"Hmph, if you're going to lie, at least be professional about it," Li Gang scoffed. "You're holding a sword as big as a plank of wood and claiming to be the God of Archery. Who would believe that?"
Qin Shilei's expression turned serious. The Giant Que sword in his hand suddenly transformed into an exquisite short bow.
*Whoosh!*
Everyone heard a swift whistling sound cutting through the air, followed by three arrows embedding themselves in the wall behind Li Gang.
Li Gang's hands trembled as he took off the sun hat he was wearing. The once intact hat now had three arrow holes. Three tufts of his hair were also gone, from the top of his head and above both ear tips.
"How was my archery? Does it meet everyone's approval?"
Qin Shilei nocked three more arrows onto his short bow, the arrowheads pointing casually towards Li Gang.
Under Qin Shilei's gaze, Li Gang's forehead beaded with sweat. He remained perfectly still, terrified of displeasing Qin Shilei and being shot dead.
"Excellent archery," Luo Xiangyun praised, giving a thumbs-up. "Brother Qin, you should put down your bow now, lest you accidentally injure Li Gang."
Everyone present was a master at the Silver realm. They could all see the extraordinary skill in Qin Shilei's archery. Shooting Li Gang's hat at such close range was not difficult. However, managing to shoot off Li Gang's hair without harming him demonstrated not only precise control of the arrows but also remarkable composure. Furthermore, they had clearly seen him draw his bow and shoot, yet none could discern the trajectory of the arrows. This indicated an extreme level of speed. At such high speeds, to achieve three precise hits in rapid succession was truly astounding. It was no wonder he was revered as the God of Archery.
"Mr. Qin, may I be so bold as to ask about the destructive power of your bow?" Shen Feixue suddenly inquired. "Our archery contest not only measures accuracy but also offensive power."
"No problem!" Qin Shilei said nonchalantly. "I'll upgrade this short bow for you right now."
With that, he produced a red Refinement Stone.
[Perform attribute refresh?]
[Refresh.]
Change (Green): Refining equipment with this Refinement Stone may randomly alter the equipment's attributes.
Sturdy (Red): This is a sturdy stone. Weapons of red quality and below cannot break this stone.
Advancement (Purple): The quality of the Refinement Stone has evolved into purple. It can refine red equipment into purple equipment.
He hadn't expected to find such a practical purple attribute. He had refreshed the Refinement Stones in his Qiankun Ring many times before, but none had yielded good attributes. Since he only had green and red Refinement Stones, and red equipment offered little improvement for him, he had never refined his short bow.
Qin Shilei fixed the attribute and then took another red Refinement Stone from his Qiankun Ring to upgrade the short bow to red quality. Afterward, he used the purple Refinement Stone to upgrade the short bow again, making it a purple quality long bow. The once small short bow transformed, becoming a long bow as tall as his eyebrows.
Dragon-Piercing Bow (Purple): Forged by a master craftsman over three years, this bow is said to have slain a dragon. It can imbue the Dragon-Piercing Bow with Yuan Qi to increase its power.
Additional Attribute, Tracking (Red): Within range, 100% hit rate.
Seeing Qin Shilei instantly refine a common short bow into a formidable and imposing purple long bow, everyone was stunned.
"Brother Qin, you're too extravagant!" Luo Xiangyun exclaimed in shock. "Isn't your main weapon that giant sword? Isn't using such precious Refinement Stones on this short bow a bit wasteful?"
Qin Shilei replied dismissively, "It's fine. My giant sword is also purple equipment."
...
This damned rich guy actually had another purple weapon. A fleeting thought of becoming bandits flashed through everyone's minds.
"While Qin Shilei's archery is good, it's still a bit insufficient to win the wager," someone suddenly remarked.
"Exactly. Even without him, I could have won the archery segment," Li Gang added indignantly. "But so what? The wager is best of five. The archery match was clearly set up by You Jin to lure us into a trap, a guaranteed point for them. His presence or absence makes no difference to the outcome of the wager."
"So you're also an archer?" Qin Shilei glanced at Li Gang. "May I ask what the wager entails?"
"I..." Li Gang originally wanted to declare himself a divine archer, but recalling Qin Shilei's archery display, he reluctantly said, "I am the most skilled archer in Aya City, a peak Silver Seven-star expert. No one in Aya City can surpass me in archery. You Jin knows this well."
Luo Xiangyun chimed in, "The wager includes archery, beast taming, individual combat, team battles, and hunting."
"Understood!" Upon hearing this, Qin Shilei confidently declared, "I knew it. In the apocalypse, everything should be about strength. If you were to compete in calculating equations or something, I wouldn't be much help. But as long as it's these five items, I guarantee you'll win."
"We're competing based on actual strength, not the ability to brag. Our chances of winning are slim," Li Gang said dejectedly.
"Don't worry," Qin Shilei chuckled. "I'll make sure those arrogant Indian brothers won't even dare to think about fighting when they hear my name."
Seeing their lingering disbelief, he walked to the conference room door and summoned a tank. Xiao Qiang hadn't returned since leaving last night. Since King Kong was too powerful, Qin Shilei felt it unnecessary and summoned the weaker tank instead. The imposing tank's appearance immediately drew everyone's attention. They couldn't help but recall the Golden realm Mammoth they had encountered not long ago, and a sense of insurmountable power arose in their hearts.
Shen Feixue composed herself. "Mr. Qin, what is the strength of your Mammoth?"
Qin Shilei replied, "It just leveled up. It's now Silver Eight-star. It's no less inferior to those Silver Nine-star异兽 (mutant beasts)."
"Then the archery and beast taming rounds are secured. If I can also defeat You Jin, we'll win the match." Shen Feixue's eyes flashed with determination.
"Sect Leader," Li Gang interjected again, "your Frost Giant Wolf was already guaranteed to win the beast taming round. What difference does his presence make?"
"Li Gang, don't be too conceited," Shen Feixue admonished. "Although my Frost Giant Wolf is Silver Nine-star, a level higher than You Jin's Twin-headed Demonic Wolf, the beast taming competition is a three-person chain battle. Once his subordinates wear down my Frost Giant Wolf through attrition, it might not be able to defeat his pet."
Luo Xiangyun added, "That's right. Our pets are only Silver Three or Four-star, with no chance of winning against You Jin's subordinates. Now, with Brother Qin's Mammoth, we are sure to secure this round."
Qin Shilei wanted to say, "You don't need to scheme like this. Just let me fight in all the rounds." However, he had already revealed his name, and they hadn't reacted, so saying such a thing now would be too ostentatious. Everything would be revealed in tomorrow's competition.