One Word: Fight!

On the day before the Winter Hunt, the atmosphere on the Lin Family Guard Camp's training ground was far more grim and tense than usual. Several hundred guards and apprentices had gathered there, a dense sea of black. Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the temporary platform at the center—and on Lin Zhiyan, seated upon it in a fiery fox-fur cloak, her face cool and aloof.

Coach Qin stood before the platform like an iron tower, his voice booming like a great bell. "Tomorrow's Winter Hunt is a major matter for the Lin Family! A guard's duty weighs heavier than Mount Tai! Those selected must be skilled in both fist and footwork, and exceptional in archery! Today's matches are the final assessment! Only those outstanding in both martial arts and archery may serve as the Young Miss's Personal Guard. The rest will provide support from the perimeter!"

As his words fell, blazing light erupted in the eyes of the guards below. Becoming the Young Miss's Personal Guard wasn't merely an honor—it meant greater recognition, better resources, and a brighter future!

Li Bufan stood toward the back of the crowd, doing his best to conceal his presence. He knew that because of his "rescue" that day and the subsequent "reward" of ten lashes, quite a few people regarded him as an outsider who'd stepped in dog shit and gotten lucky. Worse still, he'd invisibly snatched away many people's places. To him, today's matches were far from a simple assessment. They were a storm aimed directly at him.

Sure enough, Coach Qin's gaze swept over the crowd before finally landing on Li Bufan. His voice betrayed neither pleasure nor anger. "Li Bufan, the Young Miss personally appointed you to hold her horse and tend her stirrups tomorrow. This is an honor, but also a responsibility. You must participate in today's matches as well, so everyone can see whether you're worthy of this trust!"

"Yes, Coach!" Li Bufan stepped forward and bowed as he accepted the order, his expression calm.

Countless gazes instantly converged on him. Some were curious, some scrutinizing, but most held undisguised jealousy, contempt, and provocation. An Apothecary Hall apprentice of lowly birth who'd been here less than half a month—what gave him the right?

The matches began soon afterward. First came the martial arts bouts, with opponents determined by drawing lots.

On the arena platform, fists cut the air and legs flashed through the air amid unceasing shouts. Those qualified to join the Winter Hunt team were at least experts at Perfected Body Nourishment or Skin Tempering Initial Insight. Their fights were fierce.

Li Bufan watched silently, gaining a clearer understanding of the Lin Family Guards' strength. Before long, it was his turn.

His first opponent was a tall, burly young guard with a face full of flesh. His name was Zhao Mang. He'd been at Skin Tempering Initial Insight for some time, and his aura was savage.

"Kid, don't think getting lucky means you can soar to the heavens in a single step!" Zhao Mang sneered. Without the slightest courtesy, he drove a heavy, powerful Mighty Ox Fist straight at Li Bufan's face, its gale-like force rushing toward him!

Li Bufan's gaze sharpened. He neither dodged nor retreated, instead meeting it with a Mighty Ox Fist of his own! Yet his punch, though launched later, arrived first. Its angle was more vicious, and as his blood and qi surged, it faintly carried a deep ox's bellow! Though the Mighty Ox Fist was a body-tempering martial art, it was still a fist technique and could naturally be used in combat.

Bang!

Their fists collided with a dull thud!

The sneer on Zhao Mang's face froze, replaced by shock and pain! He felt a tremendous force far beyond his expectations surge through his fist. His entire arm went numb with agony, and he staggered back five or six steps before barely managing to steady himself!

Li Bufan, on the other hand, merely swayed slightly, his feet rooted to the ground!

A wave of low gasps immediately rose from the crowd below!

"How is that possible?! Zhao Mang's strength isn't weak even among those at Initial Insight!"

"That punch... was that also the Mighty Ox Fist? Why did it seem different?"

"Minor Success in Skin Refining?! He's actually reached Minor Success in Skin Refining?!" someone with keen eyesight cried out, his face full of disbelief.

On the high platform, Lin Zhiyan's hand holding her teacup paused slightly, a faint trace of surprise flashing through her cool eyes. Beside her, the corner of Coach Qin's mouth seemed to twitch almost imperceptibly.

Zhao Mang was both shocked and enraged. With a furious roar, he charged again, his fists and feet lashing out like a violent tempest. Li Bufan's footwork was nimble. He combined the Mighty Ox Fist with the essentials of the Nameless Fist Technique at Minor Mastery, blocking at times, dodging at others, and occasionally counterattacking. Whenever he struck, he hit a vital point, leaving Zhao Mang in a miserable state.

After only a dozen exchanges, Li Bufan spotted an opening and struck Zhao Mang beneath the ribs with Thousands of Soldiers Split Easily. Zhao Mang screamed and collapsed to the ground, unable to get back up for a while.

"First match, Li Bufan wins!" the referee announced loudly.

The crowd below fell silent for a moment, then erupted into all manner of complicated discussion. Many of the contemptuous looks vanished, replaced by doubt and gravity.

In the next two martial arts bouts, Li Bufan's opponents grew stronger one after another. One had even nearly reached Minor Success in Skin Refining. He didn't fight easily, and he took quite a few blows himself. Yet his skin and membrane defense at Minor Mastery was astonishing, so none of them caused any real harm. Instead, relying on purer blood and qi, stronger willpower, and a deeper understanding of fist techniques, he repeatedly eked out narrow victories at crucial moments.

[Mighty Ox Fist] Minor Mastery (67/2000)

[Nameless Fist Technique] Minor Mastery (211/2000)

Three martial arts bouts, three victories!

No one below dared look down on the silent youth anymore. Yet his victory in martial arts didn't quell all hostility. Instead, some people's dissatisfaction shifted to the archery competition that followed.

"Hmph, so what if he's good with fists and feet? Hunting in the mountains relies on bows and arrows! How many times could a poor kid from the Apothecary Hall have even touched a bow?"

"Exactly. He probably can't even draw one! Let's see how he makes a fool of himself!"

The archery competition was held at the other end of the training ground, where several targets stood. The nearest was ten paces away, while the farthest was thirty paces.

The rules were simple. Each person fired ten arrows, with their total score and ability to hit distant targets determining their evaluation.

Quite a few guards drew their bows and nocked arrows. Arrows whistled through the air, and their scores were impressive, drawing waves of cheers. In particular, a Captain named Sun Yi hit the bullseye with every arrow at the Ten-Pace Target and could hit seven or eight out of ten at the Twenty-Pace Target. His archery was clearly extremely practiced, winning widespread praise. When he lowered his bow, he shot Li Bufan a cold glance, the provocation in it unmistakable.

Soon, it was Li Bufan's turn.

Countless gazes focused on him once more. This time, there was even more mockery and anticipation of a spectacle.

Li Bufan took a deep breath and picked up the old hunting bow his father had left behind. Compared to the Lin Family's standard heavy bows, it looked rather shabby.

"Tch, and he has the nerve to come up here with that broken bow?"

"His stance looks convincing enough, but what a pity..."

Li Bufan turned a deaf ear. He drew an arrow from his Quiver. Though he'd roughly polished the arrowhead, it still bore traces of rust.

He planted his feet shoulder-width apart, lowered his shoulders and elbows, and slowly drew the bow. His movements were somewhat stiff, nowhere near as smooth and dashing as Sun Yi's and the others'. Yet they were exceptionally steady. The strength and control granted by Minor Success in Skin Refining allowed him to firmly control this hard bow, which required several hundred jin of force to draw fully.

Whoosh!

The first arrow flew out, tracing an arc through the air before striking the edge of the Twenty-Pace Target with a thud. Six points.

"Ha! Just as expected, he can't do it!"

"His luck isn't bad. At least he didn't miss the target."

Li Bufan remained expressionless as he nocked another arrow. He recalled the feeling from three days of hard practice, his eyes sharp as an eagle's as they locked tightly onto the bullseye.

Whoosh! The second arrow scored seven points.

Whoosh! The third arrow scored eight points.

Whoosh! The fourth arrow scored eight points.

The laughter below gradually faded. Every arrow was improving, every arrow drawing closer to the bullseye! That rate of learning was terrifying!

Sun Yi's expression darkened slightly.

The fifth arrow, the ninth arrow... Li Bufan became completely immersed in it. The sounds of the outside world vanished, and in his eyes there remained only the bow, the arrow, and the bullseye! His movements became smoother and smoother, and a feeling of effortless mastery rose within him.

Whoosh! The tenth arrow flew!

Thud! It struck the edge of the bullseye—nine points!

At the Twenty-Pace Target, ten arrows scored a total of eighty-three points! From his initial stiffness to his later steadiness, the arc of his improvement was frighteningly clear!

The crowd below had fallen utterly silent. Many stood with their mouths open, unable to say a word.

But it wasn't over yet. Li Bufan suddenly turned toward the Thirty-Pace Target!

"What is he doing? His Twenty-Pace Target score was only barely decent, and he wants to challenge thirty paces?"

"He really doesn't know the height of heaven or the depth of earth!"

Li Bufan took a deep breath. Thirty paces was already the limit of his current practice. He drew his bow again, the muscles in his arms bulging as he pulled the string to seventy percent of its full draw!

His gaze flashed like lightning, his mind utterly focused!

Whoosh!

The arrow became a black streak as it crossed thirty paces!

Thud! With a dull impact, it embedded directly into the bullseye of the Thirty-Pace Target! Though it was slightly off-center, it was still an astonishing ten points!

One arrow! With only a single test shot, he'd hit the bullseye of the Thirty-Pace Target!

The entire field erupted in an uproar!

"This... how is this possible?!"

"He was still getting used to the Twenty-Pace Target just now..."

"What terrifying talent for archery!"

Sun Yi's expression completely darkened like water, his fists clenched tight.

On the high platform, Lin Zhiyan set down her teacup, clear surprise appearing in her beautiful eyes for the first time. Coach Qin's eyes gleamed as he stared fixedly at Li Bufan.

Li Bufan slowly lowered his bow. His arm trembled slightly, and sweat beaded at his temples. That arrow had nearly exhausted all his concentration and strength. He knew that at his current realm and with his limited practice time, that shot at the Thirty-Pace Target had been an extraordinary performance. If he fired several more arrows, he'd definitely be exposed for what he was.

But one arrow was enough!

Sure enough, Coach Qin's booming voice rang out. "Three victories in martial arts. Archery... eighty-three points at the Twenty-Pace Target, ten points at the Thirty-Pace Target! Overall evaluation: excellent! Li Bufan is selected for the Young Miss's Personal Guard!"

When the result was announced, the expressions of those below varied greatly, all immensely complicated. No matter how unwilling they were, his strength was right before their eyes. No one could question it openly.

Li Bufan let out a breath of relief and was about to step down.

"Wait!"

Suddenly, Sun Yi—the captain with exceptional archery—strode forward and cupped his hands toward the high platform. His voice carried indignation he couldn't suppress. "Coach Qin! Young Miss! I refuse to accept this! Li Bufan may have talent in archery, but he's clearly practiced for only a short time and is extremely unstable! He hit the Thirty-Pace Target with only one arrow—it was likely a fluke! The Winter Hunt concerns the Young Miss's safety. How can this be treated as a game? I request an additional contest with Li Bufan! The Thirty-Pace Moving Target! If he can still win, I will be completely convinced!"

The moment those words came out, everyone was shocked!

The Thirty-Pace Moving Target! It was an event only a small number of archers in the Guard Camp dared attempt! It required not only long range, but also predicting the target's moving path. The difficulty was extremely high! Sun Yi was clearly using this to force Li Bufan into a dead end!

Everyone's gaze turned toward Lin Zhiyan on the high platform.

Lin Zhiyan's slender fingers lightly tapped the armrest. Her cool gaze swept over Li Bufan, then moved to Sun Yi, whose face was full of defiance. After a moment, she spoke indifferently. "Granted."

One word, yet it instantly set the atmosphere below ablaze!

Li Bufan's heart sank sharply. A Thirty-Pace Moving Target was something he'd never practiced, something he'd never even considered! Most of his usual training had been against stationary targets.

This was an open scheme! They wanted to utterly shatter everything he'd just won!

Fight! He could only fight!

He raised his head and met Sun Yi's provocative gaze without the slightest retreat.

"Kid, let me witness Captain Sun's brilliant skills!"