First Skill Target

Back at home.

His mother's words, along with Xiao Shitou's childish voice, gradually eased the panic in Chen Xuan's heart.

"Back already!"

"Hurry up and eat!"

Zhang Chunhua's voice rang out.

"Okay, Mother!"

Chen Xuan hurriedly answered and obediently made his way to the table.

Today's food was undoubtedly much more plentiful. There was not only the leftover fish from noon, but also several wild vegetables, which Zhang Chunhua had clearly dug up that afternoon.

While eating, Chen Xuan opened his mouth, wanting to ask his mother about it, but after opening his mouth, he still did not say anything.

He was afraid of making his mother worry.

He was also afraid that, after he told her, his mother would no longer allow him to go to the riverbank.

No matter how dangerous the riverbank was, no matter how much he considered never going there again, that only applied if there were other possibilities.

If there were none, the riverbank was the only place where he could quickly obtain food.

With no other choice, he would have to keep taking this risk.

Dinner passed in silence.

It was soon over.

Chen Xuan helped clear the table, then left the house and began searching.

Before long, he found his target.

Villagers always planted some green bamboo near their doorsteps.

Chen Xuan's home was no exception. He quickly picked out a suitable stalk of green bamboo.

He found a wooden stick, stripped off its bark, then used all his strength to bind the two ends of the green bamboo together. A crude bow and arrow was soon made.

With a thought—

The words before his eyes swiftly flickered.

Target: Master archery (Pending confirmation)

Setup complete

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Method One: Bring one jin of meat to Zhang Shan's home every three days. Zhang Shan will agree to teach you hunting skills. After studying for three years, your Introduction to Archery will be achieved.

Method Two: Fierce Mountain Hall in Green Mountain City is recruiting members. Reach Green Mountain City within twenty-four hours and offer one tael of silver to Steward Chen to join Fierce Mountain Hall. Render great service, and you may enter Vice Hall Master Zhang Qiushan's tutelage to learn archery. Within ten days, your Introduction to Archery can be achieved.

As the words appeared, Chen Xuan could not help shaking his head.

Neither of the two methods was reliable. The first required three years, but he simply did not have three years. After these ten days, whether he could even continue obtaining food to study would be a problem.

As for the second method, there was even less need to mention it. Reaching Green Mountain City within twenty-four hours was nothing more than a fool's dream. Joining Fierce Mountain Hall and rendering great service was even more absurd.

Still, Chen Xuan had expected this. Looking at the Conceptual Ability, another thought rose in his mind.

As his thought shifted, the words changed once more.

Target: Achieve Introduction to Archery within ten days (Pending confirmation)

Setup complete

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Method One: Fierce Mountain Hall in Green Mountain City is recruiting members. Reach Green Mountain City within twenty-four hours and offer one tael of silver to Steward Chen to join Fierce Mountain Hall. Render great service, and you may enter Vice Hall Master Zhang Qiushan's tutelage to learn archery. Within ten days, your Introduction to Archery can be achieved.

Method Two: An archer stands sideways toward the target, with the chest facing perpendicular to the line connecting the person and the target. Spread both feet slightly apart. The relative position of the feet should fall somewhere between a T-shape and an eight-shape. Grip the center of the bow handle and nock an arrow. Practice for four shichen each day, then practice drawing the bow and shooting arrows for three shichen each day. Receive Zhang Shan's guidance, and Introduction to Archery can be achieved within one month.

As the new words appeared, Chen Xuan changed his target once again.

Compared to his previous vague setup, this time he had given a more exact time and a more precise target. In theory, this should undoubtedly have been harder.

Yet when the new words appeared, it was not.

"Phew!"

His gaze swept over the words, and Chen Xuan let out a long breath of stale air. A smile appeared on his face.

Just as he had imagined.

As a conceptual-level ability, the terror of his Conceptual Ability was beyond imagination.

When he set enough prerequisites and made the task seem even more impossible, the Conceptual Ability automatically refined the corresponding method.

For example, this second method directly provided him with a more systematic, clearer, and wholly suitable training regimen, rather than merely a route toward a goal.

Its purpose was naturally to allow him to achieve Introduction to Archery within ten days.

After all, the Conceptual Ability's power was that once a goal had been set, it would inevitably generate a method sufficient to accomplish it. Providing a more complete and clearer training method was likewise a method sufficient to accomplish it.

Moreover, since this was completely tailored to him, the difficulty might not have increased by much at all.

Once the information appeared, Chen Xuan stopped hesitating and immediately began trying it out.

Although he now had a clearer training method, carrying it out was still difficult.

But Chen Xuan was not discouraged. If he failed once, then twice. If twice did not work, then three times.

Night gradually deepened.

Stars began to adorn the Azure Sky.

Only at midnight, when his body was nearly exhausted, did Chen Xuan slowly fall asleep with his weary body.

The next morning, when morning sunlight spilled down—

After drinking his fish soup, Chen Xuan continued practicing.

Meanwhile, Zhang Chunhua once again left home with a bamboo basket on her back.

Only after practicing for two shichen—

Did Chen Xuan open the Conceptual Ability again, preparing to obtain food.

This time, his demands were not high.

Obtaining food was not much of a problem.

In the fields, he caught three frogs and an eel. On an Old Locust Tree to the right of the village, he found several bird eggs. The nest was hidden in an extremely concealed spot and had clearly not been there long, which was why no one had discovered it. Unfortunately, it could not escape a cheater like Chen Xuan.

Compared to yesterday's food, he had undoubtedly obtained much less today, but it was enough to last a day. More importantly, it was safe enough.

What happened yesterday still left lingering fear in his heart.

That afternoon, he once again went to Zhang Shan's home.

Compared to yesterday, Zhang Shan was clearly not as attentive this time.

Still, his teaching was proper enough, and Chen Xuan was not disappointed.

He knew full well what kind of talent he had.

In his previous life, he had merely been an average person. In this life's memories, he was not someone blessed with extraordinary talent either. The fusion of two lives would not suddenly turn him into a genius.

So long as he followed the Conceptual Ability's method and achieved Introduction to Archery within ten days, that was enough.

As for anything else, he did not care.

Two shichen soon passed.

Chen Xuan once again bade farewell to Zhang Shan's household.

He returned home.

Once home, Chen Xuan continued practicing as usual.

And time quietly slipped away amid such days. In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed.