The Mountain of Ice and Fire

By the time Grizelda picked up her sword and roared as she charged at Grove, her face, arms, waist, and legs were already covered in bruises, and she had a second cut on her face.

The Mountain had arrived at some point to watch.

He beckoned to Grizelda, who was panting and had fire in her eyes, "Griz, come here."

Grizelda ran towards Gregor, whom she deeply respected, holding the training sword.

"When Grove attacks you, don't block," the Mountain whispered in Grizelda's ear, "and don't dodge either. Wait for his sword to attack you first, then strike. Aim for his head. One strike will knock him down. Go!"

Grizelda's eyes lit up with the fire of hope!

Her only wish now was to knock Grove down hard.

It was one thing for this guy to beat and humiliate her, but he also humiliated Bernie and mocked Gregor, saying his judgment was off for bringing back a woman dumber than a pig to be Janei's maid.

Grove's words of humiliation towards Bernie and Gregor finally spurred Grizelda to pick up the training sword from the ground.

The training sword was filled with lead to increase arm strength and match the weight of a real sword, making the swordsmanship honed in this way the most practical.

After Grizelda picked up the training sword, she was still knocked down by Grove again and again. As she fell heavily each time, Grove's foul language flew everywhere, starting from Grizelda's hair and going all the way down to her toes. Every organ in her body was insulted by Grove.

Finally, Bernie's short stature was loudly ridiculed by Grove, causing the surrounding trainees to burst into laughter. Grove even suggested that Grizelda should just sleep with him tonight and kick the dwarf Bernie to the curb.

His foul language not only enraged Grizelda but also Bernie. When Bernie roared and stepped forward with his training sword to help, Grove dodged and kicked Bernie away. Bernie was indeed fragile, hitting his head on the ground and passing out instantly.

This completely turned Grizelda into a vengeful berserker, yet she could still only be easily knocked down by Grove again and again.

That's when the Mountain arrived. After the Mountain whispered to Grizelda, Grove became uneasy and said, "Miss Julie, Ser Gregor can't interfere with our training. You have to stop him."

The Clegane cavalry and Chiswyck's ruthless bunch both revered and loved the Mountain. The fear this group of ruthless men had for the Mountain was fading day by day, while their heartfelt respect grew stronger. In Clegane's Keep, more and more soldiers dared to joke and laugh with the Mountain face to face. The relationship between the Mountain and his men was undergoing a subtle change. Fear was lessening, and respect was growing. This transformation was gradual, silent, and unnoticed.

Gregor laughed, "Grove, I bet you that if Grizelda knocks you down within three strikes, you won't get your wages for this month. If you can knock Grizelda down within three strikes, then I'll reward you with a gold dragon."

Wow!

The surrounding brothers cheered, encouraging Grove to earn a gold dragon from Ser Gregor while they trained.

Grove was naturally overjoyed and laughed, "Ser Gregor, get your gold dragon ready!"

The Mountain took out a gold dragon he had minted from his pocket, "If you knock Grizelda down within three strikes, this gold dragon is yours."

"Alright!" Grove laughed heartily, pointing his sword at Grizelda, "Fatty, fall down on my third strike as a favor, and I'll split a copper star with you from the gold dragon."

The surrounding brothers burst into laughter.

Grizelda glanced at the Mountain, who nodded slightly to her.

Grizelda had no doubt about Ser Gregor's words. The Mountain's position in her heart was so high, like a god who had come to life.

She charged towards Grove first. Grove laughed, "Griz, your calves, thighs, belly, shoulders, and head are all open. Tsk, tsk, where should I attack?" He teased as he retreated, retreated, creating distance, then suddenly flashed forward, striking at Grizelda's left calf.

According to Captain Julie's instructions, Grizelda should either stop and swing her sword to block or step back to dodge. However, she neither blocked nor dodged. She stared at Grove, watching Grove's sword come at her.

Injuring the calf is very painful. The front is all skin covering bone, commonly known as the shinbone. Even a light touch hurts. Grizelda's combat training was rushed, and she had no protection on her body.

On the other hand, Grove was fully armed because he had to train the new recruits' swordsmanship.

This strike from Grove was originally a feint, meant to guide Grizelda to block low or retreat. He immediately changed his move, spinning and slashing, easily knocking Grizelda dizzy, then using a clever maneuver to trip Grizelda, giving Ser Gregor some face.

However, Grizelda didn't block or dodge, but stared at Grove, watching the not-so-fast sword slash over. Since the fatty was stunned by the change of move, then go for it!

Grove put strength into his hand, and the speed became faster, slashing towards Grizelda.

Grizelda also moved, as if waiting to use her shinbone to take the strike. She used her sword with one hand, fiercely striking towards Grove's head.

Smack!

Grove's sword hit Grizelda's shinbone. Grizelda cried out in pain, and the training sword in her hand suddenly accelerated, hitting the top of Grove's head with a bang.

Grove was wearing a helmet. With a loud bang, the helmet caved in, and with a crack, the training sword in Grizelda's hand snapped in half. Grove's eyes saw stars, his ears rang, and a sharp pain came from the top of his head. If it were a greatsword or a longsword, he would have been dead.

A greatsword would have dented the helmet deeply, crushing his head.

Amidst everyone's exclamations, Grove swayed like a drunkard before finally collapsing.

Several brothers immediately rushed over and were relieved only after seeing that the helmet was only slightly dented.

The Mountain beckoned to Grizelda, who looked excited.

"Do you know why you were able to knock Grove down?"

Grizelda shook her head, still in shock from knocking Grove down with one strike.

"When a person is attacking another person with all their might, they can't make dodging or blocking movements. I bet a gold dragon to stir up Grove's competitive spirit, then had you not dodge, block, or evade when he attacked because your speed can't keep up with him. If you change according to his changes, you become like walking behind his footsteps, then you'll never catch up to someone faster than you."

"You suddenly strike him in the middle of his attack. Grove can't make any dodges in the middle of mobilizing his strength. He hits you, and you can hit him afterward. Anyone, when attacking others, is also the most vulnerable to being attacked. Attacking others is also when they have the biggest openings. No matter how strong a person is, you can knock them down if you use the right method."

Grizelda's face was full of excitement, forgetting the pain on her body, "Ser Gregor, can I knock you down too?"

"Of course, anyone can be knocked down by you as long as you grasp the right timing."

"If it were a real sword fight, could I still hit Grove like that just now?"

"Your calf would be cut off, and Grove's head would be crushed by the dented helmet. This is a mutually destructive approach, aimed at someone stronger than you. If your speed is faster than Grove, his sword wouldn't have even arrived before your sword pierced his throat; if the speeds are comparable, and you can block his sword, then the stronger one will have the advantage."

"My strength... I can carry two hundred pounds of grain."

"Hmm, your strength is good. That's your advantage. For close combat swordsmanship, speed, strength, and sword skills are indispensable. Go, train hard, grasp the timing, and you can knock down anyone, including me!"

"Yes, Ser Gregor." Grizelda looked up at the Mountain with admiration in her eyes. Her confidence was established!