Chapter 12: The Leaf Shot Competition
Chapter 12: The Leaf Shot Competition
Three days later.
Ji Xinghuo, wearing the powered shoes that Zhong Ming had given him, glided swiftly along the park pathway.
A set of roller wheels, driven by miniature motors and housed within the soles, allowed for speeds of up to 50 kilometers per hour. The intelligent control system embedded in the soles not only maintained his balance but also sensitively gauged the force exerted by the wearer, aiding in speed and direction control.
Go when you want, stop when you need; simple to operate, and smooth in motion.
The powered shoes were the undisputed first choice for short-distance travel!
It took Ji Xinghuo less than three minutes to arrive at the Qishan Wutong Archery Hall.
The archery hall was especially bustling today, not only because it was the weekend but also due to the "Leaf Shot Cup" competition that was about to take place.
Most of the people coming and going were carrying bow bags, chatting in groups of three or four.
Like Ji Xinghuo, they were all participants in the competition.
"Yunhai!"
Ji Xinghuo paused, and the roller wheels retracted into the soles, transforming his shoes back into a regular pair of sneakers.
As he walked into the archery hall, he spotted Lu Yunhai in the crowd. Donning an eye-catching outfit with a referee insignia, Lu Yunhai was surrounded by numerous students seeking advice about the competition.
Hearing someone call his name, Lu Yunhai turned and, spotting Ji Xinghuo, walked over to ask, "How's your preparation going?"
Ji Xinghuo nodded and gave him a confident smile.
Over the past few days, he had deliberately increased his archery practice, especially for targets over 50 meters away and random targets, improving his accuracy significantly.
"You know the schedule, right?" Lu Yunhai confirmed.
"Of course."
Ji Xinghuo had received the competition schedule for the "Leaf Shot Cup" on the day he signed up and had carefully read through it twice when he got home.
The competition was divided into ten rounds, with increasing difficulty as the rounds progressed.
The first three rounds were group stages, held across the seven archery halls co-hosting the event. Participants were divided into groups and given the morning to compete, with the top 300 performers from nearly 3,000 contestants advancing to the fourth to sixth rounds of the elimination stage.
In the afternoon elimination rounds, the remaining contestants would gather at an archery field on the outskirts of Chang'an, where three more rounds would determine the top 32 archers.
The seventh to ninth rounds would see half the participants eliminated in each round.
Finally, the last four contestants would enter the tenth round to vie for the championship title!
The entire competition was packed into a single day, making for an intense schedule.
After saying a few words, Lu Yunhai walked away; as one of the judges, he had heavy responsibilities today.
Ji Xinghuo found a quiet corner in the archery hall, took out his compound bow, and calibrated it once more. The Leaf Shot Cup emphasized practical shooting, allowing the use of sights but prohibiting the installation of stabilizer bars. Additionally, each shot had to be taken within a specified time limit, with shots taken beyond the limit resulting in invalid scores.
He observed the other contestants around him and noticed that over 80% of them, like himself, used compound bows. However, most of these were target compound bows rather than hunting compound bows.
After all, this was a competition where penetrating power wasn't a requirement, so target compound bows had an advantage.
Among the remaining 20% of contestants, there were those who used traditional bows and light bows, with various models and designs adding up to dozens of different types. There were also many obscure and unusual bow varieties that were difficult to identify.
Traditional bows and light bows were more demanding in terms of archery skill, and those who dared to compete with these bows were unlikely to be weak.
Several popular contestants were using traditional bows.
They were surrounded by fans asking for autographs.
However, having only learned archery for a couple of weeks, Ji Xinghuo didn't recognize anyone in this circle besides Lu Yunhai, and likewise, no one knew him.
"The competition is about to begin."
The archery hall's broadcast sounded, and a female voice announced, "Please proceed to your respective venues according to your group assignments, contestants."
There were over 400 participants from the Qishan Wutong Archery Hall, divided into five groups, with each group assigned a separate archery range.
Ji Xinghuo made his way to the fifth floor, where contestants from his group were gradually gathering.
Several judges maintained order.
"We will now begin the first round of shooting," a judge announced loudly. "Contestants whose names and numbers are called, please step forward, four at a time, and stand in the designated shooting area. Please refrain from talking to avoid disturbing the contestants on the field."
The venue quickly fell silent.
The judge called out the names of four contestants, who lined up with fifty meters between them and the targets for the first round. Each contestant had a timer by their side.
"One-minute preparation time."
Contestants had one minute to get ready, and as soon as the time was up, they had to shoot the first arrow within three seconds. Then, after a ten-second break, they would shoot the second arrow. Each subsequent interval was ten seconds, followed by three seconds for shooting, until all ten arrows were released.
The minute passed quickly, and with a beep from the buzzer, the three-second countdown began.
Pap! Pap! Pap!
The bowstrings vibrated in unison as the four contestants simultaneously released their first arrows.
Three minutes later, this group of contestants had completed their ten shots.
Ji Xinghuo looked at the targets across from them. Although the first round was the easiest, the first group might have been too nervous to perform at their best, as only one contestant achieved a perfect score of ten rings, while the other three scored between 90 and 97 rings.
From their disappointed expressions, it was clear that they had underperformed.
The judges tallied the ring counts and recorded the scores.
"Second group, please take the field."
As one group after another completed their ten shots, Ji Xinghuo noticed that most contestants scored around 95 rings, and those who could consistently score 100 rings were few.
These exceptional contestants were almost always mutants, either rangers like himself or trackers.
"One minute to prepare," the announcer said.
Ji Xinghuo remained calm and drew an arrow, nocking it onto his 'Yi Feng' bow as he waited for the preparation time to end.
Beep!
As soon as the buzzer sounded, he swiftly released his first arrow. Pap! A perfect ten rings.
His peripheral vision caught the target beside him, also scoring a perfect ten, and the shot was released almost in sync with his own.
It was then that Ji Xinghuo noticed the person beside him, but he did not let it distract him. As soon as the ten-second interval passed, he shot his second arrow.
Another ten rings.
Ten.
Ten...
Ji Xinghuo's hands moved with speed and stability, like well-programmed mechanical arms. Each of his archery movements was identical, without the slightest deviation.
After ten arrows, he achieved a perfect score of 100 rings.
When the judges confirmed the ring count, a murmur of admiration rose from the sidelines. This group of four competitors had three perfect scores, and the remaining one was not far behind with a score of 99 rings.
Ji Xinghuo and the other two perfect scorers acknowledged each other with nods before leaving the field.
It took an hour for all the competitors to complete the first round of shooting.
The second round followed immediately.
This round involved shooting at fixed targets 70 meters away, a significant increase in difficulty. The competitors' scores showed varying degrees of decline compared to the previous round, averaging around 80 rings.
Of course, those with exceptional archery skills among the mutants maintained their high standards.
Ji Xinghuo's score for the second round was once again a perfect 100 rings.
In the third round, the targets were placed at a distance of 100 meters, greatly increasing the challenge. Many competitors missed the target, and most scores fell below 50 rings.
Ji Xinghuo, however, maintained his perfect score!
After three rounds, only a handful of competitors managed to achieve a perfect score, and they were mostly mutants. Ji Xinghuo also began to attract some attention because of his performance.
"Let's get acquainted," said the female competitor from his group, taking the initiative to introduce herself. "I'm Fang Yinping, a mid-level ranger from Chang'an."
She was around thirty years old, with a spirited face and a height of about 1.65 meters. Her well-proportioned figure was clad in a white archer's outfit, and she carried a light bow on her back, exuding a capable and agile aura.
Ji Xinghuo shook her hand briefly and nodded. "Ji Xinghuo, a novice ranger."
"Mr. Ji is quite young!" Fang Yinping had already appraised him several times and smiled as she spoke. "With such impressive archery skills, why haven't we heard of you before?"
She had already marked Ji Xinghuo as a strong competitor in this tournament.
Ji Xinghuo replied honestly, "I've only been learning archery for a short time, and this is my first time participating in a competition."
Fang Yinping was taken aback, a hint of displeasure flashing across her face as she clearly didn't believe him. She thought he was trying to pull the wool over her eyes with his story.
"Well then, I wish you luck in achieving a good ranking, Mr. Ji." With that, Fang Yinping turned and walked away.
Ji Xinghuo watched her retreating back and shook his head helplessly.
I'm telling the truth...
After the first three rounds, the competitors had a good idea of whether they would advance or not.
Most of them had come to join in the excitement and witness the skills of high-level archers. They hadn't intended to advance to the elimination rounds, so they left the archery hall after completing the three rounds.
Ji Xinghuo waited at the entrance for half an hour until Lu Yunhai finally finished his duties and joined him. The two of them then headed for lunch.
"How did you do?" Lu Yunhai asked.
Ji Xinghuo picked up his new phone, which he had been using for just a few days, and showed Lu Yunhai the screen, which displayed his competition scores and notification of advancing to the elimination rounds.
"I knew you'd make it!" Lu Yunhai exclaimed.
In the afternoon, after resting at home for an hour, Ji Xinghuo set off for an outdoor archery field located in the Zhongnan Mountains, south of Chang'an.
The field was spacious, with a large screen erected on one side of the gathering point, playing promotional videos for the 'Leaf Shot Cup'. Below the screen was a stage, and each shooting position in the field was equipped with a floating camera for live streaming, giving the venue a very official feel.
The 300 competitors who had advanced to the elimination rounds arrived one after another.
At 2 p.m., seven archery hall masters ascended the stage, five of whom were mutants.
Ji Xinghuo immediately spotted Yang Tianqing, the master of the Qishan Wutong Archery Hall, whom Lu Yunhai had often mentioned. Yang Tianqing was a super mutant with the profession template of a ranger. He possessed exceptional archery skills and formidable strength. One could only meet him by signing up for his courses.
Yang Tianqing was of medium build, neither tall nor short. His hands were empty, but anyone could tell that he was no ordinary middle-aged man.
His gaze was sharp as a blade.
Many competitors in the audience knew of Yang Tianqing, and while they looked at him with curiosity, they dared not meet his gaze.
Ji Xinghuo glanced at him a couple of times before turning away.
"Good afternoon, archers!" Yang Tianqing stood on the stage, delivering a few words of encouragement on behalf of the seven archery halls, urging the competitors to showcase their strengths and strive for top rankings. The prizes for this tournament were very attractive, with cash rewards for the top eight competitors and a grand prize of 200,000 yuan for the champion! This was slightly more than in previous years, but the competitors were not surprised, as many had come specifically for the prize money.
"Let's begin," Yang Tianqing said without further ado, immediately announcing the start of the fourth round of shooting. The competitors entered the field according to their new group assignments.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
