The day it was finally to take place, I was actually pretty nervous. I'd needed to wait a little while the night before to practice enough to get my hand back in. If most or all of the others there at that time were in this, there would be about 20 people in the contest. I was confident at least that the four who'd been in Inner Court robes at the time were participating.
Only the top 3 would be taught further in archery by Dragon Elder Lijing. If I didn't make it, and also get the cultivation resources he'd promised if I did, I'd be in for a very rough time reaching the Seventh Spirit Realm. I'd be in danger of missing out on the Dragon Cup and falling behind Jue Zhu, Jong, and Bing Hei by two years. I couldn't let that happen.
