In this chaotic world of vying for power, I can become stronger by marrying a wife.

Xiao Qingtian's personal guard battalion was stationed in the core area of ​​the Jing'an Army camp.

The air here is completely different from that in the vanguard camp.

There was no smell of sweat or blood, only a faint smell of iron and leather, mixed with the cold, sharp tang from the whetstone.

In the camp, the soldiers were dressed in uniform black outfits, their armor polished to a gleaming shine. Each of them was like a drawn sword, silent yet sharp.

As Xiao Qingtian led Su Ming into the camp, dozens of sharp eyes turned towards them.

These gazes lacked the numbness and mockery of the vanguard soldiers, containing only scrutiny and a hint of barely perceptible arrogance.

"Come here, all of you!" Xiao Qingtian's voice boomed.

"Whoosh!"

Thirty guards lined up in three rows in the blink of an eye, their movements perfectly synchronized and without a single sound.

They were elites selected by Xiao Qingtian from tens of thousands of troops. Each of them was at least a peak ninth-rank martial artist, including scions of noble families and veterans of countless battles.

"This is Su Ming." Xiao Qingtian pointed to the lazy Su Ming beside him, "From today onwards, he will take over Eagle's position as the sergeant of the crossbow team."

These words caused a barely perceptible commotion in the queue.

A handsome young man with an arrogant look stepped forward from the front of the line, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Sir, it has only been a month since Sergeant Eagle died in battle, and the brothers all want to avenge him. At this time, it would be difficult to convince the people to accept the position of a... newcomer."

This man was named Wei Lang. He came from a military family and was the best archer in the Imperial Guard. He was the most popular candidate to become the next squad leader.

As he spoke, he looked directly at Xiao Qingtian, but glanced at Su Ming out of the corner of his eye, making no attempt to hide his contempt.

They had heard about the "miracle" of the Vanguard Battalion.

But to these true elites, shooting birds or wearing shields were nothing more than attention-seeking tricks. The battlefield is not a stage for performances.

Xiao Qingtian remained expressionless: "What, are you questioning my decision?"

"I wouldn't dare!" Wei Lang lowered his head, but his voice remained neither humble nor arrogant. "It's just that the rule of my personal guard battalion is that the capable should take the lead. If Squad Leader Su wants the brothers to be convinced, he has to show some real skills."

"Yes! Brother Wei is right!"

"If you're incompetent, why should you be our leader!"

Immediately, someone in the queue echoed this sentiment.

Xiao Qingtian frowned, about to lash out.

"Okay."

A lazy voice rang out.

Su Ming yawned, as if he hadn't woken up yet. He looked around and his gaze lingered on Wei Lang for a moment.

"What do you want to see? Just say it, I'm in a hurry."

His attitude infuriated Wei Lang even more than if he had directly cursed at him.

Wei Lang suppressed his anger, sneered, and pointed to a special archery target on the training ground not far away.

"Let's do it the old way and play 'Surprising Beauty'."

It was an extremely bizarre training device. It consisted of ten wooden bird targets. Once activated, these birds would be launched from different angles at random speeds, testing the shooter's reaction, speed, and accuracy.

"The rules are simple." Wei Lang's lips curled into a smug smile. "If you hit all ten targets within ten breaths, you pass."

As he spoke, he drew ten arrows from his quiver and nocked them on his bow.

"Watch closely!"

Wei Lang gave a low shout, and his personal guards activated the mechanism beside him.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!"

The ten wooden birds were launched into the air in an instant, their trajectories chaotic and disorderly.

Wei Lang's eyes narrowed, and he drew his bow like a full moon, his fingers moving rapidly.

"Buzzing—!"

The bowstring vibrated, turning into a blur. Ten arrows drew ten precise arcs in the air.

"Knock knock knock..."

A series of rapid hits rang out.

Before ten breaths had passed, all ten wooden bird targets, without exception, were nailed to the wall in the distance, and the arrows all pierced through the hearts of the wooden birds.

"good!"

The guards around him cheered loudly, their eyes filled with admiration as they looked at Wei Lang.

This skill alone is enough to make him stand out from 99% of the archers in the army.

Wei Lang put away his bow, a smug look on his face, and looked at Su Ming: "Squad Leader Su, it's your turn. If you can do what I have, we'll acknowledge you as our leader."

However, Su Ming shook his head.

Wei Lang's face darkened: "What? You're scared now?"

"Too slow." Su Ming picked at his ear, looking disgusted. "Besides, there are too few targets."

He looked at the guard who was in charge of operating the mechanism.

"Hey, can you set that thing to the fastest speed?"

The guard was taken aback: "The...the fastest?"

"Can you increase the number of targets to twenty?"

These words caused an uproar in the room.

"Are you crazy? Who does he think he is?"

"In the fastest mode, twenty targets will pop up within five breaths; even a god couldn't shoot them all!"

Wei Lang laughed in anger: "Su Ming! I'm giving you face because I respect the captain's high regard for you. Don't push your luck!"

Su Ming ignored him and simply looked at the guard: "Can I, or can't I?"

The guard felt uneasy under his gaze and subconsciously nodded: "Yes...but..."

"That's fine then."

Su Ming interrupted him, slowly taking his rough, black wooden bow from behind his back.

Unlike Wei Lang, he didn't nock multiple arrows at once; he only drew... one.

An ordinary, standard iron arrow.

Everyone was stunned.

One arrow? To shoot at twenty targets? What is he going to do?

Just as everyone was filled with doubt and uncertainty, Su-Ming spoke. His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"Watch closely, I'll only teach you once."

The words fell.

The machine is activated!

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh—!"

Twenty wooden bird targets, like a hornet's nest that had been disturbed, transformed into a dense black shadow, shooting out wildly from all directions!

The speed is more than twice as fast as before!

Wei Lang's pupils instantly shrank to pinpoints.

At that speed and density, let alone shooting, he couldn't even see it clearly!

However, Su Ming made a move.

He drew his bow and released it.

"Buzz—!"

A bowstring twanged as if it could tear the soul apart.

The iron arrow disappeared.

No, it didn't disappear.

That's too fast!

So fast that it's invisible to the naked eye!

next second.

"Knock!"

A crisp sound.

The first wooden bird target was hit precisely.

But something strange happened.

After piercing the wooden bird, the arrow did not lose its power. Instead, it made a strange turn in the air, as if manipulated by an invisible hand, and crashed into the second wooden bird!

"Knock!"

Second tone.

"Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!"

What followed was a scene that everyone witnessed in their lifetime.

That ordinary iron arrow seemed to come alive.

It refracted, turned, and accelerated in the air, like a tireless grim reaper, unleashing a bloody massacre among the "flock" of twenty wooden bird targets.

Each impact struck a wooden bird precisely in the heart.

Each turn predicts the trajectory of the next wooden bird.