Divine Tang Era

Chapter 180 The Assessment (Part 2)

Xu Dan wasn't satisfied with that. He said to Wu Danbo beside him, "This kind of archery is too ordinary. Find someone with more strength to throw it, and I'll demonstrate something different for everyone."

This step wasn't in the assessment!

Wu Danbo was at a loss for what to do and quickly looked at Cheng Ruxia, who in turn turned to look at Xue An.

Xue An nodded slightly. If he wanted to be listed on the "Young Scales List," he would have to show some real skills, or he would just become a laughing stock.

Seeing him nod, Cheng Ruxia gestured to Wu Danbo. Wu Danbo then beckoned to a tall, imposing, and burly man in the crowd to come and help throw the target.

The burly man strode over and stood in position holding a wooden sign.

"Throw it as high as you can, the higher the better. Throw one first, then three, and finally five." Xu Dan said to the burly man. The burly man looked at Wu Danbo, and seeing him nod, he took a deep breath, grabbed a wooden sign, and threw it high into the air with all his might.

Just as the wooden sign soared into the sky, Xu Dan drew his bow and released his arrow. But this time, he did not shoot an ordinary arrow; instead, he drew upon a wisp of fiery energy from his heart. In the blink of an eye, a crimson stream of light flowed down his arm and swiftly coiled around the arrow.

"boom"

The arrow suddenly burst into flames and burned fiercely.

In an instant, the bowstring snapped, the arrow flew, and the rocket, like a firebird, flapped its wings and cried out, streaking towards the wooden sign in the air with a blinding trail of fire. The flames pierced precisely through it, instantly reducing the wooden sign to ashes, while the firebird-like arrow, undeterred, soared straight into the sky, just before touching the clouds...

The fire had just burned out, leaving behind a gradually fading red mark.

"Impressive! To have learned the Xue family's Five Elements Arrow technique at such a young age, it's said to be very difficult to learn," said a star lord from Fengzhen Temple.

"Indeed. Putting everything else aside, this one arrow alone is enough to earn him a place on the Young Scale Ranking. He's going to shoot again; does he know a few other archery techniques?" another star lord remarked.

"Who knows?"

A glint flashed in Cheng Ruxia's eyes. Xue Anze smiled slightly and nodded gently, quite satisfied with Xu Dan's arrow.

The others had seen Xu Dan use it more or less when the ghosts were attacking the city, so they were not surprised or moved by him shooting the Five Elements Arrow.

Xu Dan did not pause and nocked another arrow onto the longbow.

Seeing that he was ready, the strong man immediately threw out three wooden plaques at the same time.

Xu Dan's eyes narrowed, and he swiftly channeled a wisp of sharp metal energy from his lungs into the arrow, instantly coating it with a chilling silver light. He released the string, and the arrow shot through the air, its silver light piercing the wooden plaque. Almost simultaneously, he took two more arrows from his quiver, channeling a wisp of mysterious water and a wisp of frost wood energy from his kidneys and liver respectively into each. The second arrow instantly became covered in a layer of mysterious water patterns, and the third arrow was instantly enveloped in a chilling aura of frost.

The two arrows were fired at the same time, and they caught up with the first arrow at an incredible speed, converging in the sky to form a three-arrow chain.

At that moment, the three arrows—Sharp Gold, Mysterious Water, and Frosty Wood—sparkled in unison, like three meteors of different colors tearing through the sky, chasing the clouds and the moon, and bursting forth with dazzling brilliance under the heavens.

"Um..."

Seeing the three Five Elements Arrows shot out at almost the same time, even Xue An, the teacher, couldn't help but take a second look.

"Wow, this little guy is just too amazing!" exclaimed a star lord from Fengzhen Temple.

"Once you get the basics of Five Elements Arrow, mastering the other elements isn't difficult. What's difficult is that he's so young yet has managed to comprehend and integrate them all," another Star Lord said slowly.

"Isn't that obvious?"

Kui Mu Xingjun gazed at the sky, his eyes deep and unfathomable, lost in thought.

"This little thing doesn't seem to have shown this skill before, does it?" Li Zhu turned her head and asked Zhu Yuxian beside her in a low voice.

"Indeed, no. I've only seen him use the Fiery Rocket before." Zhu Yuxian nodded slightly.

"That little rascal really kept it a secret. Next time I see him, I'll definitely settle this score with him," Li Zhu said with a light laugh.

Mo Jian gazed at the five-element arrow light piercing the sky and muttered to himself, "He can't cultivate Qi, but he does have some talent in cultivating blood and Qi..." As the head of the martial arts school, although he was busy all day, he still knew a little about the people and affairs within the school. He had some impression of Xu Dan, this disciple who couldn't cultivate Qi, although that impression was very faint.

After all, with such a large martial arts school, there are many complicated matters, so how could he possibly do everything personally and pay attention to every detail?

The Palace Master of Donglai Palace, Ye Jingcang, glanced at him slightly and nodded in praise, "You have already mastered three of the Five Elements; truly extraordinary."

"The demonstration isn't over yet, is it? Maybe—the five elements really can come together." Lin Qing beside him said with a smile.

Ye Jingcang stroked his long beard, a meaningful smile appearing on his lips. "If that's really the case, the younger generation of the Xue family will probably have a headache."

"Ha ha ha ha"

Lin Qing seemed to recall something amusing and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

The three arrows—Sharp Gold, Frostwood, and Mysterious Water—pierced through the wooden sign one after another, soaring into the clouds and finally disappearing into the horizon.

Immediately afterwards, the strong man threw the five wooden signs into the air at the same time.

Xu Dan calmly took five long arrows from his quiver, nocked them, and then channeled the five elements of Qi from his internal organs, infusing them into the arrows. Instantly, the five arrows—Fire, Earth, Metal, Frost, and Water—were respectively enveloped in a layer of red fire, yellow dust, white silver light, cyan frost, and black water ripples. The five colors of light simultaneously bloomed in his palm, the arrows poised to be released, their radiance intertwining, as if he held the five elements of heaven and earth within them.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh"

No sooner said than done.

Five arrows were fired simultaneously, swift as a startled swan!

The moment Xu Dan released the string, the five feathered arrows soared into the sky like five divine birds spreading their wings, trailing five dazzling streaks of red, yellow, white, blue, and black light. They intertwined in the air to form a small rainbow, unstoppable and stunningly piercing through all the wooden signs, breaking through the heavy clouds, and soaring straight into the heavens!

The audience was silent.

There had been whispers and exclamations, but now only silence remained. Everyone stood there, stunned, their hearts filled with turmoil, all deeply moved by the scene before them.

Even Xue An, the teacher, was moved. He had never imagined that Xu Dan could master the Five Elements Arrow to such an extent at such a young age.

"You said he knows the Five Elements Arrow, could he possibly...?"

"uh-huh"

Before one star lord could finish speaking, he was interrupted by another. The first star lord looked at him in confusion, and the other star lord gestured forward. Only then did he remember that the Xuan Yue Treasure Mirror, which recorded audio and video, was placed in front of him, and he quickly shut his mouth.

Master Kumo Li watched the Five Elements Arrow disappear into the sky, stroked his beard, and sighed, "What a pity for a seed of literature!"

He still couldn't forget Xu Dan's refusal to study.

Palace Master Ye Jingcang withdrew his gaze and chuckled, "With the five elements gathered, the arrow shoots like a dragon! I'm afraid some members of the Xue family won't be able to sleep at night!"

Lin Qing burst into laughter upon hearing this, seemingly anticipating some amusing scenes.

Lord Kui Mu did not withdraw his gaze until the last streak of light from the Five Elements Arrow disappeared, and then said, "Such archery skills are more than capable of slaying demons and monsters."

In fact, after Xu Dan shot the Five Elements Arrow, the result was already obvious and needed no further explanation.

Cheng Ruxia stood up excitedly, his face beaming, and announced: "Xu Dan excels in strength, agility, and skill, especially archery, and possesses immense potential in actual combat. I, along with everyone else, attest that his talent is sufficient to be listed on the Young Scale Ranking! Draft a document immediately and submit it to the prefectural government for approval!"

Congratulations poured in like a tidal wave.

Shanzhu smiled radiantly, her gaze towards Xu Dan filled with satisfaction and pride.

Zhu Yuxian nodded repeatedly, and Xiangchai's face turned red with excitement.

Xu Dan exhaled, handed the bow and arrow to the yamen runner who came to serve him, and bowed to the congratulating crowd around him in return. Sunlight shone down, illuminating his red half-sleeve and golden arm armor, making them shimmer and reflect on his still somewhat childish yet already sharp and dignified figure, making him seem like a young god, spirited and dazzling beyond compare.

The assessment was completed, and the Mysterious Moon Treasure Mirror was put away.

Kui Mu Xingjun then stepped down from the observation platform and came to Xu Dan's side, saying gently, "That was just routine business, not directed at you, please don't take offense."

"Don't worry, Star Lord, it's nothing." Xu Dan didn't take this little thing to heart at all.

Shanzhu also stepped forward and said, "During the assessment, your every word and action will be recorded in the Xuan Yue Treasure Mirror and sent to Chang'an. Therefore, no one around you should make a sound, lest they be accused of favoritism and cheating. As a member of the Fengzhen Temple, Xingjun has the responsibility of supervision, so speaking up is also to prevent anyone from saying that he is abusing his power for personal gain. You should thank Xingjun."

Upon hearing this, Xu Dan quickly cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and said, "Thank you, Star Lord."

"No need to be so polite, it's just my duty." Lord Kui Mu stepped forward to help him up.

"Dan'er, when did you learn the Five Elements Arrow?" At this moment, Xue An still couldn't believe that he had learned the Five Elements Arrow at such a young age.

In fact, Xu Dan not only learned the Five Elements Arrows, but also had almost mastered the Four Heavenly Punishment Arrows, but he couldn't reveal this, lest he "show off his talent."

"Yu Lin was destroyed by the wind," so he just lied and said, "After learning the Flaming Arrow, by chance, I slowly learned the meaning of the next few lines of arrows. I don't even remember how I learned them."

The two Fengzhen Temple Star Masters beside him felt a slight toothache. How could they be so confused about this?

They've cultivated for so long, how come they can't break through to a higher realm without even realizing it?

The two exchanged a glance, truly a case of "comparison is the thief of joy, and comparison is the thief of pride."

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