Chapter 310
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Chapter 310
There was absolutely no need for Anton to get a new bow. He had a perfectly serviceable bow suited for someone at Essence Collection, and even the old bone bow that was slightly less of a pain to use now, but inefficient. He didnt need another bow, especially not one that was basically two or three swords strapped together, depending on whether you counted the razor-sharp string as another one.
He didnt need another one, but he just had to know if it was any good as a weapon. Since the easiest way to test it out was to take the trial, that was what he did. He was allowed to take some practice shots at the empty desert while they set up. There were several important factors at play.
First, only the center grip of the bow wasnt sharp. That one was fairly obvious, but it was still important to remember. The string itself was razor thin, which at first made him treat it delicately- but then he realized it simply wasnt using excess materials. Whatever sort of metal it was made out of was many times stronger than the black steel string of his first cultivator bow. That didnt mean it needed to be so thin, but perhaps it lost its spring or the draw weight wouldnt match the rest of the weapon if it was thicker. Or the creator of the bow simply wanted another cutting surface, like the two blades that made up the majority of the bow shaft werent enough.
There was no information about the bows origin. Million Sword Vault had simply obtained it in some conflict long in the past. Apparently some had tried to use it as a sword, but it didnt hold its shape well unless it was strung, and that got in the way of more traditional sword techniques.
As for actually firing the bow, Anton ran into a couple of problems that almost caused him to fail the trial before it started. His first arrow managed to pull back the string just a little bit, before it was sliced apart and the string snapped forward. The second he focused too much on durability of the arrow and not his aim. On the third attempt, he actually got an arrow to go where he wanted, but he could tell that the difference in power would be rather fiddly based on exact draw length.
The administrator of Antons test was another elder, separate from the one guarding the vaults. Elder Wardah returned to Anton shortly after he was just getting used to firing the bow. The trial is ready. Any further shots will be counted against it. Come with me.
She walked ahead of him, the swirling sands making vision pretty much impossible. The windiness of the area around Million Sword Vault seemed to be another reason it could stay hidden, though Anton suspected that a portion of it was simply killing whoever they didnt want to know. He now knew they were a reasonable sect by some definitions, but it had likely been foolish to approach, even in pursuit of a friend.
Elder Wardah brought Anton to a seemingly random point. Here, she said, pointing to the ground. You must seek the target.
Is there a time limit? Anton asked. He got no answer. Well, it probably didnt matter. He stood in the spot she indicated and spread out his senses. What he was looking for was anything that wasnt sand. Then he found it, close to five kilometers away as indicated. He knew it was one of the targets, because that wasnt part of the test, though other unspoken factors could be. He took a deep breath, the coverings over his mouth and face keeping the sand away as he did so. He drew back the string while forming a Spirit Arrow and fired. His consciousness traveled through the mirrored sands until he struck the target, right in the middle of the bullseye. Done, Anton said.
Wait here, Elder Wardah said. She wandered off towards the target, picking it up, then returned. Another. This way.
So they went to another, Anton keeping his senses mostly constrained to where they were in case finding the targets ahead of time was some violation. He didnt think the Million Sword Vault intended to fail him from something he didnt know, but they likely had some assumptions about how things should work that he wasnt familiar with. After the second target, she looked somewhat disappointed. Anton wasnt sure why, as it had only taken him a short time to find the target and hit the bullseye. Even by Grand Elder Kseniyas high standards, he didnt think there was much improvement to be made at his current cultivation level.
Anton found himself beginning to fatigue simply from remaining out in the desert heat. There was a not insignificant distance between each point, and Anton wasnt sure he could find his way back to the Million Sword Vault after wandering through so much featureless swirling sand. They arrived at the location of the third target- or rather once more five kilometers away from it.
Target is that way, Elder Wardah pointed.
Immediately Antons senses stretched out the five thousand meters, finding the target. But instead of shooting, he hesitated. She hadnt pointed out the other ones. He spread his senses, looking further. There was nothing else in that direction, but he searched around to the sides and behind himself. There it was, the same distance in the opposite direction. It wouldnt be a problem to shoot it but he had the feeling there was something important.
Is it one shot per target, or one shot per location? Anton asked. Once more, Elder Wardah remained silent, letting him draw his own conclusions. Well, he could theoretically take the trial again or just give up. He didnt need another bow, and so far it was just appearing to be a rather difficult to shoot oddity, not something exceptional.
Look here, Chikere spun a sword almost uncomfortably close to Antons face. My new second best weapon!
I still say it seems kind of rude to call it that, Hoyt said from nearby.
Why? Chikere said. Thats what it is. Its very good, but not the best one I have.
I do agree with him, Anton pointed out. Many of these disciples would be very envious of that sword, and yet you have another.
But I have tons of swords, Chikere pointed out. And I use all of the best ones. Its not like its going to be collecting rust. And they all had the opportunity to complete that trial before I got here.
That wont stop jealousy, Anton pointed out. Even though he said that, it seemed the attitude towards Chikere of most of the disciples- and all of the Elders that Anton had seen- was quite positive. Whether it was due to very briefly being Swordmaster Rahayus disciple or simply because Chikere was Chikere he wasnt quite sure, but she fit in with them.
One of the disciples approached. Aspiring Swordmaster Chikere, I humbly request a spar.
Sorry, she said. Schedule is full.
Oh, I had heard there might be one more position.
There was, Chikere admitted. But now Antons in that spot.
Having not heard of that, Anton raised an eyebrow. Am I?
Of course. You cant carry around a sword and not expect me to want to fight you! Chikeres eyes twinkled.
So. It seemed they were on opposite sides of the sword-bow divide with regards to Antons new weapon. Or perhaps it was simply that it was both, though Anton had no real plans to use it as a melee weapon if he could help it. He would still train for it anyway, because obviously if all battles went to plan hed instantly kill his opponents with a single arrow.
I suppose that could be good for both of us, Anton admitted.
He didnt think much of his chances of winning such a spar, given that Chikere had a few extra years of training that still kept a gap in cultivation between them. However, it had been quite some time since theyd had a serious match, and he could learn a lot from it. If nothing else, he would get some practice not dying against fifteen or so swords attacking simultaneously. He just needed to make sure neither of them got any injuries that would take months to recover from, because they had a goal to get to.
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Chapter 310
There was absolutely no need for Anton to get a new bow. He had a perfectly serviceable bow suited for someone at Essence Collection, and even the old bone bow that was slightly less of a pain to use now, but inefficient. He didnt need another bow, especially not one that was basically two or three swords strapped together, depending on whether you counted the razor-sharp string as another one.
He didnt need another one, but he just had to know if it was any good as a weapon. Since the easiest way to test it out was to take the trial, that was what he did. He was allowed to take some practice shots at the empty desert while they set up. There were several important factors at play.
First, only the center grip of the bow wasnt sharp. That one was fairly obvious, but it was still important to remember. The string itself was razor thin, which at first made him treat it delicately- but then he realized it simply wasnt using excess materials. Whatever sort of metal it was made out of was many times stronger than the black steel string of his first cultivator bow. That didnt mean it needed to be so thin, but perhaps it lost its spring or the draw weight wouldnt match the rest of the weapon if it was thicker. Or the creator of the bow simply wanted another cutting surface, like the two blades that made up the majority of the bow shaft werent enough.
There was no information about the bows origin. Million Sword Vault had simply obtained it in some conflict long in the past. Apparently some had tried to use it as a sword, but it didnt hold its shape well unless it was strung, and that got in the way of more traditional sword techniques.
As for actually firing the bow, Anton ran into a couple of problems that almost caused him to fail the trial before it started. His first arrow managed to pull back the string just a little bit, before it was sliced apart and the string snapped forward. The second he focused too much on durability of the arrow and not his aim. On the third attempt, he actually got an arrow to go where he wanted, but he could tell that the difference in power would be rather fiddly based on exact draw length.
The administrator of Antons test was another elder, separate from the one guarding the vaults. Elder Wardah returned to Anton shortly after he was just getting used to firing the bow. The trial is ready. Any further shots will be counted against it. Come with me.
She walked ahead of him, the swirling sands making vision pretty much impossible. The windiness of the area around Million Sword Vault seemed to be another reason it could stay hidden, though Anton suspected that a portion of it was simply killing whoever they didnt want to know. He now knew they were a reasonable sect by some definitions, but it had likely been foolish to approach, even in pursuit of a friend.
Elder Wardah brought Anton to a seemingly random point. Here, she said, pointing to the ground. You must seek the target.
Is there a time limit? Anton asked. He got no answer. Well, it probably didnt matter. He stood in the spot she indicated and spread out his senses. What he was looking for was anything that wasnt sand. Then he found it, close to five kilometers away as indicated. He knew it was one of the targets, because that wasnt part of the test, though other unspoken factors could be. He took a deep breath, the coverings over his mouth and face keeping the sand away as he did so. He drew back the string while forming a Spirit Arrow and fired. His consciousness traveled through the mirrored sands until he struck the target, right in the middle of the bullseye. Done, Anton said.
Wait here, Elder Wardah said. She wandered off towards the target, picking it up, then returned. Another. This way.
So they went to another, Anton keeping his senses mostly constrained to where they were in case finding the targets ahead of time was some violation. He didnt think the Million Sword Vault intended to fail him from something he didnt know, but they likely had some assumptions about how things should work that he wasnt familiar with. After the second target, she looked somewhat disappointed. Anton wasnt sure why, as it had only taken him a short time to find the target and hit the bullseye. Even by Grand Elder Kseniyas high standards, he didnt think there was much improvement to be made at his current cultivation level.
Anton found himself beginning to fatigue simply from remaining out in the desert heat. There was a not insignificant distance between each point, and Anton wasnt sure he could find his way back to the Million Sword Vault after wandering through so much featureless swirling sand. They arrived at the location of the third target- or rather once more five kilometers away from it.
Target is that way, Elder Wardah pointed.
Immediately Antons senses stretched out the five thousand meters, finding the target. But instead of shooting, he hesitated. She hadnt pointed out the other ones. He spread his senses, looking further. There was nothing else in that direction, but he searched around to the sides and behind himself. There it was, the same distance in the opposite direction. It wouldnt be a problem to shoot it but he had the feeling there was something important.
Is it one shot per target, or one shot per location? Anton asked. Once more, Elder Wardah remained silent, letting him draw his own conclusions. Well, he could theoretically take the trial again or just give up. He didnt need another bow, and so far it was just appearing to be a rather difficult to shoot oddity, not something exceptional.
Look here, Chikere spun a sword almost uncomfortably close to Antons face. My new second best weapon!
I still say it seems kind of rude to call it that, Hoyt said from nearby.
Why? Chikere said. Thats what it is. Its very good, but not the best one I have.
I do agree with him, Anton pointed out. Many of these disciples would be very envious of that sword, and yet you have another.
But I have tons of swords, Chikere pointed out. And I use all of the best ones. Its not like its going to be collecting rust. And they all had the opportunity to complete that trial before I got here.
That wont stop jealousy, Anton pointed out. Even though he said that, it seemed the attitude towards Chikere of most of the disciples- and all of the Elders that Anton had seen- was quite positive. Whether it was due to very briefly being Swordmaster Rahayus disciple or simply because Chikere was Chikere he wasnt quite sure, but she fit in with them.
One of the disciples approached. Aspiring Swordmaster Chikere, I humbly request a spar.
Sorry, she said. Schedule is full.
Oh, I had heard there might be one more position.
There was, Chikere admitted. But now Antons in that spot.
Having not heard of that, Anton raised an eyebrow. Am I?
Of course. You cant carry around a sword and not expect me to want to fight you! Chikeres eyes twinkled.
So. It seemed they were on opposite sides of the sword-bow divide with regards to Antons new weapon. Or perhaps it was simply that it was both, though Anton had no real plans to use it as a melee weapon if he could help it. He would still train for it anyway, because obviously if all battles went to plan hed instantly kill his opponents with a single arrow.
I suppose that could be good for both of us, Anton admitted.
He didnt think much of his chances of winning such a spar, given that Chikere had a few extra years of training that still kept a gap in cultivation between them. However, it had been quite some time since theyd had a serious match, and he could learn a lot from it. If nothing else, he would get some practice not dying against fifteen or so swords attacking simultaneously. He just needed to make sure neither of them got any injuries that would take months to recover from, because they had a goal to get to.
Chapter 310There was absolutely no need for Anton to get a new bow. He had a perfectly serviceable bow suited for someone at Essence Collection, and even the old bone bow that was slightly less of a pain to use now, but inefficient. He didnt need another bow, especially not one that was basically two or three swords strapped together, depending on whether you counted the razor-sharp string as another one.He didnt need another one, but he just had to know if it was any good as a weapon. Since the easiest way to test it out was to take the trial, that was what he did. He was allowed to take some practice shots at the empty desert while they set up. There were several important factors at play.First, only the center grip of the bow wasnt sharp. That one was fairly obvious, but it was still important to remember. The string itself was razor thin, which at first made him treat it delicately- but then he realized it simply wasnt using excess materials. Whatever sort of metal it was made out of was many times stronger than the black steel string of his first cultivator bow. That didnt mean it needed to be so thin, but perhaps it lost its spring or the draw weight wouldnt match the rest of the weapon if it was thicker. Or the creator of the bow simply wanted another cutting surface, like the two blades that made up the majority of the bow shaft werent enough.There was no information about the bows origin. Million Sword Vault had simply obtained it in some conflict long in the past. Apparently some had tried to use it as a sword, but it didnt hold its shape well unless it was strung, and that got in the way of more traditional sword techniques. As for actually firing the bow, Anton ran into a couple of problems that almost caused him to fail the trial before it started. His first arrow managed to pull back the string just a little bit, before it was sliced apart and the string snapped forward. The second he focused too much on durability of the arrow and not his aim. On the third attempt, he actually got an arrow to go where he wanted, but he could tell that the difference in power would be rather fiddly based on exact draw length. The administrator of Antons test was another elder, separate from the one guarding the vaults. Elder Wardah returned to Anton shortly after he was just getting used to firing the bow. The trial is ready. Any further shots will be counted against it. Come with me.She walked ahead of him, the swirling sands making vision pretty much impossible. The windiness of the area around Million Sword Vault seemed to be another reason it could stay hidden, though Anton suspected that a portion of it was simply killing whoever they didnt want to know. He now knew they were a reasonable sect by some definitions, but it had likely been foolish to approach, even in pursuit of a friend.Elder Wardah brought Anton to a seemingly random point. Here, she said, pointing to the ground. You must seek the target.Is there a time limit? Anton asked. He got no answer. Well, it probably didnt matter. He stood in the spot she indicated and spread out his senses. What he was looking for was anything that wasnt sand. Then he found it, close to five kilometers away as indicated. He knew it was one of the targets, because that wasnt part of the test, though other unspoken factors could be. He took a deep breath, the coverings over his mouth and face keeping the sand away as he did so. He drew back the string while forming a Spirit Arrow and fired. His consciousness traveled through the mirrored sands until he struck the target, right in the middle of the bullseye. Done, Anton said.Wait here, Elder Wardah said. She wandered off towards the target, picking it up, then returned. Another. This way.So they went to another, Anton keeping his senses mostly constrained to where they were in case finding the targets ahead of time was some violation. He didnt think the Million Sword Vault intended to fail him from something he didnt know, but they likely had some assumptions about how things should work that he wasnt familiar with. After the second target, she looked somewhat disappointed. Anton wasnt sure why, as it had only taken him a short time to find the target and hit the bullseye. Even by Grand Elder Kseniyas high standards, he didnt think there was much improvement to be made at his current cultivation level.Anton found himself beginning to fatigue simply from remaining out in the desert heat. There was a not insignificant distance between each point, and Anton wasnt sure he could find his way back to the Million Sword Vault after wandering through so much featureless swirling sand. They arrived at the location of the third target- or rather once more five kilometers away from it. Target is that way, Elder Wardah pointed.Immediately Antons senses stretched out the five thousand meters, finding the target. But instead of shooting, he hesitated. She hadnt pointed out the other ones. He spread his senses, looking further. There was nothing else in that direction, but he searched around to the sides and behind himself. There it was, the same distance in the opposite direction. It wouldnt be a problem to shoot it but he had the feeling there was something important.Is it one shot per target, or one shot per location? Anton asked. Once more, Elder Wardah remained silent, letting him draw his own conclusions. Well, he could theoretically take the trial again or just give up. He didnt need another bow, and so far it was just appearing to be a rather difficult to shoot oddity, not something exceptional.Look here, Chikere spun a sword almost uncomfortably close to Antons face. My new second best weapon!I still say it seems kind of rude to call it that, Hoyt said from nearby.Why? Chikere said. Thats what it is. Its very good, but not the best one I have.I do agree with him, Anton pointed out. Many of these disciples would be very envious of that sword, and yet you have another.But I have tons of swords, Chikere pointed out. And I use all of the best ones. Its not like its going to be collecting rust. And they all had the opportunity to complete that trial before I got here.That wont stop jealousy, Anton pointed out. Even though he said that, it seemed the attitude towards Chikere of most of the disciples- and all of the Elders that Anton had seen- was quite positive. Whether it was due to very briefly being Swordmaster Rahayus disciple or simply because Chikere was Chikere he wasnt quite sure, but she fit in with them. One of the disciples approached. Aspiring Swordmaster Chikere, I humbly request a spar.Sorry, she said. Schedule is full.Oh, I had heard there might be one more position.There was, Chikere admitted. But now Antons in that spot.Having not heard of that, Anton raised an eyebrow. Am I?Of course. You cant carry around a sword and not expect me to want to fight you! Chikeres eyes twinkled.So. It seemed they were on opposite sides of the sword-bow divide with regards to Antons new weapon. Or perhaps it was simply that it was both, though Anton had no real plans to use it as a melee weapon if he could help it. He would still train for it anyway, because obviously if all battles went to plan hed instantly kill his opponents with a single arrow.I suppose that could be good for both of us, Anton admitted. He didnt think much of his chances of winning such a spar, given that Chikere had a few extra years of training that still kept a gap in cultivation between them. However, it had been quite some time since theyd had a serious match, and he could learn a lot from it. If nothing else, he would get some practice not dying against fifteen or so swords attacking simultaneously. He just needed to make sure neither of them got any injuries that would take months to recover from, because they had a goal to get to.
