Chapter 191 Final Battle
Chapter 191 Final Battle (Part )
It was late at night. Xiao Xia sat cross-legged under the eaves. Above his head was a sky full of stars. The brilliant Milky Way spread across the night sky like a jade belt. All around him was silent.
Xiao Xia seemed to be immersed in another world, a world of Danxi mixed with countless air currents. For several days, he had been observing this extremely chaotic and heavy world with his mind's eye.
But after several days of intensive practice, he clearly felt that compared to the previous severe chaos, this Danxi world had become a little lighter, just as if the muddy sand in the water began to slowly settle, and the originally chaotic Danxi flow gradually showed a trace of clues.
Of course, this is not some alternate dimension. It is just an illusion he sees in his mind, a feeling from within his body.
Yuan Shoucheng was bored, drinking and looking at the night sky. He had studied the stars for decades, but never made any progress. So he gave up and passed his decades of experience to his nephew Yuan Tiangang, asking him to continue the research. He felt that it was more interesting to study the human world.
Yuan Shoucheng tilted his head and glanced at Xiao Xia who had entered deep training. He could feel the child's progress, which was indeed very fast, so fast that he was a little surprised. He was afraid that he would be able to complete the foundation building before the end of the year. If that was true, it would not be bad. He could stay for a few more days to consolidate his progress.
Yuan Shoucheng took a few sips of wine, looked at the starry sky and sighed, "The fate has already been determined by heaven. I hope he can escape the life and death catastrophe in three years!"
Two days later, the martial arts examination entered its third stage. At dawn, the Bashang military camp was packed with people, most of whom were soldiers. Today, both the A and B lists competed at the same time, attracting tens of thousands of people to watch.
After two rounds of qualifying and selection rounds, only 600 warriors entered the final battle, 300 each in the A and B rankings.
Unfortunately, Xiao Zhurong failed in the qualifying competition. The upgrade score for the A-list to enter the finals was 15 points, but Xiao Zhurong only got 11 points, far below the upgrade line.
It was not because he broke through the barrier later, but because the southern warriors paid more attention to swordsmanship. In comparison, their archery skills were generally weaker. Xiao Zhurong himself admitted that he did not put enough effort into archery.
The warriors who could enter the top 300 of the list were all masters of riding and archery, and most of them were the sons of powerful people or aristocratic families in the north.
Xiao Zhurong insisted on showing Xiao Xia how to ride a horse and hold a bow and arrow. He came to the Bashang camp as Xiao Xia's follower. Yang Zhao and Yang Feiyan also came. They were Xiao Xia's relatives and friends.
There are only two events in the finals, the A-level event is horse archery, and the B-level event is horse spear.
The carbine in List B is actually a weapon used on horseback. One factor that determines the score is the weight of the weapon, and the other is the proficiency with the weapon. Heavy weapons will definitely score higher than light weapons. An 80-jin broadsword will definitely score higher than a 20-jin spear. If one is proficient with the weapon and can perform many difficult moves, the score will also increase. However, the scoring of List B mainly depends on the referee's preference. After all, there is no standard.
But the A-list depends entirely on one's own performance. The warrior must run 200 steps within one drum beat, and then shoot at a moving target 120 steps away. The same number of arrows is required, with a basic score of 10 points, and 2 points added if hitting the vital point.
There is also a special bonus. If you can hit the moving target on the right and hit the vital point, you will get five points. This is the special bonus for shooting with both hands, so the full score for the A list is thirty-five points.
The A-list competition was held in three venues at the same time, among which Venue No. 1 was the most eye-catching. A total of thirty people participated in the competition, all of whom were top players with scores of more than 20 points in the preferential test.
Nearly a hundred people, including King Yang Liang of Han, officials from the Ministry of War, and royal dignitaries who came to watch the match, gathered in the stands next to the No. 1 field of Jiabang. Both sides of the stands were filled with soldiers sitting on the ground. There were huge crowds of people, waving flags, shouting, and the atmosphere was very lively.
Yang Liang turned around and asked Dou Yan with a smile: "Excuse me, Minister Dou, how many of the three hundred people can take part in the literary examination?"
Dou Yan bowed and said, "Your Highness, according to the plan approved by the Emperor, one hundred of the three hundred will be selected to take the literary examination, and after the literary examination, twenty will be admitted as military scholars. Finally, ten will be selected for an interview to determine the top three."
Yang Liang nodded. "Three hundred people are going to eliminate two hundred?"
"The requirements for horseback archery are very high. Many people are good at foot archery, but not necessarily very good at horseback archery. Admitting 100 people as military candidates is actually not a low number."
Yang Liang smiled and looked at Zheng Yu, a doctor from the Ministry of War, who was standing in the distance. Zheng Yu nodded to him silently. Yang Liang withdrew his gaze and looked at the stadium expressionlessly.
He wanted to ensure Pei Xingyan won the first prize, so this archery test was crucial. He could do something small and make it invisible to others, so that Xiao Xia would not get full marks, especially the extra points for the last two archery, which were five points. If Pei Xingyan got it and Xiao Xia didn't, Pei Xingyan would surpass Xiao Xia by four points. As for the literary test, Pei Xingyan studied at the Pei family school, so his literary talent was not low, at least not lower than Xiao Xia.
In the greenhouse far away, the thirty participating warriors were ready. They drew lots to decide the order of appearance. Xiao Xia drew the twentieth place and Pei Xingyan drew the fifteenth place.
Xiao Xia walked up to Mr. Song and said with a smile, "General Song, long time no see!"
Song Laosheng quickly saluted, "Mr. Xiao!"
Song Laosheng also knew that Xiao Xia was the son of the Prince of Jin. He sighed again and said, "It's a pity that I didn't follow you into the Turkic camp. It's a lifelong regret!"
Although it was a bit exaggerated, Mr. Song was very good at speaking, and Xiao Xia felt comfortable listening to him. Xiao Xia smiled and said, "That day will definitely come!"
The martial arts competition began. The first person to appear was Yu Beihai, from the Longyou Army. He was a Lang Jiang. He scored 20 points in the preferential examination and was skilled in riding and shooting.
He held a stone bow in his hand and a quiver on his back. When the drum sounded, he immediately galloped on his horse. Everyone was watching him. He was everyone's experience and also everyone's lesson. He had to run two hundred steps before the drum sounded. If he couldn't do that, he would be eliminated directly.
So everyone wants to know how long a drum session lasts and what speed is required to ensure that they will not be eliminated.
Yu Beihai ran very fast, drawing his bow and arrows all the way. Just as he crossed the white line, the drum stopped. He had hit eight out of ten arrows, three of which hit vital points, and scored fourteen points. As for shooting with his left and right arrows, he did not have time to consider it. What was particularly regrettable was that he did not have enough time to think about the last two arrows. He shot them in a hurry and both missed the target.
It was obvious that he was eliminated, and Yu Beihai left with a frustrated look on his face.
With the first person's demonstration, everyone understood that they had to run at high speed and had to shoot arrows as much as possible in the early stage, otherwise it would be too hasty in the later stage and easy to fail.
Most people hold the bow with their left hand, take the arrow and pull the string with their right hand, and shoot at the target on the left. The left hand is auxiliary and the right hand is main. This is the right way.
So Xiao Xia paid special attention to the target on the right, which was related to shooting with both hands. He had practiced with his left hand when practicing flying needles and flying knives. During the past six months when he went to Tuyuhun and Bashu, Xiao Xia also practiced archery hard on the way. Shooting with both hands was no problem for him.
The first person shot the arrow, and the moving target on the right appeared three times. Whether he hit it three times or once, the result was the same, which was five points extra. However, three times it appeared meant there were three chances. Unfortunately, Yu Beihai had no chance to change hands and shoot the target on the right.
The second warrior came out next. He was a little better than the first warrior, Yu Beihai. He hit nine out of ten arrows, three of which were vital points, and scored fifteen points.
Xiao Xia frowned. The moving target on the right of the second person only appeared once. In other words, the moving target on the right appeared randomly, once or multiple times.
The warriors appeared one after another.
The thirteenth person to appear is Wu Yunzhao, the second-in-command under the prince. His internal strength has exceeded the seventh level. His brother Wu Tianxi's internal strength is also between the seventh and eighth levels. It is said that the number one guard Xiong Kuohai has an internal strength of the eighth level.
Wu Yunzhao was originally called Wu Lian, but Wu Lian was not his real name. No one knew the true identities of the two brothers.
Even the Crown Prince didn't know, but what Crown Prince Yang Yong was attracted by was not their status, but the outstanding martial arts of the two brothers.
Xiao Xia didn't know why the prince was so obsessed with the Romance of Sui and Tang Dynasties. Even if he was traveling through time, he should have stopped at the right time. Just like himself, he had never thought of changing anyone's name.
Unless he wants to build a world of romance, Xiao Xia's heart moved. Could it be that the prince wants to create a world of romance of Sui and Tang dynasties?
At this time, the drum stopped, Wu Yunzhao scored 32 points and is currently ranked first.
(End of this chapter)