Nighttime Soul Tool Research, Ready for Battle

Dusk gathered, and night, dark as ink, enveloped the entire Shrek Academy. The clamor of the daytime arena gradually faded away. Only the Inner Academy's tactical discussion room remained brightly lit and warmly illuminated, a stark contrast to the chill outside.

After entrusting Na'er to one of the academy's dormitory teachers and repeatedly reminding her of a few things, Tang Wulin hurried into the discussion room. All his companions had already arrived. The table was covered with match data on the Sun Moon Empire Academy team, Soul Tool catalogues, and a food container Xu Lizhi had prepared in advance, filled to the brim with warm soul power buns. Their rich aroma permeated the room, easing some of the tension before the battle.

The joy of advancing to the finals that afternoon had long vanished from everyone's faces. Each of them looked solemn, their eyes heavy with gravity. Those cold gazes from the corner of the arena that afternoon felt like needles against their backs, constantly reminding them that their final opponent was far stranger and more troublesome than the Heaven Soul Team.

"Everyone's here. Let's begin." Tang Wulin walked to the table and raised a hand to activate the Soul Tool light screen in the center. Information on every member of the Sun Moon Team instantly appeared on the display, along with footage from their previous matches and detailed explanations of the various Soul Tools they used. "According to the intelligence gathered by the academy, every member of the Sun Moon Team is a soul engineer. They cultivate both martial souls and Soul Tools. Their fighting style is unconventional. They excel at long-range firepower suppression, close-range Soul Tool ambushes, and using restraining and interference Soul Tools to control the field. We've never faced opponents like this before. We must study every detail thoroughly."

He tapped the light screen with his fingertip, freezing the image on the Sun Moon Team's core members. "Their captain is an assault-type Soul Ancestor. His martial soul is the Flame-Pattern Wolf, and he uses a fifth-grade explosive Soul Tool cannon. He's extremely powerful at both range and close quarters. The vice-captain is a control-type soul engineer. Her martial soul is the Illusion Spirit Butterfly. She excels at using the Soul-Conducting Restraint Net and interference waves, combining them with her martial soul to create illusions. She's harder to deal with than the Heaven Soul Team's Illusive Vine. There are also two agility-attack soul masters equipped with high-speed Soul Tool thrusters. They're much faster than ordinary agility-attack types and specialize in circling behind us to ambush the support and control positions. The remaining two are support soul engineers, responsible for charging and repairing Soul Tools. Their endurance is exceptionally strong."

The intelligence was incredibly detailed. Even the Sun Moon Team's tactical movements and Soul Tool usage frequency in every match had been clearly marked. It was evident that Shrek Academy had long been thoroughly preparing for this final.

Xu Xiaoyan held the documents, her fingertips lightly brushing across the illustrations of the Soul Tools. Her brows furrowed slightly, and concern colored her voice. "Their Soul-Conducting Restraint Net covers a huge area. Once someone is caught in it, their soul power is temporarily sealed, and it's hard to break free. They also have interference waves, which would disrupt the soul power fluctuations of my Starwheel Control. I'm afraid it'll be difficult for me to keep the formation steady then." As the team's core field controller, she feared interference-type Soul Tools the most. They would directly cripple much of her usefulness.

"Interference Soul Tools rely on disrupting soul power fluctuations. My elemental power can form an isolation barrier around your Starwheel soul power and help you maintain the rhythm of your field control." Gu Yue immediately spoke up, her voice calm yet utterly certain. She was extraordinarily sensitive to all kinds of energy fluctuations and had already devised a countermeasure. "As for the restraint net, I can use wind element cutting and earth element barriers, together with Xie Xie's ambushes, to quickly destroy the Soul Tool's core formation."

Gu Yue's talent for elemental control surpassed that of all her peers. With her protection, more than half of Xu Xiaoyan's worries immediately faded. She looked up at Gu Yue, her eyes full of gratitude.

Xie Xie patted his chest, brimming with confidence. "Leave the agility-attack types trying to circle around to me. I'm no slower than their Soul Tool thrusters. I'll stick close and tie them down so they can't activate their Soul Tools. With Yehui's defense backing me up, we'll definitely hold the rear line!" As an agility-attack type, he was naturally skilled at ambushes and counter-ambushes. He was perfectly suited to dealing with opponents like these.

Yuanen Yehui added in a deep voice, "I'll raise our strongest defense and protect Xiaoyan and Lizhi. I can withstand most of the Sun Moon Team's long-range Soul Tool cannon attacks head-on and create opportunities for everyone to push forward." Her Titan Giant Ape martial soul possessed the strongest defense in the team. She was unquestionably their bulwark.

Ye Xinglan gripped her sword hilt, her gaze sharp. "I'll break through to their support positions and prioritize destroying the devices used to charge their Soul Tools. As long as we cut off their Soul Tool endurance, their combat power will drop drastically. My sword can cleave through most Soul Tool defenses."

Holy light slowly flowed around Le Zhengyu. "I'll keep Holy Amplification active throughout the battle, while using Holy Purification to dispel the interference and negative effects of their Soul Tools, ensuring everyone's soul power flows smoothly."

Xu Lizhi hurriedly spoke as well, his honest face full of seriousness. "I'll make more high-grade soul power recovery buns, as well as soul power pastries that resist interference. Everyone can replenish themselves whenever they need to. Even if our soul power consumption is huge, we'll be able to recover quickly!"

Watching his companions take up their respective roles and eagerly offer suggestions, Tang Wulin's heart filled with warmth. His previously tense heart settled down. He pressed a hand downward, signaling everyone to quiet down, then continued laying out the strategy. "You've all made good points. We'll prepare two strategies against the Sun Moon Team's Soul Tool tactics. The first will be steady and methodical. Yehui will defend on the front line, Zhengyu will purify and amplify, Gu Yue will protect Xiaoyan while she controls the field, Xie Xie will counter their ambushes, Xinglan will break through to their support positions, and I'll restrain their captain head-on. We'll advance step by step and deny them the chance to blanket us with long-range fire. The second strategy is for if their Soul Tool cannons suppress us. We'll spread out our formation. Yehui and I will draw their fire from the front while Xie Xie and Xinglan circle behind to destroy their core Soul Tools. Xiaoyan will use large-scale field control to restrict them, and Gu Yue will retaliate with elemental coverage."

"Remember this: when facing the Sun Moon Team, we absolutely cannot bunch together and let their area-of-effect Soul Tools wipe us out in one strike. Nor can we charge in rashly. We must maintain the formation and cover one another!" Tang Wulin's tone was especially stern as he repeatedly emphasized the key points. Soul Tools possessed terrifying area damage. Once their formation fell into chaos, they would be doomed.

Everyone nodded and committed the tactics to memory. Holding their documents, they checked their respective duties one by one, occasionally raising questions and discussing countermeasures. The only sounds in the discussion room were pen tips scratching over paper and low voices in conversation. The atmosphere was focused and solemn.

Tang Wulin stood before the light screen, reviewing the Sun Moon Team's match footage again and again without overlooking even the slightest flaw. He discovered that although the Sun Moon Team's Soul Tools were formidable, they consumed enormous amounts of soul power. After prolonged combat, the power of their Soul Tools would decline sharply. Furthermore, their core Soul Tools required close-range control. That was their fatal weakness.

"Everyone, remember this. The Sun Moon Team's weakness is endurance. We'll focus on defense early on and wear down their soul power and Soul Tool energy. Then, in the middle and later stages, we'll counterattack with everything we have. As long as we withstand their early assault, we've already won half the battle." Tang Wulin pointed at the footage and revealed the key to breaking their situation.

Before they realized it, the night had grown deep. Outside the window, moonlight shone brightly and stars dotted the sky, yet the discussion room remained illuminated. Everyone had memorized the two strategies thoroughly and prepared responses for every possible emergency. Only after confirming that every detail was correct did Tang Wulin announce the end of the discussion.

"Go back and rest well. Build up your strength. Tomorrow's final—give it everything you have."

"Yes!" everyone answered in unison, their voices firm and powerful.

Xu Lizhi handed out the remaining soul power buns, smiling as he reminded them, "I'll steam the buns early before tomorrow's match. Make sure you all eat your fill so you'll have the strength to fight!"

Everyone accepted them with smiles and gradually left the discussion room. Gu Yue walked over to Tang Wulin and said lightly, "Don't worry. Tomorrow, I'll protect Xiaoyan. I can break their Soul Tool interference."

Tang Wulin looked at her and nodded, his eyes full of trust. "With you there, I'm at ease."

After watching his companions leave, Tang Wulin remained alone in the discussion room and reviewed the Sun Moon Team's information one more time before turning to leave. The night air was slightly cool, and moonlight fell across him, stretching his shadow long behind him. He looked up at the night sky, his gaze resolute and devoid of the slightest fear.

So what if their Soul Tools were powerful? So what if their opponents were difficult? As long as he and his companions worked together as one, there was no obstacle they could not overcome. Tomorrow's final would be the moment they ascended to the championship.

When he returned to the dormitory, Na'er was already fast asleep, a sweet smile on her little face. Tang Wulin gently tucked in her blanket, then sat cross-legged beside the bed and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing. He brought his soul power to its optimal state and quietly awaited tomorrow's decisive battle.

The entire Shrek Academy fell asleep, yet the battle spirit burning in the youths' hearts only grew fiercer. Their meticulous tactics against the Soul Tools had already been forged. On tomorrow's battlefield, the Shrek Seven Monsters would face the strongest dark horse head-on, their swords pointed at the championship!