The Plaque Is Already Hung

The match was held on an old training ground beside the fieldwork academy.

Low walls stood on either side, with several wooden posts in the middle and a rain shelter to the south. The shelter was low enough to run under, but spreading one's wings beneath it would be difficult.

A red iron plaque with a hole in it hung in the middle of the grounds.

To win, they had to take the plaque and hang it on the wooden peg on the opposite low wall. The plaque could not be put in a personal storage slot or storage device; it had to be carried, giving the other side a chance to take it back. Going out of bounds counted as a loss, and striking vital points was forbidden. If anyone truly couldn't stop in time, the two stewards at the side would call a halt.

Fang Zhan happened to be there. After hearing their agreement, he said only one thing.

"The winner makes the decisions and is also responsible for bringing everyone back."

Xu Sheng answered and turned to hold out a hand to Xu Lizhi.

The little fatty had made several buns in advance and wrapped them in a clean cloth. Xu Sheng and the others each ate some, then headed onto the field.

Meng Xingzhou did not stop them.

With a food-type Soul Master on the team, preparing in advance was part of the team's own ability. Instead, he took another look at Xu Lizhi and quietly reminded Pei Chuan not to hit him too hard.

Pei Chuan nodded. He used Ironback Rhinoceros Martial Soul Possession, and his shoulders and back immediately grew bulkier.

Chen Che spread his arms. Golden feathers unfurled along their sides, and two yellow rings rose around him.

Ye Wanqing moved back to the rear flank.

The Frost Moon Bow appeared in her hand, its limbs curved like the moon. The arrow nocked on the string was still a physical one, but for this match, its tip had been replaced with rounded, blunt wood.

"Begin!"

The moment Fang Zhan's words fell, Meng Xingzhou charged out.

The Purple Lightning Bamboo spun in his hand, and his First Soul Ring lit up. Fine arcs of electricity instantly crawled over the bamboo.

Pei Chuan followed close behind.

Both of them had a clear goal: secure the iron plaque first, then force Xu Sheng to come and take it.

But when they moved, Xu Sheng was no slower.

White wings spread behind him, and his Second Soul Ring flashed. He skimmed across the ground, his speed suddenly surging.

Almost in the blink of an eye, he reached the wooden post.

A flick of his sword's spine sent the red iron plaque jumping off the peg.

At the same time, a crimson-gold chain spear lashed out from the side. Its tip was not aimed at anyone, but passed through the large hole in the plaque and carried the whole thing away.

"Got it!"

Cen Zhao pulled on the spear's chain, caught the iron plaque in one hand, and ran along the edge of the field.

Meng Xingzhou pivoted, sweeping the Purple Lightning Bamboo across.

Xu Sheng did not retreat. His first yellow ring lit up, and crimson light blazed along his sword as he slashed to meet the Purple Lightning Bamboo.

Clang!

Their Soul Power collided. Xu Sheng's wrist jolted, and he stepped back half a pace.

Meng Xingzhou's staff strike was also knocked off course by the sword.

His gaze sharpened slightly.

That strike had not been made for Xu Sheng by the sword Soul Master beside him.

But Xu Sheng did not stay to trade blows with him. Using the momentum of his retreat, he beat his wings and darted toward the edge of the field.

Chen Che descended from above, firing golden feather blades at the ground in front of Cen Zhao and forcing her to slow down.

Immediately afterward, Ye Wanqing's arrow arrived too.

Ye Wanqing's First Soul Ring lit up. The arrow struck a wooden post, and cold spread through the wood. Cen Zhao had only just touched it when she jerked her hand back from the chill.

Lin Huai's chain was also in front of her.

The bronze chain whipped out from his wrist, its ringed end skimming the ground as it went straight for Cen Zhao's ankle.

Cen Zhao hurriedly jumped aside. Seeing her path blocked, she simply raised a hand and tossed the red iron plaque behind her.

"Old Lu!"

Lu Song caught it with one hand and stuffed it into a cloth pouch tied snugly against his chest. His other hand had already raised the Black Armor Shield.

Pei Chuan arrived at that very moment.

Seeing Lu Song, who had only one yellow ring, raise his shield, Pei Chuan held back some of his strength, but still struck it with a heavy bang.

Lu Song did not try to hold his ground.

He angled the shield and let the impact drive him back several steps. His soles scraped two deep tracks in the ground, and he stopped only when his shoulder struck a wooden pillar at the edge of the shelter.

His arm went numb.

But he had not fallen, and the iron plaque was still with him.

White smoke then billowed out from behind him, quickly covering the small area by the shelter.

"Fall back!" Meng Xingzhou called at once.

Rather than rush blindly into the smoke, he retreated with Lin Huai toward their low wall, preparing to defend the final stretch.

So what if the other side had the plaque?

If they couldn't bring it over, they still wouldn't win.

Ye Wanqing shifted position. Her bowstring twanged softly, and her gaze remained fixed above the smoke. Chen Che stopped chasing Cen Zhao around and took up a position in the air.

As the other side fell back, Wen Zhao stepped forward outside the field.

He could see that Meng Xingzhou had not led everyone charging into the smoke as Xu Sheng had hoped.

Yet Xu Sheng's side did not even shout or curse.

Only a very quiet "Withdraw" came from the smoke.

Immediately afterward, the Black Armor Shield vanished.

Lu Song grabbed the rope loop already tied around his waist and passed it behind him. A hand gripped the broad strap on his back with precision.

The next moment, white wings burst through the smoke!

Carrying Lu Song, Xu Sheng rose straight up from the outer edge of the low shelter.

Chen Che had been waiting, but when he saw that Xu Sheng was carrying someone beneath him, his eyelids twitched.

He had considered that Xu Sheng might fly out, and even that he might toss the plaque through the air.

But he had never expected the person carrying the plaque to come up with him!

His First Soul Ring flashed, and several feather blades cut diagonally across Xu Sheng's path.

Xu Sheng did not charge straight at the low wall, instead veering five feet toward the center of the field. His Second Soul Ring shone brighter, and with a beat of his wings, he narrowly avoided the feather blades.

At the same time, Cen Zhao charged out from the other side of the smoke.

She did not go after the plaque. Her Crimson Gold Chain Spear pointed straight at Ye Wanqing.

A layer of crimson flame covered the spearhead, forcing the archer to retreat rather than stand still and aim at the sky. Lin Huai hurriedly flicked out his chain, placing it between them.

Cen Zhao had never intended to pursue. Seeing the bronze chain sweep toward her, she immediately withdrew her spear and retreated along the outside of the shelter toward Xu Lizhi.

That left only Meng Xingzhou in front of the low wall.

"Come down!"

Meng Xingzhou's Second Soul Ring lit up, and he shook the Purple Lightning Bamboo violently. A spread of close-range electrical arcs burst out ahead, sealing off the place where Xu Sheng meant to land.

Xu Sheng deliberately chose not to land there.

He carried Lu Song toward the side of the low wall. The instant Lu Song's feet neared the ground, Xu Sheng released the broad strap and used a beat of his wings to meet the pursuing Chen Che.

Crimson sword light pressed down.

Chen Che's Second Soul Ring flashed. The golden feathers on his body drew tightly together, and he raised an arm to block the sword, but the force still drove him downward.

When he looked up again, Xu Sheng had already landed beside the low wall.

That smiling face was not far from him now.

"Stay up there. Don't be in a hurry."

With that, Xu Sheng turned, his sword pointing at Meng Xingzhou once more.

Meng Xingzhou wasted no words on him. His staff came down at Xu Sheng's head.

Xu Sheng turned sideways to avoid the main force of the blow, pressing his sword along the bamboo's joints. The electrical light made the web between his thumb and forefinger go numb, but he still did not let up.

He had never intended to defeat his opponent with this one strike.

He only had to hold him up for a moment.

Just one moment!

Behind him, Lu Song had summoned the Black Armor Shield again after landing and used it to block an incoming wooden arrow. He did not get entangled with Chen Che. He withdrew the shield, turned, and jumped toward the wooden peg on the low wall.

Meng Xingzhou suddenly heard a faint metallic sound.

He turned his head.

The red iron plaque was already hanging on the wooden peg.

Lu Song braced himself against the wall and caught his breath, but the grin on his face was too wide to contain.

"It's up!"

On the other side, Pei Chuan had only just charged behind the shelter.

When Xu Lizhi saw him coming, he lifted the hem of his clothes and ran, moving far more nimbly than his appearance suggested. The spear chain Cen Zhao had flung out while retreating obstructed Pei Chuan along the ground again. Unwilling to injure the little fatty, he had to pause half a step before turning to resume the chase.

But by the time that half-step pause was over, Fang Zhan's voice had already sounded from outside the field.

"Stop!"

Pei Chuan looked back in bewilderment.

Lu Song was standing beneath the low wall on the opposite side, waving at him.

Pei Chuan's gaze slowly moved to the iron plaque and then back again. Looking at the man he had knocked back several steps with a single collision, he was speechless for a moment.

They'd lost?

He didn't even feel as though he'd exerted himself yet!

Over on Xu Sheng's side, he too was shaking out his numb hand.

Meng Xingzhou's Purple Lightning Bamboo was no easy thing to block. If he had been half a beat later, he feared he wouldn't even have been able to hold his sword steady.

But he showed none of it on his face. Instead, he slid his sword into its sheath and smiled at his opponent.

"Does it count this time?"

Meng Xingzhou stared at the iron plaque for a moment, then suddenly smiled too.

"It counts."

He took two steps forward and held out his hand.

"This time out, you make the decisions."

Xu Sheng took his hand and was about to say a few polite words when Xu Lizhi's voice came from behind him.

"Xu Sheng, if we don't go back soon, the meat in the pot will get cold."

The solemn look vanished from Xu Sheng's face at once.

"Come on, come on, let's go back and eat!"

Meng Xingzhou watched him change in the blink of an eye. He held it in for a long time, but in the end, he couldn't help laughing aloud.