Richard Martin stared at him for a moment, then waved his hand. “Bring it up!”

A few personal guards brought out a bow and two quivers of arrows. Each quiver contained only five arrows. Interestingly, all ten arrows were colored—five red, five black. Everyone was surprised. What was this for?

Steven Bolton’s heart stirred slightly. It seemed Richard Martin had prepared in advance: first the horse, now the arrows. This Richard Martin clearly attached extraordinary importance to Brian Thompson!

Pointing at the arrows, Richard Martin laughed and said, “This is a challenge I set in the army, and no one has succeeded so far. To be honest, I failed back then too. The rules are simple: I will shoot five red arrows, and you must intercept them all with black arrows from eighty paces away while running. Do you dare to take on this challenge?”

An exclamation erupted from the stands. The difficulty was terrifying—using arrows to intercept arrows, and while running from eighty paces away! How could that be possible?

No wonder no one had ever succeeded. All eyes turned to Brian Thompson, waiting to see how he would respond.

But Brian Thompson bowed proudly and said, “I am willing to accept the challenge!”

The news spread quickly throughout the venue. Over ten thousand people erupted in excitement. Even those unfamiliar with mounted archery knew this was nearly impossible.

Edward Thompson’s heart leapt into his throat. He clasped his hands together and silently prayed, ‘Bodhisattva, please bless my younger brother!’

At that moment, Brian Thompson’s warhorse thundered forward. He held the Shadow Bow, five black arrows on his back. Unlike the earlier five scholars’ elegance, he exuded a far more lethal aura.

The vast square instantly fell silent. Over ten thousand pairs of eyes were fixed on him. Richard Martin strode to the front of the platform, drew a red arrow, and shouted, “I’m about to shoot!”

Brian Thompson swiftly drew a black arrow as well, galloping in a straight line. At that moment, Richard Martin shot a red arrow into the sky, tracing a red arc that stood out vividly against the blue sky.

There was only a split second to act. While galloping, Brian Thompson drew his bow to a full moon, and a black arrow shot out, powerfully flying toward the red arrow eighty paces away. Over ten thousand pairs of eyes watched as one, and a collective gasp rang out—the black arrow struck the red arrow dead on, and both fell to the ground together.

Thunderous applause erupted, cheers shaking the heavens and earth. Even the high officials on the platform couldn’t help but stand and applaud. It was spectacular.

“You little rascal!”

Richard Martin cursed under his breath and shouted, “Second arrow coming!”

The second arrow was shot flat, even faster, a red streak flashing by. Brian Thompson’s black arrow was released almost simultaneously, the black shadow chasing after it. The red and black arrows collided midair, sparks flying—this time, the arrowheads struck each other.

The cheers were even more deafening, many people shouting themselves hoarse. The atmosphere was so intense it seemed the polo field would be overturned.

Richard Martin just sneered and shouted again, “Third arrow coming!”

But this time, he secretly drew two red arrows, pulled back his treasured eagle bow, and shot both at once. This wasn’t just the third arrow—it was the third and fourth arrows fired simultaneously.

However, he shot them in a high arc, giving Brian Thompson a brief chance to catch his breath.

Brian Thompson had already guessed there would be a double shot. He’d been watching Richard Martin’s hands closely and saw two red arrows drawn from the quiver. Without hesitation, he drew two black arrows.

He couldn’t shoot two arrows at once; he had to use the rapid-fire technique his master had taught him, releasing two arrows in the shortest possible time.

While galloping, Brian Thompson drew his bow to a full moon and shot two arrows in quick succession, one after the other, flying like meteors chasing the moon, hitting both red arrows dead on.

But he didn’t pause to check the result. Instead, he swiftly drew the last black arrow, lay flat on his horse, and, using the “Rhinoceros Gazes at the Moon” technique, shot an arrow backward and upward.

This was the real test. It turned out that after Richard Martin shot two arrows at once, he immediately released the fifth red arrow, giving his opponent no chance at all. If Brian Thompson had paused to check the result of the rapid-fire arrows, he would have missed the fifth arrow.

Back in the day, the famous founding general of the Tang Dynasty, Su Dingfang, had tested Richard Martin with the same five-arrow challenge, and Richard Martin had failed on the final, fifth arrow.

Now, the last arrow shot out like a black bolt of lightning—“clang!”—striking the red arrow’s tip dead on.

All three arrows were completed in almost an instant. No one in the arena could react. The competition ground was utterly silent.

Brian Thompson put away his bow and urged his horse to the front of the platform. He smiled slightly, bowed, and said, “I am honored not to have failed the task!”

Only then did a tidal wave of cheers erupt all around, turning the entire arena into a sea of shouting. People were nearly driven mad, desperately trying to rush onto the field, only to be held back firmly by thousands of soldiers.

Edward Thompson was so moved that tears streamed down, hugging Sarah Cooper tightly in his arms. At this moment, she felt an incomparable pride and joy.

James Thompson slumped into his seat, a wave of regret he’d never felt before welling up in his heart. This was a son of the Li family!

Richard Martin nodded slowly. “Brian Thompson, not only will I reward you with the warhorse, but I will also recommend you to go to the capital to participate in the military imperial examination, as a candidate from my army.”

“Thank you, General, for your appreciation!”

Brian Thompson was thrilled. He had finally obtained the opportunity to go to the capital.

Steven Bolton also understood Richard Martin’s true intentions. He had already taken a liking to this outstanding young mounted archer yesterday.

Chapter 011: Heading to Yumen