As soon as Hercules saw Gu Ran, he neighed happily.

Animals all understand human nature, especially horses.

Hercules will never forget that it was because of Gu Ran's help that he surpassed "Wind Chaser" and became the fastest horse in the farm.

Plus, Gu Ran’s hands were full of Evelyn’s scent, which made Hercules even closer.

Hercules neighed affectionately, lowered his head and motioned for Gu Ran to ride on him.

Gu Ran held the saddle and jumped on easily.

Coach Hobbs sneered and shook his head. "Mr. Gu, it seems that you don't have any basics. Your horse-mounting posture is not standard at all. I find it hard to believe that you can qualify for the next Olympics."

Gu Ran was not in a hurry at all. Instead, he smiled and said, "Yes, I really had no basic skills before. To be honest, this is my second time riding a horse. But this doesn't mean anything. After all, no one taught me. But as long as you are willing to teach me, even if it's just a simple demonstration, I can learn it immediately."

Coach Hobbs scoffed, "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

Gu Ran raised his eyebrows and said in an almost provocative tone: "Try it?"

"Okay! Let's give it a try!" Coach Hobbs said arrogantly, "I'm going to make you admit defeat today! I just want you to know that equestrianism is a purely aristocratic sport! It requires a lot of riding practice. It's impossible for a commoner like you to learn it easily!"

Gu Ran immediately dismounted and handed the reins to Hobbes, "Then please."

Evelin next to him hesitated to speak.

You know, Hercules will not let outsiders ride him.

In the whole world, the only people who can ride Hercules are her and Gu Ran.

Gu Ran should also know this.

Gu Ran knew that it was impossible for Hobbes to ride on Hercules but still let him do it. Maybe it was... to make fun of Hobbes?

Evelin smiled bitterly in her heart, and said secretly: It seems that the conflict between the two sides is about to intensify, and next we have to consider changing Gu Ran’s equestrian coach.

As Evelyn was thinking this, Coach Hobbs stepped gracefully into the stirrups, ready to roll over.

Before Hobbes could reach the saddle, Hercules neighed angrily and raised his front hooves to exert force!

Although Hobbes was experienced, he had never expected that the pony who was so docile towards Gu Ran and Evelyn could suddenly become so violent.

Hobbs was thrown down hard immediately.

His arrogant face was also stuck firmly on the ground.

This is so embarrassing!

An Olympic-level equestrian coach who has trained two silver medal equestrian athletes was thrown off his horse and got his face stuck...

Gu Ran quickly stepped forward to support Hobbs, saying, "Oh, Coach Hobbs, your way of getting on and off the horse really opened my eyes. You are worthy of being an Olympic silver medal coach!"

Evelyn tried hard to hold back her laughter! Hobbs: ...You are such a mean person!

Light~ A blue skill bubble is generated under Coach Hobbs' feet.

It’s here as expected!

Gu Ran immediately focused his mind and checked:

+1 Horsemanship Proficiency.

So cool!

This is the skill we need! Horsemanship is just about communicating with horses, and mastering horsemanship is the skill that is suitable for scoring in the Olympic Games.

Moreover, this skill directly surpassed the basics of equestrianism and reached the mastery standard of the competition level! Gu Ran immediately picked up this equestrian mastery skill in the air without making a sound.

In this way, all the progress of today's 10 pick-ups has been used up! Hobbes stood up with a red face under the support of Gu Ran, "There is something wrong with this horse."

Evelin didn’t like what she heard, and immediately frowned and said, “Coach, my Hercules is fine!”

Gu Ran smiled and said, “Coach, Evelin is right, there is nothing wrong with Hercules, she just doesn’t like you.”

Hobbs's mouth twitched slightly.

Are these two people a male and female duo? What kind of coach are you? You'd better leave now! Hobbs was about to say goodbye, but Gu Ran said, "Coach, I almost understand your mounting and dismounting movements just now. Let me try again. See if I have the talent for riding a horse."

Hobbes said coldly: "Humph, okay."

Gu Ran then used his mind to activate the horsemanship skills he had just acquired and rolled up gracefully.

His movements were effortless and graceful, with both strength and beauty! It was completely different from the previous horse-mounting movements! Evelin was stunned.

Evelin already admired Gu Ran. Even if Gu Ran spitted everywhere, Evelin would think it was handsome. What's more, Gu Ran's action of getting on the horse was even more handsome! Coach Hobbs couldn't help but widen his eyes.

He originally just wanted to watch a joke, then make a few sarcastic remarks and walk away, but...

What a genius! What a horsemanship genius! What a horsemanship genius who can learn it in one go! The graceful and elegant movements of the horsemanship are exactly the same as mine! Without 20 or 30 years of horseback riding experience, it is really difficult to reach such a level! And this kid is obviously only riding a horse for the second time!

If this isn't an equestrian genius, what is it? With such talent, if I train for another year, I might win an Olympic gold medal! By then, I can say that I am an Olympic gold medal-level coach! Coach Hobbs was immediately excited, and all the previous unpleasantness was completely forgotten. "Mr. Gu! You are really amazing! Is this really your second time to be exposed to equestrianism? I bet your ancestors must be top nobles, so you have a natural equestrian gene in your blood! Please forgive my abruptness just now! I am deeply sorry for my verbal offense just now!"

Fuck~ I just dealt with it? Gu Ran rode on the horse and smiled faintly, "Coach Hobbs, are you willing to help me train?"

Coach Hobbs said excitedly, "It's my honor!"

Gu Ran smiled and said, "Well, let's get started as soon as possible."

“Okay, okay!”

Coach Hobbs immediately used all his skills to carefully explain and train Gu Ran and Hercules.

Gu Ran’s comprehension ability was extremely high, and with his Horse Riding Skill +1 and Horsemanship Mastery +1, he mastered the skills very quickly.

Hobbes exclaimed again and again.

He has been riding and teaching people how to ride for thirty or forty years, but he has never seen a knight as talented as Gu Ran.

After an hour and a half of equestrian training, Coach Hobbs said goodbye to Gu Ran and Evelyn reluctantly and left.

Evelin couldn’t help but hug Gu Ran’s neck, “Gu, you’re really great! You really never disappoint!”

Gu Ran smiled and said, "People always need to make progress."

Evelin’s eyes were full of charm, “By the way, Gu, my dad asked me to ask you, how is your script going?”

Gu Ran said quickly, "I've already started drawing. I'm sure it will be finished within two or three weeks."

Evelin chuckled, “My dad told me to take you around the manor more often and give you some inspiration.”

...Haha, I don’t need inspiration to hand-write scripts.

Before Gu Ran could say anything, Evelin grabbed Gu Ran’s hand and said, “Let’s go, while it’s getting late, I’ll take you to the grove in front to find some inspiration.”

What the hell? Another jungler?

Gu Ran immediately cleared his throat and said seriously: "I am currently lacking...inspiration."

Gu Ran stretched out his hand and pulled Evelin onto Hercules' horse.

Hercules neighed and galloped happily on the vast, empty horse field, toward the dense grove...

It was not until after 11 o'clock in the evening that Gu Ran drove back to the Dune Villa.

Gu Ran tiptoed to the sofa, gently picked up Elizabeth, and took her back to the bedroom on the second floor.

Elizabeth opened her eyes blurryly, "Gu...you're back...I was so worried about you."

Damn, so tender.

Gu Ran couldn't help but feel the gentle blow to his heart.

However, love is still too troublesome.

Gu Ran hushed and said softly, "Go to sleep."

Elizabeth then closed her eyes again and fell asleep.

Gu Ran straightened Elizabeth's slipped shoulder strap, covered her with a quilt, and then walked out of Elizabeth's bedroom.

Oh, what a sin...

Gu Ran went to the bathroom, had some ice and fire therapy, and then went to bed.

The next morning, Gu Ran got up early again and practiced on his own.

In the next few days, everything was back on track.

Elizabeth still talks to her two twin superstar sisters every day, and then talent point bubbles will drop from them. The output can be said to be very stable.

Gu Ran downplayed his attitude towards Elizabeth, keeping a distant feeling.

The more this happened, the more Elizabeth admired Gu Ran, and the more she wanted something to happen between her and Gu Ran, intentionally or unintentionally.

Whenever this happened, Gu Ran would always shout in his heart, "What a sin".

After the weekend holiday, Gu Ran returned to Staplewood training base.

The teammates' attitude towards Gu Ran also changed completely.

First of all, Captain Davis no longer competes for parking space No. 1. He often hugs Gu Ran's neck and asks Gu Ran to mention his name as captain more often when he is interviewed by the Advance Saints.

The locker room at the training ground was put back into use after being disinfected for several days.

This time, Gu Ran's locker was moved to the most conspicuous area, next to Lallana and Lambert's lockers.

During training sessions, teammates also began to frequently pass the ball with Gu Ran, and the team's overall coordination was visibly improving.

Luke was like a little fanboy, following Gu Ran around every day, and even took the initiative to try Gu Ran's exclusive nutritious meals.

Of course, after tasting it, Luke Shaw never wanted to try it again.

Chamberlain's feelings towards Gu Ran were very complicated. He clearly regarded Gu Ran as his lifelong enemy, but the newspapers said that they cooperated well and their level was extremely high...

Chamberlain really wanted to try cooperating with Gu Ran a few times during training, but Gu Ran either cut inside with the ball or looked for Lambert to cooperate.

The way Chamberlain looked at Gu Ran was like a resentful woman looking at the man who belonged to her.

Speaking of resentment, Haldin was the only one in the team who truly resented Gu Ran.

Ever since Gu Ran began to integrate into the team's tactical system, Harding, the former main left-back, has become less important.

It seemed like it was only a matter of time before he was replaced by Gu Ran and became Gu Ran's substitute.

In Haldin's heart, he has been brewing a crazy revenge plan...

By this Thursday, the day before the friendly match with Torquay United, Gu Ran had already picked up 5 red talent point bubbles and 4 talent points automatically exchanged for training results, with a total of 9 talent points in hand.

Such stock is definitely more than enough to deal with the English League Two team Torquay United tomorrow.

After the training ended that day, head coach Adkins held a pre-match tactical class as usual.

In the tactical class, Coach Adkins analyzed Torquay United's playing style in detail.

Most of the players under the podium were perfunctory. After all, Torquay United was only a mid-table team in English League Two, while Southampton had just created the Anfield Miracle and tied with the giants Liverpool.

Southampton played Torquay United, wasn't that just a casual game? Only Gu Ran, Lambert and Lallana were listening carefully.

Gu Ran listened even more seriously than when he was taking Liverpool's tactics class.

After all, he was very familiar with world-renowned teams like Liverpool in his previous life, and was familiar with the characteristics of Liverpool players. However, Gu Ran really knew nothing about a small team like Torquay United - except for Torquay United's substitute goalkeeper Tyrannosaurus Rex.

After Coach Adkins' analysis, Gu Ran quickly had a general impression of Toqua United.

The head coach of Torquay United is Paul Barkley.

This head coach is also a well-known coach in their local area. His coaching style is very radical and resolute, and he likes to play fast breaks.

However, this coach's defense in the backcourt is a mess, and Torquay United does not have a star player who can hold on and support the team, so Torquay United's record has not been very good, and the average number of goals conceded per game is very high.

According to intelligence from military scouts, Torquay United's preferred formation is 442, their pressing method is a mixed method, their marking method is also a mixed method, their tactical mentality is offensive, and their game mentality is aggressive.

The so-called mixed method actually means that there is no obvious pattern.

Therefore, it is not difficult to play against Torquay United. As long as we keep our footing, withstand the impact of Torquay United, and then seize the opportunity to counterattack, we can save energy and score goals in the counterattack.

Coach Adkins repeatedly emphasized "defensive counterattack", even against a weak team like Torquay United in a lower league.

Of course, in addition to the basic "defensive counterattack" tactics, Coach Adkins also required high pressure on Torquay United during the game.

High pressure is a complex tactical system that requires the team to constantly explore cooperation, trial and error, and correct mistakes in actual combat, in order to finally form a set of pressure methods that suit their own team.

High pressure combined with defensive counterattacks is the magic weapon to win against weak teams.

If you don't dare to push the line up and press high when playing against a weak team, not only will the scene be ugly, but you will also miss a lot of opportunities.

Previously, in the friendly match between Liverpool and Southampton, Liverpool adopted the strategy of high pressure plus defensive counterattack.

And now, Southampton is copying Liverpool's tactical thinking when playing against Torquay United.

Although Liverpool suffered a draw before, their tactical thinking was correct.

The high-pressure formation generally adopts a compact formation, requiring the two wingers to move closer to the ribs as much as possible and increase the overall coordination of the team.

If the two flanks are wide apart, there will be a lot of gaps and it will be impossible to press the opponent high up the pitch.

In the case of high pressure, the opposing team will generally pass the ball to the wing, with the wing forward or full-back dribbling the ball forward.

At this time, the team can use the method of "surround, block, mark and grab" to jointly defend and press.

Coach Adkins was explaining the tactics to be used tomorrow while drawing a tactical diagram on the large whiteboard.

Looking at the tactical map, Gu Ran suddenly felt as if he had been enlightened.

After explaining the tactics, Coach Adkins emphasized that Torquay United, as a League Two team, has rough defense, large and irregular movements, and must be careful not to be provoked and receive a red card in the confrontation, let alone get injured.

Then, Coach Adkins pulled out the roster and announced the starting lineup for tomorrow’s game at St. Mary’s.

"...Gu Ran, starting left back!"

(End of this chapter)