Chapter 129: Divine Skill

"Today's contest is of archery. Each side will fire three arrows at a target one hundred paces away. The one who hits the bullseye the most times wins," Yuchi Nan announced in a booming voice from the high platform.

Upon hearing Yuchi Nan's words, Yun Hao felt a wave of relief. It seemed Luo Yi had not been willing to throw Qin Qiong into a life-or-death situation; an archery contest was far better than other forms of competition. Going head-to-head with a monster like that would be no different from suicide. No wonder both sides had brought bows and arrows today—it was for an archery match.

"Haha! Today, I, Old Wu, would like to see what kind of skills this fancy-dan has," Wu Kui said. His voice sounded like distant thunder, muffled and heavy with nasal congestion. Based on Yun Hao's medical expertise, he concluded that this fellow was definitely suffering from severe rhinitis.

"Whether I have the skill or not, you'll know once we've competed!" Qin Qiong pulled his horse’s reins and galloped to the center of the training ground. While riding at full speed, he slung his twin maces, drew his bow, and notched an arrow. Without even aiming at the target, he released three arrows like falling stars, one after another, all striking the center. Three shots, three hits. A roar of cheers erupted from the crowd. On the platform, a hint of a smile appeared on Luo Yi’s face. His nephew was indeed capable; using him to deflate Wu Kui’s arrogance was a good idea, as it would keep the man from relying solely on his brute strength to defy him.

That old scoundrel Lai Hu'er, in order to keep him in check, had forced these two men into Beiping. One was a hulking giant, a true warrior capable of facing ten thousand, while the other was a man of devious schemes, possessing unparalleled intellect. Today’s contest was the perfect way to teach them a lesson without burning bridges, showing them exactly who the master of Beiping was.

Seeing Qin Qiong’s marksmanship, Wu Kui grinned broadly, revealing his teeth. He strode to the center of the field. Yun Hao noticed that although he wasn't on horseback, his stride was as fast as a running horse—not a bit slower than Qin Qiong. This was terrifying; he possessed weight, power, and speed. If it were a real fight with blades, he could probably topple a rhinoceros. It seemed that his reputation for tearing tigers and leopards apart with his bare hands was no exaggeration.

Yun Hao felt deeply relieved for Qin Qiong that this wasn't a direct brawl.

Wu Kui walked in front of the white line and deliberately stepped back a few paces. Despite not being mounted, he stood nearly as tall as Qin Qiong on his horse. Given his size and weight, someone like Shaquille O'Neal would look like a preschooler standing next to him.

Drawing his yellow willow wood bow to its limit, the bow bent like a full moon. Yun Hao noticed that the arrows in Wu Kui's hand were different from Qin Qiong’s. Qin Qiong’s arrows had small iron tips on hardwood shafts, with eagle feathers at the tail for balance. But Wu Kui’s arrows were not so much arrows as they were iron rods. Not only were the heads made of iron, but the shafts were as well. They were covered in jagged, wolf-tooth barbs, and the tail feathers appeared to be made of some animal cartilage—too far away to identify clearly. The polished iron arrows gleamed coldly in the chilly winter sun.

Good heavens! While everyone else was shooting arrows, this guy was shooting rebar. If one of those things pierced you, sawing it out would be a Herculean task, to say nothing of the terrifying barbs. You wouldn't be able to pull it out without tearing off a chunk of flesh, and the iron shavings would cause severe infection. Yun Hao was certain that in this era, the survival rate of being hit by such an arrow was virtually zero. He was, however, curious to see how far a meter-long steel rod could be shot.

Clearly, Yun Hao had underestimated the brute strength of the ancients. Wu Kui let out a sharp breath, and the iron arrow was launched like a bullet. With a sharp "thwack," it slammed into the target, piercing right through the two-inch-thick hardwood. The remaining momentum carried the target back more than ten paces.

Yun Hao’s jaw nearly hit the ground. My god! Is he even human? Shooting a piece of rebar a hundred paces away and still having the force to pierce the target? If this were on a battlefield, even Iron Man would be taken down.

Wu Kui smiled slightly and drew a second iron arrow. Without aiming, he fired again. The arrow struck the bullseye, and Yun Hao could vaguely see a large crack forming on the target. Before Yun Hao could even react, the third arrow was fired. He didn't even see where it hit, only that the target could no longer withstand the monstrous force. Amidst the gasps of the crowd, the target split into two halves.

My god…! He actually shattered the target!

The training ground fell into an uproar; even Luo Yi stood up from his chair. With such monstrous strength, armor was nothing but a decoration in front of him. Whether it was high-grade plate or chainmail, it was no different from paper.

Yun Hao wondered once again if this guy was even human. Was he perhaps an alien wearing human skin?

After the gasps died down, the ground became deathly silent. At this moment, the only one qualified to speak was Luo Yi, but he hadn't yet decided what to say.

"Haha! That was just shooting at inanimate objects, everyone, no need to panic. On the battlefield, who would be stupid enough to just stand there and let you shoot them? If we are to compete, let’s shoot something living," Wu Kui said, drawing another iron arrow.

Yun Hao quickly ducked behind the soldiers, while Chai Shao gritted his teeth and stood his ground. Yun Hao could retreat, but Chai Shao couldn't; if he hid now, the prestige of the Duke of Tang’s household would be ruined. The Eighteen Riders of Yan and Yun shifted imperceptibly in front of Luo Yi, their hands gripping their hilts. To kill a powerhouse like this, it would likely take all eighteen of them working in unison.

Wu Kui had no intention of killing Luo Yi; Lai Hu'er had made his instructions clear. He was here only to keep Luo Yi in check and prevent him from harboring any treacherous thoughts.

He angled his arrow upward just as an eagle happened to pass over the training ground. With the twang of the bowstring, the eagle had barely sensed danger before the iron arrow pierced its body, carrying it to the ground. The eagle flapped a few times and then went still.

The training ground fell silent once more. Such archery was unheard of. Shooting a living target was entirely different from a stationary one; it required far superior skill. He had heard that among the Turks there were "eagle shooters," and he imagined this must be the level they reached.

Everyone turned to look at Qin Qiong. At this moment, the pressure on him was immense. His opponent was simply too powerful—so powerful that he was nearly impossible to defeat.

Qin Qiong’s face darkened as he took a deep breath of the icy air. He took down his Precious Carved Bow and notched an arrow. With his left hand pushing out like a full moon and his right hand cradling the bow like a babe, he took a stance as if to shoot down the heavens.

Everyone waited for Qin Qiong to fire, but unexpectedly, he held the draw, refusing to release. Yun Hao couldn't help but break into a cold sweat for him. Qin Qiong’s bow was a five-stone bow; holding it like that was incredibly draining, and even an iron man wouldn't be able to hold it for long. Wu Kui didn't count, of course—he wasn't human at all.

"Hahaha! Are you terrified now, you coward?" Wu Kui’s thunderous voice echoed across the field.

Just as the words left Wu Kui’s lips, the bowstring twanged. A roar of astonishment, even louder than the one for Wu Kui’s shot, erupted across the field!

My god! What a divine feat!