Tang San smiled faintly. "I call it a Sleeve Arrow—also known as a Silent Sleeve Arrow. All you need to do is activate the mechanism, and the three small bolts inside will shoot out according to your control. You can fire one at a time, or release all three in a single burst. Because it makes very little noise when activated, it's hard for opponents to detect, making it extremely effective against enemies of comparable strength."
Xiao Wu looked surprised. "We used to spar all the time—how come I never saw you use something like this?"
Tang San gave a mild smile. "Silly. We're classmates, and we're friends. How could I use a lethal weapon on you? Remember that time I hit you with a stone? Did you really think that was just a coincidence? Look—there's a mosquito over there."
Xiao Wu followed the direction of his finger. Three meters away, a mosquito was indeed buzzing through the air, barely visible in the moonlight.
"If I told you I could hit its left wing without killing it, would you believe me?"
Xiao Wu stared at him. "Are you joking?"
A faint purple gleam flashed through Tang San's eyes. His right hand shot up, and a subtle shadow swept silently through the air. The mosquito vanished without a trace.
Tang San grabbed Xiao Wu's hand. "Come with me." He led her to a large tree not far away and stopped. There was no need for Tang San to point—Xiao Wu could clearly see a three-inch steel needle embedded in the trunk, glinting under the starlight.
The needle was pinned into the wood, and something beneath it was struggling frantically.
Xiao Wu leaned in for a closer look and nearly gasped out loud. A mosquito was pinned beneath the needle. The steel shaft had pierced straight through its left wing, holding it firmly against the tree trunk—yet the mosquito was still wriggling vigorously, clearly very much alive.
"How—how did you do that?" Xiao Wu stared at Tang San in shock. If she hadn't been with him the whole time, she would have sworn it was a pre-arranged trick.
Tang San pulled the needle free. When he opened his palm again, the needle had already disappeared. "This is my secret. I call them Hidden Weapons. Even my father doesn't know about them. I just wanted you to know that I have the ability to protect my little sister."
Xiao Wu's eyes lit up at anything new and unfamiliar. She tugged excitedly at Tang San's arm. "Big brother, can you teach me?"
Tang San gave a wry smile. "With your violent tendencies, if you learned Hidden Weapons too, who knows how many people would end up suffering. Besides, mastering Hidden Weapons isn't something that happens overnight. The Sleeve Arrow I gave you is one type of Hidden Weapon—start by getting good with that first."
Learning the Tang Sect's Hidden Weapons was no easy matter. The most fundamental requirement was the Mysterious Heaven Skill as a foundation, and Xiao Wu's Soul Power was already substantial—it was impossible for her to start cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Skill from scratch. Tang San had already quietly decided that in the future, he would craft some mechanism-type Hidden Weapons to equip her with. That would be enough.
Tang San personally fitted the Sleeve Arrow onto Xiao Wu's left arm, adjusting its size so that it sat flush against her forearm when closed. Then he explained the Silent Sleeve Arrow's usage method to her in detail and had her practice a few times. Xiao Wu took to the treasure almost immediately.
While Xiao Wu went off to test-fire the Sleeve Arrow, Tang San slowly raised his head and gazed at the stars overhead. He murmured to himself, "Father, were you truly afraid that I couldn't become strong if I stayed by your side? Don't worry—I will train hard and become a real man. One day, I will make you proud."
"Tang Sect… I have been away from you for six years now, but I will always be a child of the Tang Sect. In this world of Soul Land, I will carry on everything the Tang Sect has to offer and let it shine."
His pale, jade-like hands suddenly swept outward. Countless threads of silver light shot skyward into the night, and Tang San's eyes blazed entirely purple.
……
Five years later.
The Balak Kingdom lay to the south of the Tian Dou Empire, sharing a border with Fasnuo Province. Though called a kingdom, its territory was only about three-quarters the size of Fasnuo Province. It was a vassal of the Tian Dou Empire—one of the four great kingdoms within the empire's borders. King Kundra of the Balak Kingdom was a cousin of the current Tian Dou Emperor, Okula.
The southern reaches of the Balak Kingdom bordered the Xing Luo Empire directly, which meant that among the four great kingdoms of the Tian Dou Empire, Balak possessed the strongest military force. In a sense, it served as the gateway to the Tian Dou Empire.
The Tian Dou Empire originally comprised ten provinces. Over time, with the creation of the four great kingdoms, power had fractured into six factions: the empire itself directly controlled five provinces, each of the four kingdoms held one, and there was also a duchy just below kingdom status that occupied the smallest province in the empire's east.
On the surface, the four kingdoms and that one duchy all submitted to the rule of the Tian Dou Empire. In reality, however, these five states had long since become kingdoms within a kingdom, fully autonomous in all matters save for the requisite tribute payments. If not for the Tian Dou royal family's control of a massive army, internal strife would likely have erupted long ago.
The Xing Luo Empire faced a similar situation. As a result, while both great empires appeared formidable on the outside, in truth they were each on a downward slope. No one could say when the balance of power across the entire continent might suddenly shift.
Within the Balak Kingdom, two cities held the greatest importance. One was Balak City—the capital where King Kundra resided, serving as the political and economic heart of the entire kingdom. The other was Sotuo City, located at the center of the Lema Plains, the most fertile region in the Balak Kingdom, earning it the title of the kingdom's granary.
Both cities were heavily garrisoned, forming the backbone of the kingdom's defenses.
Sotuo City was a large metropolis—something immediately evident from the fact that its Spirit Hall was a third-grade Martial Soul Main Hall.
It had just passed midday. The blazing sun beat down like fire. Through the west gate of Sotuo City, two young people walked in. They both appeared to be in their mid-teens, carrying no luggage, one male and one female.
(End of Chapter)