The first to fail

"We actually lost."

In the rest room specially prepared for the Heaven Dou Royal Team in the Spirit Fighting Arena, Yu Tianheng sat there looking dejected.

Since Coach Qin Ming devised the tactics for them, they have basically never lost in Team Battle of the same level.

After Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan were promoted to Soul Ancestor, they won more battles than they lost against Level 40 teams.

Most of the losses occurred shortly after his promotion, due to his inability to adapt to the sudden increase in the strength of his opponents.

Once their teamwork improved, the Heaven Dou Royal Team rarely lost in the Great Soul Arena.

Being suddenly defeated by a team that wasn't much stronger than them left Yu Tianheng and the others feeling extremely frustrated, and a low-pressure atmosphere hung over the entire lounge.

If we're talking about someone in a slightly better mood, then it's Dugu Yan.

She suspected that the swordsman opposite her was Mr. Chen Feng, whom she had met before. If that were the case, Dugu Yan felt that losing to him wouldn't be unacceptable.

After all, the main tactics their team is currently using are closely related to that young man.

Leaving aside the Foundation Building Method, the Shi Brothers ' mutual protection and Tang Ying's Deceptive Arrow both originated from the New Spirit Master Classification System released by Mr. Chen Feng.

It's normal to lose if you use someone else's theories against them.

Qin Ming pushed open the door and entered. He glanced at the team members and asked with a smile, "What's wrong? You all look so dejected."

"Teacher Qin, we've let you down," Yu Tianheng said in a low voice.

"No, you didn't disappoint me. You did very well in this Team Battle," Qin Ming said, shaking his head.

"But we've even defeated teams where everyone is a Level 40 Soul Ancestor, yet we lost to this Hydra Team. Their Soul Power Level isn't much stronger than ours, and it's even somewhat weaker," Shi Mo couldn't help but say.

"And that Golden Lion's Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring wasn't used much either," Shi Mo muttered.

When they encountered Gu Yue Ling before, she was only Soul Elder, but now she is Soul Ancestor.

Moreover, they were extremely shocked when they first saw that black fourth ring.

Everyone Mingdu a genius, so why are you so exceptionally outstanding? Is it even possible for a human to consistently get stuck at the Ten-Thousand-Year Fourth Ring?

However, after seeing each other many times, the Shi Brothers gradually got used to it. They didn't have any particular emotions during this Team Battle; they were just worried about the effects of the Golden Lion's Ten Thousand Year Spirit Skill.

However, during Team Battle, Gu Yue Ling only used her Fourth Soul Skill Fourth Soul Skill once, when Tang Ying shot her with an arrow; otherwise, she did not use it again.

That use didn't demonstrate any of the power of Ten Thousand Year Spirit Skill; it merely condensed two Golden Dragon Head, which seemed unremarkable.

However, because of the Flash and Lion's Roar incident, the Shi Brothers didn't think things would be that simple. They believed that the Golden Lion girl was probably hiding her true abilities, which was why she didn't show much of the Fourth Soul Skill's effect.

Qin Ming smiled. "If Soul Power Level could determine everything, how could you have defeated a team whose members were all Level 40? Many of your previous victories were against stronger opponents. How can you still hold onto the idea that Soul Power Level is the sole measure of everything?"

"As for that Fourth Soul Skill that Ten-Thousand-Year, it did look quite astonishing, but the opponent didn't use it much in this Team Battle, which means that the key to our defeat lay elsewhere."

Shi Mo was speechless.

"Teacher Qin, what was the reason for our defeat this time? I feel like we didn't really contribute anything and we still lost," Ye Lingling asked in a cool voice.

"You're right to feel that way, because you've been completely targeted tactically," Qin Ming said.

"Being targeted?" A thoughtful expression appeared on Tang Ying's face.

Qin Ming nodded. "That's right. First, there was the Scorpion Braid girl's Flash. I don't know if she deliberately kept that Soul Skill hidden to specifically target us, or if she felt it was unnecessary to use in previous Soul Fighting. In any case, that Flash played a significant role; it was a targeted attack against Tang Ying."

"That's right, that Flash tricked me out of my arrow, and it's made me hesitant to fire real arrows carelessly since then," Tang Ying said, somewhat frustrated.

Logically speaking, if Soul Skill like Flash existed, it wouldn't be kept hidden and unused in the Soul Fighting; it would have been exposed and known to them long ago.

This would definitely make them make corresponding preparations; at the very least, Tang Ying wouldn't launch a real attack with his first arrow, but would definitely try to deceive them first.

However, the opponent stubbornly hid it. Tang Ying had seen the Tai Yin Jade Rabbit lose its Soul Fighting when he was watching the battle, but he had never seen the opponent use Flash.

Even if they lose the Soul Fighting- binding ability. What's the point? Just to sabotage them?

After the Flash tricked Tang Ying into using his first arrow, it triggered a series of chain reactions that ultimately led to the Heaven Dou Royal Team falling behind in this Team Battle.

What Tang Ying didn't know was that Xiao Wu didn't use Flash mainly because she was afraid of being drawn as a little turtle. She had gotten into the habit of Flash forward and couldn't change it in a while, so she simply stopped using it.

Even in this Team Battle against the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Xiao Wu used Flash to approach her opponents.

"But Tang Ying's Purple Splendor Bow is rarely used in the Spirit Fighting Arena. He only used it this time with your permission, Teacher Qin. How could the opponent know the characteristics of the Purple Splendor Bow and make a countermeasure?" Ye Lingling asked at this moment.

"It's possible they conducted a special investigation. We didn't conceal information from the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. If they investigated deliberately, it wouldn't be impossible to obtain information about the Purple Splendor Bow," Dugu Yan speculated.

"That's what I think too." Qin Ming nodded slightly. "This illustrates a point: our opponents conducted prior intelligence gathering, while we only observed a few of their Soul Fighting matches. This is a major reason for our loss."

"Those guys are so cunning," Tang Ying couldn't help but complain.

In order to avoid letting anyone know the weakness of the Purple Splendor Bow, he had already deliberately used his Martial Soul sparingly, but the information was still discovered and he was targeted.

However, what he never expected was that Chen Feng had never spyed on him, but instead learned about the characteristics of the Purple Splendor Bow through someone ten thousand years later.

It's fair to say that Tang Ying was extremely unlucky.

"So, will we need to investigate our opponents' intelligence in the future?" Yu Tianheng asked.

Qin Ming thought for a moment and said:

"There's no need to investigate specifically, because the Spirit Fighting Arena is just a place for us to gain practical experience. What we really need to focus on is the Spirit Master Tournament. That's when we need to spend our energy studying information about our opponents."

"But we can't ignore the problems exposed in this Team Battle. First, Tang Ying, while it was reasonable to use a live arrow to demonstrate the power of the first shot, it was also very risky, since you only have three arrows left. So you have to make adjustments."

Tang Ying nodded. "I understand. I will be more careful in the future and will try my best to raise my Soul Power to Level 40 as soon as possible."

"Well, and then it's you, Tian Heng." Qin Ming looked at Yu Tianheng. "You were too focused on the battle with that Evil Eye White Tiger. I know you were happy because you found a good opponent, but that's not a good thing in Team Battle."

"I will restrain myself," Yu Tianheng said.

"And then there's Yan Yan. Your Poison Water was covered by that plant-based Soul Master on the other side. This is one of their countermeasures. You'll need to..."

While the Heaven Dou Royal Team was conducting their post-battle debriefing, Chen Feng and his group returned to their rest area.

The Grandmaster and Flender were already waiting there. Seeing them enter, Flender said with a beaming smile:

"Well done, kids, that was a great Team Battle fight."

"It was mainly because Xiao Feng and Xiao San made tactical arrangements beforehand; otherwise, we wouldn't have won so easily," Dai Mubai said.

"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated," Chen Feng said with a smile.

"That's right. Only by understanding your opponent can you formulate a reasonable strategy. You've all grown up." The Grandmaster's gaze swept across the faces of the young men and women before him, and then he said:

"Congratulations, kids! I declare this special training a complete success."

Chen Feng and the others exchanged glances, their faces beaming with joy.

They could clearly feel how much they had changed compared to when they were before the special training.

Putting aside everything else, the fact that almost everyone possesses Self-Created Soul Skill is an immense gain, enough to accompany them throughout their lives.

"Thank you for your guidance, Grandmaster," Oscar said.

During his previous culinary training, he didn't directly use his Self-Created Soul Skill like the others.

Instead, it was only through the continuous guidance of Grandmaster that he learned how to control the fluctuations in his own body, thereby prolonging the duration of his state after consuming his own food.

This is undoubtedly a huge step forward for the Oscar.

The others also thanked the Grandmaster, Grandmaster smiled, waved his hand, and said:

"You are all talented children. I have only pointed you in the right direction. Your achievements will mainly depend on your own efforts."

"But without your guidance, Grandmaster, we wouldn't even know where to go with our efforts," Meng Yiran said.

She was glad she transferred to this Academy, where she not only made great progress in her studies but also made so many friends.

The Grandmaster smiled. "What are your plans next?"

"I plan to increase my Soul Power first, and hopefully I can advance to the Soul Ancestor Realm before the Spirit Master Tournament," Chen Feng said.

Others expressed similar sentiments, not only because they wanted to improve their skills, but also because they were very interested in the Ring Expansion Method.

After Chen Feng proposed the Ring- Ring Expansion Method Ring Expansion Method, only five people— Chen Feng, Ning Rongrong, Gu Yue Ling, Ma Hongjun, and Bai Chenxiang— have used it. No one else has yet experienced the novelty of the Ring Expansion Method.

So they were extremely impatient.

After the Grandmaster announced the end of the special training, Chen Feng and the others entered into a long period of cultivation.

The first to break through to Level 40 was naturally Ma Hongjun, who was already just one step away. After breaking through, with the help of his teachers, he went to the Death Desert again to obtain Soul Ring.

Unfortunately, he did not obtain the coveted Ten-Thousand-Year Fourth Ring, because his physical endurance did not meet the requirements.

Inside the Academy Forest, Ma Hongjun sat under a tree with a distressed expression, while the others comforted him.

"Not getting the Ten-Thousand-Year Fourth Ring isn't a big deal. As an archer, your physical abilities aren't as good as the Warrior ' to begin with. Look at me, I never even expected to get the Ten-Thousand-Year Fourth Ring," Oscar said, patting Ma Hongjun on the shoulder.

Ma Hongjun sighed sadly. The more he had looked forward to it before, the more disappointed he was now.

But this is no one else's fault; it was his own fault for not persevering during the Ring Condensation Process with that Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

The excessive and explosive Fire Element power nearly killed Ma Hongjun; if it weren't for the help of that Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, Ma Hongjun would have been gone.

"We predicted back then that even with the Ring Expansion Method, not every Soul Master would be able to obtain the Ten-Thousand-Year Fourth Ring. Don't be too sad," Bai Chenxiang comforted her.

The Wind Slime ball in her arms looked around, not understanding what everyone was talking about.

Tang San stroked his chin. "Looking at it this way, among us, Xiao Feng is probably the only one with a good chance of obtaining the Ten-Thousand-Year Fourth Ring. He already had experience with exceeding limits when he was at the third ring, and he's also a Vanguard, so he puts a lot of effort into his physical training."

"Don't forget yourself. A strong Life Force will definitely increase the age of the Soul Ring you can withstand. You can also try to get a Ten-Thousand-Year Fourth Ring," Chen Feng reminded him.

Tang San nodded, then glanced at the others.

In his opinion, out of the eleven members of the team, only three or four of them should be able to obtain the Ten-Thousand-Year Fourth Ring.

It's a pity that Dai Mubai has already advanced to the Soul Ancestor; otherwise, having consumed the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum and possessing the White Tiger Martial Soul, he would have had a great chance of obtaining the Ten-Thousand-Year Fourth Ring.

Aside from that, perhaps only Xiao Wu, Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast who has transformed into a human, has any hope.

But she has never taken the Lovesick Heartbreak Red, so to be honest, it's a bit doubtful.

Ma Hongjun's failure on the Ten-Thousand-Year Fourth Ring was a blow to everyone's spirits, casting a shadow over the hearts of everyone except Gu Yue Ling, who had already made it ashore.

Indeed, as a marksman, Ma Hongjun's physical attributes are not top-notch, at least not comparable to those of Chen Feng and Dai Mubai.

However, compared to others, Ma Hongjun's physical fitness is actually not much worse.

Leaving aside the two Support System Spirit Master, the remaining Meng Yiran, Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, Bai Chenxiang, and others are all roughly equal in terms of physical attributes.

Now that Ma Hongjun has failed, the chances of others succeeding are naturally much smaller.

Seeing that everyone's expressions were not good, Chen Feng thought for a moment and said:

"Don't lose too much faith. In my opinion, Old Ma's failure may also be partly due to the nature of the Fire Element itself."