The increasingly tenacious Ironhead, a battle-hardened warrior, initiated the attack, charging towards the **Double-Bladed Mantis**!
While contracted beasts might lack high intelligence, they were far from foolish. Ironhead had discovered that as long as it could continue fighting, Lu Fei would have Lengtoushe heal its injuries. Though it didn't understand the method, it didn't matter. The most important thing was to keep fighting!
In a flash, Ironhead, gripping its broken sword, had closed the distance to the **Double-Bladed Mantis**. The **Double-Bladed Mantis**, unfazed, raised its forearms, each holding a double blade, to parry what appeared to be a fierce strike.
In mid-air, the two contracted beasts alternated their offensive assaults. What they shared was a combat style devoid of defense, only offense! For them, offense was defense!
After several exchanges, Ironhead was once again defeated. However, before the **Double-Bladed Mantis** could catch its breath, its opponent sprang back to life, energized. A new round of attacks commenced. This cycle repeated an unknown number of times, from morning until the stars became sparse in the night sky.
The **Double-Bladed Mantis** was utterly exhausted. It lay sprawled on the ground, panting heavily with its tongue hanging out, its head tilted towards the sky. It had completely lost the ability to fight. In contrast, Ironhead's eyes remained sharp, and it stood proudly, its broken sword held high.
Through dozens of encounters with the **Double-Bladed Mantis** today, its progress had been remarkably swift. Its use of **Hardening** was now significantly more proficient, especially in overcoming the side effects of applying it to both hands. As for its characteristic skill, **Deathmatch**, it had been constantly activated in every battle, pushing Ironhead to the brink of incapacitation, thus making it even more adept at its use. This seemingly single day of training had brought about a qualitative leap in Ironhead's combat power and skills.
Lu Fei glanced at the sky, noting the late hour. It was time to return. He walked to the side of the exhausted **Double-Bladed Mantis** and looked at it. He then smiled. "Youngster," he chuckled, "felt the fickleness of hearts today, didn't you..." With the help of Brother Chicken, Lu Fei signaled for a massive contracted beast to carry the **Double-Bladed Mantis**. Although this young one was spirited and enjoyed showing off, Ironhead wouldn't have made such significant progress in such a short time without its motivation.
The group, bathed in the starlight, returned to the drunken man's humble thatched hut. Lu Fei personally cooked a meal to reward everyone and had Lengtoushe heal the **Double-Bladed Mantis**. A sacred glow fell upon it, and moments later, the **Double-Bladed Mantis** recovered its injuries and stamina. Its eyes shone with an indescribable joy; the feeling of instant healing was so exhilarating it almost cried out. The contracted beasts enjoyed the feast together, creating a harmonious scene.
At this point, Brother Chicken decided to liven things up. It ignited a bonfire in the yard and stepped forward first. It began to move with a light and agile body, showcasing its talents to the fullest. Brother Chicken's dance instantly ignited the atmosphere, and several smaller contracted beasts joined in the dancing. The larger contracted beasts could only watch wistfully from outside the enclosure. A spontaneous bonfire party had begun.
Lu Fei, watching the cheerful contracted beasts, felt a deep sense of happiness. At that moment, an idea struck him. Ironhead had now preliminarily mastered the skill **Hardening**, leaving little more for the **Double-Bladed Mantis** to teach. Furthermore, the **Double-Bladed Mantis** had seemingly encountered a ghost today, sparring with an opponent it couldn't defeat, and likely wouldn't want to act as a sparring partner tomorrow. The drunken man wasn't expected back anytime soon, and he had promised a rematch between Ironhead and the **Double-Bladed Mantis** upon his return. This was perfect; the **Double-Bladed Mantis** could rest for a few days, and then they could have a proper match when the drunken man was back.
Therefore, the most pressing matter was to find a new opponent for Ironhead. Lu Fei decided to have Brother Chicken negotiate with them, perhaps offering some incentives. He was confident someone would agree! With this thought, Lu Fei found Brother Chicken. Upon hearing Lu Fei's plan, Brother Chicken readily agreed. After all, Ironhead was its disciple! Even though its master knew less than its disciple, that was unimportant. Brother Chicken stealthily infiltrated the wild contracted beast community, pretending to be friendly to blend in, and then approached them one by one to inquire about their willingness. Through the allure of benefits and subtle verbal provocations, over a dozen contracted beasts soon agreed.
Having successfully completed its mission, Brother Chicken was in high spirits, feeling like it had finally done something useful for its disciple! "I've done something significant. No, I must reward myself!" Brother Chicken thought secretly, its gaze drifting towards the contracted beasts by the bonfire. Its eyes locked onto several attractive female contracted beasts... It quietly slipped away to an inconspicuous corner. With a soft "poof," Brother Chicken transformed, becoming one of those female contracted beasts. Returning to the bonfire, Brother Chicken was now in its new guise. Brother Chicken casually approached the female contracted beasts, initiating a friendly conversation. It successfully caught the attention of one of them. The two then silently left the crowd and walked into a small grove...
The next day.
Lu Fei, accompanied by Ironhead, arrived at the Forget Worry Grassland to commence today's special training. Standing opposite them were five contracted beasts, all specially selected from the list provided by Brother Chicken. Lu Fei had carefully chosen these five from over a dozen contracted beasts, each possessing different attributes, species, and combat styles.
For instance, the **Long-Tailed Dog**, a contracted beast excelling in speed, made it incredibly difficult to land attacks, and a moment's inattention could lead to a surprise strike. Lu Fei selected it to train Ironhead's reaction speed and accuracy. Then there was the **Iron Ninja Turtle**, a contracted beast with terrifying defensive capabilities. Although its speed and attack power were low, its unbreakable defense often troubled many enemies. The remaining three contracted beasts also had their unique characteristics. After two days of sparring, Lu Fei had learned a great deal. Raising contracted beasts wasn't like raising ordinary animals, where simply feeding them their favorite food sufficed. Raising contracted beasts required a more comprehensive approach, which led to today's plan. He intended to enhance Ironhead's combat abilities from various dimensions, strengthening its speed, attack power, and other aspects comprehensively.
Ironhead's first opponent was the **Iron Ninja Turtle**, known for its strong defense. Eager and without hesitation, Ironhead raised its broken sword and swung it down.