Chapter 28: Cloud-Brushing Hand and Nine Glories of Archery

Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Cloud-Brushing Hand and Nine Glories of Archery

Tasks were assigned haphazardly and completed just as haphazardly.

But the benefits gained were tangible.

With the 3 points added to Root Bone, plus the previous ones, it totaled 15 points. Lu Yuan’s Root Bone was significantly stronger than when he first started.

The 1,000 Experience Points, along with the previous 500 Experience Points, were all added to the Wind-Breaking Nine Slashes.

[Martial Arts: Cyan Gang Fist (Perfection), Wind-Breaking Nine Slashes (Great Success 9493/10000)]

The aura around Lu Yuan subtly changed. His spirit became more focused, and his Sword Intent grew even sharper.

"Hmm?"

Mu Lingche (Su the Ninth) acutely sensed it, though he wasn’t entirely certain.

Was this something Lu Yuan had been hiding all along, or did he suddenly gain enlightenment? It was unlikely to be the latter, as there were no conditions to trigger it. Then it had to be the former.

He wondered, "Is this kid’s attainment in Saber Techniques really this high?"

Jiang Hongfei, Yu Qiuyang, and Liu Zhi did not notice anything. Firstly, the change was truly subtle. Secondly, their Cultivation was much weaker, making their Qi Sensing somewhat lacking.

Lu Yuan thought to himself, "I need to find two more Cultivation Techniques to practice."

Naturally, being in the Demon Suppression Bureau, he had to make good use of the resources here. Thus, he turned and went to look for Chen Qiang.

Seeing this, Liu Zhi could not help but freeze. "Hey... Why did he leave so suddenly?"

"What does it have to do with you? You care too much about other people’s business," Jiang Hongfei couldn’t help but retort.

"I..." Liu Zhi was at a loss for words.

He thought, "Can’t I just show some concern?"

Mu Lingche gave a flat glance but paid it no mind. Lu Yuan still couldn’t pique his interest right now.

Yu Qiuyang, on the other hand, was making his own guesses. He wondered if Lu Yuan was planning something, plotting an idea, or trying to get some kind of benefit. The hidden perks within the Demon Suppression Bureau were, after all, quite substantial.

Chen Qiang hadn’t gone far, so Lu Yuan found him effortlessly.

"Squad Leader Chen..."

"Is there something you need?" Chen Qiang asked.

He currently had a rather good impression of Lu Yuan. The future integration of their squad might just depend on him.

"I’d like to find two Martial Arts to practice. Our Demon Suppression Bureau should have some that don’t require Contribution Points, right?" Lu Yuan asked.

"We do. Apart from a few particularly superior and powerful Martial Arts, anything below the Seventh Grade basically doesn’t require any," Chen Qiang replied with a smile.

To the Demon Suppression Bureau, Eighth Grade Martial Artists were simply too weak. Only by nurturing them to the Seventh Grade or above could they truly be of use. And the one thing the Demon Suppression Bureau lacked the least was all kinds of Low-Level Martial Arts manuals. After all, even in a quiet year, they would wipe out dozens of gangs and Sects.

"What kind of Martial Arts do you want?"

"I want one for Hidden Weapons and one for Archery Skills," Lu Yuan replied.

Hidden Weapons could catch enemies off guard, substitute defense with offense, and allow one to fight against multiple opponents. Archery Skills offered long-range attacks with strong piercing capabilities.

"Hidden Weapons? That’s a minor path of little use," Chen Qiang shook his head.

This choice wasn’t very practical and would only waste time and energy. After all, once Gang Qi was cultivated, it could defend against the vast majority of Hidden Weapons.

"Archery Skills, however, are fine. Exceptional Archery Skills are incredibly useful. If we have the support of a master archer while out on missions, our safety will greatly increase, and our task speed and efficiency will yield twice the result with half the effort..."

However, achieving Great Success in Archery Skills was no easy feat. Profound Archery Skills, in particular, heavily relied on natural talent.

"It never hurts to have more skills. Could you just help me find two manuals, Squad Leader Chen?" Lu Yuan pleaded.

"Alright, then." Chen Qiang nodded, leading Lu Yuan toward a nearby building.

This was the place where the Demon Suppression Bureau collected Low-Level Martial Arts. There was only one Steward, acting much like a librarian. He sat there, registering the borrowed manuals.

Chen Qiang was very familiar with this place. He took Lu Yuan and quickly found several manuals on Hidden Weapon Techniques and Archery Skills, placing them in front of Lu Yuan to let him choose for himself.

Lu Yuan flipped through them and soon selected the Cloud-Brushing Hand and the Nine Glories of Archery.

The Cloud-Brushing Hand, just as the name implied, was like drifting clouds brushing past sleeves; flying flowers and plucked leaves could all be used to injure people. It relied on finesse. Upon reaching Great Success, one could execute the "Heavenly Maiden Scattering Blossoms" technique.

The Nine Glories of Archery only trained one technique: the Nine-Star Linked Beads.

"Alright, these two."

"The Nine Glories of Archery!" Chen Qiang took a glance. "You’ve got a good eye, but it’s far too difficult. Pick another one. Not even one in a thousand archers on average can master this. Being able to achieve the Three-Star Linked Beads is already extremely rare."

The Continuous Pearl Arrow technique involved firing a line of arrows in rapid succession, all landing on the exact same target point, making it impossible to defend against. It demanded exceptionally high Shooting Speed Techniques. If too few arrows were linked, the threat it posed to experts plummeted drastically.

"No, I like this one," Lu Yuan shook his head.

"You really won’t turn back until you hit a brick wall, huh." Chen Qiang pointed a finger at him. "If you can master the Nine-Star Linked Beads, I’ll go to the Squadron Commander and request a merit reward for you. From then on, you’ll be the number one archer under our Squadron Commander!"

"Really? I don’t like empty promises!" Lu Yuan’s eyes instantly lit up. "Tell me, what kind of reward will I get if I master the Nine-Star Linked Beads?"

He was someone who never woke up early unless there was a profit to be made.

"If you manage to master it, I’ll have our Squadron Commander issue you a Strong Bow!" Chen Qiang chuckled.

He thought, "Young people really don’t know the immensity of heaven and earth."

"Alright, it’s a deal!" Lu Yuan said in delight.

The value of a Strong Bow was much higher than ordinary swords and sabers. If it was tailored for a Peak Eighth-Grade Martial Artist, several hundred taels of silver might not even be enough to cover the cost. Getting a Strong Bow for free was a fantastic bargain.

"Cloud-Brushing Hand and Nine Glories of Archery." The Steward recorded them. "You may keep these manuals for half a month. Copying them is forbidden, and you must not share them with outsiders."

"Understood, I’ll keep that in mind," Lu Yuan nodded and signed his name.

He understood that this was to prevent people from privately reselling the techniques for personal gain, which would create a terrible impact.

Before long, Lu Yuan returned to the drill ground with the two books in hand.

"What are those?" Liu Zhi leaned in curiously.

"Cultivation Techniques." Lu Yuan allowed him a quick glance at the pages.

"Cloud-Brushing Hand? Is it a Palm Technique?" Liu Zhi asked.

"Hidden Weapons." Lu Yuan shook his head and found a place to sit. "Scram!"

The Martial Arts he had borrowed couldn’t just be peeped at by this kid.

Liu Zhi rolled his eyes. He thought, "I’m not even interested anyway."

"Hidden Weapons?" Yu Qiuyang couldn’t help but laugh upon hearing this.

Hidden Weapons were only useful before the Eighth Grade. After reaching the Eighth Grade, they were virtually useless. It was purely a waste of time and energy.

He thought, "As expected of someone from a minor family, his foresight is truly shallow."

Mu Lingche was tempering his organs, and Jiang Hongfei was desperately practicing his martial arts; neither paid any attention to this side of the grounds.

Lu Yuan began by studying the Cloud-Brushing Hand.

The Cloud-Brushing Hand wasn’t actually just about Hidden Weapons; it primarily focused on hand techniques and the application of power. It could even be viewed as a unique Palm Technique. It could be utilized in many situations and was even capable of directly injuring people. It excelled in finesse and Dark Force. Needles forged from special metals could even specifically pierce through Protective Gang Qi.

It was absolutely not something to be underestimated.

Because Lu Yuan had the foundation of the Perfect Cyan Gang Fist, getting started was relatively easy.

As for the Nine Glories of Archery...

Lu Yuan had practiced Archery Skills when he was a child. While he wouldn’t call it Hundred-step Piercing Willow, hitting the bullseye every time from thirty paces wasn’t far off. However, the Nine Glories of Archery trained the Nine-Star Linked Beads. The bare minimum starting point was Two-Star. The most basic requirement should still be normal archery.

Lu Yuan found a bow and some arrows by the edge of the drill ground to test it out.

Reaching Great Success and Perfection in Martial Arts brought comprehensive improvements. Holding a bow and arrow again, Lu Yuan didn’t feel the slightest bit unfamiliar; instead, he handled them with even greater ease. He effortlessly achieved a hundred hits in a hundred shots.

Of course, shooting exactly the same spot was still difficult. However, as long as he practiced, it wouldn’t be a big problem.

The key point was that Lu Yuan had the system:

[Martial Arts: Cloud-Brushing Hand (Initiation 1/300), Nine Glories of Archery (Initiation 1/500), Cyan Gang Fist (Perfection), Wind-Breaking Nine Slashes (Great Success 9493/10000)]