NOVEL WEB 7. Archery Level Ups
Chapter 7: Archery Level ups
By the time Luo Ling arrived at his secret training spot, the matters of cultivation were already thrown to the back of his head. He didn’t have a habit of brooding over things out of his control. He would rather train his martial arts.
First, he performed the full set of stretches to loosen his muscles. Since he had already practiced Iron Muscles Steel Veins in the morning, Luo Ling skipped it now. That body-forging exercise puts a lot of stress on the bones and muscles. Overdoing it while he was still so young would impede his growth.
After the warmup, he picked up the practice bow and arrow. When his fingers touched the weapon, Luo Ling had a strange feeling in his heart— he was born to hold this bow. It was an extinct, a kind of primal call that came from the depths of his soul.
How strange! Luo Ling couldn’t help but wonder if it was due to Archery. The remnant of his martial god abilities worked in ways beyond his current understanding. He only knew how to use the manifestation, not the principles behind it. Perhaps he would understand when he finally retraced his steps back into the peak.
-~X~-
Nocking the arrow on the bow and holding it at arm length from his face, Luo Ling repeated the process just as he had done since the day he started practicing the craft. After practicing daily for nearly a year, Luo Ling thought he got the basics down. Yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling of inadequacy when he held the bow. It’s as if he lacked something.
Unable to find the source of his discomfort, Luo Ling helplessly threw this train of thought to the back of his head and pulled on the string. Squinting his eyes, he aimed at the target several meters away. His vision had become sharper after his body underwent the baptism of Records of Toil. Even before he trained in it, [Archery] had already brought him a tangible benefit.
As Luo Ling’s finger loosened on the taut bowstring, the arrow sliced through the air soundlessly, striking the small dot drawn on the chest of the target dummy. He picked up another arrow, nocked it on the bow, and released it towards the target again. The rain of arrows didn’t stop until Luo Ling emptied his quiver. Then, he closed his eyes and sank consciousness into his inner world.
[Iron Muscles Steel Veins Body Forging Exercise (Second Level)]— Proficiency: 181/500
[Archery (Houtian)]— Proficiency: 41/500
There were only twenty arrows in the quiver. After firing them all, Luo Ling gained forty points. This implied that each arrow earned him two proficiency points. [Archery] required five hundred proficiency points to increase in rank— twice the number of Iron Muscles Steel Veins Body Forging needed during the beginning stage.
Luo Ling was taken aback after this discovery. The body-forging martial art he practiced held the top spot in his previous world among its fellow foundation-building exercises. Its continuous practice would result in a physique encompassing both strength and speed. In the Murim world, with this technique as their foundation, the Baek family dominated the entire Eastern Region for hundreds of years. The warriors they nurtured could easily hold their ground against the warriors of other families even when they had to fight three at once.
But such a fierce body forging technique lost to a commonly used battle skill. Either the technique was not as awesome as everyone made it out to be or [Archery] was more advanced than Iron Muscles Steel Veins. Luo Ling was more inclined to believe the latter. He had crossed swords with the martial artists of that clan in the past and they were anything but weak.
Luo Ling threw the distracting thought to the back of his head and collected the arrows from the dummy. He vowed to rank up the [Archery] at least once in the morning. Going out to hunt would have to wait until noon. Besides, he had some savings from his past hunts and could easily sustain a day’s worth of meat and supplementary herbs.
Luo Ling immersed himself in shooting arrows. One, two... ten... one after another, the bamboo arrows struck their target, steadily increasing his proficiency as the Records of Toil recorded. At a rate of one arrow per second, it wouldn’t be long before Luo Ling reached his goal.
But, after letting loose his 150th arrow, Luo Ling had to stop. His right hand burned like it was on fire, the muscles screaming in protest. He glanced at his battered fingers, raw and throbbing, and sighed. “Reached my limit, huh!” He muttered to himself, flexing his hand and wincing at the sharp sting. No matter how determined he was, a nine-year-old’s body in the end had its limit. Even though he trained himself into a second-rate martial warrior, Luo Ling was held back by his body’s age.
Some barriers were hard to overcome for the time being.
Luo Ling got rid of the distracting thoughts and sat down on the spot to rest. After he felt better, he’d resume shooting. Determination flashed in his resolute eyes; he would upgrade Archery by a rank by the end of this hour.
-~X~-
Luo Ling’s consciousness sunk into his inner world— the place where Records of Toil inhabited. Ignoring the vast expanse stretching behind the massive monolithic structure, his eyes zoomed on the entries on the Records of Toil.
[Iron Muscles Steel Veins Body Forging Exercise (Second Level)]— Proficiency: 185/500
[Archery (Houtian)]— Proficiency: 341/500
Without much suspense, Archery’s proficiency has grown by three hundred points. Together with the forty points he already had, the total proficiency was now 341. Luo Ling balled his fist in excitement; he was close. Very very close. After one more round, he’d fulfill the required criteria.
The one that stumped him was the body-forging martial art. Surprisingly, it had grown by four points. He had not practiced the technique, so why had it gained proficiency out of nowhere? The answer to his question came almost immediately. It was Archery that gave him the bonus body-forging points. More specifically, it was the stress he put his body through to fire those one hundred fifty arrows.
Luo Ling was elated to discover this benefit. It takes nearly twenty minutes to complete one circle of the Iron Muscle Steel Veins Body Forging exercise yet the returns were a measly one point. Moreover, he couldn’t practice it more than thrice a day or risk hurting himself. But practicing [Archery] once equaled practicing the body-forging martial art four times. Two birds with one stone.
With renewed vigor, Luo Ling picked up his bow and proceeded to shoot arrows. He was, after all, a second-rate martial artist. His body’s recovery capabilities were twice an average human’s. Just a few minutes of rest was enough to refill his stamina and heal his aching shoulders.
-~X~-
As the hundredth arrow pierced into another mangled dummy, Luo Ling felt a vibration from the depths of his soul. Then, a mind-numbing pain drowned his entire body, concentrating mostly on his shoulders, forearm, and fingers. Even his eyes felt an indescribable burn. Had it not for his monumental willpower, Luo Ling would have been screaming until his throat ripped.
The pain lasted for several seconds, rendering him into a sweating mess. Tears and snot drenched his face. Despite the pitiful appearance, an indescribable smile stretched Luo Ling’s lips. He obtained a benefit. A huge benefit.
Closing his eyes, he sunk his consciousness into his inner world and focussed on the Records of Toil.
[Iron Muscles Steel Veins Body Forging Exercise (Second Level)]— Proficiency: 190/500
[Archery (Houtian II); Penitration(Rank 1)]— Proficiency: 0/1000