Shooting Down (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

"Set traps at the cave entrance, then smoke him out. We'll stay at a distance and slowly wear him down with arrows."

As he spoke, Li Zhi pulled two rough, dark-gray stones from his tunic.

"Flint?" Li Yuan raised an eyebrow.

This flint, also known as firestone, was essential for starting fires in the dead of winter.

Almost every hunter kept some on hand, a precaution against being stranded on the mountain during the freezing months when a fire could mean the difference between life and death.

Li Yuan immediately set to work on the traps, while Li Zhi gathered a large pile of branches and moss to stack at the cave mouth, preparing to light the fire.

Once the preparations were complete, Li Zhi struck the flint and slowly ignited the pile.

The three men hid behind a large tree, waiting in silence.

Patience was the one thing a hunter never lacked.

Time ticked by, and about an hour passed.

A furious, deafening roar erupted from within the cave.

A massive beast lunged out from the darkness.

The Black Lump was as sturdy as a small hill, its shoulders hunched and its thick, coarse fur glistening with oil. A pair of yellow eyes, round as copper bells, flashed with murderous intent.

Clearly unable to bear the choking smoke any longer, it twitched its nose repeatedly and lumbered toward the trap zone.

Before long, the bear charged out and swiped aside the debris that had disturbed its slumber.

Seeing the bear, Li Yuan felt a surge of excitement and raised his bow to take aim.

None of them had tipped their arrows with poison; they weren't just hunting for the kill. Whether for their own consumption or for sale, any meat tainted by poison would be rendered useless.

"If you get the chance, aim for its eyes. Blind the beast first," Li Zhi reminded him at the right moment.

Li Yuan took a deep breath, focused his mind, and waited for the perfect opening before releasing his arrow.

The bear moved with caution, pausing frequently to scan its surroundings.

Its four-hundred-pound frame hit the ground with heavy, dull thuds.

Just as it was about to step into the trap zone, it suddenly sensed something amiss. It stopped at the edge, sniffing the ground with suspicion.

"Damn, the beast is alert!" Chen Quan whispered.

Li Zhi made a split-second decision and barked, "Loose!"

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Three arrows left their strings almost simultaneously, flying straight toward the bear's vitals.

All three men had aimed for the chest, hoping to bleed it out and sap its strength to slow it down.

The Black Lump reacted with incredible speed, rearing up on its hind legs. Two arrows sank inches deep into its thick chest and shoulder, though they failed to strike a fatal blow. Chen Quan's arrow grazed its belly, leaving a trail of blood.

"ROAR!"

The searing pain sent the beast into a frenzy. It let out a deafening roar that shook the forest and sent birds scattering into the sky.

With bloodshot eyes, it locked onto the direction of the arrows, dropped to all fours, and charged like a war chariot.

It bypassed the trap zone entirely, sensing the danger.

"Scatter!" Li Zhi shouted.

All three men immediately dove in different directions.

As for who the beast would pursue, one could only wish them luck.

Without bait, how could one hunt for profit?

High risk, high reward.

The bear set its sights on Li Yuan, who had posed the greatest threat, and lunged straight for him.

Li Yuan's footwork was nimble; he dodged the bear's pounce and fired a counter-shot, striking the beast squarely in the rump.

The pain only fueled the bear's rage. It spun around and swiped its massive paw at Li Yuan, whipping up a gust of foul wind.

Li Yuan leaned back to retreat, the giant paw brushing past his face.

It slammed into a nearby tree as thick as a bowl, and with a sharp crack, the trunk snapped clean in two!

Li Yuan's heart skipped a beat. With that kind of force, even though he was in the Ox Skin Realm, a direct hit anywhere on his body would mean broken bones and shattered tendons.

He seriously doubted that even the Stone Skin Realm could withstand such power; perhaps only the Iron Skin Realm could hold out for a moment.

Li Zhi and Chen Quan continued to harass the beast from the sides, landing arrow after arrow into its hide.

Though none were fatal, the constant blood loss began to slow the bear down.

Looking like a pincushion, its black fur matted with blood, the bear's breathing grew heavy and ragged.

Li Yuan continued to dance around the beast, carefully observing its every move.

Watching it stand on its hind legs to roar, swipe its paws, and charge with a shoulder bash...

The raw power contained within that massive frame and its unique way of exerting force...

...vaguely overlapped with the descriptions of Bear Form Fist in the manuals he read every day, as well as the steady-as-a-mountain, wave-shaking intent Yang Chong displayed during his demonstrations.

A sudden, intense impulse surged in Li Yuan's heart. Hunting with a bow and arrow was certainly fine.

But if he could personally experience this black bear's power and imitate its form and spirit, that might be the true shortcut to grasping the essence of Bear Form Fist!

Just like in the novels and television dramas of his past life, breakthroughs often only occurred between life and death.

Once this thought took root, it could no longer be suppressed.

However, the beast still had strength left; he had to wait until it was worn down enough, just slightly stronger than himself, before he could get close enough to spar.

Soon, the black bear slowed down further due to excessive blood loss, its breathing becoming heavy and ragged, with more air going out than coming in.

Seeing this, Li Yuan understood immediately; it was about time.

He abruptly tossed his heavy bow and quiver to the side and shouted to Li Zhi and Chen Quan:

"Uncle, Uncle Chen! Cover me, I'm going to face it!"

"Brother Yuan! Have you lost your mind?" Chen Quan yelled in shock.

Li Zhi's expression also shifted: "Don't be reckless! Come back!"

Li Yuan dared not be careless, deciding to test the waters with Tiger Form Fist first.

"ROAR!"

The black bear seemed provoked by Li Yuan's challenge. It stood on its hind legs, dragged its scarred body forward, and lunged, its massive paw bringing a foul wind as it swiped down at Li Yuan's head!

Li Yuan's eyes narrowed. He drew a breath into his dantian, kicked off the ground with his right leg, and channeled the force from his heel, through his waist and back, into his shoulder and arm. His hard-trained Tiger Form Fist erupted in that instant!

"Tiger Roars in the Mountain Forest!"

He recited the mantra in his heart, clenching his right fist like a tiger extending its claws to meet the descending giant paw.

"BANG!"

Fist and paw collided, producing a thunderous sound!

In an instant, Li Yuan felt as if he hadn't struck a bear's paw, but a rock of incomparable hardness.

His entire right arm began to tremble, and the web between his thumb and index finger throbbed with such intense pain that he could barely keep his fist clenched.

He was sent staggering back four or five steps before he could steady himself. Looking down, he saw the web of his right hand had split open, blood streaming down.

What terrifying strength! Li Yuan thought in horror.

Even with the black bear so heavily wounded and bleeding all over the ground, a casual swipe still carried three or four hundred jin of force.

If it had been in its prime, he would have been killed in a single blow.

A metallic, sweet taste surged into his throat, which Li Yuan forcibly swallowed back down.

"Good lad!"

The two men not far away gasped, drawing their bows and nocking arrows, ready to provide support at any moment.

Neither of them had expected that this Black Lump, despite being so gravely wounded, would still possess such frightening power.