After his first successful trip into the mountains, Gu Sheng officially became a hunter of Gu Family Village.
Especially after word of his exceptional archery spread through Zhang Ze, the other hunters learned of it as well.
At first, though, they did not quite believe it.
But facts would prove everything.
After hunting a wild boar on their first trip, Gu Erniu and the others rested for around ten days before heading into the mountains again.
Logically speaking, Gu Erniu did not need to work so desperately. Their previous haul was enough to support the family for quite some time.
But they could not simply live off their reserves. Some of the spoils had to be exchanged for money and grain to save up.
Though Gu Wan was still young, Gu Erniu had already begun planning to set aside money for his martial arts training.
The night attack by the wolves especially had strengthened Li Lian and Gu Erniu's resolve.
Zhang Ze likewise chose to head into the mountains with them.
As for Gu Youfu, the others had gradually distanced themselves from him after the last time. Moreover, his children had no need to train in martial arts, so he ventured into the mountains less often than these younger hunters.
They brought along several more hunters, and the group entered the mountains. This time, their target was a few wild wolves.
With the experience from the first trip, Gu Sheng was even calmer and more composed, performing steadily as before.
Several wild wolves died one after another beneath the group's encirclement.
His archery, fully comparable to Gu Erniu's, left the hunters seeing it for the first time greatly amazed, and they all praised Gu Sheng.
Their harvest from this trip was not as good as the last one, but it was still quite decent.
After dividing it up, they each received wolf meat, wolf bones, wolf pelts, and the like.
Having tasted the benefits, Gu Sheng felt an urge to enter the mountains alone. Splitting the spoils with others would certainly bring less than going alone.
But in the end, he extinguished that thought.
This was only his second trip into the mountains. Though he had become somewhat more familiar with them, he still lacked experience in many areas. Gu Sheng planned to observe and learn alongside everyone for a while longer.
After that.
Gu Sheng occasionally went into the mountains with the others.
Sometimes frequently, sometimes not.
At times, they went once every three to five days; at others, once every seven or eight days.
Sometimes there were three to five people; other times, it was only Gu Erniu and him.
They did not come away with something every time. It was common to spend a whole day in the mountains catching only a wild rabbit, or even return empty-handed.
Gu Sheng's archery grew ever more refined. Every time, he left newly joined hunters astonished and amazed, marveling that he was an archery prodigy.
Until eventually.
Nearly every hunter in Gu Family Village had entered the mountains with Gu Sheng and came to know this rising star among hunters. His archery was enough to rival Gu Erniu's, and given time, he might even surpass him!
Gu Sheng's reputation rose swiftly, and matchmakers had even begun coming to his door with marriage proposals.
A young and promising hunter with outstanding archery was a highly sought-after catch—at least to tenant farmers who could only make a living by farming.
Gu Sheng had even refused Gu He's niece, so naturally he would not agree to any of these proposals. He politely declined them all with a smile.
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, more than a month had passed since his first trip into the mountains.
That day, after finishing chopping wood, Gu Sheng practiced archery in the woods.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Arrows whistled through the air, carrying fierce gusts as they embedded themselves in the target.
If anyone had been there, they would have been shocked to discover that the target was a full hundred meters from Gu Sheng and no bigger than a copper coin.
Hitting a willow leaf from a hundred paces away—nothing less than that!
Though an occasional arrow went astray, most struck with perfect accuracy.
This was clearly not on the same level as the archery Gu Sheng displayed while hunting in the mountains.
In truth.
Gu Sheng's archery had been making tremendous progress every moment. As early as half a month ago, he had already completely surpassed Gu Erniu.
But Gu Sheng did not want to draw too much attention to himself, so he had consistently displayed a level roughly equal to, or even slightly inferior to, Gu Erniu's. In any case, that level of archery was more than sufficient for hunting in groups in the mountains.
He wanted to keep some trump cards in reserve and did not want to reveal all his strength.
For example, he had never displayed the close-combat strength he had gained from mastering chopping wood.
Other than chopping at a wild wolf last time, Gu Sheng had never fought with his wood-chopping blade. He would never approach prey that could be dealt with using archery. Zhang Ze's brush with death remained vivid in his mind, constantly reminding him to stay cautious.
At this moment.
Gu Sheng's eyes were sharp, and his body stood straight as a pine. His powerful archery had also strengthened his perception and dynamic vision—abilities that complemented archery.
In his sight, the target, no bigger than a copper coin, appeared especially large, as if it had been magnified.
Gu Sheng seemed to enter a wondrous state.
He could perceive the path of every falling leaf around him with perfect clarity.
He drew his bow to a full moon, his arrow like a star.
Whoosh!
A piercing whistle rang out. The arrow was so fast that its shadow could not be seen, and when it reappeared, nearly half its length had sunk into the target, striking the bullseye precisely.
Gu Sheng's eyes brimmed with joy and confidence.
He opened the panel.
His archery had astonishingly become Mastery (0%)!
After more than a month of training and mountain hunting, Gu Sheng's archery had broken through once again, reaching the Mastery realm!
Everything had happened naturally.
With Mastery archery, he could accurately hit a copper-coin-sized target from a hundred meters away, every shot finding its mark!
Moreover, when he had just advanced, he had vaguely grasped the direction for breaking through to the Perfect realm.
Dynamic vision... If my archery reaches Perfection, I might be able to see even a target as small as a louse with complete clarity. Shooting moving targets would be no different from shooting stationary ones. Piercing lice and shooting willows would be nothing more than ordinary feats!
Gu Sheng felt somewhat expectant.
That would be archery truly brought to the point of divine skill.
But now that my archery has reached Mastery, I wonder whether it can threaten martial artists?
Gu Sheng was eager to try.
Having grown close to the hunters during this period, he had also learned much information he had not known before.
The first realm of martial artists was called the Skin Refining stage.
At higher levels, the skin membrane across the entire body became tough as iron, able to withstand blades and swords without injury.
If I can keep my distance, there may be a chance. If my archery reaches Perfection, I can easily strike vital points such as the eyes. I should be able to handle some Skin Refining stage martial artists.
He guessed to himself.
Though he had yet to practice martial arts, Gu Sheng was not without the ability to protect himself, thanks to chopping wood and archery. That gave him a slight sense of security.
His chopping wood progress had already reached Perfect 50%. Half remained before the final transformation, and it would take roughly another month and a half.
Gu Sheng looked forward to it greatly.
He felt that beyond Perfection, there might be a transformation.
But there was no use rushing. One had to eat one bite at a time.
Gu Sheng continued practicing his archery.
By the time the sun set, he had finally gained 1% proficiency.
That meant that, at his current training time and results, it would take around three months for his archery to reach Perfection.
I can't reach Perfect archery in the short term. Now that my archery has reached Mastery, should I enter the mountains alone?
Gu Sheng began considering the question.
Entering the mountains with Gu Erniu and the others was safer, but much of the profit would be divided away. If he went alone, the speed at which he accumulated wealth would nearly double, perhaps even more.
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