Plans for the Reserve Team

The First Soul Tool Proving Ground was brightly lit.

Everyone except the four still undergoing special training had long since been cleared out.

Gu Yuejin sat in a makeshift tactical chair, legs crossed, casually flipping through a file on the past competitions of Shrek Academy.

"Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated."

Gu Yuejin tossed the file aside and looked over the four people standing in a row before him, his expression serious.

"Even though we're going to trample Shrek, strategically, we must look down on our enemies. Tactically, we must take them seriously."

"Though I have little regard for Shrek's ways—like that double standard of 'even tacitly allowing cheating'—"

"I have to admit that their Inner Court Disciples have top-tier Martial Souls, and years of working together have made them exceptionally good at teamwork."

"Especially Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire Phoenix and Dai Yueheng's White Tiger. Both are unreasonable Power Attack System fighters."

At this, Gu Yuejin changed tack, a glint flashing in his eyes.

"If we try to match their Martial Souls head-on, we'll be pitting our weakness against their strength. Only an idiot would do that."

"We're the Sun Moon Team. What's our advantage?"

"Soul Tools!"

"Long-range firepower suppression! A dazzling chain of controls! The power of technology!"

Gu Yuejin stood and walked over to the tactical board, beginning a detailed breakdown of their roles.

"Ma Rulong."

"Here!"

"Your task is simple—be the hardest rock on the field, or, better yet, a walking meat grinder."

Gu Yuejin drew a circle at the very front of the tactical board.

"You're a Power Attack System fighter, but I don't need you clashing head-on with the other side's White Tiger."

"Equip every Close-Combat Soul Tool and defensive Soul Tool you've been saving for a rainy day, then hold the front line. Use your firepower to tie down their Power Attack System fighters and give our back line room to deal damage."

"Yes!" Ma Rulong nodded firmly, excitement shining in his eyes.

"Xiao Hongchen."

"Here." Xiao Hongchen folded his arms across his chest, looking proud.

"You're a Power Attack fighter with long-range capabilities, and your Three-legged Golden Toad Martial Soul has exceptional Metal Control."

"I want you to turn yourself into a mobile Soul Tool Turret, laying down fire at medium and long range while using Metal Control to help control the battlefield."

"Meng Hongchen."

"Here, Brother Gu Yue." Meng Hongchen smiled sweetly.

"You're a Control System fighter, and the poison from your Vermilion Clear Ice Toad is your opponents' nightmare."

"I don't expect you to kill enemies head-on. I want you to spread your ice poison across the battlefield, divide the enemy formation, and restrict the movements of their key players."

At last, Gu Yuejin's gaze fell on Huo Yuhao.

"Huo Yuhao."

"Here, Master."

"You'll be positioned at the very center. You're the brain of the team, as well as its core controller and support."

"You'll be responsible for keeping track of the battlefield, directing tactics, and using your Second Martial Soul to interrupt skills and control the pace at critical moments."

As he spoke, Gu Yuejin drew several lines connecting the positions of the four people on the board.

"Going it alone won't work. I want you to practice a new tactic—Soul Tool Array Linkage."

"Soul Tool Array Linkage?" The four exchanged looks. They had never heard the term before.

"Simply put, it uses Soul Power resonance to activate the effects of combined Soul Tools, creating a transformation where one plus one is greater than two."

Gu Yuejin explained:

"For example, Meng Hongchen releases an icy mist, and Xiao Hongchen mixes metal dust into it, then uses a Soul Tool fan to blow it toward the enemy formation."

"That's the 'Ice Metal Storm.' It's poisonous, can slice through things, and can obscure the enemy's vision."

"Another example: with Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection guiding him, Ma Rulong can use a propulsion Soul Tool to launch a precision strike without being able to see the target."

As they listened to Gu Yuejin's description, the others' eyes grew brighter and brighter.

This was practically a tactical system tailor-made for them!

"However, the current lineup still has some weaknesses."

Gu Yuejin rubbed his chin, deep in thought.

"We're missing a Healing System fighter. Soul Tools include medical devices, but they're not as flexible as a Soul Master."

"We're also missing a ghostlike Agility Attack System fighter to finish off enemies and harass them."

"I'll look for candidates for the remaining three spots with those two roles in mind."

Just then, Ma Rulong looked at Huo Yuhao curiously.

He had never understood why Gu Yuejin had handed command to this junior with only two rings.

"Teacher Gu Yue, you keep emphasizing that Huo Yuhao will be responsible for battlefield awareness and guidance... Is his Spiritual Detection really that incredible?"

Xiao Hongchen didn't say anything, but doubt showed in his eyes too.

After all, they'd seen plenty of the world. Ordinary Spiritual Detection could only sense a general direction at best.

"It's only natural to have doubts."

Gu Yuejin smiled and patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder.

"Yuhao, show these seniors what you can do."

"Yes, Master."

Huo Yuhao smiled faintly, purple-gold light swirling in his eyes.

"Spiritual Detection Share, activate!"

Whoosh—

An invisible wave of mental energy instantly spread over the four of them.

The next second.

"Holy crap?!"

Ma Rulong swore outright and jumped into the air.

Xiao Hongchen's usual cool composure collapsed in an instant. He gaped, staring at his surroundings in stunned silence.

Meng Hongchen covered her mouth, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief.

In their minds, the flat world had instantly transformed into a three-dimensional 3D model!

Everything around them was crystal clear—even the dust in their blind spots behind them!

Even the paths of the air currents and the wingbeats of distant mosquitoes were slowed down, analyzed, and presented as data!

A complete view, with no blind spots—like a god looking down from above!

"W-what kind of Soul Skill is this?!"

Ma Rulong's voice trembled. "This is practically cheating! With this, you could hit someone with your eyes closed!"

"This is an incredible skill!" Xiao Hongchen had to admit it too. His gaze at Huo Yuhao had completely changed.

The trace of contempt he'd felt before vanished instantly.

With support like this, the Reserve Team's combat power would increase by at least thirty percent!

"Any questions now?"

Gu Yuejin looked at the three stunned faces and nodded in satisfaction.

"None! Absolutely none!"

Ma Rulong shouted the loudest. "Junior Huo! You're my own little brother from now on! Wherever you tell me to hit, I'll hit!"

Meanwhile.

Shrek Academy, Freshman Class One's training ground.

The sun blazed overhead.

A group of students in heavy iron suits ran laps around the field, drenched in sweat.

The iron suits weighed them down until they could barely breathe. Sweat soaked their clothes, and every step felt as heavy as lead.

For Soul Masters, this kind of almost primitive physical training did little to improve their Soul Power. It was mostly just physical torment.

"Huff... huff..."

Xiao Xiao's face was bright red as she panted behind Wang Dong, feeling as though her lungs were about to burst.

"Wang Dong... What's the point of running with all this weight?"

Xiao Xiao grumbled under her breath. "Isn't this just torture? We're Soul Masters, not laborers..."

Wang Dong wiped the sweat from his forehead. His handsome face was just as exhausted.

He didn't understand it either.

To him, this training method seemed terribly inefficient, even a little foolish.

But he didn't dare question it.

"Teacher Zhou Yi must have her reasons for doing this..."

Wang Dong shook his head, trying to reassure both himself and Xiao Xiao.

"Maybe it's to build our willpower? Or maybe... there's something special about the iron suits that helps improve our physical abilities?"

Though he said this, he looked at the old woman in the distance, wearing a mask and holding a pointer as she coldly supervised everyone. His doubts only grew.

Was this style of teaching—doing nothing but pushing their physical limits and expelling students at the drop of a hat—really what one would expect from the "Number One Academy of the Continent"?

Just then.

Wang Dong suddenly stopped and looked back at the track behind him without thinking.

There was nothing there, just a few students whose names he couldn't remember, struggling to keep moving.

In that instant.

A huge, inexplicable emptiness welled up inside Wang Dong.

It was as though someone should have been there.

Someone who could run beside him, give him a hand when he was tired, and share this inexplicable "special training" with him.

"Strange..."

Wang Dong murmured to himself, touching his chest.

Why do I keep feeling... like something's missing?