Chen Wu Duo (II)
Lin Chen could smell the faint floral scent in her hair, and his heart softened. He reached out and took off his outer robe, draping it over her shoulders. "The night dew is heavy, don't catch a cold. Go back, you have training tomorrow."
"Mmm." Xiao Wu nodded, wrapped her outer robe, still warm from his body, tighter around herself, but didn't let go of his arm. They walked side by side, slowly strolling back into the courtyard.
After entering the courtyard, Xiao Wu rubbed her eyes and went back into the inner room, not forgetting to peek out and remind him, "Brother Lin Chen, you should go to sleep early too, don't stay up too late cultivating!"
"I know," Lin Chen replied, turning and walking towards the cultivation room in the backyard.
The training room was built by the lake, with bluestone paving the floor. An ancient sword rack stood in the corner, and a small pot of calming herbs sat by the window. Pushing open half of the window, the lake breeze, carrying moisture, blew in, and moonlight spread across the floor along the window frame, creating a cool and quiet atmosphere.
Lin Chen sat down cross-legged, not resting immediately. He closed his eyes and concentrated, and the Chaos Pearl in his dantian slowly rotated. Faint gray Soul Power flowed along his meridians, washing over his limbs and bones again and again.
The three battles today weren't particularly intense, but they gave him a more refined understanding of controlling the release and release of Soul Power and the intensity of Chaos Suppression. Every muscle and every meridian was tempered in the battles, and his compatibility with the Chaos Pearl increased even further.
The previously flowing Soul Power instantly boiled over, like a rising tide, rushing and roaring along the meridians, repeatedly impacting the bottleneck of level thirty-six.
The gray Soul Power became increasingly condensed, and wherever it passed, the meridians were slowly widened and nourished, and even the bones felt a tingling tremor. Lin Chen's heart stirred, and he naturally guided the Soul Power to break through the bottleneck.
boom--
A soft sound exploded in his mind, and the bottleneck was broken through as easily as paper.
The pure Chaos Soul Power surged through his entire body instantly, and every pore opened up.
Three Soul Ring rings—purple, purple, and black—quietly appeared beneath his feet. The black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring trembled slightly, and his Soul Power steadily stopped at level thirty-seven, nearly thirty percent stronger than before. The fusion between his physical body and the Chaos Pearl also broke through sixty-five percent.
Lin Chen slowly opened his eyes, a gray glint flashing in them before disappearing.
Level 37.
It was half a month faster than he had expected. The practical training from three Soul Fighting, combined with the accumulation of experience in the Star Dou Great Forest, made it a natural progression for him to break through the bottleneck.
He stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the moonlight on the lake. The lake shimmered, and the distant mountains and forests were bathed in moonlight, tranquil and vast.
Level 37 is already considered top-tier among Soul Elder. He'll be more confident in the upcoming duo and team matches. More importantly, with his improved strength, he can do even more.
The morning mist shrouded the lakeside courtyard like a thin veil, the green tiles and white walls were bathed in the milky white morning light, and the camellias in the corner of the courtyard were covered with dew, which rolled onto the bluestone slabs when the wind blew.
A wisp of smoke rose from the kitchen chimney. Xiao Wu carried two bowls of rice porridge out from under the eaves, placed them on the stone table, and called out to the backyard, "Brother Lin Chen, dinner's ready! Today we have your favorite pickles."
The door to the cultivation room opened with a click, and Lin Chen walked out, still carrying a faint warmth of his Soul Power.
After breaking through to level 37 last night, he spent half the night stabilizing his meridians. At this moment, his aura was even more profound, the gray light in his eyes had faded, and he looked more like an ordinary, handsome young man. Only the faint, chaotic pressure around him revealed his unfathomable strength.
"There's a doubles competition today, are you nervous?" Lin Chen sat down, picked up his chopsticks, and looked at Xiao Wu across from him.
Xiao Wu shoveled her rice porridge into her mouth, shook her head, and said with bright, sparkling eyes, "I'm not nervous at all! With Brother Lin Chen here, we'll definitely win! It's just..." She paused, a little curious, "Does the doubles competition need a team name? I heard Shi Mo and the others say yesterday that they're called the Stone Shield Duo."
Lin Chen chuckled, "It seems like we need to register a username. We'll find out when we get there tonight."
After breakfast, the two got ready and walked along the forest path toward the academy's martial arts arena.
On the training ground, everyone had already arrived.
Standing on the high platform, Qin Ming held a tactical diagram in his hand. Seeing that everyone had arrived, he got straight to the point. "Let me explain the tactical logic of the doubles match again. Doubles isn't about two people fighting their own battles; it's about one plus one equaling more than two. Control System players control the field, Power Attack System players cut through the backline, Power Attack System break through formations, and Support System sustain the team. Different combinations have different strategies, but the core can be summed up in four words: teamwork and covering for each other."
He pointed at Lin Chen and Xiao Wu: "You two are responsible for control and offense, focusing on breaking through enemy lines. Lin Chen's Chaos Suppression is responsible for controlling the field and locking down enemy movement, Void Shift is responsible for filling gaps and exploiting weaknesses. Xiao Wu's Teleportation is responsible for finishing off enemies and harassing them. You need to train until you can tell where the opponent's next move is with just a glance, and be able to fill in the gaps without saying a word."
He then turned to Yu Tianheng and Ye Lingling: "You two are a combination of strong offense and support, focusing on sustained pressure. Tian Heng is responsible for tearing through the enemy's defenses head-on, while Lingling simultaneously heals and nourishes her Soul Power, fighting and healing at the same time, stretching the battle lines and wearing down the opponent."
The morning's tactical lesson covered everything from formation maneuvering to identifying weaknesses, and Simulation several common opponent combinations. The afternoon was dedicated to practical sparring, with Lin Chen and Xiao Wu forming a team against Yu Tianheng and Ye Lingling, specifically to practice their teamwork.
On the training ground, lightning and gray force fields collided constantly. Yu Tianheng's lightning was fierce, and Ye Lingling's healing followed closely behind. It was a steady and reliable combination, but when Lin Chen released Chaos Suppression, the speed of the lightning was always a beat slower.
Xiao Wu's figure was even more elusive. Often, as soon as Lin Chen glanced to the side, the pink figure would have already Teleportation over and pounced on Ye Lingling's weakness.
By the time they practiced until sunset, their coordination had improved considerably.
Xiao Wu wiped the sweat from her forehead and ran to Lin Chen's side. "Brother Lin Chen, when you suppressed his thunderous attack just now, I Teleportation to his side perfectly. Wasn't that incredibly accurate?"
"Yes, the timing is perfect." Lin Chen handed her a bottle of water. "We'll follow this rhythm when we go on stage. You just focus on finding weaknesses, I'll take care of controlling the game."
As dusk settled, a deep purple sunset painted the horizon. Seeing that it was almost time, Qin Ming waved his hand. "Let's go to the Soul Fighting Arena. There are many matches today, let's get in line first."
After packing their things, everyone walked along the Sky Street towards the Great Soul Arena. The Soul Fighting Arena was already brightly lit in the twilight, with colorful Soul Guidance Lamp illuminating the outer walls layer by layer, making it look like a giant, luminous city from afar. The noise could be heard even half a street away.
Upon entering the registration hall, a staff member greeted us with a smile, "You're from the Imperial Fighting Team, right? You have a match in today's Soul Elder level doubles tournament. We need to register your team name for broadcasting and score statistics."
Xiao Wu's eyes lit up immediately, and she tugged at Lin Chen's sleeve. "Brother Lin Chen, let's think of a name!"
She tilted her head and thought for a long time, sometimes saying "Space Rabbit Duo" and sometimes "Chaos Soft Bone Team", but neither sounded good enough.
Suddenly her eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands. "I've got it! Let's call it the Chen Wu Duo! We'll use 'Chen' from your name and 'Wu' from mine, okay?"