Chapter 1235: Seeing Through the Mystery

"My goodness, is the Centurion's challenge really to pierce that peacock feather with an arrow? That's incredibly difficult! Even with our cultivation foundations, it would be tough, unless one has accumulated countless years of archery speed, combined with incredible body control and insight, to hit it accurately!"

As expected, once the challenge was presented, even the top cultivators from the Eight Gates team hesitated, observing his reaction.

To everyone's surprise, Xu Yang maintained a calm and composed expression, a serene smile always on his face. He seemed to view this seemingly impossible and unattainable task as anything but a difficult challenge.

"Hahaha, seriously, Centurion, aren't you making this difficult? Even if we use our cultivation, our boss isn't an expert in mounted archery. Are you asking him to compete against you military elites who've practiced it for years? This archery contest feels a bit unfair!"

Big Crab tried to secure some advantages for his boss, but his words were immediately cut off by Little Hua, who stood beside him.

"Don't worry, the boss will naturally have a strategy."

Indeed, the Centurion burst out laughing. "Your boss is very strong. If I didn't propose such rules, it would be difficult for me to win.

Honestly, even I've never tried to hit such a precise target from this distance.

For me, this is a thrilling new challenge.

But I enjoy this feeling. I'm willing to risk failure for it. It's been a long time since I've met an opponent who excites me this much."

Before he finished speaking, he had already drawn his bow and nocked an arrow. An incredibly cold aura enveloped the arrow's shaft, followed by a layer of frost.

The moment frost appeared on the arrow, everyone on Xu Yang's team revealed expressions of extreme shock.

They understood the Centurion's true intention.

Sure enough, the instant the Centurion released his grip, the arrow, imbued with a frosty aura, shot skyward, transforming into a streak of icy light as it flew towards the surface of the large rock.

There was no terrifying explosion as expected. The arrow, carrying an extremely powerful frosty aura, accurately struck the surface of the large rock at the mountain peak.

It did not hit the peacock feather, but the frosty aura released by the arrow itself completely encased the entire large rock, including the helmet perched on top, in ice.

"This Centurion is clever. He knew he wasn't 100% sure he could hit the peacock feather, so he settled for a secondary approach: a method he was most confident in and that came closest to the ultimate goal. By hitting the large rock and using the frosty aura, he increased the difficulty of hitting the peacock feather."

"This way, if Xu Yang's arrow misses, it means he scores nothing."

"And the Centurion, having hit the large rock, will claim ultimate victory."

"He truly deserves his position as a Centurion of the City Guard. His mind is incredibly sharp."

"To be able to devise such a flawless scenario under these circumstances... he's given our boss an almost impossible task!"

Old Raven gently shook his head, sighing with emotion. "Has our boss been cornered? Never mind. Brothers, prepare for battle. If we lose this fight, we'll have to confront them head-on."

The moment Old Raven spoke, the members of the Eight Gates team began to condense their fighting aura.

This scene naturally startled many of the surrounding City Guard soldiers, who also secretly prepared for battle. The situation at this moment suddenly began to spiral towards being almost out of control.

The reason was simple: hardly anyone present believed Xu Yang could hit the peacock feather.

A satisfied smile appeared on the Centurion's face as he turned his gaze back to Xu Yang. "I know this round is very difficult for you. However, I can add an auxiliary condition: you may use your own archery weapon." The Fifth Prince immediately approached Xu Yang, giving him a resolute look.

"Do you need me to make arrangements?" The Fifth Prince's meaning was clear: if Xu Yang gave the word, he would immediately send someone to procure a sufficiently strong bow and arrow in the shortest possible time to help him achieve the best result.

However, Xu Yang smiled and shook his head, taking up a very ordinary military heavy bow and arrow instead.

"For an archer, the quality of the bow and arrow is certainly important, but it's never the sole factor, especially when unleashing one's greatest potential at a critical moment."

"Archers can often push their potential to the absolute limit. Today, I will make you lose wholeheartedly!"

"If I fail to hit the peacock feather with this arrow, or if I accidentally damage your helmet while hitting the feather, I will concede defeat."

Xu Yang had dug an even deeper hole for himself, completely stunning everyone around him.

"My god, boss, are you crazy? How can such conditions be met? Or is our boss deliberately increasing the difficulty to save face, knowing he'll lose anyway?"

The young scout voiced these doubts, but Little Hua remained standing, a deeper smile gracing his face. He knew Xu Yang too well; he was certain Xu Yang wouldn't speak like this without absolute confidence.

Still, Little Hua was curious: how exactly would Xu Yang manage to achieve this?

Because as it stood, even by leveraging his formidable cultivation, hitting that peacock feather should still be achievable for Xu Yang.

However, hitting the peacock feather without causing any damage to the helmet would require Xu Yang to control his power with extreme precision. Given the isolated positions of the two targets, this seemed almost impossible.

To accomplish this, extraordinary strength alone would be far from enough; too many other factors would be required.

Yet, just as various doubts and concerns filled everyone's minds, Xu Yang finally drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and began to lock onto the peacock feather.

Next, Xu Yang held nothing back, beginning to gather his immensely powerful primordial energy.

The bow itself began to emanate a dense golden light, and above them, the void of the battlefield began to churn with winds and clouds. Streaks of black qi continuously emerged as Xu Yang manipulated his aura.

No one knew what Xu Yang was about to do. Many of the City Guard soldiers even gripped their weapons tightly, fearing that with no chance of victory, Xu Yang was about to launch a direct attack on everyone.