What should I do if my pet loves watching anime?

Gradually, its swaying became less pronounced. Although it was still drifting in the wind, it was at least no longer tumbling out of control.

It spotted a relatively flat ice surface below, controlled its body, and slowly descended.

Just as my toes were about to touch the ice, another surge of turbulence from below suddenly lifted me up!

The flying mantis quickly adjusted its wings, lowered its body, and finally landed on the ice.

However, the ice surface was extremely smooth and slightly tilted!

"Slurp—"

Its claws couldn't grip it properly, and its body slid to one side involuntarily!

It instinctively tried to spread its wings and take flight to adjust, but then it heard Old Hong's stern shout: "Your feet are your roots! Don't fly! Use your waist, your legs, to adjust your center of gravity! Find that balance point!"

The mantis forcefully stopped the urge to flap its wings, desperately controlling the power of its core, its legs slightly bent, trying to find a stable supporting posture on the smooth, sloping ice surface.

This is much harder than on flat ground!

The friction on the ice surface is almost zero, and the tilt angle makes it difficult to maintain balance. Coupled with the turbulent airflow constantly coming from above and to the sides, it's like doing balance beam, ice skating, and wind resistance training all at the same time.

It kept sliding, staggering, falling, and struggling to get up again. Its emerald green shell was soon covered with snow and ice, making it look rather disheveled.

But it didn't give up. Every time it fell, it would immediately adjust its strategy and try different standing angles and ways of exerting force.

Gu Beiri stood at the edge of the platform, watching silently.

He didn't offer any verbal guidance; this was Hong Lao's training method, and he chose to trust the experience of this veteran flight trainer.

Inside the wooden house, Grandma Hong had prepared a simple meat soup and invited Gu Beiri and Rongrong Yang inside to warm up and eat.

"Let the old man and the little mantis do their thing, let's eat first. This kind of training can't be rushed." Grandma Hong ladled out a bowl of hot, thick soup mixed with dried meat and wild vegetables and handed it to Gu Beiri.

The soup was very fragrant, with a rustic, mountain flavor that warmed me up from head to toe after drinking it.

The fluffy sheep sipped its warm fruit paste, its ears perked up, listening to the faint sounds of wings flapping and colliding carried on the wind outside.

After the meal, Gu Beiri came to the door of the wooden house and looked at the ice surface.

As darkness fell, the wind seemed to pick up.

The mantis continued to struggle and try on the ice.

Its movements are more stable than before, at least it won't be easily blown over by a gust of wind, and the distance it glides on the ice is shorter, allowing it to adjust its center of gravity and stabilize itself more quickly.

But it still hasn't truly "stood firm," let alone found that feeling of being "rooted in the earth."

Old Hong lit a small alcohol stove at some point, placed it in a sheltered spot, and sat on a small stool, slowly rolling a pipe by the light of the fire.

Seeing Gu Beiri emerge, he exhaled a puff of smoke, squinted, and said, "Not bad. You weren't stupid enough to keep using brute force. You know how to feel and adjust now. However, you still have a long way to go in terms of skill."

"Mr. Hong, what is the purpose of this training?" Gu Beiri asked.

"Purpose?" Old Hong pointed with his pipe at the flying mantis that had slipped on the ice again and quickly gotten up.

"Look at it, how fast and fierce is its attack?"

"Quickly, fiercely." Gu Beiri nodded.

"But it floats." Old Hong pointed out the crux of the matter, "Its speed and ferocity rely too much on the instantaneous burst of wings and the elasticity of joints, lacking the solidity and endurance of being firmly rooted on its feet."

It's like building a house. No matter how beautiful your upper floors are, without a solid foundation, they'll sway in the wind and crumble when faced with a truly formidable opponent.

"This ice surface and this turbulent wind are the best whetstone. Only when it can be nailed down like a nail in this godforsaken place, standing firm against the wind and snow, will its 'roots' be considered to have taken initial shape."

Only then will its every strike truly draw power from the earth, solid and unyielding, swift yet not fleeting, fierce yet not superficial.

Gu Beiri seemed to be deep in thought.

Master Hong's training is not simply about stance training, but about developing a core ability to maintain stability and power flow even in extremely unstable environments.

This is undoubtedly an excellent way for Scyther, which is known for its speed and explosiveness but is relatively "fragile," to make up for its shortcomings and solidify its foundation.

As darkness fell completely, the temperature in the mountains plummeted, and the wind was biting cold.

Old Master Hong finally stood up: "Alright, that's enough for today. If you keep practicing, you'll freeze."

He whistled, the sound cutting through the wind.

Upon hearing the sound, the mantis on the ice stopped its attempt, flapped its wings, and flew back somewhat unsteadily.

When it landed, its movements were clearly fatigued, a thin layer of frost had formed on its shell, and its breathing was somewhat heavy.

But its eyes remained bright, even calmer than when it set off in the afternoon.

"Just..." It looked at Elder Hong, then at Gu Beiri, as if reporting its gains.

"Not bad, not a waste of time." Old Hong rarely praised him, though his tone was still indifferent. "Come inside, warm yourself by the fire, and have something to eat. We'll continue tomorrow."

Inside the wooden house, the fire in the stove was burning brightly.

Grandma Hong had already heated up a special nutritious meal for the mantises—a paste made from a mixture of cold-resistant tree fruits and high-calorie minced meat, with a touch of ginger juice added to help dispel the cold.

The mantis devoured its food, its body gradually warming up under the heat of the fire, the frost on its shell melting into water droplets that dripped down.

The fluffy sheep came closer and touched the flying mantis's cold scythe with the tip of its tail, transmitting a faint electrical heat.

"Chap..." Scyther turned its head and bleated softly at Lamb, as if to say, "I'm fine."

Gu Beiri examined its body and found that apart from a few minor bruises from collisions and excessive exertion, there was no serious frostbite or injury. Old Hong's training, though seemingly harsh, was actually very measured.

At night, the mountain wind howled past the wooden house, making strange whistling sounds, and occasionally the long howls of unknown spirits could be heard in the distance.

Gu Beiri lay on the hard bed, covered with a thick blanket, listening to the even breathing of the fluffy sheep beside him and the occasional, unconscious trembling of the wings of the sleeping mantis on the other bed.

He reviewed today's training, pondered Master Hong's words, and gained a deeper understanding of the word "foundation".

Outside the window, the moonlight shone on the snow, casting a clear and cold glow.

The first night on Mount Taibai passed quietly amidst exhaustion and a sense of accomplishment.

The training continued day after day for the next few days.

Every day at dawn, Old Hong would drive the flying mantises onto that ice surface.

By the end, the flying mantis could move freely across the ice, ignoring the howling winds of Mount Taibai, dancing gracefully like a dancer on a knife's edge.