The bell signaling the end of class echoed through the teaching building of Shrek Outer Academy.
The freshmen of Class Nine were like birds let out of their cages. They gathered in twos and threes and hurried out of the classroom, eager to head to the training grounds or the Soul Fighting District to get used to their newly formed teams.
Xiao Yan walked at the front, leading Xiao Xiao, Ning Tian, and Wu Feng along the academy's paths with practiced ease until they reached the quiet grove by Sea God Lake.
If they wanted to build teamwork in the shortest possible time, there was no substitute for actual combat.
Ning Tian, Wu Feng, and Xiao Xiao stood together and quickly explained the effects, Soul Power costs, and attack ranges of their respective Soul Skills.
Xiao Xiao also said she would use her Second Martial Soul, the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, in battle. Her big brother had already trained her to use the Nine Phoenix Flute perfectly, so she wanted to challenge her own weakness!
Once they had finished discussing their plan, the three spread out and fixed their eyes on Xiao Yan, who stood more than ten meters away, hands clasped behind his back, ready to serve as their sparring partner.
The fight was about to begin.
Ning Tian struck first. Seven-colored light gathered in her palm as the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda spun rapidly.
"Seven Treasures Have Names: first, speed! Second, cleanse!" Two brilliant beams of colored light landed precisely on Wu Feng and Xiao Xiao.
With the dual boost of increased speed and the removal of negative effects, Wu Feng's eyes glowed red. Fine crimson dragon scales spread over her slender arms, and she became a blazing streak of fire as she charged straight at Xiao Yan.
Behind her, Xiao Xiao channeled her Soul Power. The Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron split into three, and the three cauldrons crashed toward Xiao Yan's escape routes from three tricky angles, trying to cut him off.
Faced with what seemed like a powerful combined attack, Xiao Yan didn't even summon the Fuxi Zither.
He simply raised his right hand and casually plucked at the empty air in front of him twice.
"Clang! Clang!"
Two invisible blades of sound surged out.
The first precisely cut off the Soul Power trajectory for the boost Ning Tian had been preparing to follow up with. The second exploded along the path Wu Feng had to take, sending the air into a violent shudder.
Wu Feng's charge was checked, and she lost her balance in midair.
At that moment, the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldrons Xiao Xiao controlled came crashing down.
With no teamwork between them, they not only failed to block Xiao Yan's escape routes; the heavy black cauldron nearly hit Wu Feng as she tried to regain her balance, forcing her to roll clumsily across the ground to barely dodge it.
The battle began quickly and ended even faster.
The three fought on their own, their skills clashing into chaos. They hadn't even touched the hem of Xiao Yan's clothes before their formation fell apart.
Xiao Yan lowered his right hand and looked at the three of them, panting and dejected.
"Your raw strength is indeed impressive compared to the others." Xiao Yan pointed out the problem without holding back.
"With your advantage in rank, you can steamroll most freshman teams. But if you run into a team with a Martial Soul Fusion Skill or exceptional tactical discipline, this teamwork that keeps getting in each other's way will only give them an opening."
Ning Tian and Xiao Xiao exchanged glances, while Wu Feng gritted her teeth in frustration.
But they all knew Xiao Yan was telling the truth.
Seeing their downcast expressions, the Fuxi Bagua formation in Xiao Yan's eyes turned quietly.
He had agreed to be their sparring partner, after all. He ought to offer them something more substantial.
He spread his arms, and moon-white and purple-gold light gleamed as the complete Fuxi Zither floated before him.
"Stand still, close your eyes, and lower the defenses of your Sea of Consciousness." Xiao Yan placed his hands on the strings.
The three didn't understand what he meant, but obediently did as he asked.
Xiao Yan's ten fingers plucked the strings. A strange, ethereal, profound melody drifted through the grove.
Phantom Dream: Martial Drill Melody.
The melody carried neither killing intent nor any enhancement. It had only one purpose—to weave an illusion.
As the music reached their ears, Ning Tian and the others felt their eyelids grow unbearably heavy. The sounds of Sea God Lake and the rustle of wind through the leaves quickly faded into the distance.
Their consciousness slipped briefly into darkness. When they opened their eyes again, they found themselves no longer in the grove by Sea God Lake, but on a vast, circular arena paved with pure white stone.
The sky was gray and hazy, and there was nothing around them.
Xiao Yan's clear voice rang out above this strange space, echoing in every corner.
"Welcome to the Dream Arena. Here, I'll conjure the most suitable opponents for you. You can keep fighting in this dream and build up experience, without worrying about physical injuries."
Before the three could recover from their surprise, light flickered across the pure white ground before them.
Three figures dressed in black martial uniforms and with blurred faces materialized out of thin air.
Judging by the Soul Power they gave off, every one of them was a genuine high-ranked Soul Elder!
And their formation was meticulously arranged: one defender, one controller, and one Power Attack fighter. They covered one another's flanks and had no weaknesses.
"First match, begin."
At Xiao Yan's declaration, the three black figures launched their attack.
Combat in the dream was no different from reality. Pain and Soul Power consumption were perfectly simulated.
Under this relentless training, Xiao Xiao, Ning Tian, and Wu Feng were brutally beaten.
In the first match, Wu Feng got separated from her teammates and was taken down by concentrated fire in less than three minutes. Ning Tian and Xiao Xiao were defeated soon after.
In the fifth match, Xiao Xiao's cauldron landed in the wrong place, blocking Wu Feng's retreat. The whole team was wiped out.
In the twelfth match, Ning Tian's boost came half a beat too late, and their defense collapsed.
They had lost nineteen matches in a row!
Those nineteen high-intensity battles pushed their muscle memory and mental reflexes to their limits.
With no way out in this space, the proud young mistress of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect, the unruly Red Dragon Soul Master, and the fiercely competitive Twin Martial Soul prodigy finally smoothed out their rough edges. They began to truly pay attention to their teammates' movements, breathing, and the tells that came before their Soul Skills.
The twentieth match.
The Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda in Ning Tian's hand shone at the perfect moment. Xiao Xiao's Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron precisely blocked the enemy control-type Soul Master's skill, and Wu Feng used the cauldron for cover as she unleashed her strongest attack. The Red Dragon Claw tore through the enemy defense-type Soul Master's shield.
"Boom!"
A violent collision of energy erupted in the center of the arena. Both sides' attacks struck their targets at the same time.
A draw.
At that moment, the gray mist in the sky churned violently. Cracks spread across the pure white arena, and then it shattered with a crash.
Back in the real world, by Sea God Lake,
the sky had already been dyed a dusky yellow by twilight.
Xiao Xiao, Ning Tian, and Wu Feng opened their eyes at the same time.
Their eyes still held the excitement of the dream battle. Even though they had only managed a draw, the satisfaction of fighting in such perfect sync left them eager for more.
"Just a little more! We were so close to winning!" Wu Feng clenched her fist and looked at Xiao Yan with regret.
"Class monitor, let's go again! This time we'll definitely beat those three phantoms!"
Ning Tian and Xiao Xiao nodded over and over, raring to go.
Xiao Yan didn't answer. Instead, he stepped forward.
He raised his right hand and, without the slightest hesitation, gave each of them a sharp flick on the forehead.
"Thok! Thok! Thok!"
The three covered their foreheads and recoiled in pain, their faces full of grievance.
"Do you think the Dream Arena is free to use?" Xiao Yan lowered his hand and looked at the three tireless battle fanatics.
"Every injury you suffer in the dream, every Soul Skill you release, consumes your real mental strength. Your Sea of Consciousness is already pushed to its limit."
He pointed at their slightly unfocused eyes.
"You may feel fine now, but that's just the illusion of being worked up. In less than half an hour, I guarantee you'll all pass out on the spot. Still want to keep going? Just wait until you can't get up tomorrow morning and miss the Freshman Assessment. Then you'll have something to cry about."
Hearing Xiao Yan's stern warning, the three looked at one another. Only then did they notice the sharp, needle-like pain deep in their minds and the exhaustion they could barely resist. They could only smile awkwardly.
Xiao Xiao was the best at reading people's expressions. She immediately stepped forward, wrapped her arms around Xiao Yan's, and gave it a gentle shake, pleading sweetly to smooth things over.
"Brother, I know I was wrong. We've been at it for so long that I'm starving. Let's go get dinner first, okay?"
Ning Tian, a genuine rich young lady, chimed in at just the right moment, showing off the generosity of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect's young mistress. "It's on me today! Order whatever you like!"
With a rich young lady footing the bill, the mood instantly brightened.
The four left the grove and headed for the snack street outside the academy.
As night fell, the snack street bustled with people. The smell of grilled meat and spices wafted into their noses, making their mouths water.
The four sat down at a barbecue stall they often visited.
Ning Tian ordered a whole table's worth of the stall's signature skewers, and Xiao Xiao eagerly tucked in, holding a bamboo skewer.
Wu Feng held a skewer of lamb, grilled golden brown and glistening with oil, and chewed in great mouthfuls.
But as she chewed, she grew slower and slower. Her eyelids, as heavy as lead, began closing against her will.
As a pure Power Attack Battle Soul Master, she had the weakest mental strength of the three to begin with.
And she had charged at the front of the Dream Arena, enduring more "deaths" than anyone else.
Now that her taut nerves had relaxed, exhaustion burst over her like a dam giving way.
Her eyes rolled back, and her head suddenly pitched forward.
"Thud!"
Wu Feng's face slammed squarely into the wooden table piled with empty skewers. The grilled meat fell onto the plate, and she lost consciousness right there, out cold in spectacular fashion.
Less than three seconds later, a faint snore sounded.
The stall owner, who had been turning skewers nearby, heard the noise and turned around. The sight startled him so badly that the brush in his hand fell into the coals. He waved his hands repeatedly, his voice trembling.
"Y-young ladies, my meat is absolutely fresh! I didn't poison it!"
Ning Tian quickly reached out to check Wu Feng's breathing. Once she realized Wu Feng had only fallen asleep, she let out a long breath of relief, then explained to the stall owner that Wu Feng had fallen asleep from overtraining and paid him an extra Gold Soul Coin as compensation.
Naturally, dinner was off the table.
As the young mistress, Ning Tian could only carry her own guard, Wu Feng.
By the time they reached the freshman dormitory building, Ning Tian was at her limit too. Her eyelids drooped, and her steps wavered as if she were walking on cotton.
She forced herself to stay conscious long enough to say goodbye to Xiao Yan and Xiao Xiao, then staggered off toward her dormitory, dragging Wu Feng along.
Xiao Yan brought Xiao Xiao back to the corridor.
As soon as they reached his door, Xiao Xiao expertly put on a pitiful expression and grabbed the doorframe with both hands, trying her old trick of sneaking into his room.
"Brother, I feel so dizzy too. How about I stay with you tonight..."
Xiao Yan didn't even look at her polished performance. He gripped the doorknob and spoke in an even, utterly unaffected tone.
"Take your hands off. Go back and sleep."
Xiao Xiao pouted. Knowing that acting pitiful wouldn't work, she could only withdraw her hands reluctantly.
"Click."
Xiao Yan shut the door without mercy, cutting off all the noise outside.
He sat cross-legged in the middle of the bed, closed his eyes, and continued cultivating the Art of the Fuxi Emperor that night.