Multi-Group Linked Defense Practice, Simulated Ambush Tests Strength

The pre-dawn assembly whistle blew a quarter hour earlier than usual. Just as Tang San stuffed a Recovery Sausage into his training bag, he heard hurried footsteps outside the dorm. He deliberately slowed down his shoelace tying, looping the laces twice around his fingers—today's training involved multiple coordinated defensive drills, and loose shoelaces could easily cause him to trip while running. Using "securing his shoelaces" as an excuse to delay would ensure his movements were fluid during training and allow him to better adapt to the emergency assembly rhythm of the main academy. By the time he reached the training grounds, Dai Mubai had already divided them into groups according to last night's plan: Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Oscar formed the left flank, while Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ma Hongjun formed the right flank. Ning Rongrong, positioned in the center, was responsible for overall auxiliary support.

"Today we're practicing 'Dual Triangle Linked Defense.' The practice dummies will attack in two waves. The left flank defends the left route, the right flank defends the right route. Ning Rongrong will be responsible for transmitting Soul Power amplification. If either flank is breached, it counts as a failure! Tang San, you're in command of the left flank!" As soon as Teacher Zhao's voice fell, the dummy deployment system emitted a humming roar, and the first wave of dummies charged from both sides simultaneously.

[Adjusting preparation rhythm under the guise of "securing shoelaces to prevent tripping while running" to avoid training fatigue. Slacking Value +1, current total 115 points.]

As the dummies on the left flank approached within three meters, Tang San didn't immediately unleash his Blue Silver Grass to ensnare them all. Instead, he only wrapped it around the ankles of the two dummies in the front row. "Xiao Wu, take care of these two! Oscar, get sausages to the right flank! We need to maintain the link first, then prevent breakthroughs!" He deliberately reduced the left flank's defensive range to two meters. "The 'Dual Triangle Linked Defense' emphasizes 'left defends, right supports; right defends, left reinforces.' A range that's too large can break the link. Shrinking the range allows for timely support to the right flank." As expected, the number of dummies attacking the right flank suddenly increased. Just as Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Flame was about to falter, Oscar's sausage arrived. Dai Mubai seized the opportunity to counterattack, and the first wave of the assault was weathered without incident.

"Tang San! Why was the left flank's range so small? They almost broke through!" Teacher Zhao exclaimed, holding his binoculars, his tone laced with dissatisfaction.

"Teacher, a larger range would break the link. The right flank was lacking support just now. Shrinking the range allowed Oscar to provide timely assistance. Otherwise, if the right flank fell, the left flank wouldn't have held either." As Tang San spoke, he adjusted the density of his Blue Silver Grass. During the second wave of attacks, although the left flank's range didn't expand, it steadily held off the dummy onslaught with Ning Rongrong's amplification. "You see, the link wasn't broken, and neither flank was breached. This is the key to the Dual Triangle."

[Shrinking defensive range under the guise of "maintaining Dual Triangle link to prevent broken support" to avoid excessive consumption. Slacking Value +1, current total 116 points.]

As the morning training concluded, Flender suddenly arrived with several teachers from the main academy. "Urgent notice! An 'Spirit Beast Ambush Simulation Assessment' has been added for this afternoon. Your opponents will be three 300-year-old Earth Bears. You seven will form a team and must complete 'Defense - Counterattack - Capture' within half an hour. Only those who pass will be eligible for next week's Spirit Beast Forest Trial!"

Back in the dorm, the seven immediately began formulating their strategy for the assessment. Tang San didn't rush to assign offensive tasks; instead, he first instructed Oscar to prepare double the number of sausages. "Earth Bears have strong defenses and immense strength. We need to withstand their charges first before looking for counterattack opportunities. Insufficient sausages will easily break our Soul Power." He deliberately set his own crowd control task as "restricting the bears' leg movement." "The Earth Bear's weakness is its abdomen, but we must first restrict its legs. Otherwise, their charges will scatter our formation. Controlling their legs is more stable than controlling their abdomen." Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing were tasked with finding weak points on the abdomen, while Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun were responsible for the main assault.

The assessment began in the afternoon. As soon as the three Earth Bears appeared in the simulated arena, they charged directly towards Ning Rongrong. Tang San immediately had his Blue Silver Grass wrap around the hind legs of the foremost Earth Bear, deliberately only half-coiling it. "Wrapping it too tightly will allow it to break free with brute force, and it will also damage the Blue Silver Grass. Half a coil restricts its charge speed and leaves time for Xiao Wu to attack." Ning Rongrong seized the opportunity to release her amplification, and Dai Mubai's White Tiger Claw fiercely struck the Earth Bear's abdomen. The first bear was quickly subdued. Seeing this, the remaining two bears suddenly split up their attacks. Tang San didn't panic. He instructed the Blue Silver Grass on the left flank to shift towards the right, precisely wrapping around another bear's leg. "Maintain the link! Don't get separated!" Just as the half-hour mark arrived, all three Earth Bears were captured, and the assessment was successfully passed.

"Tang San, why didn't you wrap the bear's legs tightly just now? It almost broke free!" Teacher Li, who was overseeing the assessment, asked, his pen still scribbling on his notepad.

"Wrapping it tightly would waste Soul Power. Earth Bears have great brute strength, and they would damage the Blue Silver Grass when breaking free. Half a coil restricts their speed, which perfectly complements the main assault and conserves more Soul Power." Tang San wiped the sweat from his brow and had Oscar hand him a sausage. "You see, I still have fifty percent of my Soul Power left, which is enough to deal with unexpected situations."

[Adjusting crowd control intensity under the guise of "restricting charge speed to conserve Soul Power and prevent Martial Soul damage" to avoid excessive consumption. Slacking Value +1, current total 117 points.]

During the tactical review meeting that evening, Flender, holding the assessment recording, smiled and said, "Your coordination today was much better than this morning, but you were still a bit slow in responding to the split attacks. Next week, in the Spirit Beast Forest, you'll need to cooperate even more closely!" Tang San didn't nod immediately. Instead, he took out his notebook and slowly recorded the Earth Bears' attack patterns. "Slow note-taking helps in remembering weaknesses; quick notes tend to miss crucial information. This way, the next time we encounter similar Spirit Beasts, we can react faster." As he wrote, he said to Xiao Wu, "Next week in the forest, stick close to me. The sound of the Earth Bear's charge can serve as an early warning. When you hear it, dodge."

Back in the dorm, Tang San sat on his bed and began meditating, deliberately slowing his Soul Power circulation to seventy percent of its normal speed. "Today's training and assessment have significantly drained my meridians. Slow meditation allows for more solid Soul Power recovery. Going too fast might cause problems during the Spirit Beast Forest trial." He touched the Recovery Soul Tool in his embrace and thought to himself: The Spirit Beast Forest trial will surely be harder than the assessment, but as long as he finds the right excuses for "maintaining the link" and "restricting speed," the "path to peak slacking" can continue, and the seven of them will grow stronger.

[Adjusting review and recovery rhythm under the guise of "slowly noting Spirit Beast patterns + slow meditation for solid recovery" to avoid excessive consumption. Slacking Value +1, current total 118 points.]