Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The blindfolded contest between Ji Xiaoyao and Yan Liqiang was an intense one.
For their first contest a few days ago in the empty space outside the bamboo forest, they stood 100 steps apart from each other. Yan Liqiang’s eyes were covered with a few layers of thick black cloth while Ji Xiaoyao did not have to be blindfolded and had his eyes open. Then, they each used a five picul bow to shoot each other.
Yan Liqiang used actual arrows while the ones Ji Xiaoyao used were ‘training arrows’ with the metal arrowheads taken off and replaced with a bundle of cloth.
Yan Liqiang could not hit Ji Xiaoyao even with his eyes open, let alone now when he was blindfolded. Therefore, it was fine for him to use real arrows. However, the arrows Ji Xiaoyao used that had cloth instead of the usual metal arrowheads gave Yan Liqiang a tough time that morning. He kept experiencing the feeling of death. During training, Ji Xiaoyao was like a demon coach.
The arrows with cloth arrowheads would not pierce Yan Liqiang’s body, nor would there be any blood. However, since the force from the arrows was very great, even when he was struck by them during training, it gave Yan Liqiang the feeling that he was getting punched by a burly man. It was similar to the feeling of being hit by a bullet while wearing a bulletproof vest.
Although Yan Liqiang had completed the first level of his Golden Bell Divine Protection Technique, after that morning, Yan Liqiang’s body was still covered in bruises and he was aching all over. It was as if a group of people had given him a great beating.
Yan Liqiang never thought that he would need to have an archery contest with someone else while being blindfolded. Therefore, he had never experienced training like this before. It was only after the competition between himself and Ji Xiaoyao that Yan Liqiang noticed how difficult it was.
After closing his eyes, his only means of capturing information was through his ears. The only information he could obtain was sound. He needed to assess the direction the arrows were coming from, the direction they were headed to, as well as the other party’s position. There were two types of useful sounds — one was when the arrow was flying in the air, and the second was the sound of the bowstring stretching when the bow was drawn.
The principle sounded simple, but it was only during practice that Yan Liqiang discovered that he was already slower by the time his ears captured the sound. The aural information would be sent to the brain for analysis, and then the brain would have to issue orders before his body could react. In a real blindfolded contest, this one step would determine the difference between life and death.
This meant that you would be one beat slower 一 by the time you heard the sound of the other party’s arrow, your body would’ve already been struck by it. And when you thought of using the sound of other party’s bowstring to shoot arrows, the other party would’ve already left that position.
Although he had been treated brutally for the entire morning, it was not as if Yan Liqiang had gotten zero takeaways from it. At the very least, after one morning of training, he had already grasped the most important rhythm in a blindfolded competition — to not let his body come to a standstill. He needed to be constantly moving, while at the same time, his movement speed could not be at a constant rate. His movement speed had to vary and without a fixed rhythm. Only by doing so would the chances of him losing be reduced.
Almost no one would intentionally conduct training for a blindfolded contest. It was because a scene like this would be very different from an actual battle. On a real battlefield, who would step up while blindfolded?
And since the majority of the people would not intentionally train for this type of fight, if one encountered someone who had specially trained in this area during a blindfolded contest, the people who had not received any training would be at a disadvantage and they would eventually fail. Even death could be seen as a totally normal occurrence.
The popular blindfolded contest in the army was similar to what Yan Liqiang had seen in movies where ruffians enjoyed a game of Russian Roulette by leaving a single bullet in a pistol. When two people of similar strength competed in a blindfolded contest, it would not be a test of skills and cultivation, but rather, one’s courage.
Yan Liqiang was certain that Shi Minzhang must have specially trained for the event. This was why he could be so fearless.
When one was blindfolded, they would not know when the threat of death would come. When a person’s body was moving rapidly, their sense of hearing would be tuned to the greatest limits, and their minds would be like an overclocked CPU, constantly monitoring the changes in the wind or movements in the surroundings — especially the slightest sound of change in the air. During the process of completing such sensory assessments, the person would have to continuously give out orders, adjust their movement speed, and switch between attacking and defending.
After a morning of training, although Yan Liqiang’s physical strength did not suffer great depletion, he was drained both spiritually and mentally. This made him feel mentally exhausted and he felt as if his head was going split open.
It was Yan Liqiang’s first time realizing that one could be drained of energy from training like this. After one morning of training, he felt as if he had been carrying a heavy weight of several thousand jin and then swinging a spear underwater for an entire morning. This was kind of like extreme sports on a whole new level.
Taking off the thick layer of the black blindfold, even without looking into a mirror, Yan Liqiang could see his pale countenance through Ji Xiaoyao’s eyes. At the same time, he felt as if his vision was blacking out.
“A blindfolded contest puts one through huge spiritual and mental exhaustion. It’s not easy for a person to endure half an hour of blindfolded training. To think that you’d be able to hold on for four hours and make tremendous improvement during this period of time, this is really beyond my expectations. From today onward until the day of your blindfolded contest, we’ll conduct the same type of training every morning. In the afternoon, you can rest and draw conclusions about the takeaways you’ve received from the morning training!”
“Yes! Thank you, Master, for your guidance!”
“Today is the first day of training. The arrows that I use have no arrowheads at all. Instead, they have been wrapped up. Arrows like these aren’t as fast as real arrows and the sound they produce when they pierce through the air are also different from that of real arrows. All of that will also affect your reaction and judgment during the blindfolded contest. I’ll let you get accustomed to this for today, but in three days, we’ll switch to actual arrows. This will allow you to foster the right judgment and reaction during training.”
“Master, if you change to real arrows and I’m struck by one, wouldn’t I be a goner? If things were like how they were this morning, my body would be filled with holes all over…”
“You’ll put on a set of soft golden armor. It’ll be fine as long as the arrows don’t pierce through!”
“Soft golden armor?” This was the first time that Yan Liqiang had heard of such a thing.
“It’s a type of precious armor that is worn underneath clothes. As long as you ask for it, Eunuch Liu will definitely be able to get you a set!”
…
After leaving Ji Xiaoyao’s place, Yan Liqiang dragged his feet along and went to look for Eunuch Liu. It was as Ji Xiaoyao had said. After hearing that Yan Liqiang was putting all his efforts into making preparations for the blindfolded contest and would need a piece of soft golden armor, Eunuch Liu agreed immediately. He said that he would get Yan Liqiang one the next morning.
After returning to his courtyard, Yan Liqiang sensed his slightly dizzy brain and he was suddenly was struck by a thought.
“I haven’t been put through such a great depletion both spiritually and mentally before. Doesn’t Muscle Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing help with strengthening and replenishing after one’s physical strength and vision is exhausted? I wonder if the strengthening effect is useful for the brain and mental spirit…”
