On the morning of the fourth day of the exchange competition, Skywater Academy faced off against the Elephant Armor Academy.
This was the most lopsided match in the entire exchange tournament—at least that's what most of the spectators thought. Elephant Armor Academy was renowned for its defense; all seven members possessed heavy-duty Martial Soul, making them look like a row of mobile fortresses. Skywater Academy, on the other hand, consisted entirely of female students, with ice-attribute Martial Soul as their primary attribute. Their fighting style leaned towards control and teamwork, lacking the explosive power of the Blazing Fire Academy. Someone in the stands whispered, " Elephant Armor is in the bag; Skywater Academy can't break through their defenses."
After the referee's brief introduction, both teams released their Martial Soul. On the Elephant Armor Academy's side, the phantom of the Diamond Mammoth gleamed with a cold, hard silver light in the sunlight. Four Defense System martial spirits stood at the forefront, with Shi Suo Lock providing support in the center, Agility Attack System roaming the flanks, and Shi Gu providing continuous amplification from the back. The entire arena seemed heavier due to these heavy Martial Soul. On the Skywater Academy's side, Shui Bing'er's Ice Phoenix spread its wings behind her, its icy blue light gleaming coldly in the sunlight.
Feng Xiaotian led the entire Godwind Academy team to sit on the west side of the stands. Huyan Li Feng Xiaotian had heard of the name Huyan Li—the grandson of Huyan Zhen, the captain of this year's Elephant Armor Academy, whose defense was as formidable as his elders. If Skywater Academy wanted to win, they couldn't attack head-on; they had to see how Shui Bing'er orchestrated the situation. Huo Wushuang sat in the Blazing Fire Academy area not far away, with Huo Wu Huo Wushuang sitting next to him, their eyes scanning the field.
The match officially began. As expected, Elephant Armor Academy set up an impenetrable defense, with four layers of defense directly confronting Skywater Academy's attacks, which were almost entirely ineffective in the first ten minutes. Shui Bing'er stood in the middle of the Skywater Academy's formation, the wings of her Ice Phoenix slowly flapping behind her, but the expression on her face remained unchanged from beginning to end.
Her gaze remained fixed on the rhythm of the Elephant Armor Formation—when the back row Support System and the front row exchanged positions, a gap about two palms' width would appear between the two Defense System. She didn't attack the first time she noticed it, nor the second time; she was confirming that this gap was a fixed vulnerability rather than a coincidence.
The fifth time it appeared, the Ice Ring was instantly and precisely cast in the gap. Huyan Shan stepped onto the ice, his foot slipped, and the entire formation shifted half an inch to the right.
It was this mere half-inch that gave Skywater Academy an opening. Shui Qing cut in from the right, her Ice Butterfly striking the Support System's wrist, causing the amplification to pause for a moment; Xue Wu's Slender Dancing Snow Satin wrapped around the Control System's ankle, deflecting the Shi Suo's direction; Shui Ling's Ice Spear thrust forward, aiming directly at Huyan Li. With three consecutive moves, the Elephant Armor's ironclad formation was torn apart from the inside. Yu Leiting's hand, holding a teacup, froze in mid-air—he had waited five times before making his move; this was experience, not luck.
The battle rhythm was completely controlled by the Skywater Academy, and Skywater Academy ultimately won with a higher overall score. Huyan Li withdrew his shield and conceded defeat, nodding to Shui Bing'er. Shui Bing'er recalled her Ice Phoenix, nodded in return, and led her team off the field.
Feng Xiaotian stood up from the stands and walked towards the rest area.
Shui Bing'er was drinking water next to the rest area when she saw Feng Xiaotian walk over. She put down her water bottle and nodded calmly.
"You were under pressure for the first ten minutes, weren't you nervous?"
Shui Bing'er thought for a moment, then said calmly, "It's alright. The formation isn't disrupted, the team members aren't panicking, and I can't let myself get anxious first."
"You remained calm and collected even after being pressured for ten minutes, repeatedly observing and finding the opening, ultimately turning the tide with your final move. Your judgment and composure are outstanding; you are an excellent captain."
Shui Bing'er paused for a moment. "Thank you." Her lips twitched slightly.
Feng Xiaotian paused, unsure what to say next. He glanced at the team members packing up their equipment in the Skywater Academy rest area and suddenly thought of a topic, "How do you usually train teamwork? Maintaining formation in a losing situation isn't something that can be achieved through on-the-spot command—your usual training habits are more crucial."
Shui Bing'er thought about it seriously, "The main thing is repeated practice. After each training session, we'll have each person point out which part of the coordination went wrong that day. It's not me pointing it out, it's them pointing it out themselves." She paused, then asked, "What about you guys?"
"The methods are similar, but we hone our skills more through actual combat. Also, the Soul Fighting Arena —under real pressure, teamwork is forced out. If you lead them through more games where they're behind, their confidence will be stronger than it is now."
Shui Bing'er listened attentively and nodded. "I can consider it later." Feng Xiaotian's lips also curled up slightly.
The two chatted for a while longer, their conversation shifting from leadership methods to trust among team members. Shui Bing'er mentioned Su Mei'er's control in the previous match, saying that her Third Soul Skill was quite special, Feng Xiaotian didn't elaborate. Shui Bing'er nodded slightly and didn't press the matter.
When Huo Wu saw Feng Xiaotian walking towards the rest area of the Skywater Academy, she placed the water bottle she was holding on her lap. After losing to Su Mei'er, Feng Xiaotian probably looked down on the Blazing Fire Academy even more—an Nameless anger welled up inside her, but Huo Wu was too lazy to explain. There was still a match in the afternoon, so she stood up and walked towards the training ground without looking back, her steps quick and heavy.
That afternoon, Thunder Academy faced Blazing Fire Academy. Thunder Academy emerged victorious.
Blazing Fire Academy lost another match. Huo Wu fought exceptionally fiercely on the field—all the Nameless she had been holding back that morning was unleashed into the game. Repelling Fire Ring's repeated shattering of the Thunder Academy's two formation changes, Huo Wu's Brilliant Sun briefly tore a hole in the Thunder Academy's defense. However, Thunder Academy's Lightning Attribute Soul Skill subtly suppressed Blazing Fire Academy's formation—lightning was more domineering, carrying a paralyzing effect when released, causing a brief pause in the Soul Power circulation of the corresponding team members with each strike.
Blazing Fire Academy's amplification chain relies on the continuous accumulation of Soul Power among team members. This pause might only cause a few seconds of stiffness for other students, but for the Blazing Fire Academy, it represents a significant amplification gap. The power of Huo Wu's Brilliant Sun was greatly reduced, and ultimately, Lei Zhen broke through the Blazing Fire Academy's defenses head-on.
The referee blew the whistle, and Huo Wu turned and left. As she passed the rest area, Feng Xiaotian was still standing there, talking to Shui Bing'er. The two were an arm's length apart, their voices were low, and the content was unclear, but the atmosphere was harmonious, and there was a faint smile on their lips.
Huo Wu didn't stop walking; her shoulder almost brushed against Feng Xiaotian's arm as she bumped into him, without even turning her head.
Feng Xiaotian turned slightly, frowning as he looked at Huo Wu's back. Shui Bing'er also saw this scene, and after glancing at Feng Xiaotian's frowning expression, the corners of her mouth curved slightly.
"She seems to have some issues with you," Shui Bing'er said.
Feng Xiaotian withdrew his gaze, a hint of helplessness in his voice. "This isn't the first time."
Shui Bing'er didn't say much, picked up the water bottle and took a few more sips.