The opponents for the afternoon training were seven Advanced Class Students from the Blue Tyrant Academy who had originally prepared to participate in the Soul Master Tournament.
These seven soul masters did not boast peak soul power, but they had trained together for a long time and possessed a complete lineup. Flender deliberately called them over precisely to see whether this temporarily reorganized team could still function normally after Ling Yun took Tang San out of the starting lineup.
Tang San sat at the edge of the training ground with a calm expression.
Yu Xiaogang, however, clearly did not look upon the arrangement favorably. Without a Control System soul master, the biggest issue isn't the offensive capability, but the lack of a unified coordination. Once a chaotic melee truly begins, individual judgments will easily lead to conflicts.
Ling Yun was loosening his wrists. Hearing those words, he turned his head and glanced at him. "Grandmaster, can you hold off on the analysis until a bit later? Yesterday, the moment you opened your mouth, I even knew where Shrek was heading next."
Ling Yun smiled. "It's a rare occasion today when your disciple is sitting on the bench, so I'd like to experience what it feels like without an off-field teleprompter."
Yu Xiaogang wore a dark expression and said nothing more. Only then did Ling Yun look toward the six people beside him. "The tactics are simple. Dai Mubai, hold the front. Fatty, lock down the flanks. Zhuqing, watch the support. Xiao Wu, don't chase people. Rongrong, judge for yourself who receives the amplification. Oscar, get the sausages ready in advance."
Ning Rongrong froze for a moment. "Just that?"
"Right."
Ling Yun nodded. "You all know how to fight; I'm not leading a group of puppets. If I really have to speak every single step you take, then why bother forming a team at all? We might as well tie a strand of Blue Silver Grass around everyone's waist."
Tang San's gaze darkened. Yet against this remark, he had no way to retort.
As Liu Erlong announced the start, the opposite seven individuals spread out rapidly. Two Power Attack System soul masters closed in from the front, while a Control System soul master unleashed a vast patch of vines, clearly intending to restrict the movements of Dai Mubai and Xiao Wu first.
Ling Yun uttered merely four words: "Dai Mubai, hold the line."
The White Tiger Martial Soul instantly possessed him.
Dai Mubai did not wait for Tang San to tell him which side to attack from as he had yesterday; the White Tiger Protection Barrier and the White Tiger Vajra Transformation activated simultaneously, crashing straight toward the two opponents.
The amplification of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda followed closely, landing upon his body.
"That's more like it!"
Dai Mubai let out a loud laugh, forcefully driving the two opponents back from the front.
The opposing Control System soul master immediately manipulated vines to wrap around his ankles, but without even a reminder from Ling Yun, a Water Shuriken had already flown in from the flank, severing the most crucial few vines.
"Fatty."
"Understood!"
Ma Hongjun grew smart this time.
The Phoenix Fire Line did not spray wildly in pursuit of people; instead, it swept horizontally across the ground to the right, directly forcing the two opposing students to alter their path.
Ling Yun nodded in approval. "Not bad. Today you finally don't look like a boiler stoker."
Ma Hongjun's face darkened. "Can you not bring that up?"
"Sure."
Ling Yun readily agreed. "Humidifier."
Ma Hongjun almost sprayed a mouthful of fire astray.
Laughter instantly rang out around the training ground. Yet amidst this casual banter, the enemy formation had already been forced to shift to the left by the flames.
Zhuqing needed no reminders whatsoever. What she waited for was precisely this fleeting instant-Hell Stab! A black figure swiftly cut in from the flank, aiming straight for the enemy support soul master.
The opposing Agility Attack System soul master immediately moved to reinforce.
Xiao Wu instinctively wanted to chase, but Ling Yun only shouted: "Don't chase."
Xiao Wu's footsteps came to an abrupt halt. The next second, that Agility Attack System soul master actively rushed into her Teleportation range in order to save the support.
Xiao Wu's third soul ring lit up.
Waist Bow! The opponent was tossed out of the combat circle on the spot.
After landing, Xiao Wu froze for a moment herself.
If she had given chase directly just a moment ago, she would have ended up yielding her position instead.
Ling Yun swept past her. "See that? You can win without faking a sprained ankle."
"You!"
The tiny bit of good mood that had just risen in Xiao Wu vanished instantly.
Tang San at the edge of the ground paid no attention to their banter. His gaze remained fixed entirely upon the entire battlefield.
Ling Yun's commands were actually scarce-so scarce that he didn't even resemble a control core in the traditional sense.
He did not tell Dai Mubai every step of where to walk, nor did he demand when Zhuqing had to reinforce, let alone use some method to forcibly link everyone together.
He only decided one thing.
The target.
As for how to accomplish it, everyone judged that for themselves.
Consequently, Dai Mubai could let go and suppress the front line, Zhuqing could seek out vulnerabilities in the back row on her own, and Ma Hongjun no longer waited to be assigned where to spit every mouthful of fire.
Tang San suddenly realized that these few individuals today appeared even more like a complete team than yesterday.
Yu Xiaogang likewise perceived this point, yet still spoke up: "Although this style of command offers extremely high freedom, when encountering sudden changes without a Control System to coordinate, it's still possible to-"
"Grandmaster."
Ling Yun was right in the middle of the field, yet he actually found time to take up the conversation.
"Are you feeling quite stifled holding that in?"
Yu Xiaogang's expression stiffened.
"Yesterday you said we couldn't do without a Control System. Today, fighting until now, the other side has already lost two, and we haven't lost a single person."
Ling Yun smiled. "Don't rush to find a 'but' just yet. If you keep 'but-ting' along, the match will be over."
At that very moment, the opposing Control System soul master finally altered tactics.
A massive quantity of vines no longer pursued people, instead directly sealing off the central area, preparing to sever Ling Yun and the others into two parts right down the middle.
Tang San's eyes lit up slightly; this was the most difficult situation to handle without a traditional Control System.
Yet Ling Yun did not even pause.
"Fatty, burn the left."
The Phoenix Fire Line directly forced the two opponents on the right back.
"Dai Mubai, smash inward."
Dai Mubai, under the state of the White Tiger Vajra Transformation, charged head-on into the front line.
"Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, the back row."
Two figures bypassed from the left and right simultaneously.
Three sentences.
The blockade the opponents had just established was directly torn in half. Ning Rongrong did not even need to ask; the speed amplification landed upon Zhuqing, and the strength amplification was given to Dai Mubai.
Oscar stood in the rear, suddenly feeling that he had it excessively easy today. No one used Blue Silver Grass to tie him up, and when he needed supplies, his teammates came back to get them themselves.
"How come I feel like the fighting today is actually quite comfortable?"
Oscar spoke offhandedly. His voice wasn't loud, but Tang San heard it, and Dai Mubai heard it as well.
"Indeed."
Dai Mubai beat an opponent back with a punch and smiled. "At least today when I charge forward, I don't have to worry about the person behind me suddenly stopping for someone's sake."
Xiao Wu's expression shifted slightly.
Tang San's fingers also tightened involuntarily.
Zhuqing said nothing, yet she did not refute it.
As for Ning Rongrong, while maintaining her support, she remarked, "Ling Yun gives few commands, but I know what I should be doing and when. Yesterday, there were a few times Little San suddenly changed positions, and I actually had to readjust my side accordingly."
These words could not be considered blaming, but precisely because the tone was calm, Tang San found it all the more difficult to bear.
In the past, the Shrek Seven Monsters would never have discussed the question of whether things would fight better without Tang San.
Because no one had ever thought about it. Now, they were beginning to think. The battle quickly drew toward its conclusion.
Ling Yun didn't even open the Mist Veil, merely utilizing Wave Treading to continuously supplement his positioning. In less than a quarter of an hour, the opposing seven people had been successively isolated and sliced apart, leaving only two Power Attack System soul masters struggling bitterly at the end.
"Stop here."
Flender proactively called a halt.
There was no longer any need to continue watching the outcome.
The reorganized seven people had no Tang San.
No chaos.
No collapse.
They were even smoother than yesterday.
The training ground fell somewhat quiet for a moment.
Ling Yun wiped the moisture from his hands before turning his head to look at Yu Xiaogang.
"Grandmaster."
The two words Yu Xiaogang least wished to hear arrived after all.
"Didn't you say yesterday that the Control System is the soul of the team?"
Ling Yun pointed at the few people who had just finished combat. "Then I find myself slightly perplexed."
"With your soulful, beloved disciple missing today-how is it they fought with such ease?"
Ma Hongjun burst out laughing outright. Even Flender couldn't help turning his face away.
With a livid expression, Yu Xiaogang sophistically argued, "This only proves that his commanding style suits them; it doesn't prove that Little San isn't important."
"When did I ever say he wasn't important?"
Ling Yun wore a bewildered look. "Grandmaster, you're the one who has all along tried to prove that we can't do without Tang San. Now that the facts prove we can fight without him, you're changing your tune to say it doesn't prove he's not important."
Ling Yun raised a thumb.
"You and your beloved disciple never lose. As long as the question is phrased differently, you're right again."
Yu Xiaogang's lips moved, but for a long while he failed to utter a word.
Ling Yun paid him no further heed, instead looking toward Tang San sitting at the edge of the ground.
"Little San, how does it feel?"
Tang San's expression darkened slightly, unable to say a single word.
Yet Ling Yun smiled. "A captain doesn't tie his teammates down with six ropes, making everyone walk according to his own thoughts."
"Especially not when one of those ropes is tethered to Xiao Wu, causing the other five to automatically slacken."
As these words dropped, the atmosphere shifted perceptibly.
Dai Mubai, Oscar, and the others offered no words on Tang San's behalf. Xiao Wu, meanwhile, instinctively looked toward Tang San. The fissure left by yesterday's battle had not vanished simply because they had slept through a night.
Flender finally stepped forward. "Today's outcome is already sufficient to demonstrate that this starting lineup can continue to be practiced."
Tang San raised his head. "Dean. Hm? Give me a team tomorrow."
Tang San stood up and looked toward Ling Yun. "I want to have another team battle with him."
The training ground grew quiet once more.
Yet Ling Yun smiled. "Fine by me."
He gestured again toward the substitute bench. "Little San, choose your teammates well this time. Don't end up losing-and then blame your teammates for not being the Shrek Seven Monsters."
Before you continue