When Feng Xiaotian returned from the registration desk, the entire team was already waiting at the entrance of the Soul Fighting Arena.
He stood at the entrance, glanced back at the gate of the Soul Fighting Arena, and stopped in his tracks.
Zhong Yue called out from the front of the group, "Captain, let's go. We'll be back tomorrow."
Feng Xiaotian didn't move.
"No more," he said.
Everyone was taken aback. Su Mei'er turned her head to look at him. "What do you mean?"
"There are no more suitable opponents for us to hone our skills here." Feng Xiaotian turned around to face the entire team. "Today's match is our last in the city's Great Soul Arena. Next, we'll move on to another location."
For a moment, no one spoke.
Shi Yan opened his mouth, then closed it again. Jiang Lin glanced down at the battle card receipt in his hand and remained silent. Bai Yu stood at the back of the line, her fingers twirling the knot of the Wind Chime, quietly watching Feng Xiaotian.
Feng Xiaotian didn't explain further. He turned around and looked back at the entrance to the Soul Fighting Arena. Sunlight streamed down from the rooftop, bathing the entire building's exterior in a pale gold hue. They had been going in and out of this door for half a month; they were nervous the first time, but had gotten used to it, and now they were leaving.
Feng Lingtian stood next to his brother without saying a word, but took half a step closer to him.
After a while, Feng Xiaotian withdrew his gaze.
"Let's go back to the academy."
Thirteen shadows were cast on the bluestone pavement, stretched long by the setting sun.
Unlike when I first stepped out of this door two weeks ago, this time no one was following me—or rather, those who were following me no longer dared to.
Back at the academy, Feng Xiaotian didn't have everyone gather at the training ground as usual. He told everyone to rest first and come back in the evening.
After everyone dispersed, Feng Xiaotian returned to his room alone and spread out the Soul Fighting records from the past two weeks on the table. There were over a dozen battle record slips, each with handwritten notes on the back—opponent's lineup, field name, result, and details needing improvement. He flipped through them page by page, occasionally circling a line with his pen before continuing. When he reached the record slip for the Homeward Journey Team's match, he paused, circled Bai Yu's name, and wrote a question mark.
In the evening, the whole team gathered at the training ground. Feng Xiaotian arrived earlier than everyone else and was already sitting on the bottom step of the stone steps, waiting. When all thirteen people had arrived, he did not stand up, but simply put the stack of receipts beside him aside.
"We've played over a dozen matches in the past two weeks, and all four lineups we selected based on our opponents have been tested in actual combat. Counter-attack, fast attack, armor penetration, double support—each one has proven effective." He paused. "From initially having to personally decide on the lineups for every match, to later being able to analyze opponents and make decisions yourselves—that's the biggest gain during this period. We've already played against most of the suitable opponents in the Godwind City Great Soul Arena. Next, we'll rest for two days, then head to the surrounding cities—to find stronger opponents and larger Soul Fighting Arena."
He looked up and glanced at the whole team.
"However, there are a few things to keep in mind. The defensive counter-attacking line still needs to be repeatedly tested against different types of opponents. Fast attacks require a higher level of teamwork than any other lineup; if the rhythm is disrupted, it's equivalent to losing your own composure. The efficiency of breaking through defenses and attacking solid defenses needs further improvement—if the opponent's single-target Defense System units are stronger, can we break through head-on? The rotation rhythm of the two supports works fine in a winning situation, but can it maintain the same efficiency when losing? These are all things we need to test next."
Upon hearing this, Bai Yu subconsciously tightened her grip on the Wind Chime on her wrist.
Feng Xiaotian stood up from the stone steps. "Two days of rest. Find the vice-captain for the pill reserves, and give Wind Grain Ears to Su Ran. We'll depart early the next morning. If you have any questions, speak now."
No one asked a question.
Feng Xiaotian nodded. "Dismissed."
Two days later, the thirteen people gathered at the academy gate. The morning sun had just risen over the low wall to the east. Feng Xiaotian stood at the front and glanced at the whole group. Each person carried a simple bag, with masks hanging at their waist or tucked into their arms. Bai Yu took the Wind Chime chime off her wrist, carefully wrapped it in a soft cloth, and stuffed it deep inside her bag—she was afraid it would get damaged on the journey.
"Set off."
In the days that followed, the entire team left Godwind City and began traveling between the Soul Fighting Arena in various cities across the continent. In each new city, they registered as " Nameless," changed their lineups, fought, and left without lingering.
The first stop was Luo City. The style of the Luo City Great Soul Arena was completely different from that of Godwind City —teams here preferred to use control chains, controlling one opponent after another, keeping them under control from start to finish. Godwind Academy suffered a loss in their first match; their fast-attack lineup was completely controlled, and Lu Hanxiao was frozen in place before he could even take flight. Back at the inn, the whole team reviewed the game until late at night. Feng Xiaotian analyzed the opponent's Control System attack rhythm five times, finally concluding that: you can't charge in directly against a control chain; you have to use defense and counter-attacks to wear them down first, and then counter-attack when their control Soul Power is depleted. The next day, they were matched against a control team again and won.
The second stop was Qing City. Qing City's popular strategy is pure agility-based speed push, where everyone rushes in within the first three seconds, it's either you die or I die. This style of play perfectly countered Godwind Academy's fast-attack lineup—both sides were racing for tempo, it was a battle of who could be faster. At first, they lost more than they won, and Ji Ning's starting speed was forced to improve in this confrontation. Later, Lu Hanxiao and Ji Ning's teamwork became so good that they didn't even need to look at each other, a single glance was enough to know who would attack first and who would finish off the opponent.
The third stop was Lan City. Lan City had a veteran team called " Iron Wall," composed entirely of Defense System and Support System players, specializing in attrition warfare. Feng Xiaotian fielded a double-support lineup in three matches. In the first match, they were dragged out until their Soul Power was depleted, at which point they conceded. In the second match, Ye Qingyu and Bai Yu's rotation rhythm allowed them to capitalize on the opponent's recovery gaps. In the third match, Bai Yu interrupted the opponent's healing at a crucial moment—after three matches, Ye Qingyu and Bai Yu's teamwork had gone from "tacit understanding" to "instinct."
The four lineups were repeatedly refined through various styles of competition.
The defensive counter-attack strategy employed a double-control approach, resulting in the defensive line being breached several times. Zhong Yue and Shi Yan's rotational coordination was honed bit by bit from these failures. In a fast-paced attack against a pure agility-based offense, the battle of speed became paramount— Lu Hanxiao and Ji Ning both significantly improved their starting speed. Breaking through defenses against a solid defensive formation, Lu Qing's frontal pressure surged during this phase, transforming from "being able to penetrate" to "decisive victory." With two supports in a war of attrition, Ye Qingyu and Bai Yu's rotation rhythm became increasingly synchronized; eventually, they didn't need to speak, a single glance was enough to know who should step in.
It started as "effective" and then became "skilled," and then it became an instinctive reaction—seeing the opponent's lineup, without discussion, everyone already knew which lineup to use and which position to stand in.
During this period, the entire team made breakthroughs one after another.
Feng Lingtian was the first to break through to level 36 in continuous high-intensity combat. Ye Qingyu, Lu Hanxiao, Ji Ning, Shi Yan, and Su Ran also broke through to level 1. Bai Yu also leveled up to level 27. Feng Xiaotian did not participate in the match, but he was on the sidelines directing, observing, and recording every game. In the continuous high-intensity mental work, he touched the bottleneck of level 58. He did not rush to break through, but instead focused on the team's overall coordination.
Three months have passed in the blink of an eye.
One evening, the team had just finished their last Soul Fighting of the day and were preparing to leave the Soul Fighting Arena. Feng Lingtian was walking in the middle of the team when he suddenly stopped. He reached into his robes and touched the dark blue Resonance Stone — the Shitou was slightly warm, and the Soul Power patterns on its surface flickered on and off.
Feng Lingtian's expression immediately changed.
The Resonance Stone was made by his own hand. There was only one matching pebble, which was in Dugu Bo's possession. Dugu Bo had said he wouldn't use it unless it was something important. Now the Shitou was shining, and flashing so rapidly—
"What's wrong?" Feng Xiaotian noticed his unusual behavior.
Feng Lingtian clutched the Resonance Stone in his palm and looked up at Feng Xiaotian: " Senior Dugu is looking for me. It's probably urgent."
Feng Xiaotian frowned. "What is it?"
"I don't know. But he wouldn't use this for no reason." Feng Lingtian carefully put the Resonance Stone away again. "Brother, I think... something might have happened at the academy."
Feng Xiaotian was silent for two seconds, then turned to everyone and said, "Back to the academy. Now."
No one asked any further questions. The thirteen people left the Soul Fighting Arena and rushed back to Godwind City overnight.
As night fell, Feng Lingtian walked in the middle of the group, his hand still resting on the now-cooled Resonance Stone in his pocket. He didn't know why Dugu Bo had sought him out, but anything that could make that Old Poison master use the Resonance Stone was no small matter.
Feng Xiaotian walked at the front, his pace much faster than when he came, but his steps remained steady.