Galloping and Swinging the Sword

"Giddyup!" Hong Yi felt the rise and fall of the horse beneath him, channeling his strength as if he could borrow the momentum of the beast. Hearing this, his heart leapt into his throat. His blood began to boil. Like a bolt of lightning, the furious horse moved like a dragon! Understanding this point and gradually becoming familiar with the power of the horse beneath him, Hong Yi could not help but let out a long whistle. The Shark Slayer sword left its sheath, its brilliance flashing, the chrysanthemum cloud patterns flowing. But that time was in the mountains and hills; the feeling was nowhere near as exhilarating as galloping on the official road now. Thinking of the Pure Fox Clan in the valley, a thought suddenly bloomed in Hong Yi's heart. Clang! Hong Yi remembered the time he struck a horse in front of the clan school. At the same time, he used the most basic set of Horse Riding Fist to control the horse. Using the soul-projection confusion technique, Hong Yi communicated with this magnificent Lightning Chaser Fire Horse. He vaulted into the saddle and gripped the reins; the fiery steed did not buck again, but calmly allowed him to mount. This set of Horse Riding Fist was a foundational skill; it was the first chapter of the Martial Classic and the only martial technique that had not been tampered with. It was a basic skill for training agility and building a solid foundation. With such sword momentum and power, it was only natural to cut through a tree as if it were tofu. Looking at the tree as thick as a man's leg that he had swept through by the roadside, Hong Yi looked at the Shark Slayer sword in his hand, gathered his strength, and swept it again. "Once horsemanship is mastered, a person borrowing the horse's power is truly ferocious. Even though I only have the strength of a Martial Disciple, if I were to face a Martial Master who has perfected bone-tempering in combat, I might be able to cut him down from his horse. However, that time on the street, when that fellow Rong Pan was riding, I dodged him and knocked the horse down with a punch. While riding a horse certainly increases power, the flexibility is slightly lacking." "If foxes can cultivate their souls to leave their bodies, this Lightning Chaser horse seems to have a high degree of human-like intelligence. If I communicate with it through my soul and teach it the method of soul-projection, perhaps it could cultivate just like the foxes. I could even teach it training methods; if a human can become a Martial Saint, since it is also flesh and blood, a horse might not be unable to train to be even more powerful." Hong Yi suddenly understood the key to horsemanship: "a person borrowing the horse's power." When a general charges on the battlefield, they can fully borrow the horse's momentum, merging the power of man and beast to greatly increase lethality. As long as they do not encounter archers, ordinary warriors who have mastered horsemanship can become a match for a hundred men. By comparison, Hong Yi felt other horses were like crawling snails. Although the Shark Slayer was a divine weapon, the tree was too thick; after cutting into it, the resistance was immense, and Hong Yi lacked the strength to sever it in one go. What kind of book? Hong Yi aimed at a tree by the road as thick as a man's leg, clamped his legs against the horse's belly, gripped the sword with both hands, and focused all his strength into his hands. He stabilized the blade, and the sword momentum he unleashed was entirely the impact force of the horse galloping beneath him. "But that horsemanship of Rong Pan, while considered decent, is far from reaching the level of spiritual connection with the horse. A true battlefield horse has the ability to trample and fight on its own." "For mounted movement, the waist strength is paramount. To obtain waist strength, the crotch must wrap and press against the saddle. With the crotch wrapped and pressed, the waist is straight and powerful; otherwise, it is best not to be flimsy. Both knees should clamp the saddle horn, both shins should press against the horse's ribs, feet should tread the stirrups shallowly rather than deeply, and the hands holding the reins should be lively, not stiff. The buttocks should not press the horse's spine, and the heels should not hook the horse's belly." Occasionally, one could see people galloping on the official road, but with one stomp of its four hooves, Lightning Chaser overtook them in the blink of an eye. In a few breaths, they were left far behind, and after another dozen breaths, the other party was nothing but a tiny dot. However, in his dreams, Hong Yi had seen it charging in full iron armor, so he knew this horse had bones of steel and skin of copper, making it extremely powerful. The Lightning Chaser felt Hong Yi's tug on the reins and heard his voice; it turned its head, looked deeply at Hong Yi on its back, and with a leap of its four hooves, it began to gallop violently along the official road. "With this horse, once I pass the provincial and metropolitan examinations and enter the army, won't earning merit and titles be as easy as reaching out and taking them?" Gradually. The Great Gan Dynasty was an empire based on agriculture, not a nomadic one, so horses were relatively scarce. To train soldiers in mounted archery, this set of Horse Riding Fist was created. By practicing empty-handed and riding a 'virtual horse,' once the foundation was solid, riding a real horse would naturally be as if one had practiced for a long time. When Hong Yi employed the Horse Riding Fist, he had a feeling that the power of the Lightning Chaser beneath him and his own strength had a tendency to merge. The power of the Lightning Chaser was equivalent to that of a Xiantian Martial Master, and the momentum of its charge was equivalent to the power of a Xiantian expert. Riding on its back, the sword Hong Yi swung using that impact force, while not quite equal to a sword swung by a Xiantian expert, could still be considered that of a top-tier Martial Master. Hong Yi gave the reins a light shake to the left, and the Lightning Chaser ran to the left; he shook them to the right, and it ran to the right. It was easy to control and very obedient. Hong Yi knew that there were many levels of horsemanship. The highest was the spiritual connection between man and horse, where commanding the horse was as flexible as commanding one's own arm. Throughout history, many famous generals' warhorses could even dodge blades and spears on the battlefield while trampling and injuring enemies, appearing like a martial arts expert with profound leg techniques. The cut was smooth and calm, like polished bluestone. The tree seemed like tofu, severed in the middle and collapsing. The violent wind blew his hair straight back; he could not breathe through his nose or mouth, and it was difficult to even open his eyes. He silently recited the "Imperial" chapter from the Six Arts Classics, which was the chapter on horsemanship. All the key points were etched into his heart. For a moment, Hong Yi's confidence soared, and he even had thoughts of abandoning the pen for the sword. "When did I become so strong?" "When the rider is on the horse, the heart must not leave the horse." Once it stopped, the Lightning Chaser looked leisurely, not even panting, as if the long, violent gallop was a mere trifle. Its immense stamina was undeniable. Hong Yi finally understood why this horse was called "Lightning Chaser" and why the Fire Horse was one of the world's famous breeds. He had only felt this speed once in his life, three or four months ago at the ruined temple of Qiuyue Temple, when Consort Yuan carried him through the air. "This horse is amazing!" Occasionally opening his eyes, he saw the trees and fields on both sides of the official road retreating violently in his peripheral vision, his whole body feeling light as if he were a kite about to be blown away. After mounting the horse, he kept all the postures strictly to the key points. Hong Yi shook the reins, gathered his inner breath, and let out a thunderous shout. Pfft! "So that's how it is!" Hong Yi had read the Martial Classic and historical records extensively, so he naturally knew the importance of horses. While practicing the Ox Demon Great Strength Fist, he had also secretly pondered the "Horse Riding Fist" to prepare for mounted archery. At first, Hong Yi could not handle the speed of the Lightning Chaser and could only lie flat on the horse's back. But gradually, he regulated his breathing, became familiar with the horse's nature, and began to use the Horse Riding Fist, allowing him to straighten his waist on the horse, control the reins, and make the Lightning Chaser turn left and right. Pfft! Looking into the distance, places that seemed to take a long time to reach were arrived at in a few leaps like a whirlwind. This feeling gave Hong Yi a strong sense of stimulation. "I just borrowed the horse's power; so that's what it was." This time, the sword cut deeply into the tree but did not sever it. "Whoa..." Hong Yi shook the reins to signal the Lightning Chaser to stop. In an instant, it pulled in its four hooves and stood as steady as Mount Tai, as if nailed to the ground. The massive inertia of the impact almost sent Hong Yi flying, but fortunately, he sat down hard and clamped his legs against the horse's belly to maintain his posture. After this test, Hong Yi understood even better what it meant to borrow the horse's power. After riding around for a while longer, the sky gradually darkened, and the gates of Yujing were about to close. Hong Yi rode back to the city and returned to the Marquis Mansion. Arriving at his Osmanthus Chamber, he had just tied up the horse, wondering where to find a groom to take care of it. Huff, huff, huff, huff! Suddenly, Zi Yu hurried in. "Young Master Yi, the head steward Wu was here just now. He said the Marquis has returned and wants to see you." The sword light flashed. The horse galloped, the sword left its sheath!