Apotheosis Begins with Tai Chi

The position, height, and angle of each Iron Arrow stuck in the ground were perfect.

It was a setup he had practiced countless times.

He didn’t even need to turn his head to look, plucking one up with practiced ease.

He nocked it on the bow in one fluid motion.

His arms erupted with the force of a thousand jin, and in an instant, the bow was drawn taut.

Muscles tensed and sinews hummed. The Golden Patterned Hard Bow was drawn into a full moon, its string vibrating with a low growl like that of a savage beast.

”WHOOSH—”

This second Iron Arrow shot out with a whistle, tearing through the air and leaving a visible vortex in its wake as it carved a perfect parabola through the sky.

Its trajectory was so sharp it looked as if it had been carved with a blade, every inch of it radiating killing intent.

”BANG—!”

In the next instant, a Silver Bullet tore through the air and collided with the Iron Arrow, sending both ricocheting away.

Bai Fangshuo’s brow furrowed.

He knew the opponent’s Archery was exceptional and that he was likely the inferior of the two, but he had finally managed to pinpoint his foe’s location. How could he possibly give up now?

He immediately reached for another arrow.

The third Iron Arrow was already in his hand. Nock, draw, release—the movements were a single, lightning-fast blur.

The Arrow had barely left the string when his hand was already reaching for the fourth.

It followed almost on the heels of the last.

The fourth Iron Arrow followed the trajectory of the third, separated by no more than ten feet, like two parallel vipers striking at the same patch of gloomy woods.

The objective was clear: the first Iron Arrow would deflect the Silver Bullet, and the second would kill his opponent.

It was an undeniably clever strategy.

However, he had underestimated his foe.

”BANG! BANG!”

Two explosive reports rang out almost simultaneously.

Two more Silver Bullets tore through the air, intercepting each of the two Iron Arrows.

One snapped an Iron Arrow in half, while the other struck an Arrowhead, sending that Iron Arrow flying off toward some distant, irrelevant spot.

”This…”

Bai Fangshuo’s brow knotted tightly. His slowly lowering arms had begun to tremble.

Four consecutive draws in such a short time, each with the force of a thousand jun, each an extreme strain, an extreme tearing of muscle and sinew.

Right now, his arms felt as if they were on fire, as if they were being pricked by countless needles. Aching, stabbing, tearing sensations flooded him all at once.

The muscles in his upper arms twitched, the tendons in his forearms trembled. The web of his thumb grew so weak he could barely hold the Heavy Bow steady.

”Are you okay?”

Yu An’s brow was also furrowed, his eyes filled with anxiety.

’I should take this chance to escape,’ was his first thought. ’While Bai Fangshuo is still holding him off, I can slip away.’

But after calming down and thinking it over, he didn’t dare.

’Hiding behind Bai Fangshuo, at least I have a shield.’

’But if I just run out there blindly, I’ll probably become a living target.’

”I’m fine…”

Bai Fangshuo shook his head, his gaze dropping to his still-trembling arms. He clenched his fists hard, forcing the shaking to stop.

”That man across from us has drawn his bow just as many times as I have. I’m certain he’s at his limit too… I have a Technique for soothing my muscles and bones. Let me recover for a moment, then I’ll loose the next Arrow and kill him for good!”

”Alright… We’re counting on you…”

Yu An let out another sigh of relief.

”SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!”

However, he had barely exhaled when three more sharp whistles sounded from directly ahead.

Each shot was intentionally spaced half a breath apart, its angle and trajectory slightly different from the last.

This meant that to block them, Bai Fangshuo would have to fire three Arrows in succession!

”This… How is this possible?”

Bai Fangshuo’s pupils constricted. He couldn’t understand it, couldn’t comprehend it, and certainly couldn’t believe it. ’How can that Archer not need to rest at all?’

’On what grounds!?’

’How is this even possible!?’

”WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!”

Though he was utterly shocked, Bai Fangshuo’s body didn’t dare hesitate for a second.

He loosed three Arrows in rapid succession!

Firing the first Arrow was already a struggle.

By the second Arrow, he could clearly feel his arms had reached their absolute limit.

But he didn’t dare stop.

In the next instant, he forced himself to loose the third Arrow.

He instinctively reached for the last Iron Arrow, hoping to counterattack.

Yet, the Iron Arrow stuck in the ground beside him, so clearly within reach, suddenly seemed impossibly far away.

The moment he strained with all his might and his fingers brushed the shaft, a sickening tearing sound came from the muscles in his arms and chest.

It was the sound of muscle fibers snapping one by one, of blood vessels bursting under the immense pressure.

He could clearly hear the sounds of internal bleeding.

That faint sound of fluid pooling between tissues, accompanied by a bone-deep, excruciating pain—there was no mistaking it!

”HISS—”

He sucked in a sharp, cold breath.

His constricting pupils slowly lowered.

What met his gaze was the skin over his knuckles, cracking and splitting open. The webbing of his thumbs had burst, skin and flesh curling back. Bloody gashes bloomed between his fingers, revealing the white fascia beneath.

At that moment, even though all three Silver Bullets had been intercepted, the true duel seemed to have only just begun.

The footsteps from straight ahead remained unhurried, each step still planted firmly and deliberately.

They were only getting closer.

Closer.

Suddenly.

Four sharp whistles sounded in quick succession.

In a single instant, a mist of blood erupted from Bai Fangshuo’s shoulders and the tops of both thighs.

His arms and legs were dismembered in an instant. Torn completely from his body, they were blasted into the distance amid a spray of blood and shredded flesh.

When Bai Fangshuo fell to the ground, he had been turned into a human torso.

His body lay limp, blood gushing from the stumps of his limbs, a faint white steam rising from the wounds.

The absolute agony made his eyes bulge, as if they were about to pop from their sockets. The whites were completely webbed with blood.