Plans for the Reserve Team

The First Soul Tool Proving Ground was brightly lit.

Except for the four people still undergoing special training, all unauthorized personnel had long since been cleared out.

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

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

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

"Although we intend to trample Shrek underfoot, strategically, we must despise the enemy. Tactically, we must take them seriously."

"That whole Shrek shtick—even though I have nothing but contempt for it, like their double standards where they 'even tacitly condone cheating'—"

"I have to admit, their Inner Court Disciples possess top-tier Martial Souls, and after years of training together, their team coordination is exceptionally strong."

"Especially that Evil Fire Phoenix of Ma Xiaotao and the White Tiger of Dai Yueheng; they are both unreasonably powerful Power Attack System users."

Speaking of this, Gu Yuejin changed his tone, a glint of sharpness flashing in his eyes.

"If we go head-to-head with them using Martial Souls, that's using our weaknesses to strike at their strengths. Only an idiot would do that."

"We are the Sun Moon Team. What is our advantage?"

"It's Soul Tools!"

"It's ultra-long-range suppression fire! It's dazzling control chains! It's the power of technology!"

Gu Yuejin stood up, walked to the tactical board, and began to detail the division of labor.

"Ma Rulong."

"Present!"

"Your task is simple—be the hardest rock, or rather, a mobile meat grinder."

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

"You are a Power Attack System user, but I don't need you to clash head-on with their White Tiger."

"Equip all those trump-card Close-Combat Soul Tools and defensive Soul Tools you've been hiding. Hold the front line, use your firepower to pin down their Power Attack System users, and buy output space for the back row."

"Yes!" Ma Rulong nodded heavily, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Xiao Hongchen."

"Here." Xiao Hongchen stood with his arms crossed, his face full of arrogance.

"You are both Power Attack and long-range. Your Three-legged Golden Toad Martial Soul possesses immense metal control."

"I want you to turn yourself into a mobile Soul Tool Turret, providing medium-to-long-range fire coverage while using metal control to assist in battlefield management."

"Meng Hongchen."

"Here~ Big Brother Gu Yue." Meng Hongchen gave a sweet smile.

"You are a Control System soul master. Your Vermilion Clear Ice Toad poison is a nightmare for the opposition."

"I don't require you to kill enemies head-on. I want you to saturate the entire field with your ice poison, partition the battlefield, and restrict the movements of the opposing core members."

Finally, Gu Yuejin's gaze fell upon Huo Yuhao.

"Huo Yuhao."

"Present, Master."

"Your position is at the very center. You are the brain of the entire team, as well as the core controller and support."

"You are responsible for maintaining vision across the entire field, tactical command, and using your Second Martial Soul to interrupt skills and control the tempo at critical moments."

As he said this, Gu Yuejin drew several lines between the positions of the four, connecting them together.

"Fighting alone is not the way to go. I require you to practice a brand-new tactic—Soul Tool Array Linkage."

"Soul Tool Array Linkage?" The four looked at each other; this was a term they had never heard before.

"Simply put, it means using soul power resonance to trigger the effects of combined Soul Tools, creating a qualitative change where one plus one is greater than two."

Gu Yuejin explained:

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

"This is the 'Ice Metal Storm.' It possesses both lethal poison and physical cutting power, and it can also obscure vision."

"Another example: under the guidance of Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection, Ma Rulong can use propulsion Soul Tools to carry out precise, blind-vision assaults."

Listening to Gu Yuejin's description, the eyes of the group grew brighter and brighter.

This was a tactical system tailor-made for them!

"However, the current lineup still has shortcomings."

Gu Yuejin rubbed his chin, lost in thought.

"We are missing a Healing System soul master who can provide support. Although there are healing devices among Soul Tools, they are ultimately not as flexible as a soul master."

"We are also missing an Agility Attack System soul master who can act like a ghost, responsible for harvesting and harassment."

"I will look for candidates in these two directions for the remaining three spots."

At this moment, Ma Rulong looked at Huo Yuhao with some curiosity.

He had always been puzzled as to why Gu Yuejin would hand over command to this junior who only had two rings.

"Teacher Gu Yue, you have been emphasizing that Huo Yuhao is responsible for the team's vision and guidance... Is his Spiritual Detection really that miraculous?"

Although Xiao Hongchen didn't say anything, his eyes also revealed skepticism.

After all, they had seen the world; ordinary Spiritual Detection could at most sense a general direction.

"Doubt is normal."

Gu Yuejin smiled and patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder.

"Yuhao, show these seniors a thing or two."

"Yes, Master."

Huo Yuhao smiled slightly, purple-gold light swirling within his eyes.

"Spiritual Detection Share, activate!"

Hum—

An invisible mental fluctuation instantly covered the four people present.

The next second.

"What the hell?!"

Ma Rulong cursed out loud and jumped up abruptly.

The aloofness that Xiao Hongchen had maintained instantly collapsed; he opened his mouth wide, staring blankly at his surroundings.

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

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

Everything around them, even the dust in their blind spots, was clearly visible in their minds!

Even the trajectory of the flowing air and the frequency of mosquitoes flapping their wings in the distance were slowed down, analyzed, and presented in the form of data!

Omnidirectional, no blind spots, a god's-eye view!

"This... what kind of soul skill is this?!"

Ma Rulong said with a trembling voice, "This is practically a cheat code! With this, you could hit someone even with your eyes closed!"

"This is truly a divine skill!" Xiao Hongchen had to admit it as well, and the way he looked at Huo Yuhao changed completely.

The initial trace of contempt vanished in an instant.

With a support like this, the combat effectiveness of the Reserve Team would increase by at least thirty percent!

"Now, are there any more questions?"

Gu Yuejin looked at the three stunned individuals and nodded with satisfaction.

"No! Absolutely none!"

Ma Rulong shouted the loudest. "Junior Brother Huo! From now on, you are my own brother! Wherever you say to strike, I'll strike!"

Meanwhile.

Shrek Academy, Freshman Class One training ground.

The scorching sun hung high in the sky.

A group of students wearing heavy iron vests were running across the field, sweating profusely.

The heavy iron vests made it hard for them to breathe, their clothes were soaked through with sweat, and every step felt as heavy as if their legs were filled with lead.

This kind of near-primitive physical training did not actually provide much of a boost to soul power for a Soul Master; it was more of a form of physical torture.

"Huff... huff..."

Xiao Xiao's small face was flushed red, and she followed behind Wang Dong, panting heavily, feeling as if her lungs were about to burst.

"Wang Dong... what is the point of this weighted running anyway?"

Xiao Xiao complained in a low voice. "Isn't this just pure torture? We are Soul Masters, not laborers..."

Wang Dong wiped the sweat from his forehead, his peerlessly handsome face also filled with exhaustion.

He was equally confused.

In his view, this training method was far too inefficient, perhaps even foolish.

But he dared not question it.

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

Wang Dong shook his head, trying to comfort himself and Xiao Xiao with these words.

"Perhaps it is to temper our willpower? Or maybe... there is some special method hidden within these iron vests to stimulate physical potential?"

Although he said this, as he looked at the old woman in the distance—who wore a mask, held a teaching rod, and supervised everyone with a cold expression—his doubts only grew heavier.

Is this really the standard expected of the "Number One Academy on the Continent"—a teaching style that only knows how to squeeze every ounce of physical strength out of its students and threatens expulsion at the slightest provocation?

Just then.

Wang Dong suddenly stopped in her tracks, subconsciously turning her head to look back at the track behind her.

It was empty, save for a few nameless background students struggling to drag themselves forward.

In that instant.

A massive sense of emptiness welled up in Wang Dong's heart for no apparent reason.

It felt as if someone should have been there.

Someone who could run side-by-side with her, someone who could give her a hand when she was tired, someone who could share this inexplicable "special training" with her.

"Strange..."

Wang Dong muttered to herself, touching her chest.

"Why do I keep feeling like... something is missing?"