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"It was a competition, wasn't it? The future of our clans lies in the hands of those youngsters. Besides, the future is never predictable."
— Jiang Fengmian
The Qishan Wen Clan calls for a Discussion Conference in the form of an archery tournament, and it becomes blatantly obvious that the event is less of a friendly gathering and more of a display of power.
- The Ace: Wei Wuxian proves to be the best archer of the lot, even scoring higher than the other ace and older cultivator Lan Xichen.
- Adaptational Early Appearance: Nie Mingjue, Jin Guangshuan and Wen Ruohan make their first onscreen appearances here, whereas in the novel they showed up in later flashbacks.
- Adaptational Jerkass: In the novel, the only things Wen Chao did in the Discussion Conference included accepting applications from those who wanted to participate in the archery tournament and telling Wen Ning to prove his skills by hitting a target. But he never belittled Wen Ning nor did he antagonize Wei Wuxian like he does here in this episode.
- Adaptation Expansion: The archery tournament was only briefly mentioned in the novel, mainly focusing on Wei Wuxian first meeting Wen Ning and when he accidentally removed Lan Wangji's forehead ribbon. This episode adapts the archery tournament flashback into a full-episode story.
- Arrow Catch: Wei Wuxian catches an arrow Wen Ning accidentally shoots at him with only mild surprise.
- Big Damn Heroes: Lan Wangji saves a disciple from getting shot by Wen Chao in the nick time, and in dramatic fashion too.
- Crying Wolf: Upon seeing Lan Wangji again after a year, Wei Wuxian decides to prank him by making him think that his forehead ribbon was crooked. Then when that actually becomes the case, Lan Wangji doesn't believe Wei Wuxian when he points it out, which soon leads to a very awkward moment between the two.
- Death Glare: Lan Wangji gives a murderous glare to Wei Wuxian when the latter accidentally undoes his forehead ribbon, complete with bloodshot eyes. It's enough to stop Wei Wuxian go into his usual banter and scares him into silence.
- Establishing Character Moment: We get to see Wen Ning before he became the feared Ghost General. In his introduction, he's established to be a surprisingly kind yet timid young boy who is looked down on by his clan.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: Despite the five clans having an official alliance, three of the clan leaders unite in their dislike of the Wen Clan. Wen Chao expresses annoyance when he watches the four other clan leaders socialise amongst themselves.
- Graceful Loser: While clearly disappointed that he wasn't one of the top archers in the tournament, Jiang Cheng nevertheless smiles for Wei Wuxian's own victory.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: When Lan Wangji stops Wen Chao from hurting another disciple, he not only manages to shoot through Wen Chao's arrow (in a way that messes up all three of the latter's arrows' trajectories) but he also hits a target from far away at the same time.
- Man Hug: One of the Jiang disciples gives Wei Wuxian a big hug after the latter is crowned the top archer of the tournament.
- Performance Anxiety: Wen Ning is shown to be a skilled archer, something that archery master Wei Wuxian even points out. However, when Wen Chao challenges him to shoot a target in public, he panics and flubs it.
- Shoot the Bullet: When Wen Chao fires three arrows at Ouyang, Lan Wangji shoots one of the arrows, splitting it apart and saving him.
- Tranquil Fury: Downplayed. Lan Wangji looks the most angry Wei Wuxian has ever seen him after accidentally pulling off his forehead ribbon, but he barely manages to keep it together as he silently grabs his ribbon back and walks away without further reaction.
- The Unreveal: Despite Lan Wangji becoming furious with Wei Wuxian over his forehead ribbon being pulled off and the latter pondering what he did wrong, the exact importance of the ribbon is never explained.
