Sparring (Part 1)

After displaying the scroll, Xie Xu chose to use it immediately.

The scroll transformed into several golden streams of light and flew into the bodies of everyone present.

Bai Yi opened the log:

[Team: Ashen Echo

Members: Xie Xu, Zhang Zhen, Wang Ziyi, Tang Zheng, Li Zihua, Wei Fen, Bai Yi (7/10)

Team Skill: Eternal Bond

Description: A well-rounded team!]

"I don't think I need to say much. Everyone understands the current problem with our team."

Xie Xu spoke again.

Wei Fen nodded. "Other than Brother Dog and Tang Zheng, everyone else is far too weak in combat."

"That's right. Although everyone has been doing practical combat training, it's still difficult to improve much in a short time."

Bai Yi sat in his chair with his arms folded, saying nothing. He already knew what Xie Xu had in mind.

After laying the groundwork, Xie Xu stopped beating around the bush. "Just like I said before, I want us to conduct a team combat exercise, with Brother Dog and Tang Zheng holding the line."

After a pause, he looked at Zhang Zhen and continued, "Uncle Zhang's talent can scout the surrounding area. While searching for treasure chests, we can also seek out some demonic aberrations and take the initiative to attack them.

"That way, we can gather information and build up practical combat experience at the same time. It'll just take up some of Brother Dog and Tang Zheng's time."

Hearing Xie Xu's words, Tang Zheng hurriedly spoke up. "You can't put it that way. You all produce so much on a regular basis, and I get to buy it at a forty percent discount, yet I haven't really done anything to help you.

"How can it be that you're the only ones contributing while I can't contribute anything? Besides, we're one team. You getting stronger is also a huge help to me."

Bai Yi nodded in agreement. "Mm."

Zhang Zhen gave a bitter laugh. "Brother Dog, don't just nod along. You've already provided us with so much, and now we still have to trouble you..."

"It's simply mutual benefit within the team."

Bai Yi interrupted Zhang Zhen. He did not care about such things. To him, since he had joined the team and enjoyed its benefits, contributing in return was only natural.

Li Zihua said, "I think it'll work. The only question is, can Uncle Zhang keep his talent activated the entire time?"

Zhang Zhen shook his head. "It has a one-hour cooldown."

"Then what if we run into a demonic aberration that even Brother Dog can't handle while it's on cooldown?"

Li Zihua's concern was very realistic. This was not a game. If someone died, they truly died. There was no respawning.

"I can sense roughly how strong they are."

Bai Yi spoke again. This was also something he had only just discovered.

Since Bai Yi was still unable to sense his own rhythm, he had been unable to make any judgment when it was just him and Little White.

But after everyone gathered, Bai Yi could sense the rhythm of every team member, and those rhythms varied in strength.

For example, Tang Zheng's rhythm carried a fierce, valiant pulse. Sensing it gave Bai Yi a faintly stimulating feeling. At the same time, Tang Zheng's rhythm was the most substantial among everyone present.

Next was Wei Fen. This woman's rhythm was soft like rippling water, yet wave after wave followed without end. Her rhythm was second only to Tang Zheng's.

Then came Xie Xu. His rhythm had an indescribable strangeness to it, as though it could detect Bai Yi's perception. It kept avoiding Bai Yi, and its intensity was below Wei Fen's.

After that came Zhang Zhen, Li Zihua, and Wang Ziyi, in that order.

[For certain reasons, I awakened a second talent.]

Bai Yi's voice came through, but his lips did not move at all.

[I can speak to you directly, and I can also sense the strength of nearby living creatures.]

Bai Yi's voice appeared directly in everyone's minds. Their expressions varied as they looked at Bai Yi with complicated gazes.

There was amazement, surprise, and envy in their eyes, but not a trace of jealousy.

"This... is way too powerful!" Wang Ziyi covered her mouth.

"Good. Now every problem has been solved."

Li Zihua clenched his fist. "Brother Dog is already this strong. We can't fall too far behind either!"

Thus, their first group operation was completely decided:

Once the treasure chests refreshed, Zhang Zhen would scout ahead and everyone would set out, with Bai Yi providing warnings along the way. Any dangers they encountered would be handled by the others, while Bai Yi and Tang Zheng would not intervene.

At this moment, there were still ten minutes until the treasure chests refreshed.

Everyone was conserving their energy.

Suddenly, Bai Yi felt someone poke his arm. He turned and saw Tang Zheng.

"Brother Dog, can the two of us spar? I want to know exactly how big the gap between us is."

"We're about to head out. Isn't that just wasting energy?" Wang Ziyi asked in confusion.

"It's fine. Let's spar, then."

Bai Yi immediately agreed. He had actually been itching to try it for a long time. He had always wanted to meddle with other people's rhythms, but he was afraid of hurting them, so he had kept holding back.

Now that Tang Zheng had delivered himself right to his door, it suited Bai Yi perfectly.

Hearing Bai Yi's words, Wang Ziyi could not say anything more. She led the two of them to the main hall, where she usually trained.

The hall was spacious, ten meters long and wide with a five-meter-high ceiling. It was more than enough for a spar.

The others followed along to watch the excitement.

To get a more direct sense of the gap between them, both revealed their attributes:

[Tang Zheng: Healthy][Age: 27][Strength: 10.5][Spirit: 7.5][Constitution: 10][Sanity: 100/100]

[Bai Yi: Healthy][Age: 30][Strength: 15][Spirit: 10.1][Constitution: 15][Sanity: 200/200]

Once they stood facing each other, Tang Zheng said, "Dog Bro, don't hold back. I want to face the gap between us head-on."

Hearing Tang Zheng's words, Bai Yi put away his earlier casual attitude and became serious.

The instant Bai Yi's gaze turned cold, Tang Zheng felt a chill run through him, and the hairs all over his body stood on end.

Even during his career as a special forces soldier, he had never experienced this feeling of impending death. It was as if he were facing his natural predator, and Tang Zheng felt his body go weak.

Those dark golden eyes stared at him like he was prey—feral and bloodthirsty!

"I'm coming!"

Tang Zheng let out a low shout. Forcing down his fear, he charged at Bai Yi with unstoppable momentum.

Bai Yi moved as well, striking after Tang Zheng but arriving first. He tilted his head slightly to dodge Tang Zheng's punch, then, just as Tang Zheng's old strength had faded and his new strength had yet to rise, lightly swept his fingers through the air around him.

Since he was unsure how damaging it would be, Bai Yi did not dare use too much force, lest he hurt Tang Zheng.

The instant they passed each other, Tang Zheng only felt his body go limp. Unable to exert any strength, he collapsed to the floor.

"What happened?"

He raised his head in confusion. They had clearly not even touched—so why had he fallen?

Even Tang Zheng, the person involved, had no idea what had happened, leaving the others even more bewildered.

They even had the feeling that Tang Zheng was faking it.

Xie Xu noticed a hint of something and asked, "Was that Dog Bro's talent?"

"Yeah, it was the talent's effect."