Uma Musume Girl, I'll tell you about my Santa Hat special move too?

"Can you please stop trying to lure my racehorse girl into your stupid alliance, Great Sun God?"

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!!!" The sun god cried out in pain as he struggled to get up.

Having barely escaped the trainer's Nine Yin White Bone Claw and retreated to safety, she complained with lingering fear:

"What?! Calling us an idiot alliance is so rude! We're actually studying the technology of territorial release!"

"Everyone gathers together to listen to your nonsense, and then wants to run away from any competition, right?"

Higanbana silently pointed out the true nature of the "Leader's Front" mentioned by the Sun God, and then waved her hand to drive the Sun God away from the rest area:

"First you tried to trick Bourbon into playing with you guys, and now you're trying to trick Stardust Illusion? I'm going to find your trainer and have a good talk with him about whose fault this is!"

"Ah! Don't go to the trainer! The young lady will find out!!!" Daitaku Sun God was forced to leave the scene, leaving behind only a series of shouts:

"Stardust Illusion, I really think you have a real talent for joining us! If you're interested, come find me at Team Sprinters, but don't let the young lady know!"

"Isn't that interesting?"

Grandpa Liu Ping had somehow walked up to Stardust Illusion's side and looked at the departing Great Sun God with her. "You won't be bored in this academy, and your life won't really consist of nothing but running around."

“I never said I’d only be thinking about running from now on.” Stardust Illusion pouted. “I already made a promise with my sister to seriously enjoy life. The competition is only one part of it. Grandpa, don’t worry about it.”

She knew exactly what the old man meant; he was simply warning her again not to put all her energy into training, or she might end up damaging her health.

"Hahahaha, good to know. Anyway, if I talk about this too much, you'll just find this old man annoying." Grandpa Liuping laughed heartily, waved to Little Chestnut Hat not far away, signaling her to come over, and then continued:

"Now that you've met Trainer Toyama, Oguri and I are getting ready to leave. Come on, see us off."

"okay!"

After resting for a while, Stardust Illusion recovered considerably and stood up from his seat without hesitation, following the two towards the school gate.

The three of them remained silent the entire way, and the atmosphere became somewhat quiet for a while.

After a long pause, Stardust Illusion finally couldn't help but speak first: "Grandpa, just say what you want to say. We're almost at the front door if you don't say anything soon."

"Haha, Stardust Illusion, you still need to work on your patience." Looking at the racehorse girl complaining to him, Grandpa Rokuhei laughed heartily. "Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore. I just wanted to tell you about the race before I left."

"Couldn't these things have been said back then?" Stardust Illusion asked, puzzled.

"It's not good to know some things too early. If you weren't progressing so fast that it's impossible to imagine what level you'll be at in a few months, I wouldn't be telling you now."

Grandpa Liu Ping was somewhat helpless. It was clearly just a training match to test their skills, but he never expected to see Stardust Illusion break through on the spot again.

He also had to disrupt his plans and inform Stardust Illusion in advance of what was to come to prevent her from going astray during training:

"I told you last time that Oguri Hattori successfully broke through his limits at the Arima Memorial event and awakened a power called the Limit Break Domain, right?"

“Hmm, I asked you what exactly the limit-breaking domain is, and you still won’t tell me,” Stardust Illusion replied.

"That's because at the time I felt you didn't need to know so much..." Old Master Liu Ping casually explained, then continued:

"At this stage, there are five main factors that contribute to the strength of a racehorse girl. The first is basic qualities. Trainers generally divide these into five aspects for easy understanding: speed, endurance, strength, perseverance, and awareness. You should have a deep understanding of the importance of basic qualities, right?"

Upon hearing this, Stardust Illusion nodded.

In just seventeen days, she improved her attributes through specialized basic physical training. When she ran on the field again, she felt as if she had been reborn.

"The second aspect is technology, including the accumulation of experience and technical knowledge in various aspects such as running techniques, which is further divided into two schools of thought."

One type is the theoretical school. These horse girls enhance themselves by mastering enough theoretical knowledge, and choose the most appropriate method to run in the right situation. Representative figures include the legendary racehorse Rudolph Symbol, which you just saw, and Super Stream, which once competed against Oguri Hat.

Secondly, there are the instinct-based types. Although they don't know the merits of different running styles, these racehorse girls can achieve unimaginable feats thanks to their talent and animalistic intuition. Notable examples include Oguri, Tamamo Cross, and Inari Hajime.

To be honest, I rarely see people who can learn from others in this way, but you are one of them.

When using Oguri's unique abilities, you can even mimic most of the details of her running, which is quite remarkable. However, ultimately, your own unique abilities are the most suitable.

“You’ve already touched the edge of the third one. To be honest, I’m also very surprised that you can develop to this level with your current physical condition…” Old Master Liu Ping’s expression was complicated.

"What was it? I was..." Stardust Illusion briefly recalled the scene at the end of the training match.

Because she was unfamiliar with the short-distance track and was behind in the lead, she was unable to catch up. But suddenly, a mysterious energy burst forth from her body, and this explosive enhancement allowed her to accelerate rapidly and forcefully take the lead in the last 200 meters.

"That is...?"

"That is the fighting spirit of the racehorse girls—but some racehorse girls are more inclined to the other side of fighting spirit, the demonic nature."

As Rokuhei Ginjiro spoke, he turned to look in Oguri Hat's direction. At that moment, Oguri Hat was looking up at the sky, seemingly lost in thought, not knowing what he was thinking.

"Oguri Hattori was challenged by Tamamo Cross, along with Super Stream and Inari Ichi. The four of them were chasing each other in different arenas, which brought out Oguri Hattori's extraordinary competitive spirit, which in turn unleashed unimaginable energy, namely, fighting spirit."

"Battle Aura is like an extra ability transformed from the racehorse girl's will to survive. It can temporarily enhance all your physical functions, but it can only be used at the most critical moment. And usually, after using it, you will fall into a very strong state of weakness. So if you use it too early, it will cause you to lose speed completely."

"On the other hand, there is another type of racehorse girl who has a different quality: magic. These racehorse girls can unleash their power to interfere with their enemies—you might think that sometimes you can be distracted by Oguri Hat while running, but that is almost the complete opposite of a magic-powered opponent."

They can drain your stamina, slow you down, and reduce your strength. They weaken all enemies in various ways, so be extra careful if you encounter them in the future.

"Only the last one, namely the Domain, is the ultimate manifestation of power. Only a very small number of racehorse girls can enter it. Each time they activate the Domain, it greatly consumes their stamina and even their physical endurance. Many racehorse girls are injured directly because of activating the Domain, and their open racing careers plummet... But, it is definitely the ultimate means that can determine the outcome of a race."

"I didn't do much research on Oguri Hat's breakthrough of the limit... or rather, before Oguri Hat, there was no consensus on whether that realm actually existed. All we knew was that it seemed one had to shatter their own domain before they could touch it."

Looking at the eloquent old man Liuping in front of him, Stardust Illusion verified his knowledge from his past life with his words, and gained a general understanding of the strength of the racehorse girl.

Thinking of this, she asked, "How do I activate the domain?"

"I can't tell you." Old Master Liuping laughed. "Telling you about this will only interfere with your judgment. The opening of the domain requires each racehorse girl to personally experience that state. Even if you have opened it before, it doesn't mean you can master it. It's just that troublesome."

"Does it require a high degree of concentration?" Stardust Illusion pressed on, but Rokuhei Ginjiro remained silent with a smile.

She turned to look at Oguri Hat, who was still staring blankly at the sky, and pointed at her, asking, "Oguri Hat usually seems a bit lost in thought. Are you preparing to use your domain?"

"Me?" Seemingly because her name had been mentioned in the conversation, Oguri turned around and pointed at herself with some confusion. "I was just looking forward to going back to Kasamatsu, wasn't I?"

"what?"

"You don't need to overcomplicate things about Xiao Li." The old man laughed heartily. "The shapes of clouds, the big family in her hometown, the baptism of the city, the grand feast in her dreams, Xiao Li and the fluffy creatures—most of what she thinks about are these kinds of inexplicable things, hahaha, isn't she adorable?"

"Alright, that's all I wanted to tell you. I told you all that because you've just touched the edge of battle qi, so I was explaining it to you. You don't need to worry about these things too much in the future. With your will to win, as long as you train hard and compete well, you'll be able to reach a higher level of power sooner or later."

At this point, Grandpa Rokuhei reached out and put on a straw hat and sunglasses, then waved to Stardust Illusion. "Well then, we'll head back to Kasamatsu. See you later, and remember to give me your answer about the Three Goddesses' Dream Cup."

"……Um."

The sight of the man and the racehorse girl waving goodbye to her left Stardust Illusion with mixed feelings, but she didn't act childish. Instead, she waved back vigorously.

Watching the two figures gradually disappear into the distance until they vanished from sight outside the gate, she slowly withdrew her gaze.

“Mr. Rokuhei Ginjiro has already trained many powerful racehorse girls at our academy. It’s time for him to take a break. You don’t need to be too sad.”

Before anyone knew it, Surugawa Tessuna, wearing a green hat, had walked up behind Stardust Illusion and was comforting her.

"Why would I be sad?! I'm not sad at all. I'm going to train hard and surprise them with my strength when the time comes!"

Upon hearing the voice of the green hat, Stardust Illusion shuddered violently and hurriedly stretched out her sleeve to wipe her face haphazardly.

Having seen this kind of scene many times before, Green Hat pretended not to notice anything unusual about the Stardust Illusion and extended her right hand in invitation:

"Then come with me. You must be very tired after the training match. I'll take you to the dormitory. Then Coach Toyama asked me to tell you that we should meet at the training ground at six o'clock tomorrow morning."

After saying that, she led the way, continuing to explain as she went:

"The racehorse girl who shares a dorm with you is currently in the hospital recuperating due to health reasons and won't be back for the next few days. You don't need to worry too much about Stardust Illusion."

Upon arriving at the dormitory area, Stardust Illusion found that the facilities were indeed worthy of Central Teresen College. Although the dormitories were double rooms, the nearly 70-square-meter rooms were fully equipped with bathrooms, televisions, telephones, computers, and other electrical appliances.

It's worth noting that in the very center of the room, against the wall, there's a workbench specifically for nailing horseshoes onto running shoes.

The windowsill was clean and bright, and the floor was carpeted. It was far better than any house that Stardust Illusion had ever lived in in this world.

Green Hat briefly explained the dormitory requirements, then had someone bring over some changes of clothes and daily necessities before leaving.

Stardust Illusion doesn't need her to accompany her all the time. After all, ever since she decided to participate in the race, she has been living independently, even mooching food and drinks from others. The fact that she mooched Oguri Hat for seventeen days in a row is a clear example.

After making the bed and putting the clothes away in the closet, Stardust Phantom glanced at the empty bed opposite the room, which only had a Rudolph doll on it, and then stopped after tidying up the room briefly.

With everything arranged, she stood by the window, looking at the slightly darkening sky, her mind perfectly clear:

From the moment you arrive at Central Treson College, a whole new challenge awaits you.

Chapter Thirty-Six: Visiting the Emperor of the East Sea

"Huff, huff... Hushan, how are you?"

Stardust Illusion rested his hands on his knees, panting heavily.

It is now the morning of the second day after arriving at the college.

The first thing she did this morning when she arrived at the training ground was run, sprinting 600m back and forth on the training track.

Under Toyama Hikari's orders, he ran the distance at half speed, slow speed, and jogging, showing her at various paces.

“That’s a bit strange. According to the tests, your 600m sprint time is around 38 seconds, which is actually not bad. But judging from the previous training race, it shouldn’t be that speed…”

From the very beginning, Hikari Toyama was writing and drawing on her tablet, occasionally pausing to think.

Hearing the Stardust Illusion's question, she finally raised her head, revealing a hideous smile as she replied:

"Looks like you need to run a bit more. This is just the beginning. Keep going!"

You trainers all like to do this, right?!

Stardust Illusion thought to itself, "Grandpa Rokuhei was like this before, and now Toyama is doing the same thing."

I lectured her until she was almost exhausted, and then she insisted that it was just the beginning, that she just wanted to see where her limits were.

Moreover, the trainer in front of us, who seemed like a mature and elegant beauty yesterday, instantly transformed into a demon at the start of training. She was completely devoid of emotion, and her facial expressions were out of control, showing her terrifying side from time to time, just like now.

Despite the complaints, Stardust Illusion still stood obediently on the track, slowly stretching his legs and relaxing his muscles.

She didn't actually know what Hikari Toyama was recording, but guessed that she was calculating her physical fitness by measuring various running speeds.

After all, as Mr. Rokuhei once said, if you are a formal trainer, then mastering the basic situation of the racehorse girl is of paramount importance. Only on this basis can you analyze the strengths and weaknesses and formulate a targeted training plan.

Another standard 600m sprint ended, and Stardust Illusion wiped the sweat from his forehead and walked back to Toyama Scarlet's side.

"That's about enough. Let's stop recording the data here... Perhaps you're a competitive player. If we continue testing like this, the collected data won't be very useful."

Toyama Scarlet put away her tablet and casually tossed the clean towel she had prepared to Stardust Illusion.

"You said your goal was the classic triple crown, right? Before, under Grandpa Liu Ping, did you only do basic sprint training? Were there any other focuses?"