Xingyan Practicing and the Great Fantasy of the Dragon Slayer Kingdom!

It's truly ugly. Generally, this kind of ugly swordsmanship is only seen in trainees who failed to become official Hunters... Karly felt like she saw her past self.

Dead memories resurfaced, constantly attacking him.

A mysterious phantom pain appeared on his forehead, as if the instructor was still hitting his head.

Xingyan didn't bother with all that. Although things didn't develop as he expected, as long as he could learn something from the Sword Master, it was good enough.

To be honest, before the Sword Master directly pointed out the problems in his current "swordsmanship," Xingyan really didn't realize he was this bad—this bad wasn't related to the difference in physical structure between humans and dragons, it was simply being bad.

To put it simply, before the Sword Master pointed it out with his rich experience, Xingyan never realized he couldn't strike the same spot twice in rapid succession. This had nothing to do with whether he could imbue Life Energy into his weapon; it was simply a matter of not being able to aim properly.

Not enough control.

Xingyan kept trying, twisting his body and swinging his sword in various movements, aiming the tip of his blade at the same spot on the hillside. But even after dozens of swings, he couldn't achieve it—this wasn't a problem that could be fixed immediately just by realizing it.

It was an instinct when drawing the sword, an invisible habit.

To put it more simply, such precise control could only be achieved after countless hours of practice swings; it wasn't a skill that could be learned quickly.

Nothing else, just familiarity.

Thus, maintaining a delicate relationship with the Hunters, Xingyan began his studies under the Sword Master.

The delicacy lay in the fact that, apart from the Sword Master, the other Hunters wouldn't appear in large numbers before Xingyan or get too close, and Xingyan wouldn't approach the Hunters' base, only appearing on the hillside.

Through Xingyan's actions, the Commander seemed to have guessed his intentions, so the only connection between them was the Sword Master, and only the Sword Master.

Honestly, Xingyan himself didn't know how his attempt to secretly learn turned into the Sword Master chasing him every day to teach him—this guy even sat on the hillside waiting before dawn, more proactive than him, a dragon who was supposed to be learning secretly.

Indeed, the Sword Master was quite interested in teaching a dragon slayer swordsmanship. In his words, he could hardly make any further progress in the way of the sword. Besides taking on quests and hunting, his only hobby now was to share his swordsmanship.

So, whenever a Hunter came to ask him for advice, the Sword Master would generously impart his techniques without any reservation or concealment.

Because swordsmanship itself needed to be exchanged to become stronger.

After guiding so many Hunters, the Sword Master had never had the experience of instructing a monster in swordsmanship, which filled him with a rare sense of drive and curiosity.

—Could a monster really learn my swordsmanship?

It was pretty much that thought.

Just curious.

Purely curious.

It was like, "Bro, don't go in! There's a sniper at the door!" and the next second, "A sniper? Let me see what's going on."

It had to be said that most humans in this world were quite simple. Regarding the fact that an old acquaintance, a dragon, had appeared outside their base and the Sword Master was teaching it swordsmanship, several Hunters did worry about whether they could handle this dragon if it learned swordsmanship and attacked them.

But more people felt that this dragon had been getting along peacefully with the Hunters for so long. They could even greet each other when they met in the Great Sand Sea, so it was different from other monsters—besides, weren't the Leader and the others confident in this dragon? So, everything would be fine.

Well, then the situation became that every day, curious Hunters would gather on the hillside far from the base to watch the dragon learn swordsmanship. Even more enthusiastic Hunters would shout encouragement to Xingyan, sharing their own learning experiences.

Many Felynes who followed the Hunters to the New World also came along. However, compared to the Daitel, these Felynes were much bolder.

After all, they entered the investigation team as Hunter companions, as official Hunter cats. Unlike ordinary Felynes engaged in production activities, they could play a crucial role even in battles against large monsters.

They were very brave.

When facing Xingyan, besides curiosity, they were also cautious. To show friendship, they brought many grilled meat steaks as gifts—which suited Xingyan's appetite perfectly, and he ate them directly.

However, Xingyan only accepted the gifts from the Felynes and refused the grilled meat offered by the Hunters who, seeing the Felynes' success, tried to imitate them.

Felynes are different!

Overall, the investigation team was quite enthusiastic about such a rare monster that didn't attack them on sight. It's just that the experiences they shared were difficult for Xingyan to apply.

It was difficult. The Great Sword techniques summarized and passed down by generations of Hunters were exceptionally challenging for Xingyan to learn systematically.

This was because Xingyan's sword was completely different from the swords held by the Hunters. As an Ape Dragon species, the Hunters' arm and hand joint structure was extremely convenient and exquisitely flexible.

They could not only easily grip and throw but also freely control the objects in their hands at will—Hunters could make the Great Sword rotate in their hands or change direction by twisting their fingers, but Xingyan couldn't do that.

When Hunters swung their swords, their eyes could constantly lock onto the target for aiming, but Xingyan... With every swing, he had to turn his body sideways. If he wanted to increase power, he had to turn around, even jump.

And during this turning process, Xingyan lacked the ability to locate the enemy's position and the landing point of the attack.

Blind swordsmanship, pure blind swordsmanship, relying entirely on a sense of feeling for positioning.

According to the normal growth process of a dragon slayer, Xingyan should have been kicked out by his mother dragon a year after hatching and started a life of fighting various dragons. Then, as long as he didn't die in these intense battles, he would eventually be able to swing his sword tail accurately through combat instinct and experience.

By then, even striking the same spot repeatedly wouldn't be a problem—it was just that Xingyan didn't want to wait that long, nor did he want to waste so much time before mastering a skill that could clearly be learned through training much earlier.

With the Sword Master's vast experience, it was natural that he understood the difference in physical structure between humans and dragon slayers. Therefore, during the first week of Xingyan's training, the Sword Master didn't give him too much guidance but had him repeatedly practice basic slashes.

Finding a spot near a cliff face, the Sword Master drew a relatively small mark on the rock wall for the dragon slayer's size and then, in his most accustomed and frequently used manner, repeatedly attacked the mark, trying his best to get close to the center.

This way, Xingyan could develop a feel for landing his slashes in the same spot through repetitive training, and the Sword Master could observe Xingyan's attack habits to create a set of swordsmanship best suited for him.

"Huff, huff."

Another sunset. Xingyan finally finished today's training and was panting heavily, exhausted. The air above his back's heat-dissipating shell was slightly distorted, and a large amount of heat was being expelled. If you put an egg there, it would probably be cooked in seconds.

To ensure the training had the best effect, Xingyan naturally had to mobilize all his muscles, swinging his sword with the intent to kill the rock face in front of him, no different from a real battle.

To be honest, for a large dragon, Xingyan's amount of exercise during this period was indeed a bit excessive. Unlike other dragons that rested after hunting and tried to avoid unnecessary combat or movement to conserve their stamina.

It's true, he's a bit like a Deviljho, constantly in a state of combat and predation just to fill his belly, never able to rest.

Unlike a Deviljho, though, he hasn't actually eaten anything yet.

Xingyan is already very hungry. Right now, he just wants to find two Carapace Dragons to eat. After eating, he wants to rest properly. For this, he's even given up his insistence on cooked food. It all tastes the same once it's inside him anyway, so he doesn't need to worry about absorption efficiency.

The Detel Chef Team has been idle for six days. If the old chieftain hadn't appeased them, these young chefs would have thought their cooking skills were so bad they scared away the Zinogre boss, and they would have nearly burst into tears.

Xingyan is serious about getting stronger. For that, he can even give up his desires for good food.

"You're still swinging your blade based on instinct," the Sword Master said in a deep voice, standing with his arms crossed where Xingyan's attacks couldn't reach. "I understand that you relied on this instinct to defeat other monsters in the past, but if you want to learn the techniques of us Hunters, you must overcome this instinct."

"From instinctively swinging your blade wildly to swinging it with order and method, you will inevitably become weaker in this process because you need to fight against your own instincts, consciously controlling every blade you swing, ensuring it lands exactly where you intend it to."

"Only when you can do this with every swing do you need to turn this deliberate way of swinging into your new instinct—do you understand?"

After rambling on for a while, the Sword Master suddenly remembered he wasn't talking to another Hunter, but to a Zinogre.

"...Roar!" Xingyan responded tiredly.

The Sword Master could still understand the nodding.

"Also, it's strange, why can't you sharpen your blade?" The Sword Master tapped his helmet in confusion. "Normally, when your attacks hit consecutively, even if you miss your target, as long as you hit something, you can use the feedback force from the impact to mobilize your own inner energy."

"When your inner energy accumulates to a certain level, you can imbue it into your weapon, making it harder and sharper, until you release the accumulated inner energy with a special slashing technique."

The Sword Master's helmet was already ringing from being tapped, and he truly didn't understand why this was happening, as he wasn't a Scholar.

"Could it be because you don't have hands? That shouldn't be it... Even though your tail is broken, the remaining part is made of ore. It's no different from our ore-series weapons... I don't get it."

Even the Scholars in the base couldn't provide an answer to such questions. They specialized in studying monsters and had little insight into Hunter combat techniques.

Xingyan would also not agree to have the Guild Scholars conduct detailed research on him. The Sword Master had previously suggested letting Scholars help with the research, but Xingyan had refused with a roar.

"In any case, let's continue practicing," the Sword Master said, shaking his head. "If you can't imbue your weapon with inner energy, I'm afraid I won't be able to teach you much more... But regardless, practicing these things is very useful. You should be able to feel that, right?"

"Roar!" (That's right.)

Taking a breath, Xingyan responded with a roar.

At least if he had to open up another Mudfish Dragon right now, Xingyan would swear that his next strike wouldn't miss; instead, he'd directly gut the Mudfish Dragon.

Progress was enough.

"Take note, it does indeed have a double carapace, completely different from the Zinogre of the Old World. Suspect it to be a special subspecies of the New World."

As the Hunters had somewhat gotten used to the rhythm of a Zinogre appearing regularly at the entrance of the base every day, and while Xingyan was continuously trying to improve his swordsmanship under the Sword Master's guidance, on another cliff, several Scholars were observing Xingyan through telescopes.

"It's also possible it's the only one of its kind, which would make it even more special."

"It's not impossible. Let's continue observing... It's a shame we can't get its carapace. I believe this carapace covered in mineral crystals is the most significant difference between it and the Old World Zinogre. If the Old World Zinogre merely wielded a sharp blade, then this Zinogre wields a sharp blade while also being clad in armor."

A Scholar, writing non-stop in a notebook without looking up, said.

"Just thinking about it is terrifying. If it suddenly went berserk and attacked us, how could the Hunters inflict effective damage?"

"Don't say such scary things," another Scholar couldn't help but say. "Besides, did you all see it? This Zinogre can even understand the Sword Master and respond to his questions with nods or shakes of the head—don't you understand what this means?"

"It means it can engage in higher-level thinking! Not like other dragons, who seem intelligent but only use their wisdom for hunting and fighting!"

"Perhaps one day we'll see this Zinogre establish its own kingdom, populated by all sorts of large monsters—and it will be the Monster King!"