"Okay, then tomorrow we'll set the combat limit to 8 minutes."
Li Fan also felt it was best to play it safe.
The hyper-regeneration disc wasn't incapable of healing burns; it was just that Li Fan had set the evacuation timing to a rather extreme 9 minutes and 30 seconds.
As soon as the time was up, he had escaped promptly under the Mantis Captain's fair judgment.
However, in his haste to flee the pursuit, he hadn't rolled on the sand in time to extinguish the flames burning on his armor's surface, which ultimately resulted in some burns.
After applying the burn ointment, Li Fan got up and went to the depths of the cave. At this moment, Zhan Zhan was lowering its neck, swallowing the fragments of swallowstone it had shaved off its tail blade to smelt them.
"Don't be discouraged, Zhan Zhan. You're still young, it's normal not to be able to beat Jin Mie Ren."
Li Fan offered encouragement.
"Roar."
Zhan Zhan grumbled with its head bowed.
"Uh, the gap is indeed quite large, and our time is really tight."
Li Fan had wanted to give Zhan Zhan more confidence, but closing the gap with Jin Mie Ren in the short term was no easy feat.
*Tap, tap, tap...*
A rapid series of thudding sounds echoed.
Soon, Shan Shan, with extremely fine insect silk attached to its scythes, appeared behind him.
"I said I'd teach you boxing tonight, I almost forgot. Zhan Zhan, you smelt your tail blade first."
Li Fan finished speaking and followed Shan Shan outside the rocky cave.
In the desert illuminated by moonlight, Li Fan, his upper body wrapped in insect silk, continuously threw rapid punches.
Following the rhythmic vibrations of the silk, Shan Shan quickly began to grasp how to punch smoothly and powerfully when controlling its humanoid Vestro City.
The reason Li Fan could teach boxing wasn't because his punches were particularly professional.
It was because he was human, the foundation for the imitation of humanoid Vestro City.
Shan Shan could currently construct a humanoid Vestro City, but its ability to utilize it was still rudimentary.
"Hoo~ Feel it. I'm going to rest for a bit."
After ten minutes of intense, high-frequency punching, Li Fan sat down on the ground.
*Buzz! Buzz!*
Shan Shan retracted its scythes and used its forearms as fists, dragging the insect silk forward in jabs to deepen the muscle memory of its punches.
"Sigh, if only Zhan Zhan could train like this," Li Fan mused, watching the silver-glowing insect silk on his body.
Before long, a thought popped into his mind.
"Shan Shan, with the existing ruins, can you construct a Zinogre? You don't need to recreate it entirely, just a similar overall structure."
Li Fan inquired.
Shan Shan pondered for a moment and drew a checkmark on the sand with its scythes.
Half an hour later, Li Fan guided Zhan Zhan outside the stone cave.
"Zhan Zhan, I've thought of a new training method called 'Analysis Training.' It mainly involves analyzing the movements from daytime battles to identify your weaknesses, thus combining practical combat with theoretical summation. Let me introduce you to Zinogre sparring partner number one."
Li Fan pointed to the Vestro City in the distance.
"Roar."
Zhan Zhan let out a confused growl.
"Uh, it's a bit crude and doesn't look much like a Zinogre, but as long as the overall form is consistent, it can be used for movement analysis."
Li Fan explained.
"Roar!"
Zhan Zhan roared in agreement, seemingly willing to set aside everything else as long as it could become stronger.
"Alright, let's start by replicating the first move that put you on the defensive: the tail blade sweep that Jin Mie Ren blocked with its jaw. Zhan Zhan, strike that pose first. Once Shan Shan replicates it, I'll provide a step-by-step explanation."
Under Li Fan's guidance, the analysis training commenced.
In the Ice Sea region, where fierce winds howled and snow fell, within an ice cave, a Jaggi, a Great Jaggi, and a Jaggia, their bodies covered in claw marks, eyed each other warily in front of a dead elk.
Their meager dinner was a result of being reversed by a Great Jaggi and a Barroth during the day, despite being three against one.
Among them, the Jaggi and the Great Jaggi had some semblance of coordination, while the Jaggia fought entirely on its own, making the battle resemble a free-for-all.
Afterward, the Jaggi and the Jaggia almost came to blows amidst mutual accusations, with the Great Jaggi barely managing to mediate.
*Thump!* A small Bnahabra fell from the cave ceiling onto the ice.
The three monsters looked up and realized it was dropped by a Popo.
"Roar."
The Popo roared, informing its elder brothers not to worry about food, as it would take care of it.
The Great Jaggi roared back, cautioning the Popo not to hunt in such harsh weather.
The Popo didn't respond and disappeared into the wind and snow.
The Great Jaggi nudged the small Bnahabra towards the Jaggi with its claw and pushed the elk towards the Jaggia.
It indicated that it had little recourse against such a purely power-based monster and could only place its hopes on the other two.
The two monsters, sensing the responsibility on their shoulders, tore into the elk and devoured it.
"Roar!"
After eating, the Jaggia suddenly let out a furious roar, causing numerous icicles to fall from the cave ceiling.
It declared itself an absolute powerhouse and that today's fight had been too frustrating, vowing revenge tomorrow.
The Jaggi, who was halfway through its meal, also felt indignant, stating that such an incident spreading would be too shameful and that it couldn't continue in the monster world.
At this point, the two monsters finally reached a consensus on dealing with the Great Jaggi and the Barroth.
The Great Jaggi, with an empty stomach, felt greatly relieved.
The night sky of the Forgotten Peaks was studded with stars.
Two streaks of emerald and sapphire lightning clashed as they intertwined and spiraled.
Higher up, six crimson flames hovered in the air.
*Crack! Sizzle!*
The crest of the Azure Rathalos transformed into a blue-black blade and slashed towards Xi Xi as it flew.
Xi Xi did not retreat; its crest erupted with emerald flashes, meeting the attack with its own Zandatsu Blade.
*Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!*
Perhaps due to the Zandatsu Blade being slightly smaller, Xi Xi's emerald glow quickly shattered.
Retreating rapidly, the blue-black Zandatsu Blade sliced through its left transparent wing membrane. Xi Xi escaped its flight path, immediately becoming erratic.
*Whoosh! Whoosh!*
In the darkness, a red star shot down.
After being forced back, the Azure Rathalos let out a roar of unwillingness.
Hui Hui saw that Xi Xi's body was severely damaged after the prolonged battle, so it gently lifted Xi Xi with its forepaws and carried it away.
Landing on a mountaintop, Hui Hui told Xi Xi not to move around carelessly due to its injury and that it would return soon before soaring into the sky.
Before long, as a crimson meteor streaked across the sky, a Plesioth fell from above and landed in front of Xi Xi.
Xi Xi roared in thanks.
*Crack!*
In its excitement, its entire electro-charged armor vibrated at high speed, discharging electricity outward.
The Plesioth, which had barely managed to get up, was electrocuted and fainted before it could escape.
Xi Xi lowered its head, about to feed, when it unexpectedly noticed that a small amount of the electric current flowing on the Plesioth's surface, which hadn't dissipated yet, was golden-yellow.
It turned its neck to observe its body and realized that the emerald current was causing the electric light to appear at the gaps where its wounds were.
The Ancient Forest at night was peaceful and serene.
The reason for this was that, up to this point, the monster team that had come to investigate hadn't found any information about the Stealth Nargacuga.
This was not surprising; even when Li Fan and Eudora visited before, tracking Yeye had been quite troublesome.
Let alone the Stealth Nargacuga, which could use light-reflecting dust to achieve invisibility.
However, Yeye still had a trump card it hadn't used, but because using it meant no turning back, it had been hesitant.
Finally, under the instigation of Kuku, who had lost patience, Yeye reluctantly used its ultimate trump card.
*Coo! Coo-coo-coo! Coo! Coo!*
Yeye began to sing from its perch on a branch.
Xiao Bendan and Wanpi exchanged glances, neither understanding a word.
Kuku's fan-shaped ear canals rapidly retracted, concluding that the sound was undoubtedly noise.
Only Yeye sang with great enthusiasm.
"Singing for mating."
Inside the desert cave, Li Fan, having finished his movement analysis training, wanted to check the monsters' status on his handheld device.
But seeing Yeye's current annotation surprised him.
The Ancient Forest was already a suitable habitat for Nargacugas to hide. I guess Stealth Nargacuga was too difficult to track, so Yeye came up with this method.
But if the other party wasn't male, this would be completely ineffective, wouldn't it?
After making this deduction, Li Fan was even more astonished by Xi Xi's status.
According to the handheld device's annotation, Xi Xi was undergoing mutation.
Li Fan quickly checked the Yuan Yuan Lan Yu inside the Ming Shen chest armor and found it was not missing.
Relieved, he became even more curious.
Did it eat the Zinogre's jade after teaming up with Hui Hui to defeat the Azure Rathalos? No, I specifically warned them not to eat precious gems and inverse scales carelessly.
Besides, judging by the numbers, Xi Xi's condition was within normal parameters, except for battle damage.
Could it be that after years of catalysis within the Azure Rathalos, the Zinogre jade was no longer strongly rejected by the electric dragon?
Li Fan dismissed the wild speculations in his mind, deciding that it would be most reliable to investigate and inquire in person.
"Huh? All three are starving?"
Li Fan was particularly surprised by the Ice Sea team's situation and felt a hint of worry.
He had initially thought that, apart from Elder Dragons, these three would be unstoppable.
Perhaps there were coordination issues, but their fighting spirit was high, so they shouldn't fail... at least not to the point of death.
Li Fan remained generally optimistic.
"Yaya... Wasn't your heart frozen?"
Seeing Yaya smitten, Li Fan was a bit speechless.
He felt that female Icefang Wyverns were generally pragmatic, and Yaya's current pursuit would likely be fruitless.
The special training so far had been a mixed bag of successes and setbacks.
But since they were heading to the New World, this was a necessary step.
A month passed quickly.
On the sun-baked sand plains, Zhan Zhan, its flame-like shell completely shed and its body covered in cracks, stared at the equally battered Jin Mie Ren ahead, waiting for it to make a move.
Jin Mie Ren, whose gaze had been fierce before, now kept glancing sideways, seemingly hesitant.
This couldn't entirely be blamed on it; through a month of analysis training, Zhan Zhan had completely mastered Jin Mie Ren's slashing techniques.
Jin Mie Ren could only gain an advantage through on-the-spot reactions.
What made it even more uncomfortable was that Zhan Zhan was becoming increasingly calm when facing it.
Calmness, a personality completely contrary to a Zinogre, had appeared in Zhan Zhan.
"Roar."
Jin Mie Ren grumbled, turned, and fled.
In the control room, Li Fan, with chapped lips and a sun-darkened face, was sharpening his Ming Lei Shen Dao with a whetstone.
Hearing Jin Mie Ren's roar, he quickly got up and responded, "Black whistle captain? Who are you calling a black whistle captain! Do you want to get hit by a solid punch again? Shan Shan, quickly stop Jin Mie Ren, don't let it escape."
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
The Mantis Captain dashed across the sand.
Zhan Zhan skillfully bit onto a stone beam it had swung backward and slid across the sand plain.
This wasn't the first time Jin Mie Ren had attempted to flee; it had tried four days ago but was intercepted by the Mantis Captain.
After chasing for about five minutes, the rampaging Jin Mie Ren's berserk personality suddenly activated, and it stopped, assuming an offensive stance.
Its tail blade, glowing red, was inserted into its mouth to be re-forged and heated, while its body rapidly contracted in a twist.
Dilu, whose fur had turned a pale yellow after a month of wind and sand, shouted, "It's the Iai Whirlwind Slash, meow!"
"Dilu! Insert the disc!"
Li Fan said, leaping from the control room.
Zhan Zhan, sliding along, released its bite on the stone beam and advanced forward in sync with Li Fan, who had just landed.
At a distance of twenty meters, Zhan Zhan bit its tail blade, its body rapidly contracting in a twist.
*Creak! Creak!*
The grating sound of biting echoed.
*Whimper... whimper...*
Unable to open its mouth, Zhan Zhan whimpered to signal.
"I know."
As Li Fan spoke, he embedded the Yuan Yuan Lan Yu into the Ming Lei Shen Dao.
*Crack! Buzz!*
Golden lightning erupted from the center of the double blades.
Li Fan stepped forward, bowed, and the Ming Lei Shen Dao was diagonally re-sheathed into a non-existent scabbard.
Inhale, slow, quiet, eternal.
Exhale, fast, move, instant.
The description of Iaijutsu on the scroll surfaced in Li Fan's mind.
The airflow generated by drawing and slashing the sword, whether it scraped the inner wall of the scabbard or cut through the air, as long as it could borrow force to generate a slight initial Qi, which was then converted into a mist to resist heavy blows, it would achieve the core condition for releasing Iaijutsu.
Recalling the essence of Iaijutsu he had comprehended, Li Fan had only one thing to do.
That was to instantly generate Qi and absorb the impending heavy blow.
However, unlike before, he now had a better option for this initial Qi-inducing force.
*Crack! Crack!*
The surging golden lightning quickly enveloped Li Fan, repeatedly striking the Ming Shen armor uncontrollably.
The extremely high lightning resistance blocked most of the lightning from his body, with a small portion entering Li Fan.
*Whoosh~ Whoosh~*
The two Zinogres released their tail blades simultaneously, seizing the opportunity.
Zhan Zhan's Bai Di Sheng Jian, with a slash, precisely cut into Jin Mie Ren's furnace sac.
Minerals with deep red explosive dust scattered out, but like explosive minerals, they possessed the characteristic of delayed detonation after leaving a high-temperature environment.
Although this blow was a critical hit, Jin Mie Ren's spinning charge was unaffected.
Its deep red tail blade swept past its side as it spun.
Just as Zhan Zhan had predicted before, Jin Mie Ren's target was not itself, but Li Fan behind it.
Facing the sweeping deep red tail blade, Li Fan did not evade, continuing to draw his sword and gather power.
*Ding!*
The overflowing, violent lightning vanished the moment Li Fan's Ming Lei Shen Dao slashed out.
"Ming Lei Iai Slash!"
As Li Fan shouted, a massive golden arc met the tail blade's explosive dispersal.