THUD, THUD, THUD...

There was no time to dodge the overwhelming glint of cold steel. A fierce volley of Iron Feathers, like an Arrow Rain, ripped through Jiang Qiu’s black shirt, revealing the powerful muscles beneath.

Ignoring the stinging itch on his body, Jiang Qiu drew the string of his Black Flood Dragon bow into a half-moon. The patterns on the bow connected to the Red Pearl, and it instantly lit up!

TWANG, WHOOSH—

An arrow gleaming with silver light shot up against the tide of countless Iron Feathers. With a piercing sound, it skewered an Iron Feather Bird already five hundred meters in the air. The hideous avian Demon Beast plummeted like a kite with its string cut.

[Advanced Archery Training x1]

He casually plucked another Conical Arrow from the void.

TWANG, WHOOSH—

TWANG, WHOOSH—

After the first "Arrow Rain" descended, Jiang Qiu stood his ground, shirtless, like an iron tower. One by one, the soaring Iron Feather Birds fell like shooting stars.

Sun Yongsheng and the other prodigies from the Outer City watched the magnificent scene, their thoughts screeching to a halt. ’He’s a Horizontal Training genius?!’

Rumor had it that some geniuses specialized in physical conditioning. Even though everyone used the same set of methods to temper their bodies—cultivating the Ancient Martial Spear Technique and the Circulation Qi Technique—some people truly trained in Copper Skin, Iron Flesh, Steel Bone, and even Jade Sinews!

The names for these Realms came from classic texts unearthed in certain Secret Realms, but few could actually achieve them. As a result, most people on the outside thought they were merely descriptive adjectives.

Even in the Genius Project, most participants had never actually seen such a genius...

"No wonder he just showed up in an Eighth Middle School top student’s uniform. His skin is tougher than my Armor," Sun Yongsheng muttered. He casually grabbed a Conical Arrow, nocked it, and sighed, his eyes downcast. "Time to start racking up kills..."

In a matter of moments, the other prodigies from the Outer City had nocked their arrows. Weaving through the barrage of Iron Feathers like agile tigers darting through a forest, a continuous stream of arrows shot out from between their crisscrossing figures!

All the Non-commissioned Officers and prodigies had now engaged the flock of Iron Feather Birds, and the first exchange of volleys began.

One Iron Feather Bird after another fell from the sky. They climbed to five hundred meters but still couldn’t escape being shot down. Any higher, and they wouldn’t be able to hit the enemies below, who scurried through the forest like rabbits.

TWANG, WHOOSH—

TWANG, WHOOSH—

TWANG, WHOOSH—

The sound of arrows whistling through the air had already spread from the edge of the Iron Forest, gradually pushing deeper, occasionally accompanied by the crisp clang of iron blades striking iron armor.

"SCREECH—"

Suddenly, an earth-shattering shriek swept out from deeper within the Iron Forest. The flock of Iron Feather Birds circling overhead, their numbers now reduced by nearly half, flew a thousand meters into the sky to take refuge.

Jiang Qiu let out a shallow breath of hot air and flicked away a scrap of his black shirt clinging to his shoulder. He stared into the distance at the flock of birds that blotted out the sky.

The dense swarm of Iron Feather Birds was like a cloud of flying ants after a summer downpour. The leading Cyan Feathered Bird, with a wingspan like an eagle’s, looked as if it could shred the trunk of an Iron Tree with a single swipe of its claws!

"Jiang Qiu, a Cyan Feathered Bird can easily break through the defense of Middle Level Armor! Don’t try to tank this one! You’ll be maimed, if not killed!"

Sun Yongsheng waved to Jiang Qiu again. New dents on his helmet and pauldrons glinted with a metallic sheen.

This kind of aerial Middle-Tier Demon Beast was on a completely different level from the ones on land; they were extremely difficult to deal with.

Moreover, these were Demon Beasts that lived year-round near the Secret Realm, so their physical attributes were superior to the wild, nomadic ones found elsewhere. They had to be treated with extreme caution.

Otherwise, one careless mistake and you’d be buried here!

"I know what I’m doing!"

Hearing Jiang Qiu’s impassioned shout, Sun Yongsheng’s mouth twitched. ’Like hell you do!’ he cursed inwardly.

’Have you ever even seen a Cyan Feathered Bird before?’

’That thing could tear a Red Armored Giant Lizard to shreds without batting an eye. Its Cyan Iron Feathers can slice through Advanced Armor.’

’Even if your body is a lot tougher than those of us who haven’t even perfected the Iron Flesh Realm, there’s no way it’s harder than Advanced Armor. Take a couple of hits from that, and you’ll definitely be bleeding...’

The other prodigies couldn’t help but shake their heads. "That Jiang guy has decent physical Talent, but he’s too arrogant. He’s as reckless as Yang Yu. He’ll either die young or end up crippled."

"Come to think of it, he’s a bit like Sun Yongsheng was when we first joined the Genius Project, isn’t he?"

"Shut up and nock your arrows. Wait until they’re almost within a thousand meters..."

VWOOM, WHOOSH—

Suddenly, the startling sound of a bowstring being released shattered their train of thought.

’Who the hell loosed an arrow from that far away?’

They looked toward the sound and saw Jiang Qiu not far away, his bow aimed at the sky. The bulging muscles of his back had the unique sense of power found in an Ancient Greek statue. The arrow had already left the string, becoming a black streak tearing through the air!

’Huh? How is that arrow so fast?!’

In that instant, the ten prodigies from the Outer City, including Sun Yongsheng, witnessed an arrow cross the vast expanse of the sky. Suddenly, a panicked screech echoed from the distance, and the lead Cyan Feathered Bird cried out as it tumbled from the air.

"Holy shit?!"

"Who the fuck shot that arrow? It was at least fifteen hundred meters, and it hit?!"

"I think it was one of the guys from the Outer City..."

"With Bow Technique that proficient, they could compete for the top ten. How could it be one of them?!"

The prodigies on the other side looked up and sighed, their discussions flaring up. Over here, the group of ten swallowed hard, their eyes wide as they watched Jiang Qiu casually materialize another Conical Arrow.

TWANG, WHOOSH—

Before the first Cyan Feathered Bird had even hit the ground, another one plummeted from the distant flock.

"Sun Yongsheng, I’m starting to think he can actually compete for the top ten," a prodigy from Seventh Middle School tutted, a glimmer flashing in his eyes. "A range of at least fifteen hundred meters... his proficiency with his Bow Technique is higher than all ten of us, even higher than most from the Inner City."

"And his firing rate is almost as fast as Yang Yu’s. To support that kind of high-frequency power output, even if he hasn’t perfected the Iron Flesh Realm, he must be close, right?"

"Yeah... His kill count is already in the top ten!" another prodigy from Sixth Middle School said, stunned, after checking his Recording Ring. "Is he... is he actually going for first place...?"

"First place? Fat chance! I have to admit, he’s way more badass than me, and he’s definitely giving it his all. But Yang Yu has reached Mastery in the Archery Dao, is a genuine Steel Bone Realm cultivator, and is ferocious as hell. Who can possibly surpass his kill count?"

A prodigy from First Middle School spat on the ground, drew his bow, and his eyes burned like fire. "Stop your damn yapping! They’re almost in our range. Let’s try to kill a few Cyan Feathered Birds. If we can’t make the top ten, we’ll aim for the top fifty, or even the top thirty!"

"This is the last major test of the Genius Project. Don’t slack off like that guy Sun Yongsheng!"

Soon, one arrow after another soared into the sky.

But the sky-blotting flock of birds flapped their wings, and a torrential "Arrow Rain" descended. Mixed within it were several Cyan Feathers the size of blades, which sliced through an Iron Tree with a sharp RIP!

CRACKLE—CRASH—

A series of hail-like explosions shattered the night. The Iron Forest creaked and groaned as dozens of tall Iron Trees fell behind the Black Armored figures who darted about like a wolf pack.

[Advanced Archery Training x1]

[Advanced Archery Training x1]

[...]

[Ancient Martial Arrow (Proficient)]

[995/1000]

The SWISH-SWISH-SWISH of the falling rain of feathers chased at Jiang Qiu’s heels. He ran and shot at the same time, a few Cyan Feathers occasionally grazing the skin on his arms and torso, leaving shallow cuts.

Suddenly, a sense of heart-stopping dread washed over him, and in that instant, he instinctively jerked his head aside.

A flash of purple light streaked past his eyes. A chill grazed the bridge of his nose, like a raindrop landing on its tip.

In that moment, an icy chill shot up his spine, and his heart stopped.

From the depths of the Iron Forest, a rough, impassioned shout suddenly echoed through the heavens and the earth: "The One-eyed Owl has appeared!"

"All Genius Project participants, temporarily withdraw from the Iron Forest! All Senior Non-commissioned Officers, charge with me!"