C28 Arrow Array Test

"Huang Loong!"

Atop the high platform, Mentor Yun Feng, list in hand, called out the next name with a detached air.

Beside Chen Yi, a fellow youth clad in yellow trembled. His breaths came quick and shallow.

For a newcomer facing the grandeur of such a stage, nerves were to be expected.

Yuan Long, the host, had been through this before and seemed to take the stage effortlessly. But for Huang Loong, it was his debut under the spotlight. Despite his eagerness and dreams of basking in the limelight, when the moment arrived, his mind drew a blank.

"Don't be nervous!"

Mentor Yanshan gave Huang Loong's shoulder a reassuring pat.

He had mentored countless youths and understood their nature well.

The mix of excitement and anxiety at a first-time event was something he remembered from his own youth.

"Okay!"

The supportive gesture bolstered Huang Loong's courage. He inhaled deeply, nodded in gratitude, and ascended the platform.

Unlike Yuan Long, whose name also bore the mark of the dragon, Huang Loong's entrance was met with silence rather than cheers. The audience watched with indifferent eyes.

This lack of surprise was expected. Yuan Long, as the host, naturally had his share of supporters. But for a youth from another region, not being seen as an adversary was fortunate enough.

Regional differences often bred fervent supporters and adversaries alike.

For the five mentors, this was more than a showcase; it was a contest. The success of their protégés meant personal rewards, which explained why the youths were divided and led out by each mentor in turn.

Huang Loong's entrance symbolized not only Willow State East but also the prestige of Mentor Yanshan.

Whoosh!

Amid the sea of onlookers, Huang Loong took his place in the arena. An arrow zipped out from a barrier, which he narrowly evaded thanks to prior warning.

But no sooner had he sidestepped the first arrow than the second one bore down on him, almost too swiftly to react. Observing Yuan Long's trial was one thing, but facing the rapid fire and cunning angles of the arrows was a challenge only truly appreciated in the thick of action.

He was already on edge.

Huang Loong's attempt to twist his upper body failed, leaving half of his shoulder exposed to the arrow's strike. It hit dangerously close to his heart, but luckily, the arrow, being made of condensed energy, lacked substantial offensive power. Had it been a real arrow, the impact could have been severe, possibly leaving him critically wounded on the ground.

Yet, he wasn't critically injured, but he still ended up on the ground—struck by just the second volley!

For Huang Loong, who was desperate to prove himself, the unfolding scene left him pale and defeated.

The audience's laughter only intensified his humiliation, burying his face in the sands of the arena.

"The match is over!"

From the high platform, Mentor Yun Feng's declaration sounded almost like a death sentence. Huang Loong's body, already prone, shuddered. Overwhelmed by the setback, he lost consciousness and collapsed.

"Did I just see that? He actually passed out?"

"Typical of someone from the weakest part of Willow State East! To think he'd show up for the second round—what a farce!"

"I thought Yuan Long's performance was poor, but this—this is a whole new level!"

...

The crowd's reaction was devoid of sympathy; their laughter grew even louder.

Their mockery made Bei Yu and the other young men behind Mentor Yanshan grimace.

They weren't just ridiculing Huang Loong—they were disparaging all of them.

The weakest Willow State East...

Clearly, they were being looked down upon.

Mentor Yanshan, however, seemed unfazed by the surrounding jeers. He simply gazed at Huang Loong, now unconscious in the arena, and shook his head with a sigh, "Too much tension."

Huang Loong, with his Ninth Grade Yellow Rank talent and previously demonstrated abilities, should not have been ousted in the second round. It was his inability to relax and the ensuing anxiety that led to this dismal outcome.

What Mentor Yanshan found most regrettable was the toll this failure took on Huang Loong.

In the Willow State East test, Huang Loong's scores may not have been the highest, but he was among the top contenders. He had also successfully leapt onto the back of the Spirit Rhino during an earlier challenge. Up until now, Huang Loong's journey had been smooth. But this significant setback at such a crucial moment dealt him a heavy blow.

Drawing on his years of experience, Mentor Yanshan could easily envision Huang Loong's breakdown upon awakening, unable to accept the reality, eventually becoming disheartened and slipping into despair.

Despite his best efforts to safeguard the young minds, some things were simply beyond prevention.

As the laughter in the arena continued unabated, Chen Yi maintained a serene facade, seemingly unaffected. Yet beneath the surface, his emotions were stirring.

Reborn into his younger self, this body seemed to influence him. The mention of 'Willow State East, the weakest' involuntarily ignited a spark of emotion within him.

Willow State East, home to Wood County City, held a special place in his heart. It was the city that had nurtured him in both his lives, and his attachment ran deep.

The words struck a nerve, and he couldn't suppress a surge of anger.

The weakest?

He scoffed silently.

Chen Yi's eyes swept over the mocking faces, and a slight, icy smirk played at the corner of his mouth.

"Lei Yi!"

After Mentor Yanshan had escorted Huang Loong from the ring, Mentor Yun Feng promptly announced the next contender.

The order of appearance was clearly deliberate, avoiding back-to-back matches for youths from the same region. Now, a youth from Willow State West took the stage.

More composed than Huang Loong, he didn't show much anxiety.

He had navigated the initial waves with ease, but at the eleventh wave, when two arrows were loosed simultaneously, he, like Yuan Long before him, was unable to evade and met his end.

Subsequently, the youths from Willow State South and North also fell at the same hurdle.

With one round complete, aside from Huang Loong, who fell at the second wave, all had been halted at the eleventh. The Arrow Array's challenge was now clear to all the competitors.

Many had assumed Yuan Long would be out for sure, but the outcome was no longer a given.

Next up was the youth from the central region, the host territory, and the crowd's roar of support was deafening!

The faces of the youths from the other four regions darkened at the sound.

I have to admit, the roar of such a supportive crowd can really boost morale!

Take Huang Loong, for instance. With cheers like that during his entrance, he probably wouldn't have been nearly as nervous.

The second youth to take the stage from the central region was a tall and lanky fellow, his body as slender as a bamboo pole—a trait that seemed to give him an edge.

After breezing through ten waves, he faced the eleventh wave of arrows that had stumped the previous youths. His slim frame twisted sharply, narrowly slipping past two incoming arrows simultaneously.

He conquered the eleventh wave!

Whoosh!

The crowd erupted into a frenzy of cheers!

Encouraged, the tall and thin youth managed to navigate several more waves until finally, at the seventeenth wave, he was struck by two arrows with particularly tricky angles, shot at the same time.

But making it to the seventeenth wave had already set him apart from all the youths before him!

The arena resounded with thunderous applause.

"Hong Shen!"

Amidst the applause, Mentor Yun Feng on the high platform called out the next name.

On Chen Yi's side, a youth clad in blue shuddered—it was clearly his turn!

"Go for it, Brother Hong!" a familiar youth shouted, offering encouragement.

Mentor Yanshan added, "Failure is okay. The most important thing is to stay relaxed!"

"Right!"

The blue-clothed youth nodded in agreement.

His talent was rated only as Sixth Grade Yellow Rank in the preliminary test, and he had taken a hit during the Spiritual Rhino Test. Now facing this challenge once more, he felt some nerves but also a newfound resilience. Even if he were to fail in the early waves, he wouldn't be too shaken.

Perhaps it was this positive attitude that spurred him to outdo himself.

The eleventh wave, which had been the downfall of many youths, he managed to pass!

The audience, initially taken aback, quickly erupted into jeers.

The youth from Willow State East, whom they had just dismissed as the weakest, had passed eleven waves in the blink of an eye, as if to slap the skeptics in the face, naturally provoking their jeers.

But Hong Shen remained unfazed. In fact, his confidence soared after the eleventh wave, and he continued to clear wave after wave until the sixteenth, where he was finally hit.

Even though the match had ended, his face was still beaming with smiles as he stepped down from the stage.

He was thoroughly pleased with his performance!

Mentor Yanshan shared in the satisfaction, giving his shoulder an approving pat.

For a young man of Yellow Rank, Sixth Grade talent, his achievement was indeed commendable!

Yet, the jeers directed at Willow State East persisted in the crowd.

Hong Shen's performance had been a slap in the face to them, leaving many spectators feeling sour.

It was only thanks to the tall, slender youths who had held on until the seventeenth wave that the mockery towards Willow State East could continue. Taunts about dumb luck and wild guesses were incessantly whispered into the ears of Chen Yi and his peers.

Chen Yi maintained a stoic facade, though his emotions were simmering beneath the surface.

Du Qianyan, on the other hand, seemed to tune out the noise completely, as if oblivious to the scornful comments.

Bei Yu and the other young men were visibly incensed, barely containing their desire to confront the disrespectful crowd.

Mentor Yanshan appeared somewhat resigned.

The trials had barely started, and his proteges were already at odds with the audience—a less than ideal situation.

Subsequently, the youths from Willow State's west, south, and north made their appearances with little fanfare. However, the arrival of competitors from the Central Domain and the east elicited a markedly passionate response from the onlookers!

The enthusiasm varied greatly, though.

The youths from the Central Domain were met with a barrage of cheers!

Those from the east faced a chorus of boos!

This atmosphere inevitably influenced the eastern contenders. Following several attempts, only one managed to withstand until the eleventh wave, while the others fell before the tenth. Another was ousted in the second wave, suffering the same fate as Huang Loong.

Such outcomes only amplified the ridicule from the crowd.

The weakest remained the weakest. The one who made it to the sixteenth wave had simply stumbled upon a stroke of luck!

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