You won't believe how tough this one is. You need to swap mounts, you can't handle that brute, Li Baolu warned.

Li Muzhan smiled, saying nothing.

Seeing that he wouldn't heed the warning, Li Baolu grew anxious. "Seriously, don't doubt me. Many people are taken in by Chi Ying's beautiful appearance, but they end up thrown off and half-dead... Xiao Cai, try to talk some sense into him!"

Cai Yuzhang glanced at Chi Ying, then looked at Li Muzhan, blinking his small eyes, and said gently, "Li Zi is right, Monk. This horse is very spirited; it throws a tantrum without warning, and you can never guard against it. Normally, it's no big deal, but on the battlefield, if it decides to play up, it’ll be fatal!"

Feng Dakun's face was grim as he spoke coolly, "Xiao Cai, words are useless. Let him taste it, and he'll know!"

Li Muzhan smiled, remaining silent. He could feel the three men's distrust, even a faint hostility.

Li Muzhan understood that teammates were vital on the battlefield. Poor skill not only meant your own death but also dragged your comrades down—it wasn't cowardly leaders you feared, but idiotic teammates.

The sound of hooves approached. A burly man with a thick beard reined in his horse, stopping beside the four of them. He sized up Li Muzhan and laughed, "Haha, Dakun, this young monk looks unfamiliar. Is he a new recruit?"

"He is," Feng Dakun replied coldly.

His pancake-like face was sullen, quite intimidating, carrying an air of unprovoked authority.

The bearded man paid no mind and chuckled, nodding. "Rare, truly rare! Our Cavalry Battalion is getting new blood? I wonder about his skill. Is he a lily-livered softie?"

"You never say anything nice. Scram!" Feng Dakun shot him a sharp look, his voice cold.

The bearded man laughed, "It seems you don't think highly of the young monk. A new recruit needs at least half a year of training before facing battle; by then, maybe we’ll all be in heaven!"

"A dog's mouth never spits out anything good!" Feng Dakun frowned, saying coldly, "If you want to go to heaven, go yourself! I’m not accompanying you!"

The bearded man smiled slyly, "Dakun, how about a little contest?"

Feng Dakun's eyes lit up, but the bearded man cut in first, "Not a one-on-one fight. We'll settle it by teams... Your group has four, so our group will field four as well. Five rounds each, the side with the most hits wins!"

Feng Dakun sneered, "I knew it. You old fox, you wouldn't look for trouble unless there was something in it for you... What are we betting?"

"We bet!" Feng Dakun said in a deep voice.

Li Baolu looked at Li Muzhan, appearing conflicted, and whispered, "Dakun..."

"This is a rare chance!" Feng Dakun pressed his hand down, shaking his head. "Xingzi, you don't need to say more; my mind is made up. That dagger is a treasure!"

"Sigh..." Li Baolu grimaced, clearly worried. Cai Yuzhang turned and smiled, "Monk, how is your archery?" Li Muzhan smiled back, "It suffices."

Cai Yuzhang advised gently, "Don't rush later. Take your time. Whatever score you make doesn't matter; you're new, so no one will mock you if you shoot poorly."

Li Muzhan nodded and smiled.

The bearded man spurred his horse away, riding to another group of men nearby, where loud laughter immediately erupted, and several people turned to look over, their gazes laced with amusement.

Just then, Zhao Shengli strode over, carrying a wooden crate on his shoulder. Li Muzhan had seen four such crates inside the tent.

Zhao Shengli walked up and slammed the crate down with a bang. He clapped his hands together. "Monk, this is your gear: iron armor, bow and arrows, short saber, and long spear—all here!"

Li Muzhan dismounted and opened the crate. A strong smell of rust immediately assailed him. Inside lay the iron armor, somewhat tarnished. The bow and arrows were hung on the inside of the lid, next to a sheathed short saber. Beside the armor lay two iron rods; one rod had a spearhead, chillingly sharp.

Zhao Shengli bent down, picked up the two rods, and twisted them together in the middle, assembling them into a long spear. He drove it forcefully into the ground, then adopted a lunge stance and thrust forward.

With a whoosh, silver blossoms seemed to burst from the spearhead.

Li Muzhan was startled. The shaft wasn't wood but iron. To produce spear flowers like that required tremendous strength; this Zhao Shengli indeed possessed considerable skill.

Zhao Shengli retracted his movement and nodded. "Hmm, this spear is decent enough!"

He turned and said, "Monk, do you prefer the spear or the halberd? ...Halberd techniques are too complex and hard to master; you might as well practice the spear!"

"What about the staff techniques?" Li Muzhan asked.

Zhao Shengli shook his head, "Staff techniques lack killing power on the front lines... I think the spear is the best choice; it can also serve as a staff. It's settled then!"

Li Muzhan smiled and said no more.

Cai Yuzhang said, "Head Zhao, Old Song and his men are unconvinced and want a challenge. The Monk will join in, and you can just watch the show from the sidelines."

"Heh heh, that fellow Old Song wants to bully a newcomer!" Zhao Shengli rubbed his forehead and sneered, "Monk, show them what you’ve got!"

"Good!" Li Muzhan remained a man of few words.

Cai Yuzhang exchanged a glance with the other two. They understood—this Monk's foundation must be extraordinary!

The bearded man galloped over, laughing heartily, "Head Zhao Tie Tou [Iron Head], you've brought in a newcomer this year! Congratulations!"

Zhao Shengli let out a cold sneer, "Old Song, don't lose your pants!"

The bearded man roared with laughter, "Head Zhao Tie Tou, don't worry. If we can't even handle a raw fledgling like this, we might as well bash our heads against a wall and die!... Dakun, are you ready? Let's start!"

Feng Dakun turned to look at Li Muzhan. Li Muzhan lowered his head, picked up the bow and arrows, squeezed the string slightly, and strung the bow. He drew it back a few times, nodded, and then strung the bow. Feng Dakun stared at him for a moment before nodding. "Monk, stay behind us. Watch how we shoot, then follow suit!"

"Alright!" Li Muzhan agreed, tying his quiver to his back and effortlessly mounting his horse.

The bearded man laughed, "Alright, same old rules: you guys take the South, we take the North!"

With that, he led his three companions and galloped off to the opposite side, stopping about two hundred meters away, their four horses standing motionless in a line.

Li Baolu scooted closer and whispered, "Monk, we're shooting at the South target—see the one with an arrow already stuck in it? The one with two arrows is their target. Don't shoot the wrong one!"

Li Muzhan nodded. "How many arrows does each person shoot?"

Li Baolu replied, "As many as you want!! ******* From this end all the way to that rod, you can shoot as many as you like) **** Only hits count."

Li Muzhan smiled, "Can we start shooting now?" "Sure, but only after Head Zhao shouts 'Start,'" Li Baolu confirmed.

Li Muzhan nodded, indicating he understood. Li Baolu whispered again, "Don't rush, don't panic. Losing isn't the end of the world; Dakun's broadsword is useless to him anyway."

Feng Dakun said coldly, "Useless or not, I can still sell it for a few coins!" Li Baolu chuckled, "Dakun, if we win, my wife can buy a whole set of nice clothes!" Feng Dakun grunted. Cai Yuzhang laughed, "Dakun, if your wife buys nice clothes, who will she wear them for? Be careful you don't end up wearing a green hat!"

"Get lost!" Feng Dakun glared and snorted, "You're the one who'll wear a green hat!" "I don't have a wife, so I can't wear a hat even if I wanted one," Cai Yuzhang laughed. "Ready... one... two..." Zhao Shengli shouted loudly, raising his right arm and slicing it down sharply:

"Run!"

The faces of the three immediately darkened. They spurred their mounts, clicking their heels, trotting slowly for a dozen meters before gradually accelerating. Although only four riders, their momentum was surging, and the powerful sound of hooves echoed across the training ground.

The four riders opposite mirrored their actions. The two groups, South and North, charged straight towards each other.

Li Muzhan followed closely behind the three. Without needing to urge his horse, Chi Ying naturally kept pace with the other three, trying to surge ahead after a few strides. Li Muzhan patted the horse's mane to calm him down.

With a dull thud, Feng Dakun shot the first arrow, striking the southern target squarely. Then, Li Baolu and Cai Yuzhang followed, both hitting their mark.

At a distance of two hundred meters, under the rush of galloping horses, the crossing happened in an instant. The two groups swept past each other, their momentum awe-inspiring. Anyone else in this situation would likely have collapsed immediately, limbs weak, unable to loose an arrow.

As they passed, arrows flew constantly from their hands—thwack, thwack—the sound of bowstrings vibrant. Li Muzhan was like an old veteran; his heart was still as water, his body merged with the horse, and arrows flew from his hands like a string of pearls, continuous and fast—one man equaling three in speed.

In the blink of an eye, the twenty arrows in his quiver were spent. He leisurely followed behind the three, observing their archery, inwardly sighing with admiration. As they slowly decelerated, the four arrived at the northern end.

Reining in their horses and turning, the three looked at Li Muzhan with strange expressions, as if they were looking at a monster. Li Muzhan smiled, "What is it?" Feng Dakun's pancake face broke into a smile. "Good kid, you really kept that hidden!"

Cai Yuzhang stared at Li Muzhan for a moment, then gave a thumbs-up. "Amazing, truly amazing! ...Monk, that archery skill of yours... no wonder Head Zhao was so eager, scrambling around to find you a horse and fetch your gear. We never got treated like that!"

Li Baolu shambled over with a silly grin, chuckling, "Monk, Monk, how did you practice that archery? It's divine! ...Teach me, will you!"

Li Muzhan smiled cryptically and said nothing.

"Let's go get the spoils!" Feng Dakun boomed, spurring his horse forward. Li Muzhan and the other two followed.

The four bearded men stared at Li Muzhan; everyone was staring, like spectators viewing a strange animal, shaking their heads in disbelief.

Feng Dakun held out his hand. "Hand it over!"

The bearded man shook his head, sighing, "Damn it, you truly are ruthless! ...Hold onto it tight, guard it well! Next time, I'm winning it back!"

Saying this, he pulled a dagger from his embrace.

It was a small, curved blade, half an arm's length, shaped like a crescent moon, with an ancient-looking scabbard. Feng Dakun snatched it up, and cold light flashed as he drew it.

Li Muzhan nodded inwardly; it was indeed a fine blade.

Feng Dakun examined the blade, nodded, sheathed it, and casually tossed it toward Li Muzhan.

Li Muzhan caught it, looking confusedly at Feng Dakun. Feng Dakun said, "Monk, we owe you thanks for this victory; consider it yours!"

Li Muzhan chuckled twice, pressed his palms together in a salute, and tucked the dagger directly into his robes.

Zhao Shengli laughed loudly, teasing the bearded man a few times, looking triumphant and pleased with himself, which made everyone else itch with frustration.

After gloating for a moment, Zhao Shengli said, "Monk, since your horsemanship and archery are now sufficient, I'll go invite the Chief Instructor. He’ll teach you martial arts right away!"

Without waiting for Li Muzhan to reply, he vanished in a flash behind the tent.