For five days, Su Yan focused only on these three tasks.
After the Dark Water Centipede finished consuming the two scorpions and the head-sized toad, Su Yan let it hunt in the surrounding area. Any poisonous creatures hiding in the forest or animals passing by became the centipede's food.
Su Yan didn't interfere; he concentrated entirely on honing his archery skills.
The number of shots he fired was countless. The bark of the old birch trunk was long gone, the wood splintered as if it had been ravaged by a machete. He shot and re-shot the thirty arrows, their tips repeatedly ground on a nearby stone until they were nearly unusable.
Su Yan held his breath and focused. The tree trunk, two hundred paces away, seemed as close as an arm's length.
Swoosh! The arrow launched like a shooting star, its tail feathers humming softly, and landed firmly on the trunk. His stance, breathing, and concentration were perfectly unified.
'Done.'
The moment the arrow left the bow, Su Yan knew he had succeeded. When he focused his mind, the information had already appeared before his eyes.
[First-Order Bug Master: 3/100][Bug Realm: 1 cubic meter][Mountain-Trekking: 25/200 (Minor Accomplishment)][Basic Archery: 1/200 (Minor Accomplishment)][Herbology : 1/200 (Minor Accomplishment)][Dark Water Centipede: 27/100 (Nascent Stage)]
'Once a skill materializes, the world opens up. The comprehension is indeed more complete. Although this isn't a power-up in the traditional sense, it shouldn't be underestimated. This is good news.'
After five days of dedicated practice, Su Yan had a new feeling after achieving his first materialized skill breakthrough. This was good news for him. Aside from the power of his contracted bug, he also had a solid foundation for his own growth.
'Archery is initiated, and I've memorized all the herbs. The Dark Water Centipede's progress, however, has slowed since it ran out of poisonous creatures to eat, relying entirely on my command experience.'
'It's time to go into the mountains, accumulate more silver, hunt more wild beasts, and offer blood sacrifices to the Ominous Bug Cauldron.'
Su Yan retrieved his Mountain-Cleaving Broadsword and began hacking at the birch tree stump. After days of training, his strength had grown significantly, nourished by muscle fatigue and the threads of Bug Essence. Now, when he chopped the tree with the broadsword, each strike bit deeply into the wood, proving more effective than an axe.
In just seven or eight strikes, the birch tree couldn't hold up, crashing down with a loud creak.
He then thoroughly scoured the area, covering up the traces with bushes, making it nearly impossible for anyone to easily spot the evidence of his archery practice.
After dealing with these chores, Su Yan returned home. He prepared wheat cakes for dry rations, sharpened his arrows and broadsword, and made all necessary preparations. The next morning, as dawn was breaking, Su Yan entered the mountains once more.
This time, his trip into the mountains was vastly different from a few days ago, like a dragon entering the sea. His movements were swift, his steps light. He easily covered three or four li of mountain path and crossed a ridge.
His physical condition was excellent, having been strengthened several times over; he was now a match for two or three robust adult men. The Minor Accomplishment in Basic Archery also gave him agile steps and flexible movements, allowing him to navigate the narrow mountain paths with greater ease.
Naturally, in terms of harvest, the skills of Herbology and Mountain-Trekking were the most effective. The two skills complemented each other, elevating Su Yan's understanding of the various plants in Cloud Ridge Mountain.
Within these three or four li, his basket was already half full. Herbs like Snakeberry, Siberian Solomon's Seal, and Cinnabar Ganoderma were collected. Although not as valuable as the ten-year-old Wild Ginseng or a Treasure Plant, their value was still considerable. In the past, he might not have noticed the subtle clues needed to find these herbs, but now, it was like taking something from his pocket.
Holding his bow in one hand, he leaned over to collect a large piece of Truffle Fungus
from a fallen log, preparing to put it into his basket.
Suddenly, the bushes rustled violently, the leaves swaying like grasping hands, spreading towards him.
Su Yan immediately stepped back and drew his bow. He stared intently, and a gray shadow quickly darted through the undergrowth, moving desperately.
'Perfect timing.'
Without thinking, he released an arrow like the wind. Swoosh! It flew straight, embedding itself in the gray shadow's body.
The plump gray rabbit rolled out of the bushes with the long arrow sticking out, convulsing but unable to move.
Su Yan walked over, grabbed the gray rabbit, and weighed it in his hand.
"A good rabbit must be four or five jin."
He reached out and pulled the arrow out. His finger touched the wound, and the rabbit's blood was immediately absorbed rapidly from the carcass through his contact.
In his Sea of Consciousness, the Ominous Bug Cauldron glowed faintly red. A small red bloodline appeared on the tiny bug forming one of the cauldron's legs, barely extending to the end of a small leg segment.
Soon, the gray rabbit was drained of all its blood, leaving only its skin and carcass.
"A gray rabbit only yields about half a jin of blood, which refines into only about two liang of Beast Blood Essence. That's too little..."
Shashasha...
The Dark Water Centipede suddenly pounced toward the bushes, raising its body in a threatening posture.
Su Yan immediately gripped his hardwood bow and looked in the direction of the sound.
Thump-thump! Footsteps moved through the brush, and a pair of green, glowing beast eyes slowly appeared.
A fierce wolf, nearly half a person tall and baring its fangs, lunged from the bushes straight at Su Yan. The gray rabbit must have been its prey, but now the lone wolf had clearly shifted its target, even trying to bypass the Dark Water Centipede to attack Su Yan.
'Vicious beast!'
Su Yan's eyes flashed with sharpness. His breath was still like water. He didn't let the Dark Water Centipede engage, but instead drew his bow quickly, launching two arrows like shooting stars, one after the other.
The cunning lone wolf dodged the first arrow by shifting its body, but the second one was unavoidable. The straight arrow pierced its neck. It landed with a thud on the bushes.
Su Yan moved forward with his broadsword. With a single, clean strike, he brought the blade down, plunging it into the wolf's head and killing it.
'A lone, old wolf, no wonder...'
The wolf's body was about 1.7 or 1.8 meters long, its grey-black fur patchy. Foaming blood overflowed from its mouth.
Su Yan didn't mind. The more wild beasts, the better. The Ominous Bug Cauldron could drink its fill and awaken the vicious bugs on its surface. The single wolf supplied about seven or eight jin of blood to the cauldron, which refined into about four jin of essence. The bloodline on the vicious bug on the cauldron became noticeably clearer.
Su Yan stored the wolf carcass. He looked into the shadowy forest, his gaze filled with anticipation.
With the Dark Water Centipede leading the way, Su Yan followed close behind, armed with his bow and broadsword, beginning his exploration of the rarely traveled parts of the mountain.
Neither the poisonous creatures hiding under the branches and broad leaves nor the wild pheasants flying through the woods could escape Su Yan's attack. The former were hunted by the Dark Water Centipede—even swarms of scorpions were no match for the exotic bug. Su Yan drew his hardwood bow and shot arrows with the precision of a practiced eye. The arrows flew as if they could see, striking even flying birds, let alone pheasants.
It was less mountain-trekking and more continuous honing of his skills while simultaneously strengthening the Dark Water Centipede.
As the sun began to set in the west and the light dimmed, Su Yan traveled another three or four li before finally stopping. His basket was already full, and three or four rabbits and pheasants hung from his waist. Even the Bug Realm space was filled with poisonous insects, poisonous herbs, and relatively valuable medicinal herbs.
[First-Order Bug Master: 3/100][Bug Realm: 1 cubic meter][Mountain-Trekking: 37/200 (Minor Accomplishment)][Basic Archery: 34/200 (Minor Accomplishment)][Herbology : 21/200 (Minor Accomplishment)][Dark Water Centipede: 54/100 (Nascent Stage)]
Basic Archery and the Dark Water Centipede showed the most growth, but all his abilities had increased.
'Cinnabar Ganoderma with its ten years of medicinal power is comparable to the wild ginseng, and the rare Muscle-Yellow Grass, though not a Treasure Plant, is a medicinal ingredient for martial arts practice, which the Hundred Herb Hall usually prices quite high...'
Reviewing his haul, this trip, though not as profitable as finding the Dark Scarlet Root, was still a rich harvest when counting the poisonous bugs, poisonous herbs, and the game he hunted.
'I now have about twelve or thirteen jin of Beast Blood Essence. A few more trips, and I'll just be waiting for a second exotic bug. If I'm lucky...'
As the thought arose, Su Yan dismissed it, musing: 'Relying on luck won't get me far. I need to save more money, simultaneously increase my own strength, and secretly inquire about the whereabouts of exotic bugs. If I can purchase one, that would be ideal.'
Thinking this, Su Yan put away his hardwood bow and quickly descended the mountain, using the last of the fading light.
The next morning, Su Yan did not enter the mountains but packed his goods and headed to the Mountain Market. He sold the mountain fungi, furs, and various herbs, including the Wild Ginseng and the ten-year-old Cinnabar Ganoderma. He then went to the weapon shop and bought two more quivers of arrows, a couple of sharp boning knives and skinning knives, and bought himself a change of clothes before returning to the village.
He was left with about ten taels of silver.
This time, he didn't try to hide his success. Bai Shan, the clerk at the Hundred Herb Hall , and Manager Song Qi were amazed to see such a large haul again after only five or six days. Manager Song's intentions towards Su Yan grew even more complex.
Su Yan returned to the village and rested for two days, continuing to train his archery skills in the forest. He had no intention of saving his remaining food. Instead, he heartily ate the wild pheasant, rabbit, and the tough wolf meat he had hunted in the mountains. As the Bug Essence (虫元) continuously nourished his body and his own physical training increased, his demand for meat also rose. Rather than exchanging his game for a few hundred copper coins, it was better to consume it himself.
After two such days, the Dark Water Centipede finally finished consuming the more than ten black scorpions, black hairy spiders, bamboo pit vipers, and various poisonous herbs like Ghost Concealing Grass and Blood-Seen-Blue that it had hunted during the trekking.
[Basic Archery: 57/200 (Minor Accomplishment)][Dark Water Centipede: 12/200 (Growth Stage)]
With the Dark Water Centipede entering the Growth Stage, its accumulated energy seemed to release all at once. It began to slowly curl up, its body slightly enlarging. Half an hour later, a small crack opened on its forehead. Its exoskeleton started to split, and its thousand legs and body struggled continuously, squeezing out little by little from the opening. First came its fierce head, then its stout body, and finally its tail.
After a full two hours, the Dark Water Centipede completed its molting, reappearing before Su Yan. The centipede was now significantly larger, about fifty centimeters long, and its mandibles were sharper, resembling two black scimitars.
'It has ranked up.'
Although it was just a feeling, the Dark Water Centipede before him had absolutely reached the next rank. Compared to before, the centipede now even gave him a sense of danger.
'It ranked up even while still in the "Growth Stage." It seems the so-called unranked status of an Exotic Bug was merely relative—it was just one step away from reaching the threshold.'
'With the Dark Water Centipede having reached the next rank, I have an added layer of security, even if I haven't formally started martial arts training yet.'
He threw out the remaining wolf meat, giving it all to the Dark Water Centipede to consume. After the centipede finished eating, its newly formed carapace gradually hardened, radiating a dark purple luster.