Chapter 505 - 161: [Swiftstride Talisman]
In the days that followed, Chen Yan stayed at home, organizing the lumber he had gathered from the Domain Realm.
He purchased an automatic carving machine online and spent an afternoon learning how to link it to a computer and operate it with personnel from the manufacturer.
In three days, Chen Yan cut and engraved the patterns of the Spirit Gathering Array on the monstrous tree lumber, while the humming sound of the carving machine echoed daily in the courtyard.
Fortunately, this villa was at the edge of the community, with the nearest neighbor being Old Deng next door.
The neighbors a bit further away were not too affected, so no one lodged a complaint.
After three days, Chen Yan’s "Upgraded Spirit Gathering Array" was about seventy percent complete; the remaining work required more lumber, and he needed to make another trip to the Domain Realm to chop trees.
However, Chen Yan didn’t immediately cross into the Domain Realm again; instead, he made some other preparations first.
He paid to enroll at an archery club, spending money to buy the most expensive membership, and hired the club’s best coach—who was reputedly the finest in teaching, having been a professional archer during his youth and won some awards.
Chen Yan engaged in one-on-one guidance with the coach, spending a week at the archery club.
His physical fitness already surpassed that of ordinary people, and his senses were sharp.
Archery emphasizes the integration of body, eyes, and hands. With his cultivator aptitude, Chen Yan quickly and easily grasped the knack, and the next step was merely to practice to enhance proficiency.
In one week’s time, Chen Yan’s archery skills had already surpassed those of his coach, leaving the coach in amazement, repeatedly exclaiming that he had encountered a genius and fervently persuading Chen Yan to pursue a professional career, suggesting he could recommend Chen Yan to a professional team...
Chen Yan wasn’t interested in becoming an archery athlete.
He subsequently purchased several large poundage recurve bows, and after some consideration, decided against compound bows.
A compound bow actually uses pulleys to increase the bow’s draw weight.
In other words, with the same arm strength to draw the bow, a compound bow’s assembled pulleys allow the archer to save effort but can achieve greater kinetic energy.
Generally speaking, a compound bow’s power is about twenty percent more than that of a recurve bow with the same poundage.
However, this advantage was dispensable for Chen Yan.
His strength is comparable to that of superhumans and doesn’t require pulleys to conserve arm strength.
And although the compound bow’s pulley system might offer an advantage in draw strength, Chen Yan intended to use it in the Domain Realm—amidst those ridges and forests, with an icy climate below minus thirty degrees, the reliability of such pulley systems is hard to guarantee.
A recurve bow is simpler and more dependable.
During the final practice at the archery club, Chen Yan easily fired a set of arrows, all striking the central red bullseye; Chen Yan knew that his archery improvement had reached its peak here.
Saying goodbye to the coach who had been fervently persuading him to join the professional field over the past few days, Chen Yan left the club.
Moreover, he likely wouldn’t return in the future.
·
After returning from the archery club, Chen Yan prepared for a day at home, gathering all necessary equipment, and then went to the Mirror World to meet the little girl.
During this meeting, it was apparent that the girl looked haggard, with noticeable dark circles under her eyes.
"Don’t mention it. I’ve been researching that mahjong tile you gave me, and I haven’t rested for a long time," the little girl said, yawning while taking two Demon Spirit Crystals filled with Primordial Qi from Chen Yan’s hand.
"You should come earlier next time; researching that mahjong tile consumes a lot of energy, and the Primordial Qi in the Spirit Crystals you provided last time is already depleted. I’ve been using my own Primordial Qi to sustain it!"
The girl’s tone carried some complaint.
Chen Yan knew he had been neglecting her due to his busyness with other affairs and felt a bit guilty, but quickly offered comfort: "Consider this—you could unlock the secrets of utilizing that thing, eventually allowing you to shield yourself from the Heavenly Dao to roam the outside world without needing me to transport Primordial Qi. You could absorb it yourself!"
The girl brightened up: "True, you have a point! But you must really come earlier next time to deliver Primordial Qi to me."
"Alright, alright!" Chen Yan agreed warmly.
As he spoke, he pulled out two beast tusks.
These tusks were excavated from the Hunting Beast’s body, measuring eighty centimeters from tip to root, with the thickest part comparable to an adult’s arm.
The girl’s eyes sparkled upon seeing them: "What a treasure. Where did you get these?"
"Do you recognize this item?" Chen Yan didn’t answer but posed a question instead.
"Hmm, not really; how could I recognize the creature just by a tooth? I’m not a biologist, but the material is excellent!" the girl quickly responded. "It should belong to a Fierce Beast; the creature must be quite robust, and the material is very unique..."
Saying this, she picked up a tusk and stabbed it into the table. Instantly, the tempered glass tabletop shattered!
"A good item." The girl nodded: "But its affinity for Primordial Qi is average; it can’t be used as a Magical Artifact... Body Cultivators can use them to craft weapons, perhaps a sword.
There might be other special effects, and I need to examine it closely."
Chen Yan grinned and said, "Then I’ll leave it to you for research!"