Rumor had it that Feng Xiaotian had indeed neglected his studies. Despite being a genius with Innate Full Soul Power, he was only in the thirties at nineteen. That was a dismal showing.
But no rumor had ever said Feng Xiaotian was a weakling.
"A genius of his caliber gave up cultivating to pursue a Self-Created Soul Skill. After all these years, he must have a few extraordinary trump cards."
"Don't underestimate him. He's on the roster, so Godwind Academy must be extremely confident in his strength."
Lei Meng steadied himself and nodded solemnly.
He had not known Qin Yuan long, but Qin Yuan never joked at a critical moment. If he said so, he had his reasons.
The first match arrived soon enough.
The Thunder Battle Team was evenly matched with Godwind, the Imperial Fighting Team, and the Star Luo Royal Battle Team.
Whether they could make the top three would come down largely to luck.
As things stood, though, the Thunder Team's luck was rotten to the core.
The Spirit Hall Team had a Soul King, while everyone else was between levels forty-four and forty-six. Every member was at least a Soul Ancestor.
Like the other three Battle Teams, Thunder Academy fielded Soul Ancestors in every position except support.
But compared with the Spirit Hall Academy Team, they were nowhere close.
This year's Thunder Academy Battle Team had neither Yu Tianxin nor anyone Qin Yuan knew.
They were destined to be eliminated, and Qin Yuan had no intention of paying them much attention.
In the blink of an eye, two of the three matches to decide the finalists had ended.
The Spirit Hall Academy Team and the Star Luo Royal Academy Team had already secured their places.
Whether the Imperial Fighting Team reached the finals depended on how they performed in this match.
Before the match, Qin Yuan replaced the team's Support System Soul Master with Ye Lingling.
The Godwind Team's attributes countered their original support Soul Master. Sending that teammate out anyway would only hand the enemy an opening.
Just before entering, Ye Lingling asked, her face tight with nerves, "Teacher Qin, will I really be all right?"
Qin Yuan took her hand and encouraged her. "Believe in yourself. Your healing ability is more than enough to help the team win."
Ye Lingling had little tournament experience, and what she had endured at the junior Soul Master Academy had left her withdrawn.
Under the crushing pressure of a match like this, she could not help fearing she would drag the team down.
As Qin Yuan and her teammates encouraged her one after another, Ye Lingling rallied. She looked toward the Arena with determination. "I'll do my best!"
The two teams entered through the competitors' tunnels on opposite sides.
The competitors already knew one another. Once they stepped onto the Arena, Zhao Xiao could not resist asking, "Oh? Lei Meng, in a match this important, the Imperial Fighting Team actually dares to field a substitute?"
No matter how many Spirit Rings Ye Lingling had, she possessed only one Soul Skill—healing.
The Godwind Team's attributes countered the previous support Soul Master, and most of their prematch tactics had targeted that teammate.
Ye Lingling's appearance had genuinely disrupted their plans. Of course, they had plenty of backup tactics and would not be thrown onto the defensive by this alone.
Lei Meng snorted. He had no obligation to explain himself. "No matter who we field, we'll settle this match with our own hands!"
Zhao Xiao shrugged, then returned to his team and exchanged a few words with Feng Xiaotian at the rear.
The spectators did not have to wait long. The match began.
In an Extreme-Flow Style team like the Godwind Battle Team, all seven members' attributes complemented one another. They generally needed to seize the initiative early in a team battle.
Their moves were limited, after all. If they could not gain the upper hand, a balanced team like the Imperial Fighting Team could defeat them with ease.
The Imperial Fighting Team formed a defensive array, leaving only Lei Meng at the front and willingly surrendering the first move.
In the rest area.
Teacher Jiang watched the situation shift on the Arena and could not help asking, "Teacher Qin, do you think the Imperial Fighting Team has any hope of winning?"
He was not a frontline instructor, after all. His grasp of team battles fell far short of the other teachers', let alone Qin Yuan's wealth of combat experience.
Qin Yuan was no Daoist priest who could tell fortunes by counting on his fingers.
He had done everything he could. The rest was up to Lei Meng and the others.
"From the sidelines, it's easy to spot the Godwind Team's weak point. But those in the thick of it can't see clearly. I only hope Lei Meng finds the opening before Zhao Xiao does and breaks the deadlock."
Plenty of people were watching this match. The two Battle Teams already through wanted to know whom they would face in the finals.
Neither wanted to face the Imperial Fighting Team, with its more balanced lineup.
Star Luo Royal Academy had even prepared a trump-card strategy specifically for the Godwind Academy Team.
Lei Meng lived up to his name: his attacks were fierce.
On the Arena, he single-handedly withstood Feng Xiaotian and Zhao Xiao attacking from both sides.
His gaze was sharp and his blade work keener still. With only the Thunder Blade, he held off the immense pressure bearing down on his team's front line!
Feng Xiaotian and Zhao Xiao excelled at speed. To hold the line, Lei Meng had no choice but to swing his blade faster.
Yet he had not even mastered the basics of the Virtual Reality Saber Technique. The intense, relentless fighting placed tremendous strain on his wrist. If it slipped out of joint, the balance would shatter in an instant.
Then the Imperial Fighting Team would collapse like an avalanche.
"I can't fall!" Lei Meng gritted his teeth and endured the stabbing pain in his wrist.
The Thunder Blade flashed again and again, feints and genuine strikes intertwined. His opponents did not dare relax for a moment.
The beginner stage of the Virtual Reality Saber Technique required only technical proficiency. Beyond that, it demanded a feel for the blade.
For instance, a strike begun in earnest could be stripped of its force mid-swing as the battlefield changed, turning it into a feint.
In Qin Yuan's eyes, Lei Meng had not even mastered the basics, yet he had somehow grasped the feel of the advanced stage.
Put simply, he had not learned to walk, but he could already run—stumbling all the way.
Qin Yuan stopped explaining the battle to Teacher Jiang and fixed a fervent gaze on the Arena.
The pressure of adversity often brought out a Soul Master's potential.
If Lei Meng's blade work underwent a transformation today and the Imperial Fighting Team won, Qin Yuan's Commissioned Tasks would be complete.
On the Arena.
Zhao Xiao's expression darkened. During a lull in the fighting, he called to Feng Xiaotian, "His blade work has improved too much since a few months ago. Xiaotian, can you keep him busy? I'll find a way to take out the others first."
Lei Meng's mastery of the blade was extraordinary for someone his age.
Could the rumors be true? Was Qin Yuan not only gifted at cultivating himself, but also at teaching others?
If Lei Meng's progress really was thanks to Qin Yuan, then Qin Yuan was terrifying.
The continent had no shortage of gifted Soul Masters, but most excelled only themselves. Their paths to success could not be replicated by others.
Qin Yuan, however, was formidable himself, and the students he taught were no less impressive.
Compared with someone who was merely powerful, a master like Qin Yuan—strong in his own right and capable of training outstanding disciples—was bound to be coveted by every faction!
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