Night Startled Feather immediately stepped forward, pressed her palm against Lan Ling’s temples and slowly input a stream of dragon power.
Immediately Lan Ling’s head, which felt as if it was about to split open, gradually calmed down.
This is the manifestation of spiritual power overdraft. It is very normal. Every martial artist will experience this kind of pain. Night Startled Feather said, Next you need to rest for several hours, then continue practising. Come with me.
Lan Ling endured the intense pain in his head and followed behind Night Startled Feather to the edge of a clear lake.
Are you certain there is no dragon power left in your body now? Night Startled Feather asked.
Lan Ling shook his head and said, None left, not a single bit.
Night Startled Feather said, If there is dragon power, spiritual power can recover very quickly. Without dragon power, recovery must rely entirely on the body’s own restoration, which will be rather slow. Take off all your clothes, sit in the water, hold a tube in your mouth to breathe, and let the water surface cover the top of your head. Being in water is very suitable for the recovery of spiritual power.
Immediately Lan Ling did not stand on ceremony. He directly stripped off all his clothes, leaving only a pair of shorts, then held a tube in his mouth and sat directly into the ice cold and clear lake water. The water covered the top of his head, with only the tube in his mouth protruding above the surface.
Close your eyes, think of nothing, and enter a state that is like sleep but not sleep. Night Startled Feather said, I will recite the Peaceful Art for you. You do not need to remember it or pay attention to what I am reciting. Just listen.
Then Night Startled Feather sat cross legged by the lakeside and began to recite the Peaceful Art.
Although Lan Ling was completely submerged in water, Night Startled Feather’s voice could still fully enter his ears, incredibly clear.
This Peaceful Art had no clear words at all. It was completely like a segment of Sanskrit sound.
As he listened, Lan Ling felt as if he was placed in an extremely quiet and extremely magical illusion realm.
The water around him seemed to turn into soft clouds, supporting every part of his body. It was truly incomparably comfortable, as if his whole body did not need to exert any effort.
Gradually he entered a state that was like sleep but not sleep. This kind of state was most suitable for the recovery of spiritual power.
After about four hours, Lan Ling’s spirit had completely recovered. This four hours of sitting meditation was equivalent to ten hours of sleep.
Then next, Lan Ling once again carried out spiritual locking training.
The target was still very simple, which was to use spiritual power to lock onto the centre point of the arrow target thirty metres away.
When in his own spiritual illusion realm, apart from that centre point there was nothing else, it would be considered successful.
With Lan Ling’s own spiritual talent, locking onto a target thirty metres away was still possible. It was just that because of the lack of dragon power support, the locking time was very short.
After almost a few minutes, all spiritual power would be completely exhausted, and then he would have to immerse himself in the lake again for spiritual recovery.
In this way, after deducting sleeping time in one day, he could at most practise spiritual locking three times per day.
Once, twice, three times, four times…
Every time his spiritual power was exhausted, Lan Ling felt pain as if his head was about to split open.
At those moments he missed the Demon Star immensely and missed the dragon power inside it. If he had the Demon Star’s dragon power providing continuous support, Lan Ling could have completed the spiritual locking training in one go.
Finally, after the thirteenth time, Lan Ling completed the thirty metre spiritual power locking practice.
Finally, in his own spiritual illusion realm, apart from the centre circle on the arrow target there was nothing else.
His spiritual power had completely locked onto this centre point.
At this time it was already the dawn of the fourth day. For these three days Lan Ling had to endure the torment of head splitting pain three times every single day.
You have completed the most basic spiritual power locking. Night Startled Feather said, Next, use spiritual locking technique to carry out target shooting practice.
Shoot ten arrows in a row with a score of eighty rings.
After completing this goal, you can go shoot and kill wild bulls, and then you can devour energy.
…
When Lan Ling picked up the bow and arrow again, his heart was filled with incomparable joy. He finally no longer had to keep staring at that arrow target with his spirit. He could shoot arrows, even if it was only shooting at targets.
He took a deep breath, directly nocked the arrow and drew the bow fiercely.
His gaze suddenly contracted. He instantly entered the Inverted Moon Art state and used spiritual power to lock onto the bullseye thirty metres away.
Five seconds, ten seconds, fifteen seconds!
The lock was completed. In the entire spiritual illusion realm, only that bullseye existed.
Whoosh… He released his hand.
The arrow immediately shot straight out.
Bang! It directly hit the target, three rings.
Immediately Lan Ling felt both joy and complexity in his heart.
First, this spiritual locking technique was indeed powerful. Previously he had always missed the target, and even when he hit it there were no rings.
But after using the spiritual locking technique, he directly hit three rings. However, since his spirit had locked onto the bullseye, should it not have been ten rings?
As if seeing Lan Ling’s doubt, Night Startled Feather said, Spiritual locking only lets you aim. But this bow is still somewhat unfamiliar to you, and you cannot fully master it yet. So although your spirit aimed at the target, there was deviation in the body’s execution. Understand?
Lan Ling nodded.
This kind of deviation between spirit and body execution can be resolved through multiple磨合. Night Startled Feather said, Of course you can only shoot ten arrows at a time and three times a day. You must seize every opportunity.
Understood. Lan Ling said.
After nocking the arrow for the second time, he once again used spiritual power to lock onto the target.
Then he recalled the deviation from the first shot and made a slight correction for the second.
Whoosh… One arrow shot out.
Four rings! Not bad, there was progress.
The third arrow was still four rings.
The fifth arrow, five rings.
The sixth arrow, five rings!
…
The tenth arrow, seven rings!
From all the practice after the dragon power tempering, Lan Ling relied completely on his own perseverance and talent without relying on the Demon Star any more.
After completing spiritual locking, there was indeed a qualitative change. But after the first round of ten arrows, the score was fifty three rings, while he needed eighty rings before he could carry out wild bull shooting.
After ten arrows, Lan Ling had exhausted both his strength and spiritual power.
Next, Night Startled Feather first gave him a full body massage, then he once again immersed himself in the lake water, listening to Night Startled Feather’s Peaceful Art to recover his spiritual power.
Four hours later, he carried out the second round of trial shooting practice.
This round showed some improvement over the first, with a total of sixty rings.
Then after resting and recovering for another four hours, he carried out the third round of trial shooting.
The third round scored sixty three rings.
Then the archery practice for the fourth day ended.
At night, Lan Ling did not need any warning from Night Startled Feather. He directly lay down in the sleeping bag and fell soundly asleep, almost without even the strength to speak.
Next, Lan Ling once again entered long term fixed target practice.
There was only one goal, which was thirty metres distance, ten arrows with eighty rings.
On the fifth day, Lan Ling’s best score was sixty five rings.
On the sixth day, his best score was sixty eight rings.
On the seventh day, his best score was still sixty eight rings.
On the eighth day, his best score was sixty five rings, which actually regressed.
At this time Lan Ling fully felt the boredom and pain of archery practice. It was completely countless repetitions, and after completing the tenth arrow his spiritual power was already exhausted. That kind of fatigue and head splitting pain could not be described in words at all.
On the eighth day there was no progress but regression instead. Lan Ling originally thought Night Startled Feather would let him rest for one day, but the result was still normal practice.
Finally Lan Ling asked, How many days did it take you to complete ten arrows with eighty rings on your first fixed target shooting?
Twenty seven days. Night Startled Feather said, That kind of torment and pain is still vivid in my mind now.
Lan Ling said, I remember your weapon is a curved blade. Why do you also know archery?
Night Startled Feather said, In this world martial artists are not divided so clearly. While being a swordsman, one may also be an assassin. While being a blade user, one may also be an archer.
Lan Ling nodded and understood.
Next, Lan Ling remembered Night Startled Feather’s twenty seven days. She used twenty seven days, so he must definitely use fewer.
On the eighth day, Lan Ling’s trial shooting score improved by leaps and bounds, directly reaching seventy two rings.
On the ninth day, Lan Ling’s trial shooting score reached seventy five rings.
At this time he was already very close to eighty rings. He felt very nervous inside, because the closer one got to the target the more difficult it became.
However the result gave Lan Ling an incomparably unexpected and pleasant surprise.
On the tenth day he actually directly crossed the eighty ring barrier and reached eighty two rings.
He had finally completed the fixed target trial shooting practice and could finally shoot and kill wild bulls.
After completing it, Lan Ling hugged his own bow and directly squatted on the ground, almost crying with joy.
In ten days he had finally completed the goal of thirty metres distance, ten arrows in a row with a score of eighty rings.
Go to sleep. Tomorrow morning early we will carry out wild bull shooting. Night Startled Feather said.
…
On the eleventh day, before the sky had fully brightened, Lan Ling had already woken up. He turned around and saw that Night Startled Feather was not inside the tent. Then the sound of swimming came from the lake outside.
She was very fond of cleanliness and almost bathed every single day.
Thus Lan Ling could only lie inside the tent and wait for her to finish washing.
After about a quarter of an hour, Night Startled Feather came ashore. At this time Lan Ling only needed to peek outside with his eyes to see Night Startled Feather’s body, but he did not do so, because his heart was now completely filled with the first hunt and the first energy devouring.
After Night Startled Feather put on her clothes she shouted inside, Alright, you can come out.
After Lan Ling went out and finished washing up, Night Startled Feather was cooking by the side.
Meanwhile Lan Ling was beside her, wiping his bow and arrows again and again. Although an archer used spiritual locking, familiarity with the bow and arrows was also very important. Only when he fully mastered every inch inside and outside of the bow and arrows could he truly achieve hitting the target every time.
Suo Lun, for a martial artist the best weapon is one personally forged by oneself. Night Startled Feather said, Because the most important thing in this martial arts is spiritual power, and only a weapon forged by oneself can remain connected with one’s own spirit at all times.
Lan Ling nodded. It was indeed so. In this world all experts’ weapons were personally forged by themselves. In fact it was best if every piece of ore was also personally dug out by themselves.
Night Startled Feather’s cooking skills were quite ordinary and completely incomparable to his sister Suo Ning Bing, but Lan Ling still ate two large bowls.
At this time the sky had fully brightened, and the wild bulls in the wild bull valley were also about to come out to forage.
Let us go hunt wild bulls. Night Startled Feather said.
Lan Ling immediately picked up his bow and arrows and followed.
The entire wild bull valley was approximately a hundred li in radius, with very many wild bulls that often gathered in groups of dozens. But the current Lan Ling could only shoot isolated ones.
Ahead. Night Startled Feather suddenly said, then pointed to a spot a hundred metres ahead where there was one strong wild bull leisurely grazing there.
Night Startled Feather led Lan Ling and gradually approached, because they needed to get within thirty metres, which was the range Lan Ling’s spiritual power could lock onto.
Soon they were within thirty metres and hid behind a dirt mound.
Do not be nervous. It is very normal to miss on the first attempt. Night Startled Feather said in a low voice.
Lan Ling took a deep breath, then nocked the arrow and drew the bow. He gathered all his spiritual power and directly locked onto the wild bull’s right eye.
Lock, lock, lock…
Eight seconds later, in Lan Ling’s spiritual illusion realm there was only this bull eye, with everything else being complete darkness.
Lock completed!
Whoosh… Lan Ling decisively released his hand, and the sharp arrow shot out fiercely.
That wild bull was suddenly startled and immediately tried to flee. But it was already too late.
Puchi… That sharp arrow shot directly from its right eye into its skull.