Zayn and Morax finished off the entire basket of soup dumplings together.
"If you ever need my help, you can just say so," Morax said.
"Among friends, such things are only natural."
Hearing this, Zayn rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.
He hadn't expected Morax to see through his little scheme so quickly.
"Uh… Morax, could you maybe teach me some combat techniques?" Zayn asked.
Morax looked over.
"Generally speaking, each demon god's combat style is unique, as no two authorities are the same."
"For example, I fight using the Geo Authority."
"There are no set techniques. It is all accumulated experience—little by little, over time."
"As demon gods, we stand at the top of this world's power."
He meant:
Every demon god fights differently because their authorities differ.
Even if he taught Zayn his own methods, it might erase Zayn's personal style.
His combat path should be developed by himself.
Zayn understood the implication.
So there were no "weak authorities"—
only weak demon gods, huh?
He knew the Manifestation Authority was powerful.
But he lacked experience.
If combat experience must be built through battle…
Then he knew what he had to do.
"Alright. I get it."
"Can you come with me to train outside?"
Morax nodded.
"Certainly."
Leaving Liyue, Morax led the way with familiarity.
Soon, he brought Zayn to a group of geovishaps—
rock-element creatures with thick hides and strong bodies.
If one broke into a human settlement, casualties would be heavy.
Zayn stared at the creature.
It was fierce, horned, massive—
clearly not to be messed with.
"I'm going in!"
He forced himself forward.
If he didn't try, he would never grow.
And without growth, what future would he have in the Archon War?
He refused to share the fate of the God of Salt.
"ROOOOAR!"
The moment Zayn landed, the geovishap noticed him.
Territorial instinct flared.
It jumped, its massive body crashing down toward him like a falling meteor.
Zayn dodged quickly.
The impact made the ground tremble violently.
But he was beginning to adjust to the tempo of battle.
He steadied himself.
"Bind!"
Using his Manifestation Authority, twelve thick metal pillars erupted around the creature, trapping it instantly.
"Blazing Punishment!"
A column of searing flames—tens of meters wide—shot from Zayn's hand and engulfed the geovishap.
"ROOOOOAR!!"
It howled in agony as the intense heat burned it to ash.
Even the metal pillars melted into pools of iron.
"How was that? Pretty strong, right?"
Zayn flashed to Morax's side, grinning proudly.
Morax had watched the entire battle silently.
He didn't want to discourage Zayn, but this was about survival—
so he had to say it.
"Your fighting style is far too flashy. Impractical.
It will only work on heavy, stupid creatures like that one."
"But for a first battle, it was impressive."
Ah. So that was the case.
Zayn thought it over.
Yeah… his moves were slow and heavy.
Against faster opponents, they'd be useless.
Proper fighting required speed, precision, and decisiveness.
I get it now.
"I understand. I know what to do next," Zayn said.
Morax nodded, unsure what exactly the boy had "understood."
But the training wasn't over.
He continued leading Zayn around the territory's outskirts—
training him while also clearing threats to protect his people.
"Morax, is that a giant white tiger?" Zayn pointed below.
Morax nodded.
"A mere beast. Not a threat."
"Do you wish to try?"
Zayn nodded. "I want to test a new technique."
"Very well."
This time, Zayn changed his approach.
He aimed for overwhelming burst damage—
to finish the enemy instantly.
Flying above the white tiger, he remained unnoticed.
Preemptive strike—always best.
A blazing sphere formed in Zayn's hand, shining like a miniature sun.
He could feel the immense power packed inside.
He named it: Little Fireball Technique.
"Go!!"
He hurled it downward.
The sphere streaked through the sky, trailing dazzling light.
The white tiger sensed danger, glanced up—
and immediately fled.
But it was too slow.
The fireball struck the ground beside it.
A blinding flash exploded outward—
A miniature sun erupted, expanding violently and engulfing everything for several kilometers.
When the light faded…
A massive spherical crater remained, kilometers wide.
"How about that? Better, right?"
Zayn popped up next to Morax again, smiling brightly.
Morax fell silent.
He now understood—Zayn had completely misunderstood his earlier advice.
But… in some twisted way, it still made sense.
"…Yes. A formidable technique," Morax said.
In truth, Zayn had no technique at all.
It was just raw power dumped into one giant blast.
That attack had consumed one-tenth of his strength.
"Don't praise me like that. This isn't technique," Zayn muttered.
"Morax, you're really bad at giving compliments."
"Alright, let's keep clearing monsters."
At least Zayn had self-awareness.
Moves like that should be kept as a trump card.
If he ever faced a demon god he couldn't beat—
he'd just chuck ten fireballs at them.
Firepower coverage—ever heard of it?
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