Wow!
Kuku cried out in pain, stumbled, and fell onto the deck.
It worked...
Li Fan looked at the practice iaijutsu with disbelief.
Wow! Wow! Wow!
Kuku arched its body on the deck, groaning continuously.
"What's wrong with Kuku, meow?"
Dill asked worriedly.
"Kuku says it wants kisses, hugs, and to be lifted high before it will get up,"
Li Fan translated.
"Then I'll go find Eudora, and everyone can lift it, meow?"
Dill inquired.
"It's okay, Kuku is just acting. Go get a Shield Bug from the cargo hold,"
Li Fan said, then went to his cabin and sat at his desk, recording his心得 on Iaijutsu.
The core of Iaijutsu lies in energy conversion.
Qi is known to have two forms: gas and mist.
Gaseous Qi envelops the blade, turning a slash into a Qi blade strike.
Mist-like Qi disperses outwards, not only deflecting attacks but also becoming active upon heavy impact, transforming into more abundant gaseous Qi and re-entering the Qi reservoir.
The subtlety of Iaijutsu lies in the simultaneous application of Qi and mist.
The mist-like Qi, upon activation by impact, possesses extreme malleability during the period before it transforms into gaseous Qi.
By the time the transformation into gaseous Qi is complete, the dispersed Qi will have formed into a Qi blade.
Therefore, by drawing power from the blade's swing, it is theoretically possible to convert it into various forms of ranged slashes.
These slashes, due to the delayed transformation of the mist-like Qi, can extend far beyond the blade, creating an effect similar to sword energy.
The most difficult aspect is the origin of the initial Qi.
Li Fan paused at this point, took a deep breath, and continued writing.
The secret is speed!
Draw the sword from its sheath with the utmost speed!
The airflow generated by drawing and slashing, whether it scrapes the inner wall of the sheath or cuts through the air, as long as it can generate a small amount of initial Qi, which is then immediately converted into mist to resist heavy impact, the core condition for releasing Iaijutsu is met.
After recording, Li Fan felt a lot lighter.
Many doubts were resolved.
For example, why is the Qi blade of Iaijutsu a straight line in the New World, while the secret manual taught in Hunter's Hub is circular?
In fact, as long as the blade is swung during the period before it transforms into gaseous Qi, any shape of Qi blade can be formed.
The delayed slash of the Iaijutsu Qi blade is precisely due to the transformation delay.
I should publish my research findings sometime... However, the Great Sword hunters here lack a safe training environment. I hope not too many people use it in actual combat.
Li Fan suddenly realized he had the same concerns as his mentor, Yin Tie.
Iaijutsu is undoubtedly a divine skill for Great Sword users, but even after successfully executing it once, breaking down its steps, and meticulously recording them, Li Fan still felt that the move was incredibly difficult to perform.
Four days later, the Crimson Glow arrived above the Forest Hill. The ecological environment was much better than during the Rathalos breeding season.
At noon, Li Fan, who had been observing with binoculars all morning, sighed, "It's only been a short while since I was last here, and so much has changed. I wonder how Broken Tail Sister is doing?"
"Huh~ Any new developments?"
Eudora, just waking up, yawned and stretched as she walked to the ship's side.
"No, just found a few new faces, and witnessed two fights caused by a Rathalos couple arguing."
"Oh! I want to know about that!"
Eudora had never seen a Rathalos fight before, so she was very curious.
"Nothing much to see. A Royal Ludroth was killed, and a Great Jaggi was severely injured."
Li Fan reported.
"Wait, wasn't it a Rathalos couple arguing?"
"Yes, after their argument, the two dragons took it out on the Ludroth and the Great Jaggi."
"Uh... I thought there would be a fight between the Rathalos,"
Eudora said, disappointed.
"It's difficult. During this time of year in the Forest Hill, the female Rathalos is guarding her eggs, and the male Rathalos is out hunting. The couple can at most argue. Only when the young Rathalos can hunt independently will they have the energy to fight their mates."
"Remember to call me if there's any exciting scene. Because I've been traveling by airship, I feel like I've been slacking off lately. I need to speed up my practice to get back in shape."
Eudora said, then walked to the open-air training ground on the deck.
During dinner, in the cabin restaurant, Li Fan was flipping through the day's observation records, feeling that something was not quite right.
"Ferry, is the altitude okay?"
"No problem, meow. The current altitude of the airship is the flight altitude indicated in the guide when Rathalos is active."
Ferry said with great certainty.
"Could it be that Rathalos has found a mate during this time and is no longer attacking airships?"
Li Fan did not want this to happen.
"How old is that Rathalos, meow?"
Ferry asked, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"The data says it appears to be in its youth."
"Hmm... it's exactly the age when they are curious about the upper airspace. I suggest we increase the altitude by another 1000 meters tomorrow and continue observing."
Ferry made a suggestion.
Li Fan suddenly understood.
Unless they are avoiding danger or traveling long distances, male Rathalos do not fly very high on a daily basis.
As for those below who have already formed families, their flight altitude is even lower to protect their nests and hunt.
But Rathalos is different. It is young, and its increasingly advanced flying ability gives it the illusion of being able to explore the entire world.
It's like a boy who gets his first bicycle.
Male Rathalos at this stage will only fly higher and higher; the land is merely a place for them to rest and eat.
"Perhaps male Rathalos have no innate sense of belonging to the land... We'll do as you say tomorrow, Ferry. Also, if everyone has free time, please observe the sky above the airship more."
Li Fan made arrangements.
The next day, the sky turned overcast.
In the somewhat turbulent airflow, the Crimson Glow ascended over 1000 meters.
"It's all dark clouds, completely impossible to observe, meow."
Dill looked around, everything looked the same, and she didn't know what to write in the observation log.
"Don't worry, as long as the altitude is correct, we'll see Rathalos sooner or later."
Li Fan was not in a hurry, after all, even the Dragonator Institute found that electric dragon troublesome.
Rumble! Crackle!
A muffled thunderclap came from the increasingly dark clouds.
"Damn it, is even heaven against me..."
Whoosh! A strong gust of wind swept across the deck.
"Captain! There's a cloud hole ahead, meow! Should we go in?"
Ferry, with one paw pressing his pirate hat and the other gripping the helm, asked.
In severe weather with strong air currents, if the airship cannot avoid them, it can only ascend or descend to escape.
Looking at the cloud hole ahead, which was casting a rainbow of light, Li Fan shouted, "Up!"
"Okay! Yes! Meow!"
Ferry forcefully pushed down the lift lever.
The Crimson Glow swayed briefly in the strong air currents and ascended into the cave formed by the thick clouds.
The swirling gray clouds around them looked like a collapsing giant wall, a magnificent sight.
Compared to it, the Crimson Glow was as small as a flying insect.
Bathed in sunlight, the airship quickly ascended to the top of the clouds.
At this moment, the sky was a clear blue, with nothing but the sun.
"Hmm... what is this? A sunspot? Impossible, sunspots can't be seen with the naked eye."
Li Fan, feeling the glare of the sun, immediately looked away.
However, he was sure he had just glimpsed a black dot.
He shielded his forehead with his hand and looked up again.
The black dot had become the size of a fingernail.
As the target gradually enlarged, a figure with wings spread, silhouetted against the sun, began to appear.
"It's here! It's a male Rathalos! Everyone enter combat status!"
Li Fan didn't even need to confirm with binoculars; based on that silhouette alone, he could absolutely identify it.
"I'm going to ring the bell to warn everyone, meow!"
Dill said, about to run to the front of the ship.
"Only Eudora is in the cabin, it'll be faster to go down and tell her."
Li Fan thought it was unnecessary.
"But other airships follow this procedure, meow. What if Rathalos suspects us if we don't have a warning bell?"
"Uh... that actually makes sense. Then I'll go get Eudora."
The two then split up.
Li Fan observed the situation in the sky, opened the cabin door, and shouted down, "Eudora!"
"Got it!"
Eudora, carrying a large roll of cotton cloth, quickly climbed the stairs.
Clang! Clang! Clang!....
From the front of the ship, the continuous ringing of the bell, signifying the approaching monster, sounded.
Whoosh! The crimson-shelled male Rathalos plummeted straight down from the front.
Li Fan ran to the side and looked down, seeing the Rathalos diving rapidly. It suddenly spread its wings, its body tracing a beautiful arc, and continued to fly forward, skimming the cloud sea below.
"So fierce, it's good to be young."
Li Fan sighed, feeling that this was most likely Rathalos.
"It's hung up, should I take it down?"
Eudora, clinging to the rope net, asked, pointing at the roll of cotton cloth.
"Let it down. Once we determine the direction, the rest is up to me."
Li Fan said, and Eudora drew her hunter's knife and cut the string binding the cotton cloth roll.
The large white cotton cloth unfurled, trailing all the way to the deck.
A moment later, the male Rathalos, flying at high speed along the cloud sea, flapped its wings vigorously, and its altitude suddenly increased.
"This way should be... the port side!"
Li Fan said, then ran quickly, waving the cotton cloth. Dill and Ferry ran over together, grabbed the two corners of the hanging cotton cloth, and pulled them in opposite directions.
A giant square cotton cloth was spread out on the Crimson Glow, facing the port side.
Whoosh..... Whoosh.... Whoosh... Whoosh!
As the wind approached, a blast of air exploded.
The hovering Crimson Glow was blown sideways by the air currents for several meters, and then a male Rathalos, flapping its wings continuously, slowly rose from outside the port side of the Crimson Glow.
The male Rathalos scanned the deck, its gaze naturally settling on the huge white square cotton cloth.
"Now..."
Li Fan seized the opportunity and picked up the Poké Ball in his hand.
The male Rathalos looked at it with increasing confusion. When it attacked airships before, the people on board would panic and shout, or adopt a defiant stance.
Someone had indeed waved a white cloth, but it couldn't understand the meaning.
This super-giant white cotton cloth made it even more bewildered.
To assert its dominance, the hovering male Rathalos took a slight breath, preparing to roar and make the other party understand the situation.
Suddenly, a flash of white light appeared, and a massive emerald green figure appeared behind the cotton cloth.
The poised male Rathalos, wanting to get a clear look, flapped its wings and slightly extended its body into the ship.
However, due to the obstruction of the cotton cloth, it could only see a general outline.
The somewhat agitated male Rathalos decided to roar first.
Seeing this, Li Fan drew his Dragon Slayer Great Sword and gently poked the cotton cloth.
Whoosh!
The fire-resistant cotton cloth was quickly pierced, and as the flames spread, the entire cloth was burned to ashes in the blink of an eye from bottom to top.
Roar.... Roar.... Roar.... Woo Woo... Roar... Cough cough!
The male Rathalos, which had been poised to roar, couldn't catch its breath.
It choked until black smoke billowed out of its throat before its breathing returned to normal.
The little fool, with its emerald green and crystal clear carapace, even its spines gleaming with a dark luster, looked up in confusion.
The two dragons' eyes met...
"One! Two! Three! Sing! ... 'The warm spring flowers take away the winter's sadness, a romantic atmosphere blows in the breeze (meow), every love song suddenly has meaning, and I suddenly see you at this moment (meow).'"
Led by Li Fan, the entire team sang loudly.
Snap! Snap!
While singing, Dill and Ferry released confetti streamers from their cat paws into the air.
The male Rathalos stared for a long time, its gaze lowered. It looked up at the sky, then down at the cloud sea, hesitated in confusion for a moment, then turned and flapped its wings, fleeing.
"It ran away!"
Li Fan ran to the side and watched the receding figure of the male Rathalos, feeling extremely anxious.
Not to mention the Crimson Glow, even the Dragonator Institute's airships equipped with new thrusters had no possibility of pursuing and intercepting a male Rathalos in the air.
In the cabin restaurant, everyone eating lunch had grim expressions.
"Sigh..."
Li Fan only ate two bites before putting down his spoon on the table, crossing his arms, and looking down at the table legs, sighing continuously.
"Where exactly did it go wrong..."
"Was it... the wrong song?"
Eudora asked tentatively.
"Impossible, this song has been certified by countless people."
Li Fan said firmly.
"Did I sing off-key and get discovered, meow?"
Dill also fell into self-doubt.
"How is Little Fool doing?"
Seeing that they couldn't come to a conclusion, Eudora asked about Little Fool's condition.
"It's doing well. Little Fool just feels that this male Rathalos appeared very suddenly, a bit unexpectedly."
"What about your feelings towards Rathalos?"
"My evaluation is that its breathing wasn't very stable, and the corners of its mouth were slightly upturned. I've already explained that it's normal for a male Rathalos to be injured."
"Hmm... I don't think Little Fool is concerned about Rathalos's appearance, but rather cannot understand Rathalos's escape behavior, thus developing a negative evaluation."
Eudora analyzed.
"It's not entirely Rathalos's fault, is it? If you put yourself in its shoes, it's easy to understand. A boy is playing freely in the wild, and suddenly a super beautiful girl appears. If he's not thick-skinned enough, he'll definitely be a bit stunned. If he's unsure what to do, he'll just hide first."
"Uh... what if you were that boy?"
Eudora asked tentatively.
"Hahaha! Let's play together! It's so much fun."
Li Fan said with a smile, waving his hand.
"Okay... Wait a minute! Could Rathalos be in this situation?"
Eudora, helplessly holding her forehead, suddenly looked up.
"You mean we made Little Fool too charming, which made Rathalos feel distant?"
Li Fan asked tentatively.
"It should be."
"Aren't monster relationships usually very simple and straightforward?"
Li Fan hadn't expected that such meticulous preparation would have the opposite effect.
"Perhaps the atmosphere you created was too captivating, which caused a change in attitude."
Eudora speculated.