Basic Archery Technique Entry Level

The next day, Li Xiao rose early. After eating gastrodia and rabbit meat, he felt far more energetic than usual.

Li Youde was already in the courtyard, picking up the Ox-Horn Great Bow.

Standing on the path Twenty Zhang from the target, Li Youde leaned against a tree and drew his bow, nocking an arrow.

With a whoosh, the arrow shot out.

A sharp whoosh tore through the morning mist. Like a meteor chasing the moon, the arrow streaked across Twenty Zhang and sank precisely into the bullseye, its fletching still humming with vibration.

Li Xiao had just stepped out of his room when he saw it and could not help crying out, "Dad, that was so accurate!"

Li Youde lowered his bow, turned, and lifted his chin at him, his tone carrying a trace of pride:

"What's that? A fixed shot at Twenty Zhang is just basic skill for old hunters."

He pulled out the arrow and weighed it in his hand.

"Today, you'll start at five zhang. First, get used to the continuous motion of nocking, drawing, and releasing. Don't rush to chase accuracy. If your form falls apart, you won't hit even from close range."

Li Xiao hurried over and accepted the wooden arrow Old Dad handed him. His fingertips touched the sharp arrowhead, and his heart was filled with both excitement and nervousness.

Following the key points he had memorized the night before, he held the bow with his left hand and nocked the arrow with his right, locking the arrow tail firmly against the bowstring while his index finger and middle finger lightly pinched the arrow shaft.

"Sink shoulder, straighten waist, don't hunch over!" Li Youde corrected him from the side. "Keep your eyes on the bullseye. Stop staring at the arrowhead. Line the three up, then steady your breathing."

Li Xiao took a deep breath and slowly drew the bow.

As his arms exerted force, his muscles still carried a faint soreness. The bow body gradually bent into a graceful arc.

He stared at the bullseye, clearing away all distractions until only one word remained in his mind: Steady.

"Release!" Li Youde ordered.

Li Xiao's fingers suddenly loosened. The rebounding bowstring carried a faint tremor as the arrow shot out with a whoosh.

But he had failed to control his strength. The arrowhead tilted slightly, grazing past the edge of the target before embedding itself in the courtyard wall.

Li Xiao gave an awkward laugh. Compared to Old Dad, he still had a long way to go.

He hurried over to pull out the arrow, then returned to his position.

He drew and nocked another arrow. This time, he deliberately slowed his movements, feeling the force from his waist and abdomen. After drawing the string, he paused for two seconds, stared at the target before him, and only then slowly released the arrow.

The arrow swept through the air with the sound of wind. This time, it struck the target steadily. Though it had not hit the bullseye, it landed within the outermost ring.

Basic Archery Technique experience points +1

Li Youde stood nearby with his arms folded, offering pointers from time to time:

"Don't draw too hastily. Keep your strength even. That last arrow went off because your wrist shook."

"When releasing, loosen your fingers faster. Don't drag your feet through mud."

After instructing Li Xiao for a while, Li Youde finally returned to the kitchen to cook.

Basic Archery Technique experience points +1

Basic Archery Technique experience points +1

Basic Archery Technique experience points +1

He opened the panel.

Host: Li Xiao

Already Recorded: Herbal Compendium (Mastered) Basic Archery Technique 45/200 (Not entered)

Special Skill: Herbal Mastery

Li Xiao rubbed his aching arms before finally stopping his practice.

With enough nutrition, the experience he could grind out in a day had indeed increased.

His daily experience gain had risen from 18 points to 25 points, a full seven more.

There was still enough rabbit meat for several meals. At this rate, his archery could reach Entry Level even faster!

Six days later, Li Xiao stood Fifteen zhang from the target.

He clenched his slightly numb wrist. For six days, he had practiced day after day.

His arms had long since developed resilience. The Ox-Horn Bow, which he once had to grit his teeth to draw Half full, could now be easily drawn to Seven-tenths full, his movements flowing as naturally as instinct.

He drew his bow and nocked an arrow, aiming at the target ahead. Two fingers loosened.

Whoosh!

The fired arrow embedded itself firmly in the target, only Two fingers away from the center.

The feathers at the arrow tail still trembled, carrying the lingering force from tearing through the air.

Basic Archery Technique experience points +1

The panel suddenly refreshed.

Host: Li Xiao

Already Recorded: Herbal Compendium (Mastered) Basic Archery Technique (0/500 Minor Accomplishment)

As the final point of experience filled up, Li Xiao's Basic Archery Technique had reached Entry Level.

Aside from the gastrodia-stewed rabbit meat on the day he had first learned archery, when Eldest Sister and Old Dad had eaten some, they had not touched any of the rest, leaving it all for Li Xiao.

Practicing archery consumed both physical strength and mental focus. It was not something that could be mastered in a short time. It required unbroken practice, as well as enough food to replenish what was spent.

Just like the armies of ancient times, only the most elite soldiers were worthy of powerful bows and heavy crossbows. They needed daily drills and meat at every meal to build the strength to draw a bow and the steady accuracy to shoot true.

The little nutrition in millet was nowhere near enough for Li Xiao, so the two of them had left all the rabbit meat for him.

No matter how Li Xiao tried to persuade them, neither would eat any more. That was how he had managed to bring his Basic Archery Technique to Entry Level in only a few days!

"Good lad, it's only been a few days, yet you can shoot with such accuracy from over ten zhang away.

Looks like you take after me. We were both born to eat from this bowl of rice! Haha..."

Li Youde leaned on his cane at the side and laughed heartily.

He had never imagined that his son would possess such talent for archery.

When he had practiced archery in his youth, let alone after only a few days—even after a month, he could barely hit a target from several zhang away, and eight out of ten shots would miss.

Yet his son was even more gifted than he was.

From Fifteen zhang away, he already had such accuracy. If he kept training like this, his skill with a bow would surpass Li Youde's sooner or later.

He would have no trouble supporting himself in the future.

Li Xiao nodded in satisfaction. As expected of the panel. Combined with my own effort, it had brought me this far in such a short time.

Li Xiao estimated that the Ox-Horn Great Bow's maximum range should be around twenty-five zhang.

Old Dad had used it for so long that the great bow had suffered some wear, its draw strength a little weaker than at its peak. Yet even so, Old Dad could still hit the bullseye from Twenty Zhang away. That proved his claim that his skill ranked among the best in the village was no empty boast.

He truly had the ability.

"Dad, how many years has this bow been used?"

Li Xiao reached out and stroked the horn on the bow body. Its grain was rough, yet polished smooth with a warm patina, bearing the marks of being gripped year after year.

Li Youde glanced at the Ox-Horn Bow, nostalgia in his eyes. "Nearly twenty years. It has followed me hunting Wild Boar and fighting Lone Wolf. You could call it our family's Old Partner."

He paused, expectation in his voice.

"When you hunt some big game in the future and sell it for money, I'll get you a new bow. An Ox-Horn Bow is good, but in the end, it can't compare to a Composite Bow made from horn mixed with Mulberry Wood. It has more draw strength and can shoot several zhang farther."

Li Xiao's heart stirred, but he was in no rush.

He still could not draw it to its limit. It would not be too late to buy one after he had tempered his strength and body.

"Dad, I want to go to the Back Mountain tomorrow and see if I can dig up some herbs and hunt some Wild Game."

Li Xiao spoke with anticipation.

He had the skill Herbal Mastery. As long as he went up the mountain, there was a good chance he could gather some herbs. But these past days, he had been busy grinding archery and had no time for anything else.

Now that his archery had reached Entry Level, it was only natural to put it into practice—hunting while grinding experience, killing two birds with one stone.