The weather was gradually getting colder.
In the mountains, the cold always arrived earlier than outside.
Although it was only October, the plants outside the mountain were withering and frost was beginning to form. But within the mountain, the first snowfall of the year had already begun.
Roar!
A leopard leapt down from the tree, like a gust of wind, pouncing at the prey before it.
The winter had now begun.
As a fierce beast in the mountains, the leopard's stomach was not yet full, and its body fat was still not thick enough. That was not good.
Without sufficient body fat, it would not be able to survive the harsh winter. It might even die of starvation in the middle of hibernation.
So, the days leading up to winter were the last chance for the animals in the mountains to accumulate body fat for the winter.
Before it was a grey rabbit, which looked a bit silly, squatting beside a tree and continuously moving in circles.
Although the rabbit was not very heavy, at least it was meat, and it could still help to stave off hunger.
Following the principle of not wasting, the leopard decided to swallow this silly prey in one bite, sparing it pain.
As if sensing the imminent danger, the grey rabbit below the tree heard the wind and saw the leopard pouncing. Its fur bristled up and it jumped.
But halfway through the jump, a barely visible rope pulled it back. Its airborne body slammed onto the ground with a thud.
With no way to escape, the grey rabbit's red eyes stared at the approaching leopard, despair flashing in its eyes.
In response, the leopard remained unmoved.
As a top predator since birth, it had seen the desperate eyes of its prey many times before, and it was all too familiar.
It landed next to the tree, moving gracefully and slowly towards the grey rabbit, preparing to feast on its prey.
Whoosh—
A breaking sound came from the side, followed by a white spot flying across the snowy ground.
Seemingly sensing something, the leopard's fur bristled up just like the grey rabbit's had.
But the sudden attack was too swift. Just as the leopard attempted to jump away and dodge, it was already too late.
Thud!
The arrow pierced through its neck, breaking its thick skin and passing through the inner muscles, emerging from the other side.
"Whimper…"
Intense pain surged from its neck, and although the leopard wanted to cry out, it was instead forced to let out a weak whimper due to the pain.
But soon its suffering came to an end.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Several more breaking sounds came, and more arrows pierced the leopard's skull and heart with deadly accuracy, snuffing out its life in an instant.
This apex predator of the mountain had paid for its greed and carelessness with its life.
"After three months, I've finally leveled up my archery skill," Lu Yuan emerged from his hiding place and walked over to the lifeless leopard.
At that moment, he felt a tingling sensation in his body and then noticed that both his strength and vision had improved. His vision was now so good that he could see a tiny insect a hundred meters away.
He nodded in satisfaction and let his consciousness sink into his mind.
[Name: Lu Yuan]
[Talent: Immortality]
[Age: 16]
[Skills: Hunting Traps (Beginner), Crude Knife Technique (Entry), Crude Archery Technique(Advanced)]
"My archery skill is improving smoothly. At this rate, perhaps in another half a year, I'll be able to elevate my Crude Archery Technique to the perfect level. But even so, I still don't feel secure," Lu Yuan withdrew his attention from the attribute panel in his mind and sighed as he felt the changes in his body.
What he had witnessed with his own eyes in the county town that day...
That swordsman called Ma Ji Qing, with the ability to move along roofs and walls, could kill with just ten steps.
Zhang Biao and his group were also considered fierce in the eyes of ordinary people.
But when facing Ma Ji Qing, who possessed martial arts skills, they had no power to resist and were killed one by one.
The difference between having martial arts and not having martial arts is just that significant.
"Although I've greatly increased my strength after the transformation of my archery skills, I can now throw a punch with about 300 pounds of force.
At the same time, my reaction speed has also improved somewhat.
Now even empty-handed, I should be able to fight three to five people my age."
But this enhancement is still far from enough."
Lu Yuan shook his head.
Maybe ordinary people who can fight three or five people are already impressive in the eyes of others, enough to be a local bully in the village.
But such a level of strength is not enough in front of true experts.
He recalled the performance of Ma Ji Qing a few months ago and couldn't help but comment: "I guess I'm just enough for him to take down with a single sword."
Yes, his five months of hard work and he still couldn't withstand a single sword strike.
Reality was just that cruel.
"So, my strength is still not enough. I need to train on the mountain for another two years. Maybe when my archery and knife skills are leveled up to the maximum, I should be able to fight ten ordinary people, right?"
Lu Yuan thought and couldn't help but comfort himself in this way.
Although being able to fight ten ordinary people couldn't do much against a martial arts expert.
...
Picking up the slowly cooling cheetah on the ground and holding the frightened gray rabbit, Lu Yuan turned and walked back to his cave.
As time went by, especially as the sun climbed high overhead, the first snow from last night began to melt slowly.
Snow melted into the soil, making the mountain road muddy and even more difficult to walk.
Splash!
Lu Yuan lifted his leg from the mud with difficulty and stepped onto the grass ahead, diving into the bushes, and let out a sigh of relief in his heart.
"I finally left that muddy road behind, and now the grass on the road ahead, even if wet, is much easier to walk on since it won't get stuck."
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked around habitually.
There were dangers everywhere in the mountain, and poisonous insects and fierce animals could be lurking anywhere. If one is not vigilant enough, they could easily lose their life.
"Huh... What is that?"
Suddenly, as Lu Yuan's gaze swept across the foot of the mountain, his eyes instantly became focused.
He saw a group of people dressed in black and holding weapons walking through the forest about a mile ahead.
With the enhancement of his archery skills, his eyesight had also improved, so even from a mile away, he still recognized the people's attire.
"Black Wolf Gang."
Lu Yuan quickly identified these people, but was confused: "What are they doing in the mountains? And it seems like they're looking for something."
After noticing this, he didn't hesitate in the slightest and, crouching down, turned around and left the area.
No matter what the Black Wolf Gang was looking for, one thing is certain, it won't be of any benefit to him and might bring big trouble even.
So it's better to avoid them if possible.
"This shortcut is not an option anymore. For safety, I should take a longer route back to my cave."
Thinking this, Lu Yuan dropped the cheetah and grey rabbit in one of his food storage areas, then quickly and quietly climbed the mountain path.
The strong smell of blood from the cheetah would leave too many traces. Carrying it all the way would inevitably be discovered by the Black Wolf Gang and they might chase after him.
For safety's sake, he had to put down his prey first.
"Now that it's snowing in the mountains, the meat of the cheetah won't rot due to the cold. I just hope that other wild animals won't eat it when I come to pick it up in a few days."
Lu Yuan sighed in his heart, as he had already walked four or five miles, leaving the Black Wolf Gang far behind.