Champion

The three hundred contestants advancing to the elimination rounds were divided into five groups of sixty. Led by the referees, each group headed to its respective competition venue.

Ji Xinghuo was assigned to the third group by lottery.

Lu Yunhai happened to be serving as a referee for this group. As he passed by, he greeted Ji Xinghuo with a grin.

"Coach Lu, you know each other?"

Fang Yinping had also been assigned to this group. Seeing the two talking, she asked curiously.

"Sister Fang, we were university classmates," Lu Yunhai immediately replied. He was very respectful toward Fang Yinping and explained, "Xinghuo has only been learning archery for three weeks. I was the one who helped him sign up for lessons."

"So it was true?" Fang Yinping was rather surprised.

She could not help but take another look at Ji Xinghuo.

For a beginner to reach such a level in archery, his talent for shooting was clearly extraordinary, far surpassing most Rangers. If she had not fused with Thousand Spirit Dexterous Hands and Precision, and practiced archery for many years, she would not have dared claim she could reliably defeat Ji Xinghuo.

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Ji." Fang Yinping smiled. "I hope Mr. Ji won't take this morning's little misunderstanding to heart."

Ji Xinghuo had not thought much of it to begin with. "Sister Fang is overthinking it. It was nothing."

Fang Yinping nodded and went back to prepare for the competition.

After she left, Ji Xinghuo asked, "What's Sister Fang's background? She seems quite famous."

"She's the daughter of one of the shareholders in our Archery Hall."

Lu Yunhai lowered his voice. "Sister Fang used to come to the Archery Hall often to practice, but lately she's been competing out of town frequently, so you haven't seen her. Her archery is excellent. The director has guided her many times. She's entered the Shoot Leaf Cup five times and won the championship twice."

"No wonder," Ji Xinghuo realized.

"Sister Fang is cheerful and generous. She's easy to get along with," Lu Yunhai said with a smile. "A lot of people in Chang'an's archery circles like her."

"What does that have to do with me?" Ji Xinghuo was somewhat baffled.

"Haha, I was just saying."

As they spoke, they had already arrived at the venue for the fourth round. Lu Yunhai returned to the referees' ranks and began overseeing the competition.

This round involved shooting moving targets fifty meters away, with only one contestant taking the field at a time.

Ji Xinghuo looked around.

The venue was wide open, and the weather was good today. Although it was the height of summer, Zhongnan Mountain was not as hot as the city. The contestants all stayed beneath the shade of the trees, watching the first contestant whose name was called step forward.

There was the same one-minute preparation time.

Beep!

The buzzer sounded. A drone took off from the flat ground fifty meters away. It was not especially fast, about as quick as an ordinary person running. Suspended beneath it was an eighty-centimeter-wide ten-ring target, flying along a fixed route.

This was the moving target. There was only a two-second shooting window; anything after that did not count.

Smack! An arrow struck the target, but missed the bullseye.

The contestant on the field fired his first arrow without stopping, immediately drew a second arrow and nocked it. Five seconds later, the second drone target flew past, and he quickly aimed and released.

Five drone targets passed in sequence fifty meters away at five-second intervals, each flying faster than the last.

The five arrows were finished in less than half a minute.

"Thirty-nine rings!"

The score instantly appeared on the screen at this end of the field. It was not particularly high, and the contestant shook his head as he stepped down.

The second contestant soon took the field. Each person took very little time.

With five shots in succession, each arrow was harder than the last, so the ring counts naturally declined as well. The average scores ranged from thirty-five to forty rings.

Before long, Ji Xinghuo took the field.

Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Five crisp, decisive shots in one fluid sequence, every arrow striking the bullseye.

"Fifty rings!"

The contestants watching under the trees exclaimed in surprise. This was the first perfect score of the fourth round. Many people asked about Ji Xinghuo's background, but no one knew him.

However, nobody paid too much attention to it, because Fang Yinping stepped up and also scored fifty rings.

The fourth round ended.

In Ji Xinghuo's group, four people achieved perfect scores.

Because the schedule was tight, the referees immediately led the group to the next venue for the fifth round. It was also moving-target shooting, but the distance increased to seventy meters, and it was downhill shooting from a higher position.

The venue was located on a hillside. The contestants gathered at the top, while the targets were halfway down the slope. A light breeze occasionally blew through.

The difficulty increased again.

The contestants who went first posted increasingly ugly scores. After five arrows, half of them scored under thirty rings.

Ji Xinghuo's luck was not very good.

Just as he took the field, a strong gust swept across the slope, causing two of his arrows to land in the nine-ring. He finished with forty-eight rings.

In the sixth round, the target distance increased to one hundred meters, and the contestants had to shoot uphill. The venue moved to the bottom of the slope, while the targets were up on the mountain.

The contestants fell one after another. Very few managed to score above thirty rings.

Ji Xinghuo's performance was not ideal either.

Of his five arrows, only one hit the ten-ring, giving him forty-one rings. However, this score still ranked near the top, because everyone else's scores were even lower.

After three rounds, the contestants waited for the advancement results.

The combined scores from the three rounds were tallied, and the top thirty-two contestants advanced to the seventh round.

The results came out quickly.

The screens set up throughout the venue displayed the rankings. Ji Xinghuo found his name at a glance. With a total of 139 rings, he ranked third.

"I'm only third?"

Ji Xinghuo was somewhat surprised. The difficulty of these three rounds had already been very high, yet someone had scored 143 rings to take first place.

Second place was also two rings ahead of him.

Fang Yinping had advanced as well. Her score was 138 rings, tied for fifth place.

Ji Xinghuo turned to look at the weather. Outdoor shooting was easily affected by the climate, especially the wind. Even a slight mistake could cause an arrow to miss the target.

With so many uncertain factors, no one could say they were guaranteed to win the championship. It still depended on performance in the moment.

Everyone in the top ten had a chance.

At that moment, an announcement echoed through the valley repeatedly: "Will the thirty-two advancing contestants please gather at Target Range No. 9. The seventh round will begin in fifteen minutes."

Ji Xinghuo hurried over.

Not only did the advancing contestants remain, but the eliminated ones did as well. They had become spectators and wanted to see the final result.

Target Range No. 9 was set atop a hundred-meter cliff. However, the slope was relatively gentle and had guardrails installed, so there was no real danger.

A flat area and stands had been developed along the cliff's edge, enough to accommodate over a thousand spectators.

The remaining four rounds would all be held here.

When Ji Xinghuo arrived, more than half the stands were already occupied. Yang Tianqing and several other archery hall directors were also there, sitting off to one side and chatting.

"Please come forward."

A chief referee stood on a platform jutting out from the cliff. Shooting position markers had been drawn on the ground, and the thirty-two contestants stood several meters away from one another.

The chief referee quickly explained the rules.

Dozens of drone targets were distributed through a designated area in midair beyond the cliff, continuously flying at different speeds and along different trajectories. Once a contestant was in position, one drone would light up with a conspicuous red glow for one second. The contestant had to complete the shot within that second.

Ji Xinghuo had watched the video before, but the real thing was very different from the video.

With so many people watching, it was hard not to feel nervous.

"Number 76, Ji Xinghuo!"

By this round, the order of appearance was determined by the numbers assigned during registration. Ji Xinghuo's number was the lowest among the top thirty-two, so he was first to take the field.

Ji Xinghuo walked forward a few meters and stepped into the shooting area.

Everyone's eyes focused on him.

"Hoo..."

Ji Xinghuo held the compound bow in his left hand, took an arrow with his right and nocked it, then drew a deep breath.

The faint tension in his heart immediately faded. His mind became calm and focused as his eyes swept over the area fifty to seventy meters beyond the cliff. Deep within his right pupil, a faint flicker appeared. The Myriad Stellar Eye clearly reflected every movement in that area into his mind.

The movement of the wind, the blazing sunlight, and the drones constantly flying about all became like a picture in Ji Xinghuo's mind, every detail visible.

"Prepare!" the chief referee shouted.

Ji Xinghuo watched the ten-second countdown from the corner of his eye. When time was up, the buzzer sounded.

Beep!

Ji Xinghuo drew the string with force and held his bow at full draw, his gaze sweeping back and forth over the dozens of drones darting around like a school of fish.

Suddenly, one drone lit up.

An arrow flew almost at the same instant, becoming a black streak as it struck the target.

Ten rings!

Ji Xinghuo did not look at the result. He held four more arrows in his right hand, and Thousand Spirit Dexterous Hands came into play. His fingers moved with the nimble speed of a butterfly among flowers as he nocked another arrow, hooked the string with his thumb, and prepared for the next shot.

Another drone lit up, nearly seventy meters away and lower than the cliff platform.

Ji Xinghuo instantly adjusted his angle and shot downward.

Smack! Ten rings!

He immediately nocked the third arrow, maintaining his rhythm. The instant the third drone lit up, he released, followed by the fourth arrow and the fifth, completing the round.

All five arrows were ten-rings! The hundreds of spectators in the stands were stunned, only erupting into cries of amazement several seconds later.

Surprise appeared on the faces of several archery hall directors.

Yang Tianqing noticed the insignia of his own Archery Hall on Ji Xinghuo's clothes and could not help looking at him more closely. He was puzzled too. When had his Archery Hall gained such a formidable archer?

Landing five consecutive ten-rings on random targets fifty to seventy meters away was exceedingly difficult.

The contestants who followed Ji Xinghuo all made mistakes to varying degrees. It was not until Fang Yinping took the field that the second fifty-ring score appeared.

After all thirty-two contestants had finished, five people had scored perfect rounds.

This round eliminated the lower half of the rankings. The top sixteen entered the eighth round, shooting random targets from the same position, but with the distance extended to seventy to one hundred meters.

Ji Xinghuo was still first to take the field.

After firing five arrows.

He once again achieved a perfect score of five ten-rings! Now everyone knew that this unfamiliar archer was undoubtedly the top favorite to win today. The other well-known contestants with outstanding strength were not in as good a state as he was, and his consistency was terrifying.

Ji Xinghuo immediately became the focus of the entire venue.

He noticed Yang Tianqing calling over one of the coaches from his Archery Hall and asking him a few questions in a low voice.

By the ninth round, only eight contestants remained. At this point, every top-eight contestant would receive a cash prize, so they were all happy.

The shooting distance in the ninth round became one hundred to one hundred and twenty meters.

Generally speaking, for archers below the Super Esper level, once the target distance exceeded one hundred meters, their accuracy would drop sharply.

Ji Xinghuo was no exception.

Even with the Myriad Stellar Eye's assistance, he was limited by Yi Feng's performance and his own ability level. He had never trained at such a distance before, so he ultimately could not maintain ten-rings. He quickly fired all five arrows and scored only forty-two rings.

But that was already enough to advance to the final four, and he was in first place.

The tenth round.

The distribution area for the random targets expanded several times over, spanning fifty to one hundred and fifty meters. The air beyond the cliff was densely filled with drones, more than two hundred in total, creating a spectacular sight.

The shooting window was also cut in half, leaving only half a second.

There were ten arrows in total.

This tested an archer's reaction speed, technique, bow range, and sustained concentration all at once. An ordinary person would not score a single point. Even Aberrants would struggle to score above ten rings without training, and most of the archers present were no exception.

The order for the final round was based on ninth-round scores, with the lowest score going first.

"Bai Li."

The first to take the field was a well-known archer in Chang'an's archery circles.

He was the one who had scored 143 rings in the elimination rounds.

Bai Li was an intermediate Ranger who used a traditional bow. He planted nine arrows in a row beside his feet, took a deep breath at the shooting position, then raised his bow and nocked an arrow, his gaze fixed intently on the area beyond the cliff.

Beep!

At the soft sound, Bai Li began firing rapidly, pulling arrows from the ground one after another and shooting at the drones in midair.

After firing all ten arrows, Bai Li looked as if all his strength had been drained away, his whole body going slack.

"Fifty-five rings!"

Bai Li shook his head, deeply dissatisfied with his score.

The second finalist performed even worse. Three arrows missed the target or went over time, earning only twenty-five rings. He was so angry he nearly threw down his bow.

Then came Fang Yinping.

She had advanced all the way to the final four as well, performing excellently in the ninth round, second only to Ji Xinghuo.

Ji Xinghuo watched her fire arrow after arrow. Every one hit its target, and the ring counts were not low. In the final tally, she scored sixty-one rings, temporarily taking first place.

Fang Yinping was very satisfied and waved as she accepted the audience's cheers.

As she passed Ji Xinghuo on her way off while he was coming on, she said quietly, "Good luck!"

Ji Xinghuo gave a slight nod.

Standing at the shooting position, his heart was completely calm, because he knew he had already won the championship. All that remained was to go through the motions.

But the audience did not know that, and they grew nervous for Ji Xinghuo instead.

Beep!

The moment the buzzer sounded, Ji Xinghuo fired his first arrow. Before many spectators could even see the result, his second arrow was already flying.

Although the drones flew faster than in the previous three rounds, their trajectories were more complicated, and the area was larger.

Before the Myriad Stellar Eye, however, there was not much difference.

Ji Xinghuo calmly fired all ten arrows.

Every arrow hit a lit drone target, though due to the limits of his own strength and control, he could not land every shot in the bullseye. To the spectators, his movements were pleasing to watch—precise and smooth, like an emotionless archery machine.

"Seventy-two rings!"

The chief referee shouted loudly, and the score appeared on the big screen.

The champion had been decided! "Wah..."

The spectators all rose to their feet and applauded enthusiastically.

Even Fang Yinping had to admire him, because it was the best tenth-round score in the history of the Shoot Leaf Cup.

The award ceremony began soon afterward. Bai Li took third place, while Fang Yinping was the runner-up. Two archery hall directors presented their awards respectively.

Yang Tianqing presented the championship award.

The Super Esper took the stage with a broad smile, holding a golden trophy shaped like an archer. He announced loudly to the crowd, "I now declare Ji Xinghuo the champion of the fifteenth Shoot Leaf Cup!" He handed the trophy to Ji Xinghuo and said with a smile, "Congratulations."

"Thank you, Director."

Ji Xinghuo raised the trophy in one hand to show everyone, drawing another round of applause. Someone took photos, and then the competition came to an end.