Chapter 70: Completely Convinced
A bow with two hundred jin of draw weight could pierce any target unless shot from hundreds of meters away.
However, the village only spanned two to three hundred meters in length and width. Thus, Chen Fan and Zhang Ren had no choice but to carry their targets beyond the settlement.
Gu Ze hesitated before following them. He needed visual confirmation to believe such claims.
Outside the village walls, overgrown weeds stretched endlessly under eerily still air devoid of even a whisper of wind.
Chen Fan placed the target five to six hundred meters away before returning to his firing position. He planted his left foot forward, raised the longbow, and gradually drew the string with arrow nocked.
Gu Ze glanced between Chen Fan, the solemn-faced Zhang Ren, and the distant target that appeared as nothing more than a speck in his vision.
This is absurd, he thought. How could anyone hit something that small?
Muscles rippled along Chen Fan's arms as he drew the bowstring, veins standing out in sharp relief. Yet his hands remained steady throughout the motion.
Though the process felt drawn out, the string reached full draw - forming a perfect crescent moon - within two seconds.
Gu Ze's breath caught as if choked by invisible hands.
CRACK!
An explosive report louder than firecrackers split the air as the thumb-thick, meter-long arrow vanished in a lightning flash.
Before two blinks could pass, a crisp thunk echoed from the distant target. The arrow had already pierced clean through.
"So fast," Chen Fan murmured.
His hundred-jin bow launched arrows at 100 m/s - speeds he could barely track. But this two-hundred-jin monster propelled projectiles near sonic velocity, leaving only blurred afterimages.
"Indeed," Zhang Ren agreed. "Comparable to pistol rounds."
Gu Z gaped at them.
The telltale impact sound left no doubt - they'd struck a half-kilometer distant target. Yet here they stood casually discussing velocity as if hitting was expected!
Chen Fan checked his status panel:
[Basic Archery: Lv6 (45.5%)]
The recent Li Family Village skirmish had boosted his proficiency by 45%. This single shot added 0.3% - excellent progress. At this rate, a hundred more shots would max the skill.
Of course, firing twenty arrows per minute already strained his limits. Rapid volleys of three shots would drain him completely.
"Uncle Zhang, your turn." Chen Fan offered the bow. "I'll adjust your form."
Zhang Ren replicated Chen Fan's stance with military precision.
"Too rigid," Chen Fan corrected, repositioning the older man's trembling hands. "Relax your shoulders."
Despite his embarrassment, Zhang Ren complied. The subsequent shot struck true.
Gu Ze watched in growing shame. Many "beginner mistakes" Chen Fan pointed out were habits he'd unknowingly developed. Could he still correct them before they became permanent?
After ten minutes of coaching, Zhang Ren withdrew to practice independently.
"Chen Fan." Gu Ze finally mustered courage, avoiding eye contact. "Could you... teach me too?"
The request hung heavy between them - a jarring contrast to yesterday's boasts about surpassing Chen Fan.
"Of course."
"You... you agree?" Gu Ze's head snapped up.
Chen Fan chuckled. "We're village brothers now, aren't we?"
Gu Ze nodded heavily. The Gu Family Village had officially dissolved that morning.
"Thank you. I admit your archery surpasses anything I imagined." The youth clenched his fists. "But I'll still overtake you someday!"
"I look forward to it."
While Gu Ze's determination pleased him, the youth's aptitude paled against Zhang Ren's. The older man corrected mistakes after two attempts, whereas Gu Ze kept faltering in new ways.
Archery mirrors firearms, Chen Fan mused. Easy to learn, lifetime to master. Hitting targets at 10 meters meant nothing when engagements now spanned hundreds.
Twenty minutes later, Chen Fan returned to his station, eyeing his [Meteor Archery] skill:
[Proficiency: 0%]
His earlier shot hadn't budged it. Evidently, this required rapid-fire techniques.
THWANG!
Gu Ze glanced over mid-practice just as two more shots followed in quick succession.
THWANG! THWANG!
"Wha-?" The youth stared as Chen Fan's arms trembled violently, chest heaving. Three shots with the monstrous bow had drained him completely.
Unless...
A liquid murmur suddenly echoed in Chen Fan's veins - coursing through his chest to steady breathing, flowing down arms to calm their shaking.
"Blood circulation!" His eyes lit with realization.
(Chapter End)
