novelraw Chapter 127
Chapter 127
“Wangchuan, it seems Captain Bai thinks highly of you.”
“Keep it up!”
“Strive to push both your Archery and Hundred Paces Piercing the Poplar up a realm in this operation.” Lin Xun smiled.
In his view, Wangchuan’s status within the Yulong Gang had earned him Captain Bai’s special regard.
Monk Dalong, Zhang Xiaoxiao, Qin Jinguo, and the others all revealed friendly smiles as well.
“Wangchuan, your arrows are the most plentiful. It is only right you receive special treatment… Do well!”
“Seize this opportunity. You can break through to Second Rank much faster.”
“It is up to you.”
Wangchuan cupped his fists in a circle.
“Many thanks, Captain Bai.”“Then I will not hold back.”
At that moment, rustling sounds emerged from the wooded slope not far away.
It was as though countless objects were scraping across grass and earth at once, steadily drawing nearer.
Everyone narrowed their eyes.
Within the shadows of the trees, shrubs shook violently. Then one after another, large serpents glistening with a faint watery sheen slithered out, competing to be first.
Wangchuan’s eyesight was sharp enough to discern a deep cavern hidden within the underbrush.
That must be Snake Den.
On either side of the cavern entrance lay a spread of yellow powder.
Whenever the venomous snakes deviated from the path, they recoiled as if struck by lightning and hurried back, following the main stream as though fleeing for their lives toward the lake below.
Wangchuan narrowed his eyes slightly.
The snakes were not slow.
They moved in S-shaped patterns through the grass. At such distance, they were difficult targets.
Holding his iron-reinforced bow, with Archery at Entry-Level Mastery and Hundred Paces Piercing the Poplar at Practice Makes Perfect, he was not overly worried.
After gauging the distance, he swiftly nocked an arrow.
Most of the snakes had not yet entered the forty-meter range.
For now, this was his stage alone.
Twng!
The first arrow flew.
He aimed for the triangular head of a venomous snake, but struck its body instead.
“Hit!”
“Beautiful!”
“Hall Master Su truly pierces a poplar at a hundred paces! A hundred shots, a hundred hits!”
The others spared no praise, even as they prepared to fire.
Wangchuan’s face grew slightly warm.
The snakes moved quickly, and this S-shaped motion was something he had never faced before.
“Again!”
Holding his breath, he drew and aimed at a second snake.
Even with advance prediction, the arrow struck the body once more.
Forget it.
As long as Hundred Paces Piercing the Poplar gained experience, that was enough.
At that moment, the Second Land-Clearing Team began firing.
Then the Third Team followed.
For a time, arrows rained through the air.
Venomous snakes were struck and pinned to the ground along the path to the lake.
Struck snakes writhed in agony, exposing their pale, wrinkled bellies like grotesque worms. Several female players turned pale, goosebumps rising visibly along their arms.
Bai Jingtang stood nearby, her gaze calm, allowing everyone to perform freely.
Wangchuan noticed something.
Almost everyone was striking the snakes’ bodies.
Moreover, many were facing venomous snakes for the first time. Their judgment was inaccurate, and missed shots were common.
“Damn!”
“I missed.”
“Another miss.”
“These snakes are hard to kill.”
“How high are these experts’ Archery levels?”
“Especially Hall Master Wangchuan. Did you see that? Almost every shot hits. How did he train that?”
“Beyond forty meters! I can barely see clearly, let alone aim.”
Only now did they gradually realize the true difficulty of targets beyond forty meters.
They finally understood that Captain Bai assigning Wangchuan that range was a simple acknowledgment of his archery.
And Wangchuan did not disappoint.
Nearly every arrow struck a venomous snake, pinning it firmly to the ground. The snakes twisted violently, hissing in pain, their wounds widening as they struggled, until eventually they weakened and fell still.
Twng!
Twng!
Wangchuan continued firing.
The inner disciples of the Yulong Gang stood obediently at his side, passing arrows, awaiting his orders.
Even Chen Ergou had put away his bow.
Only Bai Yuhui and Hong Kaibao continued shooting with Instructor Yu at snakes entering the ten-meter range.
In truth, not many snakes made it all the way down.
But the five members of the Gold Farming Group had only average archery. Even at close range, killing the snakes was no easy matter.
Occasionally, a snake would evade arrows and successfully slip into the lake.
Whenever that happened, Bai Jingtang would act.
With Captain Bai covering the gaps, everyone relaxed considerably.
Arrows flew in waves.
The supply they had prepared visibly dwindled.
“A giant snake!”
“There is a giant snake!”
Suddenly, someone noticed a python as thick as a water barrel sliding down from afar. More than seven or eight meters long, it knocked aside several arrows and advanced aggressively toward them.
Wangchuan loosed two arrows. Both were deflected.
He was surprised.
The python had already moved beyond his killing range.
He did not continue pursuing it, instead shifting to new targets and continuing to shoot ordinary venomous snakes.
The Martial Artists of the Second Land-Clearing Team failed to kill the giant python. Their arrows were all knocked aside.
Then the Third Team took their turn.
As the python approached, Bai Jingtang spoke.
“The python’s defense is high, and its vitality is strong. It is an excellent sparring partner. Who is interested?”
“I am!”
Monk Dalong switched to his Hundredfold Steel iron staff and rushed forward.
The python lunged to bite, only to be struck aside by a heavy blow. Its tail whipped around, attempting to coil him.
Monk Dalong’s footwork was agile. He freed himself instantly, spun, and struck again, leaving dark red patches across the python’s scales.
Man and serpent tangled in fierce combat.
The rest continued their tasks.
After shooting continuously for some time, Wangchuan finally heard the system prompt.
“Ding!”
“Hundred Paces Piercing the Poplar has advanced from ‘Practice Makes Perfect’ to ‘Entry-Level Mastery.’ Reward: 3 points Strength.”
A clear surge of power flooded his body.
At the same time, his eyesight seemed to sharpen. A sudden flash of insight filled his mind. He drew swiftly, aiming at the triangular head of a venomous snake beyond forty meters.
In the instant of aiming, the snake’s movements seemed to slow.
Twng!
A sharper note rang out.
The arrow shot forth, vibrating violently through the air, and in a blink pierced the snake’s head, pinning it to the ground.
At that moment, Wangchuan let out a long breath and smiled.
Instinctively, he looked toward Captain Bai and caught a trace of approval flicker in her eyes.
Bai Jingtang had noticed as well.
The speed and power of that arrow clearly surpassed everyone else’s.
It meant a breakthrough.
Wangchuan smiled.
He had chosen correctly.
In a single opportunity, he had raised both Archery and Hundred Paces Piercing the Poplar to Entry-Level Mastery, gaining a total of 6 attribute points.
This transaction was an absolute windfall.
CLICK HERE to Rate/Review