Divine Archer!

It had been agreed that holding it for three breaths would count as passing.

But Xie An held the stone lock up for six breaths. Only when his waist and arms began to feel the strain did he set the stone lock down.

He had already slowed the speed at which he lowered the stone lock considerably. Because it was too heavy, it still struck the ground with a "bang," and the floor trembled along with it.

"Good! Good!"

Elder Tang called out "Good!" twice in succession, showing just how shocked and delighted he was.

In the county seat, lifting seven hundred pounds was nothing special. But this was Wuqiao Town. Because it was in a remote location, the talented people in Tiger Wolf Gate were unwilling to come to White Feather Hall.

This branch had always lacked talent.

Seeing Elder Tang's evaluation, Zhang Lin's anxious heart finally settled. He had originally been worried that Elder Tang would not approve of Xie An and that he would be implicated.

Now that Elder Tang had spoken so highly of him, even if Xie An showed some problems in actual combat later, Elder Tang likely would not accuse him of favoritism.

After taking his seat again in the grand armchair, Elder Tang's mood had clearly improved considerably. "Have you ever practiced with weapons?"

Xie An did not hide it. "I've only practiced archery."

Elder Tang's expression darkened.

Strictly speaking, the second test was actual combat: having Tong Shan fight Xie An to verify his practical combat ability.

Perhaps Elder Tang had taken a liking to the talent before him and pitied Xie An's advanced age. Worried that Tong Shan might accidentally injure him in a fight, he felt that testing the old man's archery would work just as well.

If his archery was good enough, that was equivalent to actual combat.

"You've never practiced with weapons, so having you fight Tong Shan, who excels at saber techniques, wouldn't be fair. Archery is equally important. What size bow do you usually use?"

Xie An said, "A Two-stone Bow is the safest choice."

Xie An could lift seven hundred pounds with one arm, and according to the measurements of the Great Qian Dynasty, a Two-stone Bow had a draw weight of two hundred pounds. Of course, he could draw a Three-stone Bow.

With both arms, he could even draw a Four-stone Bow.

But in archery, a heavier bow was not necessarily better. If drawing the bow was already strenuous, it could easily cause excessive contraction of the muscles throughout the body, making the hands and feet unsteady, and the heart unsteady as well. Taking aim would then become a major problem.

Xie An estimated that a Two-stone Bow suited him best and would not affect his accuracy.

Elder Tang nodded. "Tong Shan, go fetch a Two-stone Bow."

"Yes, Elder."

Tong Shan entered the room and soon returned with a heavy bow and a quiver containing five arrows, handing them all to Xie An.

Xie An thanked him and accepted them. He gripped the bow handle with one hand and tugged at the bowstring with the other. It was not too strenuous—just right.

Elder Tang pointed to a poplar tree outside the courtyard. "There are two sparrows on the treetop, about a hundred meters from here. Give it a try."

"Yes."

Xie An agreed at once. He planted his feet firmly and faced the sparrows on the treetop. He drew out an arrow, nocked it to the bowstring, and slowly drew the bow into a full moon.

Drawing the bow was not strenuous. The muscles in his arm did not need to contract too much, so his accuracy would not be affected.

Next came aiming.

The Two-stone Bow of the Great Qian Dynasty had a draw weight of four hundred pounds. It could shoot two hundred meters, but its power dropped sharply over the latter half of that distance. Combined with the effects of gravity, this caused the trajectory to dip dramatically, making it very difficult to aim.

Over the first hundred meters, however, the arrow traveled fastest, and the drop in its trajectory was not very pronounced. Aiming was not especially difficult.

Elder Tang clearly understood the principles involved. That was why he had chosen a hundred-meter distance for the test.

Hitting a target as small as a sparrow from a hundred meters away would earn one the title of Divine Archer even in the military. The archery portion of the provincial Martial Examination only tested a range of a hundred and twenty or thirty meters.

Xie An knew exactly what was at stake. As long as he hit the sparrows, he would pass the actual-combat stage as well. By then, he would become a steward of Tiger Wolf Gate, and his life would climb onto an entirely new rung.

His future, his success or failure... all depended on this next arrow.

The pressure was truly immense.

Xie An had no choice but to take it seriously. He took several deep breaths in succession, forcing himself to remain calm under the pressure.

Xie An knew that many people possessed considerable ability in normal times, yet often performed abysmally when facing pressure. Their state of mind was not good enough; they could not withstand the pressure.

Take the many third-year high school students in his previous life, for example. They ranked near the top in their mock exams, yet once the college entrance examination arrived, they fell off the list entirely.

The imperial examinations in this world were the same.

There was no other reason—it was simply because the pressure was too great. The results of the examination had too much influence on the rest of their lives, causing examinees to become timid and hesitant.

In a word, they thought too much.

Xie An warned himself not to overthink it. He only needed to display his strength. Even if he failed, at worst he could become a deputy steward, or lie low for a few more years. It was nothing serious.

As the art of war said: A general considers defeat before victory, and thus remains undefeated through a hundred battles.

No wonder Tiger Wolf Gate had established the Hall of Merit Examination and tested practical ability on the spot. Besides verifying strength, it also meant to test one's state of mind.

Once he realized that he could accept the consequences of failure, Xie An no longer hesitated or wavered. Every distracting thought was swept away. In his eyes and in his heart, there was only the arrow in his hand and the birds on the treetop.

Before long, Xie An entered a state of near-total concentration.

He was waiting—waiting for the two sparrows to stand on the same straight line.

Shooting one was shooting. Shooting two was also shooting.

Since he was going to shoot, why not shoot both?

That would surely double Elder Tang's appreciation of him.

The three people present saw that Xie An still had not fired and assumed that the pressure was too great and he was uncertain of his aim. Even Zhang Lin could not help sweating for him.

Xie An paid no attention to what the others thought. He only patiently waited for his opportunity to appear.

At last, the two sparrows shifted positions and stood on the same straight line.

Now!

Xie An abruptly released the bowstring in his hand.

Buzz!

As the bowstring snapped back with a piercing hum, the arrow tore through the air and shot toward the treetop of the poplar outside the courtyard. The two sparrows, which had been chirping away, suddenly fell silent as the single arrow pierced through them both.

The arrow did not stop after passing through the two sparrows. Instead, it retained tremendous force and continued racing forward, finally embedding itself in a branch on the treetop with a "thunk."

The branch, as thick as a wrist, was blasted through. The poplar shook violently, sending snow cascading down.

Only then did Xie An lower his bow, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

He had withstood the pressure and displayed the level he should have.

The other three people in the courtyard were all Guan-level Martial Artists. With their Superior Senses and extraordinary eyesight, they naturally saw what had happened on the treetop.

Zhang Lin was astonished, and the way he looked at Xie An changed completely. He had thought this old man had merely reached a strength comparable to the Bronze Skin Realm, and that after he joined, Zhang Lin could keep him in check or even act as his senior.

Now he felt a little guilty.

Tong Shan, meanwhile, nodded repeatedly at Xie An, his face showing approval.

"Excellent!"

Elder Tang rose again and called out in praise. "You've passed the actual-combat test with that archery. Zhang Lin, you've recommended a Divine Archer to my Tiger Wolf Gate. Tong Shan, bring me the register."

Tong Shan took out the register and a pen. Elder Tang accepted them and was about to write Xie An's name in the register when he suddenly remembered something. "That's right, I still don't know your name?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Xie An glanced at Zhang Lin beside him. He then leaned toward Elder Tang and spoke in a voice only Elder Tang could hear. "My name is Xie An."

Elder Tang did not ask about Xie An's age or origins. Upholding Tiger Wolf Gate's fine tradition of recruiting talents without regard for their background or age, he immediately wrote Xie An's name in the register. Beneath it, he added a line: White Feather Hall steward.

Then Elder Tang had Tong Shan bring out a box of seal paste. "Press your fingerprint onto this register. From this moment on, you are a steward under my Tiger Wolf Gate."

"Yes, Elder Tang."

Xie An cupped his hands and bowed. He then pressed his right thumb into the box of seal paste, coating it with red pigment, and found his name in the register.

That line of writing stood out especially clearly: Xie An (White Feather Hall steward).

Suppressing his excitement, Xie An pressed his finger down firmly.

He knew that from this day forward, his life had stepped onto an entirely new rung.