Chapter 12: Yi’s Archery Skills and Skill Allocation (Please Favorite and Follow)
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【Technique: Yi Archery】
【Realm: Body Tempering, First Stage—Skin Tempering (0/1000)】
“I can assign points!”
Zhou Chen was overjoyed. The great weight hanging over his heart had finally been lifted.
“Give me the points!”
He assigned the single Romance Point he had obtained that morning from fondling the little fox.
In an instant, information about Yi Archery flowed through his mind. It was as though he had studied the technique dozens of times and could recite it backward and forward.
“One point alone is enough to make me thoroughly understand Yi Archery!”
Zhou Chen was very satisfied. Although he had no Romance Points for the moment, accumulating a thousand would take only a little over a month.
According to the introduction to Yi Archery, cultivating immortality required a spiritual root. Through a spiritual root, one could draw the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth into the body and directly cultivate magical power.
Martial artists, however, started from within themselves, strengthening their physical bodies.
Thus, the first major realm of martial arts was the Body-Tempering Realm. Through cultivation, one tempered the body from the outside inward, causing the flesh to transform. With every gesture, one could split mountains and shatter rocks.
At the highest levels, martial artists could even pluck stars and seize the moon, shatter galaxies, and rival cultivators of immortality!
“So martial arts in this world can stand shoulder to shoulder with the immortal path. Martial cultivation has a future as well. But if I can obtain a cultivation method for immortality, I should be able to cultivate both paths…”
Zhou Chen did not know whether he possessed a spiritual root, but he had the Mirror of Romance.
Since martial arts techniques could be upgraded through points, immortal cultivation methods could most likely be upgraded in the same way.
“Still, obtaining Yi Archery was already a stroke of luck. I shouldn’t dream of an immortal cultivation method for now!”
Zhou Chen focused his mind on Yi Archery.
Body Tempering was divided into nine stages.
The first stage was Skin Tempering. Once mastered, the skin became as tough as cowhide, as though one had donned a layer of armor. Ordinary blades and swords could hardly injure the body.
Skin Tempering did not mean tempering only the skin. The human body was an integrated whole; Skin Tempering merely placed greater emphasis on the skin.
During cultivation, the skin underwent the greatest change, but the entire body would grow stronger as well. It simply would not change as dramatically as the skin.
“I wonder which stage of Body Tempering County Magistrate Zhang Long has reached?”
Zhou Chen thought of Zhang Long, the county constable of Qinghe County, who had slain a vicious tiger with a single stroke. Even if Zhang Long were merely at the first stage of Body Tempering, he would not be someone an ordinary person could deal with.
A martial artist at the first stage of Body Tempering, the Skin-Tempering stage, generally possessed the strength of a thousand jin. With skin as tough as cowhide, such a person existed on an entirely different level from ordinary people.
“My archery has not yet reached the Perfected Realm, so I cannot cultivate Yi Archery on my own. For now, I can only rely on assigning points!”
Zhou Chen took out a fire striker and burned the record of Yi Archery to ashes. He then carried Old Cao’s worn-out shoes outside and burned them as well.
He understood very well the principle that possessing a priceless treasure could invite disaster.
Old Cao had never told him anything about martial artists. The fact that he had possessed Yi Archery was probably part of the reason.
With Zhou Chen’s original talent, it would have been impossible for him to cultivate archery to the Perfected Realm. Even if Old Cao had told him about Yi Archery, it would have been useless and would only have brought him danger.
After disposing of the worn-out shoes, Zhou Chen pulled the little fox out and rubbed its head.
Nearly half an hour later, Qin Hongyu finished preparing the meal.
【Romance Point +1】
Zhou Chen immediately assigned it to Yi Archery.
In an instant, his consciousness seemed to enter a mountain forest. He picked up a bow and arrows and entered a state of unity between man and arrow, gently performing Yi Archery’s body-tempering postures.
As he performed one body-tempering posture after another, the blood and qi within him began to boil. His skin tingled faintly.
After completing one cycle, Zhou Chen returned to his senses. In the real world, only an instant had passed.
He savored the body-tempering postures of Yi Archery that he had just practiced through the assigned point, along with that wondrous state of unity between man and arrow. He was like a withered sponge, greedily absorbing every drop of nourishment and moisture.
After a long while, Zhou Chen withdrew his thoughts. His entire spirit felt refreshed, and it seemed as though his physical strength had increased by the slightest amount.
That increase might have been an illusion, but Zhou Chen discovered that his archery had leaped directly from Minor Mastery to Major Mastery.
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“Damn!”
Zhou Chen’s eyes widened. He had not expected to gain such an additional benefit.
But after experiencing that state of unity between man and arrow, it was only natural that his archery would improve by leaps and bounds.
“So even if I don’t assign points directly to archery, as long as I keep assigning points to Yi Archery, my archery will soon reach the Perfected Realm!”
Zhou Chen was delighted. This would save him a considerable number of Romance Points.
“Brother Chen, come eat!”
Qin Hongyu used a bowl to serve Zhou Chen a large helping of white rice.
Zhou Chen sat down and began eating heartily.
Qin Hongyu gazed at him dreamily with reddened eyes. Her father had died, and Zhou Chen was now the only family she had left in this world.
Watching him shovel down his food, she felt a sweetness and happiness in her heart.
“Thankfully, I still have Brother Chen!”
“What’s wrong? Hurry up and eat!”
Zhou Chen looked up and placed a piece of meat in her bowl.
“Mhm!”
Qin Hongyu lowered her head and began eating in small, delicate bites.
After the meal, Zhou Chen fed the little fox while Qin Hongyu tidied up in the kitchen.
Once he had finished feeding the fox, Zhou Chen went into the kitchen and embraced Qin Hongyu from behind.
“Ah, stop fooling around!”
Qin Hongyu rolled her eyes at him, but before she knew it, Zhou Chen had lifted her into his arms.
“Wait, I haven’t finished washing everything!”
“Why bother washing now? You can do it later!”
Carrying Qin Hongyu, Zhou Chen strode into the room.
At present, he only wanted to earn money.
No.
He wanted to earn points.
The sun rose and set, the stars shifted across the heavens.
After a night of passion, Qin Hongyu had been thoroughly exhausted, limp as mud. She felt as though her body no longer belonged to her.
“Brother Chen, are you going hunting today?”
Qin Hongyu’s slender, jade-like hands stroked Zhou Chen’s chest. From time to time, she gave his muscles a little squeeze, finding them exceptionally alluring.
Do not assume that only men were lustful.
Women were no different.
“There’s still some meat at home. I’ll go after we finish it.”
At present, Zhou Chen only wanted to devote himself to upgrading his cultivation technique.
Besides, hunting carried its own risks.
Every increase in his strength meant an increase in his safety.
After what had happened the previous day, Qin Hongyu did not urge Zhou Chen to go hunting.
But when Zhou Chen stayed home instead of hunting, all he did was torment her.
She truly felt she could hardly endure it any longer.
Another three days passed.
The wolf, wild rabbits, and pheasants Zhou Chen had hunted earlier were all gone, because his appetite had grown increasingly voracious.
Qin Hongyu rested her head against Zhou Chen’s chest, gazing dreamily at the muscular lines of his body, which radiated an irresistible masculine charm.
“Brother Chen is growing stronger and stronger…”
Her beautiful eyes rippled like water, but when she thought of the food stored at home, she could not help saying gloomily, “Brother Chen, if you don’t go hunting soon, we’ll have nothing left but to drink the northwest wind! We’re nearly out of salt, too!”
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“Don’t worry. I’ll go today!”
Zhou Chen squeezed her soft flesh and said with a smile, “I’ll bring back a wild boar so you can eat meat every day!”
“I don’t need to eat meat every day. As long as you’re safe, Brother Chen, that’s enough!”
Qin Hongyu immediately wrapped her arms tightly around him, her voice choked with emotion.
“Don’t worry. I couldn’t bear to leave you behind for someone else to take.”
“Brother Chen, you’re the only man I’ll ever want in this life. That was true before, and it will remain true in the future, no matter what happens!”
Qin Hongyu’s expression turned solemn as she spoke earnestly.
Zhou Chen looked into her eyes without saying a word.
Qin Hongyu’s delicate body trembled. She thought Zhou Chen did not believe her.
“Brother Chen, I…”
She had just begun to speak when Zhou Chen suddenly bent down and fiercely captured her rosy lips.
It was past noon.
Zhou Chen rose from bed and left home with his bow, arrows, and equipment. After tugging his belt into place, he set off in high spirits, basking in triumph.
His awareness swept across his personal status panel.
【Mirror of Romance】
【Master: Zhou Chen】
【Technique: Yi Archery】
【Realm: Body Tempering, First Stage—Skin Tempering (88/1000)】
【Divine Ability: Thunderlight Wishful Hand】
【Skills: Archery (Perfected 90/320), Tracking (Major Mastery 40/160), Traps (Proficient 2/20), Throwing (Proficient 18/20), Fishing (Novice 6/10)…】
【Romance Points: 15】
After three days of effort, Zhou Chen had not only comprehended archery to the Perfected Realm on his own, but his body had also grown considerably stronger, and his strength had increased greatly.
He estimated that a single swing of both arms would carry at least three to four hundred jin of force.
“Assign points!”
Zhou Chen assigned all fifteen newly obtained Romance Points.
In an instant, his consciousness seemed to return to a mountain forest. He entered that state of unity between man and arrow once more and began skillfully practicing Yi Archery’s body-tempering postures.
He practiced one cycle after another.
Suddenly, Zhou Chen felt a stream of energy arise within his body. Every ounce of strength in him seemed to boil.
Zhou Chen knew what it was.
It was blood and qi.
He had finally succeeded in cultivating blood and qi.
The blood and qi coursed throughout his body, concentrating primarily in his skin. His skin immediately began to feel hot, accompanied by a tingling sensation.
Zhou Chen returned to his senses. In reality, only an instant had passed, yet he had undergone a tremendous transformation: he had cultivated blood and qi.
He felt filled with power.
“Is this what practicing martial arts feels like?”
Zhou Chen clenched his fists, intoxicated by the sensation.
“It feels incredible!”
The feeling was utterly addictive.
Even more intoxicating than a woman!
…
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