Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 579 - 578: Hit the Bullseye, Everyone Still Looks Down on Him
"You!" The young master turned furiously, but turning around was like facing a wall, having to strain his neck just to see Tian Peng’s face.
The momentum changed instantly, and with it his voice became even weaker.
"What’s the matter?" Tian Peng asked, "Can’t keep your own dog in check, so I have to do it for you?"
The young master didn’t dare to say much, just turned his face away, directing all his anger at his own servant.
"What’s wrong with you? We are here to participate in the martial arts examination, not to cause trouble. Stop talking nonsense. If other young masters hear it, it won’t reflect well on our estate."
He cleverly didn’t say it was because he was afraid of Tian Peng, but instead mentioned the bad influence on their estate.
It not only shut the servant up but also saved his own face.
The servant had wanted to talk back, but Tian Peng’s overwhelming presence as he walked in made it clear that offending him wasn’t an option.
Seeing that even this young master was so perceptive, Tian Peng didn’t get angry; he just nodded and followed the main group into the examination arena.
The arena was vast, mainly for testing horseback archery, with three events in total.
The first event was shooting targets from horseback, with scores determined by how close to the center of the target one hit.
The second event involved walking the horse through the middle of the arena and then shooting the target’s center.
The third event was more difficult; the horse moved while the target also moved. Barely anyone could hit the bullseye directly, at least not in the past few years’ examinations.
The first event tested horseback target shooting, with the Military Officer reading off names from a list.
Tian Peng had originally thought that these coddled children of officials wouldn’t be able to hit the target, but they mounted their horses, drew their longbows, and actually looked rather impressive.
Five people were tested in succession; three hit the bullseye and two hit the eighth ring. The scores were quite good.
Tian Peng raised an eyebrow; he had underestimated these official offspring.
The targets were set more than twenty meters away, the young lords held their bows in very proper stances, and upon hitting the bullseye, they didn’t show excessive excitement, maintaining the composure befitting of officials’ progeny.
These had clearly had some training. Tian Peng nodded; he’d thought as much. The Emperor seemed like a good ruler; how could he allow his Military Officers to act otherwise?
However, judging now was still too early; it was only the beginning. There were many more events, and these offspring of officials still needed to be assessed.
Soon it was Tian Peng’s turn. He was the last to go on, and the young masters who had finished were looking at Tian Peng with expressions anticipating a joke. Some even said,
"You commoner, you’ve probably never touched a horse, right? Do you even know how to mount one?"
Tian Peng, having worn out his temper in the mortal world, picked up his bow and arrows with a smile, "Whether I’ve seen a horse or not is none of your concern."
After saying this, he placed a hand on the saddle and pushed off the ground with his feet, soaring into the air and landing firmly on the horse.
The officials’ children, who had been ready to laugh, were stunned. Not only could this man ride, but his mounting style was also so dashing.
They had all mounted their horses leisurely with the help of the saddle, some even needing servants to assist them.
"Being able to mount a horse is no big deal. Hitting the bullseye is what shows real skill," said the young master who had been frightened by Tian Peng.
He held a grudge but wasn’t wrong in this aspect. Some young masters, influenced by his words, felt what he said was quite true.
Others, impressed by Tian Peng’s dashing way of mounting the horse, felt that since his mount was so graceful,—not just for show but also a display of his strength—if they didn’t have the arm strength, they wouldn’t be able to mount like that either.
Tian Peng mounted his horse and fixed his gaze on the bullseye. To him, hitting the bullseye was even simpler than making a cup of milk tea.
He glanced at the bullseye, didn’t even take aim, and simply released the bowstring.
The examiner sighed inwardly upon seeing Tian Peng’s casual attitude. "Could he be giving up already?" he thought. "Just a look at the target and he shoots. There’s simply no way that the arrow could hit the bullseye."
It wasn’t just the examiner. Even the onlooking young masters jeered, "Is that it? I thought he was supposed to be impressive, but he didn’t even aim before shooting the arrow. Could it be that he knows he can’t score well and is trying to salvage some face in this manner?"
Before the words of the young master had even finished echoing, the score announcer struck the gong, "Hit the bullseye."
Tian Peng didn’t even look back; he dismounted from his horse straight away.
For him, this was child’s play, a game he would not have bothered with eight hundred years ago. Yet, it was being used as a test. He wasn’t sure if it was his own strength or the mediocrity of these mortals.
After the score was announced, the young masters’ eyes widened, "What happened? That guy, he didn’t even take aim and he hit the bullseye?!"
"How is that possible? Is he cheating?" cried one of the young masters.
"Cough cough, everyone here is watching," the examiner quickly clarified to prevent any accusations of cheating.
In truth, everyone knew Tian Peng hadn’t cheated. Archery wasn’t like a literary exam where cheating was possible.
Archery depended solely on oneself, and since the first event required both target and contestant to remain still, it was the simplest event. There would be no need to cheat, even if one wanted to.
The young master said it offhandedly; he still looked down on Tian Peng and was having difficulty accepting that Tian Peng’s mounted archery was so good.
"But it’s only the first event. It might just be luck. After all, drawing a bow and shooting are merely two steps. The real challenge is yet to come," said another young master.
"Right! It’s only the first event. Just you wait, there’s worse to come for you."
Tian Peng found it amusing. It was only archery, yet it was treated as if he had done something despicable.
After the first event was over, Tian Peng’s name was followed by a ten on the list.
All these scores would be totaled up later, and the one with the highest score would be considered the top candidate in the martial examination, the martial arts champion.
In the past, the martial arts champion and the Top Scholar of the imperial examination were of equal prestige. Not anymore.
The value of becoming a martial arts champion was not the same as that of the Top Scholar, but contrary to the Top Scholar, the martial arts champion was certain to receive respect from all the Officials after winning the title.
Tian Peng casually placed the bow and arrow aside and returned to the waiting hall.
The young master who had been the first to arrive looked at Tian Peng differently now.
If Tian Peng was not mistaken, this young master was the one already destined to be the martial arts champion.
When Tian Peng met his gaze, the young master indifferently shifted his eyes away.
As if it had been accidental that their eyes met. Although Tian Peng had shown a glimpse of his ability, it didn’t mean much to him.
He shared the same thought as the other young masters: Tian Peng hitting the bullseye must have been mere coincidence.
The second event was to ride around the field on horseback and then shoot the arrow at a designated spot. Points would still be based on the number of rings on the bullseye.
This task was slightly more difficult; the designated spots were not fixed, varying from one person to the next, all dependent on the staff’s discretion.
If one stayed in the designated spot for more than fifteen minutes, it would be considered cheating.
