Chapter 11 Houyi's Archery

Ji Ning walked over to the bookshelf dedicated to sword techniques, carefully flipping through other sword manuals to get a sense of them, then picked up the abridged version of Plow Heaven.

"Senior apprentice-brother, I'll choose this Plow Heaven," Ji Ning said.

With the Plow Heaven Sword Formation in hand, of course he would choose Plow Heaven.

"Good." Silvermoon nodded. With a flip of his hand, a thick book appeared in his palm—the complete edition of the sword technique Plow Heaven written by Patriarch Plow Heaven. Ji Ning's eyes lit up as he took it and opened it. Immediately he became immersed. Too lazy to move, he sat down cross-legged on the ninth floor of the Immortal Palace and began studying the sword technique.

……

Summer passed and winter arrived; in the blink of an eye, a year had gone by.

During this year, Ji Ning did not rush to the Three Realms Palace—after all, it was sitting there and wouldn't run away. In this year, he had defeated a ninth-rank puppet three times and obtained three sword technique manuals, including Plow Heaven. All were written by Patriarchs, first-rate sword techniques of the Three Realms.

Ji Ning studied them carefully and gained insights, even comprehending thirteen sword forms from Plow Heaven.

"Time to go to the Three Realms Palace."

Night had fallen, but Ji Ning walked out of the immortal estate.

Over the past year, he felt that his refinement and creation of the Three-Foot Sword and his understanding of Plow Heaven had reached a peak, with little room for short-term improvement. So he decided to head to the Three Realms Palace.

……

The Three Realms Palace was merely an ordinary pavilion several zhang high, yet it was the most mysterious place on the entire Mount Fangcun.

For ordinary disciples of the Mount Fangcun lineage, they could often enter Patriarch Subhuti's Daoist temple to hear the Dao, but in their entire lives they would never have the qualifications to enter the Three Realms Palace. Those who could enter it almost all possessed great renown throughout the Three Realms.

"Hooooo…"

Loud snoring rose and fell. Outside the pavilion, the gaunt old man lay there, his fan resting on his chest as he slept. When Ji Ning first ascended Mount Fangcun, this gaunt old man was already asleep. Now over thirty years had passed, and Ji Ning had never once seen the old man wake up.

The saying 'a single nap lasts ten thousand years' referred to this old man!

"Second senior apprentice-brother." Ji Ning walked over and said respectfully.

Having been on the mountain for so long, Ji Ning had learned about this second senior apprentice-brother's situation.

Senior apprentice-brother Jiang had once said: "Among Master's disciples, the one who truly inherited Master's mantle is this second senior apprentice-brother! He cultivates both Buddhism and Daoism, proficient in all, and even Master's great divine ability 'One Dream of the Three Realms' was only learned by him. I once wanted to learn this ability from Master, but Master said I couldn't. Among his disciples, only the second senior apprentice-brother could learn it!"

"Don't be fooled by his sleeping. In truth, his incarnation has been roaming the Three Realms, leaving countless legacies. No secret in the Three Realms can hide from him. In my view, among Master's disciples, the senior apprentice-brother is first in strength, and the second senior apprentice-brother is second!" Silvermoon had also said this.

"Your second senior apprentice-brother has done countless good deeds and accumulated boundless merit. He is truly virtuous, and has been so since the ancient world until now. His fortune is unimaginable. Both the Buddhist and Daoist sects have repeatedly invited him to join their ranks." Patriarch Subhuti had also said this, and when speaking of this second disciple, even he was quite proud.

Clearly, he was very satisfied with this disciple!

After learning the details about his second senior apprentice-brother, Ji Ning was also deeply impressed.

Because of the One Dream of the Three Realms, his incarnation had visited almost every minor world in the Three Realms, leaving his legends in countless worlds, making his fame especially great!

The fame of the second senior apprentice-brother was thunderous even in a minor world like Earth.

"Second senior apprentice-brother? Senior apprentice-brother Jidian?" Ji Ning called out.

"Who's calling me?"

The gaunt old man lying there rubbed his nose, opened his bleary eyes, half-asleep, and said with a smile, "You must be the disciple Master just accepted, Ji Ning from the Grand Xia world?"

"Yes," Ji Ning quickly replied.

Under the Patriarch, the senior apprentice-brother was unfathomable, indisputably number one.

The second senior apprentice-brother was famous throughout the Three Realms, his merit and fortune so great that both the Buddhist and Daoist sects coveted him. Yet this second senior apprentice-brother roamed freely across the Three Realms, doing countless good deeds, truly not bound by the Buddha or the Daoist sect.

"Master told me long ago. I didn't expect you to be so quick—only thirty-one years since you entered the sect, and you've already come to my Three Realms Palace." Jidian nodded slightly with his tattered fan. "Go on in. You can choose any divine ability, secret technique, or manual in the Three Realms Palace. But the Dao cannot be lightly transmitted; you must pass a simple trial to learn it."

"I understand, junior apprentice-brother." Ji Ning nodded.

Every sword technique manual in the Immortal Palace had also required a simple trial for him to obtain.

……

Watching Ji Ning walk into the pavilion, Jidian's half-asleep eyes held a glint: "This little junior apprentice-brother has a pure heart and carries merit. And that sword heart of his… tsk tsk, truly remarkable! But why would Master accept him as a disciple?"

Jidian understood Patriarch Subhuti best; he had also learned the most of the Patriarch's abilities.

Patriarch Subhuti chose his disciples for a reason; he never picked randomly.

Either they had great fortune!

Or they came from an extraordinary background!

Or they had heaven-defying comprehension!

"This little junior apprentice-brother doesn't seem to fit any of these. Could there be some secret about him?" Jidian smiled, then got up and walked in to see what Ji Ning would choose.

……

Ji Ning entered the pavilion. Inside were three separate low tables, each with a few abridged books casually placed on them, totaling nineteen volumes.

There were divine abilities, formations, secret techniques…

"The complete Candle Dragon's Eye?" Ji Ning picked it up. He had only learned the upper part in the Grand Xia dynasty; here in the Three Realms Palace, he could get the full version.

Opening the abridged book,

On the first page was written the trial: "Sweep the mountain path of Mount Fangcun once. Then you may learn it."

"This… this…" Ji Ning was stunned. "This counts as a trial? And it's exactly the same as the trial on the first floor of the Immortal Palace."

A great divine ability ranked among the top hundred in the Three Realms, yet the condition to learn it was so simple.

Sweeping the mountain path would only take half a day!

"The divine abilities and secret techniques in the Three Realms Palace were collected by Master," Jidian said, walking in with a smile. "They are meant to be taught to disciples, so naturally the trials aren't too hard."

"But this is too simple. The trials on the seventh and eighth floors of the Immortal Palace are harder than this," Ji Ning said helplessly.

"The trial for Candle Dragon's Eye is indeed simple," Jidian said. "But Candle Dragon died long ago. After his death, this great divine ability, Candle Dragon's Eye, is known to several Patriarchs in the Three Realms. That's one reason. Second, this ability is best suited for divine demons like Candle Dragon. As for other beings, no one has yet been reported to have cultivated it to the level Candle Dragon once reached."

Ji Ning understood.

First, it was hard to cultivate; second, many Patriarchs knew it, so the trial was simple.

"This is the easiest trial," Jidian said. "Junior apprentice-brother, look more carefully. Some of these are truly supreme, even unique in the Three Realms."

Ji Ning immediately looked more closely.

Soon…

A manual appeared before Ji Ning's eyes. The four characters on it made his pupils contract: Houyi's Archery.

"Houyi?" Ji Ning had certainly heard of this great figure. He picked up the manual Houyi's Archery and began flipping through it.

The name was ordinary, but Houyi's Archery was indeed a great divine ability!

Moreover, it was a greater divine ability than Candle Dragon's Eye.

"Since Pangu created heaven and earth, this great divine ability ranks in the top ten," Jidian said. "It was created by the true god Houyi, his reliance when he roamed the ancient world. But its trial is the hardest in the entire Three Realms Palace!"

"Master actually has Houyi's great divine ability?" Ji Ning was astonished.

Ranked in the top ten!

Wasn't that on the same level as Star Picking Hand? Even Master Patriarch Subhuti couldn't create such an ability.

"The trial is truly hard." Ji Ning frowned as he flipped through it. Indeed, the trial might be the hardest among the nineteen methods in the Three Realms Palace. He continued reading the abridged content. "Houyi's Archery… so that's how it is…"

Ji Ning understood at a glance.

Houyi's Archery and Star Picking Hand were both among the top ten great divine abilities in the Three Realms today.

But they were completely different.

Star Picking Hand purely refined the hands to be more terrifying than magic treasures. At the second turn, it could rival immortal-grade treasures; at the third turn, it could rival pure Yang treasures. The power of Star Picking Hand was astonishing! Its explosive force was also incredible.

But Houyi's Archery was a technical style!

Just like the Wind Wing Evasion was a technical style, it required insight and contemplation. Although it also involved subtle applications of divine power, it was indeed technical. Even qi-refining immortals could execute Houyi's Archery as long as they grasped its mysteries.

"Star Picking Hand is easy—just refine the five elements essence, and my hands will become increasingly terrifying. Eventually, plucking stars with one hand will be trivial," Ji Ning thought. "But Houyi's Archery requires enlightenment!"

Completely different schools.

This made Houyi's Archery extremely difficult to comprehend. So far, only the great figure Houyi had relied on it to roam the ancient world; no other being was known to have mastered this ability.

"Don't bother looking," Jidian shook his head. "Several of Master's disciples have obtained this archery technique, but at best they have a rough understanding. None have reached Houyi's level from ancient times. First look at other methods… later, when you have time, you can learn Houyi's Archery."

"Mm." Ji Ning nodded.

Regardless, just the fact that this archery technique ranked in the top ten since Pangu created heaven and earth meant he had to learn it!

But there was no rush.

Ji Ning then began looking at other methods. Suddenly, another method caught his eye. On this book were four large characters: Eight Nine Mystic Art.

……