Rise from a Low-class Family to Martial Artist-Chapter 171 - 44: Drawing the Bow and Drinking Blood—Only Great Strength Can Tame It
The man guarding the iron gate nodded upon hearing this, took out a booklet from his pocket, and wrote down Lin Chen’s name.
"According to the rules, those entering the vault must remove their clothes."
The man glanced at a small room beside the iron gate, and Lin Chen understood that he was to enter the room to undress.
"The Class C Treasure Vault mostly contains items needed for the cultivation of Viscera-Refining Martial Artists. Some seem peculiar and mysterious but are actually useless."
As Lin Chen stepped into the small room, the voice of Xu Luncai came from behind. Lin Chen was taken aback, then quickly saluted to express his gratitude; Lord Xu was providing guidance.
Choose useful items, avoid flashy ones, or those treasures even the Military Affairs Department cannot discern the purpose of.
Items that even the Military Affairs Department cannot identify are either extremely mysterious or worthless, but Lin Chen felt the latter was more likely.
Even if there is one exception out of a hundred, there’s no need to take that risk.
Unlike those students with substantial family wealth, who lack nothing good at home and can afford to gamble, it’s better for him to be pragmatic.
Once inside the small room, Lin Chen removed his clothes, put on a simple jacket hanging on the wall, and upon exiting, a soldier came to search him, confirming he wasn’t hiding anything, and then opened the iron gate.
"You have one incense stick’s worth of time; once the incense burns out, you must exit, whether you’ve selected something or not."
The martial artist guarding the treasure vault reminded Lin Chen, and a soldier entered the courtyard to light an incense stick.
Lin Chen acknowledged, his figure stepping through the iron gate, which slowly closed behind him.
...
...
Inside the courtyard, aside from the incense burner, there was nothing else. Lin Chen’s gaze fell on the door of the house directly in front of the courtyard. Without hesitation, he pushed the door open and entered.
When the door opened, several rows of shelves appeared inside, and on the first row were stacked books of secret manuals.
Martial Arts Secret Manuals?
For him, martial arts manuals were not immediately needed, unless it was the Mountain Suppressing Chart, the lower volume of the Iron Bone Skill. However, Lord Li had said the Mountain Suppressing Chart was in Huizhou Prefecture, not in Raozhou Prefecture, so the treasure vault wouldn’t have its secret manual.
His gaze moved past the first row to the second, where various bottles and jars were placed. Lin Chen walked closer, noticing labels on each container.
"Qi Gathering Pill."
"Kidney Supplement Pill"
"Heart Tempering Powder"
...
These were all good items, but Lin Chen still did not choose them, as these were meant for the Refining Viscera Realm, and he was still some distance away from that realm.
The third row held an array of peculiar items, including an ancient stone slab inscribed with mysterious symbols. Lin Chen touched it, finding it neither stone nor metal by feel.
There were also glass-like spheres with swirling water inside...
This shelf was filled with such items.
"These must be the peculiar items Lord Xu mentioned; there’s no need to gamble on them."
The fourth shelf, closest to the wall, held weapons. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚
Curious, Lin Chen picked up a long saber lying across the first slot. It was quite heavy, probably weighing about three hundred pounds, and just brushing the blade with his fingers brought a chilly sensation.
Below the slot, made of brass, was a plaque with descriptive text: "Frost Saber: Forged from Cold Iron, weighing five hundred pounds, cuts through iron like mud."
Cutting through iron like mud!
What a fine saber!
Lin Chen put the saber down and glanced at other shelves before his attention was caught by a spot of dark red light. Upon closer look, it turned out to be a bow.
This bow was no longer than two fingers, about the size of a dagger, and as Lin Chen prepared to pick it up, he felt a heaviness in his arm.
This bow is so heavy.
The brass plaque here also carried a description.
[Snake Shadow Bow: Made from the main tendon of a hundred-year-old viper soaked in medicinal wine for three years, the bow’s core fused with North Sea sunken silver, crafted by a master forger. Engage the handle’s mechanism, and the bow can fold and retract.]
Lin Chen pressed on a protrusion on the bow and with some force, the bow, just two fingers wide, extended its limbs like a snake’s bones, transforming into a three-foot-long bow.
Three folds, folding in any direction?
Lin Chen was astounded by the bow’s ingenious mechanism.
He plucked the bowstring, which did not move in the slightest.
"So stiff?"
Lin Chen took a deep breath, hooking the bowstring, and his right arm’s veins bulged before he could draw it three inches, with the bow suddenly vibrating and emitting a humming sound, reaching its limit.
Not the bowstring’s limit, but his strength’s limit.
Upon releasing, the forceful snap of the bowstring sliced a layer of skin off his fingertip, with a thin line of blood seeping out instantly.
Lin Chen stared at the still slightly quivering Snake Shadow Bow, then turned over the plaque and discovered a line on the back: Only those with natural great strength and extreme martial artists should attempt it.
This is the one!
Seeing these words, Lin Chen hesitated not at all and decided to take this bow.
He was treading the path of the Extreme Martial Artist, and this bow would cover his lack of long-range combat capability.
"It’s a pity there are no arrows here with the bow."
Holding the Snake Shadow Bow, Lin Chen didn’t bother looking at other treasures in the room and exited, noting the incense in the courtyard was halfway burnt.
"Lord, the disciple has made his choice."
Through the iron gate, Lin Chen called out, and it soon opened.
Outside, Xu Luncai and the man guarding the treasure vault stood together, their eyes immediately falling on what Lin Chen held.
Seeing the Snake Shadow Bow in Lin Chen’s hand, both displayed signs of surprise.
"Lord Xu, it appears I’ve lost."
For the first time, a smile broke across Xu Luncai’s face, and seeing Lin Chen’s perplexed expression, he explained, "I had just wagered with Lord Zhao, he bet you would pick the pills, while I believed you would choose the Snake Shadow Bow."
If not for the Snake Shadow Bow, Lin Chen might have gone for the pills, but with the bow present, any martial artist with natural great strength or those on the extreme path could not refuse its allure.
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