I am dying of old age, and I have awakened to the character of longevity.

It was agreed that staying for three breaths would be considered passing.

However, Xie An held the stone lock for six breaths. Only when his waist and arms began to feel strained did he put the stone lock down.

He had slowed down the speed of lowering the stone lock a lot, but because the stone lock was too heavy, the moment it landed still caused a "thump" sound, and the ground even trembled a little.

"Good! Good!"

Elder Tang called out "Good" twice in a row, which showed the shock and joy in his heart.

If it were in the county town, lifting seven hundred catties wouldn't be anything. But this is Blackwater Town. Because it is located in a remote area, the talents within the Tiger Wolf Gate are unwilling to come to White Feather Hall.

This hall has always been short of talent.

Seeing Elder Tang's evaluation, Zhang Lin finally let go of the worry in his heart. Originally, he was worried that Elder Tang would not recognize Xie An, which would cause him to be implicated.

Now that Elder Tang has said so, even if Xie An has some problems in actual combat next, Elder Tang probably won't say that he is biased.

Elder Tang, who had returned to his armchair, was obviously in a much better mood. "Have you ever practiced weapons?"

Xie An did not hide anything, "I have only practiced archery."

Elder Tang's expression dimmed.

Logically speaking, the second item of the assessment is actual combat. Letting Tong Shan and Xie An fight each other to verify their actual combat level.

Perhaps Elder Tang had a love for talent and felt pity for Xie An's old age, worried that he would be accidentally injured by Tong Shan in the fight, so he felt that testing this old man's archery skills was also possible.

If the archery skills are sufficient, it is equivalent to actual combat.

"You haven't practiced weapons, it's not fair to let you fight Tong Shan, who is good at swordsmanship. Archery is also important, what size of bow are you used to?"

Xie An said: "Two 'shi' is the most stable."

Xie An's single-arm lift reached seven hundred catties, and according to the measurement of the Great Qian Kingdom, one 'shi' of bow draw is two hundred catties. Of course, he can draw a three 'shi' bow.

With the force of both arms, a four 'shi' bow can also be drawn.

However, archery is not better with a heavier bow. If it is difficult to draw the bow, it is easy to cause excessive contraction of the muscles of the whole body, leading to unstable hands and feet, and an unstable mind. Aiming becomes a big problem.

Xie An estimated that a two 'shi' bow is suitable for him and will not affect his accuracy.

Elder Tang nodded, "Tong Shan, go get a two 'shi' heavy bow."

"Yes, Elder."

Tong Shan entered the room and quickly brought a heavy bow, as well as a quiver containing five arrows, and handed them to Xie An.

Xie An thanked him and took it. He held the bow handle in one hand and pulled the bowstring with the other. It was not too difficult, just right.

Elder Tang pointed to a poplar tree outside the courtyard, "There are two sparrows on the treetop, about a hundred meters away from here. Give it a try."

"Yes."

Xie An agreed readily, then stood firm and faced the sparrows on the treetop. He took out an arrow, placed it on the bowstring, and slowly drew the bow to its full extent.

Drawing the bow was not difficult, and the arm muscles did not need to contract too much, which did not affect the accuracy.

Next is aiming.

The Great Qian Dynasty's two 'shi' bow has a draw of four hundred catties. It can shoot two hundred meters, but the power is greatly reduced in the second half, and the effect of gravity causes the parabola to sag severely in the second half, making aiming very difficult.

But the first hundred meters is the fastest, and the parabolic sag is not obvious, so aiming is not difficult.

Xie An knew in his heart that as long as he hit this sparrow, he would pass the actual combat test. At that time, he could become a deacon of the Tiger Wolf Gate, and his life would embark on a new stage.

The future prospects, success or failure... all depend on this arrow.

The pressure is really great.

Xie An had to take it seriously, taking several deep breaths in a row, and maintaining his composure under pressure.

Xie An knew that many people are quite capable in ordinary times, but they often perform abnormally when facing pressure, because their mentality is not good enough and they cannot withstand the pressure.

For example, many high school students in the previous life, who were among the best in mock exams, would fail in the college entrance examination.

The same is true for the imperial examination in this world.

Nothing else, it's just because the pressure is too great. The result of the exam has too much impact on their subsequent life, which makes the candidates prone to being timid and indecisive.

In a word, they think too much.

Xie An warned himself not to think too much and just perform his strength. Even if he fails, he can just be a deputy deacon, or wait a few more years, it's no big deal.

The art of war says: As a general, consider defeat before victory, so you can win every battle.

No wonder the Tiger Wolf Gate wants to set up a meritorious service hall to test the actual combat of the stewards on the spot. In addition to verifying strength, it also tests the mentality.

Thinking that the consequences of failure are acceptable, Xie An no longer hesitated, and all the distracting thoughts in his heart were swept away. In his eyes and in his heart, there was only the arrow in his hand and the bird on the treetop.

Soon, Xie An entered a state of almost 100% concentration.

He was waiting, waiting for the two sparrows to stand on the same line.

Shooting one is shooting, and shooting two is also shooting.

Since you want to shoot, why not shoot two?

In this way, Elder Tang will definitely appreciate him twice as much.

The three people on the field saw that Xie An had not released the arrow, and thought that Xie An was under too much pressure and was not sure about the accuracy. Zhang Lin couldn't help but sweat for Xie An.

Xie An ignored other people's thoughts and only waited patiently for the opportunity to appear.

Finally, the two sparrows adjusted their positions and stood on the same line.

Now!

Xie An suddenly released the bowstring in his hand.

Buzz!

As the bowstring rebounded and made a harsh buzzing sound, the arrow pierced through the air and sped towards the treetop of the poplar tree outside the courtyard. The two sparrows, which were originally chirping, stopped calling abruptly and were pierced by an arrow at the same time.

The arrow did not stop after piercing the two sparrows, but instead continued to run forward with full power, and finally stuck on a branch of the treetop with a "poof" sound.

The branch as thick as a wrist was pierced through, shaking the poplar tree violently, and snow fell one after another.

Seeing this, Xie An put away the bow and showed a satisfied smile on his face.

He withstood the pressure and performed his due level.

The other three people in the courtyard were all martial artists, with excellent five senses and extraordinary vision, so they naturally saw the situation on the treetop.

Zhang Lin was shocked, and his eyes on Xie An were different. He originally thought that this old man had only reached the strength comparable to the Copper Skin Realm, and he could manipulate him after he joined the job, or even be a big brother.

Now he is a little guilty.

Tong Shan nodded to Xie An repeatedly, showing his approval.

"Wonderful!"

Elder Tang got up again and praised, "The actual combat test is passed with this archery skill. Zhang Lin, you have recommended a sharpshooter for my Tiger Wolf Gate. Tong Shan, bring the roster."

Tong Shan took out the roster and pen. Elder Tang took it and was about to write Xie An's name on the roster when he suddenly remembered something, "That's right, I still don't know your name?"

Xie An glanced at Zhang Lin next to him, then approached Elder Tang and said in a voice that only Elder Tang could hear: "My name is Xie An."

Elder Tang did not ask about Xie An's age and background, adhering to the Tiger Wolf Gate's good tradition of recruiting talents regardless of background and age, and immediately wrote Xie An's name on the roster. A line was attached at the back: White Feather Hall Deacon.

Then, Elder Tang asked Tong Shan to take out a box of inkpad, "Press your handprint on this roster. From now on, you will be a deacon under my Tiger Wolf Gate."

"Yes, Elder Tang."

Xie An cupped his hands, then pressed his right thumb into the inkpad box, stained with red paint, and then found his name on the roster.

That line of words was particularly conspicuous: Xie An (White Feather Hall Deacon).

Xie An suppressed his excited emotions and pressed his finger down heavily.

He knew that from now on, his life had embarked on a new stage.