Chapter 113: Chapter 113: Close at Hand

Mastering Hundred-step Piercing Willow made one a Divine Archer.

Executing Double-Star Linked Pearls would earn one the reputation of having god-like Archery.

Mastering Three-Star Linked Pearls was enough to secure a respectable post in the Divine Arrow Army.

Yan Chengdu hailed from a Noble Family and had a Master of Archery by his side year-round. When he walked onto the range empty-handed, without his own Great Bow, both Chu Lingguang and Guo Wei knew he must have absolute confidence in his Archery.

However, his opening move was a Three-Star Linked Pearls, which stunned the entire crowd.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Yan Chengdu loosed three arrows, then three more.

He quickly shot all ten of his arrows. A single, thick, black shaft now appeared on the target; all ten arrows had combined into one. Each arrow had split the one before it, nearly blowing the bullseye apart.

Yan Chengdu indisputably took first place in target shooting.

Next was the shooting-while-running event.

Everyone had assumed Yan Chengdu’s Archery would suffer while he was on the move. But to their surprise, he maintained a state of continuous fire from start to finish. Every arrow he loosed struck the bullseye; not one of the ten went astray.

He once again dominated the shooting-while-running event.

Then, Mounted Archery.

His swift horse charged through a forest of poles.

Chu Lingguang’s own skill in Mounted Archery was only at the level of Hundred-step Piercing Willow. Yan Chengdu, however, maintained his continuous fire. Chu Lingguang felt that even on horseback, Yan Chengdu could at least perform a Double-Star Linked Pearls.

’No matter what, I’m no match for him when it comes to Archery.’

In the end, Yan Chengdu earned a Grade A+ Upper Grade for the Archery discipline, scoring the highest. He left everyone else in the dust, and no one could dispute his skill.

Even Guo Wei had to marvel at Yan Chengdu’s astonishing talent for Archery.

「Two hours later.」

An examiner struck a gong and called out the names.

“Examinees Chu Lingguang, Chai Yaolong, Shi Guangzhong, Jin Shan, and Chen Musheng, your examination begins now!”

Hearing the call, Chu Lingguang didn’t dare to be overconfident. He brought the Great Bow that Big Saber Hong had given him and walked onto the range, taking his place beside Chai Yaolong, Shi Guangzhong, and the others.

“Hmph!”

Chai Yaolong sneered.

’I can’t believe I’m in the same group as Chu Lingguang for Archery. He crushed me in the Qiao Pass event, but Archery is a game where Noble Family Disciples like me have every advantage. I refuse to believe I can’t beat him at this.’

Chu Lingguang remained silent. After retrieving his arrows, he fixed his gaze on the target before him. He was thinking about Yan Chengdu’s earlier performance: the Three-Star Linked Pearls, the rapid-fire shots, how each arrow had split the one before it to combine all ten into a single thick shaft. That level of Kung Fu was truly worthy of admiration.

’I can’t do that yet,’ he thought, ’but I yearn to. I wonder what it would be like to perform a Three-Star Linked Pearls just like him.’

Without realizing it, the bullseye on the target began to grow larger in his vision.

It was as if a point of light in a dim world was gradually expanding, eventually swallowing the darkness whole.

“Ready!”

“Begin!”

The examiner shouted.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Chu Lingguang drew his bow and nocked his arrows on instinct. He didn’t attempt a three-arrow shot, but a two-arrow burst. The first arrow hit the bullseye. The second split the shaft of the first, pushing its arrowhead out from the back of the target.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

He worked within his limits.

Chu Lingguang was adept at Guarding the Heart; he didn’t let Yan Chengdu’s Three-Star Linked Pearls throw him into disarray.

’Even if I lose to Yan Chengdu in Archery, I can still challenge him in the free-fighting event.’ He was free of distractions. ’All I need to do is my best. The rest is up to fate.’

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Two arrows, then another two. Every shot hit the bullseye, and every shot split the shaft of the one before it. In the end, another thick, sturdy arrow shaft stood in the center of his target.

“Double-Star Linked Pearls?”

Both Yan Chengdu and Yan Zhen found it incredible. Chu Lingguang was a Lower-class Youth who had only been studying under Guo Wei for two years. Factoring in the time he spent on other Kung Fu, it was hard to believe he could reach such a level in this short a time, even if he’d spent every day practicing with hundreds of arrows.

Even Ji Hu didn’t have this level of skill.

Chai Yaolong, who had been so disdainful just moments before, was completely dumbfounded. After finishing his own shots, Shi Guangzhong stared blankly at the thick, sturdy arrow in Chu Lingguang’s bullseye. Jin Shan, who was in the same group, felt an immense pressure.

In the end, Chu Lingguang took first place in his group for the first round of target shooting.

The second round: shooting while running.

Chu Lingguang charged forward with his quiver of arrows on his back.

He ignored the chatter from the crowd and didn’t dwell on how incredible Yan Chengdu had been. He just wanted to focus on the task at hand.

Ten targets were scattered across the course.

He had planned to shoot his arrows one by one, not wanting to risk a miss just for the sake of rapid fire. But after loosing two individual shots, Chu Lingguang suddenly felt that even while running, he could manage a two-arrow burst, with each arrow striking a different bullseye.

The discovery thrilled him.

’Even if I can’t beat Yan Chengdu, it’s enough to surpass my past self.’

In the end, Chu Lingguang once again took first place in his group for the shooting-while-running event.

Mounted Archery.

Riding his Little Red Horse, Chu Lingguang weaved through the forest of poles.

Remembering that his Mounted Archery was only at the level of Hundred-step Piercing Willow, Chu Lingguang was extra cautious. He remained calm and steady, loosing his arrows one by one, aiming each at its respective bullseye.

But as he came to his final two arrows…

Chu Lingguang perceived that two targets in different locations suddenly seemed to draw closer, becoming easily within his reach.

He couldn’t help but follow that feeling and loose two arrows in rapid succession.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

The arrows left the string in quick succession, flying toward different targets.

THWACK! THWACK!

The two arrows struck their respective bullseyes at almost the same instant. Staring at the quivering fletchings, Chu Lingguang thought to himself, ’Master once told me the first principle of Archery is to see things As Clear as Daylight. When you can feel that any target is right before you, your Archery can improve by leaps and bounds. Have I stumbled upon the secret without realizing it?’

’Master will know for sure if I’m on the right track.’

At this thought, having cleared the poles but still on the course, Chu Lingguang couldn’t help but glance toward Guo Wei at the edge of the field. As if reading his student’s mind, Guo Wei smiled and nodded in both approval and encouragement. He showed no dissatisfaction that Chu Lingguang’s Archery score was far below Yan Chengdu’s.

The bond between master and disciple was not one to be shaken by mere scores.

In the end, Chu Lingguang was the undisputed winner of all three Archery rounds in his group. With his skill in Double-Star Linked Pearls, he earned a Grade A+ Upper Grade, placing him second overall in the Archery discipline.

The overall rankings changed as well.

Yan Chengdu: second in Qiao Pass, first in saber competition, third in Spear Technique, first in Fist Technique, and first in Archery. He now temporarily ranked first overall.

Chu Lingguang: first in Qiao Pass, first in saber competition, first in Spear Technique, tenth in Fist Technique, and second in Archery. He now temporarily ranked second overall.

The Archery score was weighted very heavily. In past years, when examiners recommended talent to the Court, they always prioritized geniuses in Archery. Yan Chengdu’s Three-Star Linked Pearls was a dazzling, unparalleled achievement in the history of the South City Martial Arts Examination. Combined with his scores in other disciplines, where his worst was third place, his total score shot past Chu Lingguang’s, putting him in first. This was unlike Chu Lingguang, who had placed tenth in Fist Technique.

Guo Wei seemed unconcerned by the change in the overall rankings. He quickly led Chu Lingguang away from the examination grounds and to a private practice range. There, he had Chu Lingguang draw his bow again, wanting to help him recapture that sudden feeling from Mounted Archery—the feeling that all targets were right within his grasp.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep