The tragic scene in the training ground continued into the afternoon.
Dai Mubai was still practicing directional changes among the wooden stakes, and Ma Hongjun had already burned through seven bowls. Zhu Zhuqing was blindfolded and running through the bell array, Ning Rongrong was forced to sprint all over the place, and Oscar was running back and forth hugging sausages until his legs were practically worn thin.
The most miserable one of all was Xiao Wu.
She had drilled into the Mist Veil for the sixth time, and for the sixth time, she hadn't even brushed the hem of Ling Yun's clothes. Every time she thought the sound came from right beside her, dashing over yielded nothing but a water shadow or a splash of water straight to the face.
"Ling Yun, if you've got the guts, stop hiding!"
Xiao Wu shouted angrily from inside the mist, but the moment her voice trailed off, the back of her head took a knock.
"Can't find the person on the battlefield, so you tell the opponent not to hide?" Ling Yun's voice drifted from behind her. "Next time you might as well negotiate with the enemy, have everyone line up and stand straight, and take turns punching each other."
A few people outside the ring instantly choked back their laughter.
Xiao Wu whipped around, but behind her, the space was already empty.
Just at that moment, two figures walked over from the entrance of the training ground.
As soon as Zhao Wuji stepped through the door, he caught sight of Dai Mubai circling wooden stakes, Ma Hongjun boiling water, Zhu Zhuqing blindfolded, and Oscar hugging a basket of sausages while running everywhere, leaving him stunned for a long time.
"Did I walk into the wrong place?"
Zhao Wuji looked left and right. "Is this the Blue Tyrant Academy training ground, or a street acrobat troupe?"
Ma Hongjun instantly found his savior. "Teacher Zhao! You've got to do something about Ling Yun-I'm a dignified Evil Fire Phoenix, and I've spent the whole afternoon boiling water!"
"Bulls***."
Ling Yun walked out from the mist. "You call that boiling water? You blew up seven out of ten bowls. If you were actually sent to run a boiler, the boss would go bankrupt on day one."
Zhao Wuji's mouth twitched, and in the end he couldn't hold back his smile, but before he could laugh twice, Liu Erlong had already walked up behind Ling Yun.
She first glanced at the few people who were exhausted to the point of collapse, then looked at Xiao Wu, whose hair was a mess inside the mist, reached out, and pinched Ling Yun by the ear.
"Brat!"
"Aunt Erlong? Why are you here?"
Ling Yun's whole body tilted sideways. "Not so hard. The captain-I'm the captain now, leave me some dignity!"
"You still know you're the captain?"
Liu Erlong pinched down without letting go. "I told you to lead their training, not turn it into a torture chamber. Look at Xiao Wu, what have you put her through?"
Upon hearing those words, Xiao Wu instantly straightened her back.
Catching sight of that look of finally having someone to back her up, Ling Yun immediately retorted, "She's the one who needs training the most. The moment she gets hot-headed in a fight, she charges straight in. In the past she had Tang San pulling her out of the fire, but who in this team is going to clean up her mess every single day?"
Xiao Wu was just getting ready to talk back when Liu Erlong slowly eased her grip.
She turned to look at Xiao Wu. "Is what he said true?"
Xiao Wu stubbornly defended herself. "When do I charge in every single time!"
Ling Yun rubbed his ear. "Right, occasionally you pretend to surrender too."
Xiao Wu: "..."
This time Zhao Wuji really couldn't hold it in; he turned away and laughed so hard his shoulders shook.
Liu Erlong glared at Ling Yun, but didn't pinch him again. "Can you dial back the snark? Training is training, don't get people hurt."
"Relax, I know what I'm doing."
As soon as Ling Yun finished speaking, Zhao Wuji had already strode to the center of the training ground. "Just listening to you brag is no fun. You've trained all afternoon, we ought to see if there are any results."
Dai Mubai and the others all turned to look at him in unison.
Zhao Wuji stretched his wrists. "I won't use my Martial Soul Avatar, and I won't beat you up seriously. I'm only going to do one thing: touch Ning Rongrong."
Ning Rongrong's expression instantly changed. "Why me?"
"If I don't hit the support system, who else am I going to hit?"
Zhao Wuji flashed a grin, stamped his foot, and his burly body suddenly surged forward.
If it were before, Dai Mubai would have had a high probability of meeting him head-on, Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu would have charged right behind, and the rest would wait for Tang San to orchestrate.
This time was completely different.
Dai Mubai rushed forward first, but didn't take a straight line. The instant Zhao Wuji raised his hand, he suddenly shifted sideways, firmly blocking half a body-width from the flank.
Zhao Wuji let out an "oh?" and just as he prepared to go around, a Phoenix Fire Line already dropped, grazing his foot.
The flame wasn't large, but the placement was exact.
Ma Hongjun wasn't burning people, he was just cutting off the path.
"Fatty didn't burn the pot this time!"
Oscar shouted excitedly from the back.
"Shut up!"
Forced to change directions by the pressure, Zhu Zhuqing had already used the sound of footsteps to cut off the other side in advance. Ning Rongrong herself didn't stand around waiting for rescue; the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda lit up as she rapidly retreated.
Oscar tossed the sausage over in advance, and Ning Rongrong caught it without even looking back. Throughout the entire process, not a single person waited for Ling Yun to give an order.
Zhao Wuji changed directions twice in succession, and finally came to a halt.
"Not bad."
He glanced over the crowd. "You used to run like a bunch of people tied to a single rope, but now you actually know how to grow legs."
Dai Mubai and the others all wore distinctly proud expressions.
Ling Yun leaned against the side. "Teacher Zhao, compliments are compliments, don't praise them too early. There's still one who hasn't passed."
Everyone followed his line of sight.
Xiao Wu instantly had a bad premonition.
Ling Yun crooked a finger at her. "Continue."
"Again?"
"The others just used their training results, do you have any other results today besides getting lost in the mist?"
Zhao Wuji was amused. "How about I spar with her?"
Xiao Wu's eyes lit up.
Ling Yun directly refused, however. "No. With a target as huge as you, she could crash into you with her eyes closed. What kind of training is that?"
Zhao Wuji lowered his head to look at himself.
Liu Erlong reached out to grab Ling Yun's ear again.
Ling Yun turned and bolted. "Aunt Erlong, that sentence was instructional analysis!"
The training ground instantly dissolved into laughter.
At the same time, outside the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena.
Tang San and Yu Xiaogang were already standing at the entrance.
"Xu Lie has an individual soul fight today, and Gu Changfeng and Han Ce are here too." Yu Xiaogang looked at the notes in his hand. "These three individuals happen to correspond to Ling Yun's most troublesome aspects."
Tang San had already looked over the information.
Xu Lie possessed great defense and strength, capable of taking a Water Shuriken head-on; Gu Changfeng's second soul skill could continuously generate strong gales, holding a natural advantage against mist-type soul skills.
Han Ce was the most unusual, possessing the Soul-Locking Chain martial soul; though his soul skill might not be exceptionally powerful in brute force, it could restrict movement routes over a large area.
The further Tang San read, the brighter his gaze became. These weren't three people found at random at all; Yu Xiaogang was matching them against Ling Yun's soul skills one by one.
"Little San, do you understand now?"
Yu Xiaogang lowered his voice. "There's no need to prove that each of them is stronger than Ling Yun. As long as they can strip away the environment where Ling Yun feels most comfortable, you'll have your chance."
Tang San nodded. "I'll handle the rest."
"Blue Silver Grass will be responsible for restricting his landing spots, and the Purple Demon Eye will locate his true body. If that's still not enough..."
His palm lightly brushed across the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges.
Hidden weapons were stored inside.
Seeing this action, Yu Xiaogang didn't stop him. "Normal sparring, just don't injure vital points."
Tang San looked up at his teacher. The words sounded like a reminder, but he naturally understood the true meaning. No vital points, but what about everywhere else?
Tang San didn't ask. The master and disciple had just prepared to enter the Great Soul Arena when a massive wave of cheers suddenly erupted from inside.
Immediately following, a young soul master walked out from the passageway.
The person was tall and slender, wearing a small silver ring on his left ear, his eyes closed from start to finish.
Tang San's pace slowed down.
The strangest part was that even though the person clearly had his eyes closed, he accurately bypassed everyone coming from the opposite direction.
When someone even approached from behind, he would sidestep out of the way in advance.
Yu Xiaogang halted as well.
"Teacher, he is..."
Someone nearby happened to be discussing it excitedly. "He won again! That guy Shen Tingfeng can fight with his eyes closed-mist and darkness are completely useless against him."
Tang San snapped his head around.
Yu Xiaogang's expression changed as well.
As the person walked past the two of them, Tang San suddenly spoke up. "Hold on."
Shen Tingfeng stopped in his tracks, still without opening his eyes. "Something the matter?"
Tang San looked at him and slowly asked, "If an opponent could turn the entire arena into mist, could you still find him?"
The corners of Shen Tingfeng's mouth twitched slightly. "As long as he still moves, he can't run."
Tang San fell silent for two seconds.
Then, for the first time, he actively reached out his hand. "My name is Tang San, and I have a fight coming up that's missing someone exactly like you."
Before you continue