"So you want to learn archery from me, right?" Edward asked, looking at him with curious eyes.
"Yes," Ash replied without hesitation. He knew he could not directly ask about his best archery martial arts, so it was better for him to learn the basics first.
He seemed to think about a moment and then finally nodded, "Alright, let's see what you are made of."
"Follow me; let's go to a secluded place without distractions." And then he led him to an old empty training ground.
Although the place was empty, there were still some old bows and arrows lying around in the corner.
"Since you want to learn archery, then let's start with the basics." After that, he picked up an old bow from the corner and gave it to him.
But before teaching anything, he asked, "Have you ever learned or tried archery?"
"No," Ash replied.
"Alright, then. Pick up an arrow and aim. Let me see what you can do without any prior understanding or practice," Edward said, wanting to gauge Ash's raw potential as a novice.
His family had, for generations, used this simple method to determine talent. While it wasn't the perfect measure—since many could improve with training and achieve enlightenment later—it was still an effective way to spot extraordinary individuals.
True geniuses were those who could show remarkable skill even under such unfavourable conditions, standing out as geniuses among geniuses.
Ash had no idea what Edward was thinking as he quickly picked up an old arrow, nocked it onto the bow, and carefully aimed at the nearest target, which was thirty meters away.
His senses sharpened, and his eyes locked onto the target with unwavering focus. Calm and collected, he let all thoughts and distractions fade away, only focusing on the target ahead of him.
Edward noticed this and couldn't help but nod, feeling his change and his ability to do it quickly.
He carefully pulled back the bowstring, aiming for the bullseye, and released the arrow.
Zzzz...
The arrow tore through the air with a sharp whistle, cutting the wind as it flew toward the target and struck it with a resounding impact.
Bang!
"This!" Edward was a bit shocked. The shot was so natural, so precise, that he didn't even need to check to confirm whether it hit the target accurately. He already knew—it was absolutely going to hit the bullseye.
Ash, unaware of Edward's reaction, looked at the target to check if the arrow had hit the bullseye. Just as Edward expected, it had pierced the dead centre.
"Nice." He smiled, feeling a bit proud, and looked at Edward, as on its first try, he hit the dead centre; although it was just thirty meters, it was still quite a feat.
"Not bad," Edward commented. It was genuinely impressive—few people could achieve such precision on their first try. It seemed this Ash guy had some real talent.
"Continue. Shoot a few more arrows, and with each shot, your target will be farther away," he said, curious to see how far Ash could go in his very first attempt.
Ash nodded, and quickly he started to aim for a distant target. This time his target was fifty meters.
Bang!
Bullseye!
It wasn't much different from before—he just needed power and a steady hand to tear through the wind and hit the target.
However, as the next target was eighty meters away, Ash knew he had to be more careful. His eyes and mind sharpened, his senses heightened, and everything around him seemed clearer than before.
He could feel the wind—its speed, direction, and subtle changes. Waiting patiently, he focused, calming his breathing, and timing his shot perfectly.
Zzzzzz...
The arrow flew faster than ever, slicing through the breeze. It followed a subtle curved path, riding the wind as though it was part of it, before slamming into the target with precision.
Bang!
It hit the amazing bullseye again, and seeing this, finally, the proud Edward's expression changed, as he himself was barely able to do it on his first try. And he was hailed as a one-in-a-hundred-year genius among his family.
It wasn't over yet. The next target was set at one hundred and fifty meters, making it many times more difficult than the previous ones.
But Ash remained calm. His previous three shots had boosted his confidence, and he could still feel the profound sensation he had experienced in the last shot. He believed he could succeed again.
His eyes seemed to glow mysteriously as his concentration reached its peak. Gripping the old bow tightly, he pulled the string with his full strength, bending it further than before.
In his heightened state, he felt the flow of the wind around him. In that moment of absolute focus, it was as if he could glimpse the future, tracing the path the arrow would take. In his mind, dozens of arrows flew forward, each carving a potential path to the target.
Finally, after visualizing countless paths, he locked onto the perfect one. With unwavering resolve, Ash released the arrow.
Szzzzzz!
Bang!
The arrow seemed to fly in a beautiful and clear path that even an ordinary person would feel the difference between the previous arrow and this one.
Edward's eye twitched in disbelief. For the first time, he felt inferior to someone in archery—a skill he had always taken great pride in.
The arrow struck the bullseye, piercing cleanly through the target. Seeing this, Ash smiled, but this time, the effort had taken its toll. He felt mentally drained, realizing that the intense state of concentration and the power of his eyes to trace the path couldn't be used frequently.
But he still felt great, as he clearly felt his visual power improved many times after becoming a middle-stage awakener and second-rate martial artist. His dynamic vision and his new ability to trace different future paths made him feel overjoyed.