Chapter 8: Bullseye

Chapter 8: Bullseye

Archery classes at the club lasted an hour each.

After the first class, Lu Yunhai felt a bit flustered and struggled to maintain his confidence as an archery coach. He began to doubt if his years of learning were correct.

In that one hour, Ji Xinghuo made remarkable progress.

Yet, one could also say he made no progress at all.

The improvement was evident in how Ji Xinghuo's archery form, after correction, became very standard.

From posture to shooting steps and power techniques, he mastered everything with just a few practices after Lu Yunhai's instructions. He would never make a mistake again, and his archery speed had also increased slightly.

The reason for saying he made no progress was that every arrow Ji Xinghuo shot during the correction and practice process hit the bullseye. Whether his form was wrong or right, he always hit the center of the target.

What is the primary goal of archery?

It is to hit the mark!

Since he could always hit the bullseye and achieve perfection, the standard of his shooting form became irrelevant.

It was even meaningless!

For ordinary people, incorrect archery form and power techniques might cause some physical harm in the long run.

But for rangers, the impact was negligible.

"I shouldn't have signed you up for this class," Lu Yunhai regretted. "You only need to take a few classes at most to fully grasp the archery techniques. The rest is just practice to build muscle memory, increase your shooting speed, extend the distance, and upgrade your bow's draw weight."

He could have taught him the content of a few classes privately and saved the tuition fee.

Ji Xinghuo understood Lu Yunhai's meaning and smiled, "It's fine. After all, I used the club's facilities, so consider it a usage fee."

"You're still unemployed, so it's best to save money," Lu Yunhai shook his head.

Ji Xinghuo fell silent for a moment.

Indeed, he was not financially well-off, but he didn't have many expenses at the moment.

The welfare system of the Asia-Pacific Community was excellent. For unemployed citizens, regardless of age, a monthly subsidy was provided, along with additional benefits during festivals and holidays, with no time limit until death.

The subsidy amount was not high, usually around 3,000 Asia Dollars.

If a citizen had contributed to society and the country, the subsidy would be higher, but most people could only receive the lowest tier.

3,000 Asia Dollars was enough for a person's basic daily necessities, and with some savings, there might even be a small surplus each month.

Of course, this amount was only enough for a very basic life, ensuring one wouldn't go hungry or homeless.

But it didn't leave much room for enjoyment.

If one wanted a more comfortable life, pursued their interests and hobbies, strived for their life goals, or desired a colorful and luxurious lifestyle, they had to work hard themselves.

However, many people with low material desires chose to remain unemployed for life and rely on government support.

As a result, the unemployment rate in the Asia-Pacific Community had never fallen below 35%!

Fortunately, with advanced technology and a productivity level dozens of times higher than two centuries ago, the community was abundant in resources. It could easily support its billions of citizens, and even if the population increased by several billion, the government could still afford it. The financial burden of supporting the unemployed was never a significant concern.

Ji Xinghuo had been receiving the subsidy since birth, and he didn't spend lavishly. His biggest monthly expenses were rent and food.

He saved the rest, but it wasn't a substantial amount.

Currently, he had a little over 70,000 Asia Dollars in savings.

If it were in the past, this amount would have been sufficient. But now that he had become an anomaly, he wanted to progress faster and further in his evolutionary journey, so he had to consider earning money.

Anomalies' cultivation was very expensive, one might even say, money-burning!

Purchasing xenogeneic genes was just the most basic expense.

With money, one could also hire an entire cultivation team.

The team would include a head coach, a martial arts coach, an ability coach, and several sparring partners. Additionally, there would be a professional chef for specialized diets, an apothecary for supplementary cultivation potions, a post-training physiotherapist, a private doctor, and a data analyst who would constantly collect the anomaly's physical data to customize and optimize their cultivation plans and efficiency.

Furthermore, many large corporations also developed targeted cultivation methods, large-scale equipment, and more advanced and expensive auxiliary means.

The purchase of weapons and equipment was another considerable expense.

Anomalies' cultivation was like a bottomless pit; even if one had a few hundred million, it might not make much of a difference.

In short, anomalies needed money!

And conversely, only with money could one become a powerful anomaly.

In fact, Ji Xinghuo had recently considered ways to earn money.

For example, using his anomaly identity to apply for a high-paying job, but even with a high salary, it would take a short while to earn a substantial amount.

"You continue practicing. I'll go to my other classes," Lu Yunhai said, patting his friend's shoulder when he saw that Ji Xinghuo wasn't speaking. "Don't rush off later. Let's have dinner together tonight. It's on me!"

"Okay," Ji Xinghuo replied.

He watched as his good friend left and then put aside all distractions, raising his compound bow to continue shooting arrows.

Even though it had been less than a month since their graduation, there was a sense of sentimentality as they truly left campus life behind and ventured into the real world.

Ji Xinghuo and Lu Yunhai's alma mater was the "Fengming Language University," a university primarily focused on language-related majors. In addition to offering courses in various global languages, it also included a Star Language program. However, it lagged far behind the top-tier universities and could only be considered a second-rate institution domestically.

In reality, the Star Languages were the university's ace programs.

The starry realm was vast and boundless, and humans had already explored and encountered over a dozen civilized races, each with their own unique languages.

Ji Xinghuo's major was "Sinjarak," one of the mainstream common languages of the starry races. He also minored in "Celestial Clan Language" and "Dragon Language," mastering a total of three starry languages, which earned him excellent grades.

In comparison, Lu Yunhai's grades suffered due to his part-time job, which took up a significant amount of his time. He frequently failed courses and barely managed to graduate.

"Let's go back to school and take a look," Lu Yunhai suggested, his enthusiasm fueled by the alcohol.

Ji Xinghuo didn't stop him, as Fengming University was located in the Qishan District, quite close by. This was also why Ji Xinghuo had chosen to live in this area for the past few years.

However, as they reached the school gates, the cool evening breeze sobered Lu Yunhai up a bit.

Smiling, they gazed at the familiar school entrance.

"Haha..." Lu Yunhai laughed sheepishly, "I've been under a lot of work pressure lately, and I tend to lose control when I drink. Sorry for making a fool of myself."

"If you have something on your mind, feel free to talk to me. Don't keep it bottled up," Ji Xinghuo said. He had already sensed that Lu Yunhai's stress went beyond just work-related issues.

It was evident that Lu Yunhai's problems extended beyond his career and into his emotional life as well. In the past few hours, Lu Yunhai hadn't mentioned his girlfriend, who was also a classmate but had another year left before graduation.

"Come on, let's take a walk around the school," Ji Xinghuo suggested, taking the lead and walking through the school gates. They strolled across the school's athletic field, reminiscing.

It was summer vacation, but many students remained on campus. As they walked among the student couples, Lu Yunhai's emotions stirred, and he finally spoke up, "I broke up with her."

"What happened?" Ji Xinghuo asked, curious.

During their graduation trip, Lu Yunhai and his girlfriend had seemed inseparable, giving the impression that they were headed toward marriage.

"What else could it be? She fell for someone else," Lu Yunhai said with self-deprecating laughter. "During the New Year holiday, she told me that someone from her hometown was pursuing her, an anomaly, and she firmly rejected him. Last week, she went home and suddenly messaged me to break up."

Ji Xinghuo sighed. This kind of thing was all too common.

The gap between ordinary people and anomalies manifested in various aspects of society, especially when it came to choosing a partner. Anomalies held a significant advantage.

Given the choice between an ordinary person and an anomaly, most would make the same decision.

It was only natural, and no one could fault them for it.

However, when faced with such a situation personally, especially when one was the one being left behind, anyone would feel dejected.

"Does she not believe in me at all?" Lu Yunhai asked, a hint of bitterness in his voice.

Ji Xinghuo didn't know how to respond.

Previous statistical data showed that the success rate for the first fusion with a xenogeneic gene was the highest. The success rate for the second attempt plummeted by half, and the chances of success decreased further with each subsequent try.

By the third or fourth attempt, the chances of success were slim to none.

And Lu Yunhai had already failed once.

For the second attempt, he would have to purchase the xenogeneic gene himself, and with his family's modest financial situation, he couldn't rely on them for support. He had to depend on his own earnings.

His monthly salary at the archery club was already quite good, reaching five figures, but it was still a long way from saving up enough for the procedure.

"Just do your best," Ji Xinghuo encouraged, "We're still young. Put emotional matters aside for now. Becoming an anomaly is more important than chasing after a woman."

Lu Yunhai nodded firmly.

"To be honest, I've come to terms with the breakup. I can accept it," he said, regaining his usual confidence. "I just didn't expect her to move on so quickly. The day before she went home, we had even made plans for me to meet her parents during the summer vacation. She hid her change of heart well."

"Women..." Ji Xinghuo shook his head, "Unless you're a mind hacker, how could you possibly guess what they're thinking?"

"True," Lu Yunhai agreed.

A moment of silence fell between them before Lu Yunhai suddenly turned serious. "One day, I'll make her regret her decision."

The two friends walked around the school, then parted ways and headed home.

After this incident, Ji Xinghuo adjusted his cultivation plan.

Every afternoon, he dedicated two hours to the archery range, taking classes and practicing archery.

Lu Yunhai completed the beginner archery course with Ji Xinghuo in just three days, then moved on to the advanced course, still at no extra charge. In total, it took him only ten days to impart all his archery knowledge to Ji Xinghuo.

The rest was up to practice.

Through repeated drills, Ji Xinghuo's archery form and power techniques became increasingly proficient. He gradually increased the draw weight of his compound bow, stabilizing at 83 kilograms (184 pounds), and extended his shooting distance from the 30-meter target to the 100-meter target.

Even so, Lu Yunhai was still astounded.

He had been practicing archery for almost a decade, and Ji Xinghuo had caught up and surpassed him within ten days.

One day, after their archery training session, Lu Yunhai called out to Ji Xinghuo and handed him a black package. "Xinghuo, take this," he said.

"What is it?" Ji Xinghuo asked, though he already had a good idea.

Upon opening it, he found a silver-gray compound hunting bow, along with several dozen training arrows.

"Your 22nd birthday is coming up soon. This might be one of the most important birthdays in your life. I don't have anything else to give, so here, take this 'Yi Feng' as a birthday gift. It's one of the compound bows in my collection." Lu Yunhai smiled as he explained.

"Don't be so formal with me. If you ever become successful, just remember to give me a hand," Lu Yunhai added.

Ji Xinghuo initially wanted to refuse, but upon hearing his friend's words, he could only nod in acceptance. "Alright, then I'll take it."

'Yi Feng' was a well-known brand of hunting bows.

According to ADC's evaluation standards, this compound hunting bow was rated as a one-star "fine" product. It utilized the best materials and manufacturing techniques available and was priced at approximately 20,000 Asia Dollars.

Lu Yunhai was delighted to see that Ji Xinghuo accepted the gift.

"Every good archer needs a bow of their own," he said, explaining the theory behind archery. "The bow you usually use at the club has to be adjusted each time, and its performance is quite mediocre, not allowing you to showcase your full potential."

"This 'Yi Feng,' although not a superpower weapon, is still far superior to the bows at the club."

"Once you get used to it, your skills will improve even further," Lu Yunhai added.

Ji Xinghuo listened while adjusting the compound bow according to his own data—draw length, sight, and poundage.

The Yi Feng bow offered a wide range of poundage adjustments, from 70 to 130 kilograms, ensuring its usability for a long time.

"Try shooting a few arrows," Lu Yunhai suggested.

"Alright," Ji Xinghuo replied.

He fine-tuned the bow to his preferences, and the feel of the grip was already noticeably different.

Being designed for anomalies, the bow prioritized durability and sturdiness over lightweight construction. As a result, the Yi Feng bow was significantly heavier than a standard compound bow, weighing over 7 kilograms with all its accessories. However, this weight felt just right to Ji Xinghuo.

He nocked an arrow, drew the string, aimed, and released.

Thwack!

A hundred meters away, an arrow pierced the center of the target.

He fired rapidly, emptying his quiver of twenty arrows in just thirty seconds, filling the ten-ring bullseye with arrows.

Although Lu Yunhai had witnessed this before, he was still amazed and shook his head. "With your talent, if you practice shooting at moving and random targets, you can participate in competitions and definitely secure a ranking."

"What kind of competitions?" Ji Xinghuo asked.

"Chang'an hosts many archery competitions every year, ranging from amateur to professional levels, including indoor shooting tournaments, outdoor wilderness archery events, and online simulated battles," Lu Yunhai explained. "They attract a large number of spectators, and the prizes are quite substantial."

Ji Xinghuo's eyes lit up. "How substantial are we talking about?"

"Generally, the top-ranking participants receive prizes. For Chang'an's highest-level wilderness archery competition, the champion's prize money should be in the hundreds of thousands. But it depends on the sponsors. If they're generous, a million-Asia Dollar prize is not uncommon," Lu Yunhai replied.

"A million!"

Ji Xinghuo was immediately intrigued. "When is the wilderness archery competition held?"

"It was just held last May. The next one won't be until next year," Lu Yunhai laughed, seeing Ji Xinghuo's interest. "However, there's a smaller competition next week—the 'She Ye Cup,' jointly organized by several archery clubs in Chang'an. The prize money for that one is also quite decent, around a hundred thousand Asia Dollars."

"Are there any registration requirements?" Ji Xinghuo inquired.

"There are no restrictions for ordinary people, but for anomalies, the tier must not exceed the intermediate level," Lu Yunhai explained. "The 'She Ye Cup' is a semi-professional competition, so it's smaller in scale."

"I'll sign up," Ji Xinghuo decided.

This competition seemed to fit his requirements perfectly.

While larger-scale competitions offered higher prizes, they also attracted stronger competitors. If he were to stand out too much, it might attract unwanted attention.

On the other hand, these semi-professional events were smaller in scale, making it easier to win prizes without drawing too much attention.

"Good, then I'll register you," Lu Yunhai said excitedly. "If you win the championship, I can also share in your glory, after all, you're my student and a member of the club. Maybe the club director will even give you some extra rewards."

Ji Xinghuo nodded in agreement.

If he could win a prize, this might be a great way to make some quick money.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end