The atmosphere was surprisingly quiet. Zhang Ren, who had been poked by the tip of the gun, stood there motionless, as if he had been immobilized.
The smile on Chen Fan's face slowly disappeared, and he wondered to himself, "Could it be that Uncle Zhang was hit by him?"
But he had poked him so many times, and it wasn't easy to poke him once. If it weren't for the skill upgrade, he might not have succeeded.
He glanced at the skill bar:
[Basic Marksmanship: Lv4 (1.8%), Characteristics: Physical Strength Level 4, Strength Level 4, Swiftness Level 4, Armament Level 4, Certain Kill Level 1]
[Certain Kill: Every time the skill is upgraded by one level, the attack hit rate or block success rate will increase by 30%, and it will take effect when equipped with a polearm]
That's right, after upgrading [Basic Marksmanship] to level 4, a new feature was unlocked: Certain Kill, which was one of the reasons he was able to hit Zhang Ren.
Moreover, the level 4 armament feature increased the chance of blocking by an additional 120%. This allowed him to last a few more rounds under Zhang Ren's offensive.
"Good job," Zhang Ren's voice finally sounded, looking at Chen Fan with a slightly complicated expression. "Although my carelessness played a role, it's commendable that you seized this opportunity and made a decisive move."
Chen Fan scratched his head in embarrassment. It wasn't easy to receive praise from Uncle Zhang.
Zhang Ren gazed at Chen Fan, calm on the outside but turbulent inside. He hadn't expected to underestimate this kid's talent for understanding, and he had grown so fast just through sparring. He even felt that if he continued, he might not be an opponent for the latter with only the strength of an ordinary person.
"Uncle Zhang, shall we continue?" Chen Fan asked eagerly. In just one night, [Basic Marksmanship] had gone from level 1 to level 4, like riding a rocket.
And the shot that had hit Zhang Ren had increased his proficiency by nearly 2%. This was level 4 [Basic Marksmanship]! By simple multiplication and division rules, as long as he hit the opponent 50 times, [Basic Marksmanship] could be upgraded again.
However, what Zhang Ren said next extinguished the flame in his heart. "It's getting late; let's end it here today."
Zhang Ren put away his gun and headed towards the warehouse.
"Oh," Chen Fan obediently responded and followed. It wasn't too disappointing. After all, the human body wasn't made of iron. He could strengthen his body's recovery, but his opponent couldn't.
"Uncle Zhang."
"Yes?"
"I can learn the eighth-level Big Spear Technique now?" Chen Fan asked nervously. He had raised [Basic Spearmanship] to level 4, so he should have reached the threshold to learn the [Level 8 Great Spear Technique], right?
"Do you want to learn the eighth-level Big Spear Technique?" Zhang Ren turned around, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.
"Yes, what's wrong?" Chen Fan had a bad feeling.
"It's still too early." Zhang Ren turned around, walked forward with a limp, and said, "Let's talk about it when your Taijiquan is fully developed."
"Ah?" Chen Fan opened his mouth wide in surprise. "Is there a relationship between learning the eighth-level Big Spear Technique and achieving great success in Taijiquan?"
"Of course, the eighth-level Big Spear has nothing to do with Taijiquan, but it's related to Bajiquan. There is Taiji in literature to stabilize the world, and Wu has Baji to determine the universe. Bajiquan is simple and unpretentious in its movements, but its style is fierce and violent. If you want to learn the eighth level of the Big Spear and Bajiquan, you must at least enter the realm of Xiaocheng. I also mentioned before that I'd at least wait for you to master Taijiquan before teaching you the second boxing method. Now, do you understand?"
"So…" Chen Fan scratched his head. More than one prerequisite was needed to learn the [Level 8 Great Spear Technique]. First, Taijiquan must be mastered, then Bajiquan should be at a minor level, and finally, he could learn the eighth-level Big Spear Technique, which required a lot of experience points.
"Bajiquan sounds very powerful, and it will definitely be worth it if I learn it."
"You don't have to rush," Zhang Ren reassured him. "During this time, you've been practicing the basic spear skills. When the time comes to learn Baji spear skills, it will be twice as effective."
"Well, thank you, Uncle Zhang!"
Not only did Uncle Zhang spare no effort in teaching him, but he also accompanied him through archery, boxing, and now marksmanship. Chen Fan would always remember this kindness.
Zhang Ren hummed, and after both of them put their spears away, Chen Fan suddenly felt a rush of hunger. He glanced at the fire outside and asked, "Uncle Zhang, are you hungry?" It was okay if he didn't say anything, but once he mentioned it, Zhang Ren's stomach began to growl.
"Grill some meat," Chen Fan laughed. Previously, prey was scarce, forcing them to eat sparingly. However, after these two trips, they had secured a bountiful harvest, allowing them to indulge a bit. This was crucial for accumulating potential points, which had been accruing too slowly.
After devouring nearly three pounds of meat, Chen Fan departed, his stomach full and his potential points increased by over 20.
Watching Chen Fan's retreating figure, Zhang Ren's mouth twitched slightly. After all, the prey was mostly hunted by Chen Fan himself. Despite this, he felt much better about the situation.
Early the following morning, the stockade buzzed with activity. Early risers began tidying the vacant houses, while Gu Jianghai and his companions prepared for their arrival.
Chen Guodong led a group of three or four people from the village to meet them. Given that most of Gujiazhai's residents were elderly, weak, women, and children carrying luggage, Gu Jianghai and his group might struggle to care for everyone in case of danger.
When Chen Fan awoke, he felt that he had never slept as soundly as he did the night before.
"Right!" He suddenly remembered something and immediately checked his property panel. Calculating correctly, he realized that he had had more than enough time from yesterday afternoon until now.
In other words, the "Meteor Arrow Technique" had been unlocked.
[Meteor Arrow Technique: Unlearned (0%)]
"Excellent!" Chen Fan couldn't help but pump his fist. With the addition of advanced martial arts, he now possessed [Zhang's Taijiquan] and the newly acquired [Meteor Archery].
Counting [Bajiquan] and [Bajispear], which he was about to learn, he would have four martial arts skills at his disposal. With these skills, he could engage the enemy from distances of two to three hundred meters and defend against close combat threats. However, he preferred not to resort to unarmed combat if possible.
Flesh and blood couldn't compare to weapons, at least not yet.
Nevertheless, a furrow formed on his brow. While having multiple advanced martial arts was advantageous, he realized that he might be spreading his experience points too thin.
For instance, upgrading [Zhang's Taijiquan] from the first level to the second required 50 experience points. Achieving the third level would likely exhaust his accumulated points. Fortunately, he only had two advanced martial arts for now.
Just then, faint footsteps could be heard approaching from a distance.