357. Palace Examination

"What's wrong with that woman?"

Lu Ban always felt that she seemed to have a particularly strong interest in him.

If it really is the spirit of the Divine Cherry Tree, is it because of its rejection of outsiders?

Lu Ban looked at the mask again; the scars on it seemed to have increased.

"This mask allows me to disguise myself when facing Bandaged Man, and it can also be used to infiltrate certain places at certain times by taking advantage of the characteristics of Bandaged Man."

Lu Ban thought to himself.

The "mutation" level of this mask seems to mean that the person wearing the mask will turn into Bandaged Man.

The side effects are obvious: you'll hear all sorts of babbling from Corrupted Ones and Bandaged Man, and if you're unlucky, you might explode on the spot.

But Lu Ban felt that the problem wasn't too big.

If he wears it again now, it probably won't explode.

"Nice one."

After putting the mask away, Lu Ban walked around the courtyard again, but couldn't find the woman.

"Is it because I buried something next to her yesterday that she came to retaliate? How petty! She's still your family's shrine maiden, after all."

Lu Ban thought this guy was really petty and narrow-minded.

He picked up the note Amber had left for him.

The words "The palace examination will be held this afternoon; I hope you can come and take a look" were written in neat handwriting.

Lu Ban had been informed before that the Palace Examination held a very high status among the tests for priestesses, and getting the top score in the Palace Examination almost guaranteed one's chance of becoming the Head Miko.

Therefore, Amber hopes that Lu Ban can witness her surpassing everyone and becoming the well-deserved Head Miko.

After packing his things, Lu Ban went to look around the little girl, but didn't see her. When he arrived at the temple where the palace examination was being held, he found that many priestesses had gathered there to watch the competition.

The competition had not yet started, but the venue had already made Lu Ban aware of the event.

Kyudo.

This is an archery training ground.

Considering Amber's archery skills, Lu Ban felt there was no problem.

However, he had some questions: why was archery required to select the Head Miko?

Controlling pure fire should be a spell or Word Spirit, right? It feels a bit off to use something like that, which ordinary people can practice and use, as a selection process for Head Miko.

"Kyudo is an offering to the Divine Cherry Tree. The Oldest One Divine Child used a bow and arrow to exorcise demons, so Kyudo is the behavior of the Divine Cherry Tree in the region."

The aloof shrine maiden had appeared beside Lu Ban at some point. She seemed to notice Lu Ban's confusion and offered an explanation.

"At the same time, in this kind of setting, one can better see the level of one's cultivation in archery. If one cannot see the world, one cannot see the world. And as a Divine Child, the most important thing is vision. Being able to see Corrupted Ones is the most important aspect."

"I see. So it's about training your perception, right? I noticed that the Divine Child Pavilion shoots arrows very quickly every time. It seems that the Head Miko foresaw the appearance of the Corrupted Ones and was able to prepare in time."

Lu Ban seemed to be deep in thought, as if he had thought of something else.

"So, does that mean the Divine Child won't come to witness her successor?"

Lu Ban looked around but didn't see anyone who looked like the Head Miko.

"The Divine Child will not appear here; there are more important matters that require her attention."

The shrine maiden spoke in a cool, aloof tone.

"Oh, then there shouldn't be any special designation."

Lu Ban thought it was pretty good too.

He saw a witch arrive at the archery range amidst the noise. She held a longbow and arrows, her expression serious as she looked at the target in front of her.

In this environment, it was quite obvious that she seemed slightly affected, and her stance was somewhat unsteady.

Perhaps the pressure exerted by Amber is also a factor.

It's like when you've just stepped out of the game and find yourself facing a fully equipped carry. You'd probably be lucky to avoid getting tower-dived and solo-killed.

The priestess prepared herself for a moment, calmed herself, and began to shoot arrows.

Ding—

The first arrow hit the bullseye.

Even though she showed signs of nervousness, the priestess did perform exceptionally well when her shots were always on target.

"This is the most basic skill among the basics; the real test is yet to come."

The shrine maiden beside Lu Ban explained.

He saw the witch shoot another arrow.

The arrow hit the bullseye again, right next to the previous one, and now it occupies the entire bullseye.

In this way, the third arrow will definitely not hit the bullseye.

Ding—

Sure enough, the third arrow missed the bullseye because it had deviated slightly from the previous two.

The next seven arrows were rather unremarkable.

Lu Ban saw that after the last arrow was shot, the witch felt a moment of loss, but more than that, she felt relieved, as if a mission had finally come to an end.

The next few shrine maidens performed similarly; even the one bearing the Sanada Family crest only managed to hit seven arrows.

At this moment, the entire venue suddenly fell silent.

Lu Ban saw that Amber had appeared.

Compared to other priestesses, she was more petite, which made the bow in her hand appear larger as well.

Holding the arrow, her tension was palpable. She took two deep breaths, and Amber's gaze swept over the surrounding priestesses.

She saw Lu Ban.

It was only a fleeting moment of eye contact, but Lu Ban did see light in her eyes.

Amber seemed to have made up her mind.

This is how I got here—by giving up the freedom I could have had. If I lose here, it's all meaningless.

With this thought in mind, she drew the bowstring.

She closed her eyes, and all the noise around her disappeared.

Silence descended.

At that moment, Amber saw a point of light appear ahead.

Along with this point of light, she could feel the existence of her own body, like a sketch with only white lines in a completely black picture, where everything was deconstructed into the most basic elements.

"So this is what it means to see the world."

Amber can see the lights of thousands of homes outside the temple, and the black mold on the vast ocean.

She felt her heart was completely clear, as if she were one with the sky, the earth, and the ocean.

In this natural state, the arrow leaves the bowstring.

Ding—

The arrow landed squarely on the bullseye, without a doubt.

Immediately following, a second arrow came.

However, the second arrow split the first arrow into four pieces, piercing through the entire arrow from its tail and firmly embedding itself in the bullseye.

The third arrow, the fourth arrow, and ten arrows in a row, each one landing precisely where the previous one had been, without any room for argument.

All the priestesses present fell silent as Amber shot her arrow, holding their breath and concentrating until the last arrow. After hesitating for several seconds, they burst into applause and exclamations.

Lu Ban also clapped in response. He saw that Amber, who was surrounded by a group of shrine maidens, was looking in his direction and smiled. The background was cherry blossoms falling at a speed of five centimeters per second.

She will become Divine Child to protect this world. Only now does Lu Ban clearly realize this.

*

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