Six years later , Zhou take the group to visit his old friend , the abbot of a small Buddhist temple on the " Hill of Dripping Water " . Thirteen @-@ year @-@ old Yue wanders behind the temple and find the " Cave of Dripping Water " , in which live a magical snake . When it lunge at Yue , he dodge to one side and pull on its tail with his supernatural strength , causing it to turn into an 18 @-@ foot @-@ long ( 5 @.@ 5 m ) , gold @-@ plated spear named the " Supernatural Spear of Dripping Water " . When they return home , Zhou begin to drill all of his students in the military arts ——ed eighteen weapons of war , archery , and hand @-@ to @-@ hand combat . After three years of practice , Zhou enter them into a preliminary military examination in Tangyin in which sixteen @-@ year @-@ old Yue win first place by shooting a succession of nine arrows through the bullseye of a target two hundred and forty paces away . After his display of marksmanship , Yue is asked to marry the daughter of Li Chun ( 李春 ) , an old friend of Zhou 's and the county magistrate who presided over the military exams . Father and son then return home to their village .