Chapter 152 - 111: Making a Name in the Selection, Dead Silence

Chapter 152: Chapter 111: Making a Name in the Selection, Dead Silence

That’s it??

Lost your cool already?

Can’t take it anymore??

You’d better go home and burn some incense for your ancestors.

Be glad you weren’t born in Zaun.

Otherwise, those esports Mozarts would have taught you a real lesson on how to behave.

...

"One target per person," the Master said, not keeping the students waiting long.

He quickly assigned the students their positions. Each had a target in front of them, situated thirty paces away. This was the standard distance at which Confucian Cultivators practiced their Archery Skill. Any further, and they wouldn’t be able to draw their bows.

"First to shoot: Ma Deming."

The Master stood there calmly, his gaze shifting toward a student from Qi Lin Academy in the arena. "You have ten chances to draw the bow. The results will be calculated by score. Begin."

Hearing this, Ma Deming’s expression turned solemn. He took a deep breath and said to his companions beside him, "Pardon my poor display."

With that, he stepped up to the desk in front. He picked up the Arrow Fletching from the desk, gently drawing the bow and pulling the string.

SWISH!!

The Arrow Fletching left the bow. It landed squarely on the bullseye!

Yet, not a single person in the venue spoke. This was because when he drew the bow... he lacked "intent."

When a Confucian Cultivator drew a bow, the emphasis was on drawing out intent. And when drawing out intent, one had to fully concentrate to feel the "intent" within the Arrow Fletching. In other words, he had been distracted during this shot.

"Zero points." The Master spoke plainly, then added, "Continue. You have nine more chances."

Sure enough, the student didn’t dare to let his focus waver again. He slowly closed his eyes and quietly drew the bow. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open. He released the string.

SWISH!!

A faint Arrow Intent emerged.

SMACK.

Only, this shot did not land on the target. Its force slowly dissipated in the air, and it quickly fell to the ground.

"Zero points. Though there was ’intent,’ it missed the target," the Master slowly nodded, a note of encouragement now in his voice. "Continue. You have eight chances left."

Hearing the Master’s encouragement, a glimmer of hope appeared in the student’s eyes. He continued to draw the bow and pull the string.

SWISH!!

It had "intent"! And it hit the target!

"Three points." The Master’s eyes lit up slightly at the sight. "Continue. Seven chances left!"

The student breathed a sigh of relief and continued to draw the bow. However, with that sigh of relief, no "intent" appeared during this pull of the string.

After he finished drawing his strings, the final score was announced.

"Twenty-eight points."

A fairly average performance.

"Next, Cheng Yu of the Imperial College."

...

Zeng Anmin watched from the sidelines, feeling a bit bored. The corner of his mouth twitched.

"Oh. So that’s it? And here I thought the students chosen for this exchange were actually impressive," he mused.

By now, he had a good grasp of the situation and was gradually understanding the general skill level of the students present. Time slowly passed. The three students from Qi Lin Academy and the two students from the Imperial College all finished their turns.

The highest score among them belonged to the student from the Imperial College who had just mocked Li Ru’s height. His name was Cheng Yu. He scored sixty-one points. In ten draws of the bow, he hit the target every time, but his accuracy was quite abysmal.

"Next, Qi Lin Academy, Li Ru."

"Brother Li! Show them how it’s done!"

"Hmph! Don’t hold back and give them no face. Unleash your true strength!"

"..."

The students of Qi Lin Academy showed sheer confidence as Li Ru took the stage. Like rabid dogs emboldened by the presence of their master, they sneered and looked toward the Imperial College’s side. The Imperial College students vehemently retorted with fierce words. In truth, it was obvious from this alone that the Imperial College students had a long-standing grudge against Qi Lin Academy.

"Begin," the Master said, looking at Li Ru without any expression.

Li Ru nodded slightly and unslung the Soft Bow from his shoulder. The moment he grasped the Soft Bow, a calm and composed look graced his face. An aura of supreme confidence slowly radiated from him, making people forget all about his height. Everyone’s gaze was subconsciously drawn to him.

"Heh," Li Ru chuckled lightly. Unhurriedly, he picked up an Arrow Fletching from the desk. Then, he simply fixed his gaze on the faces of the Imperial College students. Without even looking at the bow and arrow in his hands, he gently pulled the string.

SWISH!!!

SMACK!!

The Arrow Fletching landed dead center on the bullseye. An indomitable intent slowly radiated from him.

It possessed "intent!" And it hit the bullseye.

"Intent present, ten points," the Master said, a trace of surprise bleeding into his voice.

"Heh!! Brother Li is formidable indeed!"

"Oh? Why have you all gone mute?!"

"Heh, say something!"

"..."

The Qi Lin Academy students raised their eyebrows, looking over with mocking amusement. All the students from the Imperial College instantly fell silent. Anyone with eyes could tell whether that was an excellent shot or a poor one.

Zeng Anmin, however, watched Li Ru thoughtfully.

"Not bad at all," he thought. "This Li Ru is exactly as Liu Xian described. His Arrow Skill has already entered the Dao. All he needs is time and gradual polishing. Once his Confucian Dao Realm breaks through the Sixth Grade, he’ll be able to directly condense a Dharma Aspect and enter the Fifth Grade Realm! He is indeed a worthy opponent."

SWISH!!

SWISH!!

SWISH!!

Ten consecutive shots. All carried "intent," and all struck dead center on the bullseye!

"One hundred points!"

As the Master spoke, the entire venue descended into silence. Li Ru, utterly expressionless, slowly walked toward the Imperial College students. He didn’t offer any further mockery. Instead, he slowly offered a formal bow.

"Thank you for letting me win."

With that, he turned and walked back to take his place in the Qi Lin Academy encampment.

Just a simple phrase. The remaining people from the Imperial College kept quiet. By this point, the victor had already been decided.

"Is there still a need to continue the competition?" a student from Qi Lin Academy asked, casting a curious glance at Zeng Anmin. Then, he turned to the Master and asked in a clear voice, "Although that student hasn’t taken his turn yet, a perfect score of one hundred points..."

He only spoke half his thought, but who couldn’t hear the implication?

"So noisy!" Zeng Anmin said calmly, looking at the person. "How do you know the victor has already been decided??"

"What? Even if you get a perfect score, it would still only be a tie," the person retorted, frowning at Zeng Anmin.

"Whether it’s a tie or not, just watch and see." Zeng Anmin simply sneered and slowly unslung the Black Gold Longbow from his shoulder.

No one knew what material the Black Gold Longbow was made of. Although it was very long and large, the strength required to grip it was no greater than that of the Soft Bow.

"Mm, next, Zeng Anmin," the Master said, looking at him.

Zeng Anmin walked over to the desk, his face devoid of expression. He picked up the Black Gold Longbow in his hands. Mirroring Li Ru’s earlier behavior, he looked toward the crowd of Qi Lin Academy students. The smile on his face was identical to the one Li Ru had worn just moments ago.

"Heh." He also chuckled lightly.

Then, without even looking at the target, an aura that felt like a gentle spring breeze—yet harbored hidden depths—radiated from him.

"A gentleman hides his weapon on his person and waits for the right time to move," he smiled, softly chanting the phrase. Following that, with smooth and flowing movements, he picked up an Arrow Fletching, drew the bow, and pulled the string.

SWISH!!

The Arrow Fletching landed straight into the bullseye.

"Intent present, ten points!" The Master’s eyes lit up fiercely as he looked at Zeng Anmin. "And it’s not an intent inherited from predecessors, but an intent you comprehended yourself!"

As the Master’s words fell, everyone’s pupils violently contracted. He... comprehended his own intent?! Not the intent of predecessors?! On this point alone, he had already surpassed Li Ru.

However, their shock was far from over.

"Heh," Zeng Anmin simply chuckled lightly and continued to draw the bow and pull the string. But this time, he pulled the bowstring even further back than before!!

SWISH!!

Still without even glancing at the target, the Arrow Fletching sped away at lightning speed. The next moment, they watched as the Arrow Fletching struck the first one planted in the bullseye, splitting it cleanly in two from tail to head!!

CRACK~

It landed steadily on the target!!

This... What kind of skill was this?!

For a moment, every single student collectively lost their voices. Even the Master’s eyes widened!! No one had ever seen a sight like this before!

Zeng Anmin calmly drew the bow and pulled the string. His movements remained as smooth as flowing water.

SWISH!

SWISH!!

SWISH!!

...

Ten arrows later.

A single, intact arrow rested steadily on the bullseye. The other nine arrows had all been split in half by the ones that followed!!

Zeng Anmin gently slung the Black Gold Longbow over his back. He slowly walked over to stand in front of the Qi Lin Academy students. He offered no mockery, nor did his face show the slightest emotion. He gently offered a formal bow.

"Thank you for letting me win."

With that, he left his spot and walked over to take his place among the Imperial College students.

The wind blew gently.

CRACK~

A highly conspicuous sound rang out. Everyone subconsciously looked over. They saw the target Zeng Anmin had just shot at slowly splitting down the middle, creating a wide fissure.

The entire venue fell utterly silent!!