Socks?

Late at night, outside Shrek Academy's dilapidated boys' dormitory, the chirping of insects came in wave after wave.

Chen Xuan leaned against the base of the wall, looking at the blue panel in his mind that only he could see.

[Total draws: 1096]

[Today's draws: 1]

"Draw." Chen Xuan silently muttered to himself.

The virtual wheel spun wildly before its pointer slowly came to a stop. An incredibly dazzling golden light burst across the panel.

Chen Xuan sat up straight.

Golden light?

The last time golden light had appeared was when he drew the mythic-level skill, Meditation Seal.

As the light faded, a bright red object fell from the void and landed in Chen Xuan's hand.

It was soft.

Chen Xuan lowered his head and looked.

A large red sock.

There was even a walnut-sized hole at the toe.

A line of small text popped up on the system panel:

[Red Sock with a Hole (Common): A must-have for one's zodiac year. Though torn, it is still red to the point of purple. Can be used to polish shoes.]

Chen Xuan pinched the sock and stared at the hole, sinking into a long silence.

Luck truly made no sense.

"Why are you squatting in the corner in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"

A lazy voice came from beside him.

Dai Mubai, draped in an outer robe and dragging his shoes, emerged from the dormitory, heading for the latrine.

The moment he turned his head, he saw Chen Xuan crouched in the shadows, holding a torn red sock and examining it carefully under the moonlight.

Dai Mubai's sleepiness instantly vanished without a trace.

He took half a step back, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Chen Xuan's face and the red sock several times. His expression became exceedingly strange.

"You..." Dai Mubai swallowed. "You have that kind of hobby?"

Chen Xuan casually stuffed the sock into his pocket and stood up.

"It's for wiping my knife." Chen Xuan brushed the dust from his pants. "Getting up to pee?"

"Ah... right." Dai Mubai circled around Chen Xuan, shuffling along the wall toward the latrine. As he walked, he kept glancing back, his eyes full of wariness.

This kid's martial soul was strange enough, but he himself was even stranger.

Chen Xuan ignored him and went back inside.

Early the next morning.

On Shrek Academy's uneven, pothole-riddled training ground, eight students stood in a line.

Besides the five who had passed the assessment yesterday, there were also Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar.

Flender stood at the front, with Yu Xiaogang beside him, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Starting today, the academy's practical combat instruction will be entirely handled by Grandmaster." Flender pointed at Yu Xiaogang. "His words are my words. Anyone who dares disobey can pack up and leave."

Yu Xiaogang took a step forward.

His stiff face remained stern as his gaze swept over the eight of them. It paused on Chen Xuan for a second before quickly moving away.

"Shrek only accepts monsters, but monsters who do not understand cooperation are nothing more than a disorganized mob on the battlefield." Yu Xiaogang's voice echoed across the training ground.

Tang San stood in the lineup and subtly straightened his chest.

"What is the core of team combat? Control." Yu Xiaogang raised his right hand and pointed at Tang San. "Tang San's Blue Silver Grass possesses binding, pulling, and poison. It is a perfect control-type martial soul. From today onward, Tang San will be the absolute core of your team. His codename will be Thousand-Handed Asura."

Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun exchanged a glance but said nothing.

They had seen Tang San's control abilities. There was indeed nothing to criticize.

Yu Xiaogang began assigning their positions one by one.

Dai Mubai would lead the assault; Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing would roam the flanks; Ma Hongjun would provide long-range fire suppression; Oscar and Ning Rongrong would stay in the rear, providing supplies and buffs.

It was an extremely standard seven-man team lineup.

"Grandmaster, what about me?"

Standing at the very edge of the formation, Chen Xuan raised his hand and interrupted Yu Xiaogang.

The training ground fell silent.

Yu Xiaogang frowned at Chen Xuan.

"You will be a substitute." Yu Xiaogang's tone was stiff.

"Why?" Chen Xuan lowered his hand.

"Your martial soul's traits are unclear." Yu Xiaogang clenched his hands behind his back. "Team combat requires extremely precise judgment. Tang San must grasp every teammate's movement, attack rhythm, and spirit skill effects before he can use Blue Silver Grass to link everyone together."

Yu Xiaogang stared into Chen Xuan's eyes.

"One moment you're holding a bow, the next a shield, and then you pull out a wok. You have too many variables. Tang San's control chain cannot cover you, and your sudden actions may even disrupt the entire team's rhythm."

Tang San nodded beside him.

His teacher was right.

Chen Xuan's arrow against Zhao Wuji yesterday had indeed been dazzling, but it had been completely outside the tactical system. In a real team battle, such an uncontrollable variable could easily place allies in danger.

"Therefore, for the overall benefit of the team, you cannot be in the starting lineup." Yu Xiaogang delivered his final ruling.

Tang San turned to look at Chen Xuan, expecting him to get angry or invoke Flender to pressure them.

But Chen Xuan did neither.

Chen Xuan even smiled.

He raised both hands and lightly clapped twice.

"Clap, clap."

The applause sounded especially harsh on the morning training ground.

"Grandmaster, your tactical arrangement is perfect." Chen Xuan lowered his hands and looked at Yu Xiaogang. "Everyone has been assigned clearly: who takes the damage, who deals the damage, all directed by Tang San's single strand of Blue Silver Grass."

Chen Xuan took a step forward.

"This isn't teamwork. It's puppetry."

Tang San's expression changed. "Chen Xuan, what do you mean? In a team, you're supposed to entrust your back to your teammates."

"The prerequisite for entrusting my back is that my teammate can hold the line." Chen Xuan turned to Tang San. "Can your Blue Silver Grass pull people, or can it block blades? If you run into a situation you can't control, can that grass of yours save everyone?"

Tang San instinctively retorted, "My control won't make mistakes."

"There is no control in this world that never fails." Chen Xuan's smile vanished. "Besides, I don't like letting someone else's martial soul decide whether I live or die."

Yu Xiaogang's face turned livid. "Chen Xuan! If you refuse to follow orders, then don't participate in practical combat training!"

"That suits me just fine."

Chen Xuan walked straight past Yu Xiaogang and looked at Flender beside him.

"Headmaster, I request to serve as a 'free agent' in team battles."

Flender pushed up his glasses. "Free agent? What does that mean?"

"I won't take Ning Rongrong's buffs, nor do I need Oscar's sausages. I don't need Tang San's Blue Silver Grass to protect me, and I won't consume his control resources." Chen Xuan's tone was calm. "I'll remain outside their system. When the fight starts, I'll look for my own opportunities while they execute their coordination. I bear responsibility for my own life and death."

Flender stroked the stubble on his chin.

This kind of fighting style was not unheard of among spirit masters. Those exceptionally powerful lone assassins occasionally used this detached tactic when joining a team.

But it required extremely high individual strength and battlefield instinct.

"I think it'll work." Flender grinned and made the decision on the spot.

"Flender!" Yu Xiaogang grew anxious. "This completely goes against the spirit of teamwork!"

"Xiaogang, Shrek's rules are simple: strength speaks." Flender waved a hand. "Since he dares make this pledge, let him try."

Yu Xiaogang was so furious that his chest rose and fell violently. He glared at Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan did not even spare him a glance. He turned and returned to the edge of the formation, leaned against a tree trunk, and closed his eyes to rest.

The morning assembly ended on a sour note.

Flender announced dismissal and told everyone to prepare for that night's practical spirit battle at Soto Great Spirit Arena.

The new students dispersed in twos and threes.

When Dai Mubai passed Chen Xuan, he deliberately gave him a wide berth, afraid Chen Xuan would pull that torn red sock from his pocket again.

Before long, only Yu Xiaogang and Tang San remained on the training ground.

The rising sun was somewhat glaring.

Yu Xiaogang watched Chen Xuan's departing back, his hands clenched behind him until his knuckles turned white.

He turned to his proudest disciple.

"Little San." Yu Xiaogang kept his voice low, with suppressed anger simmering within it.

"Teacher." Tang San stood straight.

"Tonight at Soto Great Spirit Arena, you'll have a seven-versus-seven team spirit battle." Yu Xiaogang patted Tang San's shoulder. "Use your Blue Silver Grass to bring the entire team to life."

Yu Xiaogang looked toward the direction in which Chen Xuan had disappeared.

"Prove to him what a true team core is. Let him know that without your control, his so-called 'free agent' wouldn't last even one round against a real team."