5 Gifted

Wang Tao was the deputy coach of Lotus City's archery team. Though he wasn't at the level of Li Lao, he could still see that the quality of Tang Yan's technique far surpassed that of the students around him, though it wasn't without its flaws.

But what surprised him wasn't that, but Tang Yan's fluid movements. He was fast, stable and accurate with few little flaws being observable.

Such fluid movements weren't what you would expect from a high school student but a first-class archer!

While his technique left a lot to be desired, technique could be taught but talent couldn't.

He had found a real treasure!

He was almost unable to hold back his joy and excitement. Li Lao was right; the future of archery in Lotus City was bound to change from this day onward!

Tang Yan picked up his fourth arrow and completed a series of technical moves under the watchful eyes of Wang Tao.

In one smooth movement, he shot another 10 pointer!

After two consecutive 10 pointers, the truth was clear.

After the first round, Tang Yan had been stably shooting 10 pointers. He didn't need to smear an opponent for no reason, so it was clear that Qian Feng had deliberately interfered with his shot.

Wang Tao turned and gestured to the referee to return.

Swapping places with him, Wang Tao returned back to the judges' panel. He had already made up his mind what to do next.

The last two arrows Tang Yan shot for the round were also 10 pointers.

.....

At the end of the four rounds, the trial was over.

The highest scorer was Qian Feng. Although his second round performance was poor, his subsequent rounds were decent, so he won with a total of 210 points, relying on his consistency.

Due to getting 0 points in the first round, Tang Yan could only finish in fourth place with a score of 179.

At the end of the trials, a total of three people were entered into the city's archery team, one of which was naturally Tang Yan, but what people did not expect was that Qian Feng, who had scored first place, actually didn't make the team.

Seeing the results, Tang Yan trembled. Although his soul was in its thirties, he couldn't contain his excitement.

"Young man, keep up the good work. I hope to see you representing the country one day." Just as he was engrossed in his success, a white-haired old man walked over to him, patted him on the shoulder, smiled and walked away, leaving those words behind.

"Sir, please wait up," shouted Wang Tao, chasing after Li Lao but not before shooting a smile at Tang Yan.

Tang Yan looked off into the distance at the backs of the two men.

After sorting out all his paperwork, Tang Yan took up his bow and rushed off home.

He was eager to return home.

He ran down his road, excitedly staring at the familiar houses. He was truly back.

....

"Mum, I'm home." As soon as he arrived, Tang Yan quickly rushed into the kitchen.

"Slow down, slow down." His mother, cooking, shouted at Tang Yan, seeing him rush into the kitchen.

Tang Yan stared at the middle-aged woman in front of the stove. A face of kindness, she seemed dignified and radiant. She looked at him with a smile, seeing his excitement.

"Mum..." said Tang Yan. His emotions in turmoil, his eyes began to tear up.

His mum had passed away from breast cancer by the time he was thirty. They had fought it for a few years after she was diagnosed, but eventually, they ran out of money for her treatment. As such, her condition had gradually worsened till she eventually passed away.

After that, things had never been the same. His relationship with his father had begun to deteriorate over time. They had never been particularly close before, and now, without her to reconcile them, they began to quarrel. In fact, the main reason he was in South Africa was due to another quarrel with his father.

Remembering all of this, Tang Yan swore in his heart to never let this occur!

"Son, why are you crying? What's wrong? Did something happen at school?" asked his mother, shocked at his tears.

After more than five years, hearing the familiar voice of his mother, Tang Yan couldn't hold back his emotions; his tears became stronger.

Seeing Tang Yan crying so heavily, his mother became anxious. Quickly rushing over, she hugged him and began trying to soothe him.

"Mum, I'm fine. I'm just really happy. Haha, can't you see that these are tears of joy?" said Tang Yan, beginning to recover as he wiped his eyes with a smile.

His mother, hearing his laughter, finally released Tang Yan out of her embrace.

Relieved, she asked, "What's made you so happy?"

"I was selected for the city's archery team. I can go to college," Tang Yan said with a tone seeking praise.

"Go to college?" His mother shot him a questioning gaze and said, "What about your college entrance exam?"

"Mum, I can get in without the test because it's a sports scholarship. The test scores don't really matter as long as...." Tang Yan explained to his mother.

After the explanation, although she didn't understand too much, hearing that her son was already set for university, she was overjoyed. She got up and began to make food to celebrate.

Tang Yan left the kitchen and began to wander around his old house.

Seeing the leather sofa and the big pendulum clock, his heart was filled with emotion.

While he was reminiscing, the front door was pushed open, and a middle-aged man in overalls walked in.

"Dad, you're back," said Tang Yan, seeing the familiar figure.

His father nodded at him briefly then went straight to the table and began to make tea.

This was his father, an ordinary electrician, silent and dull but the economic pillar of the family. He left for work early in the morning and returned late at night. He single-handedly propped up this house on his shoulder.

At the dinner table, Tang Yan and his parents ate together. The feeling of doing so was so surreal, he felt like he was in an illusion. He began to serve his parents, which caused his mother to laugh with glee and boast about how their son was all grown up.

.....

He reported to the city's archery team the next day.

2010 was a big year for archery. In November, there would be the Asian Games. As the current champion of archery, South Korea, were also from Asia, the intensity of the Asian Games for archery was always the same as if they were competing in the World Championships or the Olympics.

Prior to this though, in August, the first Youth Olympic Games would be held in Singapore.

In order to prepare for these two major events, the National Archery Association would be holding trials for the national team in July.

Similarly, in order to prepare for this national event, the Zhejiang Province would also conduct a provincial trial in June to select candidates to compete.

Lotus City's goal was naturally to get a few archers onto the provincial team's list.

This was why the high school trials were held at the end of April.

These ladder-type selection trials, for Tang Yan, were his chance to leap to success.