Dual Battles for Experience, Team Preparations Against Risks

As the morning light filtered through the inn's window, Tang San was woken by Xiao Wu's knocking. "Tang San, hurry up! Dean Flender said we have two two-person soul duels today. Let's get to the Soul Arena early to grab a good resting room!"

Tang San slowly sat up, deliberately adjusting the tightness of his soul duel bracers three times. Two consecutive soul duels would consume a lot of Soul Power. I'll use the excuse of "adjusting bracers to prevent Soul Power leakage" to delay and conserve more energy. By the time he grabbed his soul duel bag and headed out, Dai Mubai was already downstairs checking his equipment. Flender held the new opponent information: "For the 'Three-Five Combination,' the first match is against the 'Gale Combination,' two level 19 Agility Attack Types with the Martial Souls of Wind Wolf and Flying Swallow. The second match is against the 'Heavy Armor Combination,' level 21 Defense Types with the Martial Souls of Steel Armor and Thick Shield."

[Reason for delaying assembly: "Adjusting soul duel bracers to prevent leakage." Avoids excessive Soul Power consumption from early high-intensity duels. Slacking Value +1, current total: 94 points]

Upon arriving at the Soul Arena, the "Three-Five Combination's" first soul duel began quickly. The Wind Wolf Soul Master immediately used wind speed to charge forward, while the Flying Swallow Soul Master circled to the side, intending to sneak attack Xiao Wu. Tang San didn't rush to release his Blue Silver Grass. Instead, he deliberately slowed his reaction speed, only acting when the Wind Wolf was three meters away. "Agility Attack Types are fast. Controlling them too early makes it easy to dodge. Waiting until they get close to entangle them has a higher success rate and saves Soul Power," he thought, as he made his Blue Silver Grass wrap around the Wind Wolf's front leg, precisely limiting its charging momentum. Xiao Wu seized the opportunity to use her "Waist Bow" to kick the Flying Swallow's wings.

"Tang San! Why didn't you control him earlier? Xiao Wu was almost ambushed!" Flender shouted from the audience, his binoculars still fixed on the duel stage.

"Dean, the Wind Wolf's speed would interfere with the Blue Silver Grass's trajectory. Controlling him early might lead to missing. Once he gets closer, the wind speed weakens, making control more stable. Besides, Xiao Wu's reaction speed is enough to dodge the sneak attack, so there's no need to waste Soul Power setting up defenses beforehand," Tang San replied. He deliberately loosened his grip on one of the Wind Wolf's legs, making the opponent think there was a chance to counter. As the Wind Wolf charged again, he immediately entangled the other leg. "See? This way of luring the enemy in saves more Soul Power than constant control."

[Reason for delaying control: "Wind speed of Agility Attack Type interferes with aiming." Avoids excessive consumption. Slacking Value +1, current total: 95 points]

After winning the first soul duel, Tang San didn't rush to prepare for the second. Instead, he pulled Xiao Wu to the resting room to drink recovery potions. "The 'Heavy Armor Combination' has strong defenses. We need to recover Soul Power first, otherwise, we won't be able to entangle their defenses." He deliberately slowed his recovery speed, only drinking half a bottle of the recovery potion and saving the other half for the middle of the second match. "Defense Type soul duels take time. Recovering mid-match is more effective than recovering all at once, and it also avoids Soul Power fluctuations." By the time the announcement was made, both of their Soul Power had recovered to about eighty percent.

The second soul duel began. The Steel Armor Soul Master immediately used "Steel Armor Protection" to charge forward, while the Thick Shield Soul Master held his shield to block. Tang San deliberately made his Blue Silver Grass avoid the Steel Armor's front, instead entangling the edge of the Thick Shield. "The Steel Armor's frontal defense is too strong; entangling it would be useless. The Thick Shield's edge defense is weaker. Entangling the edge can shift the shield's angle, creating an opening for Xiao Wu to attack," he thought. As he adjusted the entanglement position, he had Xiao Wu circle behind the Steel Armor and use her "Waist Bow" to strike its joints.

"Tang San! Why aren't you entangling the Steel Armor? What's the point of just entangling the shield?" the referee reminded him, thinking he hadn't targeted correctly.

"The Steel Armor's frontal Soul Power density is high; the Blue Silver Grass would likely be shattered if it tried to entangle it. Entangling the Thick Shield can shift it, allowing Xiao Wu to attack the Steel Armor's weak points. Otherwise, relying on brute force entanglement would drain our Soul Power without a win," Tang San explained. He deliberately made the Blue Silver Grass wrap around the Thick Shield's edge twice, shifting the shield by half a foot. Xiao Wu seized the opportunity and kicked the Steel Armor's knee. "See? This way, there's a chance to attack. Brute force entanglement is just a waste of effort."

[Reason for adjusting entanglement target: "High Soul Power density of Defense Type's frontal defense can shatter Martial Souls." Avoids excessive consumption. Slacking Value +1, current total: 96 points]

After winning both soul duels, the "Three-Five Combination" advanced to Bronze Intermediate. Flender led them back to the inn, but they were stopped by several people in black clothing. The leader stared at Dai Mubai: "Are you from Shrek Academy? Our Imperial Dou Team will be fighting you in a team soul duel tomorrow. Don't lose too badly!"

Tang San immediately had his Blue Silver Grass lie low, ready, but didn't actively release it. "I don't know the opponent's strength yet. I shouldn't reveal my trump cards. It's safer to counter-attack once they make a move." He deliberately feigned fear, pulling Xiao Wu back. "We're just here for training and don't want any trouble." After the group left, Flender frowned and said, "The Imperial Dou Team is a powerhouse in Suo Tuo City. We need to prepare thoroughly for tomorrow's team soul duel."

Back at the inn, the seven began formulating their team tactics. Tang San deliberately assigned himself fewer control tasks, only responsible for entangling the front-row opponents. "We haven't gelled as a team yet. If I control too much, I'm prone to mistakes. I'll focus on the front row for now, and expand my control range once we've coordinated better." As he spoke, he marked his position on the tactical map, avoiding the back-row damage dealers. "Team soul duels emphasize coordination. Not hogging the spotlight reduces errors and saves Soul Power."

[Reason for reducing control tasks: "Team coordination to prevent mistakes." Avoids excessive consumption. Slacking Value +1, current total: 97 points]

As evening approached, the tactics were finalized. Tang San didn't rush into meditation. Instead, he took a walk around the inn. "The Imperial Dou Team might send scouts to probe our strength. Observing the surroundings more can help detect them early." As he walked, he had his Blue Silver Grass memorize the layout of the surrounding buildings, providing escape routes in case of any accidents during the duel tomorrow.

Returning to his room, Tang San opened his system panel. 97 points of Slacking Value, only 3 points away from the next Soul Power Increase. He sat by the window and began meditating, deliberately slowing his Soul Power circulation to seventy percent. "Tomorrow's team soul duel will consume a lot of Soul Power. Slow meditation will make my Soul Power more solid. Going too fast might cause problems during the duel." He secretly thought: The Imperial Dou Team's team soul duel is a perfect opportunity to accumulate more Slacking Value. As long as I find the right excuse of "team coordination and practice," the "peak slacking path" can continue.