was giving him advice.

Choose useful items—avoid flashy trinkets or things even the Wuzheng Office doesn’t understand.

If even the Wuzheng Office cannot determine an item’s origin, it is either profoundly mysterious—or trash. Lin Chen suspected the latter was far more likely.

Even if one in a hundred might be real, he had no reason to risk it.

Unlike wealthy students whose families had no shortage of treasures and could gamble on this chance—he was better off being practical.

Inside the room, Lin Chen removed his clothes, donned a simple horse-collar tunic hanging on the wall, and stepped out. Soldiers immediately searched him, confirmed he carried nothing, then opened the iron gate.

“One incense stick’s time. When the incense burns out, you must exit—whether you’ve chosen anything or not.”

The vault guard reminded Lin Chen. Soldiers entered the courtyard and lit an incense stick.

Lin Chen nodded and stepped through the iron gate. As he entered, the gate slowly closed.

…

…

The courtyard held nothing but an incense burner. Lin Chen’s gaze fell on the door ahead—he did not hesitate, walked forward, and pushed it open.

The door opened to reveal several rows of shelves. The first row held scrolls and manuals.

Martial manuals?

For him, martial manuals were not currently needed—unless it was the lower volume of Iron Bone Art: Zhen Yue Pu. But Master Li had said Zhen Yue Pu was in Huizhou Prefecture, not Raozhou—this vault could not contain it.

Lin Chen’s gaze passed the first row to the second, where bottles and jars lined the shelves. He approached, reading the labels on each.

“Qi-Condensing Pill.”

“Kidney-Enriching Pill.”

“Crimson Heart Powder”

……

All good items, but Lin Chen still did not choose any—they were only useful for those at the Organ Strengthening realm, and he was still far from reaching it.

On the third shelf lay many strange objects: an ancient stone tablet inscribed with mysterious symbols. Lin Chen touched it—the surface felt neither like stone nor metal.

There were also spherical objects resembling glass, some even containing flowing water within…

All items on this shelf were of this kind.

“These must be the strange objects Master Xu mentioned. I have no reason to gamble on them.”

The fourth shelf, against the farthest wall, held weapons.

Curious, Lin Chen picked up the long sword lying in the first compartment—it was heavy, likely weighing three hundred jin. As his fingers brushed the blade, a chilling sensation shot through his fingertips.

Below the compartment hung a brass plaque, engraved with text: “Frostbite Blade: Forged from Frost Iron, weighs five hundred jin, cuts through iron like mud.”

Cuts through iron like mud!

What a fine blade!

Lin Chen set the sword down, scanned the other shelves, and his gaze was drawn to a faint crimson sheen. As he stepped closer, he realized it was a bow.

The bow was no longer than two fingers, similar in length to a dagger. When he reached to pick it up, his arm suddenly felt heavy.

This bow is incredibly heavy.

A brass plaque, like the others, hung beside the compartment.

【Serpent Shadow Bow: Crafted from the main tendon of a century-old viper, soaked in medicinal wine for three years; the bow’s frame infused with sunken silver from the Northern Sea—a masterpiece by a master armorer. When the trigger on the grip is pressed, the bow folds and contracts.】

Lin Chen’s finger found the protrusion on the bow’s body and pressed hard. The two-finger-long bow stretched like a serpent’s spine, extending three chi in length.

Three-fold? How can it fold and still have surface?

Lin Chen was stunned by the bow’s ingenious mechanism.

He tugged at the bowstring—it did not budge.

“So stiff?”

Lin Chen took a deep breath, gripped the bowstring, and with every tendon in his right arm straining, pulled it back only three cun—then the bow shuddered and hummed, reaching its limit.

Not the bowstring’s limit—his own strength’s limit.

He released the string. The recoil’s force sliced off a layer of skin from his fingertip; blood immediately seeped out.

Lin Chen stared at the still-vibrating Serpent Shadow Bow, then flipped the plaque over and found another inscription carved on the back: “Only those born with immense strength or pursuing the Extreme Path may touch.”

I’ll take this one!

Seeing those words, Lin Chen hesitated not at all—he would take this bow.

He walked the path of the Extreme Warrior, and this bow compensated for his weakness in long-range combat.

“Pity—there’s only the bow, no arrows.”

Holding the Serpent Shadow Bow, Lin Chen ignored the other treasures in the room and stepped out the door. In the courtyard, the incense stick had burned just over halfway.

“Master, I’ve made my selection.”

Lin Chen called out through the iron gate. Moments later, the gate opened.

Outside stood Xu Lun and the guard, their eyes immediately fixed on Lin Chen’s hand.

When they saw the Serpent Shadow Bow in his grasp, both men’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Master Xu, I’ve lost.”

For the first time, Xu Lun smiled. Seeing Lin Chen’s puzzled expression, he offered an unusual explanation: “I just made a wager with Master Zhao—he bet you’d pick an elixir. I bet you’d choose the Serpent Shadow Bow.”

Had he not seen the Serpent Shadow Bow, Lin Chen might have chosen an elixir. But with this bow present, any warrior born with immense strength or walking the Extreme Path could not resist its allure.

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(End of Chapter)