Battle Against the Scarlet Team

Early the next morning, before the sky had fully brightened, the morning wind carried a chill as it poured in from the street, making the huge match schedule board at the entrance rustle loudly.

The seven of us crossed the empty reception hall and headed straight for the team registration desk.

The staff member on duty had been replaced by a young man with dark circles under his eyes and messy hair. Half a cup of cold tea from the night before sat before him; he had clearly been working the night shift. Seeing the seven of us come to register so early in the morning, he yawned and pushed a team registration form across the counter.

"Team name." His voice was listless.

I picked up a pen and wrote five characters in the team name field. The young staffer took the form and glanced at it, his yawn stopping halfway. He looked up at me, then down at the form again. The sleepiness on his face was replaced by an extremely complicated expression, as though he were wavering between Is this guy serious? and This name doesn't seem to violate any rules.

He opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing. He quickly stamped the form and put it away.

"Ji Ni Tai Mei Team, registration successful. Your team battle will be at East District No. 3 Arena. There is still half an hour until the match begins, so you may wait in the preparation area. Iron Soul-level team battles are randomly matched. Information about your opponents will not be announced until before you take the stage."

The preparation area was in a long corridor beside the arena. Several rows of hardwood benches lined both sides, while records of previous team battles hung on the walls.

By the time we arrived, two or three teams were already sitting in the corridor. Some were quietly discussing tactics, while others rested with their eyes closed. I found a corner against the wall and gestured for everyone to gather around.

"Until we obtain Silver Soul badges, no one is allowed to use their third soul skill. Exceptions may be made in special circumstances, and I will judge those circumstances on the spot."

Lei Dong's brows furrowed first, but he did not dare speak up first. Lei Jiu clearly wanted to say something, his mouth opening halfway before Lei Li pressed a hand onto his shoulder from beside him, making him close it again. Yu Tianxin stood against the wall with his arms crossed and nodded.

"We really do need to hold back."

His tone was calm, without any objection. "With our current strength, we do not need them against Iron Soul-level opponents. Fighting while holding back will be a good way to temper the use of our first two soul skills."

Lei Jiu immediately raised his hand. "I strongly agree. My third soul skill consumes too much. After using it once, I need to rest for half a day. Even if you told me to use it, I might not want to."

Lei Dong finally could not hold it in anymore. "Captain, what if the control chain isn't stable enough without the control system using a third soul skill?"

He was a control-system soul master. His third soul skill, Thunder Web, was currently his strongest single-target control method. Forcing himself not to use it was equivalent to cutting off one of his own arms.

"Work with Qing Luo. Your first and second soul skills are both area-control abilities, while Qing Luo's Thorn Bind and Venom Python Constriction can fill the gaps in the control chain. With the two of you building the control chain, it will be enough even without your third soul skill."

Lei Dong glanced at Qing Luo, then at his own hands, before nodding thoughtfully.

"Brother Tian Lin, what about you?" Yu Xiaolou raised his hand and asked.

"I won't use any soul skills. I'll rely entirely on physical ability."

Silence fell for a full three seconds. Yu Tianxin abruptly turned to look at me, Lei Dong's eyes widened round, Lei Jiu cried out directly, and even a clear ripple of emotion appeared on Lei Li's usually expressionless face.

"Captain, do you mean you won't use soul skills?"

"Not entirely."

"You don't mean you won't even use your Martial Soul, do you? Isn't that too arrogant?"

"It's fine. I have a clear understanding of my own strength."

Another silence followed. Yu Xiaolou, however, wore an expression as though this were only natural. Back in the forest at Notting Academy, he had personally seen me smack Tang San's hidden weapons away with my bare hands. He had long known how strong I was in battle without soul skills, but it was only natural for the others to think I was being overconfident since they did not know that.

Lei Li was silent for two breaths before saying in a deep voice, "Without activating your Martial Soul or using soul skills, you'll be at a disadvantage against soul masters of the same rank, no matter how strong your physical ability is."

"Then you need to keep the opponents under control. As long as the control chain doesn't break, I can reap them without lifting a finger."

Just then, the announcement crystal at the end of the corridor lit up. Ji Ni Tai Mei Team versus Scarlet Team. The gazes of the other teams in the preparation area instantly converged on us. Some were sympathetic, some took pleasure in our misfortune, and others were simply watching for entertainment.

A young man in a gray combat outfit sat on the bench beside us. Seeing the matchup information on the crystal, he nudged his teammate beside him and spoke in a low voice, though I heard every word clearly.

"Scarlet Team won the Iron Soul monthly championship last time. Every member has reached level thirty, and their captain seems to be a level thirty-four assault-system soul master. This whatever 'Tai Mei Team' drew them in their first match. They're really unlucky."

Lei Jiu directly burst out laughing when he heard that. Everyone around us looked at him, and he awkwardly lowered his head, pretending to pick something up while his shoulders shook. Lei Dong turned his head and coughed, then jabbed him with his elbow to tell him to restrain himself.

I raised my right hand. The Power of Vegetation flowed through my palm, causing the air around us to ripple slightly. Strands of pale green light spilled from my fingertips and condensed in midair.

Two half Withered Wood Masks appeared out of thin air in my palm. Their wooden grain was rough and lifelike, their edges jagged and uneven. When worn, they covered exactly the upper half of the face. The Withered Wood Masks covered only half the face, but the wood grain and shadows were enough to alter one's facial contours.

I handed one of them to Yu Xiaolou. "The two of us showed ourselves at Notting Academy. To keep certain people from recognizing us, it's better to wear these."

Yu Xiaolou took the mask and immediately fastened it onto his face without a word. The mask was not large and covered only half his face, but the wood grain and shadows made his facial contours look completely different. Combined with the fact that he had grown quite a bit recently, it would be difficult for anyone who was not familiar with him to recognize him at a glance.

As for the others, Qing Luo was merely a maid from the sect, so no one would deliberately remember her appearance. Lei Dong, Lei Jiu, and Lei Li came from Thunder Academy and had no connection with Grandmaster and the others. Even if Yu Tianxin were exposed, it would not matter. Grandmaster and the others did not know that I was the core of this team, so Yu Tianxin had no need to disguise himself.

"Captain, what soul skill is this?" Lei Jiu leaned closer, staring at the other half-mask in my hand. "You can create something from nothing without even using your Martial Soul? This is more outrageous than a soul skill, isn't it?"

"It isn't a soul skill. Just a small application of the Power of Vegetation."

I fastened the mask onto my face and stood up. The signal light at the arena entrance had begun flashing, its white light flickering across the corridor walls. The gazes of the other teams in the preparation area were all glued to us, and some people had already begun quietly taking bets.

At the same time, the Shrek Seven Devils had just finished their soul battle with the Berserk Team and were heading toward the rest area with Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Xiaogang seemed to sense something. He looked to the right and spotted a familiar back.

"Isn't that Tianxin? Why is he here?"

Seeing his teacher standing there in a daze, Tang San asked, "Teacher, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I merely saw someone familiar. By the way, do you know that team over there?" Yu Xiaogang pointed in our direction.

The Shrek group shook their heads.

After thinking for a moment, Yu Xiaogang called the Shrek group over and headed toward the spectator area.