Chapter 900: Chapter 37 Batron Festival_4
"Great——" Applause erupted from all directions, and all the Yanli people around cheered. They were thrilled to see this young man from an Alien Race, who wasn’t particularly robust, manage to draw their revered magical bow. How could they not be ecstatic? Ah Dai’s hands were already trembling slightly, having exerted all his strength. As he loosened his grip with his right hand, the arrow shot out like a meteor chasing the moon, leaving only a faint trace in the sky. Everyone’s gaze involuntarily shifted to Ah Dai’s target. However, what they didn’t know was that this was Ah Dai’s first time shooting an arrow. Although the arrow was successfully launched and flew straight, it was significantly off the mark.
With a thunderous "boom," everyone watched dumbfounded as target number seven shattered into pieces. Having nearly exhausted his strength with that shot, Ah Dai felt as if he had been drained of his power and crouched on the ground, gasping for breath, unable to recover from the overexertion. It was simply impossible for him to shoot a second arrow. While the bow was indeed superb, the arrow was too ordinary, or else it wouldn’t have exploded the target instead of piercing it through.
Xuan Yue ran over excitedly, and by now, no one had the mind to stop her. She took Ah Dai’s hand and said, "Dai Dai, you were amazing! You said you didn’t know how to shoot, but look, you blew up the target." Yan Shi also came over and took the black iron bow from Ah Dai’s hand, giving it a light tug. He couldn’t help but be profoundly moved and admired, "What a formidable bow!"
The judge spoke with some difficulty, "Contestant number forty-eight, zero points for the first arrow. Do you wish to continue?"
Xuan Yue, shocked, said, "What? Are you sure about that? Even if the target is blown up, it shouldn’t be zero points."
The judge gave a wry smile, "If he blew up his own target, I would definitely score it as ten points. Unfortunately, he hit someone else’s, target number seven."
Only then did Xuan Yue notice that Ah Dai was at position number eight and was instantly at a loss for words. By that time, under the effect of True Qi, Ah Dai had mostly recovered, standing up to say, "I’m sorry, Yue Yue, the draw weight of the bow was too great; I’m afraid I can’t pull a second one." Because he hadn’t used his full strength from the start, his right arm was now somewhat injured. And, even if he had been full of energy, it would have been impossible for him to draw the stiff bow a second time in a row.
Xuan Yue, seeing Ah Dai bowing his head as if he had made a mistake, felt a pang of heartache. She held Ah Dai’s hand and said, "It’s okay, if you can’t do it, then let’s just forget it. We don’t have to win the competition."
Ah Dai, looking into Xuan Yue’s concerned eyes, resolutely said to the judge, "I forfeit."
His declaration immediately shocked the onlookers, and there was an uproar across the field. The judge said, "Young man, you could try with a lighter bow!"
Ah Dai gave a bitter smile and said, "No need. My archery is really too poor, I might end up hitting someone’s target again." He then took Xuan Yue’s hand and ran off the field.
Once they reached a quiet spot with fewer people, Ah Dai stopped, sat down abruptly, and said, "That bow was really tough; the Yanli people are truly formidable!"
"Well, brother, even I have to admire your strength! Not everyone can draw that bow. I just tried it, and to fully draw the bow, one would need a strength of over three thousand pounds. That’s something I can’t do. It seems your skills have improved again. If I’m not wrong, that bow is normally not used by anyone."
Tubari ran over as well, an excited expression on his face as he gave Ah Dai a thumbs-up, "Little brother, you’re really something. The black iron bow is a treasure among our Yanli people, and I didn’t expect you could actually draw it."
Ah Dai blushed and said, "But I’m really bad at archery, I’m truly sorry."
Tubari laughed heartily and replied, "No worries, the participation is what matters. The equestrian competition is about to start, you guys should watch." Sure enough, on one side of the clearing, hundreds of fine horses stood poised for action. With the sound of a clear whistling, almost simultaneously, the Yanli Knights spurred their steeds into a dash. Yan Li’s figure was clearly visible among the crowd as he rode a chestnut horse.
Yan Li, his face lit with excitement, urged his horse into a relentless gallop, racing eastward. As the herd vanished from sight, Yan Li had already made it into the top ten.
Tubari exclaimed in admiration, "Brother Yan Li’s doing great! Xiao Hong isn’t the best horse in our tribe, but making it to the front is already quite an achievement."
Ah Dai, feeling somewhat reinvigorated, asserted, "Brother Yan Li will definitely come back in first place."
As the equestrian competition began, the wrestling matches on the other side saw a sizable number of spectators leave to watch, leaving the area sparsely populated. Xuan Yue, holding onto Ah Dai’s arm, suggested, "Ah Dai, Yan Shi brother, let’s go watch the wrestling."
The wrestling competition had also entered a heated stage, with only the last four warriors still competing in the arena. The victor of this match would advance to the final contest.
The four burly men in the arena were bare-chested. Except for one who was slightly shorter, the rest were as tall and formidable as Yan Shi. They employed moves like pulling, pushing, hooking, and tripping to the limit, resulting in a deadlocked confrontation.
