Unrivaled Archery

[Piercing Willow Archery (Beginner 3/500)]

Hong Ming glanced at it, and that was all.

After that, he paid it no further attention, only adding to his frustration.

Having taken a beating in archery, he made up for it by training furiously in stake work and fist techniques.

He trained tirelessly until noon, when Zhong Shaoying sent someone to deliver this month's stipend.

Come to think of it, he hadn't seen Zhong Shaoying once since the man began sponsoring him.

It seemed Zhong Shaoying had only agreed to help him out of consideration for Qin Hao. After handing over the money, he'd promptly forgotten all about Hong Ming.

Though he hadn't seen his benefactor in person, he still owed him his gratitude. With this money, along with his wages due to arrive soon, he was a little better off.

"Time to buy a Black Stone Bow!"

Hong Ming had long since decided what to do with the money.

Recently, Li Mo had generously lent him an old bow to practice with.

That was fine in the short term, but continuing like that for too long would hardly be proper.

With the money tucked away, Hong Ming left the Naval Battalion for the Military Town. After making a few inquiries, he headed straight for the street where bows and arrows were sold.

It was no exaggeration to say that the vast Naval Battalion supported the people within a ten-mile radius.

Two entire streets stretched out before him, lined from end to end with shops selling bows and arrows.

The shops stood shoulder to shoulder on either side of the streets, some large, some small, some cheap, others dear. Every wall around him was hung with all sorts of bows, crossbows, and arrows.

There were long and short bows and crossbows, light and heavy ones, and bows made from beast sinew. As for arrows, there were feathered arrows, fire arrows, whistling arrows, poisoned arrows, and more.

The selection was so vast and the variety so complete that Hong Ming's eyes swam as he struggled to choose.

But he had a clever method: instead of judging the bows and crossbows with his eyes, he used traits to assess them.

As he browsed, he indeed came across quite a few traits related to archery.

Some focused the eyes, others strengthened the wrists, and still others improved accuracy. None of them quite satisfied him.

He preferred traits that could aid him in training archery. Simply increasing a single ability would only treat the symptoms, not the root cause.

From one end of the street to the other, Hong Ming found little of interest. Then, as he came to a shop on the second street, a new trait appeared on his panel.

He had assumed it would be another ordinary trait, but the shop gave him an enormous surprise.

[Trait: Unrivaled Archery (Level 2 · Blue)]

[Status: Can be solidified]

[Required Fortune: 36 points]

[Solidification effect: Archery talent greatly increased.]

Not only was it a level-two trait, it was an archery talent!

Hong Ming's heart pounded like a drum, delight plain on his face.

At last, I've found you!

After searching high and low for a trait he was satisfied with, Hong Ming solidified it without a moment's hesitation.

The prompt that followed brought him right back to reality.

Insufficient fortune!

Only then did he remember to check his panel. He had accumulated twenty-nine points of fortune so far.

He was just a little short of what he needed to solidify the Unrivaled Archery trait.

In five days at most, he'd have enough fortune to solidify the trait and make it his own.

"Where's the source of this trait?"

Hong Ming looked toward the shop in front of him, intending to buy the item that had produced it.

Five days wasn't long, but anything could happen. Better to buy it now and settle the matter once and for all.

"Soldier, I've shown you most of the bows and crossbows in the shop, and you haven't liked any of them. Could you at least tell me what you're looking for?"

The shop assistant was growing impatient with Hong Ming's endless picking and choosing.

If Hong Ming would just explain what he wanted, there'd be no need to waste time. If they had it, he could buy it; if not, the assistant could send him on his way.

But Hong Ming only looked and never said what he was after. He even insisted on taking the weapons outside to inspect them, making the assistant nearly suspect he had some other motive.

That impatience vanished completely after Hong Ming flicked him a few coins.

Fine. Look all you like, so long as you don't walk off with a bow or crossbow. Do as you please.

Without the assistant's nagging, Hong Ming inspected the weapons all the more quickly.

Just as he began to suspect the trait came not from a bow or crossbow but from an arrow, the answer appeared.

The trait did indeed come from a bow. If he wasn't mistaken, it was a Black Stone Bow, the kind commonly used by archers.

It was just a little small. It didn't look suited to a man; it seemed specially made for a woman.

He asked the assistant, and the answer confirmed his guess.

Hong Ming didn't care. Anything capable of producing a trait had to be extraordinary, so he immediately asked to buy it.

The bow was cheap, priced at five taels. Hong Ming haggled it down to four taels and five mace, then left with it under the assistant's bemused gaze.

That afternoon, as usual, he went to the Archery Battalion and found Li Mo to return the old bow.

Bewilderment seemed contagious. When Li Mo saw the Black Stone Bow Hong Ming was using, he too fell silent for a moment. But he said nothing, gave his usual instructions, and left.

That suited Hong Ming perfectly. He stopped practicing archery and went back to stake work and fist techniques.

He had no choice. Archery training was slow, whether he was trying to improve his skill or gain fortune. The other two were far more efficient.

His most urgent task was to build up his fortune, then solidify the trait.

With the trait at his side, he estimated that he could gain in a single day what he currently gained in several.

A little sooner than Hong Ming had expected, it took only four days for him to accumulate enough fortune.

Without the slightest hesitation, he focused on the panel and issued his command.

[36 points of fortune consumed. Trait "Unrivaled Archery" successfully solidified.]

The panel's voice sounded like music. After savoring the moment, Hong Ming tested the effect of his second level-two trait.

[Piercing Willow Archery +5]

[Piercing Willow Archery +6]

[Piercing Willow Archery +4]

[...]

As expected of a level-two trait—the effect far exceeded his expectations!

His progress shot up to an average of around five points per session.

It still couldn't outpace his training in Coiling Dragon Stake or Frost Sky Fist, but how long had he been drawing the bow and shooting?

One round of stake work and a set of fist techniques would probably be enough time for Hong Ming to empty his quiver.

"At this rate, I'll reach the beginner level in less than half a month!"

Hong Ming's eyes lit up with delight. The difference a trait made was plain as day.

Without one, he had no idea how long it would have taken him to reach the beginner level in Piercing Willow Archery.

With this trait, half a month would be enough!

With something to look forward to, Hong Ming practiced archery with the vigor of a man who'd taken a powerful tonic, fierce and unstoppable.

He couldn't claim that every arrow found its mark or that he never missed, but within ten zhang, five out of ten shots hit. Compared to before, he was practically a different person.

"Is that Hong Ming?"

Li Mo happened to pass by and took a moment to look. Seeing Hong Ming make such progress, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

Earlier, he'd thought it was putting the cart before the horse for Hong Ming to practice fist techniques and stake work instead of archery.

Now, seeing his marked improvement, he couldn't help wondering: could it be that Hong Ming practiced fist techniques and stake work just for recreation, while secretly building up his strength for archery?

Li Mo watched for a long while, then quietly left. Whatever the reason, progress was always a good thing.

Otherwise, if Hong Ming remained too mediocre, Li Mo wouldn't be able to show him off in the future, and that bastard Yu Bin would gloat and brag all he wanted.

In the days that followed, Hong Ming trained in stake work, fist techniques, and archery all at once.

His stake work was nearing completion, his archery was gradually taking shape, and his fist techniques continued to advance steadily. Meanwhile, the money in his pocket was dwindling by the day.

"Training in all three is just barely manageable for my body and mind, but my wallet is truly stretched thin. I can't keep this up!"

That day, Hong Ming counted his money and took stock of his situation.

It was time to earn some money!

Hong Ming made the decision at once and wasted no time.

He would earn money the same way as before: by going back to the Chen Family Water Farm to gather clams.

Gathering clams was easy work for him now. The only question was whether, with the Water Breathing trait, he could find any high-grade pearl clams.