Improving Archery

Early the next morning!

Qin Yan got up early to wash up and make breakfast: simple rice porridge and a dish of pickles.

A pot of rice porridge, enough for three or four people, was only enough for Qin Yan's breakfast.

"My appetite seems to have grown a little again."

Qin Yan felt his body changing rapidly. With his current appetite, he believed it wouldn't be long before he ate himself into poverty.

He had to practice Archery and hunt some game in the forest to ease the burden.

Moreover, his growing body needed plenty of meat.

After a short rest, Qin Yan took out the Tendonwood Bow the old village chief had given him.

Compared with the simple bamboo bows made by the other villagers, the Tendonwood Bow in his hand was far superior in both accuracy and power.

In a village like theirs, Archery was a skill every man had to master.

Moreover, to gain anything from hunting in the mountains, one needed Archery at the Entry Level at the very least, or even the Proficient Level.

He now had a bow, a one-stone bow at that, and ten iron-tipped arrows.

With his strength of 1.7, drawing the one-stone bow was easy. In this world, one stone was about 120 jin.

The old house was in a secluded spot, so he didn't have to worry about being disturbed while practicing.

He used vines to bind a large pile of weeds and branches into a simple target.

At the Beginner Level of Archery, he had a 100% chance of hitting a stationary target at ten meters, with the hit rate dropping by 10% for every additional ten meters.

Qin Yan placed his homemade target thirty meters away.

He drew the bow in standard form, gripping the arrow with three fingers.

He loosed an arrow. It flew like a thunderbolt and struck the grass target almost in the blink of an eye.

Its force carried it through, burying half the arrow deep in the loose soil.

"As expected of a one-stone bow. With that kind of power, though, I'm afraid the arrows won't hold up for many shots."

Qin Yan muttered a few words to himself, then hurried over and moved the grass target fifty meters away.

At this distance, Qin Yan drew the bowstring to its fullest again. The instant he released it, the arrow became a blur and narrowly struck the edge of the target, half its shaft sinking into the soil.

Sure enough, as the distance increased, hitting the target was not so easy.

But this did not affect Qin Yan's mood. He adjusted his angle and accounted for the wind.

Whoosh! Thunk!

The arrow struck the bullseye cleanly.

[Archery proficiency increased by 1%.]

Qin Yan raised an eyebrow, then nocked another arrow and drew the bow. Once again, the arrow shot out.

After drawing the bowstring to its fullest more than thirty times, Qin Yan now felt his arms aching and weak.

Around thirty consecutive shots were equivalent to his current limit!

His overall hit rate was nearly seventy percent.

Aside from the skill's additional passive effect, Qin Yan also discovered that the higher his proficiency, the greater his chance of hitting.

His proficiency had also increased by 3%.

This was a gradual process.

Thanks to his special physique, Qin Yan recovered extremely quickly and resumed practice in peak condition.

The sun rose and set!

Qin Yan was drenched in sweat, and blood seeped faintly from his fingertips.

This almost crazed training sent his Archery proficiency soaring.

[Archery (Beginner Level): proficiency 97%]

After a day of crazed training, proficiency became harder and harder to raise as it climbed.

At fifty meters, Qin Yan's hit rate was nearly eighty percent, but his rate of hitting the exact center was a pitiful twenty percent.

Even so, his improvement that day had been excellent.

He believed he could raise his Archery to the Entry Level tomorrow.

[After a day of Archery training, strength cap increased by 0.1.]

The corners of Qin Yan's mouth lifted slightly as he looked at the words that had suddenly appeared in his mind.

His strength was now 1.8.

He could easily handle an ordinary person.

He ate his fill that evening.

Perhaps because he was tired, Qin Yan fell asleep early. When he woke the next day...

He looked at the fingers that had been rubbed raw and bloody the day before. They had now healed completely.

After a simple breakfast, Qin Yan did not rush to practice Archery.

Ten arrows were far too few.

He thought it necessary to make some bamboo arrows. After all, many villagers also used bamboo arrows to hunt in the mountains.

If he used iron-tipped arrows, an ordinary family simply couldn't afford the losses or even the normal wear and tear.

The bamboo grove was not particularly far from his home. He selected a few mature bamboo stalks and easily cut them down with a single stroke each.

He checked their thickness and found it just right.

As for fletching, quite a few people in the village raised ducks and geese, and they all had some large feathers stored away.

It wouldn't be difficult to buy them for a few copper coins.

With that thought, he wasted no more time!

He spent four copper coins and collected plenty of large duck and goose feathers from his relatives in the clan.

"Yan!"

Qin Yan looked in the direction of the voice and saw his seventh uncle, Qin Zhaofeng, along with some of the village adults.

Each of them had a bow and arrows on his back and a quiver at his waist.

"Seventh Uncle, are you going hunting in the mountains?"

"That's right! There's no farmwork to do now, so we're going into the mountains to hunt some game and supplement the household income."

Qin Zhaofeng and the others behind him looked at Qin Yan and nodded with a smile.

"I hear you've been practicing archery too. Keep at it, and when you're good enough, come find your seventh uncle. Then we'll go into the mountains and hunt some pheasants and hares."

Looking at the large poultry feathers Qin Yan had collected, Qin Zhaofeng patted him on the shoulder and spoke with a smile.

They chatted briefly.

Qin Yan watched the group of men head into the forest, then returned to the old house.

After a busy morning, he had barely managed to make twenty bamboo arrows. Together with the ten he already had, they were just about enough.

He shot all thirty arrows in a round at the target sixty meters away.

Using the two kinds of arrows together caused Qin Yan's hit rate to drop sharply at first, but he soon adjusted to the difference between them.

Before long, he stabilized his hit rate at nearly seventy-five percent.

After a few rounds, several lines of text appeared in his mind.

[Archery level increased: Entry Level]

Effect: hit rate increased by 15%.

100% hit rate against a stationary target at twenty meters; hit rate decreases by 10% for every additional ten meters.

50% chance of hitting a moving target within ten meters; hit probability decreases by 15% for every additional ten meters.

The improvement in Archery delighted Qin Yan. With the skill's passive effect added, he could achieve a 100% hit rate against stationary targets within thirty meters.

His chance of hitting a moving target within ten meters should be 65%, and 50% within twenty meters.

With such a high hit rate, he could reap a plentiful harvest in the forest.

[After diligent Archery training, proficiency increased by 6%.]

[Archery (Entry Level): proficiency 6%.]

[Through diligent Archery training, strength cap increased by 0.1.]

[Through diligent Archery training, spirit cap increased by 0.1.]

That night, Qin Yan silently made ten bamboo arrows. After a day of shooting, most of the previous ones had been damaged.

After shooting nearly a thousand arrows over two days, the fingers of Qin Yan's right hand were once again a bloody mess.

This almost crazed training had rapidly raised his Archery level.

If not for the extraordinary recovery ability granted by his special talent...

Who else would dare to train so crazily?

"Sigh! Even after transmigrating, I still have to be a grind king!"

"This is rough!"