Post-Match Review! Undercurrents Stirring!

Upon returning to their quarters, Zhao Tian was immediately sent to the treatment room.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's accompanying healing-type Soul Master was a woman in her fifties. Her martial soul was the Healing Lily. Though she was only a Soul King, her expertise in healing ran extremely deep.

She carefully examined Zhao Tian's wounds, and her brow furrowed tighter and tighter.

"This child... has more than a dozen wounds on his body. None of them are deep, but he has lost quite a bit of blood."

"Fortunately, his bones and meridians were not injured. A few days of rest will be enough for him to recover."

Ning Rongrong stood to one side, her eyes red as her small hands tightly clutched the hem of her clothes.

"Then... can he still compete tomorrow?"

The healer looked at Zhao Tian, then at Ning Rongrong, and sighed.

"It would be best if he did not participate in tomorrow's final."

"Although the wounds are not deep, excessive blood loss will affect his reaction speed and Soul Power circulation. If he insists on competing, his chances of winning will be slim."

Ning Rongrong opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, she said nothing.

She turned to look at Zhao Tian.

Zhao Tian sat on the treatment bed, bare-chested and wrapped in bandages.

His face was somewhat pale, but his gaze remained calm.

"Teacher, I will participate in tomorrow's final."

Zhao Tian spoke.

"Tian'er!"

Ning Fengzhi entered from outside, his tone carrying a trace of concern.

"Your condition..."

"Teacher, I'm fine."

Zhao Tian cut him off.

"Today's injuries look frightening, but they are only superficial wounds. They did not harm my foundation."

"With the Radiant Divine Canon, I recover much faster than ordinary people. I'll be seventy to eighty percent recovered by tomorrow."

Ning Fengzhi looked into his resolute eyes, fell silent for a moment, then finally nodded.

"Very well. I respect your choice."

"But remember, losing the match does not matter. Your safety is the most important thing."

Zhao Tian nodded. "This disciple understands."

Back in his room, Zhao Tian sat cross-legged on the bed and began circulating the Radiant Divine Canon.

Golden light flowed across his body as Soul Power circulated repeatedly through his meridians. The Four Cultivation Systems activated at once.

Soul Power circulation accelerated the recovery of his injuries.

Body tempering enhanced the repair speed of his injured areas.

Soul cultivation soothed the depletion of his spiritual power.

Soul skill comprehension reviewed the gains and losses from every skill he had released in today's battle.

With his eyes closed, he replayed his battle with Feng Xiaotian from beginning to end in his mind as if watching a film.

From the moment Feng Xiaotian summoned his martial soul, to every exchange between them, to the final counterattack when he caught Feng Xiaotian during that brief interval as he drew breath...

He repeatedly examined and considered every detail.

"Feng Xiaotian's Gale Twenty-Six Consecutive Slashes really was powerful."

Zhao Tian silently summed it up in his heart.

"From the first slash to the twenty-third, its rhythm hardly changed. Its speed and power steadily increased."

"But between the twenty-third and twenty-fourth slashes, there was an extremely brief pause. That was when he took a breath."

"Though it lasted only an instant, as long as I seize that opportunity to counterattack, I can disrupt the rhythm of his consecutive slashes."

"If I encounter a similar consecutive-slash soul skill again, I can handle it the same way."

"However..."

Zhao Tian's brow furrowed slightly.

"Today's battle also exposed many of my problems."

"First, my speed is insufficient."

"Against a speed-type opponent like Feng Xiaotian, my movement speed could not keep up with his at all. I could only take his attacks passively."

"If my tempered body had not been tough enough, those Wind Blades would have already inflicted serious injuries on me."

"Second, I lack defensive methods."

"I only have offensive soul skills and no defensive soul skills. When facing opponents with strong attack power, I can only endure their attacks head-on."

"If I fought Yu Tianheng, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's attack power would be even more terrifying than Feng Xiaotian's Wind Blades. I'm afraid I would not be able to withstand many attacks."

"Third, my Soul Power consumption is too high."

"Though the soul skills from two soul rings are powerful, they also consume a great deal of Soul Power."

"By the later stages of today's battle, more than half of my Soul Power had already been consumed. If Feng Xiaotian had held out a little longer, I might have been the one to lose."

Zhao Tian listed every issue one by one, then began considering solutions.

His lack of speed could be improved through the higher-level body-tempering methods in the Radiant Divine Canon, or by hunting a speed-type soul beast after reaching level thirty.

His lack of defensive methods could be addressed by seeking soul rings suited for defense, or by practicing martial techniques to strengthen his resistance to blows.

As for the excessive Soul Power consumption, that was also something the Radiant Divine Canon could solve. As the Four Cultivation Systems deepened, both the quality and total amount of his Soul Power would gradually increase.

"Tomorrow's final opponent will most likely be Yu Tianheng."

At the thought of that name, Zhao Tian's expression turned solemn.

"His Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul is known for its attack power. With three soul rings, his attacks are even more terrifying than Feng Xiaotian's."

"Moreover, his defense is not weak either. The physical strength of dragon-type martial souls far surpasses that of ordinary martial souls."

"If I want to defeat him, I must not lose to him in speed and must suppress him in attack power."

"At the same time, I need to preserve enough Soul Power. I cannot end up lacking Soul Power in the later stages like I did today."

Zhao Tian took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

The Radiant Divine Canon operated at full force, and the golden light flowing across his body grew faster and faster.

He had to use tonight's rest to recover from his injuries as much as possible, restore his Soul Power, and improve his condition.

Tomorrow's final—he would stand on the arena in his best possible state.

In the room next door, Ning Rongrong sat on her bed with her arms around her knees, her little face filled with worry.

Today, she had secretly bestowed Power Amplification on Zhao Tian. Though no one had noticed, she still felt afraid afterward.

If it had been discovered, not only would Zhao Tian's eligibility be revoked, but the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's reputation would also suffer.

"Rongrong, what are you thinking about?"

Ning Fengzhi pushed open the door and, seeing his daughter like this, asked with concern.

"Dad..."

Ning Rongrong raised her head, hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke.

"Today... I secretly cast my first soul skill on Zhao Tian."

Ning Fengzhi froze, and his face immediately turned serious.

"Rongrong, do you know how dangerous that was? If the people from Spirit Hall discovered it..."

"I know! But... but Rongrong didn't want to see Zhao Tian lose..."

Ning Rongrong's eyes reddened again.

"Feng Xiaotian was so strong, and Zhao Tian was nine levels below him. Without Rongrong's support, how could he possibly have won..."

Looking at his daughter, Ning Fengzhi felt both heartache and helplessness.

He fell silent for a moment, then finally sighed.

"Rongrong, Dad understands how you feel."

"But you must remember that you cannot do this again."

"Matches have rules. If you break them, then even if you win, there is no honor in it."

"Besides, you must believe in Tian'er."

"He is far stronger than you imagine. Even without your support, he might not have lost."

Ning Rongrong lowered her head and said softly, "Rongrong understands..."

Ning Fengzhi stepped forward and rubbed his daughter's head.

"Alright, don't worry. Tian'er will be fine."

"Tomorrow is the final. Win or lose, he is the pride of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

Ning Rongrong nodded hard. "Mm!"