62: Chapter 0062 The Chosen One

Chen Chuan and another Mu Family Army Lieutenant led the charge!

The rules of the competition were simple: ride a horse and cross obstacles like hurdles and slopes.

While riding, they had to shoot all ten arrows from their quiver.

Within the time limit, the horse had to reach the finish line, and all arrows had to be fired.

The targets were placed at distances ranging from fifty to one hundred meters; the further the target, the higher the score.

The two tossed a coin to decide the order, and Chen Chuan went first.

Although he specialized in the sword, his martial arts foundation was solid and his body control was strong, so he learned mounted archery faster than most.

He galloped along, drawing his bow and firing arrows that struck the targets like thunderbolts with precision.

Almost all his arrows landed on targets over sixty meters away.

Seeing this, his opponent's face grew solemn, clearly feeling the pressure.

To overtake Chen Chuan, that Mu Family cavalryman specifically chose targets beyond sixty meters as well.

But because his strength wasn't steady enough, he missed one target.

"First round, Chen Chuan wins!"

General Zhao Kuan announced expressionlessly.

With a good start, the garrison and the Border Army erupted in cheers.

The hundred or so members of the Mu Family Army weren't too discouraged and still looked confident.

As expected, the next three rounds were deadlocked.

Compared to Chen Chuan, the remaining few hadn't practiced martial arts for long; their skills were purely external, with no inner power.

Consequently, their breathing was uneven, and their performance was unstable.

After four rounds, the score was tied at two to two!

In the final round, all eyes fell upon Li Xu and General Wu Jinzhe.

Seven days ago, Li Xu was just a horse groom, while General Wu Jinzhe was already a veteran general of a hundred battles.

Such a disparity in status made many commoners find it unbelievable.

"No need to toss a coin. Li Xu, you choose. Who goes first?"

General Wu Jinzhe knew very well that it was already somewhat unfair for him to compete personally.

But for the sake of the Mu Family Army's prestige, he could not lose; he had to win!

So, to salvage some self-respect, he let Li Xu choose the order.

Li Xu thought for a moment. "General first, please."

"Good!"

General Wu Jinzhe didn't waste words; he set off on his horse like a bolt of lightning.

For a battle-hardened general like him, riding a horse was as natural as running.

Drawing his bow and firing arrows, it was all done in one smooth motion!

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—"

All ten arrows hit targets at eighty or even ninety meters.

The entire field erupted in cheers and gasps of amazement!

Mu Wanying also clapped, feeling proud of the Mu Family Army.

Li Xu's expression was grave; it was obvious that General Wu Jinzhe had almost maxed out the score.

However, thinking of Lin Xiao's words about 'building a career'... a surge of heroic passion rose in his chest!

To live up to Commander Lin's trust, he had to give it his all!

"Hya!"

With the sound of galloping hooves, Li Xu began his charge.

He drew his bow and notched his arrows with fluid movements; though he lacked some of General Wu Jinzhe's power, he possessed more elegance and agility!

Crucially, the force of the arrows he fired was not weak at all!

"Thud, thud, thud—"

The arrows landed on the targets, all at distances of eighty to ninety meters!

And when the final arrow was fired, and everyone's hearts were in their throats—

Suddenly! Did the arrow fly off course?!

The arrow traced a high arc and then rapidly plummeted!

Just when everyone thought he had failed, the arrow slammed through a target a hundred meters away!!

"Whoosh!—"

The cheers and applause from the crowd were thunderous!!

General Wu Jinzhe was also shocked; if this arrow were aimed at someone on a battlefield, it would be fatal and impossible to guard against!!

Lin Xiao couldn't hide his smirk; the 'Sharpshooter' trait was no joke, right?

He discovered that after seven days of intensive training, the cultivation of each of the five men he had chosen had increased.

The most astonishing was Li Xu; his archery cultivation, originally at 31 years, had actually risen to 35 years!

[Li Xu, 22 years old, Baishui City Garrison cavalry, Aptitude: mystic grade]

[Technique: Falling Goose Divine Arrow (35 years cultivation), modified by Li Xu from the Falling Goose Archery; the arrows take tricky paths, making them impossible to guard against. Grade: mystic grade]

[Traits: Sharpshooter (Special), Cavalry, Horse Groom]

"Good heavens! He even improved the technique himself and advanced his archery!"

This was a result of gaining insights into key issues, leading to rapid improvement!

Lin Xiao realized that as long as he trained them well, the combat power of his soldiers would increase significantly without having to wait too long!

"Young Miss, this general is incompetent and has brought shame to the Mu Family Army. Please punish me!"

General Wu Jinzhe brought several cavalrymen to Mu Wanying to ask for punishment.

"General Wu, victory and defeat are common in war. This competition wasn't meant to punish anyone, but simply to help you see the reality."

Wanying smiled. "Now you should acknowledge Commander Lin's training methods, shouldn't you?"

General Wu Jinzhe looked ashamed and cupped his fists. "I am thoroughly convinced! I hope Commander Lin can enlighten me: why were Li Xu and the others able to improve so quickly in just seven days?"

Not only did General Wu Jinzhe not understand, but General Zhao Kuan and the other soldiers were also completely puzzled.

After all, they knew very well what the original level of these five men was; they were clearly a tier below.

"To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools."

Lin Xiao pointed to Old Yu nearby. "I invited this master craftsman to tailor-adjust their bows, arrows, saddles, and other equipment."

General Wu Jinzhe was stunned. "It's that simple?"

"It seems simple, but there are specialized fields. Without professional guidance, one can never take that step!"

Lin Xiao smiled. "They already had high talent for mounted archery; they just lacked guidance and confidence."

"Your Mu Family Army is the same. By being complacent and stuck in your ways, you cannot continue to improve. Today's defeat is the best proof!"

General Zhao Kuan and the others nodded repeatedly, finding his words more and more reasonable the more they thought about them.

"Little brother, you are truly talented! We have learned much!"

"Commander Lin, I was short-sighted. I hope you won't hold it against me and can guide our brothers in the Mu Family Army!"

"General Wu, please rise. Wanying is my woman; I will naturally do my best to help the Mu Family Army regain its prestige!"

Hearing this, a flash of tenderness and joy appeared in Wanying's eyes.

She had originally worried that the Mu Family Army wouldn't be able to integrate into this new environment, but it seemed she had worried unnecessarily.

Watching Lin Xiao turn seemingly impossible things into possibilities step by step, Wanying felt more and more that it was providence that led her to meet this ideal match.

If she hadn't been in front of the entire army and felt embarrassed, Wanying would have wanted to throw herself at him...

An exciting mounted archery competition allowed the garrison and the Mu Family Army to set aside their prejudices.

The commoners also cheered in delight, marveling at Lin Xiao's ability to train soldiers and feeling deeply that his previous military achievements were truly not due to luck.

Lin Xiao certainly didn't forget the contributor Old Yu; he sent someone to buy ten jars of Xinghua Village wine from Su Wansha at a high price and delivered them to Old Yu.

Not only that, he also had Old Yu move into the Prefects Mansion and arranged a nice guest room specifically for him.

Old Yu was somewhat overwhelmed by the favor; holding the wine jars, he felt a bit afraid.

"My Lord, you won't give me another task that could get my head cut off, will you?"

Lin Xiao didn't waste words and handed the drawings he had made to the old man.

"Take a look. Can this thing be built?"

Old Yu was puzzled at first and just glanced at what the drawings were.

"Who drew this... it's far too crude..."

The old man couldn't help but chuckle at first, but as he looked closer, his brow furrowed.

"Eh?"

He let go of the wine jars and picked up the drawings, his cloudy eyes gradually brightening!