Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World-Chapter 39: Winter is Coming

[Name]: Gu Sheng

[Age]: 14

[Realm]: None

[Martial Arts]: Chopping Wood (Special Effect: First-level Tear), Archery (Perfect 0%)

...

Gu Sheng opened the panel, and archery had indeed reached the realm of perfection.

"As I am now, if I have a strong bow, I could kill an enemy from 200 meters away! But the one-stone bow in my hand is not strong enough to fully unleash my archery."

"Not only that, my dynamic vision has reached its peak, which also significantly boosts my close combat ability. If I use Chopping Wood, I can capture an enemy’s weak points more clearly."

Gu Sheng silently evaluated his strength.

As it stands now,

his strength had already completely surpassed that of ordinary people.

As for Martial Artists, it was hard to say; he would need to face one head-on to know for sure.

But Gu Sheng felt he wouldn’t be powerless. If he kept his distance, there might even be a chance to trade blows or potentially kill his opponent.

After all, no matter how strong a Martial Artist is, critical areas like the eyes are not covered by armor or skin membranes.

He glanced at the hunting bow in his hand with a hint of reluctance. Although it had only accompanied him for a few short months, it was undoubtedly a witness to his rise.

"Right now, I can’t openly use Li Yan’s bow, but once we go to the city, I’ll be able to use it openly. At that point, my archery skills will finally be able to fully come into play."

Gu Sheng examined it carefully.

The bow was finely crafted, though not custom-made. It was likely a strong bow produced by some weapons workshop.

He thought to himself that adding some decorations later would make it nearly impossible for anyone to identify its origins.

"The speed of an arrow and the technique of exerting force are key—this is the ’soft’ element. I’ve already reached the pinnacle in the ’soft’ aspect, but ’hard’ equipment is equally critical."

Gu Sheng sighed to himself.

"But, according to Brother Er Niu, there seems to be an even more advanced archery—Martial Arts Archery! I can only imagine how extraordinary such archery must be, likely wielding some truly incredible power."

A glimmer of longing appeared in his eyes.

Martial Arts was the true path to transcendence.

Advancing both body and skill, walking hand in hand, was something ordinary people could not comprehend. For this kind of extraordinary power that hadn’t existed in his previous life, Gu Sheng had always yearned to pursue it.

Thankfully, he was getting closer to his goal day by day.

"I’ll set Martial Arts Archery aside for now. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. If archery can break through the Perfect realm, it will undoubtedly develop a special effect, just like Chopping Wood does!"

"First-level Tear is already this powerful; I wonder what kind of special effect archery would produce once it surpasses perfection?"

Gu Sheng was full of anticipation.

From now on, he still needed to continue practicing hard.

The path of strength enhancement has no end, and Gu Sheng deeply enjoyed this process of gradually growing stronger. It gave him a sense of purpose in life.

...

Time passed by.

Gu Sheng’s daily life became even more disciplined.

Now that he didn’t need to hunt in the mountains temporarily, he devoted even more time to practicing archery. Over two days, his archery progress slowly increased by just over 1%.

Which meant,

it would take approximately six months to break through archery to a level beyond perfection.

This speed was about half as fast as Chopping Wood’s progression, making it particularly challenging. But it also made Gu Sheng even more eager to see what kind of special effect archery would develop afterward—could it possibly help him truly rival a Martial Artist!

Besides practicing archery,

Gu Sheng would also visit Gu Erniu.

Gu Erniu’s injured left leg was healing quickly and now no longer needed support to walk independently. Although still difficult, he was expected to return to regular walking ability within half a month.

However, regaining his previous agility would take even more time.

"Asheng, you came at the right time. I asked around, and next month, before winter sets in, the manor will organize a team to go to the city for purchases. By then, my leg should be in good enough condition, and we can sell off the hides we’ve stocked and prepare for winter together."

Gu Erniu spoke energetically.

Gu Sheng couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement—finally.

The timeline for the manor’s purchase trips was never fixed and varied in scale. But this pre-winter trip was bound to be larger, with stronger Martial Artists accompanying, making it much safer.

Lowering his voice, Gu Erniu added,

"This time, it’s Lord Gu Dajiang who’s leading the team..."

Gu Sheng was momentarily stunned, his heart tightening. He knew that Gu Dajiang was one of the top three experts of Gu’s Manor, on equal footing with Gu Changming and Gu Jingang.

Subconsciously, he asked, "Does the manor often send someone of Lord Gu Dajiang’s caliber to escort trips like these?"

Gu Erniu waved a hand dismissively, saying, "Don’t worry—it’s common practice. For larger-scale purchases, it’s typical for Lord Gu Changming or the other two to take turns escorting, sometimes even with additional Martial Artists."

Gu Sheng felt slightly at ease.

That made sense.

The road to the city passed through many forested areas, and encounters with bandits or vagabonds were not uncommon. Without the deterrence of powerful Martial Artists, the risk of being looted was high.

Checking his surroundings, Gu Erniu leaned in and whispered, "At that time, hide a few of your bows within the hides. I’ll help carry two as well. No one will notice, and once we sell them in the city, it’ll be seamless."

Gu Sheng nodded slightly, showing his understanding.

Over recent days, Gu Erniu had shared some insights about Canghe County. Though his knowledge wasn’t extensive, it included some tips on selling hides and interesting anecdotes.

In addition to this,

Gu Sheng occasionally visited Gu He.

Even though he was no longer chopping wood, Gu He, as a steward of the manor, was well-informed and had extensive connections. Maintaining good relations with him seemed wise to Gu Sheng.

More importantly, Gu He had a good temperament.

Even after Gu Sheng repeatedly declined his matchmaking suggestions, Gu He wasn’t upset.

Gu Sheng also confirmed with Gu He about the manor’s purchase trip to the city. The response matched what Gu Erniu knew, with the addition of one more piece of good news.

"Purchasing steward Gu Renxu has a good relationship with me. I’ll have a word with him about your plans to go to the city."

...

It had been over half a month since Li Yan’s death.

The impact of that event was gradually fading. Those bold enough to go into the mountains during this time all returned safely. While no one had successfully hunted a silver fox, there were other decent spoils.

With fewer hunters in the mountains, the competition had lessened as well.

Naturally, this tempted others to go hunting too.

Panic was only temporary. As more people resumed their hunting trips, the lingering effects quickly dissipated.

But to everyone’s regret,

no one had managed to hunt a silver fox. It seemed as if the silver fox had vanished into thin air, disappearing from the mountains entirely.

Some speculated that the fox may have sensed it was being pursued and fled deeper into the mountains.

Others theorized that the Black Sand Gang had already captured the silver fox and kept it a secret.

However, no one knew that the silver fox had long since fallen into Gu Sheng’s hands.

Gu Sheng resumed his hunting rhythm. Previously, he had stayed home to avoid drawing attention, but now that the uproar had subsided, he naturally returned to his usual hunting routine.

He ventured into the mountains every three to four days to hunt.

Since perfecting his archery, even with just a one-stone bow, Gu Sheng was capable of killing prey from over 100 meters away. Hunting had become noticeably easier.

However, it was also clear that,

the game in the mountains was gradually decreasing.

The animals that had thrived over the past year reached their peak numbers in autumn, only to dwindle as winter approached. The mountain-dwelling hunters understood the importance of sustainable hunting well enough not to overexploit their resources.

Gu Sheng began limiting his trips into the mountains.

Winter was coming.