Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
NEIGH…! Reaching the edge of the Heavenly Lake, Snowstorm Cloud reared up and let out a neigh. Before it brought its front hooves down on the ground, Yan Liqiang had soared into the sky off its back. Under everyone’s gaze, he strode in midair like a dragon and leapt more than ten zhang each time. When he landed on the icy surface of the Heavenly Lake, he immediately sprinted toward Cai Yingwu who was standing at the center.
“How skillful…!” The surrounding onlookers immediately cheered. When an expert displayed his skills, his ability was instantly clear. The moment Yan Liqiang arrived, he had stunned many people around the Heavenly Lake with his lightness skill technique. To martial practitioners, anything could be feigned except for cultivation. Putting everything else aside, Yan Liqiang’s lightness skill technique alone was enough to humble the entire northwestern region.
“Yan Liqiang, that’s Yan Liqiang! Yan Liqiang is here…!” It was when someone shouted that everyone then realized that the person who had just arrived was none other than the contender of the archery duel today, Yan Liqiang.
Just when the duel was about to commence, Yan Liqiang finally arrived. Not only that, he even brought a group of high-spirited youths along with him. Their appearance immediately attracted everyone’s attention…
“Those students are from the archery academy! They’re Yan Liqiang’s disciples…!”
“Impressive song from impressive boys…!”
“I heard that it was less than half a year since the archery academy was established. How did they come to possess such vigor?”
While many were watching Yan Liqiang who was sprinting toward the center of the Heavenly Lake, some were also observing the students who accompanied him here. In just the blink of an eye, all five hundred of them dismounted and lined up solemnly by the lake to watch the duel. Their movements were perfectly synchronized, and they were giving off energy that was definitely different than what ordinary people had.
“Everyone has a rhinodrake steed and a war bow. Damn, how crazy! Putting aside the rhinodrake steeds, those war bows are hard to produce. Getting so many of them must have cost a fortune! I don’t think that even the troops from the Provincial Governor’s Office have that much to spend!”
Quite a lot of people in the surroundings were secretly drooling over the war bows that the students were carrying on their backs. In this era, the manufacturing process of a war bow was extremely complex and time-consuming. This was the reason behind the hefty price tags on them. Although bows and arrows were necessities, they were quite limited. Of course, big armies had archery camps or war bow camps. However, only first-class soldiers from the provincial army were fitted with bows. Not even the first-class soldiers from the prefectural armies could get a bow. Hence, if one really calculated the worth of those war bows on every student’s back, they would realize it was a shockingly huge sum of money, and that all this was indeed extravagant.
“Don’t forget, the manufacturing bureau is Yan Liqiang’s. I heard it can easily earn several tens of thousands teals of silver annually. With that much money in his hands, these war bows probably mean nothing to him…”
“I heard that Yan Liqiang is not even eighteen years of age. He is indeed a genius…!”
“Of course. Otherwise, why would His Majesty think so highly of him…?”
Following Yan Liqiang’s appearance, the Heavenly Lake immediately grew lively with countless discussions. Everyone was looking forward to the showdown. The more powerful Yan Liqiang was, the more exciting the battle would be later.
There were a few men wearing lavish mink fur coats standing on the hills north of the lake. A middle-aged man sporting a long beautiful beard shook his head slightly while looking at Yan Liqiang who was rushing toward the center of the lake. “The Soaring Heaven Sect arrived here yesterday. Cai Yingwu had a good night’s rest and is in his best form today. Yan Liqiang seemed to have just traveled all the way here and will fight Cai Yingwu without even taking a break. He’s already at a disadvantage even before the duel. It seems like Yan Liqiang is still too young and reckless!”
“Why do I feel that Yan Liqiang is akin to a blade that has been drawn from its scabbard or an arrow that just left the bowstring? He is in high spirits.” Another middle-aged man squinted at Yan Liqiang’s figure moving across the icy lake surface. He frowned slightly and seemed doubtful. “I see that Yan Liqiang is very swift and light on his feet with his lightness skill technique. In fact, he even seems superior to Cai Yingwu. Yet strangely, I have a feeling that he isn’t using his full power and is only fooling around…”
“Huh? How can that be? Yan Liqiang’s skill has already floored everyone. How can that not be his best? He’s still very young. Even if he started cultivating when he was still in his mother’s womb, there’s no way he can be that impressive!” Another bearded middle-aged man exclaimed.
“Second Uncle has always been perfectly accurate with his judgment. Perhaps the outcome of this duel may be an unexpected one!” A handsome young man standing amongst them spoke up. He was only in his twenties, but he was mature.
“We’ll just have to watch, then go back and report the outcome. The clan head is curious to know if Yan Liqiang can survive against the Soaring Heaven Sect too. If he can, he’ll truly be recognized as an individual in the northwestern region that is worthy enough for the clan to win him over…”
“Hm, Jia Cheng is right. Yan Liqiang got into quite a lot of trouble when he returned from the Imperial Capital. He even became the thorn in Lin Qingtian’s side. That’s why he has such a strong reputation. We also received a letter from the You Clan at home. However, the clan head has no intention of letting anyone involved. We are to only observe. If he continues to stay alive after today, then settle his issues with the Law Enforcement Office and the Soaring Heaven Sect, that means that he is indeed an individual that is worth winning over!”
The ‘Second Uncle’ also said, “Yan Liqiang really sounds like a capable person. It has only been a short while since he returned to Gan Province, yet he managed to establish and maintain the manufacturing bureau and archery academy. In fact, the manufacturing bureau’s business with the four-wheeled carriages is really enough to make anyone jealous. The workshop back at our home can also replicate and elaborate the other parts of carriage, yet the flexible coil spring at the bottom of the carriage is indeed a strange object. More than a hundred artisans at home tried to replicate it, yet none of them had much luck…
“Otherwise, why would Jiang Tianhua extend his claws toward the manufacturing bureau? I didn’t expect Yan Liqiang to directly chop off Jiang Tianhua’s claws!” The young man then looked at the students who followed Yan Liqiang here. He rubbed his chin as a faint glint flashed across his eyes. “So those are the students from Yan Liqiang’s archery academy? How interesting indeed!”
“Jia Cheng, if Yan Liqiang really wins this time, do you think Guo Yifei from the Soaring Heaven Sect will…”
The handsome young man gazed into the distance where the Soaring Heaven Sect was, and spoke softly. “Honorable men are scarce in the Soaring Heaven Sect. Guo Yifei is a shrewd and ruthless man. For everything that he does, he will only make sure things will look good on the surface…”
…
“We mustn’t allow Yan Liqiang to leave Lan Province alive this time…!” Jiang Tianhua seethed through his teeth in the Soaring Heaven Sect’s crowd, staring at the black dot sprinting across the icy surface through his reddened eyes. He finally understood why Lin Qingtian wanted to kill Yan Liqiang back then.
Yan Liqiang had such achievements at such a young age. If this person was left unchecked, who else could possibly control him in ten more years? Just his ruthless way of doing things and his rumored amazing cultivation in the art of archery sent chills up Jiang Tianhua’s spine, even though he was wearing a thick fur scarf around his neck…
“Rest assured, Transport Commissioner. Since Yan Liqiang has come to Lan Province today, there’s no way he’ll leave this place alive!” Soaring Heaven’s Sect Lord Guo Yifei’s eyes gleamed coldly. He wasn’t sure why his heart was filled with an indescribable fear and sense of crisis upon Yan Liqiang’s arrival. In any case, he had to make sure that Yan Liqiang would be eliminated here today…
…
Although it was a long conversation, only a short moment had passed. While the people around the Heavenly Lake had been watching through their curious eyes and whispering to one another, Yan Liqiang’s figure had sprinted several li across the icy surface and arrived at the lake’s center. He stood on the icy surface, leaving a distance of a hundred meters away from Cai Yingwu…
