Coordination of Abilities

Light spilled from the two of them, transforming into a long-haired, androgynous figure.

That face possessed both the sharpness of Moon Blade and the charm of Demon Fox. A long robe draped down, concealing its gender and revealing only a pair of cold eyes.

Red mist surged from beneath its feet, spreading silently like a rising tide.

The fog was thick, as thick as congealed blood. It swallowed the light, swallowed the sounds, swallowed the distance.

Ziyang's vision blurred somewhat.

He could feel his senses weakening.

Sounds grew distant, light dimmed, and even his body felt as though it had been filled with lead. The flow of Soul Power became sluggish, like a frozen river. He lowered his head to look at his hands. Every movement of his fingers was half a beat slower.

Senses weakened by fifty percent. Soul Power suppressed by fifty percent. Movement slowed by fifty percent.

Ziyang's first Soul Ring lit up beneath his feet. Restoration.

He felt all the negative conditions on him disappear, only to be afflicted again immediately afterward. He was rather speechless.

I kind of miss one-time debuffs.

This kind of long-duration area control was pretty disgusting.

Then, after giving it some thought, his third Soul Ring lit up, followed by his second Soul Ring and then his first.

Restoration to a point in time.

He felt himself temporarily break free from the control effect.

Yet red mist still drifted through his field of vision.

Ziyang turned his head and glanced at Na'er and Gu Yue.

Two streams of light extended from his hands along a Thread, touching the two girls' figures.

Na'er's body trembled slightly, and the hand gripping her spear steadied once more. The cyan light in Gu Yue's palm stopped flickering and lit up again.

Feeling the control lifted, Na'er looked toward Ziyang and froze slightly. She felt as though her Soul Power was now inexhaustible.

Silver light exploded from her body. The Silver Dragon Spear swept out in an arc as she turned into a streak of silver lightning and charged deep into the red mist.

The sound of metal clashing came from within the fog.

Crisp and rapid, it was like raindrops striking sheet metal. Silver flashes flickered through the red fog, darting left and right as the sound of a spear tip striking something rang out without pause.

The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger walked through the red mist, largely unaffected.

Its ears stood erect, and its tail stopped swaying.

Suddenly, its hind legs slammed against the ground. Its black tiger body shot like an arrow from a bow, pouncing toward a spot within the red fog.

Its tiger claw rose, five claws spread wide, their tips glimmering with dark light.

The red mist was ripped open.

The androgynous figure flew backward out of the fog, its long hair disheveled and three tears ripped into its long robe.

It tried to adjust its posture in midair, but the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's strike had been too heavy, so heavy that its balance was completely shattered.

It even felt as though it was about to fall into a near-death state.

Austin Griffin had long been waiting along its path. All three heads opened their mouths at once, firing three beams from different angles. They converged in midair into a dazzling white beam that struck Demon Charm squarely in the chest.

The figure stiffened in midair for an instant, then fell like a kite with its string cut, smashing into the ground and kicking up a cloud of yellow dust.

The red mist began to disperse, slowly receding from all around like an ebbing tide.

The long-haired figure split into two the instant it hit the ground—Demon Fox and Moon Blade. Each was flung several meters away, lying motionless on the ground.

The red mist completely dispersed.

The gray sky was revealed once more, and light spread evenly across the plains.

Yellow earth, hills, fallen soul masters—everything became clear again.

Na'er emerged from the fog with the Silver Dragon Spear resting on her shoulder. Her silver hair was somewhat disheveled, but her eyes shone brightly.

Gu Yue remained where she was, still sensing the power Ziyang had just left behind.

Curiosity filled her eyes. Was this really a soul skill a person could possess?

The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger landed back on the ground and licked its paw.

Austin Griffin walked to Ziyang's side, all three heads held high.

"Boss, how was that? Wasn't I super awesome?"

"Good job." Ziyang smiled. He realized that his abilities seemed capable of being combined, producing even more applications.

Before long, Leng Yaoyu's voice rang out again. With Ziyang present, it would be somewhat difficult for the other two little ones to get any training.

The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger still did not know how to activate a domain. She also did not know whether, after activating one, a Soul Spirit could bring its soul master into it.

Six-year-old Ziyang, as far as she knew, had been born with immense strength.

Moreover, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger was also a top-tier fighting force.

Training continued.

The following days became repetitive and tightly packed. Every day consisted of simulated battles, with different opponents, different terrain, and different tactical coordination.

Leng Yaoyu seemed intent on honing the trio's teamwork. The opponents she arranged ranged from Four-Ring to Five-Ring, with the difficulty gradually increasing.

During battle, Ziyang constantly experimented with combinations of Soul Ring abilities. Together with the cooperation of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger and Austin Griffin, he seemed to gain some understanding of how abilities could work together.

A month passed just like that.

On the final day, Leng Yaoyu did not arrange any training.

Gu Yue was returning to Eastsea Academy for classes, and what awaited her was not a farewell, but Na'er's mockery.

"Oh my, you're going back to school—" The curve of her lips was so wide she could not hide it. "Remember to listen carefully in class. Don't be late, don't leave early, and hand in your homework on time."

Her tone was gentle, but her eyes were filled with, Good thing I don't have to go to school.

Gu Yue's expression stiffened for an instant. She realized that Na'er was becoming more and more deserving of a beating.

Ziyang stood beside them and did not add fuel to the fire this time. He merely held Na'er's hand, quietly watching the scene, and even felt like laughing a little.

After all, Na'er was already invincible in battle.

The only two people who could rein her in—Gu Yue and Ziyang—were both people she could not defeat.

But that did not affect her enthusiasm for mocking Gu Yue in the slightest. Not being able to win a fight was one thing; taking verbal advantage was another.

Ziyang decided to be a good person today and quietly let go of Na'er's hand.

Feeling the warmth vanish from her hand, Na'er's laughter abruptly stopped. She lowered her head to look at the hand he had released, then looked up at Ziyang before glancing at Gu Yue, who was already clenching her fists across from her.

That face, which had been arrogantly smug just moments ago, changed color at a visible speed.

"Um..."

Her voice suddenly dropped several octaves, her confidence seeming as though it had been sucked away.

She swiftly reached out, grabbed Ziyang's wrist, and clutched it tightly, as if she were grasping a lifeline.

Then she looked at Gu Yue again.

Her chin lifted slightly, the curve returned to her lips, and that look of Come on, hit me if you dare appeared in her eyes once more.

Her swagger was back.

The entire process took less than two seconds, seamless and fluid, as though the person who had chickened out for a moment had never been her at all.

Ziyang lowered his head and looked at his hand, feeling speechless. He had genuinely wanted to be a good person.

Afterward, Gu Yue finally stopped paying attention to Na'er. After bidding farewell to Leng Yaoyu and Ziyang, she turned and left for Eastsea.

Ziyang and Na'er, meanwhile, would be returning to the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters.

They would part for now. The next time they met would be at the Heaven Sea Alliance Grand Tournament.