I Can Merge Techniques-Chapter 72 - 71: Refinement, Moon Eclipse Arrow

Zhao Tianxing’s arrow was incredibly fast!

Chu Fan’s eyesight was already quite good, but even he only caught a glimpse of a faint shadow.

At such speed and power, even a Bone Marrow Forging Martial Artist would likely find it difficult to dodge or parry!

Fast as lightning.

Fierce as a Mountain Collapse!

Seeing this, a trace of astonishment couldn’t help but flash through Li Qingxue’s eyes as she watched from the side.

The massive iron fir let out a heart-stopping groan.

The trunk began to lean, then finally toppled with devastating force, kicking up a storm of dust, dead branches, and fallen leaves!

The power of a single arrow was this terrifying!

’Moon Eclipse Arrow... it really is incredible!’

Chu Fan took two steps forward and took the Bengyue Bow from Zhao Tianxing’s hands.

[Discovered Item: Bengyue Bow. Requires 20 points of Spiritual Essence to Refine. Refine?]

[Refinement will grant the archery skill "Moon Eclipse Arrow."]

Countless images of drawing a bow and shooting an arrow suddenly flashed through Chu Fan’s mind.

The protagonist in these images wasn’t Zhao Tianxing, but an old man built like a bear.

It turned out the bow’s previous owner was none other than Tianxing’s archery master.

’Refine!’

Chu Fan commanded silently in his mind.

Twenty points of Spiritual Essence were consumed, and the longbow in his hands grew slightly warm.

A stream of information flowed from the bow’s grip into Chu Fan’s mind...

It was the Cultivation Technique for the "Moon Eclipse Arrow," along with the countless experiences and insights of Zhao Tianxing’s archery master from practicing this very skill!

"Good, this is fantastic! HAHAHAHA!"

Chu Fan laughed heartily and clapped Zhao Tianxing heavily on the shoulder. "I’ll treat you to braised pork knuckle later to celebrate! You can eat as many plates as you want!"

He had already been delighted when he heard that Master Cao had taken Tianxing to visit a renowned archery expert.

He was just waiting for Tianxing to learn the "Moon Eclipse Arrow" so he could copy it.

But he had never expected Tianxing to bring back the archery master’s bow as well!

"Old Chu, you..."

Seeing Chu Fan so excited, Zhao Tianxing was deeply moved.

’This is a true brother!’

’My archery has reached Great Success, and I was even gifted the Bengyue Bow. Not only does Chu Fan not have a shred of jealousy, he’s actually this happy for me!’

He recalled how he had wanted to show off in front of Chu Fan after his own minor accomplishment.

He also remembered the bit of jealousy he’d felt when Chu Fan’s Twelve Forms Fist reached Small Success.

Zhao Tianxing’s heart filled with shame. He felt like such a petty person, truly a piece of trash!

"Tianxing..."

Chu Fan spoke up, "Since you have this ’Bengyue Bow’ now, how about giving me your old hunting bow? I’d like to learn a bit of archery too."

"You want to learn archery?"

Zhao Tianxing was taken aback, then a difficult expression crossed his face. "Chu Fan, it’s not that I’m unwilling to teach you the ’Moon Eclipse Arrow.’ This is Master Chen’s exclusive secret technique from the Moon Arrow Martial Arts Hall. When he taught it to me, I had to swear an oath..."

"I understand."

Chu Fan cut him off. "No need to explain. I know the rules of the martial world. I’m not trying to learn ’Moon Eclipse Arrow,’ I just want to start with Basic Archery Skill."

WHAP! Zhao Tianxing slapped the Bengyue Bow. "Basic Archery Skill is no problem at all! The hunting bow is yours, and I’ll teach you the basics!"

"Back then, Master Chen of the Moon Arrow Martial Arts Hall was willing to teach me the ’Moon Eclipse Arrow’ not just because of Master Cao’s reputation, but also because my archery was already quite astonishing—I could achieve Hundred-step Piercing Willow."

"Your Cultivation Talent is far superior to mine. If you can achieve proficiency in ordinary archery, we can ask Master Cao to help persuade Master Chen... He’ll definitely be willing to teach you the ’Moon Eclipse Arrow’ then!"

Chu Fan nodded slightly.

Secretly learning another’s Martial Arts was a major taboo in the martial world.

It was one thing if you never used it, but if you did and were discovered, it would lead to a feud that would not end until one party was dead!

’After mastering "Moon Eclipse Arrow," if I want to use it openly, I’ll really have to do as Tianxing said: ask Master Cao to smooth things over and go to the Moon Arrow Martial Arts Hall to formally request instruction from Master Chen.’

’Otherwise, if I use "Moon Eclipse Arrow" one day, the Moon Arrow Martial Arts Hall will definitely not let it go, and I’ll end up implicating Zhao Tianxing.’

Chatting about archery, Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing returned to the Seven Stars Gang’s headquarters.

As soon as they reached their quarters, Zhao Tianxing went inside and brought out his hunting bow and Quiver, handing them both to Chu Fan.

"This bow has been with me for many years."

There was a hint of reluctance in Zhao Tianxing’s voice. "The limbs are carved from ’Iron-Saturated Wood’ found deep in the old forests of Dragon Ridge Mountain. This wood is extremely heavy, yet its grain is exceptionally flexible."

"When first cut, it’s as hard as iron, but after long use, it develops a unique elasticity."

"Back when my father got that piece of ’Iron-Saturated Wood’ and made this bow, the old Hunters in the village were so jealous their eyes turned red."

"Although it can’t compare to my new Fine Iron Longbow, I’ve used it to kill quite a few tigers, leopards, and other Fierce Beasts."

He sighed and continued, "Our Great Yan Dynasty’s Weight System is mainly based on jin, Jun, and Stone. One Jun is thirty jin, and one Stone is four Jun. This Iron-Saturated Wood Bow is a three-Jun bow. While it’s not a top-tier strongbow, its power is still astonishing."

Chu Fan took the longbow from his hands.

[Discovered Item: Iron-Saturated Wood Bow. Requires 10 points of Spiritual Essence to Refine. Refine?]

[Refinement will grant the archery skill "Hundred-step Piercing Willow."]

Without hesitation, Chu Fan immediately refined the Iron-Saturated Wood Bow.

Although he had already refined the Bengyue Bow and obtained the many years of archery experience from the old master at the Moon Arrow Martial Arts Hall, Zhao Tianxing’s experience was also quite valuable.

These days, he was taking two Blood Refining Pills daily, having a medicinal bath every three days, and eating plenty of delicious food, so his Spiritual Essence was increasing very quickly.

Spending just ten points of Spiritual Essence to gain Zhao Tianxing’s decade-plus of archery experience was a bargain by any measure.

Chu Fan silently gazed at the Iron-Saturated Wood Bow in his hands.

The blue-black body of the bow had a faint oily sheen, a gentle luster born from more than a decade of being soaked in sweat and palm oil.

The grip in the middle of the bow was worn the smoothest, even slightly indented, fitting perfectly into a Hunter’s broad palm.

Two deep nocks were carved into both ends, where a tough flood-dragon-tendon bowstring was firmly seated. When drawn taut, it emitted a deep, almost inaudible hum.

Just then, the cry of a bird came from the courtyard.

Chu Fan pushed open the window and saw a strange, dark-brown-feathered bird perched on a branch of the crabapple tree in the courtyard.

"How strange..."

Chu Fan said, "Why would there be a bird in the middle of winter?"

As he spoke, he took a Feathered Arrow from the Quiver Zhao Tianxing had given him, drew the bow, and nocked the arrow.

As the bow was drawn to a full moon, the entire weapon seemed to come alive.

The grain of the Iron-Saturated Wood twisted slightly under the tension, like muscle fibers poised to strike.

SWOOSH!

The Feathered Arrow tore through the air, but it flew more than three meters wide of the strange bird.

The strange bird let out a caw, flapped its wings, and took flight. But instead of leaving, it just circled above the courtyard, cawing incessantly as if mocking Chu Fan’s clumsy archery.

Suddenly, a scream came from outside the courtyard!

The short, chubby youth who chopped firewood with Chu Fan staggered into the courtyard with a Feathered Arrow sticking out of his shoulder!

Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing looked at each other, both speechless.

"Chu Fan, why did you shoot me with an arrow..."

The chubby youth looked at the hunting bow in Chu Fan’s hands, snot and tears mixing on his face. He was a complete mess.

Chu Fan remained silent.

’It’s as if all this kid’s luck was stolen by Zhao Tianxing.’

’Zhao Tianxing can trip and fall and still pick up a wild mountain ginseng.’

’This Fatty calls himself a "master mushroom picker," but he ends up getting poisoned just from eating one.’

’And now, the first time I ever shoot an arrow, I don’t even touch a feather on the bird, but I manage to hit him...’

"CAW CAW CAW!"

"CAW CAW CAW!"

The strange bird in the sky above the courtyard cawed more and more joyfully, as if it were roaring with laughter!

It was hard to tell if it was laughing at Chu Fan’s terrible archery or the Fatty’s bad luck.

Zhao Tianxing took down his Bengyue Bow, drew it, and nocked an arrow, preparing to shoot the strange bird down.

’This is like using a cannon to shoot a mosquito...’ Recalling the power of Zhao Tianxing’s "Moon Eclipse Arrow," Chu Fan was speechless and pouted slightly.