"now test out the formation and capture more parasites, then we can try training up Armen to be able to fight." Yue said to Hou then went back to being dormant. Due to the soul connection Hou could feel when Yue was in a dormant state and he got back up.
Hou sat up and stretched, this was the first time in a century since he slept in a comfortable place. He yawned and rubbed his eyes then pushed his legged and stood up.
'Today I'll focus on becoming stronger no matter what'
Hou walked out of the tent and saw Armen talking with his wife while chopping firewood. He walked over and touched Armen on the shoulder and started to talk.
"Armen I'm going to head off, thanks for saving me there yours a real lifesaver. Stay in this dome and you should be safe. Just to make sure I'll keep Da with you. Don't be afraid to ask him to help you"
After Hou told Armen his plans he whistled and got Da to follow Armen's orders. Then he stepped out of the fuzzy dome, out of the formation, back into the forest. Inside the formation the air was purified of miasma since it was used to power the spirit wills.
Hou stepped out and instantly tried to use the technique he thought of and alternatively activated his leg parasites while running. At the start he fell lots, if he was just a step out of phase the leg parasites wouldn't activate and he would fall flat on his face.
However after a while of running he got the gist of it and could run perfectly while using the right parasite at the right step. This meant that at this pace he could use the parasites for an hour or more continuously.
Hou patrolled slowly, always going around the camp slowly going further and further. Only ten minutes after getting his technique down he found another parasite and quicky took it in. All together by the sunset he had a total of twelve new parasites.
Parasite one and two were small green plants which attached to Hou's two eyes. He could see even further with a small but content qi usage. But he could use more qi and see with more detail.
Next he found ten more parasites he would control but save for Armen and his family to protect them. He didn't know what they did but any offense is better than none.
Hou then went back to base and seeing Armen and his family asleep begun his training. He needed to test out his abilities and see how to fight with them. Hou first look at his new eye parasites and asked Yue in his head of there was anything he was missing.
"You are indeed, these are not two parasites but a pair, and me split in two. There is only one spirit will but it's effects are split between the two parts. To unlock it's full effects you will need to destroy one eye"
"I can't do that! If I only have one eye I'll be severely impaired for fighting, the parasite ability surely can't be worth an eye,I'll leave that for now"
"It is your choice but from my experience this spirit will is strong, if you ever change your mind do not waver in taking that chance. Now the rest, you need to learn some fighting techniques properly. Not just punching but kicking and feints and grapples. And weapons, do you wish to use a weapon or not. Do you want to focus on abilities of their own or ones that strengthen your own ability"
"I've never thought that hard... Should I use weapon or should I even focus on melee? Maybe I should focus on using abilities which can do long range damage and have others do melee... Hmm" Hou was stuck no matter which he chose there were downsides and upsides.
"Yes it is a very hard choice, but know either choice is correct and they all have their own advantages and disadvantages. Don't focus on which is 'best' but what you want to do"
"What I want... What I want to do... I got it! I'll do melee combat with only abilities no external weapons. But that is not all, I am not a singular person. I am my people. My people are a part of me, why should I only take into account myself when I have Armen and Da."
"Greedy very greedy, I like it. Well first let's teach you fighting, for the next three days I want you to absorb the fighting styles I send you and then impart your knowledge on Armen. You'll also have to figure how to command Da at the same time. You will be stretched to your thinnest but I swear to make you the strongest I can do you can become a strong cultivator"
For the next three days, Hou got Armen and taught while being taught. He moved all day, with the help of Armen healing and his strong body he became a new person. He was now a professional and could take on any untrained individual with his strength alone.
The fight with Da was now nothing, he realised his janky fight was so flawed even a child would be ashamed. He now moved fluid, floating like a butterfly he used real footwork to move in unpredictable wild patterns. He punches gained a lot more strength once he learned correct form and every powered punch could create shockwaves and the ground below him shook.
Armen to a lesser extent could now properly fight and against other non-hosts he could win if they had a similar build, which was to say tall and thin but toned and fairly strong.
Armen wasn't surprised though as even before Hou's training he was known to be a strong fighter, he wasn't trained but was naturally talented at grapples and could even defeat Hou in handicapped spars.