In the archery field.
One figure practiced archery without tiring, while another watched nearby.
The former was naturally Hong Ming. His progress was a little hard to look at.
After half a day of training, he could only hit the edge of the target when luck happened to be on his side.
Li Mo had grown used to it. As he watched, he corrected Hong Ming and offered pointers.
"Li Mo, when did new recruits arrive at our camp? How come I didn't know?"
A soldier had noticed what was happening at the archery field. He walked over at an unhurried pace and greeted Li Mo.
The newcomer was Yu Bin, Li Mo's friend. He and Hong Ming both belonged to the Third Battalion.
Recognizing him by his voice, Li Mo answered without turning around. "Squad Leader Han assigned him to me this morning."
"That can't be right. I remember our battalion isn't short on men!" Yu Bin said, puzzled.
Li Mo shook his head slightly. "Then I don't know."
"Could he be another well-connected recruit who got foisted on our Third Battalion?" Yu Bin guessed.
It was hardly unusual for the various camps to swap friends and relatives. He was already used to it.
Not looking further into it, Yu Bin turned to watch Hong Ming practice and asked curiously, "Li Mo, how's his talent for archery? How does he compare with Shen Lin, the one I trained?"
"Compare him with Shen Lin? If you came to brag, just say so. You don't have to beat around the bush!" Li Mo shot Yu Bin a sideways glance.
Who in the entire Third Battalion didn't know that Shen Lin, whom Yu Bin had trained recently, had an extraordinary gift for archery, one few could match?
When Li Mo had earlier told Hong Ming about the archer who'd set a record by hitting the target ten times in a row, Shen Lin had been the one he mentioned.
"Haha, I'm just looking out for you. After all, he's a well-connected recruit. If he's really that talented, why would he need someone to pull strings for him?"
Yu Bin ignored Li Mo's reaction, taking it as jealousy. His grin only widened.
Li Mo was silent for a while, then let out a sigh and shook his head. "Hong Ming is nowhere near Shen Lin."
Martial arts depended on one's natural build, and archery required talent too. Hong Ming clearly had neither.
After half a day of instruction, the two of them had little in common—if anything, they were worlds apart.
"Oh? The gap's that big? Then I guess you'll have to fend for yourself," Yu Bin consoled him.
For some reason, though, that consolation sounded more like gloating to Li Mo.
He glared at Yu Bin and decided he wouldn't bother talking to him for the next half hour.
But Yu Bin broke the silence almost immediately. "All right, don't sulk. There's an archery match at No. 9 Archery Field. Let's hurry over and watch."
"An archery match? What's there to see?" Li Mo wasn't interested at all.
Yu Bin pushed him along regardless. With no other choice, Li Mo called Hong Ming over and brought him along.
Archery matches were one of the archers' favorite ways to pass the time, a form of friendly competition.
They didn't test hand-to-hand combat or martial techniques, but each other's archery skills.
Sometimes they added stakes to make things more exciting, drawing crowds of spectators.
Before long, the three of them reached No. 9 Archery Field. They hadn't even entered when they saw people streaming in from every direction.
It seemed the entire Third Battalion had turned out for the match, drawn by the commotion.
They had no idea what was happening inside, but as they walked, they repeatedly heard cheers and applause as loud as crashing waves.
They were a little late. By the time they entered, the archers were already competing.
Two young men stood in the field, each holding a Black Stone Bow. To Hong Ming's surprise, he recognized one of them.
It was Shen Lin, who had entered the Preparatory Camp at the same time as him!
The other man was unfamiliar, but from the whispers around them, Hong Ming guessed he was a veteran of the Archery Battalion.
"No wonder you were in such a hurry to get me here. Shen Lin's competing."
When Li Mo spotted Shen Lin among the contestants, his expression cleared. He knew Yu Bin had something up his sleeve.
He glanced at Yu Bin and mused, "But taking on Zhao Qing already? I'm afraid he'll be outmatched."
"Let's wait and see. You never know," Yu Bin said with a mysterious smile.
Li Mo raised his brows at that and said nothing more, but his gaze on the field grew more intent.
Hong Ming listened, his expression shifting with curiosity.
He soon noticed that this archery field was much larger. The shooting line was about thirty zhang from the targets.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
As they watched, the signal sounded. Two arrows flew from their bows one after the other, streaking toward the targets like arcs of lightning.
Although the arrow on the left had been released first, it led by only a split second before the arrow on the right caught up and shot past it.
The difference was so slight that only a handful of people in the crowd noticed. It wouldn't affect the final result.
The arrow on the right struck the target first and hit the bull's-eye, its accuracy far surpassing the arrow on the left.
The winner was clear!
The crowd seemed unprepared for the outcome. After a brief silence, a wave of uproar broke out.
Even Li Mo, who'd already been warned, was taken aback. His pupils contracted almost imperceptibly as he murmured, "That kid's already brought Piercing Willow Archery to the entry level!"
There were two requirements for reaching the entry level in Piercing Willow Archery: shooting from more than a hundred meters away and hitting the target every time.
Shen Lin had already met the first requirement. He'd only fired one arrow, but since it had struck the bull's-eye, he couldn't be far from meeting the second as well.
"You lucky dog—you've struck gold!" Li Mo looked at Yu Bin with unconcealed envy.
Yu Bin thoroughly enjoyed his friend's praise. His grin nearly split his head in two.
But now he was the one acting modest. "He's doing all right. It's all thanks to his talent. I just helped a little."
Li Mo: "..."
He suddenly wanted to give the smug bastard a good beating!
He held back and admitted he understood.
If he'd trained an archer as gifted as Shen Lin, he would have been even prouder than Yu Bin.
Shen Lin had been in the Archery Battalion for barely over a month. At this rate, he would surely reach the minor mastery stage in time, and perhaps even the great mastery stage.
If he truly brought Piercing Willow Archery to great mastery, the status and treatment of their Third Battalion within the entire Archery Battalion would rise with his, and they would share in his glory.
After Shen Lin showed off his entry-level Piercing Willow Archery, the entire field became his stage.
He shone in everyone's sight like a shooting star, and when the match ended, he made a triumphant exit surrounded by admirers.
On the way back, Li Mo earnestly advised Hong Ming, "You saw the match just now. Don't slack off when you get back. Train hard and try to reach the entry level as soon as possible. The Archery Battalion isn't like the Preparatory Camp. We're always on alert here. The more strength you gain now, the less blood you'll shed on the battlefield later—and the better your chances of staying alive."
His tone was sincere. Every word came from the heart, backed by hard-earned experience.
After a pause, Li Mo added, "By the way, our Archery Battalion doesn't issue bows or crossbows. You'll have to buy your own from a shop in the Military Town."
"Got it. Thanks for the reminder, Brother Li." Hong Ming nodded firmly, showing that he'd remember.
Even without Li Mo's advice, he would train hard at archery from now on.
This was the foundation he would need to survive in the Archery Battalion. He couldn't afford to take it lightly!
But his reason for working hard was a little different from other people's: mainly, he wanted to lock in a Trait.
To his disappointment, he searched several times over but couldn't find a Trait related to archery.
The following days were no different. He came up empty every time.
The only good news during that period was that he had finally inscribed Piercing Willow Archery onto his panel.
Before you continue