Section 70: Chu Yun Delays His Shot!
2013-02-09 Author: Gu Zhenren
“Shoot, if you dare, I’ll make sure you never return!” Ma Youcai smirked, eager to see Chu Yun humiliated.
“Chu Yun, I want revenge! Revenge! You destroyed my Three-Headed Steel Feather Eagle. Consider this interest payment,” said Wei Qian, one of the five who had drawn his bow and nocked an arrow, specifically aiming to snipe Chu Yun.
Ning Yiyi’s eyes flashed coldly. “I might not be able to defeat you alone, but this is a team competition. Chu Yun, how will you deal with all of us!”
“Chu Yun, you’re still too young,” Hua Ying’s lips curved into a sinister smile.
“Look quickly, Chu Yun is about to shoot!”
“Young Tiger… has he made his move so early?”
Suddenly, many eyes turned to Chu Yun.
Chu Yun drew his bow, his body straight and imposing like a mountain. His arm was as if cast in iron, unmoving.
“If you dare to shoot, I dare to intercept!”
“Shoot!”
Many people shouted inwardly, their hearts pounding. Especially those designated for interception, their excitement was immense. To defeat the top student of the Academy in this manner would bring them great honor.
However, several breaths passed, and Chu Yun’s arrow remained unreleased.
“Why hasn’t he shot yet?”
“What is Chu Yun up to?!”
Many were bewildered, looking at Chu Yun with confusion. Chu Yun stood like a sculpture, his bow drawn to a full moon, his arm muscles bulging with power.
But still, no shot.
“Damn it, I can’t hold on much longer!”
“My arm is so sore, I can’t do this anymore.”
Members of the interception force were sweating, their bodies trembling, their bows shaking in their hands.
“Ah—!” someone yelled, finally unable to hold on. His grip weakened, and his arrow flew out. He had used an interception-type cultivation method, only managing to shoot down two or three Wind Spirit Pigeons, achieving nothing.
With the first, came the second, then the third.
Soon, many people’s interception arrows were shot into the empty air, their efforts futile. It seemed not only in Hua Ying’s team, but also in other teams, people had designs on Chu Yun.
But they had all miscalculated.
Demon Soldiers, unlike Demonic Beasts or Demonic Plants, required the Monster Tamer’s personal use. Therefore, higher physical fitness was demanded of Monster Tamers.
For example, strength and skill were crucial.
While the Demon Bow didn’t require as much raw power as a war hammer, spear, or saber, the act of continuously holding a drawn bow demanded significant strength.
Chu Yun was different. His Star-Fixing Bow emitted a chilling aura that eroded the body. Thus, every night, Chu Yun would apply precious medicinal ointments to maintain his arms. Over time, stimulated by the alternating hot and cold medicinal effects, Chu Yun’s arm strength had soared.
He could maintain a drawn bow, like a full moon, unmoving for half an hour. Others could not.
Soon, the vast majority of those who had harbored intentions towards Chu Yun could no longer endure and released their bowstrings, firing their arrows.
Hua Ying’s face turned ashen. He realized he had been tricked by Chu Yun! This move had eliminated a large portion of their interception force.
“Oh? Such young age, yet such arm strength,” the Lord of Mengyuan Kingdom’s eyes lit up.
“To be so persistent, delaying the shot for so long!” the Lord of Jianghan Kingdom nodded in approval. “So, it was a tactic to lure the enemy out!”
“Chu Yun, you’re so cunning, it’s hateful!” The last one, Wei Qian, also couldn’t hold on. He cursed and reluctantly fired his arrow.
Chu Yun seemed not to hear the curses, his body as steady and unwavering as a mountain.
“Hateful!” Hua Ying drew his bow, nocking five arrows. “Hundred Flowers Chaos!”
“Dream on!” Yan Que chuckled. “Explosive Sky Star Arrow!”
With a bang and an explosion, Hua Ying’s five arrows were intercepted almost as soon as they were released. Only two arrows survived, the remaining three were obliterated by the Explosive Sky Star Arrow.
“Great Flying Feathers!” Jin Bihan immediately fired her long-prepared flying arrow.
Great Flying Feathers was the upgraded cultivation method of Small Flying Feathers, an Upper grade technique. While everyone’s attention was diverted by the explosion, the flying arrow successfully dispersed into a sky full of pristine white feathers. It flew out, instantly clearing a large area of Light Feather Wind Chimes.
“Damn, I was impulsive!” Hua Ying’s face turned pale.
“This is a chain strategy!” Ning Yiyi’s eyes flashed with cold light, her calm smile gone.
With this single move, Chu Yun’s team had firmly secured the advantage. At the last moment, Chu Yun finally released his own arrow.
It was the Small Flying Feathers cultivation method.
He chose a good timing, and his arrow met no interception. However, by this point, there weren’t many pigeons left in the flock, resulting in an average individual score.
A moment later, the results of the first assessment were announced.
Chu Yun’s team, without exception, secured the first position. The second position naturally went to Hua Ying’s team.
Feng Bole and many others on the high platform nodded in admiration, secretly cheering for Chu Yun’s performance.
Chu Yun, using himself as bait and relying on his formidable arm strength, had successfully achieved victory against the odds. It was an outstanding performance in the history of the Great Archery Ceremony, leaving a deep impression.
“Sacrificing the individual for the victory of the team. Chu Yun shows great foresight,” the Lord of Jianghan Kingdom smiled with satisfaction. Any superior would appreciate a subordinate who considered the bigger picture, and his impression of Chu Yun deepened.
“Chu Yun has the talent of a general. Making him a vanguard would be a waste of his abilities. He can be cultivated well,” the Lord of Mengyuan Kingdom stroked his large beard, his eyes darting. With a wave of his hand, a guard approached. After whispering a few words to his guard, the guard nodded and quickly left the platform.
There was half an hour before the second assessment. This was a period Tiange Academy specifically allowed students to rest and recuperate.
Suddenly, a guard approached Chu Yun and whispered something to him.
“The Lord of Mengyuan Kingdom wants to see me?” Chu Yun was taken aback.
“This is a good thing!” Yan Que walked over. “Although meetings with higher-ups usually happen after the Great Archery Ceremony, for exceptionally performing students, these important figures fear others might poach them. They often invite them for an early meeting.”
“I see. Although I have no aspirations for an official career, it would be good to meet the Lord of Mengyuan Kingdom personally and witness the demeanor of a powerful ruler,” Chu Yun smiled and followed the guard.
The students who witnessed this scene were abuzz.
“Did you see that? That’s a guard from Mengyuan Kingdom. The Lord of Mengyuan Kingdom is trying to recruit Chu Yun early!”
“My heavens, Chu Yun is only a freshman.”
“What’s wrong with being a freshman? Freshmen can also enter official service if both parties agree. The Academy isn’t a prison.”
The news reached Hua Ying and the others, their faces instantly darkening. They were already displeased, and now they were furious.
“That brat Chu Yun is being recruited early!”
“Early recruitment usually happens after the second assessment. To be recruited after the first assessment, and by the Lord of Mengyuan Kingdom himself. What exactly about Chu Yun has impressed him so much? I really don’t understand!”
“In my opinion, the Lord of Mengyuan Kingdom’s judgment isn’t that great either.”
Ma Youcai, Wei Qian, and others grumbled indignantly. Hua Ying and Ning Yiyi remained silent, their hearts a mix of envy, jealousy, and resentment.
Soon, Chu Yun returned.
“Young master, how was it?” Yan Que immediately surrounded him.
“The Lord of Mengyuan Kingdom is indeed a man of might, his presence is imposing,” Chu Yun remarked with emotion.
“Oh, that’s not what I’m asking,” Yan Que said anxiously, almost stamping his foot. As a student from a common background, he had yearned for such an opportunity for three full years, and his current emotions were understandable.
Chu Yun smiled. “He offered me the position of Centurion and asked me to join Mengyuan Kingdom. But I politely declined.”
“Centurion…” Yan Que stared blankly at Chu Yun, “You refused?!”
“Yes, my aspirations lie elsewhere,” Chu Yun said, rubbing his nose.
“Centurion…” The surrounding students all pricked up their ears, and upon hearing the news, they couldn’t help but exclaim in awe.
To go from obscurity to Centurion was like ascending to heaven in a single day.
“Did you hear? Chu Yun refused the Lord of Mengyuan Kingdom’s recruitment. He didn’t even want the position of Centurion!” This news quickly spread like wings throughout the student body.
Some were surprised, others sighed, and sentiments varied.
“The position of Centurion in Mengyuan Kingdom…” Ning Yiyi heard the news and sighed softly.
Everyone knew Chu Yun was a young hero with a bright future. However, being publicly acknowledged for his talent by a prominent figure like the Lord of Mengyuan Kingdom was of a different caliber.
Everyone’s face turned somewhat pale, and some senior students felt regret. Why hadn’t they been more determined to stay in Chu Yun’s team back then?
“We absolutely cannot lose the second assessment,” Hua Ying’s face turned cold, his tone icy. “It’s time to use the piece we’ve planted.”
Those nearby were taken aback, and someone asked curiously, “What piece?”
“A mole planted within Chu Yun’s team,” Wei Qian said with a faint smile.
They had such a hidden stratagem? Those who were unaware cast astonished glances at Hua Ying.
“As long as the objective is achieved, what’s wrong with using some means?” Hua Ying said with a smile.
Someone raised a question: “But why didn’t this mole inform Chu Yun about his plan to intercept?”
Ning Yiyi let out a cold laugh. “Why would Chu Yun tell them about this plan? He could implement it himself. To deceive the opponent, one must first deceive their own people.”
“I see,” someone couldn’t help but wipe the sweat from their brow. They realized then that the covert struggles were far more intense than the overt ones.
