"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"
Amid the violent cries of air being torn apart, nineteen wooden spears were thrown at once. They crossed more than a hundred meters in just 0.5 seconds before finally stabbing into the ground in complete disarray. Not one hit the straw dummy target. Even the wooden spear closest to the target had missed by more than two meters, while the farthest had landed over a dozen meters away.
"Not bad, very good! Keep training!"
Wu Yuan encouraged them loudly. Behind those nineteen soldiers sat more than a thousand sharpened wooden spears.
This was already the second day.
Aside from a few foolish little monsters yesterday, nothing had happened. The construction of the village continued, while Zhang Yang and those nineteen soldiers had practically transformed into carpenters, each of them cutting and shaving more than fifty wooden spears.
He had to admit, Wu Yuan's unconventional method was quite effective.
At the very least, every one of those soldiers could now easily carve a qualified wooden spear.
Only today did Wu Yuan arrange for the twelve Elite Sword and Shield Soldiers and seven Elite Spearmen to practice throwing wooden spears—but this did not include Zhang Yang.
Wu Yuan's explanation was, "Village Chief, the reason they have to begin throwing practice immediately is that they don't know when they'll have to fight to the death against the enemy on the battlefield. At that time, from the start of the battle until they die, they may only have time to throw one round of wooden spears. So what I'm training them in now is synchronized throwing, using a dense rain of wooden spears to inflict as much damage on the enemy as possible."
"But you're different, Village Chief. We'll swear to protect your safety to the death, and your role on the battlefield isn't to throw a few wooden spears. I understand what you're thinking, but you must understand that if you want to master stronger throwing techniques, there is nothing more suitable than personally carving wooden spears."
"Because aiming at the enemy with your eyes at most makes you third-rate. Aiming at the enemy by feel at most makes you second-rate. Only aiming at the enemy with your heart makes you first-rate."
Wu Yuan's words were rather mysterious, but Zhang Yang still decided to do as he said.
Thus, he completely transformed into a carpenter, constantly shaving bundles of raw wooden poles into wooden spears. From day to night, he never stopped carving. He didn't know whether he could sense the wooden spears with his heart, but Zhang Yang felt as if he was almost on the verge of mastering blade techniques.
That was right. In his simple attribute panel, another line had appeared.
Elementary Blade Technique: 15 (Proficiency)
"All right, I think I finally know what the most mysterious profession in this world is. It's not a mage, but a carpenter."
Zhang Yang burst into laughter. This case of planting flowers with intent but accidentally growing willows was truly absurdly amusing.
"By my count, more than forty hours have passed by now. There are still over sixty hours before the village construction process officially ends, but I have a feeling that the deer demon will appear before then and give me a huge surprise."
Looking at the dark night sky, Zhang Yang moved his arms, which were only slightly numb and tired, then sat down and continued carving wooden spears.
Thanks to his current physical strength, even after being busy all day, he did not feel particularly tired. Instead, during this continuous carving process, his soul felt exceptionally relaxed. Well, to be honest, with a B- grade soul, Zhang Yang felt especially relaxed no matter what he did now, because he simply would not get tired. It was as if his mind would remain bright and clear even after playing games for three days and three nights straight.
But he couldn't tell Wu Yuan that. After all, as the Village Chief, didn't he have any pride?
So he secretly changed his method. He tried casting the Bind Spell at a wooden spear. A wooden spear was not a living thing, so of course it could not be bound. But after the Bind Spell failed, Zhang Yang clearly sensed that, for an instant, the wooden spear seemed to come alive.
"So, because my Bind Spell failed, it transformed into Mental Shock and caused an evolution in this wooden spear? No, that's not right. My Spiritual Power must have remained on it, and then I captured it, which was why I had the illusion that it had come alive."
Zhang Yang quickly analyzed the situation, and at the same time, a bold idea surfaced in his mind.
Could he attach the Bind Spell to a wooden spear? In game terminology, that would be enchanting.
This bold idea quickly ignited Zhang Yang's drive. He began casting the Bind Spell at the wooden spear again and again, but the results were terrible.
A wooden spear that had already been carved could only withstand three failed Bind Spells and the resulting Mental Shocks. Then, with a whoosh, it would completely turn to dust.
This failure nearly made Zhang Yang give up several times, until he asked Wu Yuan for a wooden spear that Wu Yuan himself had carved.
This wooden spear, which looked no different from the others, actually withstood twelve consecutive Bind Spells without breaking. Only after Zhang Yang cast another Bind Spell did a miracle finally occur.
That wooden spear seemed to undergo a qualitative transformation, truly coming alive, yet the exact feeling was impossible to describe.
But Zhang Yang did not need to understand it, because several lines of information simultaneously appeared before his eyes.
"You obtained an Elementary Magic Artifact, Imprisonment Spear (View Attributes)."
"Imprisonment Spear, gray quality, durability 1/1. Upon hitting a target, it will cause the target to enter a bound state for 1–3 seconds."
--
"Wa-ha-ha-ha! I did it!"
Zhang Yang jumped up, waving his arms and legs. He had actually succeeded. He had even crafted an Elementary Magic Artifact. Good heavens, it seemed that he not only had the potential to become a mage, but also the potential to become a cultivator.
Uh, wait. Was it already dawn?
Only after his wild joy subsided did Zhang Yang realize in astonishment that he had spent the entire night struggling away without realizing it. The soldiers in the distance were all staring at him in utter shock.
"Village Chief, could it be that you've comprehended the technique of using your heart to throw wooden spears?"
Spearman Captain Wu Yuan asked in shock, his face full of doubt. That shouldn't be possible. To reach that level, how could anyone manage it without more than a decade of training?
"What did you say? What do you mean, using my heart or not using my heart? Listen up. I successfully enchanted a wooden spear! From this moment onward, it is Enchanted Equipment—no, a Cultivation Artifact! Do you understand? I'm a cultivator!"
Zhang Yang shouted, spraying spittle everywhere and completely abandoning his image. He looked practically deranged with joy. No one understood the significance of an Elementary Magic Artifact better than he did. It was equivalent to a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse and accidentally forcing open the door to a mysterious world. At the same time, he no longer had to worry about the deer demon's attack.
Seeing that Wu Yuan still looked confused, Zhang Yang let out a strange chuckle and said maliciously, "So, Wu Yuan, would you like to experience the awe my wooden spear can bring you?"
Before he had even finished speaking, Zhang Yang raised the wooden spear and aimed it at Wu Yuan. The man immediately staggered back several steps, because Wu Yuan had genuinely sensed danger—though not lethal danger.
"Th-this works too?"
Wu Yuan was very surprised. The 'awe' he had made Zhang Yang feel two days ago had come from his own tremendous strength and terrifying killing intent condensed into the wooden spear, frightening Zhang Yang so badly that he had nearly pissed himself.
But now, Wu Yuan knew very clearly that Zhang Yang's throwing technique was practically nonexistent. Yet that awe-inspiring power originated from the wooden spear itself. No, that wasn't right. It wasn't so simple. It was the power within the wooden spear forming a certain balance with the Village Chief. That balance was the source of the danger he felt.
Wu Yuan even felt that the wooden spear could take flight from Zhang Yang's hand at any moment, like a flying bird.
This was an entirely different concept from the wooden-spear throwing technique he had taught before.
"Sure enough, is this the legendary case of different paths making it impossible to work together?"
Wu Yuan muttered to himself, deciding never again to instruct the Village Chief in throwing techniques. This was clearly heading in completely opposite directions.
"Here, Wu Yuan. This Imprisonment Wooden Spear is for you. The Bind Spell attached to it can only be used once, but combined with your uncanny throwing ability, it will definitely give our enemies a tremendous shock. Oh, and by the way, as long as an enemy is hit by this Imprisonment Wooden Spear, they'll enter a bound state for one to three seconds."
"Also, pick out several soldiers with the best throwing ability. I want to equip all of them with Imprisonment Wooden Spears. What a pity. If only I had mastered the Explosion Spell."
"Right, from now on, you have to carve wooden spears specifically for me. They must be the highest quality. Start by carving me a hundred or eighty of them."
"I need to go get some sleep first. Call me if anything happens."
Zhang Yang finished speaking in one breath, then left in a whirlwind, leaving Wu Yuan behind in a complete mess.
"Sigh, Village Chief, I meant—"
Wu Yuan sighed. He had originally wanted to say that, according to his own intuition, the artifact might not display greater power in his hands than in Zhang Yang's. After all, this could no longer be considered a conventional weapon.
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