"""
Back in the day, Li Lian was a well-known young woman in the Li family stronghold, envied by many of the young men there.
In the end, it was Gu Erniu's exceptional archery skills and his earnest nature that won her over, earning him the beauty's heart.
Marrying Li Lian was something Gu Erniu had always been proud of.
"In a couple of years, I'll have your sister-in-law introduce you to a good girl. Then, you can start a good life together."
Gu Erniu said with a grin.
Now that Gu Sheng lived alone, both Gu Erniu and Li Lian were thinking about it, often bringing it up.
Getting married and having children—passing down one's lineage—was the most important thing to common folk, often the pursuit of a lifetime.
Gu Sheng simply smiled without refuting them.
He was pondering something.
"Erniu bro, is your archery good enough to injure a Martial Artist?"
Gu Erniu burst into laughter.
"You brat, do you know the kind of strength a Martial Artist possesses? Take a Refining Skin Realm Martial Artist, for example—training their skin until even those at a higher realm can resist swords and blades without injury. If I can keep my distance, I might barely manage to wound them."
"But that's about all. With their keen senses, a Martial Artist wouldn't leave me a chance to strike a fatal blow. They could take my life with just one punch."
Gu Erniu clicked his tongue, an expression of regret flashing across his eyes.
"Back then, my father also sent me to the manor to practice martial arts, but I lacked the talent—even entry-level was beyond me."
Gu Sheng couldn't help but ask:
"Is the threshold for practicing martial arts really that high?"
"High yet not high. If you're wealthy enough, even with poor talent, you can make it past entry-level. The saying goes, 'Wealthy people thrive in martial arts.' With daily meat and supplements, even a pig could become a powerful Martial Artist."
"As for families like ours, we can only rely on innate talent—like the case of Instructor Gu Jingang, who became a Martial Artist with minimal resource consumption. Otherwise, it's impossible to sustain."
Gu Sheng sighed deeply in his heart.
For those at the bottom of society, breaking through truly felt like climbing to the heavens.
Fortunately, he had the panel.
"As long as I can make it past entry-level, with the panel, I fear no so-called bottlenecks. Even without resources, I can progress slowly."
"Alright, enough sidetracking. Earlier, I explained to you the general approach to archery. Now, give it a try."
Gu Erniu instructed Gu Sheng to position himself, correcting a few mistakes before crossing his arms to let Gu Sheng practice on his own.
Drawing the bow for the first time, Gu Sheng felt a bit nervous. But he quickly calmed himself with steady breaths, earning an approving nod from Gu Erniu.
Gu Sheng planted his feet firmly, standing with legs slightly apart for stability. One hand gripped the bow while the other held the arrow tail, pulling the string taut. Both arms remained aligned, and he kept his eyes, the arrow, and the target trunk in a straight line.
Then, he released the string.
Swish!
The arrow whistled softly, passing three feet away from the trunk before losing strength and falling into the dirt.
Gu Sheng's face showed a hint of embarrassment, as he had aimed for the trunk's center.
This was pretty far off target.
Gu Erniu burst into hearty laughter.
"For your first shot, though the accuracy was off, at least it launched, which is commendable."
Despite the words of encouragement, his amused grin revealed his delight.
"The reason the shot veered off was that your hand wasn't steady when you released the arrow…"
Gu Erniu began correcting Gu Sheng's posture.
Gu Sheng listened attentively, focused on learning, and kept adjusting himself as he shot one arrow after another.
"This shot was decent, but keep your bow hand steadier."
"Plant your legs firmly like deep roots, keep your back straight, and avoid leaning."
"Don't pull the bowstring too far back—add strength gradually and don't hesitate before releasing!"
...
Gu Erniu's voice guided repeatedly, and before they knew it, the sun was almost setting.
Under the dusky light, the young man stood with his bow, his gaze calm. The golden rays scattered across his face, softening his dark complexion and making him appear particularly handsome.
Gu Sheng fired another arrow.
With a sharp whoosh, the arrow sliced through the air and struck a tree trunk fifty meters away, its feather quivering continuously.
Although it landed far from the center, it finally hit the target!
Surprise lit up Gu Sheng's eyes. In that brief moment, he distinctly felt something extraordinary—the coordination between his body and the hunting bow infused with that single shot.
He opened his panel.
The Martial Arts section had indeed changed!
[Martial Arts]: Chopping Wood (Great Success 58%), Archery (Entry-Level 1%).
"Finally recorded on the panel!"
Gu Sheng's lips curved into a heartfelt smile.
Gu Erniu also laughed heartily and praised:
"Not bad, not bad! After just this short day of practice, you've reached this level. Asheng, your talent in archery is at least mid-level. If you continue working hard, becoming a renowned hunter in the nearby villages won't be a problem."
"Talent is one thing, but diligence and effort are equally important! My archery talent isn't particularly high either, but after ten years of relentless practice, I've achieved today's level."
Gu Erniu earnestly advised.
Gu Sheng nodded, unfazed by Gu Erniu's remark about his mid-level archery talent.
"Erniu bro, I'll work hard!"
With two lifetimes of experience, Gu Sheng desired survival more than anyone else. To survive, strength was indispensable.
Now that he had learned archery, laziness was not an option.
With the panel, every bit of effort brought tangible results—he had no excuse not to strive.
"From now on, after finishing your daily wood chopping, come here to train in archery. Once you become proficient, you can practice on your own, but remember not to overdo it."
"Drawing a bow puts great strain on your arms. Eat more meat and rest well when you go back. That's it for today—I need to go back and keep your sister-in-law company, or she'll scold me again."
With a chuckle and a few more reminders, Gu Erniu turned to leave.
Gu Sheng gripped the bow and arrow in his hands, feeling grateful.
"Teaching someone to fish is better than giving them fish, but Gu Erniu has even prepared the net for me. His kindness runs deep."
Though Gu Sheng had saved Li Lian and Gu Wan first, he still noted this favor quietly in his heart.
"Great, another project to grind!"
Looking at his increasingly fruitful panel, Gu Sheng's lips curled slightly.
He relished the feeling of gradually becoming stronger.
Back home.
He started a fire and cooked. He stewed another piece of wolf meat and ate it with rice bran. But Gu Sheng began to feel dissatisfied. While rice bran could fill his stomach, it was truly unappetizing!
Now that he had meat, he naturally thought about replacing rice bran with millet.
Not only would it taste better, but it would also be more nutritious.
"Just wait. When my archery improves, I'll hunt in the mountains and trade my catch for millet!"
For now, Gu Sheng didn't plan to venture into the mountains for hunting.
Hunting was inherently risky, and he figured he'd wait until his archery reached the Small Success realm before trying.
That said, he couldn't delay too long—he needed to save money before winter arrived, when the cold would make hunting far more challenging.
At today's pace, reaching Small Success in archery would likely take about a month—a tougher process than chopping wood.
"Here's a small goal: within one month, achieve Small Success in archery, Perfect in chopping wood, and strengthen my body!"
"Then I'll head into the mountains!"
"""