Chapter 340: Astonishing Skills

Chapter 340: Astonishing Skills

Su Ziyu gazed at the nests on the mountaintop and shook his head in admiration. "Your archery skills are truly remarkable! If it were me, I could hit a maximum of three Wind-Riding Hawks at the same time, and my chances of hitting five would be less than half."

"I'd be impressed if I hit two," added another guest.

The group murmured in agreement and awe.

Most of those present were skilled marksmen, but Ji Xinghuo's display had truly astonished them. Even those who didn't share his views couldn't help but acknowledge his prowess.

Sophia's curiosity was piqued, and she asked, "Mr. Ji, could you share some tips with us?"

This was her primary purpose for hosting the exchange.

Ji Xinghuo was momentarily at a loss for words. There weren't any special tricks to his skill; it was simply a matter of using his Thousand-Mile Stellar Vision to effortlessly hit his targets.

It had become second nature to him.

If he were to teach them anything, it wouldn't be some basic archery technique; everyone present was already an expert in that field. Instead, he might end up revealing too much about his abilities.

Facing the eager crowd, Ji Xinghuo reluctantly replied, "It's a kind of intuition that comes with accumulating experience through countless shootings. It's a mental connection that tells me I can hit the target, so I take the shot."

His words sounded profound and enigmatic.

However, everyone listened intently, their faces contemplative.

Su Ziyu pondered for a moment before speaking with a hint of uncertainty. "Xinghuo, have you mastered the 'Heart-of-the-Arrow Shooting Art'?"

A few people around them reacted slightly to his words, their faces changing subtly.

Ji Xinghuo had never heard of such an art before, so he responded with a half-truth. "This is something I figured out on my own. I'm hearing about the 'Heart-of-the-Arrow Shooting Art' from Brother Su for the first time as well."

"I'm not sure..."

Su Ziyu shook his head. "When I was in the Starry Realm, I crossed paths with a legendary winged person from the Tianyu King Court, and we got along quite well. They once mentioned the 'Heart-of-the-Arrow Shooting Art', and it sounds similar to what you just described."

He glanced at the surrounding strangers and explained, "In simple terms, the Heart-of-the-Arrow Shooting Art involves locking onto your target with your subconscious, without the need for deliberate aiming. It's about shifting from a 'subjective' to an 'objective' state, eliminating all mental interference and letting your instincts take over the shooting."

"It sounds easy, but it's incredibly difficult to master."

"It requires not only extremely high talent but also countless shooting practices and experiences. Most winged people are naturally adept at archery, and in the long history of the Tianyu King Court, it is said that only a handful of winged people have mastered the Heart-of-the-Arrow Shooting Art."

Su Ziyu held nothing back, sharing all that he knew.

"I suspect that the Heart-of-the-Arrow Shooting Art requires assistance from specific supernatural abilities, but that's a secret of the winged people."

Upon hearing this, everyone fell into deep thought.

Some glanced at Ji Xinghuo, speculating that he might have fused related supernatural abilities, but it was impolite to inquire about such private matters.

Clap, clap, clap...

Princess Sophia took the lead and applauded. "Mr. Su has broadened our horizons. This exchange has been more than worthwhile just for the sake of learning about the 'Heart-of-the-Arrow Shooting Art'!"

Everyone joined in the applause.

Ji Xinghuo clapped along, but his mind was in a daze. Only he knew that what he did had nothing to do with the so-called Heart-of-the-Arrow Shooting Art.

In the clearing within the forest, a salon of sorts had formed. Everyone mounted their Silver-Winged Horses and shared their archery insights, speculating on how to master the "Heart-of-the-Arrow Shooting Art" and what supernatural abilities might be involved.

The atmosphere was relaxed and amicable, and everyone expressed how much they had gained from the exchange.

"Let's continue," said Princess Sophia, gently squeezing her horse's belly to urge it forward. For this shooting exchange, the royal hunting ground keepers had scouted the nests of the Wind-Riding Hawks and carefully selected over a dozen shooting positions.

These positions varied in distance and angle, some suited for bows and arrows, while others were better for heat-based weapons. The difficulty levels were mixed, and flight routes had been planned out as well.

Top marksmen from around the world showcased their skills, and after each round of shooting, they would combine the current situation with on-site exchanges and share their views.

Ji Xinghuo quite enjoyed this format and picked up a few shooting techniques along the way.

Aside from the first round, he didn't participate in the shooting anymore.

The group rode their Silver-Winged Horses up the side of the mountain to the peak, where a new shooting position had been set up. The royal hunting ground keepers, known as the Planting Witches, had camouflaged the area, using vegetation to erect a grass wall that blocked the line of sight from the hawks on the opposite mountaintop.

Ji Xinghuo glanced at the setup and noted that the heights of the two mountaintops were roughly the same, with a distance of about 1500 meters between them. There were three nests of Wind-Riding Hawks on the opposite side.

Four of the hawks were soaring in the sky, while five others rested in their nests.

Everyone focused on observing the targets.

Some frowned, finding the distance too challenging even for a legendary marksman.

As the Ice Master, he manipulated ice arrows in battle to strike down his foes, and thus, he also practiced marksmanship, achieving a high level of proficiency. However, for targets beyond 1500 meters, he lacked a specialized visual-type supernatural ability. It would be challenging for him to even lock on to the targets, let alone aim accurately.

The effective range of the electromagnetic rifle was about 1000 meters. Beyond this range, the precision would drop significantly, and one would have to rely on hitting vital spots to compensate for the loss in lethality.

And there were a total of nine Wind-Riding Hawks.

If even one of them was not instantly killed, the rest would be startled and immediately flee at incredible speeds.

Half of the group had already taken their turns, and they were the more skilled marksmen. Among the remaining guests, some lacked proficient marksmanship, while others were merely spectators.

Sophia then turned to Ji Xinghuo, but he didn't seem keen, as this challenge held no difficulty for him, and he saw no need to show off.

"Manny, how about you give it a try?" Ji Xinghuo smiled at Zhao Manying.

Everyone was surprised by his suggestion.

Zhao Manying's strength was well-known, but her profession was "Sword Immortal," a combatant who could fight at both close and long ranges. However, her attack range was typically limited to within a hundred meters, far inferior to that of a true marksman.

Furthermore, she rarely used shooting weapons during competitions.

Princess Sophia added, "I didn't realize that the Sword Immortal also possessed marksmanship skills. I'm quite intrigued to see this."

Zhao Manying smiled gracefully. "I haven't practiced much, but I'm willing to give it a try."

Although it was just a faint smile, her confidence and beauty were captivating, causing the hearts of the men present to skip a beat as they felt the allure of the world's number one goddess. They then looked at Ji Xinghuo with complicated expressions.

Ji Xinghuo, aware of the gazes directed at him, understood their thoughts. He was already accustomed to such reactions.

Amidst everyone's attention, Zhao Manying lifted the electromagnetic rifle.

Her gun-handling movements were somewhat clumsy, indicating that she had trained with firearms before but hadn't used them extensively. Aside from Ji Xinghuo, the others quietly shook their heads, doubtful that Zhao Manying could hit the targets.

She chambered a round, released the safety, and took aim.

Zhao Manying's actions were precise and deliberate. Mounted on the Silver-Winged Horse, she paused for a moment and then pulled the trigger.

Bang, bang, bang...

The electromagnetic rifle produced a soft report, and the rail emitted a current's whine as it fired nine shuttle-shaped metal bullets in rapid succession.

Zhao Manying lowered the gun.

In the next second, everyone witnessed the heads of the nine Wind-Riding Hawks, both in the sky and in their nests, simultaneously exploding.

"Wow..."

An Yitian exhaled, impressed.

The others also wore expressions of disbelief. Zhao Manying barely aimed and was clearly inexperienced with the electromagnetic rifle, yet she achieved such an exaggerated result. To simultaneously headshot nine targets at a distance of 1500 meters was simply outrageous!

Princess Sophia stared, dumbfounded for a few seconds, before shaking her head, at a loss for words.

Ji Xinghuo smiled at the astonished expressions of the group.

Zhao Manying also smiled, returning the electromagnetic rifle to its saddle holster and playfully winking at him.

"Awesome!"

Ji Xinghuo gave her a thumbs-up.

While others were clueless, he understood the reason behind her feat. The combination of Quantum Intellect and True Eye gave Manying an unimaginable level of control over herself and her surroundings, making marksmanship a simple task for her.

Without any special training, she could achieve a level of shooting proficiency that others could only attain after a lifetime of practice.

And it wasn't limited to shooting alone.

In combat, cultivation, martial arts, perception, memory, and learning, she could excel in all aspects without any weaknesses.

It was for this reason that Ji Xinghuo had previously considered giving the "Absolute Hit" ability to Zhao Manying, but she had refused.

It would have been a waste for her to fuse with that ability.

As they exchanged glances, Princess Sophia finally broke the silence, saying enviously, "The Sword Immortal's talent has truly broadened my horizons."

Although she was a legend, Zhao Manying was only a super-being.

But this was only temporary.

Everyone was aware that Zhao Manying's future potential was limitless. Once she advanced to the legend realm and entered the top ten of the Legend Ranking, it would only be a matter of time before she became a Celestial Sovereign.

"That's what you call talent... Unmatchable," Su Ziyu marveled.

Zhao Manying's beautiful eyes shifted to Ji Xinghuo, and she teased, "I'm only ranked second on the Heaven's Ladder."

"Hahaha..." Everyone laughed.

"Talent is talent, and strength is strength," Sophia said. "The Heaven's Ladder ranks beings based on their strength, and the two should not be confused."

"Oh?"

Everyone turned to look at the speaker, and it was none other than Karina Olsen. She said in a calm voice, "In my opinion, Ms. Sword Immortal is the true first place on the Heaven's Ladder, I'm second, and Ji Xinghuo can only be third."

After these words, the only sound on the mountaintop was the fluttering of the Silver-Winged Horses' wings.

Some agreed with Karina, mostly the super-beings from the American Union, including two of her teammates. Of course, there were also those who disagreed, as the ADC's ranking system was known for its transparency and rarely made mistakes.

Karina stared at Ji Xinghuo, "What do you think, Mr. Ji?"

This American Union competition super-being didn't hide her thoughts, and her words carried a hint of provocation.

"I don't mind." Ji Xinghuo shrugged, "If you don't like the ranking, you can talk to ADC and ask them to change it."

Karina nodded, "I've been doing that."

"Good luck with that."

Ji Xinghuo didn't bother to continue the conversation.

Karina gave him a sarcastic look and was about to say something more when Sophia interrupted her, "Let's move on to the next shooting position, everyone."

This little interlude soon passed.

After a few more rounds of shooting, the atmosphere returned to its previous relaxed state, and Karina didn't pursue the topic with Ji Xinghuo any further.

The three-hour shooting exchange came to an end without anyone noticing, and in the evening, the group rode their Silver-Winged Horses back to the manor.

"Please take some time to rest," Sophia said in the open space of the stables, "At 7 p.m., we will have a banquet with delicious food and drinks, and there will also be wonderful performances, so don't miss it."

Ji Xinghuo and Zhao Manying returned to their suite.

After dismissing the butlers and maids, Ji Xinghuo asked, "What's up with Karina? Manying, did you notice anything?"

"I didn't notice anything." Zhao Manying shook her head slightly, "I've fought her a few times, and she's very good at hiding her emotions. But there are rumors online that she's not happy with ADC's rankings and may be unhappy with you."

Ji Xinghuo was speechless, "So, she's not unhappy with you?"

"She used to be, but after I defeated her so many times, she had no choice but to accept it." Zhao Manying said proudly.

"Uh..."

Ji Xinghuo suddenly had a strange thought.

"What's wrong?" Zhao Manying, perceptive as always, noticed the change in his expression, "What are you thinking?"

Knowing he couldn't hide it from her, Ji Xinghuo smiled, "You've defeated Karina so many times, does she have a grudge against you?"

At the mention of 'grudge', Zhao Manying understood immediately.

"I'm not sure about that." She gave Ji Xinghuo a sideways glance, "I've only faced her in competitions, mostly online, and only met her a few times offline, but we've never interacted privately, not even exchanged contact information."

Ji Xinghuo stroked his chin, "She doesn't have a grudge even after losing so many times? Hmm..."

He took out his phone and started searching.

Karina Olsen's biography was almost entirely public knowledge, and her status in the American Union was similar to Zhao Manying's in the APC.

Both were teenage prodigies who became famous in their teens.

Karina was born in 2196 in New Nighthawk City. Her family was a branch of one of the dozen or so controlling families behind the Xinxiang Financial Group, although they weren't considered a top-tier family in the American Union, they still belonged to the ruling class.

Even before she came of age, her talent was recognized, and she was cultivated by the Xinxiang Financial Group to become a Magnetic Field Maniac.

Karina became a super-being at the age of 21, ranked first on the Heaven's Ladder at 24, and maintained that position for four years until two years ago when she was surpassed by Zhao Manying. Since then, she had faced Zhao Manying in competitions and lost every single time.

These were all well-known facts.

Ji Xinghuo was more interested in Karina's personal life, and aside from the photos she posted online with her family and friends, her emotional history was a blank slate.

It was unclear if she was hiding something or if she truly hadn't been in a relationship.

His search yielded no results after a long time.

At 7 p.m., Ji Xinghuo and Zhao Manying, dressed in elegant attire, arrived at the manor's banquet hall.

As soon as they entered, before they could even greet anyone, a curvaceous and fiery woman approached them.

She wore an exquisite and elegant gown, with wine-red curls cascading over her shoulders, exuding feminine charm, but her eyes sparkled with electricity, and her expression was serious.

"Mr. Ji." Karina linked arms with Ji Xinghuo's free arm and said in a voice that only the three of them could hear, "How about a little contest tonight? If I win, will you leave Sword Immortal?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end