Tactics

A faint hum came from the metal supports in the training ground's ceiling as they vibrated slightly. Dim spotlights cast a shadow across the bruise on Situ Xuan's right cheek.

He slowly raised his chin, his gaze sweeping over the five people before him. It lingered briefly on Tang Wulin before drifting away lightly.

"What do you think?"

Seeing the five of them acting as if they faced a formidable enemy, Wu Zhangkong nodded in satisfaction. "Any objections?"

Situ Xuan shook his head and snorted. "What objections could I have? Didn't I just promise you, Teacher, that I'd test the mettle of these defeated opponents?"

The moment he said that, all five of them bristled with displeasure.

"Hey! Situ Xuan, give you an inch and you really take a mile, huh?"

Xie Xie had the hottest temper among the five and had never liked Situ Xuan to begin with. Naturally, he snapped, "You don't really think we're afraid of you, do you?"

Situ Xuan looked Xie Xie up and down before speaking contemptuously. "Isn't this the freeloader who only knows how to run his mouth?"

"If it hadn't been for Tang Wulin and Gu Yue, would you even have had the chance to stand before me and bark?"

During the Class Promotion Tournament between Class One-Five and Grade One Class Three, Xie Xie had confidently taken it upon himself to hold Situ Xuan back. Instead, he had been knocked out of combat with a single punch, then lifted one-handed and mocked.

With the humiliating incident brought up again, Xie Xie's face immediately flushed red with anger. Just as he was about to say something, Wu Zhangkong cut him off.

"Enough! Whatever grudges you have, settle them however you like once the fight begins."

Wu Zhangkong looked at the stopwatch in his hand. "You have three minutes to discuss your tactics."

"When time is up, the practical battle begins."

Situ Xuan lazily walked to a corner of the Training Room, leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes.

Though he appeared relaxed, his ears twitched faintly, catching every word and every breath from the five people opposite him.

The dim yellow light cast crisscrossing shadows over his face, hiding half of it in darkness and leaving only that barely perceptible curve at the corner of his mouth.

He seemed unconcerned, but in truth, his Soul Power had already silently spread throughout the entire area like an invisible spiderweb, waiting for its prey to walk into the net.

How would the five of them respond?

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

Everyone's expression tightened. Even Xie Xie, normally the most restless among them, had put away his playful grin, his gaze turning grave.

They were geniuses, the finest students at Eastsea Academy. Yet Situ Xuan, standing before them, was the monster who had once crushed several opponents all by himself in the Class Promotion Tournament.

"What do we do?"

Zhang Yangzi asked in a low voice, his fingers tightening slightly as black Soul Power flickered in and out of view in his palm. Wang Jinxi stood beside him, and the two exchanged a knowing glance, clearly having already made some preparations.

Tang Wulin drew a deep breath, his gaze passing over everyone as he spoke in a calm, clear voice. "The five of us have only one goal—win."

"In a direct clash, none of us can guarantee a complete victory against him alone."

He paused, lightly tapping the floor with a finger and drawing a simple tactical diagram. "So, we need to divide our roles."

"Zhang Yangzi, Wang Jinxi, you two will use your Martial Soul Fusion Skill to restrain his movements from the front. Don't give him any 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 going all out."

Tang Wulin said in a deep voice, "This time is different. He's only one person, while we—are five."

Wang Jinxi nodded as mist-like black Soul Power quietly coiled around his arm. "We can try."

"Gu Yue."

Tang Wulin turned toward the silent black-haired girl beside him. "You're the strongest Elemental Control user among us. Take charge of the elemental resources throughout the field, suppress him from range, and support the rest of us."

Gu Yue narrowed her eyes slightly and raised her fingertips. Faint elemental fluctuations immediately appeared in the air—wind, fire, lightning, water, earth, light, and darkness. The seven elements flowed around her fingers before finally turning into a wisp of silver light that silently sank into the ground.

"Okay." She agreed crisply.

"Xie Xie."

Finally, Tang Wulin looked toward the boy who was already itching to fight.

"I know, I know!"

Xie Xie grinned, lightly flicking the short blade at his waist with his fingertips. A cold gleam flashed. "Don't worry. My job is to give him a hard hit the moment he lets his guard down!"

"No."

Tang Wulin shook his head. "Your task isn't to ambush him. It's to force him to reposition."

"What do you mean?" Xie Xie froze.

"He knows you. He knows your speed, so he'll instinctively guard against your surprise attacks. When that happens, he'll be forced to adjust his position."

Tang Wulin's gaze sharpened. "And the moment he moves, Gu Yue will control where he lands. Then Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi can seize the chance and completely cut off his retreat."

Xie Xie's eyes lit up. "You mean... we're not going to face him head-on. We're going to make him step into the trap himself?"

"That's right."

Tang Wulin nodded. "He's strong, but in a one-against-five, he can't handle every direction at once."

"Three minutes are up."

Wu Zhangkong's cold voice rang out from afar.

The five immediately took their positions, spreading apart as their eyes all locked onto Situ Xuan in the corner.

And he finally opened his eyes slowly.

For that instant, the air within the Training Room seemed to freeze.

Situ Xuan straightened up, that faintly smiling curve still on his lips, but his eyes had changed.

They were no longer lazy. They were sharp with the edge of a hunter.

"You may begin."

Situ Xuan stood in the center of the training ground with both hands casually tucked into his pockets. A faint curve rested on his lips, while contempt gleamed in his eyes, as though the five geniuses standing before him were not peers at all, but a group of prey awaiting slaughter.

"Are you ready?"

Situ Xuan asked lazily, his voice filled with undisguised mockery. "If you don't start soon, I'll fall asleep."

The five people opposite him had already assumed their fighting stances. Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi stood at the front, strange black currents beginning to emerge from their bodies and intertwine with each other. Their Martial Soul Fusion Skill—Dark Eagle Dragon—was gradually taking shape.

"He's waiting for us to complete the Martial Soul Fusion Skill?"

Zhang Yangzi's heart jolted, and his movements hesitated involuntarily for an instant.

"Don't get distracted!"

Tang Wulin shouted in a low voice, "Whatever he's planning, follow the plan!"

"So arrogant!"

Xie Xie gritted his teeth, one hand pressed against the short blade at his waist, ready to launch a surprise attack at any moment.

A strange glimmer flashed through Gu Yue's eyes.

She secretly drew upon the elemental power in the air, and the temperature in the training ground began to shift subtly.

But what shocked her was that Situ Xuan's gaze suddenly turned toward her, and the smile on his lips deepened.