Volume 2 Chapter 1: Those Who Move With the Wind

This was this world's cultivation?

Lin Xi suddenly missed the fatty roasted meat he ate a few days ago on that difficult journey, because the moment he opened his eyes, he saw that the grass hut was already covered in a sunset hue. An unprecedented feeling of hunger immediately attacked his brain.

This meditation that lasted from morning to evening not only completely erased all of the food he ate earlier, it also gave him a type of feeling as if he had just taken a massive poop. This made his stomach feel even more empty, even more unbearably hungry.

Right now, in his brain, that green sphere could clearly be sensed, while the swirling yellow radiance became a stream, swimming about his dantian.

Apart from those new students who fell asleep, the other students' faces all more or less carried expressions of shock.

The shock on the customarily stooped postured Tang Ke's face was even stronger.

The academy's fame and glory reached every corner sunlight could reach in this empire. He understood extremely well just how extraordinary and divine the cultivators of Green Luan Academy were, also aware of just how valuable and hard to obtain every single pill medicine released by the academy was, but in his, as well as the subconscious minds of all cultivators he encountered, pills were still external objects in the end. However now, the originally thumb-sized stream in his dantian doubled in size!

"You, try to draw this longbow."

Right at this time, the single-eyed black-robed lecturer instead stood up. He raised the black longbow on the long platform before him, bringing it directly before Lin Xi.

Lin Xi who was about to go mad from his struggle with hunger widened his eyes, accepting the longbow, but not really knowing what to do with it. He couldn't understand why out of everyone here, the single-eyed black-robed lecturer would choose him.

The black longbow was made of wood, but the natural wooden lines were so detailed it made the bow look like it was made from fine metal threads, the bow itself also having runes carved onto it. Two carved dragon heads bit the similarly pitch-black and nonreflective bowstring.

The corners of Lin Xi's mouths suddenly produced a bitter smile. This black longbow wasn't heavy, he could raise it with a single hand, but when his right hand moved to the bowstring, exerting all of his strength, he was only able to pull it back about two finger lengths.

Right at this moment, that wave of energy within his dantian suddenly seemed to have been sucked out, surging towards his right arm, and then towards his fingers. The bowstring trembled a bit, releasing an extremely faint golden radiance.

Ah!

Lin Xi released a low cry of alarm.

This wave of energy that was guided out from his dantian was completely consumed. Moreover, he only now discovered that this bowstring made from the tendons of some type of beast also had some extremely fine runes carved on them.

"There is no need to worry. The energy you can sense will return through meditation cultivation. Meanwhile, the soul force cultivation itself won't decrease at all. It is similar to how our bodies remain, but our strength is used up." When he saw Lin Xi's current expression, the always cold-faced single-eyed black-robed lecturer who always seemed too stern said this with a bit of gentleness. Then, he took the black bow from Lin Xi's hands, and then handed it to Li Kaiyun at his side. "Try to pull this longbow."

Li Kaiyun didn't have any expectations, pulling the bow with everything he had.

After Li Kaiyun was Tang Ke at his side. Under the single-eyed black-robed lecturer's guidance, the black bow was passed along the new students.

After fifteen or sixteen people tried their hands at it, apart from a new student who fell asleep, everyone pulled a few more fingers of distance than Lin Xi. This was especially the case in Tang Ke's hands, this black bow with unknown origins was drawn halfway.

When the others drew the bowstring, the yellow light on the bowstring was a bit brighter than when Lin Xi drew the bow.

A strand of ash gray hair landed on the single-eyed black-robed lecturer's left cheek, but this cold and stern lecturer didn't seem to notice at all, as he stared at Lin Xi. As the black bow was passed on, he released a slight sigh. "Those able to enter as heaven's choice are special after all... never cultivated before, yet his speed of entering meditation is number one among this group. Only, it truly is a pity that your aptitude is only two... truly unfortunate for a piece of rare good material."

The black bow continued to circulate around. It entered the hands of Bian Linghan who was standing next to Hua Jiyue.

This young lady from Qiantang Province was the weakest looking out of all the new Self Defense Department students, as well as the first one to collapse on the way here from Summer Spirit Lake. She also only managed to draw the bowstring around the same distance as Lin Xi.

Right at this time, the unmoving black-robed lecturer's single eye suddenly shot out a frightening radiance.

Only he noticed that when Bian Linghan drew the bowstring, the moment that golden light flickered, it was a bit longer than the others.

However, he still didn't say anything, waiting until the black bow was passed through all of the new students' hands and handed back into his hands. Apart from Bian Linghan, when the yellow light flickered for the remaining people, there wasn't anything else unusual.

"Bian Linghan." Only, when they were heading back to the ziplines, the single-eyed black-robed lecturer who now added faces to the names shouted out Bian Linghan's name. "I had all of you pull the black bow with all your strength. Just now, why did you not do so?"

Bian Linghan's face immediately became snow-white. She opened her mouth, but couldn't utter any sound. After a moment of silence, this thin and weak looking young lady's hands held the corners of her clothes, lowering her head in preparation of receiving punishment.

"You didn't want him to feel that he wasn't even as good as you, thinking that he would be mocked by others? It seems like as a natural Windstalker, the path ahead of you will be extremely long..." However, at this moment, the corners of her eyes couldn't help but drift over to Lin Xi. When her head dropped, the single-eyed black-robed lecturer whose gaze was as sharp as an eagle's immediately understood what she was thinking.

"It has only been a few days, yet there are already people worrying for your sake. Heaven's choice... I never expected your relationship with others to be so good." The single-eyed black-robed lecturer didn't give out any punishment, instead looking at this skinny young lady who was clenching the corners of her clothes, saying, "Stay behind for now. The rest of you can return to the freshman dormitory and look over the course options list."

"Why aren't you leaving yet?"

What left the single-eyed black-robed lecturer a bit stunned was that while the other Self Defense Department new students all left the grass hut, looking at that mountaintop, looking for a way to slowly climb their way back up to the Self Defense Freshman Dormitory, Lin Xi didn't leave the grass hut.

Lin Xi bowed in an extremely respectful manner towards the single-eyed black-robed lecturer. "Teacher, Bian Linghan perhaps didn't hear too clearly, please don't punish her too severely."

The single-eyed black-robed elder looked at Lin Xi, a bit speechless, his face cold. "What, don't tell me I need you to tell me how to handle things?"

Lin Xi immediately shook his head. "This disciple doesn't dare. Only, Bian Linghan definitely didn't intend to make a mistake, and she definitely won't make the same mistake again."

"Nonsense!" The single-eyed black-robed lecturer roared out in anger. "Don't tell me you think I don't know the reason why she didn't use all her strength?"

Lin Xi was momentarily stunned. He only dared to stay behind because of his unique daily use ability. After speaking those words, it instead made the single-eyed black-robed lecturer this angry, he just couldn't understand why that was the case.

Bian Linghan didn't say anything, so how could he possibly know why Bian Linghan didn't use all her strength?

While looking at the stupefied Lin Xi, the single-eyed black-robed lecturer became even more unhappy. "Isn't it because of you... if you really are going to continue acting willfully here, I really am going to deduct two points from you two."

"It was because of me? What kind of words are these?" Lin Xi became more and more confused. However, after hearing the last line from the single-eyed black-robed lecturer's words, he grasped a bit of the true meaning. "Teacher, your respected self didn't plan on punishing her?"

"Who said that I was going to punish her just because I had her stay behind?" The single-eyed black-robed lecturer frowned. He suddenly discovered that when facing Lin Xi's pure eyes, he actually couldn't produce any anger.

Lin Xi laughed, and then gave the single-eyed black-robed lecturer another respectful bow. "In that case, this disciple tried to evaluate teacher's noble character with the eyes of a small person."

"If someone who could enter the academy as heaven's choice really was a small person, then that really would be insulting the vice principal and others as blind." The single-eyed black-robed lecturer waved his hand in a bit of an annoyed manner, indicating for the new students who stopped not far out to watch this to hurry and leave. Then, he surprisingly nodded towards the bamboo mat next to Bian Linghan. "Since you are willing to step out for her sake before me, I'll make an exception today. You can sit down here as well."

Lin Xi sat down next to Bian Linghan whose ears were a bit red, unable to make any sense of this situation.

"You are a natural Windstalker." The single-eyed black-robed lecturer didn't waste any words, looking straight at Bian Linghan, speaking each word slowly.

Bian Linghan and Lin Xi looked at each other in confusion, neither of them understanding.

Even so, Lin Xi's skin was extremely thick, directly asking, "What is a Windstalker? Teacher, please help us dispel our confusion."

"When an arrow soars through the wind, it is difficult to grasp as the wind. Those with extremely high natural affinity with Featherwind Runes, the ones best at displaying the power of a bow and arrow, greatest talent in marksmanship, are called those who move with the wind, Windstalkers." The single-eyed black-robed lecturer caressed the black bow. "On the battlefield, Windstalkers are always the most threatening, the most difficult to guard against."

"Featherwind Runes, I reckon you don't know what these are either." After giving Lin Xi who was listening with keen interest a look, the single-eyed black-robed lecturer added, "These are the most optimal runes for bows and arrows, able to magnify the strength of a fired arrow, increase its speed, grant it astonishing penetrative force. Meanwhile, as for those with talent in becoming Windstalkers, their soul force is able to last a bit longer on these runes. This brief moment that it can remain for, is what allows the power of the arrow to be much stronger than others with similar cultivation level and marksmanship skills."

"The reason you had Bian Linghan stay behind alone was because she was the only one with this type of potential among our Self Defense Department new students? The reason you had us pull the black bow was to test to see if any of us could be terrifying archers?" Lin Xi suddenly saw the light.

"That isn't all." The single-eyed black-robed lecturer looked at Lin Xi with eyes carrying sympathy. "It also revealed your bodies' degree of medicinal receptivity."