“I have here thirty six Spirit Cleaving Knives[ (破魂刀) “Break/Split/Destroy Spirit Knife”]. You and I will each have eighteen. Later I will have grandpa shake a tree twenty metres away, making the leaves fall. You and I will act at the same time, throwing Spirit Cleaving Knives. The one piercing the most tree leaves wins. But no matter how many leaves are hit, the Spirit Cleaving Knife has to in the end stick in the tree trunk, Spirit Cleaving Knives that don’t hit the tree don’t count in the final score.”
Meng Yiran confidently declared her method of competition, after she finished speaking the last sentence, she discovered the Shrek Academy group before her had become somewhat strange.
Motionless Bright King stared at her wide eyed, blinking incessantly.
The two pupils in Evil Eye White Tiger Dai Mubai’s Evil Eyes actually momentarily became a single pupil.
Oscar used his hand to cover his wide open mouth.
Ma Hongjun staggered, almost falling on the ground.
The chill on ice cold Zhu Zhuqing’s pretty face retreated, leaving only a stunned expression.
Ning Rongrong giggled, laughing out loud.
But Tang San face to face with Meng Yiran, on his face was an expression like a smile yet not a smile. Since Xiao Wu was snatched by the Titan Giant Ape, this was still the first time his expression had relaxed, even turning his wrist, returning the Godly Zhuge Crossbow to Twenty Four Moonlit Bridges at his waist.
“Are you all fools? Or don’t you dare take up the challenge?”
Meng Yiran seeing the expressions of everyone on the Shrek Academy side, with a kind of mocking feeling, immediately angrily said to her opponent.
Oscar used his hand to close his wide open mouth, resisting laughter saying:
“How couldn’t we accept the challenge? Your competition method is very good, truly very good.”
Right now he was already thinking about where on Tang San he should make Meng Yiran kiss.
Comparing hidden weapons with a Tang Sect disciple, was indeed very good. Right now, even Zhao Wuji’s face displayed a smiling expression.
Meng Yiran naturally didn’t know what everyone was thinking, looking at Tang San,
“Aren’t you resting again, I can’t be said to bully you.”
Tang San naturally wasn’t as sly as Oscar, helplessly shaking his head, saying:
“It’s fine as long as you later don’t say I bullied you. Can we begin?”
If the contest was something else, Tang San san might truly have had to recover another moment, but Meng Yiran was proposing to compare hidden weapons with him who had cultivated Tang Sect hidden weapon secret lore inherited techniques since childhood. Let alone the spirit power he already had somewhat recovered, even if he currently didn’t have a trace of spirit power, Tang San would still believe there was no way he could lose to Meng Yiran.
Meng Yiran threw one of the cloth bags in her hands to Tang San, currently she was still brimming with confidence. Pointing at a large tree roughly twenty metres distant, saying:
“We’ll use that as a target.”
Tang San shot glanced at that tree, saying:
“Fine.”
The handles of the Spirit Cleaving Knives in the cloth bag in Meng Yiran’s hand were all tied with red silk ribbons, the ones in Tang San’s hands were all tied with blue silk. No worries of mixing them up.
Meng Yiran couldn’t see the expressions on the Shrek Academy students, but how could Meng Shu and his wife not see clearly. But what they in their hearts didn’t comprehend, was why these Shrek Academy people looked like they already held certain victory.
Meng Yiran had since childhood liked every kind of weapon, especially short weapons. These thirty six Spirit Cleaving Knives, Dragon Duke Meng Shu had after careful thought specially found someone to make for her, Meng Yiran were extremely fond of these throwing knives, frequently practicing. Within thirty metres she could hit the target one hundred percent of the time. Of course, she was only able to throw eighteen knives in a short time. Her proposed contest restrictions were just at her limit.
* * *
[1] 大丈夫敢作敢当: Roughly translated it’s “Big Husband (manly man) dare to do, dare to be.”
[2] Idiom “a new branch grows out of the knot”: side issues keep arising.
[3] Literally “Sheep Fat White Jade”, a kind of pure white jade.
[4] 2尺 = ⅔ m
[5] 3寸 = 10cm
[6] (破魂刀) “Break/Split/Destroy Spirit Knife”
Chapter 034: Limit Surpassing Man Faced Demon Spider Spirit Ring
Part 1
When previously competing against Tang San, because the two very quickly entered the phase of competing with spirit power, Meng Yirang didn’t use her Spirit Cleaving Knives, Meng Shu wasn’t convinced that Tang San who held this kind of throwing type weapon for the first time could do even more outstanding than his granddaughter.
Meng Yiran nodded to her grandpa,
“Grandpa, begin.”
Meng Shu said to Tang San:
“Are you ready?”
Tang San nodded, when competing in hidden weapons, could he still need to prepare? Of course, with his temperament, he naturally couldn’t say something like that.
Meng Yiran swiftly stuck the cloth bag to the clothes around her waist, on the back of the bag were convenient fasteners that could adhere to any texture of clothing. As she wore her cloth bag she still specially looked at Tang San, discovering Tang San was somewhat blankly holding the cloth bag in one hand, appearing like he couldn’t at all use throwing type hidden weapons. Seeing this scene, Meng Yiran found it hard not to be a little pleased with herself.
Dragon Duke Meng Shu acted, not taking a step himself, but making a casual throw, throwing out the four metres long Dragon Head Cane in his hand.
A loud and clear dragon’s cry rose from the Dragon Cane head, the silver cane like it turned into a living silver dragon, swiftly struck the big tree twenty metres away.
With a muffled peng sound, the strength Meng Shu used was perfect, sufficient to display a shaking force, without injuring the tree itself, the leaves falling like rain.
With a charming shout, Meng Yiran used both hands simultaneously, one by one throwing out a succession of cold swift lights from the cloth bag, her motions could also be considered nimble, in one breath the eighteen Spirit Cleaving Knives had all been thrown.
Perhaps it was because her heart was brimming with fury at Tang San, thereby exciting her mood, Meng Yiran clearly sensed that throwing her Spirit Cleaving Knives today felt unusually good. She was certain that each of her Spirit Cleaving Knives had accurately hit the target, some even piercing two leaves.
Meng Yiran’s attention was focused on completing throwing her throwing knives, but Meng Shu after using the Dragon Head Cane, let his gaze fall on Tang San. His Dragon Head Cane was a Tool Spirit, after getting rid of it he only had to rely on spirit power to retrieve it, no need for painstaking control. He wanted to see whether this youngster called Tang San could once again provide him some amazement.
Under Meng Shu’s gaze, Tang San’s actions greatly puzzled the Unrivalled Dragon Serpent husband and wife. When the Dragon Head Cane struck, he at once already turned around.
But instead of turning towards that target tree, he rather had back to it. At the same time as Meng Yiran acted, Tang San moved the cloth bag in his hand. The entire cloth bag in his right hand unfolded in a flash, immediately following, the cloth bag quickly shook.
Eighteen cold lights practically simultaneously left their original positions.
Meng Yiran’s Spirit Cleaving Knives naturally shot out straight ahead, but Meng Shu clearly saw that the Spirit Cleaving Knives Tang San threw unexpectedly travelled in an arc.
Throwing one throwing knife in an arcing pattern already required superior skill and technique, but Tang San without even using his hands to directly control them, only throwing them by the cloth bag, gave all the Spirit Cleaving Knives this
kind of effect.
Even as a Spirit Douluo Meng Shu couldn’t help but be gobsmacked, looking carefully in the direction Tang San’s Spirit Cleaving Knives were flying.
A duoduo sound erupted, the concentrated sound of the short blades piercing the tree trunk. The tree leaves gradually drifting down, the contest had already ended.
Meng Yiran turned her head to look at Tang San, just in time to see Tang San turn back, she couldn’t help but somewhat startled and angrily saying:
“You won’t shoot?”
Tang San shook the empty cloth bag in his hand, saying:
“I already did.”
The moment Meng Yiran looked distracted, the Unrivalled Dragon Serpent husband and wife already reached her side. Meng Shu sighed, saying:
“Brilliant skill. Yiran, you lost.”
Meng Yiran failing to understand the reason why looked at her grandpa, Meng Shu shook his head towards her, saying:
“No need to see the result. We’re leaving.”
“No, I don’t believe it.”
Without first seeing it with her own eyes, how could Meng Yiran be convinced that her most expert throwing weapons skill would lose to this Tang San who already was without physical strength? Ignoring her grandparents’ obstruction, she ran like flying to that big tree. She couldn’t believe that she unexpectedly would lose.
Meng Shu sighed, muttering to himself:
“This time perhaps the blow to her won’t be small. However, letting her understand that there are people beyond people, heavens beyond heaven[ Idiom: There’s always someone better than you.] principle, that’s also no harm.”
Reaching the foot of the tree, Meng Yiran first of all looked at the throwing knives she had thrown. Just like what she had estimated, the eighteen throwing knives were completely stuck on the tree trunk, moreover within a small area. On each Spirit Cleaving Knife was at least one tree leaf, at most even three.
Compared to her ordinary level it was still somewhat better.
But, as Meng Yiran’s gaze moved up, looking for those Spirit Cleaving Knives with the blue silk ribbons, her entire person dulled.
Eighteen blue silk ribboned Spirit Cleaving Knives were neatly stuck on the tree trunk in three rows, each a row of six, just right to form the character 三[ “Three”, which is also the san in Tang San.].
Each Spirit Cleaving Knife pierced a stack of tree leaves, even to the extent that the knife blades entered the tree with the exact same depth. Compared to Meng Yiran’s eighteen unevenly stuck Spirit Cleaving Knives, this contrast was just too clear.
Meng Shu’s voice reached Meng Yiran’s ears,
“Girl, concede. Tang San’s skill is something even I am unable to accomplish. Throwing at the same time, hitting the tree at the same time, even only making a single sound, with each Spirit Cleaving Knife piercing ten tree leaves or more. Furthermore, when throwing he completely had his back turned, without using his eyes to see. Skill like this can only be described as brilliant.”
Meng Yiran slowly turned around, looking at her grandpa, although her gaze was no longer dull, her entire person looked like she had lost her spirit. Without even her Spirit Cleaving Knives, she walked back to her grandparents step by step.
Just like what Meng Shu said, being beaten in her most expert capability actually was too great a blow to Meng Yiran.
Within three days, losing to Tang San twice in succession, moreover one loss more wretched than the other, being robbed of two spirit beasts. The confidence she’d always had was beaten bruised and bloody by Tang San.
Tang San strode forward several steps, palm swiping at his waist, a steel needle spraying out, completely hitting loose the Spirit Cleaving Knives on the tree, the steel needle also returning to his hand with the following trajectory, the Spirit Cleaving Knives were also collected one by one in his hand using the cloth bag to bundle them up.
Finishing this, Tang San with quick steps caught up before Meng Yiran,
“Miss Meng, your Spirit Cleaving Knives.”
Meng Yiran raised her head to look at him, right now, her beautiful mien appeared somewhat pale,
“Are you making fun of me?”
Tang San shook his head, saying:
“No. In fact you need not feel sad. I’ve practiced hidden weapons since I was three, although I am still only twelve this year, I’ve already practiced for a full nine years. When just now using hidden weapons it was was already at my full strength. That was the most exquisite skill I’m currently capable of using.”
“Hidden weapons?”
Some of Meng Yiran’s interest was piqued by this brand new term.
Tang San handed over the Spirit Cleaving Knives into her hands,
“Weapons used stealthily to display their effect, I call it hidden weapons. Hidden weapons shouldn’t be used for contests, but is a method to unexpectedly reach victory by catching the opponent off guard.”
When Meng Yiran proposed to compete with him in hidden weapons, Tang San apart from not knowing whether to laugh or cry, still had a kind of amiable feeling. After all, since coming to this world this was the first time another person had appeared to be using hidden weapons. Again recalling that ever since meeting this girl older than him, although really hadn’t been deliberate, he had still caused her a lot of trouble. Robbing her of two useful spirit rings, in his heart he still somewhat regretted it. Right now the situation was already set, but he couldn’t help tell Meng Yiran’s a few things. He didn’t hope for Meng Yiran to give up cultivating hidden weapons from now on because of the blow today.
Meng Yiran’s big eyes blinked, saying:
“Then why are you able to use hidden weapons to that kind of degree?”
Tang San said:
“Practicing hidden weapons still requires a certain method. Actually, this kind of throwing knife doesn’t suit you. For you, its volume is somewhat too large and its weight is also somewhat high. I think that if you switched to throwing needles, it would be even more effective. Just like this.”
While speaking, he raised his hand to swipe across a jade stone on Twenty Four Moonlit Bridges, a Penetrating Bone Needle as long as five cun[ 5寸 = 16.7 cm] already appeared in the palm of his hand.
Tang San handed over the Penetrating Bone Needle to Meng Yiran, saying:
“This is a kind of needle I call Penetrating Bone Needle, five cun long, front slender and back thick, the weight doesn’t reach a fifth of your throwing knives, but they should still be able to reach extremely far, with powerful penetration. Because the bulk is small, they’re very easy to carry. Although this time was a coincidence, I’ve twice destroyed your chances to obtain a spirit beast. If you want, I can tell you about a kind of method for cultivating hidden weapons. When you go back you can try it it once, it should be a good deal better than just practicing.”
Meng Yiran looked blank,
“You would teach me?”
She still clearly remembered that previously grandpa still said he would remove one arm. As she raised her head to look at Tang San, she discovered Tang San’s gaze was extremely clear, without any impurity. He clearly really wasn’t false.
Tang San said:
“The path of hidden weapons is equally broad and deep, do you want to learn?”
Meng Yiran subconsciously nodded.
Tang San smiled slightly, saying:
“Just now I wasn’t using my eyes but was still able to take aim, this is employing a kind of hidden weapon basic skill. It’s called Sound Localization[ (听声辨位) “Hearing Sound Distinguishing Location”]. Relying on hearing to distinguish the target’s location. Under bad lighting or perhaps unsuitable circumstances, unable to see the target’s precise location with the eyes, hearing can give extremely important results. Practicing good Sound Localization, when shooting your hidden weapons you will not have any blind spot, and also possess even more covert nature.
Sound Localization was a basic hidden weapons exercise, not considered some secret. Immediately
, Tang San didn’t care about the Unrivalled Dragon Serpent husband and wife to the side, simply explaining this kind of exercise. Furthermore explaining a bit about the methods of practicing hidden weapons.
Just as he began, Meng Yiran still held some grudges in her heart, but as Tang San spoke, she nodded again and again, and in less than a cup of tea’s worth of time, Tang San’s words gave her an all new awareness of the world of hidden weapons.
Part 2
“...... you can practice these. The effect of hidden weapons assisting you is already very big.”
Tang San used the briefest words to finish his explanation to Meng Yiran, he wasn’t valuing the broom as his own[ Idiom: Having sentimental attachment.], and was anxious to absorb the Man Faced Demon Spider spirit ring to go look for Xiao Wu.
By now his physical strength and spirit power had both recovered a while, he felt he should be able to absorb the spirit ring.
Dragon Duke and Serpent Grandmother all along stood to the side watching Tang San teach Meng Yiran without interrupting. Originally Dragon Duke had a somewhat gloomy expression due to what Zhao Wuji said, but right now on his face already hung a smile.
Meng Yiran gave Tang San a deep look,
“I won’t thank you.”
Tang San smiled faintly,
“I didn’t hope for it.”
Giggling, Meng Yiran laughed, she was very beautiful, and this time immediately changed like thawed by a spring wind,
“You’re only twelve? Indeed precocious. Come. Let big sister kiss you.”
While speaking, she suddenly moved closer to kiss Tang San on the cheek.
Tang San clearly had not anticipated Meng Yiran would “sneak attack” him, only feeling a burst of warmth on his face, for a moment not only his face blushed, even his ears were rendered scarlet.
Meng Yiran seeing his embarrassed appearance felt very carefree, firmly saying:
“You can’t have strange ideas, this was my bet with you. ‘If you agree to a bet you must accept to lose’, I wouldn’t refuse to acknowledge it. Well, we’re leaving. You also hurry and absorb that spirit ring, if I come across you stirring up trouble again next time I’m hunting a spirit beast, humph humph.”
Douluo Dalu - Volume 05 - Star Dou Forest Page 10
