The Amazing Carpenter

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

With a violent whoosh, 19 wooden spears were simultaneously flung through the air, covering more than a hundred meters in just 0.5 seconds. They ultimately landed haphazardly on the ground, not a single one hitting the straw target. Even the spear closest to the target was off by more than two meters, and the furthest was over ten meters away.

"Excellent, very good, keep training!"

Wu Yuan shouted encouragement, and behind the nineteen soldiers, there were thousands of already sharpened wooden spears.

It was already the second day.

Yesterday, aside from a few minor insignificant demons, nothing else had happened. Village construction was still underway, and Zhang Yang and the nineteen soldiers seemed to have transformed into carpenters, each carving over fifty wooden spears.

And honestly, Wu Yuan's unconventional method was indeed quite good.

At least now, every soldier could easily carve a qualified wooden spear.

Today, Wu Yuan arranged 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 for this was, "Village Chief, they need to start throwing training immediately because they don't know when they'll have to fight for their lives against the enemy on the battlefield. At that time, all of them might only have time to throw one round of wooden spears from the start of the battle until they fall. So what I'm training them for now is synchronized throwing, to maximize damage to the enemy with a concentrated volley of wooden spears."

"But Village Chief, you are different. We will defend your safety with our lives, and your role on the battlefield isn't to throw a few wooden spears. I understand your thoughts, but please understand that if you want to master stronger throwing techniques, there's nothing more suitable than carving wooden spears yourself."

"Because aiming at the enemy with your eyes is, at best, third-rate throwing; aiming at the enemy with feel is, at best, second-rate throwing; only aiming at the enemy with your heart is first-rate throwing."

Wu Yuan's words were a bit mystical, but Zhang Yang still decided to follow his advice.

And so, he completely transformed into a carpenter, continuously carving bundles of raw wooden sticks into spears, from day to night, without stopping. He didn't know if he could truly sense the wooden spear with his heart, but Zhang Yang felt like his blade technique was reaching mastery.

That's right, in his simple attribute panel, an additional entry had appeared.

Elementary Blade Technique: 15 (Proficiency)

"Well, I guess I know what the most mysterious profession in this world is now. It's not a mage, it's a carpenter."

Zhang Yang burst out laughing. This kind of unexpected, ironic situation — trying to plant flowers only to have willows grow unintentionally — was truly amusing.

"Counting the time, it's been over 40 hours now. The village construction process will officially end in just over 60 more hours, but I always feel like that Deer Demon will appear before then and give me a big surprise."

Looking at the dark night sky, Zhang Yang stretched his arms, which were only slightly numb and tired, then sat down to continue carving wooden spears.

Thanks to his current physical strength, even after a full day of work, he didn't feel very tired. On the contrary, during this continuous carving process, his soul felt exceptionally relaxed—well, to be honest, with a B-strength soul, Zhang Yang felt exceptionally relaxed no matter what he did now, because he simply didn't get tired. It was like playing games for three days and three nights straight, and his mind was still perfectly clear.

But he couldn't tell Wu Yuan, after all, didn't he, as the Village Chief, need to maintain his dignity?

So he secretly tried a different method. He tried casting the Imprisonment Spell on the wooden spear. A wooden spear wasn't a living thing, so of course it wouldn't be imprisoned. But when the Imprisonment Spell failed, Zhang Yang distinctly felt that for a brief moment, the wooden spear seemed to come alive.

"So, because my Imprisonment Spell failed and turned into a spiritual impact, this wooden spear evolved? No, that's not right. It should be my Spiritual Power remaining on it, and then I perceived it, which gave me the illusion of it coming alive."

Zhang Yang quickly analyzed in his mind, and at the same time, a bold idea emerged.

That was, could he attach the Imprisonment Spell to the wooden spear? In gaming terms, it would be enchanting.

This bold idea quickly fueled Zhang Yang's motivation. He began casting the Imprisonment Spell on the wooden spear over and over again, but the results were terrible.

A carved wooden spear could only withstand three spiritual impacts from failed Imprisonment Spells before it instantly disintegrated into dust.

This failure almost made Zhang Yang give up, until he got a wooden spear he had carved himself from Wu Yuan.

This seemingly ordinary wooden spear actually withstood twelve consecutive Imprisonment Spells without breaking. It wasn't until Zhang Yang cast one more Imprisonment Spell that a miracle finally occurred.

The wooden spear seemed to undergo a qualitative change, truly coming alive, though it was hard to explain exactly how.

But Zhang Yang didn't need to understand, because several messages appeared simultaneously in his vision.

You have 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 an imprisoned state for 1-3 seconds.

"Wahahaha! I succeeded!"

Zhang Yang jumped up, waving his arms. He had really succeeded; he had actually crafted an Elementary Magic Artifact! Oh my stars, it seemed he had the potential not only to become a mage but also a Cultivator.

Uh, wait, is it already morning?

After his surge of joy, Zhang Yang was stunned to realize that he had inadvertently been toiling all night, and the soldiers not far away were looking at him with extreme astonishment.

"Village Chief, have you perhaps grasped the technique of throwing wooden spears with your heart?"

Spearman Captain Wu Yuan asked in surprise, his confusion evident. It shouldn't be possible; how could one reach this level without over a decade of training?

"What did you say? What heart? Listen up, I successfully enchanted a wooden spear! From this moment on, it's Enchanted Equipment, no, a Cultivation Artifact, understand? I'm a Cultivator!"

Zhang Yang shouted, spitting as he spoke, completely disregarding his image, acting as if he were insane. He was simply too happy. No one understood the significance of such an Elementary Magic Artifact more than he did. It was like he had stumbled upon a mysterious door by pure luck, like a blind cat catching a dead mouse, and he no longer had to worry about the Deer Demon's attack.

Seeing that Wu Yuan still looked confused, Zhang Yang let out a sinister chuckle and said with ill intent:

"So, Wu Yuan, want to experience the awe my wooden spear can bring you?"

Before his words finished, Zhang Yang made to aim the wooden spear at Wu Yuan, instantly scaring the man back several steps. Wu Yuan genuinely felt danger, though not a fatal one.

"This—this works too?"

Wu Yuan was very surprised. The "awe" he had made Zhang Yang feel the day before was by condensing his own super strength and killing intent onto the wooden spear, which had scared Zhang Yang senseless.

But now, Wu Yuan clearly understood that Zhang Yang's throwing technique was almost zero, yet that "awe-inspiring" power originated from the wooden spear itself. No, that wasn't quite right. It wasn't that simple. It was that the power within the wooden spear formed some kind of balance with the Village Chief, and it was this balance that was the source of his feeling of danger.

Wu Yuan even felt that the wooden spear could fly like a bird in Zhang Yang's hands at any moment.

This was a completely different concept from the spear-throwing technique he had taught earlier.

"Sure enough, is this what they call 'different paths, different goals'?"

Wu Yuan muttered to himself, deciding he'd never again try to teach the Village Chief about throwing. It was utterly counterproductive.

"Here, Wu Yuan, take this Imprisonment Wooden Spear. The Imprisonment Spell enchanted on it can only be used once, but combined with your elusive throwing ability, it will surely surprise our enemies. Oh, and by the way, if an enemy is hit by this Imprisonment Wooden Spear, they'll be immobilized for one to three seconds."

"Also, pick out a few soldiers with the best throwing skills. I want to equip all of them with Imprisonment Wooden Spears. It's a shame, though; if only I had mastered the Explosion Spell, how great would that be?"

"Oh, and from now on, I need you to specifically carve wooden spears for me. I need the best quality. Start by carving a hundred or so for me."

"I need to go get some sleep first; call me if anything comes up."

Zhang Yang rattled all this off in one breath, then rushed away, leaving Wu Yuan utterly bewildered.

"Sigh, Village Chief, I mean—"

Wu Yuan sighed. He had wanted to say that, based on his own intuition, the power of this artifact might not be as great in his hands as it was in Zhang Yang's. After all, this was no longer a conventional weapon.