Chapter Seventy-Three: The Ecology of Digital Beasts

The fox borrowing the tiger’s might, driving the tiger to chase away the wolf—this is the most classic and effective strategy for the weak in nature. Relying on the Cocoon Beasts, Feng Xue managed to evade the pursuit of the Hell Imp Beast, but that didn’t mean that holding this trump card allowed him to wander the Misty Illusion Zone at will. This move could not be used frequently; he could never be sure if the Cocoon Beasts were in hibernation. It was important to remember that the Cocoon Beast was only the transitional phase as the Haha Beast evolved toward the Hell Envoy Beast, a period where it shrank its body to accumulate energy. In critical moments, this group of Cocoon Beasts could even temporarily merge, sharing data to momentarily evolve.

Yet, food in the Misty Illusion Zone was not abundant, so they were forced to remain in hibernation for long stretches to conserve energy. If Feng Xue repeatedly led Digimon into their territory, the Cocoon Beasts might break out of their dormant state and become predators. At that point, not only Feng Xue but every Digimon within a hundred miles would be in grave danger!

Caution and vigilance—these are the keys to the survival of the weak.

Digimon have their own ecology, and Feng Xue was happy to follow its rules, knowing he lacked the strength to change them. If he were at the Ultimate level, he could roam the Misty Illusion Zone unchallenged, devouring any who crossed his path. But he was only at the Rookie stage, and according to current progress, reaching the Champion level would take centuries, if not millennia.

Thus, Feng Xue had no choice but to focus on the techniques he possessed.

The belief that Digimon do not change in appearance unless they evolve is a misconception. Any Digimon can strengthen itself through training. A careful comparison would reveal that no two Digimon are exactly alike; the data absorbed during their growth is always different. Even if they evolve into the same species, subtle details—scars, hairstyles, clothing—set them apart.

Even the scars on Digimon are not innate. The very first Digimon of any species has no scars. As it survives and battles, its combat experience is etched into its body as scars. If its evolutionary path is recognized by the Digital World, then all Digimon along its line—say, the concept of the Ultimate level, which didn't exist until the Machinedramon line broke through the Perfect level via mechanical modification—will bear the same mark. Thus, scars are a symbol of strength among Digimon, representing not only battle experience but also a greater quantity of data, since even describing a scar requires data.

A Digimon’s combat typically consists of physical combat, signature moves, and finishing moves. Physical combat itself can be a signature move—the distinction lies in whether the Digital World acknowledges it.

For example, Lucemon’s Divine Martial Arts is an innate skill, so although Lucemon appears to fight hand-to-hand, every move is a finishing move, and, frustratingly, these are all passive finishers. Meanwhile, Leomon’s “King Lion Sword” technique—wielding the sword on his back—was acquired through training. When he obtained a sword and kept defeating Digimon with it, the Digital World eventually recognized his swordsmanship as a skill. From then on, every Leomon, upon evolving, would possess a sword, but the “King Lion Sword” itself still required practice to master.

A more typical case is Ogremon, known as the Digimon Hunter, a powerful Champion who can even challenge Perfect-level foes. The club he wields was once a trophy from defeating a SkullGreymon in a previous generation. Ogremon’s valor was acknowledged by the Digital World, so from that generation onward, every Ogremon gained a SkullGreymon bone club upon evolution. With training, they could acquire the “Bone Stick” technique, though its power would never match the Ogremon who actually defeated SkullGreymon.

Such skills, acquired through training or battle achievements, are known as signature moves. The only difference between a signature move and ordinary physical combat is that the former is recognized as a skill.

Think of it like a fighting game: if regular combat is standard play where you must input the right combo to unleash a powerful move, a recognized skill is like having a macro—pressing a single button automatically executes the move. Normally, using the Crushing Fist technique would require channeling strength, moving your energy, uniting waist and legs, focusing your mind, and finally delivering a perfect punch. However, once it becomes a signature move, simply naming the technique and willing its release is enough—the Crushing Fist will strike at full power every time.

Feng Xue’s mastery of various techniques was, simultaneously, the process of turning them into signature moves.

After about half a year, a new skill called “Divine Annihilation Arrow” appeared on Feng Xue’s skill list, and the red gloves on his hands turned into white leather gauntlets (regardless of their appearance, these are part of the Digimon’s body and cannot be removed). Not only that, his hands, which had only three fingers like the original Impmon, now had five fingers, more human-like, the only difference being that the left glove could transform into a Quincy’s longbow.

These gloves were the materialization of the holy factor within Feng Xue’s body.

Their creation was quite a coincidence. After evolving into Impmon, Feng Xue’s attribute changed from neutral to virus, and his form became that of a small demon Digimon. This caused the holy factor he had previously absorbed to rebel, resulting in occasional bouts of sharp pain, which intensified as he absorbed more of the holy factor.

One day, Feng Xue had the idea to channel the holy factor into the gloves on his hands. Although the gloves were part of his body, they were essentially numb, like the alloy armor of the Royal Knights. By transferring the holy factor into his gloves, he hoped to avoid the pain that wracked his entire body.

Unexpectedly, once all the holy factor was gathered in his palms, it devoured the original red gloves completely. When he activated the Quincy spirit energy, his left glove could even function like a Quincy cross.

“Isn’t this just a Seele Schneider glove?” Feng Xue grumbled, but inside he was jubilant. From that day on, he infused all the holy factor he absorbed into the gloves. Over time, the gloves transformed from fingerless, palm-covering gloves into gauntlets that wrapped halfway up his forearms.

“They’re looking more and more like Seele Schneider gloves—actually, more like Angewomon’s gloves, though I have a pair.”

With the Digital World’s recognition, Feng Xue’s spirit bow gathering speed could put veteran Quincies to shame, so he revised his daily training regimen.

He resolved to follow the ancients—drawing the bow ten thousand times a day!

At that moment, the spirits of Fu Hongxue, Netero, and A Fei seemed to possess him. Feng Xue radiated the noble brilliance of martial sincerity. He was not training alone—not alone at all!

Because he could substitute data absorption for eating, Feng Xue spent nearly the entire day drawing the bow. The target boulder gradually developed a giant cavity—at first, his aim was poor and he couldn’t hit the same spot every time.

Fortunately, Digimon aren’t subject to concepts like limb amputation, or with this kind of training, Feng Xue would probably have lost an arm within days.