Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Not Convinced?
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Twenty-five kilograms isn't considered very heavy for an adult, but lifting it overhead with one hand definitely isn't something the average person can do. Yet, Ye Fan seemed to be handling it with ease, as if what he was lifting wasn't a barbell but a light and fluffy piece of cotton.
Li Dongliang, who often worked out here, was most aware of the difficulty involved. However, he believed that the untrained and frail-looking Ye Fan was simply putting on a show to impress others. With that thought in mind, Li Dongliang spoke up, "I stopped playing with such little tricks a long time ago."
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Dongliang took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and abruptly grabbed the barbell with one hand. He lifted it with great effort and, with a fierce extension of his waist, raised the barbell over his head. However, the already exhausted Li Dongliang couldn't hold it for long before he dropped it on the ground, panting heavily.
Ye Fan cast a disdainful glance at Li Dongliang, his eyes full of contempt. Then, under the astonished gazes of the onlookers, Ye Fan slowly set down the barbell, only to lift it again with one hand, doing twenty-one repetitions in one go.
Ye Fan was also panting, visibly struggling to catch his breath. Despite the fatigue, he was in a state of extreme excitement. He had never imagined himself being this strong before. This also meant his physical strength was more than twice that of an ordinary person, maybe even stronger.
Before the count was even announced by the attendant, Li Dongliang knew he had lost, and the defeat was humiliating. The opponent had managed twenty-one repetitions with just one hand- with both hands, it would have been at least thirty.
Li Dongliang lost, not begrudgingly or unaccepting, but he surmised Ye Fan must have trained before; otherwise, his performance wouldn't have been so formidable.
"A bet is a bet, and now it's time for you to fulfill your promise. Let's start now," Ye Fan said as he wiped off his sweat and turned to Li Dongliang.
The spectators also turned their attention towards Li Dongliang, all eager to witness his humiliation. Even Liang Mingyan kept her gaze fixed on him.
Feeling the pressure of everyone's stares, Li Dongliang's faced turned from pale to flush with embarrassment. Considering himself a man of superior social status, how could he possibly crawl on the floor like a dog in such a high-end venue, especially in front of Liang Mingyan? That would be too demeaning. After a few seconds of silence, Li Dongliang suddenly lifted his head and looked coldly at Ye Fan, "This round was just a warm-up. If you have the guts, let's have another challenge."
Just a warm-up? Was he implying that the previous round didn't count?
To avoid crawling like a dog, Li Dongliang shamelessly reneged on the bet. There was no other way to describe it but faceless.
However, to defeat Li Dongliang even more thoroughly, Ye Fan did not press him further; instead, he said, "No problem, let's keep this round's result in mind. If you lose the next round, you'll have to crawl around here like a dog for three laps and also bark like one."
Li Dongliang glanced around at the eager eyes all around him, clenched his teeth, and said, "Fine, but I get to choose the event for our next challenge."
Ye Fan looked around; the fitness facility was well-equipped. Aside from strength equipment, there were also devices for honing skills. It seemed Li Dongliang, knowing he was outmatched in strength, was aiming for something technical which Ye Fan was certain would be Li Dongliang's specialty.
Seeing Ye Fan agree, Li Dongliang heaved a sigh of relief. He was in a difficult position, having initially intended to humiliate Ye Fan and impress Liang Mingyan, only for it to backfire disastrously. Now presented with another chance, Li Dongliang did not dare to be careless. After much consideration, he chose archery, his most confident skill.
"Strength is for people with brawn and no brains. I prefer something technical, like archery," Li Dongliang said. "Thirty meters, ten shots each, whoever scores the highest, dare you?"
Facing Li Dongliang's challenge, Ye Fan nearly laughed out loud. Ye Fan, with a background in design, was good with technical things, and coupled with his miraculous clairvoyance ability, he was confident he would not lose to Li Dongliang, so he nodded and agreed, "Of course, no problem."
The staff of the fitness club immediately prepared the area, clearing a thirty-meter-long corridor and setting up two delicate bows and targets, with an employee stationed at each target to keep score and compare final data after the contest was over.
Li Dongliang took a deep breath, adjusting his breathing rhythm and state. Archery might look simple, but it's actually a very precise technical activity. Any minor move could affect the accuracy of the shot, such as breathing, the tension of the draw, shaking of the fingers, or the oscillation frequency of the bowstring.
The distance of thirty meters was neither too far nor too close, but hitting a bullseye the size of a fingernail from there was quite challenging. Even Li Dongliang, a regular practitioner of the sport, felt a trace of nervousness. His palm holding the bowstring began to sweat; this was his only chance for victory. If he lost again, he would have to crawl around like a dog while barking.
After adjusting his breathing, Li Dongliang gently pulled the bowstring and aimed at the bullseye thirty meters away. After some calculation, he angled the arrowhead slightly upward, one of the hardest parts to get right because of gravity. After the arrow is loosed, it follows a parabolic trajectory, and even a slight error in angle can mean missing the center.
Ye Fan stood beside Li Dongliang, squinting his eyes, intently watching the bow and arrow in Li Dongliang's hand. He planned to assess Li Dongliang's level and to study his shooting technique, since Ye Fan had never tried such a thing before and felt uneasy without some analysis.
Whoosh...
The arrow flew swiftly, missing the red bullseye. The attendant announced a score of eight rings.
Such a stunning shot immediately drew praise from the crowd. To score eight rings on the first try was quite remarkable, and it indicated that Li Dongliang, now having gotten the feel for it, would likely improve with subsequent shots.
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As expected, for the first four times, Li Dongliang hit the eight ring, and for the latter six times, he precisely hit the red bullseye.
A total of ninety-two rings.
After putting down the bow and arrow, Li Dongliang finally breathed a sigh of relief. This score was indeed his best performance to date. In his view, not even the professional archers in the club could necessarily achieve such a good score.
Thinking he had finally reclaimed his dignity, Li Dongliang very smugly tilted his chin up and proudly looked at Ye Fan. He said, "See that? That's the score of a superior player. Now it's your turn."
Ye Fan silently picked up the bow and arrow. At this moment, the pressure on him was immense. He hadn't expected Li Dongliang to actually have some skill and to be able to score so well. Ye Fan had to bring his full focus to the task. Just as Ye Fan picked up the bow and arrow, the people around burst into laughter.
Li Dongliang laughed so hard he couldn't even straighten his back.
"You're not telling me this is your first time shooting an arrow, are you? You don't even know the most basic way to hold the bow and arrow; it's just too funny," Li Dongliang laughed wildly.
Liang Mingyan scoffed contemptuously and said, "Overestimating oneself. To dare accept a challenge with so little skill, it's nothing but humiliation."
Ye Fan's heart was as still as water as he held the bow and arrow. He adjusted his stance, then activated his Clairvoyance ability. Based on the trajectory and angle he had observed from Li Dongliang's shooting, a faint trajectory appeared before Ye Fan's eyes. It seemed that as long as Ye Fan followed this trajectory, he could achieve a good score.
With a whoosh, Ye Fan's first arrow sped out and forcefully hit the target; the scorekeeper announced a five-ring score.
Instantly, this drew a round of mockery, as it was a score even beginners could achieve.
Facing everyone's mockery, Ye Fan calmly picked up an arrow and strung it onto the bow. This time, Ye Fan had some experience. The previous angle and trajectory were correct; the only issue was that Ye Fan hadn't fully adjusted to the increase in his strength, using too much force and causing a deviation.
For the second arrow, Ye Fan was still testing. This time, he scored an eight ring. Now, Li Dongliang found it hard to laugh. From the way Ye Fan was holding the bow and arrow, it looked like he was very inexperienced, possibly his first time with archery. However, the second shot managed to hit the eight ring, and Li Dongliang felt threatened.
Nevertheless, Li Dongliang believed he would win for sure. He had scored a ninety-two ring while Ye Fan had only achieved thirteen rings thus far. Only if the rest were all ten rings could Ye Fan beat Li Dongliang.
Clearly, this was utterly impossible.
The subsequent shooting by Ye Fan thoroughly shook Li Dongliang's confidence, even making him start to question his own life.
From the third to the ninth time, Ye Fan scored all ten rings. Such a terrifying ability shocked everyone who had been mocking Ye Fan.
For the last shot, Ye Fan put down the bow and found a towel on a nearby rack. Under the surprised gazes of the audience, he blindfolded himself, then picked up the bow and arrow again to make the final shot.
Blind shooting!
He was actually going to attempt blind shooting!
This was absolutely the most superior shooting technique; forget Li Dongliang, even professional top-tier athletes wouldn't dare to attempt this.
Is he crazy? Li Dongliang looked at Ye Fan with a complex expression. He couldn't understand why, when Ye Fan could just perform normally and win, he would take such a risk.
All the people from the club rushed over asking questions. More than four dozen people crowded around, staring wide-eyed at Ye Fan.
Liang Mingyan and Li Dongliang exchanged a look, and Li Dongliang reassured, "Don't worry, even if Ye Fan is a professional competitor, he can't score a ten ring."
Regrettably, Li Dongliang did not know about Ye Fan's miraculous Clairvoyance ability; being blindfolded with a towel had no impact whatsoever.
As the bow and arrow pierced the air with its whistling sound, the arrow went straight for the red heart of the target without the slightest deviation.