Great Fortune Has Arrived

The crowd gradually adapted to the chaotic scene, and the rate of elimination noticeably slowed.

They also realized that in this melee, they not only had to deal with bulls and horses, but also guard against the others.

Shan Xiongqing gazed at the fighting crowd below and leisurely cracked sunflower seeds.

"Why did Wang Er charge at Su Yuan?" Gao Mian asked, slightly puzzled.

"Who knows?" Shan Xiongqing replied casually.

Han Gui, standing nearby, explained, "Wang Er and Su Yuan have an old grudge in private. Judging by this, he came prepared. Little Brother Su may be in trouble."

Gao Mian frowned at this, a flicker of worry passing through her eyes.

Shan Xiongqing smiled instead. "Madam, it is unavoidable for servants to fight among themselves. It depends on Su Yuan's own fortune. But this is more interesting—like a cat catching a mouse."

Tie Niu stared intently at Su Yuan. Hearing this, he clenched his fists and murmured, "Young Master, if my brother is eliminated, I hope you can lend him a hand."

"Pull him out? He signed a contract with the Shan Family. That would be difficult." Chai Nian sighed softly.

"If Young Master can bring my brother into the Chai Family Martial Academy, I am willing to trade my freedom..."

On the field, Su Yuan noticed several people closing in around him and immediately spurred his horse into flight.

"Why are so many people targeting me? Who did I offend?" Su Yuan cursed inwardly.

"Brother Su, what do we do now?" Xu Tian shouted anxiously from behind his horse, frightened by the formation of nearly ten people pursuing them.

"Su Yuan, let's see where you can run! This brat is cunning—eliminate him first, lest he become trouble later!" Wang Er roared amid the crowd.

Su Yuan immediately understood. Most of them merely wanted to use this chance to reduce the competition, so they joined Wang Er in egging things on.

He had not wanted to reveal his strength so early, but now he had no choice but to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys.

"You two take care of yourselves. Don't drag me down." He glanced at the Xu brothers, who were still clumsy at controlling their horses, though he understood.

Not everyone had the means to practice riding.

Su Yuan turned his horse around and charged straight at Wang Er.

After stirring everyone up, Wang Er had quietly shrunk toward the edge himself, afraid that someone else would eliminate him.

When he saw Su Yuan rushing directly toward him, he hurriedly whipped his horse around to flee.

But Su Yuan's horsemanship was superb. The black horse beneath him moved as easily as his own arm, and after just a few rises and falls, he rapidly closed in. "Get out of the way!"

Seeing that momentum, not a single bystander dared to be the first to stick their neck out. They all scattered aside.

"A bunch of cowards—yah!" Su Yuan squeezed with his legs, and the black horse accelerated, about to catch up.

"Brother Su! I have no grievance or grudge against you. Why are you chasing me?" Wang Er shouted anxiously over his shoulder.

"Didn't you just ask where I was running? I'm fucking here!"

With no one coming to help, Wang Er hurriedly changed his tune. "Brother Su, I was wrong! That was all nonsense just now! We both belong to the Shan Family—we should join forces!"

"Fine. Join forces. Stop first."

Wang Er actually slowed down.

The moment Su Yuan drew close, a vicious glint flashed in Wang Er's eyes. He suddenly leaned over and reached out to trip the front legs of Su Yuan's horse!

Su Yuan had expected it. At the instant their horses were about to cross paths, he yanked fiercely on the mane. The black horse neighed and reared up, its front hooves smashing viciously into the neck of Wang Er's white horse!

At the same time, he twisted his waist and back, channeling the immense force of the collision through his legs and feet—

"Great fortune has arrived!"

Bang!

The crack of breaking bones mixed with Wang Er's scream.

Man and horse were sent crashing sideways. Before Wang Er could rise after rolling several times, he was swept beneath the hooves of several startled bulls charging past, and in an instant, he fell silent.

Su Yuan, meanwhile, used the momentum to leap from the black horse's back. He flipped through the air and landed steadily atop a red horse galloping nearby.

His legs clamped around the horse's belly like iron pincers. He slapped its rump, and the red horse let out a long neigh before turning and charging at the participants who had pursued him most closely before.

Seeing Wang Er's miserable state, those people had already lost their nerve. When Su Yuan came crashing toward them with the force of a fierce tiger, they were so terrified their souls nearly fled their bodies. Without another thought, they dismounted and scrambled over the low wall.

Gao Mian watched Su Yuan galloping across the field, the admiration in her eyes growing stronger. "The mouse actually knocked over the cat. I never expected Craftsman Su's riding skills to be so exceptional. My hands are getting itchy—I want to compete with him myself."

"This horse-taming skill is indeed beautiful. Brother Shan, I'd say he is even more practiced than you." Chai Nian chuckled.

In the Horse Division, horsemanship had always been the focus of everyone's contests.

Tie Niu also let out a breath of relief, silently reproaching himself. I should have trusted Brother Yuan. He had always been like this—anything he wanted to accomplish, he could always do.

Shan Xiongqing's face darkened like water as he forced out the words through clenched teeth. "He is not bad, but he is not even a Martial Warrior. How could he compare horsemanship with me?"

"What a pity. In the end, he only has inferior bones and will never become a great vessel." Chai Nian shook his fan in agreement.

"Yes, inferior bones. Even if he enters the Martial Academy, he will not go far. Madam, wouldn't you say so?" Shan Xiongqing suddenly turned toward Gao Mian.

Gao Mian did not answer, merely watching the youth in the field quietly.

Seeing that the moment had arrived, Chai Nian stood and said, "Brother Shan, may I have a word with you?"

Though Shan Xiongqing was puzzled, he still rose and followed him away from the seats.

On the field.

"Brother Su, you are way too fierce! Those people were chasing us just now. Can you drive them out?" Xu Di asked as he followed behind Su Yuan's horse.

Su Yuan was speechless. "Are you two protecting me, or am I protecting you two?"

The brothers laughed awkwardly. "Brother Su, no matter what, we owe you for this! Once we enter the Martial Academy, we brothers will follow you without hesitation! If you need anything, just give the word!"

Su Yuan did not respond. He merely continued riding wildly through the field, changing mounts from time to time. Everyone retreated before him, complaints rising everywhere.

He was not deliberately showing off. He had simply discovered that riding these fierce horses increased the progress of his riding skill extremely quickly.

[Riding: 1945/2000 (Perfect)]

[Riding: 1999/2000 (Perfect)]

"Wait!"

Su Yuan realized something. He flipped off his horse and ran straight toward an especially massive black bull with blood-red eyes in the middle of the field.

He leaped onto the bull's back, both hands gripping its pair of curved horns tightly.

The black bull flew into a rage, wildly shaking its head and bucking as it charged through the crowd.

"What madness is this brat up to now? He even dares to ride a bull!"

"This beast really is difficult to handle!" Su Yuan exerted force through his waist and hips, constantly adjusting the power throughout his body with the bull's movements, determined to tame it.

Suddenly, he arched his waist and back. A deep, heavy force traveled segment by segment from his spine before exploding outward.

[Riding: 2000/2000 (Perfect)]

[Obtained Trait: Ox-Subduing Stability]

[Ox-Subduing Stability: Sink the body and merge with the momentum, gathering strength throughout the body]

[Having mastered the art of riding, one may control all movement and rhythm at will; the force in the waist and hips becomes grounded and powerful, the foundation steady, allowing one to link every tendon and bone throughout the body, condensing all strength into one and unleashing it with wholly heavy, ferocious force]

"Moo!" The black bull let out a miserable bellow and was actually overturned by Su Yuan's thrust.

Everyone nearby who witnessed it stood dumbfounded.

"Brother Su... you..." The Xu brothers' mouths hung open, and they could not even finish their words.

On the platform, Gao Mian abruptly stood up. Then she noticed Shan Xiongqing was no longer beside her and hurriedly smoothed her hair, her cheeks warming slightly. She brushed away the sunflower seed shells from her skirt, popped a grape between her lips, and leisurely sat back down.

Han Gui, beside her, pretended he had seen nothing, though inwardly he was shocked. So this brat had such a trick up his sleeve. No wonder he could make Madam happy.

Tie Niu merely muttered, "Brother Yuan knocked the bull over. What a miserable bull."

For some reason, a chill suddenly ran down his back, and he instinctively touched his lower back.

Su Yuan climbed up from the ground and rubbed his waist. "Tsk. I used too much force and strained myself."

But he had also confirmed his earlier guess, and this time, the trait was fucking fierce.

The Xu brothers hurriedly supported him from either side, though their gazes kept drifting downward. "Brother Su, how did you train that?"

Su Yuan's face darkened. "Born with it. Stop staring."

Though he had already gotten off the bull, after witnessing that terrifying scene, no one dared approach to provoke him again.

In the shadows outside the field, a young man stared at Su Yuan, his fists clenched until his knuckles turned white. "Hmph. Consider yourself lucky this time."

As more and more people were eliminated, the examiner finally struck the gong. "The melee in the horse field is over! Congratulations to those remaining in the field for passing the Martial Assessment! Those eliminated need not lose heart. There are still opportunities to learn martial arts at the martial schools in the city and the various family estates. Those who passed, report to your respective Martial Academies immediately!"

Hearing this, the three of them finally breathed a sigh of relief.

They simply had not expected that those who were eliminated would still have a path open to them.

The Liang People picked out the best seedlings, then tossed the scraps to the martial schools that had submitted to them, or took them in as private slaves.

What a fine calculation.

The three of them came to where the disciples of the Shan Family Martial Academy had gathered. They saw Shan Xiongqing and Gao Mian walking down from the platform, with Tie Niu and the young master of the Chai Family following behind as well.

"Greetings, Young Master and Madam." Everyone bowed.

"Good, good." A smile was squeezed onto Shan Xiongqing's square face. "From now on, you are all fine young men of my Shan Family Martial Academy. I hope you study diligently and train hard, and do not disappoint the cultivation you receive."

Then his tone abruptly changed. "Su Yuan, step forward."

"Here! What orders do Young Master and Madam have?" Su Yuan asked, neither servile nor overbearing.

Gao Mian had been studying Su Yuan all along and was just about to offer some encouragement when Shan Xiongqing said, "Su Yuan, I have always liked to help others fulfill their wishes. Young Master Chai wishes to invite you to the Chai Family Martial Academy so that you may reunite with your brother. I have already agreed. From now on, you are a member of the Chai Family."