Function · Jianzhou Flying Shadow

Zhang Jun and Luo Heng looked over the entire ranch together. Then, under the excuse of using the restroom, Zhang Jun hid in the bathroom to study the system. At last, he figured out its functions.

First, the system could display an attribute panel for every horse. The panel could show one to three competition-related attributes and one breeding attribute for any racehorse he saw.

The competition attributes were divided into speed, power, stamina, burst, competitive grit, mentality, intelligence, flexibility, health, track, running style, distance, and growth type.

Speed was the most important, determining a horse's speed limit and the highest level of races it could reach. Power determined its adaptability to heavy tracks and slopes, as well as its ability to break out from the pack. Stamina determined the midpoint of its race distance.

Burst determined how long it took a racehorse to accelerate to top speed. The higher it was, the stronger its instant acceleration. Grit represented competitiveness and willpower, while also determining how long a horse could maintain top speed after exhausting its stamina. Mentality determined how greatly environmental changes affected a horse, meaning its ability to travel for races. Intelligence determined how quickly it responded to commands and how well it read a race.

Flexibility determined the gap between a racehorse's upper and lower distance limits. Health referred to the horse's physical condition and likelihood of injury.

Distance referred to its race distance after combining stamina and flexibility. Tracks were divided into turf and dirt, while track aptitude was divided into four levels: ◎, ○, △, and X. X meant it could not run on that surface at all. △ meant it could barely manage. ○ meant excellent, allowing it to perform to its full ability. ◎ meant outstanding, allowing it to exceed its normal ability.

Running styles were front-running, lead, pace, stalk, close, flexible pace (lead or pace, occasionally stalk), flexible stalk (stalk or close, occasionally pace), and flexible (anything except front-running).

Growth types were early maturity, standard early, standard late, late maturity, and awakening. They determined when a horse's abilities would reach their peak.

There were only two breeding attributes: offspring production and inherited traits.

Offspring production determined whether a horse could produce outstanding descendants. Most horses at Jianzhou Ranch had offspring production attributes of three or four points. Reaching six points was considered excellent, while seven points was enough to make a mare the cornerstone of a ranch.

Like the several foundation mares and stallions at Jianzhou Ranch, all of them had offspring production attributes of seven points.

Inherited traits were abilities a horse had a chance of passing on to its offspring. Based on the probability of inheritance, the traits were marked with an Iron Pony, Bronze Pony, Silver Pony, Golden Pony, or Rainbow Pony, representing an extremely low chance, low chance, moderate chance, high chance, and guaranteed inheritance respectively.

In addition, the system had points and a shop. Points came from prize money earned by horses finishing in the top five. Horses owned by Zhang Jun himself, or entered under the name of his ranch or club, could convert every ten thousand yuan in prize money into one point. Prize money earned by horses he bred and then sold converted at a rate of one point per hundred thousand yuan.

Points could be used in the system shop to purchase high-quality pasture grass, hay, and all kinds of items.

"So, Jun, did you see any horses you liked?"

Beside the last grazing field, Luo Heng smiled and nudged Zhang Jun with his elbow.

"Several of them looked pretty good. I'll think it over tonight."

Zhang Jun hesitated. Through the system panels, he had found several promising young horses.

"Sure!"

Luo Heng had no objections.

After dinner, Zhang Jun and Luo Heng played a few rounds of games together. Once he returned to bed, Zhang Jun reflected on the day.

After coming to the ranch because of his father's will, he had awakened the system. Was this his father watching over him from heaven, along with fate itself, encouraging him to pull himself together?

Zhang Jun thought for a long time. He decided to make good use of the system, enter the horse racing industry, and establish a ranch of his own. He also made up his mind about the horse he would choose tomorrow.

The morning sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains and fell across Zhang Jun's face.

He opened his eyes and stared blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling for several seconds before remembering that he was lying in a guest room at Jianzhou Ranch.

Everything that had happened yesterday—his father's will, the system's awakening, and the attributes of the horses and foals at the ranch—came rushing back into his mind like a tide.

Zhang Jun sat up and silently called, "System."

A pale blue screen appeared at once, displaying his basic information in the upper-left corner:

[Host: Zhang Jun Age: 18

Owned Horses: 0 Owned Ranches: 0 Owned Clubs: 0 Current Points: 0, Shop]

The system interface was simple and clear. There was also a shop icon in the lower-left corner, but with zero points, it was useless for now.

Zhang Jun took a deep breath and climbed out of bed.

Today, he would make his choice—he would take the horse he had decided on last night from among those he had seen yesterday.

After washing up, Zhang Jun left the guest room. He followed the corridor to the dining room, where Luo Heng, Luo Fei, and Luo Fei's eldest son, Luo Yong, were already seated at the table. Luo Fei's wife, Liu Li, was busy in the kitchen.

Luo Yong was tall and thin, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, a shirt, and dress pants. He looked more like a corporate office worker than someone raised on a ranch.

Liu Li was beautiful, fair-skinned, and voluptuous.

"Jun, how did you sleep?" Luo Heng greeted him warmly.

"Not bad." Zhang Jun took an empty seat. "Morning, Uncle Luo. Morning, Aunt Liu. Morning, Brother Yong."

"Morning, Jun." Liu Li smiled and handed him a bowl of porridge. "You look much better today. So, have you decided which horse you want?"

"I have." Zhang Jun said, "I want a two-year-old from Stable Number Five in the racehorse section."

"A wise choice." Luo Fei nodded. "You can already see some potential in two-year-olds. And if they're trained properly, they can enter local maiden races in the second half of this year."

"After breakfast, have Heng and A-Yong take you over to the training grounds. The two-year-olds are being trained right now."

"By the way, Uncle Luo, I want to open my own ranch in the future too. Before I establish it, can the horses I buy stay here with you?" Zhang Jun asked.

"Jun, you want to become a breeder too?" Luo Fei looked at him in surprise.

"Of course. As long as you can pay the boarding fees and the ranch still has room."

"Also, once you open your own ranch, come find me. Our family has been in the racing industry for many years. We have some experience we can teach you."

Zhang Jun thanked him gratefully, and Luo Fei smiled and waved it off.

Breakfast was simple rice porridge with pickled vegetables and fried flatbread, but Zhang Jun ate heartily. Since his father's death, this was the first time he had truly had the appetite to eat a proper meal.

After breakfast, Luo Yong and Luo Heng led Zhang Jun to the training grounds.

Along the way, Luo Heng excitedly introduced the ranch's layout. "That's the breeding section over there—we saw it yesterday. This is the training section, with a circular training track, a straight track, and an uphill course. Further over there are the equine hospital and quarantine area..."

The training grounds were already bustling. Several trainers and riders were guiding horses through their workouts. The sound of hooves striking the ground, riders shouting, and horses neighing blended together.

Zhang Jun looked over the horses one by one. Finally, his gaze settled on a chestnut colt.

This horse was medium-sized among the two-year-olds, but its muscle lines were sleek and smooth, and its limbs were long and powerful. Most eye-catching were its eyes—large and bright, carrying an alert, intelligent gleam.

That's the one. Speed D, equally adept on turf and dirt, adaptable to every running style, and most importantly...

As Zhang Jun stared at it, the system displayed the horse's attributes again:

\n[Horse Name: Jianzhou Flying Shadow

Sire: Jianzhou Gallant Rider

Dam: Princess of Jian'an

Damsire: Jianzhou Senior General

Sex and Age: Two-Year-Old Colt

Coat Color: Chestnut

Competition Attributes:

Speed: D

Power: ?

Stamina: ?

Burst: ?

Competitive Grit: ?

Mentality: ?

Intelligence: ?

Flexibility: ?

Health: ?

Track Aptitude: Turf ◎, Dirt ◎

Running Style: Flexible

Distance: ?

Growth Type: ?.

Breeding Attributes:

Offspring Production: 7

Inherited Traits: ?.]

If I want to start my own ranch, I'll need outstanding broodmares and stallions. An offspring production attribute of seven is already enough to make him a foundation stallion. Among Uncle Luo's four stallions, only Jianzhou Flying Shadow's damsire, Jianzhou Senior General, the ranch's flagship stallion, can compare with him.

Although his speed ceiling is inferior to Jianzhou Warrior, who also has offspring production of seven, he has no requirements for running style or track. He can be paired with mares of any running style and on any surface. All I need to consider is the mare's race distance.

"Jun, have you taken a liking to Jianzhou Flying Shadow?" Luo Heng noticed Zhang Jun's gaze.

Zhang Jun nodded. "His eyes look special... and his body looks great too."

"Good eye!" Luo Yong gave him a thumbs-up. "Jianzhou Flying Shadow is the son of Jianzhou Gallant Rider and Princess of Jian'an. Jianzhou Gallant Rider is the stallion our ranch is currently promoting. He won three Grade One sprint races in Britain."

"Princess of Jian'an had average racing results and only won once, but her pedigree is excellent. We specially imported her maternal line from the north. Of her four offspring to have debuted so far, three have won Graded Stakes races."

Luo Yong paused, then asked, "But this is Jianzhou Gallant Rider's first crop, and they haven't been tested on the track yet. Want to see him run?"

Zhang Jun nodded. Watching a racehorse train would let him observe abilities that the system did not display.

Luo Yong waved over a middle-aged trainer and gave him a few quiet instructions.

Before long, Jianzhou Flying Shadow was led to the circular training track, and a rider lightly swung himself into the saddle.

"Go!" the rider called softly.

Jianzhou Flying Shadow began at a trot, its strides steady and rhythmic. After several minutes of warming up, the rider signaled for it to accelerate.

Jianzhou Flying Shadow reacted incredibly quickly. Almost the instant the command was given, it increased its stride frequency and shifted from a trot into a run.

Its movements were fluid and powerful, its limbs swinging wide in perfect coordination.

At the bend, it naturally leaned inward while maintaining its balance. Once it entered the straight, the rider signaled again, and Jianzhou Flying Shadow's explosive power immediately revealed itself—it surged forward as if launched from a catapult, reaching top speed in only a few seconds.

"Beautiful!" Zhang Jun could not help but praise.

Its ability to explode into action the moment it entered the straight and reach maximum speed within seconds at least proved that Jianzhou Flying Shadow's burst was exceptionally high.

Combined with the fact that Jianzhou Flying Shadow already had D speed at two years old, just like Crimson Flying Crane, a winner of a Grade Three race, as long as it could keep developing and raise its speed to D+, winning a local Grade One Race CN1 equivalent to a central Grade Two race would be no problem at all.

After completing a lap, the rider slowed the horse down. Jianzhou Flying Shadow's breathing was slightly rapid, but it quickly stabilized, looking entirely at ease.

"What do you think?" Luo Heng asked.

"Very good," Zhang Jun said seriously. "Its acceleration is especially outstanding, and it recovers quickly after a run."

"So you're sure you want him?" Luo Yong asked for confirmation.

"This one!" Zhang Jun nodded firmly.

Luo Yong patted Zhang Jun's shoulder. "I'll go tell Dad now, and I'll bring the contract over for you."

"You can spend some time getting along with Jianzhou Flying Shadow first. Its training is already over."

After Luo Yong left, Zhang Jun entered the wash area. Jianzhou Flying Shadow was tied in the middle of the room while its stablehand rubbed shampoo over its coat.

Sensing someone other than the stablehand approach, it raised its head and examined Zhang Jun with those intelligent, large eyes.

Luo Heng brought over a bucket of chopped carrots and handed it to Zhang Jun.

"Most racehorses like carrots. Here."

"Thanks." Zhang Jun accepted the carrots, took one from the bucket, and cautiously held it out to Jianzhou Flying Shadow.

Jianzhou Flying Shadow hesitated, then came closer to sniff Zhang Jun's hand before taking the carrot into its mouth.

"From now on, we're family," Zhang Jun said softly.

Jianzhou Flying Shadow snorted, lifted its head, and widened its eyes, as if saying, I only ate one of your carrots. How did I suddenly become your horse?

"Hahaha..."

Zhang Jun, Luo Heng, and the stablehand washing Jianzhou Flying Shadow all burst out laughing.