Target Achieved

Sensing Gu Sheng's resolve, Gu He fell silent and waved his hand.

"Forget it. Since you've made up your mind, just pretend I never brought it up. No need to feel pressured."

Even though Gu Sheng had refused him, Gu He wouldn't make things difficult for him over such a small matter. If he acted that way, he would have made countless enemies over his decades of life, and he wouldn't have ended up as the steward of the main family.

Gu Sheng bowed slightly, offering an apology.

Having interacted with Gu He for a month, he knew Gu He wasn't narrow-minded, which was why he spoke his mind directly, to avoid unpleasantness for both of them.

Gu He nodded and finally said:

"If you change your mind, you can come find me."

He truly thought highly of Gu Sheng. After a month of observation, Gu Sheng's character, perseverance, and comprehension were all top-notch. At least within Gu Family Village, few could match him.

Gu Sheng expressed his gratitude again and turned to leave.

While Gu He's intentions were good, Gu Sheng's aspirations lay elsewhere. If he settled down and started a family in Gu Family Village, how could he continue to advance bravely with future attachments? This was indeed a shortcut, but it wasn't as practical as earning wealth through his own hunting.

A small grove.

Gu Sheng practiced archery alone.

His gaze was sharp, free of distractions. His left arm held the bow steady, without the slightest tremor. His right hand drew the string back to a full moon before releasing.

The arrow whistled, cutting through the air with a strong gust, and embedded itself precisely in the bullseye, about the size of a fist, in the distance.

One arrow after another was shot.

Gu Sheng could feel every bit of progress he made, occasionally gaining new insights. The process of practicing archery was tedious, but with feedback, it became very satisfying.

When all the arrows were shot, Gu Sheng pulled the arrows from the target and continued practicing.

He repeated the process over and over, without any hint of impatience.

When his arms felt slightly sore, he would stop to rest, allowing him to train for longer periods.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The sound of arrows breaking through the air continuously echoed through the woods.

The archery progress bar steadily climbed, increasing by 2% today, an astonishing efficiency.

Whoosh!

Another arrow was shot, its passage through the air sharp and piercing. A voice of admiration came from the distance:

"Good shot!"

"Ah Sheng, if I hadn't personally witnessed you learning archery, I truly wouldn't have believed you've only been practicing for ten days."

Gu Erniu walked over, his face full of amazement. Beside him was another sturdy young man, looking slightly older than Gu Erniu, with a somewhat flat nose.

Gu Sheng recognized him. It was Zhang Ze, a hunter from the village. His parents had drifted to Gu Family Village generations ago, and they had settled down there. He was good friends with Gu Erniu.

Zhang Ze looked at Gu Erniu in astonishment, asking with disbelief:

"Er Niu, he's really only been learning archery for ten days?"

Gu Erniu chuckled:

"Would I lie to you!"

He felt a secret surge of satisfaction. He had been shocked by Gu Sheng's progress when he first saw it. Now, seeing Zhang Ze's thoroughly impressed expression, he felt much more balanced.

Zhang Ze harbored some doubt but didn't show it. He simply said, "Hitting a fist-sized target from fifty meters away is indeed decent. However, prey won't stand still foolishly. If he goes into the mountains, he needs to be obedient. Otherwise, disturbing the prey will significantly reduce our harvest."

Gu Erniu nodded repeatedly.

"Naturally."

Saying that, he beckoned Gu Sheng over.

"Ah Sheng, this is Zhang Ze. We're planning to go into the mountains together tomorrow, and we thought we'd bring you along to get familiar with the mountain environment."

He had originally thought he would bring Gu Sheng into the mountains at least a month later, but he hadn't expected Gu Sheng's growth to be so rapid, which led him to extend the invitation now.

Gu Sheng's archery skills, while not able to provide much significant help yet, at least wouldn't be a hindrance.

Initially, Zhang Ze was completely unwilling to bring a novice into the mountains. It was only after Gu Erniu treated him to a meal that he agreed to come and take a look. After seeing Gu Sheng's archery skills, he reluctantly agreed.

Upon hearing Gu Erniu's invitation, Gu Sheng hesitated.

Going into the mountains was inevitable, but not now.

His beginner-level archery skills didn't give him a sense of security. He wanted to reach at least the minor accomplishment stage, where he could accurately hit moving prey. With his current progress, it would only take about ten days for Gu Sheng to reach that level.

He didn't want to rush these ten days.

Gu Sheng apologized, saying, "Brother Er Niu, my archery skills have just begun to take shape. I plan to practice for another half month to solidify them a bit. I'll go into the mountains after that."

Gu Erniu was slightly taken aback, then chuckled.

"Fine, since you have your own plans, just tell me when you want to go into the mountains. I'm going tomorrow, so you'll need to take good care of your sister-in-law."

This trip into the mountains was just for normal hunting, and they wouldn't be staying overnight, so Gu Erniu wasn't too worried.

Zhang Ze breathed a sigh of relief. Although Gu Erniu said Gu Sheng had only been practicing archery for ten days, he didn't believe it. He thought Gu Sheng was just exaggerating to get him to agree to go into the mountains together.

Seeing that Gu Sheng was unwilling to go into the mountains himself, Zhang Ze was happy. After all, bringing a novice would increase the danger of entering the mountains, and if the person didn't listen, it could even lead to disaster.

He chuckled, "It's good to practice more. Otherwise, the wild beasts in the mountains won't play house with you."

Gu Sheng just nodded.

Watching the two leave, he couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle. Being rejected by both Gu He and Gu Erniu in one day, he wondered what kind of luck he was having today.

However, Gu Sheng didn't mind. He had his own principles for doing things.

Continue practicing archery!

The next day, Gu Erniu and the others entered the mountains early in the morning.

Gu Sheng continued to chop wood. In just half a day, he finished chopping a thousand pieces of firewood and also figured out the pattern of proficiency growth after reaching perfection in wood chopping.

"It takes about a thousand pieces of firewood to increase proficiency by 1%. This means it will take over three months to reach the realm beyond perfection!"

Gu Sheng was very curious about what changes would happen after reaching the peak of perfection through diligent practice.

Half a day later.

Gu Sheng practiced archery as usual. With half a day of practice time, his archery progress accelerated.

Gu Erniu and the others returned to the village before dark. It was rare for hunters to stay overnight in the mountains because it was too dangerous.

Gu Erniu brought back a large piece of wild boar meat, looking regretful.

"Ah Sheng, it would have been great if you had come with us into the mountains today. We were lucky enough to hunt a wild boar this time, and you would have gotten a share if you were here."

Gu Sheng also felt a bit regretful, but he remained firm in his decision.

No regrets.

This time, there was indeed a harvest instead of danger, but what if they encountered danger?

Hunters died in the mountains every year in the village; it wasn't a rare occurrence.

Entrusting his life to others was not Gu Sheng's style. He wouldn't give up something because of a minor setback, but he wanted to minimize the risks as much as possible.

After this, Gu Sheng's life was not affected; it remained as regular as ever.

Half a day of wood chopping, half a day of archery.

Gu Erniu would sometimes come over in the evening to teach Gu Sheng some hunting skills, such as simple traps, identifying some herbs, and understanding the habits of wild beasts. Gu Sheng's life was fulfilling, and he could feel his progress every day.

One day.

Gu Sheng was practicing archery in the woods.

His eyes were sharp, his body stood like a pine, and the long bow in his hand was as steady as a mountain, without the slightest tremor.

Whoosh!

Gu Sheng, guided by inspiration, loosed an arrow. It whistled sharply through the air and accurately struck the target, the size of a copper coin, in the distance.

The arrow's tail quivered, and Gu Sheng's eyes showed surprise.

He opened his status panel.

There was a change in the Martial Arts section.

Archery (Minor Accomplishment 0%)!

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