The low-key prince summons trainees from the Imperial Household Department at the start of the game.

In terms of the number of prey, the eldest prince was far inferior to the second prince.

But in terms of the quality of each arrow, the Crown Prince's arrows were all textbook-level precision.

On the high platform, the eyes of several important officials were closely following the movements in the hunting grounds.

Marquis Han Chong of Dingyuan crossed his arms and watched Zhou Xun's figure galloping through the forest. He couldn't help but click his tongue and say, "The Second Prince is unstoppable today. The Crimson Flame Bow is twice as powerful in his hands, which shows that the Grand Commandant has taught him well."

Marquis Chen Jing, unusually, did not argue with him, but instead looked thoughtfully in another direction.

The eldest prince, Zhou Cong, was riding his horse through a bamboo forest with a relaxed demeanor, as if he were not participating in a fierce hunt, but rather strolling leisurely in his own backyard.

"His Highness is quite calm and composed today," Chen Jing pondered. "I have a feeling that he held back. Look at the arrow he shot at the duck just now. The wind direction in the reeds was unpredictable, and the reflection on the water was dazzling. Yet he managed to hit the duck in the neck with one arrow. Such eyesight and judgment are something that no third-rank scholar could achieve."

Grand Tutor Kong Yan, who was holding his prayer beads, smiled faintly upon hearing this and did not reply.

His gaze fell on Zhou Cong's retreating figure in the distance, a hint of expectation in his eyes that was hard for others to detect.

The essence of literary cultivation lies in the word "concealment"—keeping one's talents hidden within and accumulating knowledge for future use.

He had already instructed Zhou Cong not to strive for victory in today's hunt, but simply to do what he was supposed to do.

The third event is the "Hunting and Martial Arts Demonstration," which is also the most entertaining part of the entire spring hunt.

The elite troops of the three major camps joined forces to hunt down a large beast deep within the hunting grounds.

Wild boars, black bears, and even, reportedly, a striped tiger brought in from the North this year.

They were driven into the hunting area and hunted down by the princes.

This stage tests not only individual skills, but also teamwork and command abilities.

The hunting enclosure was set up in an open valley, surrounded by a temporary fence made of thick wooden stakes and ropes.

Three layers of imperial guards, gleaming in armor and with their swords and spears drawn, surrounded the entire hunting area, making it completely impenetrable.

Emperor Wu of Zhou stood on a high place on his horse, overlooking the entire hunting grounds.

As the bugle sounded, dozens of Tiger Guard soldiers rode into the dense forest, shouting and banging gongs to drive the wild beasts hidden deep in the forest toward the hunting area.

The first to be driven out were three enormous wild boars with tusks like scimitars and bristles standing on end. As they charged out of the dense forest, they knocked down two small trees as thick as bowls.

Next came a black bear, which stood about ten feet tall when standing upright. Its paws slammed onto the rocks, sending stones flying everywhere.

Finally, there was a magnificent tiger with golden and black stripes all over its body, and a pair of emerald green eyes that gleamed in the sunlight.

When it was released from its cage, it merely glanced coldly at the shouting soldiers around it, then walked unhurriedly toward the hunting enclosure. Its composure and disdain were more chilling than any roar.

"This year's tiger is a whole size bigger than last year's, and it's probably at the fourth-rank combat strength."

Marquis Cao Jun of Anxi frowned slightly on the stage. "Commander Qin, was this tiger captured in the northern border by your Zhenwu Division?"

Qin Wu crossed his arms and said calmly, "Yes, it took three fifth-rank experts a whole day, and they even injured one. This beast has killed seven people in the Northern Territory. He's very cunning."

His gaze fell on the princes who were riding into the arena, eager to try their luck, and a cold, enigmatic smile appeared on his lips.

Zhou Xun volunteered to be the main attacker in the hunt.

He dismounted and replaced his horse with a hunting spear that was twelve feet long.

When dealing with a tiger, arrows can only be used up from a distance; to truly kill it with a single blow, you have to get close.

As he entered the hunting grounds with his spear, cheers erupted outside the hunting circle, with soldiers from the Imperial Guards and the Tiger Guards shouting encouragement for him.

The eldest prince, Zhou Cong, who had outmaneuvered him in the flag-capturing competition, was standing beside Emperor Wu of Zhou and was not participating in the hunt.

Scholars are inherently inferior to martial artists in close-quarters combat, so this aspect of the contest is destined to be Zhou Xun's stage.

The hunt begins.

The wild boar was driven to the center first. Zhou Xun stepped forward with his spear, dodging the tusks with a graceful sidestep, and the spear tip pierced the boar's throat cleanly and swiftly.

The black bear then charged, its paw slamming down with a stench. Zhou Xun parried with his spear, the shaft bending into an arc under the weight of the bear's paw, but the ground beneath his feet remained completely still.

At this moment, the blood and qi of the fourth-rank martial artist erupted in full. He let out a low shout, and with a sudden jerk of his arms, he forcefully pushed away the black bear's giant paw. Then, he took a step forward and rushed into the black bear's embrace, the spear tip piercing through its jaw and skull.

The black bear crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. Cheers erupted like a tidal wave both inside and outside the hunting enclosure. Everyone was ignited by his series of swift and decisive killing moves.

Finally, there was the tiger.

The tiger roared, and it pounced on Zhou Xun with such speed that the onlookers outside the hunting circle gasped in shock.

Zhou Xun parried with his spear, the tiger's claws colliding with the spear shaft, producing a piercing metallic clang.

Three deep claw marks were scratched on the spear shaft by the tiger's claws, and sparks flew everywhere.

Zhou Xun was so shocked by the force of the attack that he staggered back three steps, leaving two deep furrows under his feet, and his hand holding the spear went numb.

But he gritted his teeth, advancing instead of retreating, dodging the second tiger tail whip sweep, and using the momentum, he leaped up, the spear tip drawing a silver arc in the air, thrusting down at the tiger's back.

Just then, something unexpected happened.

Just as the tiger was about to be stabbed, a strange green light flashed in its eyes, its limbs suddenly swelled, and black energy swirled beneath its skin, making it nearly twice as fast as before.

It leaped to the side to avoid Zhou Xun's spear tip, and landed on all fours, its tiger head twisting sharply, its blood-red mouth snapping at Zhou Xun's waist.

The bite came too suddenly and too fast. Zhou Xun was in mid-air and had nowhere to use his strength to change his move. He was about to be bitten in the waist and abdomen.

On the high platform, Zhou Jing suddenly stood up, slammed his bamboo staff on the ground, and the stone slab beneath his feet shattered inch by inch.

He was about to make a move when Zhou Qian raised his hand and stopped him.

Zhou Qian's gaze wasn't on Zhou Xun, but rather on a certain spot on the outer edge of the hunting circle.

A figure in black armor shot into the arena like an arrow released from a bow.

Xu Chu spurred his horse and broke through the fence, crashing into the hunting enclosure. Just as the tiger's sharp teeth were about to snap shut, he stepped in front of Zhou Xun to block it.

He drew his sword with his right hand, and the blade flashed like a bolt of lightning; no one could describe how fast it was.

The tiger's massive body froze in mid-air for a moment before crashing to the ground, its blood gushing out and staining a large patch of grass red.

The tiger's head rolled to Zhou Xun's feet, its eyes still wide open, the eerie green light slowly fading away.

Zhou Xun's face paled slightly, but he quickly regained his balance and solemnly clasped his hands in thanks to Xu Chu: "Thank you, General Xu, for saving my life."

Xu Chu sheathed his sword, clasped his hands in return, and said only, "It is my duty."

Then he mounted his horse, left the hunting circle, and returned to his rightful place.

The whole process took only a few breaths. He rode back to the front of the formation with his usual calm and composed demeanor, as if the blow he had just delivered was nothing more than chopping a piece of firewood.

But everyone inside and outside the hunting circle saw that the tiger's speed had increased dramatically after the mutation, and even a fifth-rank expert might not be able to kill it with a single blow.

Xu Chu's journey from riding into the arena to beheading someone with a single stroke was so fast that no one had time to react.

Moreover, when he unleashed that strike, his aura was still at the third rank.

On the high platform, Zhou Qian's gaze lingered on Xu Chu for a long while before slowly turning to Qin Wu. His tone was calm yet carried an undeniable chill: "Commander Qin, you just said that this tiger was captured by the Zhenwu Division, and that it took three fifth-rank experts to capture it, and one of them was injured. So how did it manage to kill seven people in the Northern Territory?"

Qin Wu's face had turned ashen.

He did not answer immediately, but quickly walked down from the platform, came to the tiger carcass himself, squatted down and carefully examined it.

He dipped his finger in tiger blood, sniffed it, and his brows furrowed. Then he opened the tiger's eyes to examine the traces left in the pupils, and probed the tiger's mouth with his fingertip to feel the changes in bone deep in the gums.

A moment later, he stood up, his face so gloomy it looked like it could drip water.

"Your Majesty, this tiger has been tampered with. There is some kind of drug residue in its body that can unleash its potential when it is on the verge of death, causing its speed and strength to increase dramatically, similar to a martial artist's life-or-death method of burning its life essence. However, the side effects are extremely severe. Even if no one kills it, it will die of exhaustion after the drug's effects wear off."

He turned, his gaze sweeping across the crowd at the Imperial Horse Stables like a knife. "After this tiger was transported from the northern border to the capital, which department was responsible for its care?"