The Terrifying Effects of the Conceptual Ability

In a clearing.

Chen Er Zhuang tossed the grass target high into the air, while Chen Xuan sprinted forward with a bow and arrow in hand.

The instant the grass target rose into midair, he swiftly drew his bow and loosed an arrow.

The movements flowed almost in one breath.

"Whoosh!"

The arrow tore through the air in an instant, slicing through the wind in the blink of an eye.

"Thud!"

The grass target was struck in midair and sent crashing straight to the ground.

But it did not stop there. Chen Er Zhuang quickly threw out a second grass target, while Chen Xuan did not slow his run, continuing to draw his bow and nock another arrow.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

Chen Xuan raced wildly as grass targets flew into the sky one after another from Chen Er Zhuang's hands. Arrows struck the targets with precision, with only two or three missing their mark.

After a while, all the grass targets had been thrown, and Chen Xuan finally stopped, panting heavily.

"Amazing, Er Gou. You nearly hit every single one."

Chen Er Zhuang spoke excitedly. Even though he had been helping Chen Xuan train all along, he still found Chen Xuan's progress unbelievable.

Even when shooting at fixed targets himself, he still could not guarantee every shot would land.

"Phew!"

"Second Zhuang Brother, thanks for the trouble these past few days. This is about enough."

"If you still want to learn archery, just come by every afternoon. There's no need to keep practicing with me."

Chen Xuan smiled as he spoke to Chen Er Zhuang.

"N-No need?"

Chen Er Zhuang looked somewhat confused.

"That's right. It's more or less enough already."

Chen Xuan nodded with a smile.

Once his archery had reached proficiency, practicing on things like this would no longer help him improve. He needed to shoot at living creatures.

He had already tested that before.

Of course, Proficient Archery was already enough for him right now.

What he needed to consider next was learning how to hunt.

The food at home had already run dry. If he did not get food soon, the family of three would have to go hungry.

"O-Okay!"

Chen Er Zhuang was still reluctant to stop, but he ultimately nodded.

He watched Chen Er Zhuang leave.

Chen Xuan immediately turned his attention to his Conceptual Ability.

Objective: Go into the mountains to hunt today, obtain prey, and return safely. (Pending confirmation)

Configuration complete.

"Loading!"

"Loading successful!"

"Route One: Head to the back mountain. Five hundred meters to the left of the Old Locust Tree, there is a flock of Mountain Chickens. Arrive in one hour, then immediately descend the mountain from the right within half an hour. The descent must not exceed half an hour."

"Route Two: Three thousand meters from the Old Poplar Tree, there is a group of Bamboo Rats. Arrive within half a shichen. You must leave within a quarter of an hour and return by the original route."

"Route Three:"

Lines of text appeared one after another.

Compared to his previous configurations, this one was undoubtedly far more complicated.

Entering the mountains, he currently had no hunting experience at all. As for going to Zhang Shan's home to learn, on one hand, he could not afford the cost now. On the other, learning hunting skills was not something that could be done overnight.

But his family could no longer support him learning for several more months.

So Chen Xuan chose the simplest and most direct method.

Since his Conceptual Ability could generate a path to completing a set objective, hunting could naturally become an objective as well.

He could even include his own safety in it.

And the result did not disappoint him.

The system had indeed given him an answer.

Moreover, perhaps because the objective he had set was more complete, the routes it provided were more thorough as well.

Chen Xuan took a deep breath and looked at the sky.

He no longer hesitated and quickly began making preparations.

Not long afterward, he had packed his tools and supplies. After reminding Xiao Shitou of a few things, he slung his bow and arrows over his back and headed straight into the back mountain.

This was also his first time entering the mountains.

When he was young, the elders in his family had always warned children not to enter the mountains and not to go into the water.

In his memories, the original Chen Xuan had never entered the mountains either.

To be honest, after what had happened in the river, Chen Xuan still felt somewhat uneasy about entering the mountains.

But with food already in short supply at home, Chen Xuan could not afford to worry about so much.

Besides, the bug-like nature of his Conceptual Ability gave Chen Xuan some confidence.

As long as he strictly followed the steps laid out by the Conceptual Ability, there should not be any danger.

He stepped forward, and before long, his figure vanished into the forest.

The forest was dim. This nearly untouched woodland carried an eerie stillness.

Only the rustle of leaves beneath his footsteps could be heard.

The Old Locust Tree was enormous. Even from the foot of the mountain, Chen Xuan could see it clearly, so there was no fear of losing his way.

After walking for nearly three quarters of an hour, Chen Xuan finally arrived at the small locust tree.

Then, following the Conceptual Ability's instructions, Chen Xuan arrived five hundred meters to the left of the Old Locust Tree.

There was a patch of grass here.

There was currently nothing on it.

Chen Xuan was in no hurry and began to wait.

Soon, the hour gradually came to an end. Just as that hour drew to a close, figures descended one after another.

When he saw those figures clearly, Chen Xuan's eyes lit up.

Sure enough, they were all Mountain Chickens. Though they were not as large as the one Chen Xuan had gotten before, they were still not small, and there were an impressive number of them. At a glance, there were dozens.

Chen Xuan took a deep breath and did not hesitate in the slightest. He immediately nocked an arrow and drew his bow.

He began adjusting his breathing.

"Whoosh!"

A moment later, an arrow shot forth. A Mountain Chicken in the distance had no time to react before it was struck and pinned to the grass.

With his current Proficient Archery, shooting at a stationary target like this was practically a hundred shots, a hundred hits.

But that one arrow startled all the surrounding Mountain Chickens. They immediately took flight, scattering in panic in every direction.

Chen Xuan did not hesitate at all and quickly nocked another arrow.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

Arrows shot forth one after another.

In that instant, he fired five arrows.

Three Mountain Chickens flying through the air fell in response.

But after those five arrows, all the other Mountain Chickens had already flown away. It was too late to draw his bow and shoot again.

Chen Xuan shook his head, but he was not disappointed.

He quickly got up and walked toward the four Mountain Chickens he had shot.

He swiftly picked them up one by one.

When he felt the weight of the four Mountain Chickens, Chen Xuan could not help but smile.

Each of the four Mountain Chickens weighed roughly two or three jin. Together, they came to nearly ten jin.

He gauged the time. About a quarter of an hour had passed.

But remembering the system's prompt, Chen Xuan glanced around. Though he knew that if he stayed a little longer, these Mountain Chickens might return, and he might even be able to hunt other wild animals.

After thinking it over, however, he quickly left the area and headed down the mountain according to the Conceptual Ability's instructions.

This was a forest. Any lapse in caution could be fatal, and Chen Xuan had no intention of gambling with his own life.

As for the half-hour limit, he had no watch, so he might not be able to judge it accurately. It was better to leave early.

And about a quarter of an hour after Chen Xuan left.

Several pairs of green, gleaming eyes appeared in the forest.