C424 Rice's Invincible Arrow(1)

“Whoosh...”

“Whoosh...”

“Whoosh...”

Streams of light cut through the rain as Woo Zhengyang stood atop his wooden sword. Dressed in deep blue coarse cloth, he carried the No Life Sword on his back and held an iron bow in his hand.

“Zhengyang, your archery is terrible! Not even one hit out of ten!” Dahu laughed heartily nearby.

Woo Zhengyang felt embarrassed.

After days of intense martial arts training, Dahu and the others were getting a bit weary. After much pleading, Sun Li finally agreed to take them out for a hunting trip.

Every day after their rigorous training, Dahu and the others would seek out Woo Zhengyang to complain, having grown quite familiar with each other. So, when they got the good news, they immediately invited Woo Zhengyang along.

Woo Zhengyang thought it over and agreed, as he was eager to practice on some demonic beasts.

For hunting, a bow and arrow were essential.

Seeing the bow and arrow reminded Woo Zhengyang of the Dragon Dance, and he wanted to give it a try.

To his surprise, what seemed simple was actually quite challenging, especially while flying on his sword. No matter how focused he was, there were always deviations, which led to Dahu and the others teasing him.

“Mr. Zhengyang, watch my unbeatable Rice Arrow...” Little Rice insisted on coming along too, and Sun Li agreed.

Now, Little Rice could finally control her flight while sword-riding, although she still occasionally stumbled upon landing. It didn’t really affect anything.

Seeing Woo Zhengyang draw his bow and arrow, little Rice was eager to give it a try. At just five or six years old, she was so tiny, yet she attempted to pull a bow taller than herself, creating a scene that was both amusing and endearing.

However, it wasn't long before Woo Zhengyang's amusement turned to surprise. The prey they had been chasing had eluded Woo Zhengyang despite his dozen shots, but Rice hit the target dead center on her first try! Then came the second arrow, the third...

After a dozen consecutive shots, the prey finally fell. Rice's arrows never missed, starkly contrasting with Woo Zhengyang's earlier attempts.

"Haha, Mr. Zhengyang, isn't Rice's unbeatable arrow amazing?" she exclaimed.

"Amazing..." Woo Zhengyang admitted, realizing her archery skills far surpassed his own.

Sun Li went to harvest the prey's meat. Besides his martial arts, Woo Zhengyang had also contributed several Hidden Heaven Bags to Great Leaf Village. Having taken down many foes, he possessed numerous treasures, and these bags, invaluable to ordinary practitioners, were among them. With these bags, Sun Li and the others found hunting much easier.

During his time in Great Leaf Village, Woo Zhengyang felt a deep sense of warmth and community. The entire village was like one big family, sharing everything and working together in harmony.

This newfound feeling allowed Woo Zhengyang to leave behind all the trivial matters. He spent his days training, hunting, playing with Rice, and sparring with Liu Dahu and others. During this time, he wasn't the legendary genius capable of defeating martial kings or creating miracles; he was just a sixteen-year-old farm boy growing up in a big family.

Leisurely days always seem to fly by, and soon, it was time for the people of Great Leaf Village to prepare for their journey to the Azure Sun Martial Mansion. Over these days, with the help of the golden vortex, Woo Zhengyang's body tempering had reached the later stages of the Skin Stage. His physical strength alone was over 8,000 pounds, and at full power, it could reach around 20,000 pounds.

Although there was still a gap between him and Sun Li, in a real fight, Sun Li wouldn't stand a chance against Woo Zhengyang. After all, Sun Li had only been practicing martial arts for a short time and couldn't reach the Perfection Stage like Woo Zhengyang. Liu Dahu and the others had also made significant progress during this period, as the martial techniques Woo Zhengyang shared were well-suited for body tempering, making their training highly effective.

The group heading to the Azure Sun Martial Mansion included Woo Zhengyang, Liu Dahu, and others participating in the Thousand-village Martial Competition. Even Sun Li, the Old Village Chief, and little Rice joined in.

Unlike the previous Mystic Trace Realm trials or the Heavenly Martial Dao Discussing Great Association, the Thousand-village Martial Competition under the Azure Sun Martial Mansion doesn't have a fixed schedule. Sometimes it's held every two or three years, other times it might be five, six, or even seven or eight years apart. This time, it's been a full seven years since the last competition.

For Great Leaf Village, this competition is crucial. If they don't perform well, who knows when the next opportunity will come?

The Sword Manipulating Flight Technique is much faster than the gentle pace of the wind and rain beasts. Along the way, only Rice showed signs of fatigue and was carried for a while by the Old Village Chief. Everyone else managed without any issues. Even Liu Dahu, who is participating in the Thousand-village Martial Competition for the first time, received a thorough briefing from the Old Village Chief during their rest stops.

This preparation reassured Woo Zhengyang. In his previous experiences, not knowing the rules often led to unnecessary trouble.

The Thousand-village Martial Competition is divided into five stages. The first stage is the Brave Venture through Azure Sun Forest. This forest lies between Azure Sun Town and the Azure Sun Martial Mansion. During a specific time, all participants must travel from Azure Sun Town through the forest to reach the Martial Mansion without using the Sword Manipulating Flight Technique. Successfully reaching the mansion marks the completion of the first challenge; otherwise, they fail.