Liang and Xiao vie for supremacy, a decisive archery contest.

When Jia Boyang went on stage, he scored two points with five arrows, hitting the target with two arrows, just like Sun Yuangui.

When Gu Jun went on the field, he scored five points with five arrows: one hit the bullseye, three hit the target area, and one missed the target.

Soon it was Liang Shanbo's turn. He was the thirty-third person to be chosen.

He stood up, placed the quiver on the mat, picked up the bow and arrows, and walked towards the shooting position.

Zhu Yingtai's gaze fell directly on him, watching him walk step by step towards the white and gray line drawn on the firing position. Her heart felt as if it had been gently bumped by something.

Today he was wearing a light gray linen robe that Zhu Yingtai had given him half a year ago, with a plain linen belt around his waist and a light gray linen headscarf wrapped around his head. He had worn this outfit many times and washed it many times; the color had faded a bit, but it was still clean and crisp.

He always looks energetic whenever he wears this outfit.

At this moment, he stood at the shooting position, the autumn wind gently blowing the corner of his scarf and the hem of his clothes.

He stood ramrod straight, bow in his left hand, right hand hanging at his side, gazing at the straw arrow stack thirty paces ahead. The white silk cloth on the stack fluttered slightly in the wind, the red heart drawn in vermilion standing out prominently.

The field suddenly fell silent.

Almost everyone's eyes were on this student from the Kōzhai Academy, who had only been enrolled for half a year but was already famous throughout the academy.

On stage, Pei Liang turned his head, looked at Meng Wenlang, and asked in a low voice, "Sir, is this young man Liang Shanbo?"

Meng Wenlang nodded slightly: "Exactly."

Pei Liang's gaze swept over Liang Shanbo for a moment, and just as he was about to say something, he saw that Liang Shanbo had already moved.

Liang Shanbo drew the first arrow from the quiver, nocked it on the string, gripped the bow handle firmly with his left hand, and held the bowstring with three fingers of his right hand, his index finger slightly loose, his middle finger slightly tight, and his ring finger slightly loose.

He drew back the bow, the deer sinew string taut. His arm was steady, the bow shank unwavering. His gaze lingered above the arrow shaft, fixed on the red heart drawn in vermilion thirty paces away.

The autumn wind rises again, causing the white silk on the target to flutter gently.

But his arrow was as steady as if it were nailed to the air.

"Whoosh—"

The arrow shot through the air with a whistling sound.

"Duh!"

The arrow landed on the target, but missed the bullseye.

Liang Shanbo bent down and drew a second arrow from the quiver at his feet with a calm and composed movement, as if the previous arrow was nothing out of the ordinary.

He nocked the arrow, drew the bow, aimed, and released it.

"Duh!"

The arrow was stuck in the target again, but still failed to hit the bullseye.

Zhu Yingtai couldn't help but look nervous.

Liang Shanbo remained unmoved. He bent down, drew his third arrow, and released it.

"Duh!"

Finally, the bullseye!

The arrowhead pierced the straw, its fletching still trembling slightly in the wind.

The winner suddenly raised the red flag.

Zhu Yingtai blurted out, "Okay!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly realized that in her excitement she hadn't lowered her voice and had let out a clear, soft female voice. She quickly looked around, and thankfully, her voice wasn't loud, and no one around was paying attention to her.

Liang Shanbo remained unmoved, bent down to draw the fourth arrow, and then released it.

"Duh!"

The winner raises the red flag.

Hit the bullseye again!

A low gasp of surprise rippled through the crowd.

"Hit the bullseye again!"

"Liang Shanbo actually hit the target with all four of his arrows, and two of them even hit the bullseye!"

On the stage, Pei Liang leaned forward slightly, his eyes fixed on Liang Shanbo.

Liang Shanbo bent down and drew the fifth and final arrow.

He nocked an arrow, drew the bow, and aimed.

This time, he drew the bow for a longer time than before, pulling the bowstring taut and fully extended.

"Duh!"

The winner raises the red flag.

Still hitting the bullseye!

The first two arrows hit the target, and the next three hit it in a row. His composure is incredible!

There was a gasp of surprise at first, which quickly turned into a buzzing sound, like the chirping of insects in an autumn field.

"This Liang Shanbo... he's only been practicing archery for three months?"

"Even Xiao Hu might not be able to match him!"

Sun Yuangui's eyes widened, his mouth agape, and he forgot to close it.

Zhou Daoxian looked sullen, and Jia Boyang's expression was also rather unpleasant.

Liang Shanbo retrieved his five arrows, then bowed to the gentlemen on the platform and Pei Liang, before turning and walking back to his seat. His expression was calm, without a hint of smugness.

As Zhu Yingtai watched him walk back, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curve into a smile.

"Brother Liang," she called softly.

Liang Shanbo knelt down beside her and smiled slightly: "My dear brother."

Zhu Yingtai's tone was full of admiration: "Eight points! Brother Liang, you got eight points out of five arrows, three of which hit the target! Two of them hit the bullseye! This score is one point higher than Brother Wang's!"

Liang Shanbo said, "Archery is all about improvisation. Brother Xiao hasn't even had a chance to go yet."

His gaze drifted towards Yizhai.

Xiao Hu was already standing at the sidelines, holding the mulberry bow in his hand.

His gaze never left Liang Shanbo as he shot the arrows. He saw that Liang Shanbo's first two arrows merely hit the target without batting an eye, but when he saw the next two arrows hit the bullseye, his thick eyebrows twitched. And when he saw the fifth arrow hit the bullseye again, a smile appeared on his lips.

That slight smile contained admiration, solemnity, and a surge of pride.

It was finally his turn to go on stage.

His divination slip was the thirty-sixth.

He gathered his loose hair back and strode toward the shooting position.

The students of Yizhai cheered:

"Brother Xiao! Let them see what you're capable of!"

"Brother Xiao, shoot that target through!"

Xiao Hu stood at his shooting position, holding the mulberry bow, which was longer than the usual bow, in his left hand, and drawing the first arrow from the quiver with his right hand.

Nock the arrow and draw the bow.

He stared at the vermilion heart thirty paces away.

"collapse--"

It wasn't a "whoosh," but a muffled "thud." Xiao Hu's arrow had more force than others. The arrow, carrying a whistling sound, struck the target straight away.

"Duh!"

It hit the bullseye! The arrow was deeply embedded in the straw, the shaft still trembling.

The winner raised the red flag.

A cheer erupted from Yizhai's side.

Xiao Hu remained expressionless, drew his second arrow, nocked it, pulled back the bow, and released the arrow.

"Duh!"

It hit the target area.

Then the third arrow.

"Duh!"

It still hit the target area.

A sigh of regret came from Yizhai's side.

Xiao Hu took a deep breath before drawing his fourth arrow, nocking it, and drawing the bow. This time, he took a little longer to aim. He released the arrow.

"Duh!"

The arrow struck the bullseye.

The winner raised the red flag.

The final fifth arrow.

"Duh!"

And it hit the bullseye again.

The winner raised the red flag again.

After five arrows, the first arrow hit the bullseye, the second and third arrows hit the target surface, and the fourth and fifth arrows hit the bullseye, scoring a total of eight points, the same as Liang Shanbo.

Wang Shu gets 7 points, Liang Shanbo gets 8 points, and Xiao Hu gets 8 points.

The results for all three have been released.

On the stage, Pei Liang stood up and announced loudly: "After calculation, the two with the highest total scores of the five arrows are: Liang Shanbo with eight points and three bullseyes; and Xiao Hu with eight points and three bullseyes. Since Liang Shanbo and Xiao Hu have the same score and the same number of bullseyes, an additional shot is needed to determine the winner. One more arrow will be shot, and both will release their arrows simultaneously. The winner will be determined by whether they hit the bullseye and the position of the hit."

These words sparked another round of discussion among the audience.

Sun Yuangui's voice trembled with excitement: "Brother Liang and Brother Xiao actually want to shoot again!"

Xiao Hu turned his head, looked in Liang Shanbo's direction, smiled, and called out, "Brother Liang, please!"

Liang Shanbo stood up and walked towards the shooting position.

Zhu Yingtai was so nervous that she held her breath.

Liang Shanbo and Xiao Hu each took their positions at the shooting range.

Thirty paces away, two arrow slings stood side by side, their two tethers fluttering slightly in the wind, awaiting the two arrows about to be released.