As soon as it was dawn, Feng Xiaotian arrived at the training ground.
He put on his wolf-patterned mask; the dark gold lines ran from his brow to his temples, making him appear mysterious and powerful.
On the wooden table beside him were twelve masks, which had been brought back from the city early that morning. They were thin, light, and breathable. The distinctive smell of the newly made masks had not yet dissipated when Ji Ning walked in.
Ji Ning glanced at the wolf-patterned mask on Feng Xiaotian's face, then looked at the row of masks on the table, his gaze landing directly on the narrow and light hummingbird mask. He picked it up and put it on his face; the mask only covered the upper half of his face, revealing his chin and lips, without obstructing his vision. He raised his hand to touch the edge of the mask, said nothing, and silently stepped aside to wait for his other teammates.
A moment later, Bai Yu and Ye Qingyu appeared. They practically walked into the training ground hand in hand. Bai Yu immediately spotted her bell mask, with a ring of tiny silver pieces hanging from the edge, jingling when she picked it up. She eagerly put it on, then turned to Ye Qingyu, shaking her head. The clinking of the silver pieces was incredibly crisp. " Qingyu, look! There really is a bell sound!"
Ye Qingyu was jolted back half a step by Bai Yu's movements and couldn't help but laugh. She put her zither-patterned mask on her face and tied the straps. The zither pattern extended from her forehead to her ears, with fine and smooth lines. She tilted her head to let Bai Yu see the pattern on the side. Bai Yu leaned closer to take a look and then reached out to touch it. The two of them huddled together, chattering about which mask looked better.
Su Ran practically ran in. He glanced around the table, grabbed his own grain-patterned mask, and shoved it onto his face, not caring that it was crooked. He then peered at the fox-patterned mask next to him. "Sis's eyes are so upturned, she'll definitely look fierce in this—" Before he could finish, he was hit on the back of the head. Su Mei'er snatched the fox-patterned mask from his hand and put it on her own face. The fox-patterned eyes were slightly upturned, perfectly matching her own temperament. "I think it looks pretty good." Su Ran rubbed the back of his head and tactfully stepped aside.
Then Lu Hanxiao and Lu Qing walked in, almost simultaneously reaching out, one with an owl pattern and the other with a sickle pattern. Lu Hanxiao put the owl-patterned mask on his face and glanced at Lu Qing. Lu Qing put on the sickle-patterned mask and looked back at him. The two looked at each other for a moment, then looked away without saying a word and stepped aside.
At that moment, the light at the entrance of the training ground dimmed slightly. Zhong Yue and Shi Yan walked in one after the other, having just finished extra practice on the connection of the defensive line, with sweat still dripping from their foreheads.
Zhong Yue walked to the table, glanced at the row of masks, picked up the tortoise-shell mask, and put it on his face. The tortoise-shell pattern extended from his forehead to his temples, and coupled with his already unchanging expression, his whole face looked more like a silent granite.
Shi Yan followed behind him and found his bell-patterned mask on the table. He clumsily tried to tie it twice before finally succeeding, muttering, "This strap is too thin." He looked up and saw Zhong Yue looking at him, and subconsciously puffed out his chest. "Is it alright?" Zhong Yue glanced at him, didn't speak, but didn't shake his head either. Shi Yan took this as a yes and stepped aside.
Jiang Lin and Cheng Luo then entered, quietly picking up their respective masks from the table. Jiang Lin's mask had a vertical pupil etched on it, making him appear even more somber. Cheng Luo ran her fingers along the lines of the vines, remarking, "The lines are quite smooth," before the two stepped aside.
Feng Lingtian was the last to arrive; he was too tired yesterday and got up a little late. He picked up the gray-blue falcon-patterned mask, the falcon-shaped pattern spreading from between his eyebrows. He looked at it over and over twice before putting it on.
Feng Xiaotian stood by the table until everyone had put on their masks before speaking, "Take the pills."
Feng Lingtian quickly distributed the Illusory Form Pill from the small cloth bag one by one. The thirteen people took them in turn, activating their Soul Power to circulate the medicinal properties. Some grew taller, some shrank, and the luster and color of their Martial Soul changed one by one in the morning light. A moment later, the team standing on the trial ground was no longer the familiar team from the Godwind Academy.
Feng Xiaotian glanced at the twelve faces in front of him, faces that were no longer familiar. Each face beneath the masks was different from the original one; their heights, builds, and figures were all mixed up, and even he had to take a second look to confirm who was who.
"Before we set off, announce your codename, position, and rank one last time," Feng Xiaotian said. "From now on, in the Soul Fighting Arena, only use your codename. You must change this habit, you must remember it."
"Wolf, Power Attack System, level 57," Feng Xiaotian said first.
"Falcon, Agility Attack System, level 35." Feng Lingtian patted his mask.
"Fox, Control System, Level 36." Su Mei'er's voice came from behind the fox-patterned mask, a little lower than her usual tone.
"Owl, Agility Attack System, level 33," Lu Hanxiao said.
"Shadow, Agility Attack System, Level 33." Ji Ning paused for a moment when he announced the code name. He had hesitated between "Hummingbird" and "Shadow," but ultimately chose Shadow—just like his fighting style, once he hit the target, he would immediately disappear, leaving only an afterimage in his opponent's sight.
"Yue, Defense System, level 36." Zhong Yue's voice was as unhurried as he was.
"Zhong, Defense System, level 33," Shi Yan announced loudly, as if afraid others wouldn't hear him.
"Qin, Support System, level 33," Ye Qingyu said softly.
"Bell, Support System, level 26." Bai Yu shook the Wind Chime on her wrist, and the silver piece tinkled twice.
"Scythe, Power Attack System, level 36." Lu Qing stated concisely and then fell silent.
"Vine, Control System, level 37." Cheng Luo took half a step forward.
"Eye, Control System, Level 36." Jiang Lin's voice was steady.
Su Ran spoke last, her tone light and cheerful. "He, Food System, level 33."
Thirteen people, thirteen masks, thirteen code names. From this moment on, they are no longer the team from the Godwind Academy that was being followed, but a brand new Soul Fighting team— Nameless!
Feng Xiaotian nodded. "Let's go."
The thirteen people walked out of the trial grounds and headed towards the Great Soul Arena of Divine Godwind City. The morning light filtered through the treetops, illuminating the masks on each one.
Feng Lingtian, who was walking in the middle of the group, quickened his pace and stood shoulder to shoulder with Su Mei'er.
"Is Su Ran your brother?" he asked in a low voice.
Su Mei'er glanced at him sideways. The mask covered half her face, but the curve of her lips peeked out from the edge. "He's my younger brother. What, I didn't tell you?"
Bai Yu, who was walking behind, suddenly exclaimed "Ah!" and whispered, "No wonder Su Ran called you 'sister' yesterday." Ye Qingyu gently tugged at her sleeve, and Bai Yu quickly covered her mouth.
Feng Lingtian didn't ask any further questions, but his steps became much lighter.
Feng Xiaotian walked at the front of the group without turning around. His mask concealed his expression, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly as he thought, "This is going to be much more interesting."