First Trial of the Bestowal Function

Half an hour later, Lin Xuan walked through the training grounds carrying the Twelve-Strength Heavy Bow, thirty-three arrows, and a brand-new Fine Waist Saber.

The thirty Armor-Piercing Arrows had shafts significantly longer than his previous ones.

The remaining three were Whistling Arrows, also known as Mingdi. When fired, the arrows vibrated through holes in their shafts to produce a sharp, piercing sound that could travel hundreds of meters—essentially an ancient version of a signal flare.

The value of these items far exceeded the six and a half taels of silver he had originally estimated; Qin Lie hadn't made a single cent of profit from the ten taels he had been given.

He nocked an arrow and drew the bow, firing toward a target on the grounds. It struck the bullseye instantly, the shaft burying itself deep into the wood.

The feel of this bow was excellent, but Lin Xuan felt he would need to upgrade to a heavier one before long.

His rate of progress was simply too fast; he would reach the Breath-Connecting Realm in six months at most.

He now possessed two sets of weapons.

He had originally intended to sell the old set, but upon realizing that Lin An also needed weapons, he abandoned that idea.

It was still midday, and it was time to return home, as Lin Xuan wanted to make time for hunting. The meat at home had run out, and ordinary beast meat offered limited benefits to his martial path.

While walking, Lin Xuan observed his surroundings and discovered someone trailing him in the distance—it appeared to be the same person who had followed him that morning.

He did not make a move yet, instead pretending he hadn't noticed the individual and quickly heading home.

Lin An was practicing martial arts techniques, specifically the Grand Ancestor Long Fist from the Grand Ancestor Internal Strength manual, her strikes powerful and whistling with force.

Lin Xuan felt she could have killed the version of himself from just a few days after he had transmigrated.

"Back so soon? Are you hungry? I'll go cook some meat for you."

Lin Xuan shook his head. "No need. I'm going out to hunt. Let's see if I can bag some game today."

"This bow and short blade are for you to use."

Lin An took the bow and blade, attempting to draw the string. "Alright, when will you teach me how to shoot?"

Seeing this, Lin Xuan hurriedly shouted, "Stop, stop, stop! Don't dry-fire it!"

Hearing this, Lin An instantly ceased her movement and slowly relaxed the bowstring.

"Don't just fire it without an arrow; it's very damaging to the bow."

Lin An nodded. "I understand. I'll be careful next time. So, when will you teach me?"

Lin Xuan shook his head. "No need to learn just yet. I have a task for you."

"What is it?" Lin An asked curiously.

Lin Xuan explained his thoughts to her: "Someone is tracking me, most likely those bandits from Wolf Cave Mountain. I intend to use this hunting trip to flush them out and see if I can extract more information. I can't rest easy knowing they're still alive."

Lin An replied, "Then let's go together. My strength is already far beyond that of an average man; I can help."

Lin Xuan nodded. "Very well, but you must remain in the shadows. I will be the bait, and you will be the support. We must coordinate. I will fire a Whistling Arrow later; listen closely to the sound. Stay at a distance until you hear it."

"Once you hear the Whistling Arrow, come to my aid immediately."

"For safety's sake, keep the other Sleeve Arrow on your person so you can defend yourself."

"Alright, I'll do as you say. How many people are tracking you? Can you handle them?" Lin An asked, concerned.

"It's a trivial matter, don't worry." Lin Xuan shook his head and, holding the Mingdi, fired it into a haystack at his home.

The sound of the Mingdi was like a skyrocket, highly distinct. Lin An memorized it after hearing it just once.

Still feeling uneasy about Lin An, Lin Xuan decided to bestow [Silent Step] upon her.

After all, the talents from the Book of Fate could be bestowed and reclaimed at will.

Lin Xuan attempted to bestow the talent.

Grant talent [Silent Step]?

[Yes]

Soon, Lin Xuan saw four golden characters appear above Lin An's head: [Endurance] [Silent Step].

Revoke talent [Silent Step]?

[Yes]

In an instant, the [Silent Step] above Lin An's head vanished.

Lin Xuan tested the bestowal function once more.

Grant talent [Silent Step]?

[Yes]

The two characters appeared above Lin An's head again.

"It really can be bestowed and reclaimed repeatedly!" Lin Xuan was overjoyed after verifying this function.

This meant that if he broke through to the Breath-Connecting Realm in the future and faced no major threats, he could bestow this talent upon Lin An, allowing her strength to advance rapidly and keep pace with his own.

Lin Xuan took a nap at home, and by the time the Hour of the Rooster arrived and the sun was setting behind the mountains, he took his heavy bow and Goose-Quill Saber and headed out.

"It's so late, why are you going hunting now?" Upon learning of Lin Xuan's intentions, Chen Fang couldn't help but worry. It was far too late to be heading out; who goes hunting at this hour?

Lin Xuan reassured her, "Mother, don't worry. Your son can lift a four-hundred-jin boulder now; what could possibly hurt me? Even if I can't win a fight, can't I just outrun them?"

The black bear spirit was already dead, and no other monsters would be appearing for a while.

Chen Fang shook her head. "I can't win against you, so go. But you must return before the Hour of the Dog! Otherwise, you might run into a Grandma Cat that feeds on humans."

The Grandma Cat is a type of exotic beast. Despite the name, it is actually as large as a tiger, and its cry sounds like a wailing infant, used to lure kind-hearted humans.

Those naive and inexperienced might believe there is a baby abandoned in the wilderness, and out of pity, they would try to find the infant to bring it back to the village or town.

The moment a human gets close, the Grandma Cat, which has been lying in wait, snaps their neck in one bite.

The Grandma Cat possesses sharp fangs and immense bite force; legend has it that it can chew human bones like peanuts.

However, legend also says this creature is not invincible. As long as one has glue, paste, or similar substances, one might survive by smearing it onto the beast's head.

It is said that once its head is covered in something, it will prioritize using its claws to scrape the substance off. Yet, in the process of scraping, it will inexplicably start licking its paws, completely forgetting about the prey nearby until it has finished licking off all the filth, only then resuming its hunt.

When Lin Xuan was a mischievous child, he would often try to sneak out in the middle of the night. Chen Fang couldn't control him, so she used this story to scare him, frightening him so much that he didn't dare go out at night for years.

"Mother, how old am I now? You're still using that to scare me? If I encountered that thing now, I could snap its neck myself." Lin Xuan responded to his mother's concern half-jokingly.

In reality, the locals had almost never encountered this exotic beast, and no one knew if it was merely a legend or truly existed.

There were quite a few strange local legends, and Lin Xuan felt that most of them likely had some basis in reality.

Lin Xuan walked out the door and set off on the road toward Rou Mountain.