Must Win (Setting Adjustment: Practicing Archery Can Help Break Through in Spearmanship)

.

The [Black Flood Dragon] bow hung from Jiang Qiu's left hand as he lowered his gaze slightly.

The day after tomorrow was when he would accept the challenge. If he failed to get started and couldn't achieve armor-piercing arrows, he definitely wouldn't be a match for Liu Yong of No.1 Middle School.

There was simply too little time. Tomorrow, he had to ensure high-intensity archery practice!

Wu Shan let out a long breath and murmured, "Director Zhao had valued your talent in spearmanship and hoped you could develop to your fullest potential. But now Tianshan City is facing the demon race head-on, and our Military Department has dispatched massive resources to support it. Squeezing out one additional spot in the Heavenly Prodigy Project is like wringing water from a dry towel. It's extremely difficult.

Forget it. Go back first. I'll think of a way."

"Alright."

As the conversation ended, Jiang Qiu pressed his lips together for a moment, then silently hung the bow on the wooden rack against the wall.

Click—

The moment the door opened, Jiang Qiu glanced back at the figure behind him, fists clenched and eyes shut. A resolute glint flashed through his eyes as he lightly bit down.

Thud.

The steel door shut, swallowing the archery range and Wu Shan behind it. Jiang Qiu walked out of the Elite Training Hall with his burning fists clenched. The red glow of sunset spilled across the side of his face, while the scattered shadows of his bangs obscured part of his eyes.

"Jiang Qiu!" A crisp call came from nearby. Light footsteps ran into Jiang Qiu's view. "You didn't come back to Field No. 8 all day. Did something serious happen?"

Liu Zili casually wiped away the sweat caught in her dimple, exhaled softly through her nose, and hurried after him with a slight bend at the waist.

"Yeah. Liu Yong from No.1 Middle School will come challenge me the day after tomorrow." Jiang Qiu released his fists, which were trembling faintly along his veins. "We'll compete in spearmanship and archery."

"Liu Yong?!" Liu Zili's almond-shaped eyes widened. The young man's jawline cut through the light and shadows like a blade in her eyes. "He's No.1 Middle School's top genius! Why would he challenge you? And compete in archery too?"

"My Ancient Martial Arts Spear Technique has already reached the proficient level. Breaking through further is difficult. And in the college entrance exam, the geniuses who cultivate both spear and bow score the most points, so Director Zhao applied for the Heavenly Prodigy Project for me to unlock my potential." Jiang Qiu looked into the distance as fiery clouds rolled overhead like towering waves.

"The Martial Arts Education Department hasn't approved it yet, but the Military Department is willing to give us a chance. The condition is that Liu Yong and I, both of whom want to enter the Heavenly Prodigy Project, must determine a winner. Whoever wins will move one step closer to qualifying."

It wasn't as though no one had ever entered the Ten Great Heavenly Prodigies solely through spearmanship in the college entrance exam, but it was difficult for him to raise his spearmanship to that level now.

After reaching proficiency in the Ancient Martial Spear, breaking through truly became difficult. Teacher Wu Shan had said that if he wanted to advance further at this stage, he had to practice archery—find the common ground in the movements of drawing and nocking an arrow, then incorporate it into his spear techniques. But that likewise required a long period of accumulation.

The Heavenly Prodigy Project supported all kinds of geniuses in Dual Cultivation of Spear and Bow, allowing them to seize the most points in the college entrance exam. That was the opportunity Director Zhao had fought for on his behalf. He absolutely could not waste it.

He had to win the day after tomorrow.

With that thought, Jiang Qiu slowly drew a breath and narrowed his eyes. "Competing in spearmanship is manageable. Competing in archery isn't."

"But you've never practiced archery before. That's way too unfair!" Liu Zili frowned and clenched her fists. "Still, even if you're at a disadvantage in archery, once you enter Northwest Martial Arts University and learn the bow, you'll definitely become strong after one or two years of training.

And your Martial Arts Talent is so high. In the future, you'll definitely be stronger than those students in the Heavenly Prodigy Project!"

"Yeah." Jiang Qiu chuckled. "But I can't lose to Liu Yong now, either. It's an opportunity Director Zhao personally secured from the Military Department. I can't let it go to waste in my hands."

.

Liu Zili's lips pressed together until they turned pale. Her gaze froze at the corner of her eyes, reflecting his right hand as it swung slightly with each step. The veins in that arm bulged like writhing earthworms, and the Blood Qi within had yet to settle.

She quietly clenched her palm. "Did you go to the archery range with Teacher today? Did you use a Blood Qi Bow? How many arrows did you shoot?"

"Hm?" Jiang Qiu glanced at her, his brows drawing together slightly. "Forty-one arrows."

"Forty-one arrows?!"

Liu Zili stopped short. Her chest trembled as though struck by a leather hammer, and she stared wide-eyed as she murmured, "People online say that shooting thirty arrows with a Blood Qi Bow in a single day is already the limit for someone in the Iron Flesh Realm. Any more could harm the body and affect how many arrows they can shoot the next day."

"It's fine. My body's pretty good." Jiang Qiu shoved his hands into his pockets as warm currents surged out from his heart. "Right, your wooden tub—"

"N-No need to return it." Liu Zili quickly caught up again, her chin lowered slightly. "Since you need to practice archery, soak in hot baths for a few more days. Relax your muscles."

Her soft words slipped into Jiang Qiu's ears like wool. He glanced at Liu Zili's face hidden beneath her short hair and nodded gently. "Thanks."

Their shadows, one long and one short, stretched diagonally behind them across the brick-paved sidewalk as they walked side by side toward the jagged outlines of the Slum Area streets.

Splash—

Plop.

Lying naked in the large wooden tub, Jiang Qiu slowly felt the long-accumulated soreness seep from the muscles and bones in his arms. The high-pressure streams repeatedly massaged his blood vessels. His fingers hung down to the bottom of the tub as he slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. "How far am I from becoming one of Plateau City's Ten Great Heavenly Prodigies?"

Before Plateau City first broke through the Outer City, the Ten Great Heavenly Prodigies of past years had all come from the Inner City.

After the Heavenly Prodigy Project was established, one of the Ten Great Heavenly Prodigies from the Outer City appeared every few years. They cultivated spear and bow together, merging the two paths and achieving breakthroughs.

Every high school in the Outer City took pride in having its chosen students participate in the Heavenly Prodigy Project. Sometimes, students would use the Ten Great Heavenly Prodigies and the Heavenly Prodigy Project as fantasies to brag about.

Without joining the Heavenly Prodigy Project, one couldn't access faster channels for improving in archery. It would be extremely difficult to possess both long-range and close-range combat ability before the college entrance exam, and impossible to shine like a meteor in the exam and become one of those Ten Great Heavenly Prodigies with limitless prospects.

He had thought that, with only two months left before the college entrance exam, all he could do was bury himself in spear practice and prepare for it. But Director Zhao had fought for an opportunity for him to participate in the Heavenly Prodigy Project.

At that thought, Jiang Qiu slowly closed his eyes. His five fingers curled into fists, and more than a dozen tiny blisters prickled to the surface.

"I must defeat Liu Yong and enter the Heavenly Prodigy Project."

The next morning, the main door slammed against the frame with a bang. Jiang Qiu strode through the dim alleyway, where the cracks between the bricks could barely be seen, heading toward No.8 Middle School.

A moth-circled streetlamp watched his receding back.

Soon, Jiang Qiu entered the central archery range of the Elite Training Hall. He grabbed the [Black Flood Dragon] bow from the wooden rack and casually picked up the quiver by his feet.

Thud.

He spread his legs, one forward and one back, nocked an arrow, and drew the bowstring.

Draw—

With a twist of his waist, he pulled the string back with his right arm. It hummed and trembled.

His elbow joint creaked dully like rusted gears. The patterns on the bow's grip lit up red, connecting the beads at both ends.

Twong, whoosh—

Bang!

Profound Archery practice: 1

Jiang Qiu's right arm trembled like a bronze bell. He drew in a deep breath, rested for a while, then nocked another arrow with a thud.

Draw—

Twong, whoosh—

Bang!

Profound Archery practice: 1

Profound Archery practice: 1

.

"Huff—hah—"

Jiang Qiu dropped onto the bench with a thud, sweat dripping from his chin. The [Black Flood Dragon] bow lay beside him, quietly watching as his chest rose and fell like stormy waves.

Ancient Martial Arts Archery (Not Yet Initiated)

76/100

Another day had passed, yet he could only force himself to shoot thirty-five arrows. His right arm could no longer draw the bow.

Given his current recovery, even if he practiced for most of tomorrow, he might not be able to get started. Liu Yong's challenge certainly wouldn't wait for him.

With that thought, Jiang Qiu closed his eyes and listened to the explosive pounding in his chest, silent and wordless.

Click—

Suddenly, the sound of the door opening interrupted his thoughts. He looked up to see a bespectacled figure appear in the doorway.