Strategic Adaptation Through Combat Prediction, Steadily Accumulating Value in Confrontation Training

The snow had cleared, and the morning sun streamed through the gaps in the dorm window, dappling the floor with light. Tang San was woken by the sound of someone sweeping snow outside. When he opened his eyes, Wang Hu and the other two were already gathered around the table, organizing their training gear. Li Qing saw him stir and handed him a piece of warm, roasted sweet potato. "Tang San, eat up. Today's morning training is 'simulated combat prediction.' Teacher Zhang said we'll be using moving dummies to practice, so we need to get there early to get familiar with their movement patterns."

Tang San took the sweet potato but didn't eat it right away. Instead, he stretched leisurely and slowly folded his blanket. "What's the rush? The ground is still slippery after the snow, so the dummies will definitely move slower. Going early just means waiting around. I'll wash up first. You guys go ahead and grab a spot close to the dummies so you can see their movements clearly." After the three left with their sweet potatoes, he slowly began to eat his own. He even took extra time while washing up to meticulously clean the snow off his boots. By the time he walked towards the training grounds, a clear path had already been swept through the snow.

[Proactively delayed morning training departure, avoiding post-snow ground risks and premature waiting, Slacking Value +1, current total 17 points]

In the training area, several wooden dummies were fixed on tracks, allowing them to move along rails with a push. The dummies' arms were fitted with soft wood "weapons." Teacher Zhang stood by the tracks, holding a control stick. "Today we're practicing simulated combat prediction. The dummies will move along the tracks and swing their 'weapons.' You need to perceive the attack trajectories as they move, avoid the 'weapons,' and gently block the dummies with your Martial Souls. Five successful blocks per person will qualify you!"

Tang San stood at the back of the line, watching his classmates quickly dodge the dummies' "attacks" and block them with precision. He pondered internally—simulated combat training consumed Soul Power, so he needed to find a new excuse to reduce his expenditure. When it was his turn, he summoned his Blue Silver Grass, deliberately slowing the perception frequency of the grass blades. As the dummy moved in front of him, he "just managed" to sidestep the "weapon" and lightly touched the dummy's arm with his Blue Silver Grass during the block, without applying much force. It looked as if he was simply getting used to the dummy's movement rhythm.

"Tang San, why are you only dodging and not blocking? The dummy isn't moving that fast; is blocking really that difficult?" Teacher Zhang walked over, still slowly pushing the dummy with his control stick.

"Teacher, this simulated combat scenario is different from the wooden targets before. The dummies have 'attack' movements. I need to determine the 'weapon's' trajectory before I can block. If I'm too quick, I might get hit by the 'weapon,' which would be a failure." Tang San pretended to observe the dummy's movements intently. As the dummy moved closer again, he lightly blocked its arm with his Blue Silver Grass. "See, I've just gotten the hang of the dummy's 'attack' rhythm, and I'll be able to block more steadily next time."

[Used "adapting to simulated attack rhythm" as an excuse to reduce blocking intensity, avoiding excessive consumption, Slacking Value +1, current total 18 points]

Teacher Zhang didn't say anything further, merely instructing him to "practice three more sets." Tang San practiced at a leisurely pace, completing only one effective block per set, just enough to appear "in the process of adapting to the rhythm but not yet proficient," thus avoiding any extra punishment drills.

After morning training, Xiao Wu handed him a bottle of warm water. "Tang San, you could have blocked quickly just now, so why did you deliberately slow down? Teacher Zhang could tell you were adapting to the rhythm."

"In actual combat, stability is key, not speed. Adapting to the rhythm helps minimize mistakes." Tang San unscrewed the cap and took a slow sip. "Let's go to the cafeteria for lunch. There's definitely hot noodle soup today; if we go late, it'll be gone."

As they walked towards the cafeteria, they encountered Yu Xiaogang, who was carrying a cloth bag containing several small soft wood dummies. "Tang San, after training this afternoon, come to my office. I'll teach you 'multi-target simulated prediction.' We'll use these small dummies to simulate multiple enemies, allowing you to perceive the attack sequence in advance, which will reduce the chance of injury in actual combat."

Tang San was about to make an excuse when Yu Xiaogang spoke first, "Don't tell me you're still adapting to the rhythm. I've prepared small dummies with slow speeds, so we'll start with the basics. It won't consume too much Soul Power."

With no other option, Tang San nodded. "Understood, Master."

The morning's extra class was "Team Combat Simulation Training." Students were divided into two teams of four, engaging in low-intensity combat using soft wood weapons. The focus was on teamwork and predicting teammates' movements to avoid friendly fire. Wang Hu and his two companions were assigned to the same team as Tang San. When assigning roles, Wang Hu wanted Tang San to be the "main attacker," but Tang San shook his head. "I just finished simulated combat prediction training, and my Soul Power hasn't recovered yet. I'll play support, helping you block 'attacks' and cover for you."

Support roles didn't require active offense; they only needed to block when teammates were "attacked." During the match, Tang San deliberately slowed his covering speed. Each time, he would "just in time" entangle the weapon with his Blue Silver Grass right before a teammate was about to be hit by a soft wood weapon. This way, he neither let his teammate "get hit" nor pulled with excessive force, thus avoiding consuming too much Soul Power.

"Tang San, can you cover faster? I was almost 'hit' just now!" Wang Hu sounded a bit anxious, his soft wood sword still fending off an opponent's attack.

"Team coordination relies on balance. If I cover too quickly, it might disrupt your offensive rhythm. Covering steadily allows for better synergy," Tang San said with a smile, gently pulling the soft wood weapon aside with his Blue Silver Grass. "See, this way, you weren't 'hit,' and it didn't affect your offense. It's perfect."

[Used "balanced team coordination" as an excuse to reduce covering speed, avoiding excessive consumption, Slacking Value +1, current total 19 points]

After the extra class, Tang San headed to the cafeteria. As soon as he reached the entrance, he smelled the aroma of hot noodle soup. Wang Hu and the other two had already gotten their noodles and were waiting for him. "Tang San, your support was so steady just now. If it were someone else, they would have panicked long ago."

"Team coordination is about tacit understanding, not speed," Tang San said, taking his bowl of noodles and eating slowly. "We have Master's guidance this afternoon, so I need to conserve my Soul Power. Eat up quickly, don't let it get cold."

The afternoon's extra class was "Multi-Target Simulated Combat Consolidation." Teacher Zhang placed three moving dummies on the field, instructing students to simultaneously perceive the "attack" trajectories of all three, dodge them, and complete blocks. Other students could barely handle two dummies at once, but Tang San deliberately focused on only one dummy. The other two dummies "just happened" to get close while he "didn't perceive them," forcing him to dodge hastily without completing a block.

"Tang San, why are you only dealing with one dummy? Although there are three dummies, they're moving slowly. Can't you perceive one more?" Teacher Zhang walked over, his control stick still adjusting the dummy's speed.

"Teacher, multi-target combat needs to be approached one by one. We need to master one before adding more, otherwise, it's easy to lose focus and fail to handle either properly." Tang San quickly explained, his eyes fixed on the dummy in front of him. "See, I've just mastered this dummy's 'attack' rhythm. If I add another one, I'm sure I can handle it."

Teacher Zhang pondered for a moment and found his reasoning plausible. He nodded. "Alright, then you practice with one for now. We'll increase it to two tomorrow."

[Used "gradually improving multi-target ability" as an excuse to reduce the number of targets, avoiding excessive consumption, Slacking Value +1, current total 20 points]

After the extra class, Tang San went directly to Yu Xiaogang's office. Inside, Yu Xiaogang had already arranged the small dummies on the table. Each dummy was connected to a thin thread, which could be pulled to initiate an "attack" movement. "Today we're practicing multi-target simulated prediction. Focus on these two small dummies. I'll pull the threads to make them 'attack' in sequence. You need to tell me which dummy attacks first. You'll only pass if you get it right each time."

As instructed, Tang San summoned his Blue Silver Grass, deliberately limiting its perception range to cover only the two small dummies. When the threads were pulled, he would "just happen" to pause, as if trying to discern the "attack" sequence. Occasionally, he would even get one wrong, feigning being "newly familiar with the dummy's movements."

"Why are you still getting it wrong? The interval between the two dummies' 'attacks' is so long; you still can't distinguish them?" Yu Xiaogang frowned and adjusted the pulling interval of the threads to be even longer.

"The 'attack' movements of the small dummies are too similar. I need to carefully observe the details of their movements to distinguish the sequence. If I rush, I'm prone to mistakes," Tang San quickly explained. When the threads were pulled again, he slowly stated the "attack" sequence. "See, I've just distinguished the movement details, and I'll get it right next time."

Yu Xiaogang didn't say anything further, merely instructing him to "practice five more sets." Tang San practiced at a leisurely pace, getting only three correct per set, just enough to appear "in the process of familiarizing myself with the details but not yet proficient," thus avoiding any extra practice requests.

As he left the office, the sky was already painted with the colors of the sunset. Xiao Wu was waiting for him at the door. "Tang San, you came out quite early today. Did Master not keep you for extra training?"

"Master slowed down the 'attack' interval of the small dummies, so it wasn't as strenuous," Tang San stretched. "Let's go to the cafeteria; I'm starving."

As they walked towards the cafeteria, Tang San mused, Today I've accumulated 4 Slacking Value points, and I also practiced prediction in simulated combat training. Although Master was watching, I didn't expend much Soul Power. It's a solid win. As long as I continue to find new excuses like 'adapting to simulated combat rhythm' and 'team coordination,' I'll definitely accumulate Slacking Value even faster.

The cafeteria lights were on. Tang San looked at the food before him and ate slowly. He knew that as long as he persisted in using new justifications like "gradually improving" and "adapting to the rhythm" to reduce his Soul Power expenditure, even with the academy adding more combat training and Master refining his guidance, his "peak slacking path" could proceed steadily, allowing him to grow stronger at a stable pace.