Tactics

The ceiling of the Training Room emitted a low hum as the metal support frames vibrated slightly, the dim spotlights casting a shadow over the bruise on the right side of Situ Xuan's face.

He slowly lifted his chin, his gaze sweeping over the five people before him, lingering on Tang Wulin for a brief moment before drifting away dismissively.

"What do you think?"

Watching the five of them looking as if they were facing a formidable enemy, Wu Zhangkong nodded with satisfaction. "Do you have any opinions?"

Situ Xuan shook his head and let out a scoff. "What opinions could I possibly have? Didn't I just agree to your request, Teacher, to test the mettle of these losers?"

As soon as these words were spoken, they immediately stirred the indignation of the five.

"Hey! Situ Xuan, we're giving you some face, but are you really going to let it go to your head?"

As the most hot-tempered of the five, Xie Xie already had a poor impression of Situ Xuan, so he naturally bristled at the remark: "You don't actually think we're afraid of you, do you?"

Situ Xuan looked Xie Xie up and down and spoke with contempt: "Isn't this just the carried dog who only knows how to run his mouth?"

"If it weren't for Tang Wulin and Gu Yue, would you even have the chance to stand here and bark at me?"

During the Class Promotion Tournament between Grade One Class Five and Grade One Class Three, Xie Xie had arrogantly stepped up to restrain Situ Xuan, only to be knocked out of the fight with a single punch and then held up by one hand to be mocked.

With the humiliating incident brought up again, Xie Xie's face flushed with rage. He was just about to say something when he was interrupted by Wu Zhangkong.

"Enough! Whatever grudges you have, you can settle them when you fight in a moment."

Wu Zhangkong checked the timer in his hand. "You have three minutes to discuss your tactics."

"Once the time is up, the live combat begins."

Situ Xuan walked lazily to the corner of the Training Room, leaning against the wall and closing his eyes.

Although his posture appeared relaxed, his ears twitched slightly, capturing every word and every breath from the five people opposite him.

The dim light cast intersecting shadows across his face, hiding half of it in darkness, leaving only that faint, elusive curve of a smile.

He seemed indifferent, but in reality, his soul power had already silently spread across the entire arena like an invisible spiderweb, waiting for the prey to walk right into the trap.

--How exactly would the five of them respond?

On the other side, Tang Wulin and the other four quickly gathered together.

The expressions on everyone's faces were tight; even Xie Xie, usually the most restless of the group, had reined in his playful smile, his eyes turning grave.

They were geniuses, the top students of Eastsea Academy, but the Situ Xuan before them was the monster who had once crushed several opponents single-handedly during the Class Promotion Tournament.

"What do we do?"

Zhang Yangzi asked in a low voice, his fingers clenching slightly as black soul power flickered in his palms. Wang Jinxi stood beside him, and the two exchanged a tacit look, clearly having prepared for something.

Tang Wulin took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over the group, his voice steady and clear: "We have only one goal—to win."

"If we go head-to-head, none of us has the confidence to secure a complete victory against him alone."

He paused, his finger tapping lightly on the ground to draw a simple tactical diagram. "Therefore, we need to divide our roles."

"Zhang Yangzi, Wang Jinxi, you two use your martial soul fusion skill to restrain his movements directly from the front, giving him no room to breathe."

Zhang Yangzi frowned slightly: "But when we fought him before, he broke through our martial soul fusion skill instantly."

"That was because he wasn't using his full strength."

Tang Wulin said in a deep voice, "This time is different. He is only one person after all, and we—are five."

Wang Jinxi nodded, his black mist-like soul power quietly winding around his arms: "We can try."

"Gu Yue."

Tang Wulin turned to the silent black-haired girl beside him. "You are the strongest elemental controller among us. I'll leave the elemental resources of the entire arena to you. Suppress him from a distance and provide us with support."

Gu Yue's eyes narrowed, her fingertips lifting slightly. Faint elemental fluctuations appeared in the air—wind, fire, lightning, water, earth, light, and darkness. The seven elements swirled around her fingertips, eventually turning into a wisp of silver light that silently merged into the ground.

"Fine." She agreed concisely.

"Xie Xie."

Tang Wulin finally looked at the boy who was already raring to go.

"I know, I know!"

Xie Xie grinned, his fingers flicking the short blades at his waist as a cold light flashed. "Don't worry, my mission is—to give him a heavy blow the moment he lets his guard down!"

"No."

Tang Wulin shook his head. "Your mission isn't to ambush him, but to—force him to move."

"What do you mean?" Xie Xie was stunned.

"He understands you and knows your speed, so he will subconsciously guard against your surprise attacks. That is when he will be forced to adjust his position."

Tang Wulin's eyes were sharp. "And as soon as he moves, Gu Yue will control his landing spot, and Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi will be able to seize the opportunity to seal off his retreat."

Xie Xie's eyes lit up: "You mean... we aren't going to fight him head-on, but force him to step into a trap himself?"

"Exactly."

Tang Wulin nodded. "He is very strong, but in a five-on-one, he cannot handle every direction at once."

"Three minutes are up."

In the distance, the voice of Wu Zhangkong rang out coldly.

The five of them immediately stood firm, each distancing themselves as their gazes locked onto Situ Xuan in the corner.

And he, too, finally opened his eyes slowly.

--In that instant, the air inside the Training Room seemed to freeze for a moment.

Situ Xuan straightened his body, that same half-smile still hanging on the corners of his lips, but his eyes had changed.

They were no longer lazy, but instead—the sharpness of a predator.

"You may begin."

Situ Xuan stood in the center of the training ground, his hands casually tucked into his trouser pockets. A faint, elusive arc hung on his lips, and his eyes shimmered with a light of contempt, as if those standing before him were not five geniuses of the same rank, but a group of prey waiting to be slaughtered.

"Are you ready?"

Situ Xuan asked lazily, his voice laced with undisguised mockery. "If you don't start soon, I'm going to fall asleep."

The five people opposite him had already assumed their combat stances. Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi stood at the very front, and eerie black currents began to emerge from their bodies, intertwining and weaving together. Their martial soul fusion skill—Dark Eagle Dragon—was gradually taking shape.

Is he waiting for us to complete our martial soul fusion skill?

Zhang Yangzi felt a jolt of alarm, and his movements faltered for a split second.

"Don't get distracted!"

Tang Wulin shouted in a low voice, "No matter what he's planning, stick to the plan!"

"Arrogant!"

Xie Xie gritted his teeth, his fingers pressing against the short blades at his waist, ready to launch a surprise attack at any moment.

A strange light flashed in the eyes of Gu Yue.

She secretly mobilized the elemental power in the air, and the temperature within the training ground began to change subtly.

But to her shock, Situ Xuan's gaze suddenly shifted toward her, and the smile on his lips deepened.