After completing the archery test, Qi control assessment, and various other evaluations, the participants were finally gathered for the results. The announcement came swiftly—everyone had passed.

  A wave of joy swept through the crowd. Cheers erupted, and excited chatter filled the air. Some of the participants hugged their friends, while others dropped to the ground, exhausted but relieved. This was a moment of triumph for all of them.

  Even Han Ye couldn’t help but smile, feeling a sense of accomplishment. He had spent the st few days worrying about his performance, about whether he would stand out too much because of his unusual talent—or if he would fail because he wasn’t trying his hardest. But in the end, it seemed none of those concerns mattered.

  Yet, despite the joy in the air, an unsettling thought crept into his mind.

  All of us passed?

  It was too convenient. No sect, no matter how lenient, would accept every single applicant. The point of a selection process was to choose only the most qualified, to separate the weak from the strong.

  Unless…

  His mind raced, overthinking the possibilities. Did they lower their standards? Are they just desperate for disciples? Or… is something else at py?

  Unable to shake his unease, he raised his hand.

  "Elder Meng, why were we all accepted?"

  The elder, an old but sharp-looking man, simply smiled at first. "Because you are all worthy to become disciples of the Archer Sect."

  Han Ye narrowed his eyes. "I feel like there’s another reason."

  Before Elder Meng could respond, Lan Ji, who had been standing next to him, suddenly chimed in with a casual smirk.

  "I bet it’s because they need money."

  The entire group turned to look at him. Elder Meng’s expression twitched violently, and then—before anyone could react—he suddenly broke down, falling to his knees and sobbing uncontrolbly.

  "W-we’re broke…! The sect’s funds… they’re all gone!" he wailed, tears streaming down his face.

  A stunned silence fell over the group.

  "What?" Han Ye blinked, wondering if he heard that correctly.

  "The Sect Master! That bastard… he stole all our money!" Elder Meng cried, his voice cracking with misery. "We had funds! We had savings! But he took everything and disappeared! And now, we… we have nothing!"

  A few disciples exchanged awkward gnces. Lan Ji coughed into his hand. "Uh… I was just joking, but… wow, okay, I guess I was right."

  "You don’t understand!" Elder Meng continued, sniffling and wiping his nose with his sleeve. "Not only are we broke, but our sect has always been looked down upon! Do you know why we are just called the ‘Archer Sect’ and not something grand like the ‘Celestial Bow Sect’ or the ‘Heavenly Marksmen Pavilion’?"

  Han Ye shrugged. "Because… it’s a simple name?"

  "Because we’re cowards!" Elder Meng shouted, shocking everyone. "Or at least, that’s what everyone thinks! People look down on us because we specialize in ranged attacks and barriers! They mock us, saying that we ck the courage to fight up close! They say we hide behind our bows and formations, never standing in direct combat! That’s why we don’t even dare to use an honorable name for our sect! We just call ourselves ‘the Archer Sect’ to avoid drawing attention!"

  A heavy silence followed his words.

  Some of the new disciples looked at each other, uncertain about how to react. They had just joined this sect, hoping for a bright future, but now they were learning that their new home was in complete financial ruin and had no respect from the martial world.

  "So… let me get this straight," Han Ye said slowly. "The Sect Master stole all the funds and ran away. We don’t have any money. And on top of that, we’re seen as a joke because we use bows and long-range techniques instead of fighting directly?"

  "Yes!" Elder Meng sobbed. "That’s exactly it!"

  Lan Ji sighed. "Well, that expins why you accepted all of us. You need bodies to fill the ranks, huh?"

  Elder Meng nodded miserably. "If we didn’t accept everyone, we wouldn’t have enough disciples to even function as a sect anymore! We need numbers! We need talent! We need… we need money!"

  Han Ye let out a deep breath, rubbing his temples.

  Great. Just great.

  He had already been suspicious about why everyone had passed, but he wasn’t expecting the reason to be this pathetic.

  Some disciples looked disappointed, while others just looked exhausted.

  "So, what do we do now?" one of them asked.

  "We train!" Elder Meng suddenly stood up, wiping his tears away with newfound determination. "Even if the world mocks us, even if we have no money, we are still the Archer Sect! We will rise again! We will show them the power of archers!"

  His sudden shift in tone made everyone unsure of whether they should feel inspired or just concerned for his mental health.

  Lan Ji sighed again. "Well… I guess we’re stuck here now."

  Han Ye crossed his arms, deep in thought.

  This is going to be a long journey.