At first light, the Shrek Seven Devils left the Suotuo City inn with their luggage on their backs. Flender rode at the front on horseback, holding a map of Heaven Dou City. "We'll take the main road. If we move quickly, we'll arrive in three days. We may encounter soul beasts along the way, so stay sharp!"
Tang San walked in the middle of the group, deliberately slowing his pace as Blue Silver Grass quietly spread along the ground. The main road may be safe, but soul beasts could be hiding in the grass. Moving slowly will let Blue Silver Grass sense them in advance and prevent a sudden attack. As he observed their surroundings, he reminded Xiao Wu, "Don't rush ahead if we encounter a soul beast. I'll restrain it first, then you can look for an opening to attack."
For slowing the journey under the pretext of "sensing in advance to prevent soul beast ambushes," avoiding the expenditure of sudden battles, Slacking Value +1, current total: 101 points
After traveling for half a day and passing through a stretch of woods, three two-hundred-year Nether Wolves suddenly sprang from the grass. The lead wolf still had a wild rabbit in its mouth, but the moment it saw the seven of them, it bared its fangs and pounced. Dai Mubai was about to charge forward when Tang San stopped him. "The three wolves coordinate closely. Restrain the one in the middle first and break their formation!" Blue Silver Grass instantly wrapped around the middle Nether Wolf's legs, but only halfway. If I bind it too tightly, the other two will ambush us. Leaving it room to move will make it disrupt its own rhythm. Xiao Wu seized the chance to leap forward, and her Waist Bow struck the middle wolf's head. The wolf immediately collapsed, twitching on the ground.
Seeing this, the remaining two Nether Wolves split up and pounced at Ma Hongjun and Ning Rongrong. Tang San immediately adjusted the Blue Silver Grass, using one half to bind the left wolf's neck and the other to shield Ning Rongrong. The wolf on the left is attacking Ma Hongjun. He has flames to protect himself, so I need to protect the support-type first. Otherwise, no one will be left to provide boosts. Though it consumed more Soul Power than restraining both wolves at once, he protected Ning Rongrong in the end. Dai Mubai took the opportunity to rush in, and his White Tiger Claw finished off the last two wolves.
"Tang San, why didn't you restrain them together? Ning Rongrong nearly got pounced on just now!" Flender reined in his horse and asked with a frown.
"Controlling both at once consumes too much Soul Power. Their speed is also too high, so they could easily slip away. Protecting the support-type first and dealing with the others afterward was safer." As Tang San spoke, he had Oscar hand Ning Rongrong a sausage. "Look, no one was hurt, and we still have enough Soul Power to handle another ambush."
For adjusting the control target under the pretext of "prioritizing protection of the support-type to prevent team imbalance," avoiding the expenditure of losing team members, Slacking Value +1, current total: 102 points
By the evening of the third day, the seven of them finally saw the gates of Heaven Dou City. Its towering walls were three times more magnificent than Suotuo City's, and even the guards at the gate wore armor edged in gold. As soon as they entered the city, they saw a crowd gathered around a notice board by the street. Flender squeezed his way in, then waved with a grin. "Come over here! The Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena has a 'Team Promotion Tournament.' Win three matches and you'll advance directly to Silver Tier!"
Tang San leaned closer and saw the notice stating, "Promotion tournament opponents will be randomly matched; one team will be eliminated per match." He deliberately put on a hesitant expression. "We just arrived in Heaven Dou City and haven't adapted to the environment yet. Wouldn't entering a promotion tournament right away be too hasty?"
"What's so hasty about it? You even defeated the Imperial Dou Team. Are you afraid of random opponents?" Flender patted his shoulder. "We'll sign up tomorrow and try one match first!"
Back at the inn, the seven of them planned their strategy for the promotion tournament. Tang San deliberately set his control range to "within three meters of the front line." The strength of Heaven Dou City's opponents is unknown. A smaller control range will let me adjust in time, while too large a range could leave me vulnerable to long-range soul masters. As he drew circles on the tactical diagram, he told everyone, "Don't go all out in tomorrow's first match. Feel out the opponent first. As long as we win, that's enough."
For reducing the control range under the pretext of "the strength of opponents in a new environment is unknown, so guard against ambushes," avoiding excessive expenditure, Slacking Value +1, current total: 103 points
Early the next morning, the seven of them went to the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena to register. When the staff member saw the name "Shrek Seven Devils," he froze for a moment. "You're the team that defeated the Imperial Dou Team? Perfect. Today's opponents are the 'Ironclad Combination'—five level-twenty-two Defense Type soul masters, all with Steel Armor martial souls!"
The Spirit Combat Stage was twice as large as the one in Suotuo City, and there were even more spectators beneath it. Even the referee wore a lavish robe. The moment they stepped onto the stage, they saw five soul masters in steel armor standing in formation across from them. The leader patted his chest. "Our steel armor can withstand Soul Elder-level attacks. You can't win!"
After the referee announced the start, the five Ironclad soul masters immediately formed a circle. Their steel armor collided with a loud clang. Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Flame scorched them, leaving only a black mark and failing to burn through. "Tang San, what do we do? The flames aren't working!" Ma Hongjun shouted anxiously.
Tang San did not rush to alter the strategy. Instead, he had Blue Silver Grass wrap around his teammates' legs. They've formed a circle. If we charge in, we'll be surrounded. We need to pull ourselves together first, then look for a weakness. He deliberately pulled the Blue Silver Grass tight, drawing the seven of them into a small circle. "Look, there are gaps in their formation. Dai Mubai, charge through the middle later. I'll bind the gaps in their steel armor and loosen it!"
"Tang San! Why are you binding your own teammates? Aren't you afraid they'll attack us?" Ning Rongrong's Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda had already lit up, but she did not dare provide a boost rashly.
"Binding our own people will keep us from being scattered. Their formation moves slowly, so we'll stabilize our own formation first and attack when an opening appears. It's more effective than charging in blindly." As Tang San spoke, he waited for the Ironclad Combination's circle to slowly approach. Then he suddenly sent Blue Silver Grass into the gaps in their steel armor and gave a light tug. The leader's armor immediately shifted crookedly. "Dai Mubai! Now!"
Dai Mubai charged in at once, his White Tiger Fierce Light Wave striking the crooked steel armor. With a clang, a crack split through it. Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing immediately circled behind them and kicked the gaps in the other suits of armor. Before long, all five Ironclad soul masters had crooked armor and could no longer maintain their circle.
"We surrender! We surrender!" the leader shouted helplessly. The referee raised the hands of the Shrek Seven Devils and declared their victory.
The cheers beneath the stage were even more enthusiastic than those in Suotuo City. Flender ran over with a smile. "Well fought! Win two more matches tomorrow, and you'll advance to Silver Tier!" Tang San wiped the sweat from his forehead, but inwardly calculated, I earned three Slacking Value points today. I'm a little closer to my next Soul Power Increase.
After returning to the inn and finishing their celebration, Tang San sat by the window to meditate, deliberately making his Soul Power circulate ten percent slower than usual. After continuous travel and spirit combat, Slow Meditation will let my meridians rest. Going too fast could instead leave hidden problems behind. Looking out at Heaven Dou City's nightscape, he thought to himself, Training in Heaven Dou City is more exhilarating than in Suotuo City. As long as I find the right reasons—"adapting to a new environment" and "maintaining stable team formations"—the road to the pinnacle of slacking will surely be steadier!
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