Thus, I finally took the first step toward becoming a royal disciple, gaining my own personal guards, though the feeling was intensely awkward, constantly worried I might do something wrong and become a laughingstock. Of course, no matter how uncomfortable I felt, I had no choice but to brace myself and carry on. Yet, I sensed that Jin Yaohong and the others were just as uneasy.

Perhaps they, too, were unsure how to handle a Prince as unconventional as myself. They say the beginning is always the hardest, but since we’ve started, I trust things will improve. In one morning, Jin Yaohong briefed me on the status of Yuncheng, its surroundings, and the Cloud Lightning Iron Cavalry.

He also taught me the basic etiquette and important protocols for the royal family and the military. Though I could only grasp the general gist, it was certainly better than knowing nothing at all. Naturally, after this exchange, the initial stiffness and distance between Jin Yaohong, the others, and me had completely dissolved.

The early morning sun slanted through the eastern peaks, casting faint dappled spots of light, mingling with the thin mist rising in the late autumn air, making the scene appear somewhat hazy. Across the vast drill ground, a massive expanse of red cloud seemed like a fiercely burning flame; looking closer, I realized that this huge fiery cloud was actually the immense square formation arrayed by countless Cloud Lightning Iron Cavalry. At that moment, riding Da Lei, enveloped by a hundred personal guards, I entered the field and merged into a corner of the Cloud Lightning Iron Cavalry formation.

It was only now that I finally had the chance to observe this famed Cloud Lightning Iron Cavalry up close. The towering Cloud Lightning War Beasts, and the Cloud Lightning Knights upon them, were entirely clad in heavy iron armor; the men and beasts seemed to merge into one tight, integrated unit. Both man and beast showed nothing to the outside world but a pair of eyes; every other part was layered in thick armor plating.

Of course, I, too, was fully armored now. My armor retained the style of the War God Armor, but the military-issue War God Armor of the Cloud Lightning Legion was clearly much thicker and harder than the version popular in the Wandering Ranger world. Its physical and magical defense ratings were far superior.

Only this specially crafted War God Armor could withstand the powerful magical assaults of the Demon Sealing Empire’s magical shock troops. This level of armor was even more robust than what I had seen on the Demon Sealing Empire's magical cavalry last time. Through Jin Yaohong’s explanation, I learned that in terms of cavalry armor, Biqi’s Red Dragon Iron Cavalry was the heaviest.

Consequently, among all cavalry, the Red Dragon Iron Cavalry possessed the most monstrous defense. However, the Mammoth Iron Cavalry and the Cloud Lightning Iron Cavalry armor weren't weak either. The weakest armor belonged to the Demon Sealing Empire’s magical cavalry.

Although I use the term "weakest," this was only relative to the Red Dragon, Cloud Lightning, and Mammoth Iron Cavalry; compared to other cavalry types on the continent, the magical cavalry's armor could still be classified as monstrous. The weight of the War God Armor on me, combined with the Cloud Lightning Beast Armor on Da Lei, was easily close to five hundred jin. It was hard to imagine the Cloud Lightning War Beasts dragging such a load yet being able to maintain astonishingly high speeds during a charge, a testament to the terrifying and incredible power of the war mounts in the Marfa World.

On the backs of the three-meter-tall Cloud Lightning War Beasts, every Cloud Lightning Knight exuded an imposing aura. On the saddle on either side, two racks were fixed, holding two giant, two-meter-long Horse-Slaying Greatswords—standard issue for all cavalry of the Warrior class. Further forward on the saddle was a gun stock, resting an eight-meter-long Knight’s Lance.

Behind the saddle hung rows of three-meter-long javelins, also standard issue for heavy cavalry. On the right side was hung a heavy iron-bow. This specialized heavy bow was impossible to draw without considerable arm and hip strength, but the power of the arrows shot from it was astonishingly high, with an effective range reaching an incredible two hundred and seventy meters.

At this moment, everyone held a lance. In the Marfa World, the Knight’s Lance was the most common heavy weapon for cavalry charges. Once the charge halted and fighting devolved into close quarters, the Horse-Slaying Greatsword became the weapon of choice.

Of course, these were the common methods of engagement for the Warrior-class cavalry, but when facing the Demon Sealing Empire’s magical shock troops, opportunities for melee combat were scarce, making the heavy bow and javelins far more frequently employed. It was clear this was a thoroughly trained force. The spacing between every Cloud Lightning War Beast was precisely and unbelievably six meters apart.

Looking up, the Cloud Lightning Knights were spaced with incredible uniformity; even the edges of their armor seemed aligned in a single overlapping straight line. They formed a uniform mass, without the slightest hint of disorder. Each Cloud Lightning War Beast’s thick limbs were planted firmly on the ground like rooted pillars, standing still as mountains.

Yet, that potential energy, the aura of readiness yet restraint, suggested a terrifying explosive power coiled within; once this red cloud began to move, it would surely bring about landslides and sweep away all obstacles irresistibly. Is this the Cloud Lightning Iron Cavalry? I was immediately subdued by such magnificent majesty with my very first glance, almost murmuring in a daze.

“Cloud Lightning.” Jin Yao, clad in Heavenly Demon Battle Armor and riding another Cloud Lightning War Beast, pulled down the visor of his Saint War Helmet, revealing two gloomy, cyan pupils. His deep, rumbling voice was like that of a lion waking up and roaring, causing a sharp pain in my eardrums. Instinctively, I circulated my energy.

During my time at the Heavenly Demon Holy Temple, Jiu Yao Zhutian had taught me the technique for circulating the Raging Lion Battle Qi, and only then did the discomfort lessen significantly. “Mighty!” Jin Yao’s call was answered by a tidal wave of sound that shook the earth and mountains—a unified, wild roar. It was all the Cloud Lightning Knights activating the most basic introductory skill of the Lion’s Roar to unleash their battle qi in thunderous bursts.

“Cloud Lightning!” “Mighty!” “Cloud Lightning!” “Mighty!” The earth-shattering shouts rose higher and higher, seemingly determined to shatter the entire world. Even though I was prepared, I was still left dizzy and disoriented by the sheer noise. From Jin Yaohong’s briefing, I knew this was merely a motivational exercise akin to a drill sergeant’s speech, still far from real combat.

“Begin training.” Jin Yao’s voice remained deep and powerful, utterly deafening. However, by now I had adapted to the sound, thanks to the Raging Lion Battle Qi circulating within me. The special circulation method protected my internal organs and eardrums.

After all, sonic attacks were the specialty of the Demon Dragon Empire, so knowing how to effectively resist the sonic shock was a mandatory secret every Cloud Lightning Knight had to master. Achieving this wasn’t difficult. In fact, other empires had spent considerable effort studying how to defend against the Cloud Lightning Iron Cavalry’s sonic attacks, and the most basic introductory technique of the Lion’s Roar was no longer a secret; anyone who wished to learn it could easily find out.

Therefore, if the Cloud Lightning Iron Cavalry encountered warriors who had mastered the basic entry-level Lion’s Roar, their sonic attacks would struggle to achieve effective lethality. However, neither the Furnace War Horses, the Great Horned Dragon Beasts, nor the Mammoth Beasts could learn how to defend against sonic attacks. Thus, the Cloud Lightning Iron Cavalry’s sonic attack was primarily aimed at the war mounts.

Once they reached an optimal distance, the sonic attack became an indiscriminate, wide-area assault. Any damaged Furnace War Horses, Great Horned Dragon Beasts, or Mammoth Beasts would lose formation, at which point it would be the Cloud Lightning Iron Cavalry’s time to strike—this was their true trump card. Even if other nations knew their attack method, they couldn't defend against it.

Of course, this didn't imply the Cloud Lightning Iron Cavalry was invincible. The Cloud Lightning Iron Cavalry could only unleash the strongest power of their sonic attack at a distance of about a hundred meters from the enemy. This was a delicate range.

For a Great Horned Dragon Beast, a hundred meters was merely the distance of one charge before it reached their front lines, which would then become extremely dangerous. If a Great Horned Dragon Beast broke into the formation, the consequences would be catastrophic. Magical cavalry, on the other hand, had an effective attack range of three hundred meters.

Yet, for magical cavalry, a three-hundred-meter range was by no means a safe distance against the Cloud Lightning Iron Cavalry. Once cornered within a hundred meters, they too would be in grave danger. As for the Mammoth Iron Cavalry, they were also a melee-focused unit, but the Mammoth Iron Cavalry could only display their true power in mountainous terrain.

Historically, the Mammoth Iron Cavalry, Cloud Lightning Iron Cavalry, and Red Dragon Iron Cavalry had never engaged in true warfare against each other, making it difficult to judge which was stronger. But all three primarily targeted the magical cavalry. On the battlefield, in open plain confrontations, if there was sufficient room for maneuvering and flanking, it would be incredibly difficult for the Cloud Lightning, Mammoth, or Red Dragon Iron Cavalry to defeat the magical cavalry.

Their astonishing speed, combined with high-intensity ranged magical attacks, allowed the magical cavalry riding Furnace War Horses to calmly handle any situation. The terrain across the four continents, except for the forest regions of Cang Yue, was predominantly plains. This had allowed the magical cavalry to maintain the upper hand in long-term confrontations.

However, to counter the Demon Sealing Empire’s magical cavalry, Cang Yue, Biqi, and the Demon Dragon Empire all developed their own unique countermeasures. The Red Dragon Iron Cavalry relied on their immense armor and monstrous defense to forcibly charge the Demon Sealing Empire’s magical cavalry regiments. The contest between these two resembled the confrontation between a nimble monkey and a clumsy ox; neither could fully defeat the other, though the final outcome depended on the situation.

If the battle favored guerrilla warfare, the magical cavalry would win. But in a head-on clash, a positional battle, the magical cavalry regiment could never withstand the charge of the Red Dragon Iron Cavalry. As for the Mammoth Iron Cavalry regiment, they only appeared in the forests and mountains of the Cang Yue continent.

While magical cavalry were formidable, they dared not set foot on Cang Yue. There, the Mammoth Iron Cavalry were the truly invincible kings. Naturally, the Mammoth Iron Cavalry also dared not engage the magical cavalry in a direct confrontation on the plains.

The Cloud Lightning Iron Cavalry and the magical cavalry were historical old rivals with the most frequent encounters. Both sides had victories and defeats, but overall, the magical cavalry held the advantage. After all, most areas of the Demon Dragon Continent were open plains, suitable for the flanking maneuvers of magical cavalry, whereas the Cloud Lightning Iron Cavalry could only exert their absolute advantage in specific passes or dangerous terrain.

The hilly regions around Yuncheng were one of the areas best suited for the Cloud Lightning Iron Cavalry to operate. Consequently, for centuries, despite the Demon Sealing Empire’s magical cavalry being able to harass the Demon Dragon Empire through guerrilla tactics across the continent, they could never successfully seize important strongholds like Yuncheng in a direct confrontation. One could say the four major cavalry types each possessed unique strengths.

There are no invincible troop types, only invincible tactics. This was the harsh, ruthless reality of cavalry warfare in the Marfa World. Of course, this principle only applied to engagements between conventional units; it did not apply to those whose strength had already reached a non-human realm, such as the Heavenly Demon Warriors, the Heavenly Rainbow Archmages, or the Heavenly Venerable Taoists.

The powerful Heavenly Demon Warriors, Heavenly Rainbow Archmages, and Heavenly Venerable Taoists were the dominant forces on the battlefield, but this did not mean conventional units had lost their purpose. On the contrary, in many situations, the clashes between conventional units often determined the outcome of the war. In the wars of the Marfa Continent, although special units like the Heavenly Demon Warriors possessed terrifying strength, every nation had uneven numbers of them, leading to mutual containment.

Therefore, the outcome of many battles was still decided by engagements between conventional units, which in open warfare were primarily cavalry-based, while sieges naturally belonged to the infantry. The success or failure of a war largely depended on the commanding general's ability to lead troops. Standing within the formation of the Cloud Lightning Iron Cavalry, the data regarding the war history of the Marfa Continent and the various types of cavalry that Jin Yaohong had introduced to me yesterday flashed rapidly through my mind, while I nervously watched Jin Yao’s imposing figure before the front line.

From a distance, I could still sense several gazes fixed upon me. Even without turning back, I could discern that it must be Jidu, Luohou, and Yi Yueyao. Though I couldn't quite grasp why, I felt that they were all paying very close attention to me; otherwise, they wouldn't be watching so intently on my very first day joining the Cloud Lightning Legion.

This gave me, for the first time, a feeling of tense, weighty responsibility. It seemed my future days would not be so relaxed and leisurely, I mused inwardly. Although I had anticipated this day would come, its arrival was faster than I expected.

Perhaps what is meant to happen must happen. From the first time I met Shen Yin, I had a vague, strange intuition that the easy, comfortable days wouldn't last much longer. Just as my thoughts began to drift!

With a loud boom, the great eastern gate of the drill ground suddenly flew open. Beyond the gate lay a stretch of rolling hills and rocky terrain. “Your Highness, the military exercise is about to begin soon.” Jin Yaohong and Jin Yaoming stood to my left and right.

Noticing my distraction, they quickly reminded me. “En!” I nodded nervously. A battle between two armies was not like a gang brawl in the Wandering Ranger world; unless one’s power reached the non-human level of a Heavenly Demon Warrior, no matter how skilled you were, you couldn't fight ten thousand men alone.

I immediately gathered my focus and watched the changes unfolding on the field. “The first item will be a collective charge,” Jin Yaohong whispered. “Your Highness, just relax.

With Da Lei and us here, nothing will go wrong.” “Understood.” I instinctively tightened my grip on the reins. Sensing my nervousness, Da Lei merely shook his large head slightly before standing quietly.