WHOOSH!
BOOM!
The sound of air being torn apart was followed immediately by the explosive crack of an arrow bursting from the bow!
Leaves shattered!
Wang Mu had no idea about the draw weight of the bow; he only felt it as light as a thin leaf in his hands. The application of strength and skill reached a perfect balance, and all the related knowledge felt intimately familiar.
In the moment of drawing the bow, he didn't even feel like he used much strength?
Then, Wang Mu shot another arrow, but this time, his target was not those leaves. It was, instead, a golden rabbit that had appeared out of nowhere on the other side, hopping around.
The rabbit was large, its speed lightning-fast, shuttling through the woods. The naked eye could only catch a neon-like streak of light.
WHOOSH!
The arrow fletching cut through the air, piercing numerous branches, and before the shrill sound could even register, it had instantly hit the streak of light!
After being hit, the light hesitated for a moment, then resumed bouncing away.
Seeing this, Wang Mu suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. His body had involuntarily aimed at the golden rabbit. It seemed like he had hit it, but it appeared to be ineffective...
"That, uh, for the first time, was a bit unpracticed..."
Wang Mu looked towards the Village Chief. So, even with added Action Points, there are still times of failure!
However, the Village Chief was staring at Wang Mu with a strange expression. After a long silence, he finally spoke, "You lad... is it really your first time learning?"
"Of course..." Wang Mu nodded.
"..." The Village Chief didn't speak.
In the instant Wang Mu drew the bow, the Village Chief felt as if his own spirit had possessed Wang Mu. That nocking gesture, identical to his own, the perfect posture, an aura that resembled his not just in form but also in spirit, and that flawless first arrow...
For a beginner to achieve this level with their first arrow... It was as if Wang Mu had perfectly channeled all of the Village Chief's own abilities!
This is freaking monstrous! Such an extraordinary talent for learning!
The Village Chief began to lose some confidence. Having lived in Anle Village for so many years and taught several talented young people to hunt, none had ever reached this level.
"You call that unpracticed?" The Village Chief shook his head. "If this is truly your first time, you've performed perfectly."
"That... didn't the prey get away though?"
"Nonsense! You're trying to hunt a Thunder Light Rabbit, a Spirit Beast, on your first try!" the Village Chief spoke irritably. "That little thing is famous in the Divine Wood Forest for its speed! Besides, it's a Spirit Beast with extremely keen perception. And... you actually hit it! I don't know if it was just luck... but that's already somewhat heaven-defying."
"Spirit Beast?" Wang Mu was startled.
Damn, that was actually a Spirit Beast? No wonder it ran so fast!
Spirit Beasts are Demon Beasts that can cultivate; they are comparable to Cultivators. They were not ordinary wild animals or Fierce Beasts.
"Since it was hit..." Wang Mu scratched his head.
"Thunder Light Rabbits aren't only fast; they have incredibly strong Life Force. Even at the Qingmu Bow's maximum potential power, you can't kill it with a single arrow. Even a heart shot wouldn't suffice, let alone the fact you only hit its tail."
"To deal with this kind of Spirit Beast, even for a proper hunt, you'd need at least this Purple Shuo Bow, and all three arrows would need to hit the heart area."
The Village Chief brought out a second bow. "But we generally don't hunt these Spirit Beasts with high Spiritual Wisdom unless they attack us first."
"Purple Shuo Bow?"
"This bow might be a bit hard for you to draw; it requires quite a bit of strength. You can give it a try."
The Village Chief handed the bow to Wang Mu.
Wang Mu pulled it, instantly reaching full draw.
"..." The Village Chief.
Isn't this kid's strength a bit too high? Can someone get this strong just from chopping Purple Shuo Trees for half a year? Back then, I had to chop trees for at least six or seven years before I could draw this bow...
The Village Chief began doubting himself again.
"Is it a bit difficult?" the Village Chief asked, his tone lacking confidence.
"Hmm... a little bit," Wang Mu said.
"Difficult is difficult. What do you mean by 'a little bit' difficult?" The Village Chief glared at Wang Mu. "Since you can draw this bow, use this one for now. It's more powerful but also harder to control. With your strong learning ability, you should adapt quickly."
"Let's go. Since you're this skilled, you might as well start hunting directly. We'll look for prey right away."
The Village Chief put away the Qingmu Bow and began leading Wang Mu in the search for prey within the Divine Wood Forest. Along the way, he took the opportunity to introduce some of the prey.
"Although the Divine Wood Forest is just a small peak of Gu Yun Mountain, it is actually quite expansive."
"Inside, there are all kinds of wild animals, Fierce Beasts, Spirit Beasts, and Spirits."
"Your targets are various wild animals and Fierce Beasts. Spirit Beasts and Spirits have very high Spiritual Wisdom; they usually won't trouble us, and we shouldn't trouble them either."
"Besides, there are some special prey in the Divine Wood Forest that are extremely difficult to hunt. With your current level, if you encounter them, you should avoid them as much as possible. Run as far as you can."
"Firstly, the Gu Diao. This is a highly terrifying Fierce Beast that only Cultivators can deal with. If we mortals encounter it, we must run as far away as possible. They eat humans and occasionally appear in the Divine Wood Forest. I encounter them around once every ten years."
"Secondly, the Xuan Gu. It's a black, crane-like Fierce Beast that specifically feeds on the corpses of dead Spirit Beasts and Cultivators. If it sees us humans, we're basically just a mouthful for it. However, it doesn't fly particularly fast, so if we run quickly, we can still escape easily."
"Thirdly, the Flame King Human-faced Lion. This is actually an ancient Fierce Beast that lives in seclusion on Gu Yun Mountain. It's terrifying and is usually suppressed by the Disciples of the Immortal Sect. Occasionally, one escapes. If we see it, we must immediately use the Demon Avoiding Talismans provided by those Disciples, seal Anle Village, and not venture out."
"Fourthly, the White Crystal Tiger King, which was the big tiger that chased you yesterday. It's one of the Beast Kings in the Divine Wood Forest and is about to cultivate into a Spirit Beast; it's not just any ordinary tiger. However, to become a Spirit Beast, it's said to require the enlightenment from an Immortal with profound Cultivation. With my strength, I can only tease it. Hunting it would be extremely difficult. Its skin is several times harder than some ores."
"Fifthly, the Mountain Binding Ape. It's an extremely cunning Fierce Beast with very high Spiritual Wisdom. Yet, it's inherently sly and is said to have often stealthily learned the Magic and Sword Skills of the Immortal Sect Disciples on Gu Yun Mountain. After being discovered by the Disciples and severely injured, it faked death to escape and entered the Divine Wood Forest."
At this point, the Village Chief shook his head. "Later, those Immortal Sect Disciples searched extensively but found no trace of the Mountain Binding Ape. No one knows where it's hiding. Over the years, I have seen some traces, but never its actual form."
"These are a few to pay particular attention to. If you encounter them, run if you can. If you truly manage to hunt these legendary Fierce Beasts, I reckon you'd be written into the history of Anle Village."
The Village Chief laughed. "However... even if you could draw this Mountain-shattering Bow and your Hunting Skill was on par with mine, you still might not be able to hunt these Fierce Beasts. Even breaking through their defenses would be difficult. There are other formidable Fierce Beasts, but none are as ferocious and terrifying as these first few, especially the very first ones."
Wang Mu nodded, committing this to memory.
These Fierce Beasts, compared to some of the fish in Yunlai Creek, are a tiny bit more dangerous. Because only some of the fish in Yunlai Creek are dangerous. And some Top-grade Fish Species are just very difficult to catch and extremely rare to encounter. Their danger level isn't actually very high. For example, the Jinhua Sword Sturgeon. When it's caught, it only releases Sword Qi capable of cutting metal and stone. I just need to dodge a few times and then restrain it. These special Fierce Beasts, if encountered, I might not even be able to escape. They pose a significant challenge to my skills.
After explaining, the Village Chief immediately started searching with Wang Mu for ordinary prey in the Divine Wood Forest.
Having used his Action Points, Wang Mu was now like an Arrow God incarnate. Any technique or piece of knowledge the Village Chief taught—like using light, wind strength, to judge the position of different prey—he could instantly master and integrate it all, absorbing information about various prey's characteristics and habits like a sponge.
In one morning, Wang Mu chased down three prey, darting through trees and leaping over rocks, hitting his mark with each arrow.
His eyes seemed to have activated dynamic vision; once he focused on a target, it was as if he had an unbreakable target lock—he never missed!
The Village Chief grew more and more silent as he watched.
「A whole day passed by unconsciously.」
"Today was a full harvest."
Wang Mu looked at the more than ten prey he had caught behind him, mostly small wild animals.
The most formidable was a Fierce Beast, a lone Fanged Wolf. This Fanged Wolf was about the size of a tiger from his previous life. It was fast and exceptionally keen. Wang Mu pursued it for a full two hours, even battling it for a while and breaking five arrows. Finally, after evading multiple attacks with a rather flashy movement technique, he succeeded in hunting it, at the cost of a two-centimeter gash on his right arm.
Right, I should sense my Skill Level...
Wang Mu felt that his Archery had improved greatly today, but it still wasn't quite satisfying.
[Cultivation: ...Hunting (3)]
He had risen two levels in just one day! Much faster than cutting trees or Fishing before!
It seems that after learning some rudimentary Skills, and with my strong foundation, my learning ability is gradually getting stronger! Even for Hunting, a difficult Skill, I can improve quickly.
Of course, this couldn't be separated from the Village Chief, his good teacher. Compared to the previous teachers, Wang Mu felt the Village Chief was probably a bit higher in terms of level.
I estimate the Village Chief's Hunting Skill is probably around level 20. The Skill Levels of others, like Tie Hu, Grandpa Yu, and Tie Niu, probably fluctuate between 10 and 15. After all, he is the Village Chief.
"What did you feel about today?" The Village Chief, who had been quiet for a long time, finally asked.
"A bit unsatisfied," said Wang Mu.
"Where were you unsatisfied?"
Wang Mu pointed at the bow. "This bow, it feels a little weak."
The Village Chief was taken aback. Good heavens, just how strong is this kid? After using it for a whole day, he still felt it was weak.
"Then try this Mountain-shattering Bow directly," the Village Chief said irritably. "Even I can't use this bow frequently, only for a short period before my strength gives out."
The Village Chief handed Wang Mu the third bow.