The next morning, at the training ground on the back mountain.
Before dawn, the members of the Divine Wind Team had all arrived. The twelve members lined up in two rows, and Feng Xiaotian stood in front of them.
Feng Qingxuan stood with his hands behind his back at the sidelines, while Dugu Bo leaned against an old pine tree not far away, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth.
Feng Xiaotian swept his gaze over the crowd and cut to the chase. " The Soul Core Soul Core been condensing for some time now, so you've all probably gotten used to its existence. But getting used to it doesn't mean you know how to use it. Today, we'll begin practical combat training."
Team A consists of seven members: Feng Lingtian, Su Mei'er, Lu Hanxiao Zhong Yue, Ji Ning, Ye Qingyu, and Jiang Lin.
Team B – Feng Xiaotian, Shi Yan, Bai Yu Lu Qing, Cheng Luo, Su Ran.
Team B has one less player than Team A, so the challenge lies in teamwork under pressure.
Team A has one more person, so the test will be whether you can break through my level 58 suppression.
Everyone should take this seriously and show their true abilities.
Both sides quickly spread out their formations.
Team A used Zhong Yue's Black Tortoise: Wind Armor as their front shield, with Feng Lingtian and Lu Hanxiao positioned on either side, and Jiang Lin in the center, his Spirit Eyes scanning the entire field.
Su Mei'er and Ye Qingyu stood in the back row—the four colors of light—wind, thunder, fire, and water—flowed at Su Mei'er's fingertips, while Ye Qingyu's Wind Zither was already set up. Ji Ning wandered around the perimeter of the formation, the afterimage of a hummingbird appearing and disappearing intermittently.
Team B's positioning was completely different. With one less player, the conventional balance between offense and defense wouldn't work, so their strategy was—since they were down a player, they would use offense as a form of defense.
Feng Xiaotian and Lu Qing stood side by side at the forefront, their twin scythes drawn, Gale gathering at their fingertips. Cheng Luo stood in the center, the seeds of the Wind-Binding Vine dancing in his palm.
Shi Yan, Bai Yu, and Su Ran were positioned in the back row, enveloped by the pale golden light of the Void Resonance Bell. Bai Yu held a wind Wind Chime in her hand, while Su Ran held a few seeds of Wind Grain between her fingers.
Dugu Bo shifted the corner of his mouth, a blade of grass between his teeth, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.
"Begin," Feng Qingxuan ordered.
A silver light flashed in Jiang Lin's eyes as his Spirit Eyes scanned the B team's formation. Feng Xiaotian and Lu Qing were at the forefront, with Cheng Luo connecting in the middle, and the three in the back row were covered by Shi Yan —the overall formation was compact, but only Lu Qing was holding the defensive line on the left, leaving a gap of about one body length on the flank of the back row.
"Left flank, cut off the rear!" Jiang Lin reported the order.
Feng Lingtian spread his wings and transformed into a streak of blue light, rushing straight to the left wing. Lu Hanxiao took off at the same time, the Snowy Owl flying silently, its wingtips drawing silvery arcs of cold air—but the two arrived at their positions half a beat apart.
Feng Lingtian had already cut into the gap, but Lu Hanxiao's flanking route was blocked by Cheng Luo's suddenly extended Wind-Binding Vine. The originally planned dual-line attack turned into Feng Lingtian's solo advance.
Lu Qing didn't let this opportunity slip by. His twin scythes crossed, unleashing his Third Soul Skill, Wind Scythe - Consecutive Slashes, unleashing three blades of light. Feng Lingtian's dive was intercepted head-on.
The first blade deflected his impact, the second grazed his wingtip, and the third precisely blocked his space to change direction.
Feng Lingtian quickly activated his Second Soul Skill, Folded Wing Flash, at high speed, instantly changing direction to bypass Lu Qing's front—his goal was to reunite with Lu Hanxiao.
At the same time, Lu Hanxiao adjusted his flight angle, and the Snowy Owl folded its wings, closing in on Feng Lingtian from the side. The two, positioned to the left and right, were about to form a pincer attack—
The bells from the Shi Yan had already fallen on the point where they were about to meet.
A silent shockwave exploded in the air, and the spatial fluctuations simultaneously deflected the flight paths of the two individuals.
Feng Lingtian's dive veered off course, and Lu Hanxiao's follow-up wing slash also missed its mark.
Their meeting was abruptly interrupted, and the two attacks collided in the air, creating a chaotic mass of airflow.
"Beautiful," Dugu Bo muttered.
The Void Resonance Bell this time is not for protection or defense, but for countering attacks.
Su Mei'er observed this and frowned slightly. Team B's defense was stronger than expected; their two agile attackers were already tied up. If this continued, Team A's numerical advantage would be gradually worn away.
She no longer hesitated. Wind Fire Bewildering Array surged from her fingertips, the Ultimate Fire transforming into scorching phantom mist, bypassing Cheng Luo in the middle row of Team B, and rushing straight to the back row.
Of the three in the back row, Su Ran was the first to notice something was wrong. He had been keeping a close eye on Su Mei'er's movements—the most threatening Control System in Team A, he had seen every moment the four elements flowed through her fingertips.
When Su Mei'er's gaze passed over the middle row and landed on the three in the back row, Su Ran's heart went on alert. There was only one support, one food, and one defender in the back row, while the Defense System Shi Yan's Void Resonance Bell was still in front parrying attacks. In Su Mei'er's eyes, this was the biggest weakness of Team B.
Without any hesitation, Su Ran stuffed a grain of Wind Grain that he had already condensed into Bai Yu's hand—that was Wind Grain of Life, used to restore Soul Power.
He knew Bai Yu had a shield-type Soul Skill, but blocking the area-of-effect attack of the Ultimate Fire would consume a significant amount of Soul Power. All he could do was boost his own stamina before Bai Yu could make his move.
Bai Yu took the Wind Grain and swallowed it in one gulp. She didn't even have time to thank it—the fiery mist was already rushing towards her. She took a step forward diagonally, stood sideways, and tried to minimize the area she would be hit from the front. Her Third Soul Skill, Wind Chime - Wind Guard, was activated, and the phantom of wind chimes surrounded her.
Su Ran and Shi Yan moved at the same time. Without discussing it, they both moved behind Bai Yu — Su Ran was thin to begin with, and when she shrank to Bai Yu's left rear, she was almost completely hidden;
Although Shi Yan was Defense System, his Martial Soul was not with him at the moment. Without hesitation, he turned to the side and tucked his shoulders in, squeezing his burly figure into the projection behind and to the right of Bai Yu.
The three of them compressed into the narrowest possible defensive line the instant the fire fog arrived, and the Wind Guard completely covered their frontal area.
The fire mist collided with the Wind Guard, hissing as it struck. The intense heat of the Ultimate Fire pierced through the illusory bell, and Bai Yu's face paled for a moment—but she withstood it.
The Soul Power that Wind Grain Sheng dissolved within her body continuously replenished Wind Guard's consumption, allowing her to hold on for a few more breaths.
Two breaths are enough.
The Shi Yan Void Resonance Bell flew back from the front, its pale golden body hovering above the three of them. The bell rang and the shield exploded, the sonic shield blocking out all the remaining flames.
Su Mei'er frowned. Her Wind Fire Bewildering Array was neutralized by Su Ran's foresight, Bai Yu's selfless shield, and Shi Yan's bell-ringing defense—not completely neutralized, the fire mist was still there, but it had lost its element of surprise.
Just as she was about to activate the fire mist again, a blurry figure suddenly appeared in her field of vision— Feng Xiaotian.
The Wind Fire Bewildering Array required continuous guidance, but with her vision blocked, Su Mei'er was unable to determine the direction of the fire mist's spread, creating a brief gap in her subsequent control of the flames.
She gritted her teeth and switched to her Third Soul Skill, Wind and Water Confinement, trying to imprison Feng Xiaotian, but Feng Xiaotian had already disappeared. Wind and Water Confinement missed its mark.
"The captain is too fast," Su Mei'er muttered under her breath. She didn't have time to chase after the captain, because Lu Qing's Wind Scythe had already reached Zhong Yue.
The Wind Scythe Giant Blade condensed into a three-meter-long cyan scythe shadow, slashing down from mid-air. Zhong Yue's Black Tortoise: Wind Armor lit up, and the wind barrier on the surface of the tortoise shell withstood the blow.
As the Wind Scythe was deflected, Wind Armor Counterattack was activated—but Lu Qing had already been pulled back a step by Feng Xiaotian during the gap in their movement, just in time to avoid the attack that was deflected back.
Ji Ning remained still, waiting. His Hummingbird Martial Soul darted along the edge of the battlefield, leaving blurry trails of afterimages.
His very presence was a form of suppression; Team B's back row dared not push forward completely, because no one knew from which angle he would pierce in.
Fifteen minutes later, the two sides were still locked in a stalemate.
"Stop."
Feng Xiaotian raised his right hand. The seven members of Team A were breathing heavily but their formation remained intact, while the five members of Team B had sweat on their foreheads.
Su Ran quickly conjured up the food from her first three Soul Skill and distributed it to both teams. A faint scent of herbs and wood filled the morning breeze. The team members took the food and their breathing gradually calmed down.
"This round just now exposed quite a few problems." Feng Xiaotian's gaze swept over both sides. "Team A - Jiang Lin's instructions were fine, but your mouth can't keep up with your teammates' speed."
When you shouted "Cut off the back row," Feng Lingtian had already overshot the target. Lu Hanxiao was intercepted by Cheng Luo not because he was slow, but because you shouted the order a beat too late.
Jiang Lin remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded. His Spirit Eyes could see through things, but the speed of information transmission couldn't keep up with the explosive power of his body.
" Su Mei'er, there were two questions when you released the Wind Fire Bewildering Array just now."
Feng Xiaotian's gaze fell on her, and he slowly said, "First, if your vision is blocked, your control over the flames will be disrupted—you need to learn to adjust your position with Jiang Lin's guidance when your vision is obstructed."
Secondly, when you switch elements, your attention is entirely focused on releasing the skill, leaving your own defense vulnerable. Remember that while releasing your Soul Skill, you are also a target on the battlefield.
Su Mei'er frowned but did not refute.
"Team B. Lu Qing, next time don't try to tank two agile attackers head-on. Your advantage is speed. Use the Returning Scythe to create distance."
Cheng Luo, your blocking Lu Hanxiao's attack was very timely. But when Su Mei'er released the Wind Fire Bewildering Array, you didn't make any move to interfere with her.
Your vines can entwine around her hands; even just distracting her for a moment will significantly reduce the pressure on those in the back row.
Next time you encounter an opponent with Control System, be sure to disrupt them immediately after noticing their movements to create opportunities for your teammates.
Cheng Luo nodded, and the Wind-Binding Vine seed in his palm glowed slightly.
"The three in the back row—that defensive play just now was excellent. Su Ran's anticipation was accurate, Bai Yu held firm, and Shi Yan's timely recovery was crucial. Let's keep playing at this pace from now on."
Lu Qing rotated her numb wrists and twirled the double sickles in her palms. Bai Yu quietly rubbed the back of her hand, which was red from the fire mist, and Su Ran gave her another grain of Wind Grain.
Feng Xiaotian raised his head and looked up at the sky. The morning mist had dissipated, and sunlight bathed the training ground.
Neither side made a breakthrough in the first round, but many problems were exposed, and further refinement is needed.
"Take a 15-minute break." Feng Xiaotian glanced at everyone. "Go and digest the issues I just pointed out. We'll start the second round in 15 minutes."
The group dispersed to rest. The morning light grew brighter, falling on the training ground behind the mountain, and also on the indomitable spirit in everyone's eyes.