Xingyi manual, which details a Yue biography that appears to be a variation of the semi-historical Biography of Song Yue, Prince of E, Prince of E, says the “military leader Zhou Tong” taught Yue the “deployment of troops”. Sinologist Hellmut Wilhelm theorized that Yue Fei purposely patterned his life after famous Chinese heroes from dynasties past. Apart from studying literature under his father, Yue Huo (, d. late 1122), Yue loved to read military classics. Although his literacy afforded him the chance to become a scholar, which was a position held in much higher regard than the common soldiery during the Song, Yue chose the military path because there had never been any tradition of civil service in his family. Therefore, he had no reason to study the Confucian classics in order to surpass the accomplishments of his ancestors or to raise his family's social status to the next level. His fourth-generation ancestor, Yue Huan (), had served as a functionary on the lowest rung of the government ladder, but he was never a full-fledged member of the civil service rank. The paper goes on to say the Yue learned "archery, swordsmanship, and lanceplay" from Zhou Tong. Bow The wuxia novel The Story of Yue Fei says "the supernatural strength of the lord Yue was developed as a result of Zhou Tong's training. He taught him this skill called ‘the Bow for Supernatural Arms!’” The Yue Fei Biography states, "生有神力，未冠，挽弓三百斤，弩八石。學射与周侗，盡其術，能左右射" "[Yue Fei] possessed supernatural power and before his adulthood, he was able to draw a bow of 300 catties and a Cross-bow of 8 stone. He learned archery from Zhou Tong. He learned everything and could fire with both hands." The Biography of Song Yue, Prince of E states “Yue Fei began studying spear techniques at the age of eleven under a teacher named Chen Guang ... By the time he was thirteen he started studying archery under Zhou Tong ... When he became a general he used what he learned from Zhou Tong to train his troops, and they became renowned for their skill and discipline.” According to a moral tale called “Yue Fei Studies the Archery” in You Er Hua Bao ( – “Children's Pictorial”) Magazine, a Chinese magazine tailored for children ages two through seven, Zhou taught Yue Fei the skill of the “far-sighted person”, which involved staring at the morning sunrise, to improve his eyesight for