Bows and Arrows

As Tang Zhixue agreed to the trade, items appeared in the trading box one after another. He reached in and took them out one by one.

[Item: Hunting knife]

[Grade: First tier]

[Description: A practical hunting knife forged entirely from ordinary carbon steel. Its blade is 18 centimeters long, with simple serrations along the spine that can saw through small branches or animal bones in an emergency. A reliable companion for pioneering work when skinning and breaking down medium-to-large game such as deer and wild boar.]

[Item: Processing Game]

[Grade: First tier]

[Description: This book systematically introduces procedures for quickly processing small-to-medium game such as deer, wild boar, and rabbits in the field, including bleeding, gutting, skinning, removing internal organs, and basic butchering techniques. Its contents cover only first-tier introductory knowledge, enough to help beginners avoid reducing their haul through improper handling in the wilderness.]

[Item: Room Expansion Card]

[Grade: First tier]

[Description: Upon use, expands outward from a designated location within the Shelter to create a reasonably sized room.]

[Item: Bows and Arrows]

[Grade: Second tier]

[Description: Records methods for crafting four types of second-tier hunting bows and five types of second-tier arrows.]

Tang Zhixue had spent the most on the fourth item. Most of his Jade Flower seeds had gone toward buying this book.

Fortunately, its contents were worth the price, and even a little more.

The four hunting bows were Clear Spirit, Frost Branch, Blazing Flame, and Breath Whisper.

The five arrows were Explosive, Extreme Speed, Soft Whisper, Cold Extreme, and Star Shatter.

Each hunting bow and arrow had different effects. For example, drawing the Clear Spirit hunting bow could stir air currents to coil around it, increasing the base speed of its arrows by fifty percent. The wielder would feel lighter, with slight boosts to leaping distance and movement speed. If used during a storm, its range increased by another thirty percent.

This was the first time Tang Zhixue had seen equipment that used supernatural elements, even if it was currently only recorded in a book.

"The problem is finding these materials."

Tang Zhixue looked at the book's contents with a headache. "And I have to carve these so-called arcane patterns, too. That makes it even harder."

Taking the Clear Spirit hunting bow as an example again, its body required variant bamboo wood that grew amid year-round storms. This was because it was extremely light yet tough, with wind-energy patterns visible to the naked eye between its grain.

The Clear Spirit hunting bow's string required the main tendons of wind-type flying Mutated Beasts such as Wind Falcons and Wind-Splitting Eagles, or twisted strands of silk spun by Centennial Wind Silkworms, allowing it to conduct wind energy efficiently.

In addition, it required finely ground wind-energy crystals mixed with spirit spring water into an inscription fluid, which was used to fill the carved arcane patterns.

Without having encountered these materials, he could not simulate them in the Dream Space.

He had already tried that before.

However, after he finished reading the entire book, related information appeared on his information panel.

[Name: Tang Zhixue]

[Level: First tier]

[Talents: Vitality Absorption, Diligence Makes Up for Lack of Talent]

[Crafts: Bow and arrow crafting · Uninitiated (0/1)]

[Skills: Blazing Tiger Fist · Proficient (1/200), Linked Pearl Archery · Master (11/1000), Pure Heaven and Earth Divine Mantra · Adept (33/500)]

"The panel actually recorded it?"

Tang Zhixue stared at the panel before him in surprise. "Then why didn't it record the basic forging I read about before?"

He immediately reached out and picked up another book.

Processing Game recorded procedures for quickly processing various kinds of game.

Tang Zhixue had originally planned to take the book outside tomorrow and refer to it while processing the beasts' carcasses.

But if the panel could record it now, that would be a different matter altogether.

Rustle, rustle.

The book was not very thick. As Tang Zhixue kept turning the pages, he soon reached the last one.

[Successfully learned craft—Prey Processing!]

Like bow and arrow crafting, it was currently at the uninitiated stage.

"I can't make bows and arrows, but as for butchering game..."

Tang Zhixue looked at the two beast carcasses beside him and grinned. "I'll grind this tonight and try to get the tiger hide off intact tomorrow!"

He picked up the hunting knife and played with it for a moment, then took the Room Expansion Card to the end of the corridor between the bedroom and the storeroom.

"Upon use, expands outward from a designated location within the Shelter to create a reasonably sized room? Let's see just how reasonable it is."

Tang Zhixue tore the card in his hand, and it immediately turned into two streaks of white light that flew toward the wall at the end of the corridor.

Almost in the blink of an eye, the wall suddenly became a wooden door.

Tang Zhixue stared at the wooden door in amazement, then stepped forward curiously and opened it.

"Oh, it's pretty spacious."

Passing through the wooden door, Tang Zhixue entered an empty room measuring fifty to sixty square meters.

Tang Zhixue walked a circuit of the room and nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad, not bad."

With this new room, he could store more things.

However, he did not move the two beast carcasses from the main room inside. Instead, he brought two cards and a bundle of rusty swords and sabers back into the new room.

After he tore the two cards, a brand-new Forging Furnace and a sack of ordinary Cloudfire Stones appeared before him.

The Forging Furnace was the old-fashioned kind, while the Cloudfire Stones were black rocks covered in red patterns.

Tang Zhixue went over and took a Cloudfire Stone from the sack.

[Item: Ordinary Cloudfire Stone]

[Grade: First tier]

[Description: A peculiar fuel stone capable of producing searing heat.]

"Huh, I wonder which works better, this or premium charcoal?"

In truth, though, Tang Zhixue leaned more toward using the Cloudfire Stones. After all, they and the Forging Furnace had dropped from the same batch of Rotting Living Corpses.

After setting down the rusty swords and sabers, Tang Zhixue turned and walked out.

It was not yet time to learn forging. Only after raising his Blazing Tiger Fist to adept would he need to use forging alongside it to temper his body.

First, he went into the bedroom and moved the single bed beside the fireplace.

Without thick bedding, he did not dare sleep too far from the fire.

Then he dug the potato out of the charcoal ashes.

"Huff! Huff!"

He blew the ash off the potato's surface and squeezed it gently, finding that the whole potato had softened.

"It should be cooked."

He broke the potato open, and a rich aroma immediately spread with the steam.

"Whoa, that smells amazing!"

Perhaps his diet had been too monotonous lately, because the aroma suddenly made Tang Zhixue feel hungry again.

Blowing on the steaming baked potato, Tang Zhixue tentatively took a small bite.

"Hmm?"

Tang Zhixue froze for a moment, then lowered his head and began taking big bites. Even when it burned his mouth, he refused to spit it out, finishing the entire potato in just a few bites.