The Team Takes Shape, on the Eve of Soul Fighting Arena Training

Yu Tianxin withdrew his martial soul, and the phantom of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon slowly faded behind him.

Then he raised his head and cupped his fists toward me, bowing even deeper than he had when we first met.

"I lost. Completely and utterly."

Lei Dong stood behind him, and the gloating expression on his face had long since shattered into nothing. He looked at Yu Tianxin, then at the ten-thousand-year soul ring still beneath my feet. His Adam's apple bobbed before he finally cupped his fists as well, his voice a full eight notes lower than before. "I'm convinced too."

Yu Tianxin straightened and turned to Lei Dong. "Go tell them. The captain has changed." His tone was calm, without the slightest trace of reluctance.

He led Qing Luo, Yu Xiaolou, and me through the Genius Class training grounds to an independent cultivation room on the other side of the back mountain. When he pushed open the door, two young men inside were sparring.

One was powerfully built, with broad shoulders and arms as solid as steel cables. He held a thunder drum the size of a washbasin in his palm, lightning constantly leaping across its surface. The other was thin and tall, standing in the corner with a turtle-shell shield half a person tall floating before him, its surface covered in lightning patterns.

"Stop for a moment. Let me introduce your new captain."

The burly young man put away his thunder drum and wiped the sweat from his forehead. The lanky youth recalled his turtle-shell shield and turned around, studying me carefully.

"Lei Jiu, rank thirty-four. Martial soul: Thunder Drum. Support-type." The burly youth patted his chest.

"Lei Li, rank thirty-six. Martial soul: Thunder Turtle. Defense-type." The lanky youth spoke steadily and gave me a nod.

"Yu Tianlin, rank thirty-three, assault-type. These two are my companions: Qing Luo, rank twenty-four, control-type; Yu Xiaolou, rank twenty-two, agility attack-type." I introduced myself, Qing Luo, and Yu Xiaolou in turn.

Lei Jiu looked me up and down, about to offer some polite greeting, when Yu Tianxin casually added from the side, "Tianlin and I sparred just now. He didn't use a single soul skill, yet he smashed apart my second soul skill head-on. His third soul ring is ten thousand years old."

Lei Jiu's mouth fell open into a circle. Lei Li's brows shot up, and a sharp glint flashed through his eyes.

"A ten-thousand-year third ring? He beat Brother Tianxin without using a single soul skill?"

Lei Jiu rushed in front of me. "Captain, you're this strong? I'll follow you from now on!"

Lei Li walked over and asked seriously, "I heard you killed two Soul Kings by yourself. Did you kill them head-on, or use some other method?"

"Head-on," I answered.

Lei Li fell silent for a moment, then nodded and returned to where he had been standing. His attitude was clear. There was no need to question the new captain's strength.

And just like that, this four-man team that had originally centered around Yu Tianxin had a new captain.

The next morning, at the back mountain training grounds.

The six of us stood in a line. Yu Tianxin was assault-type, Yu Xiaolou was agility attack-type, Lei Dong and Qing Luo were control-type, Lei Jiu was support-type, and Lei Li was defense-type. The team was still missing a healing-type Spirit Master.

"From today onward, I'll be arranging all training. Before we begin, I need a thorough understanding of everyone's abilities. Lei Dong, you're first."

Lei Dong stepped forward and released his Thunder Spider martial soul. A blue spider phantom appeared behind him, fine arcs of electricity coiling around its eight legs. His soul ring configuration was two yellow and one purple, and he was rank thirty-seven. He raised a hand toward a dead tree ten paces away, and his first soul ring lit up.

"My first soul skill is Thunder Spider Silk: single-target restraint with lightning shock paralysis. Its range is twenty paces, and it's sticky enough to trap a Spirit Master below rank forty for at least three breaths. My second skill is Thunder Spider Thorn, and my third is Thunder Web. Both are mainly focused on control and paralysis."

After speaking, he withdrew the spider silk and looked at me. I nodded.

"Thunder Spider Silk has excellent control precision, but its range is too short. In team battles, you'll need someone to cover your approach. Thunder Web's area control is your greatest weapon, but its coverage is too limited. Future training will focus on increasing its range and area of effect."

Lei Dong froze for a moment, then nodded instinctively.

"Lei Jiu."

Lei Jiu set the Thunder Drum before him and struck its surface three times in rapid succession. Three muffled booms like rolling thunder erupted, and a layer of pale purple lightning rose over all five of us. I felt the circulation of Soul Power within my body immediately speed up, while the lightning spiritual energy around us became at least twenty percent more active than usual.

"My first soul skill is Thunder Drum Inspiration, an area enhancement that gives all allies' soul skills lightning-attribute damage. My second soul skill is War Drum Thunder Sound, which applies pressure and weakening effects to enemies, slowing the circulation of their Soul Power. My third soul skill is Thunder Drum Heavy Strike, a single-target enhancement that doubles the power of one ally's next attack. But the third soul skill consumes a lot. After using it once, I need half a day to recover."

Lei Jiu scratched his head with a simple-minded grin. Support-type Spirit Masters were usually the least conspicuous members in a team battle, but his abilities surprised me.

Especially his third soul skill. Doubling a single attack's power—if it were added to my Azure Dragon Halberd at a crucial moment, it would be a trump card capable of deciding victory with one blow.

"Not bad. From now on, stay in the rear. Lei Li will protect you. Do not move forward without my orders."

"Understood!" Lei Jiu slapped the drum surface and happily retreated to the back row.

"Lei Li."

Lei Li stepped forward and released his Thunder Turtle Shield. Lightning flowed across its surface, while faint electric arcs danced within its cracked patterns. He slammed the shield against the ground with both hands, and it abruptly expanded from half a person tall to the height of a person. A lightning barrier covered an area three paces wide in front of him.

"My first soul skill is Thunder Turtle Shield Guard, single-target defense. It triples the shield's size. My second soul skill is Thunder Turtle Shell Counter, a defensive counterattack that automatically releases lightning shock paralysis against attackers when struck. My third soul skill is Thunder Turtle Formation Wall, area defense. It can protect three teammates at once."

His introduction was brief.

"Thunder Turtle Shield Guard can protect one person, Formation Wall can protect a group, and Shell Counter combines defense with offense. Your defensive ability is already quite good among Spirit Masters of the same rank. But there's one problem. Your entire defense relies on facing the enemy with your shield. Your flanks and back are exposed. If an opponent bypasses your shield and attacks your teammates from the side, what will you do?"

Lei Li was silent for two seconds. "I'm not fast enough. If they circle behind me, I really can't keep up."

"It's not a speed issue. You need a control-type teammate beside you. From now on, Lei Dong will partner with you. He can set Thunder Spider Silk traps on both sides of your shield. Leave the flanks to him."

Lei Dong and Lei Li exchanged a glance and nodded at the same time.

Yu Tianxin watched the entire process from the side without saying a word.

As the former captain, he watched the new captain grasp everyone's abilities clearly in only half a day and give each person targeted training directions. A subtle expression appeared on his face.

He was glad that he had lost earlier, and even more glad that the team had gained someone who truly understood command.

After learning everyone's abilities, I had a clear picture of this team's composition.

Yu Tianxin and I provided assault, Lei Dong and Qing Luo provided control, Lei Jiu provided support, and Lei Li provided defense. The six-person lineup could already handle ordinary team battles, but it had one obvious weakness: no healing.

Healing-type Spirit Masters were already rare on Douluo Continent, and those who could truly cultivate to a high level were even rarer.

There were only enough truly top-tier healing-type Spirit Masters to count on one hand.

The one I valued most among them was Ye Lingling. Her martial soul, the Nine Heart Begonia, was the supreme martial soul among healing-types. So long as her Soul Power was not exhausted, dying was nearly impossible.

According to the original timeline, she should have been in Yu Tianheng's team by now. Yu Tianheng was the ace of Heaven Dou Royal Academy and Yu Yuanzhen's grandson.

If I could bring Ye Lingling over, the final piece of our team would be complete. But the problem was that she was in Yu Tianheng's team, and Yu Tianheng was Yu Yuanzhen's descendant. By seniority, he was my clan cousin.

Poaching someone from my own clan cousin's team would not sound very good if word got out. But what if I changed my approach? What if I brought Yu Tianheng's entire team under my command?

"Tianlin, what are you thinking about?" Yu Tianxin came over.

"I'm thinking about how to bring Yu Tianheng's team over too."

Yu Tianxin looked at me in surprise.

His cousin's team was Heaven Dou Royal Academy's ace squad. There was no need to mention their captain, Yu Tianheng. Their vice-captain, Dugu Yan, possessed extremely powerful poison. The brothers Shi Mo and Shi Mo had defensive power that was nearly impossible to break among Spirit Masters of the same rank. With the supreme healing-type Ye Lingling added in, the team's composition was practically perfect.

"Tianlin, are you serious?" Yu Tianxin's tone was cautious.

"I'm serious. One team isn't enough. We need at least two. The Continental Advanced Elite Spirit Master Tournament isn't one person's stage. It's a contest between teams."

The back mountain fell silent for a moment. The wind rustled through the branches of the dead trees.

Lei Li was the first to speak. "I agree."

Lei Jiu struck the drum with a mallet, producing a booming thud. "Let's do it!"

Yu Tianxin looked at me and slowly smiled. That smile held both emotion and a trace of anticipation. "I know Tianheng's side well. If you need me to make introductions, just say the word."

I shook my head. "No need. In a few days, we'll all go to that place together. It'll also be a good chance to gain practical combat experience."