380: Mirage

Mirage

When Xie Qiao heard her brother's words, she was curious. How did this person survive until now?2

Who was the person in front of him?

The Crown Prince!

In the future, this world would belong to him. And now, Xie Pinggang actually brought up the matter of the bandit mountain stronghold. Was he not telling the Crown Prince that the Xie family was a bandit in the past?

His brother's promotion to this position was all thanks to his good luck.

"Speaking of divine weapons, I heard that the Shanhai Academy has quite a few. When the academy was founded, there were two deans, one civil and one in martial arts. Dean Wu was an old general, and he gave all his treasures to the academy. Unfortunately, the dynasty values civil and gives lesser attention to martial arts. The many treasures are still in the treasure pavilion. Very few people can win them back," the Crown Prince said, throwing the broad saber in his hand to Xie Pinggang.

Xie Pinggang had never heard of such things before, "What weapons do they have?" 

"There are all kinds of weapons. Spears, swords, halberds, and axes. They even have the meteor hammer," the Crown Prince said.

Xie Pinggang's eyes became passionate.

It was as if he wanted to rush into the academy immediately and take the things.

"Eldest Brother, the Crown Prince said that we can only win them," Xie Qiao added slowly behind him.

"How do we win? Can the people outside enter?" Xie Pinggang was anxious. He was afraid that if he went a moment later, the thing would slip out of his hands.

Xie Qiao was a little helpless, so she sat on a chair under the corridor and listened.

Zhou Weizong seemed to be worried that the Crown Prince would be tired from talking, he immediately said, "Of course the people outside can enter. They can spend money to register and pass three tests. However, after so many years, there are not many people who have successfully passed the tests. Now, they are either a regional general or a military official who are powerful in the imperial court." 

When Xie Pinggang heard that, he heaved a sigh of relief.

If someone could pass the test, it meant that the difficulty was low.

Seeing Xie Pinggang's relaxed expression, Zhou Weizong continued, "The first test is about the flag formation of war. The second test is about riding and archery, and the third test is about martial arts. Young Master Xie, don't underestimate the difficulty. Take the riding and archery test as an example... Even the requirement to pass the test of shooting from a hundred meters away is considered low. The academy actually came up with a move called the Mirage. It is to use the reflection in the water to hit the target." 

It was even more difficult than what Zhou Weizong had said.

Every time someone participated, the situation was different. Sometimes, they would have to determine if the target was real or fake, and the target would even move. There were even cases where the target had to be hit multiple times within a specified time.

There were even fewer people who could pass the Mirage.

However, the rewards from the Shanhai Academy were very generous.

Those who participated in this test would also receive a lot of attention. Apart from the academy's rewards, the imperial court would also reward them sometimes.

"How much is the registration fee?" Xie Pinggang asked again.

Zhou Weizong looked at him in surprise, "Do you really want to participate? The registration fee is not expensive. It's free for the students from the three academies, and the people outside would pay 500 taels of silver." 

"Okay, I'll give it a try!" Xie Pinggang was aggressive.

"There's no rush. The weather is still too cold. Minister Xie, it's better to wait a little longer," the Crown Prince smiled, "Riding and archery skills are certainly not difficult for you, but there are a lot of books to memorize for this art of war. I'll get someone to send you a box in a while. Minister Xie, you should be ready after studying for a few months. When the time comes, you'll be able to amaze everyone." 

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Xie Pinggang bent his knees and cupped his fists. He was very solemn.

The Crown Prince was even more enthusiastic. He quickly helped him up.

Xie Qiao could feel that her eldest brother's loyalty to the Crown Prince was rising tremendously.

The Crown Prince was simply... speaking to his heart.

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