The wings of the Tian Hui dragon are quite distinctive, so much so that because of them, they might not even be considered typical wyverns. They lack the usual wing membranes, instead consisting of a broad structure made up of four hard wing flaps—two large and two small. The wide and short flaps are symmetrically distributed above and below the wing bone, while the slender and long parts are asymmetrically angled. In other words, when fully extended, they resemble the nozzles of some kind of jet propulsion system, forming a peculiar, nearly cylindrical structure.
Moreover, due to the constant wear and accumulation on the wing flaps, adult Tian Hui dragons gradually develop a layer of extremely hard shell at the base of the flaps, much like the wing boxes of variable-sweep wing fighter jets. Most Tian Hui dragons choose to activate all six sets of jet nozzles when flying. The innermost set, closest to the body, has the weakest jet flow and primarily serves to accelerate. The middle set is the strongest, maintaining the dragon's levitation and adjusting its altitude. The outermost set is responsible for adjusting flight posture, enabling maneuvers such as lateral shifts and rolls.
In low-speed combat mode, the Tian Hui dragon typically keeps all six sets of wing flaps fully open while circling in the sky. This is because, during low-speed ground attacks, they must ensure sufficient propulsion to prevent potential dangers, such as high-speed impacts with the ground that could cause fractures or even fatal injuries. Therefore, when diving towards ground targets, they use two sets of flaps for thrust, one set for levitation, and the outermost set to adjust forward motion. This stabilizes their posture and prevents them from tumbling while also using high-temperature jets to damage the target.
However, during direct melee combat on the ground, the Tian Hui dragon's strategy changes. It chooses to close the outermost wing flaps, transforming them into a structure resembling a greatsword to slash at the target. This differs significantly from the limited animations seen in games. With the acceleration provided by the middle set of engines, the force and speed of this slash are extremely high. Furthermore, they can completely close one side of the wing flaps, turning it into a rigid, blade-like wing surface composed of three large and six small flaps, resembling a fighter jet's wing. Using the propulsion from the other side of their body, they can rotate and execute wide-ranging attacks.
In reality, this also serves as a skill benchmark for the hunters of the Dragon Research Guild. Even with the use of hardening potions and wearing heavy armor, a single strike from this attack is enough to severely injure them. Only experienced hunters, through precise anticipation and evasive rolls, can barely avoid it. No Elder Dragon is a creature with monotonous moves or low intelligence, so hunters require extensive time to familiarize themselves with their behaviors in order to barely cope with them.
The aerial combat of the Tian Hui dragon is a sight rarely witnessed, and it is exceptionally unique. By systematically opening and closing their wing flaps, they adjust their flight direction and speed, ultimately transforming themselves into a supersonic blade that slices through enemies or launches high-speed assaults. With all six sets of jet flaps tightly closed, the extremely high-temperature jets are expelled through the narrow gaps, resembling a fluid saw blade that continuously cuts through the target.
However, untrained juvenile dragons do not possess the hunting and combat skills of the Tian Hui dragon. Instead, they rely on a different technique—acceleration, constant acceleration. To achieve this, they close all their wing flaps. Their unusually hard and elongated, feather-like cyan-blue wing flaps rapidly converge, transforming from a cylindrical shape into an extremely narrow triangle and interlocking with each other. The slender, leaf-like flaps serve as connecting and locking mechanisms.
Six cyan-blue jets of flame shoot out from the compressed slit-like wing flaps, forming a broad blue trail behind the dragon's body. As the juvenile dragon adjusts, its wings gradually extend in a forward-swept manner, with the outermost flaps slightly opening. The airflow splits and compresses at the Y-shaped tip, creating a long white contrail. "Whoosh!" The juvenile dragon silently glides past the Pukei-Pukei without contact or collision. The sound of its passage arrives a second later, as the airflow separated by the wingtips merges with the redirected vector jets, forming an invisible blade that effortlessly severs the Pukei-Pukei's tail and one of its wings.
The Tian Hui dragon raised its wings, forming a subtle angle with the ground, causing its speed to decrease. The wing flaps gradually opened: the front tips angled forward, the middle section tilted downward, and the base pointed back. The jet streams brushed against the treetops of the ancient forest, producing a roaring sound like crashing waves.
The young dragon slowly landed on a branch of the ancient tree, letting out a tender roar, "Ying~." Its vocal cords had not yet matured enough to produce the roar of an adult dragon, resulting in the soft whimper of a hatchling. However, compared to its less capable peers still relying on parental care, this young one was already the most successful among the Tian Hui dragons, able to hunt independently—"Cubs, your mother is very proud of you~."
After losing one of its wings, the Poison Demon Bird spiraled downward. The wound, severed by the air blade, was simultaneously cauterized and sealed by the dragon's energy. For most dragon species, this dragon energy acts like a "dragon seal," meaning that the dragon energy from different ancient dragons can cause effects similar to poisoning and weakness. It accelerates fatigue depletion, preventing the opponent from performing energy-intensive maneuvers. The most active source of dragon energy is from the "Annihilation Dragon," and this was true for the Poison Demon Bird as well. It lacked the stamina to adjust its direction and could only helplessly plunge toward the ground, becoming the first symbol of a downed aerial combatant.
Although its roar was extremely tender, the pheromones released by the fallen Poison Demon Bird and the ancient dragon during their intense battle, mixed with the dragon's fiery energy, announced one thing to every creature—this area, no, this eastern giant tree territory of the ancient forest, has been claimed by the Tian Hui dragon! Moreover, the young Tian Hui dragon discovered something quite interesting here—a type of mushroom that emits an exceptionally fragrant aroma...
"The ingredient-gathering journey begins!" It deftly used the sword-like spine at the tip of its tail to dig out those specialty mushrooms from the soil, then packed them into a makeshift bag. The containers it had carried earlier were shattered during its supersonic dive, so it needed to craft new ones. Fortunately, there were plenty of Poison Pouch Plants around. Cutting off their pouches and washing them clean made for excellent bags. As for the fact that these were the food of the Poison Demon Bird, well, the latter was already dead, and its meat was not only toxic but also had a rubbery texture. The young dragon had no intention of eating it, not even a single bite.
However, there are always some beings in this world that aren't picky about food, such as the Deviljho, the Deviljho, and the Deviljho, as well as things like Aibo... Wait, it seems like something unusual slipped in there, but then again, maybe not...
The ancient forest yields several things: Sunlight Flowers, specialty mushrooms, Jagras, and the "Biting Fish" that Tian Hui accidentally discovered. Although their numbers are few, it's better than nothing. So, while hunters were still preparing to avoid having their gills bitten off by Biting Fish when wading through water, the Biting Fish in the riverbank beneath the waterfall had already gone extinct—completely and utterly extinct.
Aside from the Biting Fish, there are also Blue Mushrooms and a special mushroom that Tian Hui believes can be used in its beverage-making endeavors—the "Heart-Racing Mushroom." There's also something called the "Dragonblast Fruit," which contains so much explosive material that most of its flesh is inedible. This fruit explodes upon severe impact, a defense mechanism to avoid being eaten by flying wyverns (which are mostly omnivorous). As a result, it often sends those wyverns howling in pain, but its core seed is actually quite sweet. It earned its name—Dragonblast Fruit—because flying wyverns often risk their lives to eat it.
The young Tian Hui dragon thought about it and decided to collect these fruits and seeds, thinking they might come in handy someday. And indeed, they did. After forming a symbiotic relationship with a giant insect in the Elder's Recess, much like the Zinogre, it finally found a use for them. Hunters began to enjoy the thrill of the Thunderbug Tracker from Yukumo Village—now upgraded to the "Tracking High-Explosive Hunting Insect: Dragon Soul Insect: Improved Type II Dragonblast Active Guidance Missile." Fainted hunters could circle the Astera base seven and a half times in frustration.
(Bug Powder Attribute: Blast, Power 14, Speed 14, other attributes can be cultivated and switched, making it a rather impressive hunting insect, a must-have for a joyful Insect Glaive journey.)
In addition to these specialties, it also gathered some wood and spice-like materials, as well as a glowing spherical fungus. While it tastes terrible to humans, for a gourmet dragon, the flavor is quite unique and might serve as a seasoning. Of course, the biggest find was the Water Jar Ball. It realized that both the base materials and containers for its beverage concoctions were now secured. It was time to add a bartending station to the "Tianhai Flavor Pavilion." Though, if things continued this way, it wouldn't be long before something called "Dragon Cuisine" joined "Felyne Meals" as a new staple.
"Roar!" The Deviljho noticed that the food along its pleasant hunting route had significantly diminished. When it saw a flying wyvern studying the corpse of a Melynx, driven by hunger and instinct, the Deviljho let out a territorial roar. "Eeep~!" The young dragon's scales and spines stood on end in fright, and it frantically flapped its wings, using its six sets of jet-like wing plates to quickly ascend into the air. "Roar~!" The overly soft and delicate cry of the young dragon only intensified the Deviljho's desire to attack. However, after a brief moment of shock, the amber eyes of the young dragon revealed a scrutinizing gaze.
The young dragon swiftly navigated through the trap-like vines and branches, maneuvering itself out of the extremely unfavorable terrain. This allowed the Deviljho to lower its head in satisfaction, devouring the Melynx corpse and some other ingredients the young dragon had left behind. This act filled the Tian Hui dragon with a strong sense of humiliation. It dropped a Water Jar Ball filled with a pungent liquid—a failed attempt at a herbal concoction. "Roar~!" A hoarse dragon cry echoed through the sky, but it failed to alert the Deviljho, until it was pierced by a thick iron spear...
Climbing, climbing, all the way up to the stratosphere, the young dragon flipped its body to face the sunlight, then dove, accelerating, and accelerating again. Its head and tail aligned into a straight line, the sharpened "harpoons" or "fish spears" fixed to its wings and shoulders glinted coldly in the air, gradually heating up in the fierce currents. The tips of the spears and its horns glowed with a scorching crimson. "Whoosh!" The searing, sharp spear pierced through the branches and leaves, effortlessly penetrating the Deviljho's tough hide and pinning it to the ground.
The Deviljho thrashed wildly; the damage wasn't enough to kill it instantly, but the injuries to multiple internal organs, even with its rapid regeneration ability, made it feel the threat of death. Breaking free from the iron spear, it fled with agonized howls. However, the Tian Hui dragon, determined to teach it a lesson, did not cease its aerial assault.
Rocks, exploding walnuts, sharp reef pillars, and even an anchor of unknown origin whistled through the forest canopy, crashing down amidst the frantic screams and fleeing of a horde of Aptonoth, Jagras, and Archaeopteryx. The rocks shattered into pieces, and the sap of ancient trees mixed with the flesh and blood of the unfortunate victims, splattering everywhere. Unlike the previous iron spear, this subsequent barrage of attacks caused the Deviljho to roar and howl in pain as it swiftly moved between territories, alarming countless predatory lords. However, it did not inflict as severe damage as the first strike.
The roars of more and more flying wyverns and fanged wyverns intertwined into a cacophony. The sky was filled with agitated large wyverns engaged in aimless brawls. Of course, the Deviljho was also caught up in this chaos. It first clashed with an Anjanath, and before it could savor its victory, a Rathalos swooped in, leaving two deep gashes with its venomous claws. Then, both were struck by falling rocks. Enraged, the Rathalos wildly spewed fireballs while attempting to take off, only to be hit by rocks again...
By the time the hunters, terrified by the monster rampage, received reinforcements, the ancient forest was already in complete disarray, resembling a battlefield after a massive melee. From one perspective, the hunters had done nothing yet collected a heap of materials. From another, it signaled the presence of a cross-regional predator, with the evidence clearly pointing to the Deviljho as the culprit. The only mystery was which hunter had attempted to hunt the Deviljho, as it still carried an iron spear marked with the Hunter's Guild emblem. However, this investigation was destined to be futile.
The true culprit, after expending a great deal of energy and fuel in a series of tracking dive-bombing attacks, coiled up in the former nest of the Pukei-Pukei and fell into a deep sleep. The Melynx, a local delicacy, brought the Tian Hui dragon an unexpected delight. These creatures feed on specialty mushrooms, their meat tender and juicy, their skin appearing somewhat dirty and even covered in mushrooms. However, after washing away the protective layer of mud, the remaining pork skin and meat carried a peculiar mineral-like aroma that the dragon found irresistible—it decided to add this animal to its list of essential daily ingredients. But for now, it needed to rest and regain its strength before hunting more Melynx.
As for whether this primary source of meat for hunters might go extinct... that wasn't something the young dragon considered. At least not until it realized the limits of hunting and began to dabble in animal husbandry—though it had already mastered some aspects of agriculture. Near its new home, it had planted numerous Blastnuts, Flowfern, nutritious Blue Mushrooms, and the explosively flavorful Devil's Blight and Blastshrooms...