What Sets Mortals Apart from Geniuses

Chen Mo woke before dawn as usual. He did not know whether it was because he had gone to bed early last night, or because becoming a martial artist meant he needed less sleep, but he felt quite refreshed.

He summoned the panel and saw that it was still there. His Enlightenment Count had increased by one again, and he could not help but let out a breath of relief.

This was the first thing Chen Mo did every morning after waking up.

"I'm really afraid that one day I'll wake up and you'll be gone."

As he muttered, Chen Mo decisively used an epiphany on Tiger Fist.

Just as he had expected, after the epiphany, Tiger Fist successfully reached the Perfection Realm. There was no further room for improvement.

"It took two epiphanies to raise Tiger Fist from the Great Accomplishment level to the Perfection Level. It seems that as a technique's level rises, the effects of epiphany will vary according to my current aptitude. It isn't as though a single epiphany will definitely raise a technique by one realm."

At that thought, he recalled how, after Health Cultivation Technique had reached Perfect Accomplishment, not only had his Lifespan increased, but his aptitude had improved as well. He also remembered what Chen Chao had said last night about techniques after the Inner Strength Realm. Chen Mo thought:

"County Town should have quite a few techniques like Health Cultivation Technique, the kind that strengthens the body and extends one's life. If I can train all of them to Perfect Accomplishment, my Lifespan will probably increase by quite a bit, and my aptitude and physical condition will improve too."

Since he could not meet the requirements through quality, he could only make up for it with quantity.

A quantitative change would eventually lead to a qualitative change. Sooner or later, he would break through.

Even if he could not break through, gaining some Lifespan and improving his aptitude would still be worthwhile.

That raised a question: should he still join a Martial Arts School?

"I'll decide after getting to County Town." Chen Mo did not dwell on it too much.

Neither Chen Qun nor Chen Chao knew much about the current power structure in Hequ County. After all, they spent most of their time in Chen Family Village and rarely went to County Town.

Even when they did go to County Town, they would not encounter any truly influential figures. Their information and understanding were rather limited.

Chen Mo would have to investigate it himself.

But that was a matter for later. Right now, he intended to gather at the village entrance and follow Chen Chao and the others deep into Mang Mountain to hunt.

When Chen Mo arrived, he found that Chen Chao had already been waiting at the village entrance, accompanied by several hunters who would be going with them.

Everyone welcomed Chen Mo's temporary addition.

With Chen Chao, a martial artist experienced in hunting, leading the team, their safety in the mountains was already greatly assured. They had also come to understand just how powerful martial artists were. Now that Chen Mo, another martial artist, was joining them, would they not be even safer?

How could they possibly be unhappy about that?

After chatting briefly, the remaining hunters arrived, and they set off at once.

They took the same route Chen Mo had traveled before. Along the way, Chen Chao and the hunters explained various key points of hunting.

Knowing they were deliberately telling him these things, Chen Mo listened very attentively.

Thus, their group of more than ten people quickly reached Mang Mountain. Without lingering around the outskirts, they headed straight into its depths.

It was clear that everyone was extremely cautious and worked together with great coordination. Each person had his own task.

Only Chen Mo kept looking around, unsure what he was supposed to do.

After trekking for nearly an hour, they finally entered the inner region of Mang Mountain.

"Are there Exotic Beasts here?" Chen Mo asked curiously.

One of the hunters replied, "There are. We even encountered one this year—a deer. Unfortunately, that beast was too fast and too timid. The moment it saw us, it ran. We couldn't catch it."

"Even if we had caught it, we might not have been able to beat it," the hunter with a small mustache added.

Before Chen Mo could speak, Chen Chao, who was walking at the front, said, "Every Exotic Beast has its own unique abilities. So unless we have no other choice, we won't make a move even if we really encounter one. It's too dangerous."

As if recalling something, Chen Chao added, "High risk means high reward. The energy contained in Exotic Beast Meat is far beyond that of ordinary meat. Ordinary people might be unable to handle such nourishment, but for martial artists, it is the finest supplement."

"Uncle Chao, have you eaten Exotic Beast Meat?" Chen Mo looked over at him.

He thought that if he could obtain enough Exotic Beast Meat, he would not need to worry about exhausting his body as his strength increased. He could replenish his energy quickly.

Chen Chao nodded. "A few times. The taste is very unique, and the price is very... Hmm!?"

Before he could finish, his gaze was drawn to the silhouette of a beast behind the bushes ahead.

Following his gaze, Chen Mo saw a wild boar, one that looked to weigh three or four hundred jin.

The others in the group noticed it as well.

"Captain, a big haul!" The hunters kept their voices low, but their eyes shone with wild delight.

Chen Chao remained calm. After observing for a while, he raised a hand and signaled everyone to follow as he slowly moved forward.

Sixty meters!

Fifty meters!

Thirty meters!

As though it had heard something, the wild boar, which had been rooting around a tree stump, suddenly raised its head and looked over. It noticed Chen Mo and the others approaching, let out a howl, and instead of fleeing, charged straight at them.

Reacting swiftly, the hunters immediately drew their bows and nocked their arrows. Chen Chao gripped his long blade and stood at the very front of the group.

Seeing this, Chen Mo did not hesitate. He strode forward and stood beside Chen Chao.

When he saw that the hunters' arrows had failed to cause the wild boar any real damage—most of them could not even break its defense, failing to pierce its hide before bouncing away—and saw that it had already reached within ten meters, Chen Mo drew his Hunting Bow, nocked an arrow, and fired calmly.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

He fired three arrows in rapid succession, each from a different angle.

In the blink of an eye, the wild boar suddenly let out a miserable squeal.

All three Wooden Arrows had sunk into its eye sockets, blood spraying everywhere.

"Fine archery!" Chen Chao praised.

Watching the blinded wild boar charge about wildly, he strode forward and swung his blade down.

After only a few strikes, he killed the wild boar.

It was merely an ordinary wild boar, not an Exotic Beast. With both eyes blinded, it posed little threat to a martial artist.

Not long after entering the inner region, they had already gained a wild boar weighing over three hundred jin. Everyone was in high spirits.

Naturally, they showered Chen Mo with praise for his archery.

Even the hunters in the group who specialized in Archery could only admit they were inferior.

They thought that, leaving aside everything else, Chen Mo could stand firmly in Chen Family Village and never lack food or clothing with this skill in Archery alone.

Not to mention that Chen Mo was a martial artist.

If Chen Mo could remain in the village and enter the mountains with Chen Chao to lead them, how safe would that be?

Of course, that was only everyone's lovely hope and wish. It could never become reality.

An Inner Strength Realm martial artist at fifteen years old would only be wasting his time and talent by staying in the village. Chen Mo needed a far broader world.

Putting such thoughts aside, everyone skillfully made use of materials at hand. Two hunters carried the wild boar behind the group as they continued searching for new prey.

One wild boar was not enough to make them turn back.

Chen Mo had exceptionally keen eyesight. Combined with Chen Chao and the others' experience and Tracking abilities, they quickly found new prey.

Once again, everyone witnessed Chen Mo's Perfection Level Archery. There were no flashy movements; his actions looked utterly ordinary, yet every arrow he fired was simply accurate, bringing the Hunting Bow's potential to its utmost limit.

"If you had a good bow, you could probably handle even an ordinary Exotic Beast by yourself," Chen Chao said with a sigh.

He realized that apart from his techniques and experience in Tracking and locating prey, there was nothing else he could teach Chen Mo.

An intense sense of disparity inevitably rose in his heart. The accumulations of half his life had been effortlessly surpassed.

Perhaps this was the difference between mortals and geniuses.

Only when the sun sank westward and night gradually descended did Chen Mo and the others return, loaded to the brim.

Everyone carried prey on his shoulders.

Chen Mo and Chen Chao in particular each carried a wild boar far larger than themselves as they walked at the very front of the group. The sight was truly spectacular, drawing intense attention and discussion from the villagers...