"So this is cultivation in this world?"
Lin Xi suddenly missed the delicious roast meat from those hard days of travel. Because the moment he opened his eyes and saw that the straw hut was now bathed in the golden light of sunset, a wave of intense hunger surged into his brain.
From dawn to dusk, the long meditation had not only burned away every scrap of food in his stomach—it even felt like it had stretched his stomach. He felt empty inside, an intense and almost panic-inducing hunger gnawing at him.
Now, in his mind, the green sphere of light was still vividly perceptible, while the previously drifting thread of yellow light had transformed into a stream of energy, now flowing within his dantian.
Except for a few new students who had fallen asleep, all the others wore expressions of shock—some more, some less.
Among them, Tang Ke—who sat slightly hunched out of habit on the cool bamboo mat—looked especially stunned.
The fame and glory of the academy were known throughout every sunlit corner of the empire. Tang Ke was well aware of the sacred reputation Qingluan Academy held in the hearts of countless cultivators. He had even heard that each pill granted by the academy was a treasure nearly impossible to obtain. Yet in his and most cultivators' understanding, pills were still external aids. But now, the stream of energy in his dantian, which had been as thick as a thumb, had doubled in size!
"Try pulling this longbow."
At that moment, the one-eyed, black-robed instructor stood up and picked up a black longbow from the desk before him. He walked straight to Lin Xi.
Still wrestling with his overwhelming hunger, Lin Xi blinked, confused as to why the instructor had singled him out. He took the longbow with hesitation.
The black bow was made of wood, yet the natural grain was as tight and detailed as iron filigree. Ornamental rune patterns spiraled across its surface. At both ends of the bow, two dragon- or flood-dragon-like heads were carved, biting down on the equally dark and glossy bowstring.
A wry smile curved at Lin Xi's lips. The bow wasn't heavy—he could lift it easily with one hand—but when he reached for the string and pulled with all his strength, it barely moved two fingers' width.
In that moment of struggle, the stream of energy in his dantian was suddenly drawn forth, flowing up his arm and into his fingers. The bowstring quivered slightly and glimmered faintly with yellow light.
"Ah!"
Lin Xi gasped.
That single stream of energy from his dantian was instantly depleted. Only then did he notice—engraved on the thick bowstring, likely made from some sort of beast tendon—were minute, nearly invisible runes.
"Don't worry. The energy you sensed will recover through meditation, and your soul power doesn't diminish. It's just like physical strength—it gets used up," the one-eyed instructor said, his voice surprisingly gentle for someone who usually seemed harsh and cold. He took the bow back from Lin Xi and handed it to the next student, Li Kaiyun. "Your turn."
Li Kaiyun, clearly unprepared, nervously accepted the bow and tried his best to pull it.
One by one, the black bow was passed down the line of students, including Tang Ke. Each one tried to draw it. In total, fifteen or sixteen students attempted.
Everyone except one sleeping student managed to pull the bowstring further than Lin Xi. Especially Tang Ke—he drew it halfway.
The yellow glow emitted from the bowstring also burned brighter under their pull than it had with Lin Xi.
A stray lock of gray-white hair fell across the left cheek of the one-eyed, black-robed instructor. Yet he stood still and silent, gaze sharp as ever. Though his eyes no longer lingered on Lin Xi, inwardly he sighed:
"To be chosen by Heaven... he's definitely different. Never cultivated before, yet he entered a meditative state faster than anyone else. It's just a pity—his talent… such good material, wasted."
The black bow made its way to Bian Linghan, standing beside Hua Jiyue.
She was the frailest among the new students in the Warfare Department, hailing from Qiantang Province. On their journey from the shores of Lingxia Lake, she had been the first to collapse. She only managed to draw the bowstring about the same distance as Lin Xi had.
Yet the moment she pulled, a gleam of shock flashed in the instructor's one eye.
Only he could tell—when Bian Linghan drew the bowstring, the yellow glow lingered just a bit longer than with the others.
He said nothing, waiting until every student had tried, and the bow returned to his hands. Aside from Bian Linghan, no one else showed any unusual result.
"Bian Linghan."
The black-robed instructor called her name with perfect precision, despite only having read it once when they crossed the silver thread bridge.
"I asked you all to pull the bowstring with full strength. Why didn't you?" he demanded.
Bian Linghan's face went pale. She opened her mouth but couldn't speak. After a moment of silence, the frail girl bowed her head, trembling, prepared for punishment.
"You didn't want him to be embarrassed for being weaker than you—afraid he'd be laughed at?"
The instructor's sharp eyes saw it all. Bian Linghan's eyes had unconsciously flicked toward Lin Xi—and that glance told him everything.
"Only a few days in, and someone already stands up for you. Looks like you're already winning hearts… Chosen by Heaven. Interesting," he muttered. Then he looked back at Bian Linghan and said, "You stay. The rest of you, return to the New Student Hall and check the course list."
"Why are you still here?"
The instructor was surprised. All the other new students had already left, trudging uphill toward the New Student Hall, yet Lin Xi still lingered in the straw hut.
Lin Xi bowed respectfully. "Teacher, perhaps Bian Linghan just didn't hear clearly. Please don't punish her too harshly."
The instructor stared at Lin Xi, eyes cold. "What, you want to tell me how to do my job?"
Lin Xi shook his head quickly. "I wouldn't dare. I just think she didn't mean to disobey, and she won't do it again."
"Ridiculous!" the instructor snapped. "You think I don't know why she held back?"
Lin Xi froze.
He had stayed behind only because he could use his special power once a day—he thought he might influence the teacher's decision. But what the instructor just said baffled him.
"How could he know why she didn't try her hardest? She never said anything..."
Seeing Lin Xi still rooted to the spot, the instructor grew more annoyed. "It's because of you. If you keep messing around, I'll deduct points from both of you."
"Because of me? What does that even mean?" Lin Xi thought.
But the last part of the instructor's sentence struck him. "Teacher… weren't you going to punish her?"
"Who said keeping her here means punishment?" The instructor frowned. Somehow, looking into Lin Xi's clear eyes, he couldn't stay angry.
Lin Xi smiled and bowed again. "In that case, I was wrong to suspect your noble intentions."
"If a Chosen by Heaven were a petty person, that'd mean the Vice Dean was blind," the instructor grumbled. Then he waved at the curious students still peeking in from outside to leave. He pointed to the bamboo mat next to Bian Linghan. "You dared stand up for her in front of me. Fine—I'll make an exception. You sit too."
Lin Xi, still confused, sat beside the blushing Bian Linghan.
"You are a wind-walker," the instructor said bluntly, gazing at Bian Linghan.
Both she and Lin Xi looked at each other, confused.
"What is a wind-walker, Teacher?" Lin Xi asked.
"Arrows flying on the wind. Movements swift and elusive. Naturally attuned to Windfeather Runes. The ones best suited for archery—those are wind-walkers," the instructor explained, caressing the black bow.
"On the battlefield, wind-walkers are the most terrifying assassins—hard to defend against and deadly."
He gave Lin Xi a disdainful glance. "You probably don't even know what a Windfeather Rune is."
"It's the best rune inscribed onto bows and arrows—enhancing power, speed, and penetration. Those with wind-walker talent can sustain their soul power in the rune a bit longer. That extra moment makes their arrows far deadlier than others of the same level."
"So you kept her behind because she's the only one among us with that talent?" Lin Xi asked, understanding dawning. "And you passed the bow to everyone to test for this ability?"
"Not just that." The instructor looked at Lin Xi with a trace of sympathy. "It also shows how well you all react to spiritual medicine."