After drinking a few sips of water and resting for a while, Chen Fan took a deep breath and clicked the plus sign behind the level once everyone's attention shifted away from him.
Immediately, a huge surge of heat flowed from his heart, quickly enveloping his entire body, making him feel as if he was soaking in a hot spring. The fatigue vanished instantly.
A few seconds later, the heat flow disappeared.
Realm: None
Level: 4 (0/8)
Constitution: 19.55
Power: 14.92
Agility: 10.41
Spirit: 6.65
Potential Points: 1 (1 point/1 day)
All attributes increased by ten percent. The constitution attribute alone was nearly twice that of an average person.
The strength attribute was less than 15 points. Wanting to use a bow with a 100-pound draw was overly ambitious, even the 80-pound one would be challenging.
The agility attribute was average.
The spirit attribute was disappointing.
"It's a pity that currently, I can't find any method other than enhancing the body to improve spirit."
Chen Fan thought to himself, his gaze landing on the level.
To upgrade his body enhancement level to 5, he needed 8 potential points. In reality, eating a big meal could achieve it.
Without any surprises, he should be able to accomplish that goal today. Anyway, let's keep striving.
For the next period, he trained archery alone.
After enhancing his body again, it indeed became much stronger. The second time he performed a quadruple shot, it didn't drain him as much as before but still required a fifteen-minute rest.
The third time, he needed to rest for half an hour, and his right arm felt somewhat immobile.
Fortunately, by evening, as the sky darkened, the book [Basic Archery] finally upgraded.
Feeling the exhilarating effect brought by the enhancements in both constitution and strength attributes, he intended to look at the attribute panel when a piece of information suddenly appeared in his mind.
"Constitution attribute has reached 20 points. Do you want to break through? The probability of a successful breakthrough is one hundred percent."
"What?"
Chen Fan almost exclaimed, staring at the information with wide eyes.
He had some guesses in his heart, but since the probability of success was one hundred percent, it was better to break through first.
At the moment he chose "yes," a crisp sound echoed in his body as if something had shattered. The familiar heat flow reappeared, sending a slight tickle sensation to the places it passed.
This made him momentarily delusional – could it be that the flow was repairing his body?
After a few breaths, the heat flow gradually receded, and Chen Fan quickly looked at the attribute panel.
Realm: Body Tempering First Layer
Level: 4 (0/8)
Constitution: 22.6
Power: 17.51
Agility: 11.45
Spirit: 7.32
Potential Points: 1 (3 points/1 day)
"Phew, sure enough, as I predicted."
Chen Fan exhaled slowly, a smile appearing on his face.
He had broken through.
From an average person, he became a martial artist at Body Tempering First Layer. Although his strength hadn't reached 20 points yet, using an 80-pound bow was no problem, and a 100-pound bow could be drawn too.
And the benefits of the breakthrough, inferred from the increase in spirit attribute, were a similar ten percent enhancement in all attributes.
Equating to an additional body enhancement without consuming potential points, the requirement was reaching the threshold value of a particular attribute, and once reached, the breakthrough occurred.
"To break through to Body Tempering Second Layer, the constitution attribute should reach 30 points, and for Third Layer, it should be 40?"
Chen Fan pondered; it didn't seem insurmountable. With hard work, he should achieve it soon.
Reaching Body Tempering Third Layer and attempting to step into the Muscle Refining Realm might not be simple. It might require both attributes to meet the threshold?
"Well, it's still early to think about these; let's take it step by step."
After the breakthrough, Chen Fan felt a surge of confidence.
A night elapsed quickly.
Chen Fan still used the 60-pound bow for continuous shooting. The proficiency increase for Quadruple Shot during the [Basic Archery] lv4 was at 5%, but now it struggled to reach even 3%.
During this period, he attempted a five-shot sequence once, with notable results: proficiency soared almost to 4%, but it left him utterly exhausted.
Before heading back, he specially took along the 80-pound draw bow. Zhang Ren was only slightly surprised since he believed Chen Fan's current prowess should be more than capable of handling an 80-pound bow.
Compared to the 60-pound bow, the latter's maximum range exceeded 200 meters, with an effective range of about 80 meters. If they encountered a formidable fierce beast, it would undoubtedly be a major asset.
But Zhao Feng felt the pressure intensify.
The next morning, the hunting team gathered at the stronghold gate again. Because of the large haul the previous day, Chen Guodong allowed everyone to rest for an additional two hours. It showed, as everyone appeared refreshed, their faces glowing and eyes filled with determination.
Chen Fan stood among the group, listening to the surrounding chorus of praise.
He felt slightly embarrassed but mostly anxious. After all, he was merely a martial artist at Body Tempering First Layer, possessing some strength, but comparing himself to people from Zhao Family Castle made him seem negligible.
He had to strive harder.
Everyone proceeded out of the encampment, with the drawbridge slowly raising behind them.
"Smack!"
At that moment, a bald man slapped Chen Fan's shoulder and remarked curiously, "What are you thinking about? Why do you look so absent-minded?"
"Yeah, Xiaofan, are you feeling unwell? You can stay back at the stronghold and rest for a day. We still have enough prey from yesterday."
"Exactly, you can head back now."
Several people nearby expressed their concern as well.
Chen Guodong looked over too, with a hint of worry in his eyes.
"Not at all. I was just contemplating whether to use this bow in my hand or the one on my back when we encounter prey." Chen Fan snapped out of his thoughts, then replied with a smile.
"Really? You can draw an 80-pound bow now?"
The bald man stared, astonished at the longbow on Chen Fan's back.
If it were him, he would need to exert all his strength to draw the bow.
"Actually, I haven't tried it yet, but bringing it along might come in handy." Chen Fan explained.
"Not bad. Longer draw means more power. When the Wei Brothers were around, they could hit prey from 150 meters away." The bald man sighed.
"They used a 100-pound bow? That's not something ordinary people can draw."
"Hmph, what's the big deal? I believe Xiaofan will draw it someday too."
"True, true. Xiaofan is our stronghold's divine shooter, always hitting his targets, haha."
Amid laughter and conversation, the group didn't expect that after walking for less than ten minutes, they would encounter another team ahead. This team had a significant bounty, carrying and dragging two large-sized preys weighing two or three hundred pounds, also chatting and laughing.
The atmosphere within the team suddenly grew quiet.
Chen Fan's heart skipped a beat. He gripped his longbow tightly, wondering if this group belonged to the Li Family Stronghold?