Through it all, Lin Mu also started to improve while also figuring out what the four immortals were best at.
He discovered that each of them had something they were better at. For example, Qian Wen was the most adept at understanding the actual battle tactics having had some training in it beforehand due to being a soldier of the royal army.
Ming Aolian and Ming Dandan on the other hand were better at simply understanding the theory behind different skills and techniques. Lin Mu reckoned since both of them were taught by the same master, it might have reflected in their learning ability as well.
Then there was Lu Xu who was best at picking out vulnerabilities in techniques. It was a difficult thing and yet it came to him naturally.
Learning these points, Lin Mu tried to expand more on them while customizing them according to each person.
Just like this, hour after hour went by and they soon turned into days. They didn't even realize how deep they had gone until it was finally time for Ming Dandan's fight!
"AH!" She was startled as the token hummed, reminding her of the fight that was going to happen soon.
"Is it time?" Lin Mu took a pause.
"Yes… We need to go now." Ming Dandan nodded her head.
The group left after that while clearing out their bills at the tea pavilion. They had accrued a decent amount too, having spent nearly five days there. Though it was still several times cheaper than what they would spend at the Spring Valley Restaurant.
Lin Mu reckoned that if the waiting period was too long, they might as well return to their own accommodations. In fact, Lu Xu had invited him over which prompted the others to do the same.
Lin Mu had done the same too, if not for the fact that his place also had the Saintess living there. He wouldn't bring others over there and bother the Saintess by it. Though all of this was for later when they actually had a long enough break period.
For now, they all headed to Ming Dandan's ring where the battle was just about to be announced.
"Ming Dandan and Jiang Hutao come to the ring!" The referee announced.
Ming Dandan headed there right away, as the others found some seats.
They all watched as the flow of the fight was changed with Lin Mu's interference. Ming Dandan's opponent was actually stronger than her. He was also at the Third Tribulation Stage of the immortal realm like her but had been so for a long time.
To Lin Mu, it looked like he was closer to the next stage and might be able to break through at any time.
Ming Dandan was also a beast tamer and was using her beast to fight. Her beast was different than most and looked like a mix of several animals. It had the tail of a squirrel, body of an anteater, and the head of a lizard.
It was the first time Lin Mu was seeing a beast like this and learned that it was called as the Mulch Crawl Eater.
It was a unique beast native to a certain world and Ming Dandan's master had especially gotten it for her. The Mulch Crawl Eater Beast that Ming Dandan was using was also at the Third Tribulation Stage of the immortal realm but it had only reached it about a year ago.
It was a beast that was adept at using Mud and Swamp abilities, being able to make them appear without there being any actual swamp around them. Lin Mu could tell that it was a special Dao that the beast had innately learned.
"That is the Swamp Dao." Xukong spoke in Lin Mu's mind. "It is a subset of the Earth Dao and Water Dao." He explained.
"Oh? I see." Learning about a new Dao for the first time, Lin Mu was certainly interested.
He paid even more attention to the fight and how the Mucks Crawl Eater Beast fought. It would slow down the opponent by turning the ground beneath into a swamp and would then try to trap them.
When the opponent was slowed down it would use its long claws to rip at them. Since it had the body of an anteater, the claws of the beast were rather long and sharp too. But the strangest part was its bushy squirrel like tail.
It could soak up water and mud in it before flinging it across. The force it slung it with was also strong enough to push back an immortal.
Still despite all this, the Jiang Hutao was stronger than the beast in sheer strength. Not to mention that he was good at footwork techniques and could maneuver around the swamp after he had gotten used to it.
Seeing that the battle was getting fierce, Lin Mu started chanting the Calming Heart Sutra.
He first used it on Ming Dandan, allowing her to think smoothly without any panic. The lessons that Lin Mu had given her came in handy here, and she started to find the flaws in the footwork of Jiang Hutao.
And while she did this, Lin Mu also interfered with Jing Hutao. Interrupting his footwork by using the Severing Heart Sutra and making him miss his steps. Then when the man was having an advantage, Lin Mu would suddenly use the Burning Heart Sutra and make him enraged.
This would make him lose his rhythm and force him to attack haphazardly, further pushing him into the swamp traps.
The audience watched the fight with interest as it wasn't often they got to see a beast tamer fight using a beast like this. Not to mention Swamp related techniques weren't really common in the first place.
The battle lasted about thirty minutes, ending only when Jiang Hutao tripped face-first into the swamp.
This gave the beast the opportunity to stab into his back using the claws and end the battle.
"Ming Dandan is the winner!" The referee finally announced.
