(PS: This book is set in a fictional fantasy dynasty and has nothing to do with the historical rules of the Martial Examination.)
Archery was a rule established by Great Yan's Emperor Taizu. In truth, ordinary bows and arrows were of little use once a Martial Master reached the embracing elixir force realm, but the rule could hardly be abolished, so archery remained one of the assessment criteria for the Preliminary Trial.
Of course, these Martial Examination candidates had all previously passed the Martial Scholar examination and had diligently practiced archery and horsemanship afterward.
Soon, twenty lanes, spaced some distance apart, were marked out across the spacious Drill Grounds.
Several soldiers stood roughly thirty paces beyond the white lines on either side of each lane. They would toss a total of ten targets at irregular intervals.
Candidates were to hit as many targets as possible within the allotted time, and their results would be graded A, B, or C, each divided into upper and lower tiers. This bore some resemblance to the Martial Scholar examination.
The difference was that each candidate had used a one-stone bow in the Martial Scholar examination, whereas now they used a three-stone bow. Still, that made little difference to anyone here.
Once the lanes were ready, mounted archery, the first event of the Preliminary Trial, began.
Each candidate drew a numbered token, was assigned to one of the twenty lanes, and waited for their turn according to their number.
Zhao Feng drew lane sixteen, but his number placed him far back in the queue. Mounted archery posed no pressure for him, so he settled down to watch the others compete.
Soon, he spotted his first acquaintance: Sun Yu of the Mad Blade Sect.
With a solemn expression, Sun Yu took his bow and arrows, mounted