However, before he entered the training room, there was one important task he had for Sun Mengmeng and Zhou Ying. He had quite a number of superior-grade carcasses in his potbellied-toad pouch, obtained from his month of hunting.

While the hunters hadn't participated in the hunt and thus wouldn't be able to obtain any superior gene fragments from those carcasses, it would still provide them with nourishment. During this month of seclusion, all they had eaten were meals from the inn, so this would be a sumptuous feast in comparison.

"Will you prepare some of these superior-grade carcasses while I take on Fang Yi and the others?"

He left the carcasses on the table as he entered the training room, while Zhou Ying and Sun Mengmeng nodded and prepared to cook.

Fang Yi, Yang Ze, Li Feng, and Sun Xiaowu were all standing straight and facing the door, as if waiting for his arrival.

"Oh? It looks like you're all quite prepared."

The prospect of a challenge enthused Zhang Lie.

"Of course, Captain! We've been in seclusion for over a month!"

"Well, what are you waiting for? Show me what you've accomplished with all that time!"

"Charge!" Fang Yi yelled, dashing toward Zhang Lie with his spear in hand. Surprisingly, none of the other three hunters seemed about to make a move.

Hurled forward by wind and storm, the spear seemed nigh unstoppable. As it struck, it left a dozen afterimages in its wake, surrounding Zhang Lie's body.

"Not bad, not bad!" As Zhang Lie nodded, he countered the fearsome attack with Venombane.

The clash of metal filled the room. Fang Yi waved his spear with lethal speed and precision, but Zhang Lie seemed to be able to block all his attacks with careless sweeps of his arm.

As Fang Yi attacked, Zhang Lie's body was buffeted by billowing winds and a gathering storm.

"[Tiger's Howl, Dragon's Bellow]!" Fang Yi's spear took on the aspect of a dragon of the winds and a storm tiger as he charged forward.

"A fine attack, but too easily disrupted!" Zhang Lie shifted aside with [Mirrored Refraction], evading the attack.

Zhang Lie deflected the spear with the edge of his blade, then stepped forward into close range while Fang Yi's guard was down. He directed one palm casually toward Fang Yi.

Fang Yi's innate reflexes and awareness had made him a strong hunter in Zhang Lie's past life, and the present Fang Yi had retained those same qualities. At this critical juncture, he made the optimal decision: stepping out of range and avoiding Zhang Lie's attack.

He was certain that he would lose in a contest of brute strength. Other hunters might be unaware of just how fearsome their captain was, but the members of Team Zenith certainly did. Even before he embarked on a month of hunting, Zhang Lie had had over fifty superior gene fragments, and he could well be at the superior gene capacity now.

Fang Yi's deflected attack made him unwilling to strike directly at Zhang Lie, but Zhang Lie naturally understood what he was trying to do. In this sort of situation, Fang Yi would have no choice but to strike from the back.

He shifted his body, clenched his palm into a fist, turned around, and attacked. Zhang Lie's punches landed squarely on Fang Yi's body. As if he had been struck by lightning, Fang Yi stumbled back.

"Stop, stop, I can't handle it anymore! Captain, you're crazy! You overwhelm me in every aspect, so how am I supposed to fight against you?"

"What? I've just warmed up! Are you really going to give up so easily?"

"No, Captain, stop! I admit defeat! Don't just look at me—how about the three of them? They haven't shown you the fruits of their labor yet!"

Fang Yi darted behind Yang Ze and the others.

Zhang Lie shrugged. "It's not as though I'd really harm you. You've made good progress with [Rondo of Wind and Storm], but your attack's too direct. Your interpretation of [Tiger's Howl, Dragon's Bellow] isn't as flexible as it could be, and you need to be able to deal with situations like the deflection I used on you."

After giving Fang Yi a few pointers, Zhang Lie turned to the other three hunters. In truth, he was quite pleased with Fang Yi's progress, especially considering the difficulty of the path he had chosen. 

He was even more curious as to what Li Feng, who was also starting from scratch, had managed to accomplish. However, his next opponent wasn't Li Feng, but instead Yang Ze, who had inherited several of his water-attuned techniques.

"Captain, have a taste of my [The Boundless Blade]!" Yang Ze's body vanished as though it was a mirage. Under the effects of [Mirrored Refraction], he seemed to phase in and out of existence.

"I'm right here, Captain!"

He launched [Fists of the Silent Sea] in Zhang Lie's direction.

Zhang Lie had to admit that Yang Ze had a very interesting interpretation of [Mirrored Refraction]. It was the same footwork technique he had learned, but whereas Zhang Lie's version of the technique was ethereal, Yang Ze's was phantasmagorical. He would likely be able to surprise a less experienced hunter, but certainly not someone like Zhang Lie.

The moment Yang Ze struck with [Fists of the Silent Sea], Zhang Lie retaliated with the same technique.

The two fists met head-on. An explosion of water filled the training room. Yang Ze was thrown back by the force of the attack, but he was unharmed save for a throbbing arm. It was obvious that Zhang Lie had gone easy on him, because he still wanted to see what other tricks Yang Ze had up his sleeve.

The saturated water vapor in the air led to extremely favorable conditions for Yang Ze, whose version of [Mirrored Refraction] was well-suited to illusion and disguise. Of course, since Zhang Lie's framework was also water-attuned, he too had an advantage under such circumstances.

Zhang Lie gathered his genetic energy. With another application of [Fists of the Silent Sea], the mist in the air surged into three giant waves, spreading out all around him and blocking off any means of attack from Yang Ze.

Yang Ze had intended on using the mist surrounding the battlefield as a means of shrouding himself, but he hadn't expected Zhang Lie would take advantage of the water-saturated environment to launch an enhanced attack instead.

"Well, Captain, you haven't left me any other choice. Have a taste of my blade!"

"Bring it on!"

The two of them retreated to opposite sides of the room, each with a sword in their hand. Whereas Zhang Lie's Venombane was a shortsword, Yang Ze's soulshard armament was a greatsword.

Water-attuned genetic energy gathered around the two combatants. Although their swords were different, their auras were the same. The spectators suddenly found it hard to breathe, as though they were submerged in a boundless ocean.

Behind their backs, Zhang Lie and Yang Ze's genetic cores took form.