Archery

This time, Ji Xinghuo chose to walk.

Chang'an's urban planning was exceptionally good, fully separating pedestrians from vehicles. Most cars traveled on elevated Superconducting Highways, with very few vehicles on the ground. The specially designed surface roads were also enclosed and took up very little space.

As a result, the open spaces between buildings had been transformed into sprawling urban parks, planted with vast numbers of trees, flowers, and grasses. The greenery was abundant, and the environment was beautiful.

However, Chang'an simply had too many people.

Qishan District was considered relatively remote. It was now past two in the afternoon, yet as Ji Xinghuo walked along the park path, many pedestrians still passed by.

Some strolled leisurely and chatted, while others hurried past him on Power Shoes.

There were also couples cuddling in secluded flowerbeds.

There were even more people traveling alone like Ji Xinghuo. He had lived in this community for several years, and whenever he occasionally encountered someone who looked familiar, they would nod to each other in greeting.

But that was all.

Ji Xinghuo did not know them, and they did not know Ji Xinghuo. It was polite, yet distant.

Ten minutes later.

Ji Xinghuo arrived in front of a venue more than ten stories tall. The sign outside its wall read, "Qishan Wutong Archery Hall."

"I'm here."

He sent a message at the entrance.

Very soon, a tall, skinny young man with long hair ran out of the archery hall and cried out in surprise, "Xinghuo! I thought you were joking with me. You actually came!"

"Yunhai."

Ji Xinghuo smiled as well. He bumped fists with the other man, then hugged him before letting go.

Lu Yunhai was his classmate and one of his closest friends in university. Before graduation, they had seen each other almost every day.

During that graduation trip, Lu Yunhai had brought his girlfriend along as well.

"Are you doing okay now?" Lu Yunhai asked with concern. He had heard Ji Xinghuo mention that he often suffered from insomnia after returning from the trip.

"It's already been resolved." Ji Xinghuo revealed a faintly mysterious smile. "I couldn't be in better shape now."

"Oh?"

Lu Yunhai stepped back and scrutinized him for a moment. At first, he seemed doubtful, but then he was startled. "You became an esper?"

Ji Xinghuo nodded.

"Damn!" Once his surprise passed, Lu Yunhai found it only natural. His face was full of envy as he punched Ji Xinghuo hard on the shoulder. "I knew it. You were definitely going to become an esper. You should've taken this step years ago. Otherwise, Wu Qifeng wouldn't have gotten to keep acting so smug all the way until graduation."

Wu Qifeng had also been their classmate. He was both a friend and a rival.

However, Wu Qifeng was highly gifted. In his freshman year, he had successfully fused with an Ability Seed and obtained the relatively powerful Class Template of Gravity Master. He had been the center of attention in their class throughout university.

"Which Class Template did you choose?" Lu Yunhai asked curiously.

"Ranger."

"Why Ranger?" Lu Yunhai froze for a moment.

He knew Ji Xinghuo very well and had never heard him mention choosing Ranger before. It was far from what he had expected.

"Wasn't your goal the Titanium Cobalt Dragon Man? Why did you give up?" Lu Yunhai could not help shaking his head. "Don't tell me your application for a Super-Limit ability was rejected. That would be such a shame."

Titanium Cobalt Dragon Man was a profession unique to the Asia-Pacific Community. Its numbers were scarce, yet its strength was extraordinary. It was one of the world's most elite Class Templates.

Any Titanium Cobalt Dragon Man would become at least a Super Esper in the future.

Whether in terms of strength and potential or power and status, Titanium Cobalt Dragon Men vastly surpassed Rangers. The difference between them was like heaven and earth.

"I didn't apply. I just changed my plans." Ji Xinghuo did not explain much.

Lu Yunhai could tell that he did not want to say more, so he tactfully did not press the matter. Smiling, he said, "Ranger is pretty good too. You won't have to worry about finding work."

Only then did realization dawn on him. "No wonder you came to see me!"

"You work at an archery hall. Who else would I come to?" Ji Xinghuo spread his hands.

A Ranger's primary weapon was a bow.

For a Ranger in the early stages—at least before advancing to Super Esper—seventy percent of their strength lay in their archery. Shooting was not only essential to master, but also required constant practice.

Lu Yunhai had practiced archery since childhood and was an excellent shot. In university, he had been the vice president of the archery club.

During his sophomore year, Lu Yunhai had tried to fuse with an Ability Seed and become a Tracker. This profession was very similar to Ranger, also using a bow as its primary weapon and possessing a combat pet. It could be understood as a hunter.

Unfortunately, Lu Yunhai's fusion had failed.

But Lu Yunhai had not given up. After his body recovered, he began working part-time off campus to save money for a second Ability Seed fusion. He had kept at it until now.

After graduation, Lu Yunhai officially became a coach at the archery hall.

When Ji Xinghuo wanted to learn archery, his good friend was the first person he thought of. Besides, the place was close to home, so naturally he wanted to help Lu Yunhai improve his performance.

The moment Lu Yunhai heard that he wanted to learn archery, he looked immensely pleased with himself.

"Back then, I asked you to join the club and you refused. Now you have to pay to learn archery from me. Regret it now, huh? Heh heh..."

Ji Xinghuo immediately said irritably, "You're giving me a discount."

"All right, all right, I'll give you the best price." Having mocked him enough, Lu Yunhai was in high spirits. "Come with me."

He led Ji Xinghuo into the Archery Hall.

Along the way, they ran into colleagues and students. Many of them called Lu Yunhai "Coach Lu," showing that he held a fairly high position in the Archery Hall.

"You're doing pretty well for yourself," Ji Xinghuo teased.

"Of course." Lu Yunhai began boasting. "I may not be a metahuman yet, but purely in terms of archery, I can rank among the top five in our hall. I could even compete for the top three. Only the Hall Master can reliably keep me down."

Ji Xinghuo was a little curious. "Is the Hall Master that good?"

"Obviously!" Lu Yunhai's face was full of admiration. "Our Hall Master is a Ranger too, just like you, but he's a Super Esper. Countless people want to learn archery from him, and many of them are metahumans. A single lesson costs over ten thousand Asia Yuan, and every time his schedule is released, it gets snapped up immediately."

Ji Xinghuo nodded.

No matter what job a Super Esper did, their income was absurdly high.

According to public data from the Astral Department, the number of Super Espers in the Asia-Pacific Community had surpassed 150,000 last year. With a national population of 5.6 billion, their proportion was so low that their rarity and value were obvious.

Any Super Esper could make money easily if they wanted to.

Lu Yunhai quickly registered Ji Xinghuo as a member and said, "Different types of bows have different courses and prices. Which one do you want to learn—traditional bow, barebow, or compound bow?"

"Compound bow."

Ji Xinghuo gave his answer without much thought and did not even ask about the price differences.

Lu Yunhai nodded, entirely unsurprised.

This was the choice of most Rangers. The reason was simple: compound bows had the greatest power, the fastest arrow speed, and the highest accuracy.

Although traditional bows and barebows had some advantages, and compound bows had their own shortcomings, none of that could make up for the enormous gap in power.

There was also a type called the competitive recurve bow. However, it had too many accessories, was inconvenient to carry, troublesome to maintain, and too delicate and cumbersome to be practical in combat. As a result, almost no Rangers chose it. Usually, only enthusiasts used it in sporting competitions, making it a very niche option.

A barebow was essentially a competitive recurve bow with most of its accessories removed.

Some traditional bows were also recurve bows.

"The beginner compound bow course has twenty lessons. One lesson a day, for a total fee of 6,000 Asia Yuan."

Lu Yunhai lowered his voice. "I'll give you a seventy percent discount."

"Alright, thanks."

Ji Xinghuo knew that even if the Archery Hall was running promotions, it could not possibly cut prices down to thirty percent without losing money. Lu Yunhai had probably covered part of the cost himself.

He silently remembered this favor.

"Why are you being so polite with me? You're actually thanking me?" Lu Yunhai muttered unhappily. After registering Ji Xinghuo's course and collecting the payment, he said, "Come on, let's get started."

More than a dozen floors of the building belonged to the Archery Hall, with each floor serving as a spacious shooting range.

The two arrived on the third floor, where most of the shooting lanes were already occupied. Some people were practicing on their own, while others were taking lessons from coaches.

Lu Yunhai picked a lane and asked, "I'll go get a bow. Do you want a Hunting Bow or a Target Bow?"

Compound bows were further divided into two types.

Hunting Bows and Target Bows had no structural differences.

Hunting Bows were smaller for easier movement through complicated outdoor environments such as forests and tunnels. Their draw weight was higher instead, making them more powerful. Target Bows had lower portability requirements and were suited for open areas. They were larger, and since their targets were usually farther away, their draw weight was slightly lower to improve accuracy.

Of course, most techniques for the two types of compound bows were shared, and there were many versatile bow models on the market that balanced both uses.

Ji Xinghuo had looked into this basic archery knowledge before.

"I want a Hunting Bow."

Lu Yunhai asked again, "What draw weight?"

"Seventy kilograms." Ji Xinghuo estimated for a moment before answering.

Draw weight referred to the force required to pull a bow open. The higher the draw weight, the greater the power. However, more than a century ago, the unit for draw weight had been changed to the more familiar "kilogram."

Seventy kilograms converted to the old pound measurement was about 155 pounds.

"Damn it!"

Lu Yunhai cursed under his breath, his face full of envy.

With a Compound Hunting Bow at that draw weight, an ordinary person would need years of practice before they could even draw it, and they would need to be very strong as well. Yet Ji Xinghuo, a complete beginner, was starting his practice with such a high draw weight.

Lu Yunhai himself had practiced archery for years and normally used only a sixty-kilogram draw weight.

"Being a metahuman is great."

Lu Yunhai frequently dealt with metahumans at the Archery Hall and was more or less used to it. He quickly brought back a compound bow. "I'll adjust the settings first."

For a bow to perform at its best, it had to match the archer's build.

The first thing was draw length.

Ji Xinghuo was 1.8 meters tall, but his arm span was 198 centimeters. Based on the formula, his draw length was 79 centimeters—the distance between the bow hand and the string-drawing hand when a bow was fully drawn, in the most comfortable posture and with the most optimal application of force.

After adjusting the draw weight and sight settings, Lu Yunhai handed the bow to Ji Xinghuo. "Try it and see whether it feels right."

Ji Xinghuo took it.

This Compound Hunting Bow had an axle-to-axle length of 85 centimeters. Its riser was made of aluminum alloy in a common skeletal design, while its limbs were carbon-fiber composite. The whole bow was very light in his hands, weighing less than three kilograms. With his strength, he could barely feel its weight.

Although the bows used by Rangers dispensed with many accessories, this compound bow still retained a sight—a five-pin sight—as well as a drop-away arrow rest, stabilizer, string stop, and cable guard.

These accessories were compact and difficult to damage, and they greatly assisted with shooting.

"When you were a junior, you took part in activities at the archery club. You still remember the basic shooting form, right?" Lu Yunhai asked.

"Of course." Ji Xinghuo nodded.

Lu Yunhai pointed at the target across from them. "Shoot an arrow and let me see."

Ji Xinghuo stood sideways toward the target, picked up a practice arrow, and nocked it on the bow. He did not use a release aid. The arrow rested on the arrow rest on the right side of the riser, and he used a Mongolian draw, hooking the string with his thumb and locking it with his index finger as he looked toward the target thirty meters away.

Everything about this setup that violated conventional archery practices served one purpose: actual combat! To fire the most lethal arrows at the highest possible speed and frequency.

Ji Xinghuo fixed his gaze on the target. At a distance of thirty meters, the yellow bullseye of the ten ring, only eight centimeters across, seemed right in front of him—within reach.

A feeling of intuition surfaced in his mind. He could easily hit wherever he wanted.

Myriad Stellar Eye was taking effect, even more precise than "Precision."

He took a light breath.

Then, he pushed the bow with his left hand and pulled the string with his right. The seventy-kilogram draw weight was not especially difficult for him, and he drew it smoothly.

A compound bow had one string and two cables, which transmitted force together as it was drawn. As he neared full draw, the eccentric cams at both ends of the bow came into play, reducing the force required to hold the draw by eighty percent. It instantly became even easier, and both of his hands steadied.

The peep sight mounted on the string drew level with his right eye. His line of sight passed through the small hole, the tip of the second sight pin, and the distant bullseye, forming a straight line.

In reality, the sight and peep sight were merely decorations in Ji Xinghuo's eyes.

Even without these auxiliary accessories, he could still shoot accurately.

Snap! A soft sound rang out.

Ji Xinghuo released the arrow. It became a black streak and, in an instant, buried itself deep in the target.

"Ten ring!"

Lu Yunhai called out the score, disbelief in his eyes.

He knew very well that Ji Xinghuo had only handled a bow a few times before. As for archery knowledge, he had only learned the bare basics from Lu Yunhai.

Although the shooting motion of that arrow had been fluid, it contained many mistakes. It was the form of a typical beginner.

Yet it had hit, and it was a ten ring! "Lucky shot." Lu Yunhai refused to accept it. "Shoot another."

Ji Xinghuo smiled, picked up a second practice arrow, turned sideways, nocked the arrow, hooked the string, pushed the bow, lowered his shoulders, aligned himself, drew the string, anchored, aimed, released, and followed through—all in one smooth motion.

Snap! Ten ring!

Before Lu Yunhai could speak, he fired three more arrows in succession. Thousand Spirit Dexterous Hands accelerated his shooting motions, each arrow faster than the last.

Ten ring! Ten ring! Ten ring!

Lu Yunhai stood dumbfounded. Looking at the five arrows embedded in the bullseye, he had no choice but to believe that Ji Xinghuo had shot five consecutive ten rings.

He had worked at the Archery Hall for several years and taught several newcomers who had just become Rangers, but none of them had been as accurate as Ji Xinghuo before even practicing.

"Could the first ability you fused have been 'Precision'?" Lu Yunhai asked suspiciously.

The order in which the abilities that formed a Class Template were fused was not fixed.

Generally speaking, the first ability fused was certainly the core ability.

Although it was exceedingly rare, some Aberrants chose to fuse a non-core ability first due to personal preference or other reasons.

"What I fused was Thousand Spirit Dexterous Hands." Ji Xinghuo balanced the tip of an arrow on the tip of his index finger, keeping it upright without letting it fall, then said with a smile, "Can't I simply be a natural archer with world-class shooting talent?"

"Why didn't you ever..."

Lu Yunhai stopped halfway through his sentence.

The professional expertise he had always been most proud of had suddenly had its conventions shattered by his friend. His instinct was to refute it, but after thinking it over carefully, he could only face reality. He said seriously, "That is indeed possible. Fine, you're incredible! It seems there was some logic behind your choice to become a Ranger."

"But this is only a thirty-meter target, and it's stationary."

"You're still far from being a top-tier archer."

"When it comes to archery and compound bows, you still have a great deal to learn." Lu Yunhai assumed the confident posture a coach ought to have.

Ji Xinghuo nodded and said modestly, "Please teach me, Coach Lu."