Chapter 70: Oral Persuasion

A sturdy bow with a draw weight of two hundred catties is a lethal weapon against any target within a few hundred meters. No target can withstand an arrow.

However, the length and width of the stockade were only two to three hundred meters, so Chen Fan and Zhang Ren could only step outside the stockade with their targets.

Gu Ze hesitated for a moment but eventually followed.

He needed to witness it to believe it.

Once outside the stockade, the surroundings were filled with overgrown grass, stillness, and an absence of wind.

Chen Fan positioned the target five to six hundred meters away and quickly returned. With his left foot forward and his right foot back, he raised his longbow, aimed the arrow at the bull's-eye, and steadily pulled the bowstring.

Gu Ze watched Chen Fan, then turned to Zhang Ren, who wore a serious expression, and finally gazed into the distance.

Could he really believe that such a small black dot, the archery target, could be hit accurately from this distance?

The bowstring slowly stretched, and the muscles on Chen Fan's arms bulged, with visible blue veins. However, there was no tremor throughout the process.

Although it sounds lengthy, in reality, it took only a second or two for the bowstring to reach full tension, resembling a full moon.

Gu Ze found himself gasping for breath, his throat seemingly blocked by something, rendering him speechless.

Soon after, there was a sound louder than firecrackers.

Arrows over a meter long and as thick as two fingers shot out like lightning.

In less than two blinks, a sharp sound emanated from the archery target five to six hundred meters away, as the arrow pierced through the target and continued onward.

"So fast," Chen Fan couldn't help but exclaim.

When he used the hundred-jin draw weight longbow, the arrow's flight speed was around 100 meters per second, just barely visible to the naked eye.

However, this two-hundred-catty draw weight longbow fired arrows at nearly the speed of sound, leaving even him with only a blurred afterimage to see.

"It's incredibly fast, approximately the same speed as a standard pistol bullet," remarked Zhang Ren from the side.

Gu Ze blinked in astonishment.

He could distinctly hear the crisp sound of the arrow piercing the target. It was undoubtedly the sound of the arrow striking the target five or six hundred meters away. What kind of astonishing archery skill was this?

Yet, here these two were, discussing the arrow's speed as if it were a casual matter, as if missing the shot was unexpected.

Chen Fan glanced at the skill panel:

[Basic Archery: Level 6 (45.5%)]

The recent battle at Lijiazhai had boosted his proficiency in Basic Archery by just over 45%.

In other words, this single arrow had increased his proficiency by 0.3%.

Not bad at all for a single ordinary arrow. Fully upgrading the remaining proficiency would require shooting just over a hundred arrows.

Of course, with his physical prowess, he could shoot up to twenty arrows in a minute, nearly his limit.

"Uncle Zhang, would you like to give it a try?" Chen Fan handed the bow and arrow to him. "By the way, I'll take a look and make some corrections if needed."

"Sure," Zhang Ren agreed.

Zhang Ren took the bow and arrow, recalling Chen Fan's posture from earlier, and aimed at the target with the bow.

"Uncle Zhang, you're a bit too tense, and your body is too rigid. Your hands are shaking slightly," Chen Fan offered guidance while speaking.

Zhang Ren felt a bit embarrassed, but Chen Fan's archery skills were beyond question.

After adjusting his stance, Zhang Ren released his fingers. Shortly thereafter, there was another crisp sound from the distant target, indicating a hit.

Zhang Ren took a deep breath and retrieved a second arrow from the quiver.

Watching from the sidelines, Gu Ze felt a sense of shame.

He had previously thought his archery skills were decent, but now, according to what Chen Fan had just explained, he realized he had been making many rookie mistakes.

Hearing this, Gu Ze began to break out in a cold sweat on his forehead. Was it too late to make changes now?

After offering guidance for about ten minutes, Zhang Ren stepped aside to practice on his own. After all, bridging the gap between knowing and doing required practice.

"Uh, Chen Fan," Gu Ze seized the opportunity, hesitantly asking, "Could you give me some guidance too?"

After he spoke, he felt nervous and couldn't bring himself to look directly into Chen Fan's eyes, fearing rejection.

After all, they had known each other for less than two days, and he had initially spoken of leaving Chen Fan behind with his rash words. But now, he was willingly seeking guidance from him. It did seem a bit unreasonable.

"Sure."

However, in the next moment, Chen Fan immediately agreed.

"You... you agreed?" Gu Ze raised his head, a mixture of surprise and joy on his face.

Chen Fan couldn't help but laugh. "Why, did you think I would refuse?"

Gu Ze remained silent, but his facial expression revealed his inner thoughts.

Chen Fan patted him on the shoulder and said, "We're from the same village, aren't we?"

"Um." Gu Ze nodded emphatically.

Indeed, as of this morning, Gujiazhai no longer existed.

"Thank you, Chen Fan. I admit that you're much better at archery than I imagined, but one day, my skills will surpass yours," he stated firmly.

"Okay, I look forward to that day. May it come soon," Chen Fan replied with a smile.

Having a goal is always a positive thing, and if it motivates Gu Ze to continue growing and becoming stronger, then it's a good thing.

However, Gu Ze's comprehension was significantly inferior to Zhang Ren's. The latter would not make the same mistake more than once or twice. Gu Ze, on the other hand, often focused on one aspect while neglecting another, leading to embarrassment.

Chen Fan had a good mindset. Archery, like marksmanship, is easy to learn but difficult to master. While hitting a target within 10 meters may be achievable, hitting one at 15 meters, let alone the frequent distances of 100, 200, or 300 meters, involves many complex factors.

After about 20 minutes of teaching, Chen Fan returned to his seat and turned his attention to the [Meteor Arrow Technique].

Skill proficiency: 0.

The shot he had just taken had increased the proficiency of [Basic Archery] slightly, but the proficiency of [Meteor Arrow Technique] remained unchanged.

"So, to improve the proficiency of the Meteor Arrow Technique, I can only use rapid fire," Chen Fan realized as he raised his longbow and aimed it at the target.

"Snap!"

A loud bang!

Gu Ze glanced over, feeling a hint of envy, but before he could dwell on it, another shot rang out, and then a third.

"!"

Gu Ze's eyes widened instantly. What just happened? How many shots did he fire in succession?

"Hurrah..."

Chen Fan's chest heaved violently, and his arms trembled involuntarily. It seemed that three shots in a row with a powerful two-hundred-catty draw weight bow were close to his limit.

However, it was unnecessary, and he wasn't sure how to trigger it.

But at that moment, he seemed to hear the sound of fluid coursing through his body, like a small river rushing along.

As it flowed through his chest, his breathing calmed a bit, and as it flowed through his arms, the trembling noticeably diminished.

"It's the Flowing Blood!" His eyes lit up.