On his Skill list, [Flying Locust Stone] was at Master Level (1999/3000). Tang Wen hadn't intentionally practiced it for the past few days.
The Master Level was enough to hit rabbits, chickens, and even injure people.
The 1,999 experience points it had were all gained naturally while he was out hunting birds.
[Flying Knife Skill, Master (901/1000)] was the Skill he had been diligently practicing lately. Every day in the woods, aside from hunting, a Flying Blade was never far from his hand.
[Wind-Breaking Blade Technique, Beginner (451/500)] was practiced every day with the blacksmith, Li Daniu.
But the one he valued most was [Eight Vajra Techniques, Beginner (967/1000)]. This True Daoist Technique could simultaneously increase his Constitution and spirit! It was practically a divine Skill!
The next day, Tang Wen still didn't go out hunting.
He rose early and began practicing the Eight Vajra Techniques right in his room. Body and mind immersed, he went through the motions several times in one go, pushing his experience to—Beginner (997/1000), on the verge of a breakthrough.
As for when to break through, he decided to wait. He would hunt more prey in the next day or two to ensure he had a more plentiful supply of meat before attempting the breakthrough.
After finishing his Vajra Technique practice, he went to the blacksmith's house and practiced with his blade over and over again until he broke through his current Swordsmanship Level.
[Wind-Breaking Blade Technique, Beginner → Master (3/1000)]
After the Skill upgrade, Tang Wen rested for a moment before practicing the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique again.
With the blade in hand, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity, of intimacy. The weapon moved like an extension of his arm, striking wherever he willed it. He wielded it with masterful ease, each movement powerful enough to stir the air!
Li Daniu and his family stood on the steps, watching.
"Brother Tang is incredible!" Eldest Sister-in-law Li and the maidservant were directly facing the force of his slashes, and even from a distance, they couldn't help but feel a flicker of fear.
Li Daniu didn't say a word, but he was reeling in shock. 'Xiaotang... he's been practicing for less than a month, right? I was a Guard for three years, and I've been practicing for over five years in total. My own Swordsmanship is probably only at his current Level...'
'Could this be what they call Talent?'
After finishing the set, a feeling of pure, unadulterated exhilaration surged through Tang Wen!
It was the kind of satisfaction one might feel from drinking an ice-cold, red-canned Coca-Cola during the dog days of summer.
Li Daniu's expression was complex. "Brother! I'm afraid this old brother has nothing left to teach you."
Tang Wen smiled. "How can you say that? This is all just for show; I have no real combat experience. I'm still a long way from reaching your level, Brother Li."
...
In the morning, he went to the market to buy square bricks and sand. He then paid two workers with two catties of Maize, and they spent the entire morning building a fire stove and two wide, heated brick beds in his new home.
In the afternoon, he practiced with his Flying Blades.
In the courtyard, the siblings stood apart from each other.
SWOOSH! Tangtang suddenly tossed a block of wood.
THWACK! Tang Wen's blade struck it mid-air.
"Hehe, this is fun." His big sister was now invested in the "game," taking pleasure in trying to make her little brother fail. She began deliberately tossing wooden blocks and splinters from all sorts of tricky angles.
It was a happy accident. After half a day of this, his Flying Knife Skill experience had skyrocketed.
[Flying Knife Skill, Master (991/1000)]
"I'm dead tired. No more practice. I'm going to rest and make dinner." With her arms dangling, Tangtang trudged toward the room like a dejected zombie from Plants vs. Zombies.
He only needed 9 more experience points to break through, but his big sister was so exhausted she'd gone on strike.
Ordinary practice wouldn't be effective enough.
Tang Wen shrugged and decided to go help his sister with dinner.
After dinner, he continued to practice the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique, the glint of his blade flashing under the moonlight.
From dawn till dusk, aside from eating and resting, Tang Wen spent nearly every moment in Cultivation.
「The next day, deep in the woods.」
Tang Wen pulled a burlap sack from his shirt. Inside were roasted potatoes and sweet potatoes, their aroma wafting out. Instead of eating them, he did something extravagant: he broke a sweet potato into small pieces and carefully sprinkled them on the ground.
He scattered some here, some there. He wasn't stingy at all, continuing until the entire sweet potato was gone.
If a Scavenger were to see this, they'd probably rush over and lick the ground clean.
THWACK, THWACK, THWACK...
Tang Wen hid himself and practiced with his Flying Blades.
"CLUCK CLUCK CLUCK..."
The familiar call of a pheasant rang out.
Tang Wen quietly put away his Flying Blade. He saw a pair of pheasants land on the sweet-potato-strewn ground and begin to eat with gusto.
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!
Without even aiming, he unleashed a volley of Flying Stones.
The two pheasants were knocked to the ground, their bodies convulsing.
Tang Wen picked them up, walked a good distance downwind, and skillfully dug a pit to bleed them. He then placed the dressed pheasants into his back-basket.
"OINK, OINK, OINK... OINK, OINK, OINK..."
'What's that noise?'
He gently set down his basket, gripped a Flying Blade, and crept toward the patch of woods where he had scattered the sweet potato.
"SNORT, SNORT..."
A half-grown black boar was happily rooting around, its tail swishing back and forth as it ate with obvious delight.
'A wild boar!'
'My roasted sweet potato trick really works! This boar must have at least a hundred catties of meat on it, right?'
Tang Wen's right hand tightened around his Flying Blade, ready to strike, but he relaxed his grip a second later.
'No, I can't be reckless. Wild boars have incredibly thick hides. A single Flying Blade definitely won't be enough to kill it.'
'It's fast, too. What if I can't get a follow-up shot in time?'
'Wouldn't it just run off with my Flying Blade?'
'But no matter what, an injured boar is certain to flee.'
'And I don't think my two legs can outrun its four.'
'Hmm... unless I can get it to charge at me!'
'This is risky. There's a saying among Hunters: "First bear, second boar, third tiger."'
'Wild boars are far from harmless. A tusked boar like this one could easily injure, or even kill, a person if it charged!'
'So, I have to kill it, but I can't do it recklessly.'
After a moment of thought, Tang Wen crouched down, hiding behind a large tree. He pulled out several stones and flung them in three different directions in front of him.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
The stones slammed against the trees, producing sharp reports.
OINK! OINK! OINK!
Startled, the boar had no idea what lay ahead! It spun around and charged backward—directly toward Tang Wen's position!
'This is exactly what I wanted!'
PFFT!
The Flying Blade plunged straight into the boar's left eye! Blood sprayed.
A direct hit.
"SQUEEEAL!"
The boar didn't fall. It let out a guttural roar and charged Tang Wen.
PFFT!
Another blade, and a spray of blood.
The boar's right eye was also blinded.
[Skill: Flying Knife Skill, Master → Mastery (1/3000)]
"SQUEAL!"
BAM!
The charging boar slammed headfirst into the tree in front of Tang Wen. The large tree shuddered, and the boar's four legs gave out, causing it to collapse to the ground.
Tang Wen knew it wasn't dead. Gripping his long blade, he circled around in two steps and swung it down on the boar's neck!
Blood gushed like a fountain, staining the ground a deep crimson. The boar twitched a few more times, then went still.
'What a haul!'
Once the boar's blood had drained, Tang Wen grabbed it by the ears and struggled to stuff it into his large back-basket.
The basket was over a meter tall, but fitting a half-grown boar inside was still extremely difficult.
He finally managed to cram it in, but a large part of the boar's head was still sticking out.
He had no choice but to tie some branches together with rope and cover the head to keep it from prying eyes.
"HUP!"
Tang Wen heaved the basket onto his back, but his footing was unsteady, and he nearly stumbled.
"This boar must weigh over a hundred catties!"
His steps heavy, he trudged toward the camp. He had to rest for a while on the way, but he finally appeared, panting, at the camp entrance just before noon.
The main road was bustling with people. Seeing Tang Wen return so early, someone shook their head and commented, "Whose kid is that, coming back with just a few branches?"
"And it's all kindling he's carrying. Thin sticks don't burn for long. You want thicker logs."
"Poor kid doesn't even know how to gather firewood properly!"
"..."
Tang Wen paid them no mind and just kept his head down, walking.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. A series of raps on the door.
"Who is it?" Tangtang's cautious voice called out.
"It's me, Sis."
"I thought you weren't coming back until this afternoon?" Tangtang, who had been washing clothes, shook her hands dry and slid the bolt.
Tang Wen walked into the courtyard, still stooped over.
Tangtang craned her neck to look outside, then turned to bolt the door. She reached out to help with her brother's basket.
"Careful, it's heavy!"
"Whoa!" Tangtang exclaimed, instinctively lowering her voice. "What is in here that's so heavy?"
"A wild boar."
"Huh?" After untying the rope and seeing the boar's head, her eyes went wide.