Chapter 112: Chapter 112: Three Stars

The Archery Competition.

Three rounds in total.

First round: Target Shooting.

Second round: Foot Archery.

Third round: Mounted Archery.

Among the subjects of the Martial Arts Examination, Qiao Pass and Archery carried the most weight. Spear Technique and Saber Technique were secondary, while the remaining subjects were considered bonus categories.

In past years, it wasn’t uncommon for contestants with astounding Qi Power in the Qiao Pass to earn the title of Martial Scholar and be specially recruited into the army, even if they failed to meet the standards in other subjects.

Likewise, Divine Archers were sometimes specially recruited into the Divine Arrow Army, securing a minor official post within the Imperial City.

In every Martial Arts Examination, the examiners from each region were tasked with selecting exceptional talents for the Court. They would recommend the most capable, who were typically those with astonishing Qi Power, masterful Archery, or a Spear Technique that had reached a state of perfection.

Those who earned a recommendation received preferential treatment from the Court, such as exemption from various family taxes, a subsidy of Qi Blood Pills, or even tutelage from a renowned master.

Unfortunately, while Chu Lingguang’s Qi Power of 470 jin was exceptional in South City, it wasn’t particularly outstanding when compared to the whole of the Great Yuan Dynasty.

’Still, if I perform well, the top ten finishers in the Daoist Examination usually receive an award.’

The archery contest began.

The contestants entered the preparation area.

Having regained his confidence, the smile on Yan Chengdu’s face grew even brighter. When he saw Chu Lingguang again, he offered a smile and a nod, just as he always did.

Chu Lingguang returned the gesture politely.

Archery required not only aptitude but also a good training environment and a plentiful supply of bows and arrows to burn through.

Yan Chengdu, Ji Hu, and their ilk were all Noble Family Descendants. They had learned to draw a bow and nock an arrow from a young age, with a Master of Archery by their side year-round. In the archery competition, it had always been the Noble Family Descendants who came out on top. It was rare for a Lower-class Youth to ever take first place.

Chu Lingguang’s Basic Archery had reached the level of Perfection. He could execute the Hundred-step Piercing Willow from horseback and the Double-Star Linked Pearls on foot. While these were impressive achievements among the contestants, Chu Lingguang still lacked the confidence that he could take first place.

After all the contestants had entered, Chu Lingguang carefully scanned his surroundings. Just like yesterday, he couldn’t see any sign of Liu Quan. He only spotted Jin Shan sitting alone in a corner.

’Liu Quan has failed two rounds in a row.’

’Even if he gets an A Class in the free-for-all, he has no chance of passing this year’s Daoist Examination. Was that spear strike so severe that it’s left Liu Quan bedridden all this time?’

“Contestants Hei Hu, Ji Hu, Ma Hu, Wang Lianbo, and Yang Xu, begin the examination!”

As soon as the time was up, the examiner struck a gong and called out the names.

Hei Hu let out a soft sigh. Ever since the Qiao Pass, for five days straight, he’d been assigned to the very first group of the first round. He was never missed.

He took his longbow and entered the archery range.

Ji Hu walked up beside him. Hearing that Hei Hu’s name also contained the word ’tiger,’ his eyes filled with disdain, even a trace of anger. ’One mountain cannot contain two tigers,’ he thought. ’What right does this Hei Hu have to be taking the Martial Arts Examination alongside me, let alone be placed in the same group?’

Hei Hu sensed Ji Hu’s hostility and broke into a grin, revealing a set of large, yellowed teeth. “Young Master Ji,” he said, “your Qi Blood is abundant and your physique is powerful. So why is it that in the Qiao Pass competition, your Qi Power was a full forty jin less than my junior brother’s? Were you perhaps hiding your true strength?”

“What did you say?”

Ji Hu’s face darkened at his words.

“I’m just wondering, what’s the point of you Noble Family Disciples coming all the way to South City for the Martial Arts Examination? If you can’t even take first place, isn’t it just a wasted trip?”

Hei Hu added more fuel to the fire.

“How dare you! You dare humiliate me?”

Ji Hu was seething with uncontrollable rage.

“Humiliate you? Hahaha, you misunderstand, Young Master Ji. I’m just speaking the plain truth. If you don’t like the sound of it, I can just shut up.”

Hei Hu chuckled slyly.

“You just wait.”

Ji Hu snorted.

“I’ve already scored A Class in four rounds. Securing an official position is practically a done deal for me. What exactly does Young Master Ji want me to wait for?”

Hei Hu retorted fearlessly.

“Tomorrow, in the free-for-all, the top ten have to fight to determine the rankings. If you’ve got the guts, let’s have a match.”

Ji Hu fumed.

“Fine by me!”

Hei Hu nodded.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

He then heard the examiner’s call and fired three consecutive arrows at his target. Though he couldn’t perform the Double-Star Linked Pearls, he could still manage the Hundred-step Piercing Willow on foot. Three shots in a row, and every arrow struck the bullseye.

The Archery competition consisted of three rounds, with ten arrows fired in each.

Hei Hu fired three arrows, then another three.

Shooting in quick succession earned bonus points. If every arrow hit the bullseye, the contestant would earn the title of Divine Archer and a chance to enter the Divine Arrow Army.

Hei Hu’s Archery was at the level of Hundred-step Piercing Willow.

He fired ten consecutive shots, and every single one hit the target. Unfortunately, only seven struck the bullseye. As he fired his seventh and ninth arrows, the breath he was holding seemed to falter, and both shots landed just shy of the center.

Still, with such a score, only Ji Hu out of the five performed better than him. The other three, Xiao Wang included, had Archery skills inferior to Hei Hu’s.

In the previous examination, Da Wang and Xiao Wang had been eliminated in the Lance and Mounted Archery rounds. Now, having received Guo Wei’s guidance in these two disciplines, their skills with both the Lance and Mounted Archery were impressive.

Unfortunately, when it came to Archery, they were still outmatched by Hei Hu and Chu Lingguang.

After Target Shooting came Foot Archery.

Foot Archery involved hitting targets while moving at high speed. Ten targets were scattered throughout the area, and each contestant was given ten arrows. They had to hit all ten targets with their allotted arrows.

Success was determined by who could hit the most targets with the greatest accuracy.

“Begin!”

SWOOSH!

Hei Hu dashed into the forest of training posts, aimed at the most obvious target, and loosed his first arrow.

The difficulty of Foot Archery far exceeded that of Target Shooting.

Hei Hu hit the target with all ten arrows, but only six found the bullseye.

With the Foot Archery targets scattered about, Hei Hu was unable to fire in quick succession, making his number of bullseyes quite respectable.

Xiao Wang hit the target with all ten of his arrows, with four of them striking the bullseye. The rest landed some distance from the center. Still, hitting every target in Foot Archery, combined with all ten of his Target Shooting arrows landing within the inner rings, meant he could achieve at least a Grade B+ Upper Grade in Archery. Considering his scores from the previous subjects, passing the examination was a certainty. He even had a chance to fight for a spot in the top ten.

Ji Hu had practically been weaned on arrows, with a Master of Archery constantly by his side. Once again, he left everyone else in the dust. The advantage of a Noble Family Disciple was especially prominent in this round.

Mounted Archery.

Riding on horseback, weaving through the forest of training posts.

Shooting at targets placed in various locations.

Ten arrows again.

This round was a combination of Archery and Riding Skill, making the degree of difficulty even higher.

Riding his horse, Mountain Pass Peak, Hei Hu once again drew his bow and nocked an arrow before anyone else. ’My Archery might not be as good as Ji Hu’s,’ he thought, ’but I have to be faster. I need to beat him in at least one aspect.’

Guo Wei knew what was going through Hei Hu’s mind, and he didn’t know whether to be angry or to laugh.

Fortunately, by the end of the three rounds, although Hei Hu had been thoroughly crushed by Ji Hu, he still managed to secure a Grade A Lower Grade. Xiao Wang earned a Grade B+ Upper Grade, while Ji Hu achieved a Grade A+ Upper Grade, temporarily placing him first in the Archery event.

「An hour and a half later.」

“Contestants Yan Chengdu, Mao Zhongcai, Ma Huijun, Niu Er, and Huang Feihu, begin the examination!”

The examiner struck a gong and called out the names.

Yan Chengdu clasped his fist in his palm in a salute to the crowd and entered the archery range empty-handed. He hadn’t brought his own longbow. Instead, he chose one of the crude Great Bows provided by the Court, a clear sign of his immense confidence in his Archery.

The first round of Target Shooting began.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Yan Chengdu drew his bow, nocking an arrow and drawing the string back to a full moon. He loosed three arrows in rapid succession, their shadows merging into a single line.

Three-Star Linked Pearls.

The first arrow struck the bullseye.

The second arrow split the shaft of the first, knocking its arrowhead out from the back of the target. The third arrow then split the shaft of the second, pushing its arrowhead out in turn.

Everyone present—from the examiner Feng Junyi to Chu Lingguang and Guo Wei—was left utterly stunned by Yan Chengdu!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep