Chapter 7: Archery Talent
Lao Niao became a bit agitated as he spoke: "Although my abilities are average, I awakened the Rapid Shot Talent. While my accuracy against moving targets is a bit off, I make up for it by shooting fast. I can still hit a few with sheer volume. If it weren't for that woman Ji Nanhong, I wouldn't have fallen to this state. I should have reached Level 10 long ago."
"Who is Ji Nanhong?" Chen Guan asked, puzzled.
"Ji Nanhong is the most talented, most capable, and the first person among our group to reach Level 10," Lao Niao said bitterly. "Originally, we helped each other on the island, and everyone could benefit. But that hateful woman actually recruited a few talented people, formed an elite team, and went off to hunt high-quality Mystic Spirits on their own, disregarding the lives of others. Those who could join her team leveled up incredibly fast and obtained many high-quality Spirit Pets, Secret Methods, Secret Skills, and Secret Treasures, which they could pick and choose from. The others, however, couldn't even raise their levels. Without strong teammates, hunting Mystic Spirits was very risky. Many even had to work like oxen and horses for them as laborers just to exchange for some resources. If not for that, I wouldn't still be Level 7 now; I would have been Level 10 eight hundred years ago."
Chen Guan didn't speak. He felt that there was nothing particularly wrong with Ji Nanhong and her group. Survival of the fittest was the law of the jungle. If Ji Nanhong and the others were willing to help the weak, that was kindness; not helping couldn't be called a crime.
"Originally, I was also in that elite team at the very beginning, but that woman Ji Nanhong actually said my archery accuracy was too poor to take on important tasks and kicked me out of the team..." The more Lao Niao spoke, the angrier he got, grinding his teeth audibly. "When I practice my archery until it's accurate, I'll go back to Golemn Valley, kill the Peerless Secret Spirit, and obtain Peerless Secret Methods, Secret Skills, and pets. They'll have their day of regret."
"Golemn Valley? What's that?" Chen Guan's heart stirred when he heard about the Peerless Secret Spirit.
"Golemn Valley is one of the mysterious areas on the island. There's a black golem Mystic Spirit inside that's incredibly powerful. Before, Ji Nanhong and her group suffered a great loss trying to hunt the golem Mystic Spirit, and they speculated it's a Peerless Secret Spirit." Lao Niao sneered, "According to their research, the golem Mystic Spirit's defense is too strong. Unless you have a Peerless Secret Treasure as a weapon, you can't even break its defense; killing it is impossible. The only feasible method is if someone can injure the vertical eye on the golem's forehead. When the vertical eye opens, it's its only weakness. Unfortunately, that vertical eye only opens for an instant when the golem Mystic Spirit uses a Secret Skill, and when it uses a Secret Skill, the golem Mystic Spirit will be moving at high speed. They couldn't even touch it, let alone injure it. Only ranged attacks like archery have a chance of hitting the golem's open vertical eye in that instant."
"Tell me more about the golem's situation in detail. Maybe we can team up and kill it," Chen Guan said, very interested upon hearing this.
Lao Niao shook his head and smiled wryly, "I was just complaining a bit. Even if I could shoot accurately, the two of us couldn't kill the golem Mystic Spirit. It's very likely a Level 10 Peerless Secret Spirit. The two of us combined aren't enough for it to kill with one hand. How could we possibly force it to use a Secret Skill and expose its weakness?"
"Although my level isn't high, this pet of mine is very capable. Combined with your archery, maybe we can actually succeed," Chen Guan said, pointing to Rouge beside him.
"This is a Rare quality Evil Cute Rabbit, right? Its size seems a bit larger. Could it be an Uncommon quality one? Even if it's Uncommon quality, it's hard to contend with a golem. But you're lucky to get a pet like this. At least it gives you a bit more certainty for survival on the island," Lao Niao said dismissively.
"Take a closer look," Chen Guan said, having Rouge walk over and pull the bloodthirsty blade from the tree.
Lao Niao was stunned, his face showing surprise: "That blade is the Evil Cute Rabbit's Secret Treasure? How have I never heard of an Evil Cute Rabbit having a Secret Treasure before? Could it be a unique secret spirit?"
"That's right, it is indeed a unique secret spirit. If we raise its level to 10, and add your archery, do you think we have a chance to handle the golem?" Chen Guan had something else he didn't say: his biggest reliance was still the Lala Team Soul.
When the time comes, with the Lala Team Soul boosting the Evil Cute Rabbit, in a one-on-one situation, the Evil Cute Rabbit might not be unable to take down the golem.
"It's actually a unique secret spirit!" Lao Niao was greatly shocked. He had been on the island for a year and hadn't obtained any decent high-quality Mystic Spirit pets. Chen Guan, who had only been here for a short time, already had a unique secret spirit, and its combat power was so formidable.
"If that's the case, there might be some chance, but the probability is probably not high... and my archery accuracy is probably still difficult..." Lao Niao clearly lacked the confidence he had as a child, no longer spirited and fearless like he was then.
Chen Guan gazed at Lao Niao. There were many mysteries on this island, and Chen Guan didn't want to risk exploring them himself. Having an experienced person guide him could save a lot of unnecessary trouble and danger.
Moreover, he couldn't be sure if Rouge, boosted by the Lala Team Soul, could solo kill the golem. If not, he would still need to rely on Lao Niao's archery to critically injure the golem's vertical eye weakness. He had to bring him in as a backup plan.
As for whether Lao Niao would turn against him, Chen Guan had already considered it. A Level 7 Lao Niao was less capable than a Level 2 Rouge. If he really had any ill intentions, Chen Guan would directly apply the Lala Team Soul boost to Rouge, and dealing with Lao Niao wouldn't be difficult.
Thinking of this, Chen Guan solemnly said to Lao Niao: "Lao Niao, I think you should know, back on our street, you were the childhood idol of our generation. Do you remember that time you took me into the wild woods to hunt birds, and you saw two old turtledoves standing side by side on a branch, and you asked me if I believed you could knock both of them down with one stone? At the time, I didn't believe it at all, but you picked up a stone without a word, pulled back the slingshot, and hit both turtledoves with one stone, 'killing two birds with one stone'. Do you know what you were in my eyes back then? In my heart, you were a god, an incredible existence."
"After all, those were just ordinary birds, and they were standing still. It's completely different from fighting Mystic Spirits now," Lao Niao said with a bitter smile, still looking somewhat dejected, no longer fearless like he was in his youth.
"It is the same thing. In my opinion, your archery talent is unique. No one is more suited for weapons like bows and arrows than you, and no one can be as accurate as you." Chen Guan waved his hand to stop Lao Niao, who was about to say something, and continued with a serious face: "I believe your talent in archery is unmatched. You will be the most outstanding archer. The reason you can't shoot accurately now is because you care too much about what others think. You've lost yourself and haven't brought out your true talent."
As Chen Guan spoke, he secretly used the Lala Team Soul, wanting to see how much effect this thing could have on a cultivator.
Lao Niao stared blankly at Chen Guan, listening to those words. For some reason, he felt a surge of passion, but he still said with a bitter smile, "Chen Guan, you think too highly of me. I'm really not as outstanding as you imagine."
"You're not? Then let's try." Chen Guan picked up a pebble from the ground, only about the size of a pigeon's egg, and said to Lao Niao, "Come, I'll throw this pebble out, and you hit it with an arrow."
Lao Niao wanted to say something, but Chen Guan had already thrown the pebble out. Lao Niao felt an emotion surging within him. Subconsciously, he drew an arrow, nocked it, and shot. The arrow flew out and directly shot the stone down in mid-air.