With a dark expression, Ye Zhiqiu led the group from Canghui Academy out of the inn first.
Lin Kong and the others exchanged glances, then followed close behind, striding out.
In the clearing outside the inn, the night wind howled past, stirring up clouds of dust.
Dai Mubai lowered his voice and solemnly cautioned everyone, "Our opponent has a Soul King-level Black Tortoise Martial Soul. His defense is downright terrifying. I'll take his frontal attacks up front while you look for openings. Remember, I might not hold out for very long!"
Just then, Tang San suddenly stepped forward, sounding rather confident. "We won't necessarily lose. His Soul Power may be stronger than ours, but his Martial Soul itself has a fatal flaw."
These words immediately piqued everyone's interest. They gathered around him, wanting to hear the details of his idea.
An almost imperceptible smug smile tugged at Tang San's lips. He even deliberately glanced toward Lin Kong before slowly saying, "The Black Tortoise Martial Soul clearly makes him a pure defense-type Battle Soul Master. In all likelihood, his Soul Skills are all defensive. His means of attack must be limited, so he can't pose any lethal threat to us."
He paused, then continued, "I have two suggestions. First, use our speed to maneuver around him and wear down his Soul Power. Second, let Fatty serve as our main attacker and use the unique flames of his Evil Fire Phoenix to wear him down. Throughout the fight, we must take care to dodge and avoid being hurt by his defensive counterattacks."
After hearing Tang San's analysis, Ma Hongjun, Dai Mubai, and the others all found it quite reasonable and nodded repeatedly. Seeing this, Tang San grew even more pleased with himself. He couldn't resist glancing toward Lin Kong again, a hint of showing off in his eyes.
Just then, Lin Kong sighed softly. His voice wasn't loud, but everyone heard him clearly. "Tang San, you've overlooked the most crucial issue."
Tang San's expression darkened, his brows knitting tightly as he said with some irritation, "What issue? I can come up with a concrete battle plan. Can you do anything besides stand around picking holes in it? Hmph, what's so hard about finding fault? Anyone with a mouth or hands can do that!"
Lin Kong ignored his provocation entirely. He simply turned to Ning Rongrong and asked gravely, "Rongrong, you've seen and learned plenty in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. You should know just how fast a Soul King can run at full speed, right?"
Ning Rongrong nodded, her pretty face completely serious. "Very fast. About... about..."
Lin Kong gave a slight nod and continued his analysis. "There's an iron rule in team battles-take out the support first. Especially when the support-type Soul Master has a top-tier support Martial Soul like the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, that priority only rises. I don't think an old fox like Ye Zhiqiu could possibly be unaware of that."
He shifted the subject, his gaze settling on Ning Rongrong as he asked solemnly, "Then, Rongrong, given Ye Zhiqiu's speed, can you outrun him?"
Ning Rongrong's little face instantly went pale. She instinctively shook her head, a trace of lingering fear in her voice. "No, absolutely not! Even with my speed boost, there's no way!"
Ye Zhi was a defense-type Soul Master and wasn't good at speed. Ning Rongrong was a support-type Soul Master and likewise wasn't good at speed. But he was a Soul King, while Ning Rongrong was only a Soul Grandmaster.
Lin Kong looked around at everyone and asked, emphasizing each word, "In that case, once the fight starts, if Ye Zhiqiu ignores all of us and charges straight at Rongrong, who can stop him?"
Those words were like a stream of enlightenment poured over their heads, bringing everyone present to their senses.
Dai Mubai's and Ma Hongjun's expressions changed at once, their eyes filled with shock-right, how had they forgotten that?
Ning Rongrong even turned her head indignantly and glared at Tang San, shouting without the slightest courtesy, "You idiot! You nearly landed me in a world of trouble!"
Tang San's face alternated between red and white. His hands clenched into fists so tightly that his knuckles turned pale.
"Lin Kong, then what do you suggest?" Even Tang San's tone changed. His chest heaved violently, and he looked as though smoke were rising from the top of his head. He stared fixedly at Lin Kong, sounding flustered and exasperated. "This won't work, that won't work! Yes, I forgot about that part, so why don't you come up with a solution!"
"I have one." A confident smile curved Lin Kong's lips. His tone was breezy, as though everything were under control.
He spoke slowly, laying out his plan. "Block his vision! As long as Ye Zhiqiu can't locate Rongrong precisely, or even keep track of any of us, we'll be in an unbeatable position."
Tang San gritted his teeth and pressed unwillingly, "How?"
"Very simple." Lin Kong lifted his chin. "I'll use my Dark Blue Silver Grass to surround Ye Zhiqiu completely, weaving an ink-black cage without a single gap."
"What if he forcibly destroys your Dark Blue Silver Grass?" Tang San immediately seized on the flaw, his gaze sharp. "A common weakness of plant Martial Souls is that when the Martial Soul is destroyed, the Soul Master's own Soul Power is depleted too! Can you afford that drain?"
At this, Lin Kong merely chuckled and pointed at him, his tone carrying a faint hint of mockery. "Your Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul is lousy. When it's destroyed, your Soul Power goes to waste, and you can't recover any of it. But my Dark Blue Silver Grass is different. Even if it's torn to pieces, I can recover the Soul Power, keeping the loss to a minimum. Besides that..."
Before he could finish, Oscar immediately stepped forward, thumped his chest, and declared loudly, "I'll support Brother Lin with my sausages! Whether it's restoring Soul Power or replenishing stamina, my Martial Soul can handle it!"
"There's one more person." Lin Kong deliberately paused, keeping them in suspense.
"Who?"
Everyone looked at one another, utterly puzzled. Aside from Oscar's Food-type Martial Soul, the others' Martial Souls were either power attack, agility attack, or support types. None had the ability to keep sustaining that Soul Power expenditure.
Ning Rongrong? Her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda could only boost attributes, not replenish Soul Power.
Lin Kong smiled slightly, his gaze slowly settling on Tang San as he said, stressing every word, "Tang San, it's you."
"Huh?" Tang San was completely dumbfounded. He pointed at his own nose, his face full of disbelief.
Lin Kong explained unhurriedly, his tone carrying an unquestionable certainty. "My Dark Blue Silver Grass can wrap around your Blue Silver Grass and draw Soul Power from it for my own use. Just like in our duel a few days ago. You still remember that, don't you?"
At those words, everyone understood. It turned out Lin Kong had already worked everything out, even including Tang San's Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul in his plan!
Lin Kong narrowed his eyes, his gaze resting on Tang San's tense face as he asked with the ghost of a smile, "Tang San, are you unwilling?"
Tang San's face flushed crimson. He was unwilling ten thousand times over! Why should his Soul Power be used to sew a wedding dress for Lin Kong?
But-
"Then it's settled! Brother Lin's plan is seamless!" Ma Hongjun was the first to chime in, rubbing his hands excitedly.
"That's right. This will definitely trap that old tortoise!" Dai Mubai nodded in agreement too.
"Xiao San, you can't refuse! This is a team task!" Xiao Wu couldn't help trying to persuade him as well.
"Exactly, exactly! You have to shoulder your responsibilities to the team!" Ning Rongrong joined in, still looking at Tang San with a hint of resentment.
Zhu Zhuqing said, "I agree with this battle plan!"
Everyone spoke over one another, forcing Tang San's objections back down his throat.