Team Composition and Tactical Coordination

"So, Xiao Wu, your future direction is to become an Agility Attack System Soul Master."

"Agility Attack System Soul Masters are required to rely on extreme speed to carry out assaults or reconnaissance."

"Actually, achieving both at once is extremely difficult. After all, a Soul Master only has nine Soul Skills. (Though I know a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring can provide two, I can't show that.) So most people specialize in just one direction."

"Agility Attack System Soul Masters who focus on combat are called Output Types, while those who focus on reconnaissance are called Reconnaissance Types."

"Then, just like the Power Attack System, they're divided into melee and ranged types according to their attack methods. As for you, you'll be a Melee DPS Agility Attack Soul Master in the future."

"Next is the Control System. Control System Soul Masters are usually divided into those who restrict the opponent's performance and those who strengthen their allies' performance. Of course, not every Control System Soul Master can do both. Therefore, according to the way they control the battlefield, they're divided into Debuff Types, Command Types, and Generalist Types."

"Finally, there are Support System Soul Masters. In reality, Support System Soul Masters are essentially divided into two types. One specializes in a single area of support. For example, Healing System Soul Masters use almost all their Soul Skills for healing, with practically no enhancement effects. The other type provides comprehensive support, such as the famous Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, or Food System Soul Masters who can provide all kinds of wondrous effects."

"Then, following the original naming system, if we change the former Healing System and Food System into types, and change the Support System into the Amplification Type, we get specialized Healing Support System Soul Masters and Comprehensive Buff Support Soul Masters."

"This allows Soul Masters to understand their own roles more clearly. It prevents Power Attack System Soul Masters wielding long swords—or even those carrying greatbows—from being placed at the very front, and stops Reconnaissance Type Agility Attack System Soul Masters from being sent to carry out assassinations. Secondly, it can also change the way Soul Master Teams are assembled."

"SOUL MASTER TEAM?" Xiao Wu suddenly heard a term she had never encountered before and failed to react for a moment.

Gu You explained, "A Soul Master Team is formed when Soul Masters of various types come together to cover one another's weaknesses. They appear frequently during Soul Hunting or expeditions. For example, I lack speed and long-range attack methods, so I can form a team with an Agility Attack System Soul Master and a Soul Master with ranged attacks to hunt Souls and explore more effectively."

"At least five Soul Masters are needed to form a team, while large teams can even have more than a dozen members. Judging by the current mainstream size and optimal configuration, the total is seven people: three Power Attack System Soul Masters, one Agility Attack System Soul Master, one Control System Soul Master, one Support System Soul Master, and one Food System Soul Master."

"You noticed, right? Three Power Attack System Soul Masters. If all three were like you are now, it would be over. No one would be standing at the front."

"You!" Xiao Wu knew Gu You was speaking the truth, but his tone was truly infuriating.

"All right, stop." Gu You raised a hand to interrupt Xiao Wu. "I was only joking. Now you can see how important it is to further divide the various Soul Master systems, right?"

"Moreover, after the divisions, the ways Soul Masters form teams and fight have also changed dramatically."

Gu You took the chess pieces he had carved from the desk drawer. Three of them were marked with the characters "Gu," "Tang," and "Wu."

Gu You fiddled with the three chess pieces and said, "First, the three of us are currently, respectively, a Melee Stall Type and Armor-Piercing Power Attack System Soul Master—that's me—a Melee DPS Agility Attack Soul Master—you—and Xiao San, a Comprehensive Buff Support Soul Master who also specializes in healing. With his Blue Silver Grass at its current strength, he can also serve as a Command Type Control System Soul Master. So, what are we missing?"

Xiao Wu looked at what was written on the Blackboard, then thought about what Gu You had just said. Considering the current composition of the three of them, she said, "According to the seven-person Soul Master Team, we're still missing a Power Attack System Soul Master dedicated to ranged attacks, a professional Control System Soul Master, and a Food System Soul Master. I can't think of the last one."

"Very good. That's exactly right." Gu You clapped his hands in encouragement. "According to what you said, the team now has six fixed members and has basically completed its Soul Master Team configuration."

Gu You took several newspapers from the desk—ones that clearly showed their age—and handed them to Xiao Wu, gesturing for her to take a look.

"Martial Soul Hall Team Claims Victory in the First Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament." "Spirit Hall May Miss Out on Consecutive Championships; Captain's Participation in Doubt After Severe Injury." Xiao Wu read the headlines from several newspapers in a low voice. She looked up at Gu You in confusion. "What is this?"

"The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament is a competition for young Soul Masters under twenty. It's led by Spirit Hall and jointly hosted by the two great empires." Gu You explained, "At first, centuries of war between the two great empires had severely weakened both sides. Neither wanted to continue fighting, but neither wanted to be the first to propose a ceasefire. In the end, through mediation by the neutral organization Spirit Hall, battles between young Soul Masters replaced wars between armies, allowing them to recuperate and reduce casualties."

"As time passed, relations between the two great empires eased somewhat, but the tradition of replacing struggles between national powers with battles between young Soul Masters remained. It became the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament you see today. The two great empires weren't the only ones sending Soul Masters—Spirit Hall, sect forces, and other Advanced Soul Master Academies also sent teams to compete. The nature of the competition likewise changed from a contest of national strength into a contest of the ability to cultivate young Soul Masters."

"The winning team could bring an academy enormous fame and financial benefits. A team's performance could even affect the academy's rise or fall. As for the students who participated, aside from receiving substantial prize money, they also had opportunities to obtain titles and all kinds of treasures. Among them, the most precious were Spirit Bones."

"But I'm getting off track. Let's continue discussing the Soul Master Tournament. Its appearance greatly advanced the way Soul Masters fought in teams. At first, only Power Attack System Soul Masters took the field. Then the Control System discovered the role of Control System Soul Masters. After that, Support System and Healing System Soul Masters flourished, while Agility Attack System and Defense System Soul Masters appeared to deal with or protect Control System, Support System, and Healing System Soul Masters."

"Because the tournament rules state that each side can have at most seven people on the field at once, and those below the stage cannot interfere with the match, all tactics can only be completed by seven people. Various strange combinations appeared in the past and gradually evolved into what is now considered the optimal solution: a team composed of three Power Attack System Soul Masters, one Control System Soul Master, one Agility Attack System Soul Master, one Support System Soul Master, and one Food System Soul Master."

"So, my first goal is to redefine Soul Master Types and lead a revolution in Soul Master Team tactics."

"As a Martial Soul researcher, the most important thing isn't discovering patterns that anyone can find if they put their mind to it. It's using my own thinking to bring entirely new possibilities to the profession of Soul Master and open up a brand-new golden age for Soul Masters."

P.S. Do you really think Tang Jia San Shao was playing some online or web game when he wrote this book? The descriptions of Soul Skill effects are just like using skills in a game, Spirit Bones are like character equipment, and team competitions are like forming a party to run a dungeon. Trying to make the Soul Master Tournament setting fit is exhausting. (Sweat)

After thinking it over, I still stayed up late to finish this chapter. After all, it's closely connected to the previous one, and splitting them up for too long wouldn't have a good effect. Everyone, go to bed early. Tomorrow, study if you need to study and work if you need to work. I'll continue asking for recommendation votes, collections, and monthly votes.