Registration office for the Godwind City Great Soul Arena.
The receptionist was still the same woman in her forties, but this time she looked up several times—the entire group in front of her was wearing masks, thirteen masks with thirteen different patterns, none of them alike. She looked away and methodically asked for basic information.
"Team name?"
Feng Xiaotian replied, " Nameless."
"Who is the captain?"
"Me." Feng Xiaotian pointed to himself.
The receptionist pushed the registration form over. Feng Xiaotian took the pen and quickly filled in the form—only filling in the fields for the number of participants, location, and name. He filled in only codes in the name field and left everything else blank.
The receptionist took back the registration form and glanced at it. It was full of code names—wolf, falcon, fox, owl, shadow, mountain, bell, zither, chime, sickle, vine, eye, grain. The levels ranged from level 57 to level 26.
She paused for a moment. She had just seen this ranking distribution last week. That team had registered as students from the Godwind Academy, won all three matches, and then got targeted.
She looked up, her gaze lingering on Feng Xiaotian's wolf-patterned mask for two seconds before glancing at the twelve masks behind him. She understood—changing his name, wearing a mask, and concealing his Martial Soul characteristics were all for self-protection. Quite clever.
She didn't ask any further questions. Having worked in the Soul Fighting Arena for so many years, she knew there were some things she shouldn't say. She filed the registration form and pushed the battle card towards her.
"Team Soul Fighting, Arena A, Number 3, scheduled for 15 minutes from now. Opponent: Iron Wing Team, average level 34."
Feng Xiaotian took the battle card and nodded to the receptionist. He was certain that the receptionist had recognized them but hadn't said anything, and was simply completing her tasks according to procedure.
He led the team toward the waiting area. They'd only taken a few steps when Shi Yan approached from behind, lowering his voice to say, "I'm familiar with the Wolf Team and the Iron Wing Team. Their most important asset is their dual offensive duo—one brother charges head-on, the other intercepts from the side; their coordination is excellent. The remaining five are control, defense, agility, support, and Food System —very well-rounded roles. Their overall playstyle leans towards fast attacks, relying on the first wave of charge to break through the defenses."
Feng Xiaotian glanced at him sideways. Shi Yan wasn't the type to proactively analyze his opponents before.
"You were watching from the stands?"
"Yes. I was watching their game from the stands that day when you guys were playing a duo match, and I happened to have nothing to do."
Feng Xiaotian nodded, his gaze sweeping over Zhong Yue. Zhong Yue stood with his arms crossed, only his chin and lips visible beneath his tortoise-shell mask, but he was already standing next to Shi Yan —the gap between them was half a step narrower than last time. It wasn't a coincidence; it was practiced.
"Last time, the Iron Wolf Team slipped through a half-step opening between you." Feng Xiaotian paused, then continued, "To make amends, I've decided to use the same formation again this time. I'll call it the Defensive Counterattack Formation. This time, we can't leave that opening again."
Zhong Yue nodded. Shi Yan clenched his fists. "Wolves, not today."
There were six or seven hundred people in the stands of Field A, No. 3. The referee was a middle-aged man in his forties with a loud voice that could be heard in every corner of the oval field.
"Round 3, Team Soul Fighting, Fourth Match of the Day! Red Team: Nameless Team! Blue Team: Iron Wing Team!"
A murmur arose from the audience.
" Nameless? What kind of team is that?"
"They're all wearing masks, not even showing their faces. Just trying to create mystery."
Several regulars put down their glasses and sat up straight. The Godwind City Great Soul Arena hadn't seen anything unusual in a long time.
The seven members of the Iron Wing Team emerged from the opposite passage, all dressed in dark gray uniforms. Their captain, Tie Ying, was a level 34 Power Attack System Soul Master with the Iron Wing Eagle Martial Soul. He possessed a pair of iron-gray wings with a wingspan of nearly three meters, the edges gleaming with a metallic sheen. His younger brother, Tie Peng, stood to his left, a size thinner than him, but also possessing the Iron Wing Eagle Martial Soul —a more agile offensive style. His wingtips were narrower, making him appear lighter than Tie Ying.
The seven members of the Godwind Academy were already standing on the left side of the field. They were in the same Defensive Counterattack Formation as last time: Zhong Yue and Shi Yan were the two defenders in front, Lu Hanxiao, Ji Ning, and Feng Lingtian were the three agile attackers on both sides, Ye Qingyu and Bai Yu were the two supports in the back row. Feng Xiaotian stood in the command area on the sidelines with his arms crossed.
Tie Ying glanced at the opposing formation; all seven members wore masks. His gaze lingered on the back of the formation—that spot was empty. In the standard setup for a team Soul Fighting, that spot was usually reserved for the captain or core attacker. But this team had left it empty. However, he wouldn't let his guard down; his intuition told him that this empty spot wasn't a weakness.
The referee raised his flag.
"Start!"
Tie Ying struck first. His First Soul Ring lit up, and the phantom of the Iron Wing Eagle fully unfolded behind him. He soared into the air and swooped down from above. The edges of his iron wings gleamed coldly; it wasn't an ordinary charge, but a dive attack with a cutting effect. Tie Peng simultaneously attacked from the side. The two brothers, one above and one below, their attack routes perfectly positioned at the junction of Zhong Yue and Shi Yan's defensive lines.
It's that same half-step gap again—the same gap the Iron Wolf Team passed through last time.
This time, however, Zhong Yue's tortoise shell spun half a beat faster than before. He shifted sideways the instant the Tie Ying swooped down, and the side of his tortoise shell collided with the Tie Ying's iron wing. A metallic clang rang out, the Tie Ying's dive trajectory was deflected, and it flew sideways. At the same time, Shi Yan stepped forward half a step, and the bell shield filled the gap left by Zhong Yue's sideways movement. The Tie Peng's side cut in and crashed into the bell shield—like hitting a wall.
The half-step gap is gone.
Tie Ying stumbled upon landing, and before he could regain his footing, Lu Hanxiao silently emerged from his left blind spot. The Snowy Owl had transformed into a grey owl, and its icy feathers had turned greyish-brown, but its attack method remained unchanged— the Cold Feather sealed Tie Ying's feet, instantly freezing the ice surface. Tie Ying slipped, and Tie Peng's return route was cut off by the ice. Shi Yan shield pressed forward, forcing Tie Peng to retreat.
Feng Lingtian swooped down from the sky, his Falcon Strike the gap between the two brothers, completely separating them. Ji Ning cut in from the side, not using a short blade, but the force of the Hummingbird Sting condensed at his fingertips precisely struck Tie Peng's nape—a hit that landed instantly, before disengaging. The effect of a bare-handed strike was as crisp as a short blade strike. Tie Peng's body stiffened—he felt the precision of that strike, knowing that if his opponent had a knife, he would already be down.
Tie Ying turned his head and saw this scene. He roared, his Third Soul Ring lit up, and his iron wings swept across. But Zhong Yue's tortoise shell had already turned back, and the huge defensive surface was in front of Tie Ying. Iron Eagle's iron wings collided with the tortoise shell, and Huo Xing flew everywhere. Tie Ying felt as if he had not crashed into a person, but into a moving city wall.
At the same moment, Ye Qingyu's Wind Zither rang out— Light Sound! The entire team's movement speed increased. Bai Yu's Wind Chime followed closely— Gale! They landed precisely on Lu Hanxiao, further increasing his attack speed. Then, a third chime rang out— Summon Wind! The area-of-effect movement speed increase propelled the entire team forward by one beat.
With the combined buffs from both support abilities, Lu Hanxiao's second entry was as swift as a gray lightning bolt. He swept past the Tie Ying's back, releasing his Cold Feather, which spread to its wings. The Tie Ying's iron wings lost their smoothness under the frost, making it unable to maintain its flight posture and forcing it to land.
Three attacks simultaneously landed on Tie Ying's throat, back, and ribs.
Tie Ying glanced at his younger brother, whose throat was being held by Ji Ning, then at the frost still spreading across his chest, and gritted his teeth.
"Referee, we concede."
The referee blows the whistle. " Nameless Team wins!"
There was a brief silence in the stands, followed by a burst of discussion that was louder than usual. This team, all wearing masks, had delivered a crushing victory in their first team battle—their two defensive lines were seamlessly connected, and their three agile attackers switched targets with precise timing. The entire battle lasted less than two minutes from start to finish.
In the corner at the very top of the stands, two people dressed in dark cloaks exchanged a glance.
Thirteen people, all wearing masks.
"The numbers match. But their Martial Soul have all changed, and the colors of their Soul Skill are different too." The speaker paused, his gaze falling on the thirteen masks below the stage. "Whether they're the same group from last time is hard to say."
The other person was silent for a few moments, then pulled down the brim of his cloak.
"Keep watching. Eventually, a flaw will be revealed."