3: Chapter 3 Silent Pilgrimage Archery! Advanced Skill!

Rowan felt the 3500 attribute points dissolve within the panel.

Two torrents of vastly different natures slammed into his body and soul.

First was the [Myriad Furnace Breathing Technique], which currently possessed only one trait: [Frost].

He felt a cold, stinging pain erupt from deep within his heart, spreading to his limbs and bones in an instant.

It felt as if he had been pushed naked into an icy lake in the dead of winter, every inch of his skin tightening in agony.

Then, guided by some powerful law, his body was forcibly tempered and reorganized.

A faint "crack" sound emanated from the depths of his bone marrow, like ice crystals growing to construct tougher bones.

The flow of his blood seemed to carry a biting chill.

With every breath, he could seemingly see the thin magic elements in the air being naturally drawn and absorbed.

A sense of solid, strictly ordered power took root in his body; this was an ascension originating from the essence of life.

The barrier that blocked countless people from advancing from "Apprentice Knight" to "Official Knight" was easily broken.

A "Life Seed" naturally condensed.

In his field of vision, everything in the world became completely different.

Next was [Silent Pilgrimage Archery].

It did not act upon his muscles or viscera; instead, it was carved directly into his muscle memory and cognitive perception.

A vast amount of knowledge and experience regarding archery transformed into countless specks of light, branded directly into the depths of his consciousness.

His fingers twitched uncontrollably. A buzzing sound filled his ears, then faded into a strange tranquility.

In this silent perception, the trajectory of wind-blown fallen leaves became unusually clear.

This was not a surge of power, but the perfection of a skill.

[Detected: Silent Pilgrimage Archery promoted to Lv3]

[Unlocked advanced arrow skills...]

Northwind Arrow Rain: A parabolic shot where ice crystal arrows split multiple times in mid-air, covering the area in a rain of arrows.

Frostbridge Consecutive Shots: Continuous shooting where arrows are connected by Frost in flight; multiple hits strengthen penetration.

Silent Funeral: An extremely cold arrow where the air around its trajectory reflects light in a special way, causing it to vanish from sight.

Winter Veil Canopy: Shoot ice crystal arrows into the sky to detonate at high altitude, forming a vast cold zone.

"Ugh—!"

Rowan groaned, his body trembling slightly as a layer of cold sweat involuntarily oozed from his skin.

After a few breaths, all the visions and pain receded like an illusion, and he slowly opened his eyes.

Deep within his pupils, cold stars and arrow shadows seemed to flash and vanish.

The breath he exhaled gently left a short, clear trace of Frost in the air before him.

Without hesitation, Rowan reached out and drew three arrows from his quiver at once.

The movement was so smooth, it seemed as if he had practiced it thousands of times.

He parted his feet slightly, turned his body, and nocked the arrows.

The Myriad Furnace Breathing Technique operated on its own, and cold, surging power poured into his arms.

The recurve bow left by his father was pulled steady.

The bowstring was like a full moon.

The world slowed down in his eyes, or rather, his perception had quickened.

The knight leader carrying the axe had a small gap of wear at the junction of his breastplate and shoulder armor.

Although the area of exposed skin was small, it shone as bright as a bullseye to his Silent Pilgrimage Archery perception.

The warhorse beneath him reared slightly due to its master's arrogance, exposing a momentary gap in his chest defense...

"Boom—boom—boom—!"

The bowstring vibrated three times in rapid succession, the sounds nearly merging into one long, trembling note.

Three arrows fired in succession!

Frostbridge Consecutive Shots!

The three arrows were not fired simultaneously, but with tiny intervals invisible to the naked eye, they left the string one after another!

On the arrow shafts, pale blue Frost magic was guided by special techniques, leaving three flickering Frost trails.

These three Frost trails were faintly connected, as if building a fleeting ice bridge in the air.

The arrows pierced the air with an unusually low sound.

"Poof!" "Puchi!" "Crack!"

The first arrow drilled precisely into the gap in the armor on the side of the knight leader's neck, which had opened slightly due to his laughter.

The cold arrowhead sank in, leaving only the arrow feathers trembling outside.

The leader's wild laughter stopped abruptly, but the Official Knight's protective battle qi prevented the arrowhead from penetrating deeper.

The second arrow followed almost the exact trajectory of the first, striking its tail.

Under the amplification of the Frostbridge, the penetration of this arrow was slightly improved; it pierced deep into his chest cavity, with extreme cold invading his heart and lungs.

The third arrow followed, striking the tail of the second with even greater force!

It was not to push deeper, but...

"Bang!"

The shaft of the first arrow exploded violently inside the opponent's body!

Fine ice shards mixed with wood chips instantly froze everything in his chest cavity into ice slag.

The knight leader screamed, and the light in his eyes faded completely.

His huge body swayed.

The battle axe in his hand fell to the ground with a clang.

Then, he fell backward from his horse like a giant tree being felled, crashing onto the ground.

There was no blood spurting from the wound, only a pale white color mixed with dark red ice crystals.

All this happened in a flash.

The grinning faces of the other four wandering knights instantly turned to astonishment.

"Hiss—" A collective gasp went through the field.

"What kind of archery is that?!"

"Three arrows... in a straight line?!"

"Magic arrow! It's a magic arrow!"

"The boss is dead!"

Terrified shouts replaced arrogant curses.

When they saw the figure standing with a bow on the city wall, the opponent still seemed to be surrounded by unscattered ice mist.

A thought that chilled them to the bone emerged.

"A-an Official Knight?!" A young wandering knight's voice was sharp, filled with incredulous fear.

"Run! Run away! The boss has been killed! The other side has an Official Knight too!"

The collapse was instantaneous.

The remaining four wandering Apprentice Knights, facing an existence suspected to be an Official Knight, had no will to fight.

They didn't even bother to pick up their leader's corpse, and fled in a panic, scrambling away in the direction they had come.

On the city wall, there was dead silence.

All the guards, including Captain Jason, stared wide-eyed at the cold corpse beneath the wall.

That was the famous Giant Axe Wandering Knight Order nearby. The leader, Jonathan Buckley, was an Official Knight, and even the previous Lady could only drive them away.

Butler Henry's notebook fell to the ground with a snap, but he didn't notice.

The Lord... the Lord who had been protected by the Lady for three years... had actually practiced the family's Frost Breathing Technique to the Official Knight stage?!

And that miraculous consecutive shot archery?!

Quiet!

Deadly silence!

Rowan chuckled, slowly lowered his hunting bow, and turned back toward his castle.

"Whose edge do I need to avoid?"