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At this moment, Yu Xiaogang suddenly spoke up: "Yang Xiong, let's discuss the tactics for our upcoming matches. Perhaps we can achieve better results."
Yang Xiong didn't dwell on it and walked into the group with Ning Rongrong, his face showing a hint of confusion: "Master, I'm not very familiar with tactics. Just arrange the plan, and I'll follow through accordingly."
"After all, I'll adapt to whatever role you assign me—whether as an agility attacker or a defender."
Yang Xiong found it strange. Normally, Yu Xiaogang and Tang San were the ones who formulated tactics, with Dai Mubai occasionally chiming in. But the real decision-maker was mostly Tang San. Asking him to help devise tactics now couldn't be a good sign.
After a brief silence, Yu Xiaogang said: "Yang Xiong, it hasn't been easy for our Shrek Team to reach this point. We've made it to the finals, and I hope everyone gives their all. If we do, we might have a chance to advance further—even win the championship."
Yang Xiong chuckled dryly and glanced at everyone present: "Master, that might be a bit difficult. Over the past two days, I've reviewed the other teams' performances. At least when facing the three strongest teams, we don't have much confidence in winning."
Seeing Yang Xiong's attitude, Yu Xiaogang grew somewhat irritated: "Yang Xiong, I know you've been holding back some of your strength. If you give it your all against these three strong teams, we might stand a chance."
Yang Xiong smiled: "What do you mean by 'give it my all'? The core of this team is Tang San, and the captains are Dai Mubai and Yu Tianheng. I'm just an ordinary member. You can't expect too much from someone like me."
"Besides, I've been serious in every battle, strictly following your arrangements. At the very least, my performance hasn't been inferior to anyone else's."
"When you arranged the lineup, did you ever consider me specifically? My position in the team has always been uncertain, and no tactics have been designed around me. Why are you bringing this up now?"
Yang Xiong wasn't without pride—he just preferred not to draw too much attention. During the promotion matches, he was labeled as the "closer," yet he hadn't even stepped onto the stage once.
As for tactical planning, no one had paid him any mind. Whenever others shone brightly, Yang Xiong remained the most inconspicuous member of the team, despite having already proven himself as the strongest fighter.
The Continental Soul Master Elite Competition was supposed to be a platform to showcase individual talent. Even though Tang San's Blue Silver Grass had been countered multiple times, he remained the team's core. To say that Yu Xiaogang and the others weren't biased would be unbelievable, even to a ghost.
Flender seemed to sense the awkward atmosphere and quickly interjected: "Yang Xiong, we all recognize your contributions to the team. You're absolutely our team's stabilizing force. We all know how strong you are. But in such crucial matches, it's best not to wear those cumbersome weights. Without them, your performance might shine even brighter."
Yang Xiong nodded: "Thank you for your concern, Headmaster. From now on, I won't wear the weights during matches. I'll definitely display my true strength."
"However, I will say one thing: the team needs to be fair and impartial. I'll complete all assigned tasks, but you can't rely solely on me and then leave me with nothing in return."
Everyone fell silent upon hearing this. As the strongest member of the team, Yang Xiong wasn't the tactical core or captain—a situation that felt unjust to everyone.
Just as Yang Xiong was about to leave, Dai Mubai suddenly spoke up.
"Fellow students, there's something I'd like to ask of you all. I hope you can help me."
All eyes turned to Dai Mubai, whose words still carried significant weight as the former captain of Shrek Team.
Flender said: "Mubai, just speak your mind. All of you have fought together and are good friends."
Dai Mubai thought carefully before speaking: "You all know about Zhu Zhuqing's and my martial souls. I actually hail from the Dai family of the Star Luo Empire—I'm a prince of the empire."
"Our family has an extremely rigorous selection process. Princes of the same generation must endure brutal competition, and only the final victor emerges triumphant. The others are stripped of their martial souls and soul power."
"My biggest rival is Dai Weisi, who is six years older than me. This soul master competition is my last chance to compete with him. I hope everyone will help me defeat the Star Luo Imperial Academy team with all their might."
"Of course, I'll also give it my all. Even if we win the championship, I don't need any soul bones. I just hope you'll help me ensure we don't lose to the Star Luo Imperial Academy."
The others were astonished to hear this revelation about Dai Mubai's noble background and began offering words of comfort.
Dai Mubai looked pleadingly at Yang Xiong. If they truly wanted to defeat the Star Luo Imperial Academy, Yang Xiong—the team's wildcard—was their key.
Yang Xiong thought for a moment: "No problem. If we face the Star Luo Imperial Academy, I'll unleash my full strength. At the very least, I'll take on Dai Weisi. But I do have one condition: if we win the championship, I get first pick of the three soul bones. I believe my contributions to the team deserve that."
Dai Mubai quickly nodded: "Of course! Yang Xiong, we all know how strong you are. In terms of pure combat power, you're undoubtedly the strongest in our team."
The others fell silent, tacitly agreeing. After all, winning the championship seemed far-fetched. Without Yang Xiong giving his all, they wouldn't stand a chance.
…
The third round arrived quickly, and this time, it was another weak opponent. The Shrek Team effortlessly secured victory, advancing them into the top six.
Yang Xiong's role shifted again, this time from a defensive-type soul master to a powerful attacker. As for Ning Rongrong's protection, Tang San's Blue Silver Grass would handle it.
This was actually the most logical lineup. Given the Shrek Team's strengths, they were clearly stronger offensively than defensively. Only by maximizing their attack power could they truly compete with the stronger teams.
Tang San's Blue Silver Grass was incredibly fast. Although it was often countered by enemies, using his earlier "Meteor Hammer" tactic, protecting an auxiliary soul master would be relatively easy—provided Tang San curbed his aggressive tendencies and partially masked the weaknesses of the Blue Silver Grass.
Once they entered the top six, there were no weak teams left, including the three standout teams: the new God Wind Academy team, the Star Luo Imperial Academy team, and the Spirit Hall team.
As for Shrek Team, they hadn't fought in the first two rounds, and the third round had been against a weak opponent. While their displayed strength was formidable, they hadn't shown overwhelming dominance.
After the fourth-round draw, Flender and Yu Xiaogang looked disheartened. They had drawn the new God Wind team, while the Spirit Hall team and the Star Luo Imperial Academy team hadn't faced each other—meaning those two teams would likely advance to the top three easily.
Both God Wind and Blazing Fire teams had previously defeated Shrek Team, and Yu Xiaogang still hadn't devised a counter-strategy against God Wind.
Seeing everyone's despondency, Yang Xiong sighed. With such fragile mental fortitude, they were still dreaming of the championship? He wondered where their blind confidence came from.
Yang Xiong glanced at Ning Rongrong beside him. The little girl appeared completely unfazed, as if she feared nothing.
Yang Xiong was puzzled: "Rongrong, why don't you seem afraid of the new God Wind Academy team?"
Ning Rongrong spat playfully at Yang Xiong: "Little Bear, what are you thinking about? We have the teachers for tactics. Even if things go wrong on the battlefield, won't you be there to protect me? You wouldn't let me get hurt, right?"
Yang Xiong was momentarily speechless. This girl really knew how to talk.
Flender asked curiously: "Yang Xiong, do you have any ideas for defeating the new God Wind team?"
Yang Xiong smiled: "Actually, the new God Wind team isn't as terrifying as they seem. They're even weaker than the original God Wind team. We just need to make a few adjustments."
Yu Xiaogang quickly asked: "Then what should we do? God Wind Academy has seven Soul Ancestors, and their wind- and fire-attribute soul masters complement each other perfectly, doubling their power. It'll be tough for us to counter them."
Yang Xiong shook his head: "Their strength is indeed impressive, and their coordination is excellent. But in doing so, they've lost their own advantages. At least they've lost the ability to fly as a team, which they had during the preliminaries."
Everyone looked at Yang Xiong curiously, waiting for him to reveal his tactics.
Yang Xiong sighed: "Against God Wind Academy, they can no longer fly as a team. Our strategy is simple: outlast them. Wear them down with sheer strength."
"It's best if neither Rongrong nor Dugu Yan participates—not even Xiao Wu. Replace them with the Shi brothers. We can rely on physical endurance to fight them head-on. The three members of Blazing Fire Academy have explosive power but lack stamina. Combined with the Shi brothers' formidable defense and our five combatants, the outcome is uncertain."
Tang San was puzzled: "Yang Xiong, during the preliminaries, the Shi brothers were swept off the stage by tornadoes. Their opponents are likely even stronger now…"
But as Tang San spoke, he suddenly understood Yang Xiong's meaning: "I see. They're no longer a team of seven wind-attribute soul masters. Their flexibility is likely far inferior to what it was during the preliminaries. As long as the Shi brothers are careful, they won't repeat their mistakes. And all of us on the field are battle-type soul masters with relatively strong defenses. If we clash head-on and our defenses hold, their soul power will deplete first, giving us the chance to win."
Yu Xiaogang also quickly grasped the essence of Yang Xiong's proposal—it might be the key to victory.
Yang Xiong internally rolled his eyes. The Shrek Team had such great substitutes, yet they kept thinking about balancing offense and defense. Couldn't they think outside the box?
…
Soon, it was Shrek's turn to face the new God Wind team. However, when Shrek unveiled their lineup and formation, everyone present was shocked.
The God Wind Team still employed a powerful attack formation, counting seven Soul Ancestors, with Feng Xiao Tian and Huo Wu Shuang leading the charge.
Unexpectedly, Shrek presented a very peculiar formation.
At the front stood the Shi brothers, Shi Mo and Shi Mo, flanked by Dai Mubai and Yu Tianheng. Standing in the middle was Yang Xiong.
Behind them stood two people—one was Tang San, and the other was a soul master who had never appeared before.
Shrek Team had arranged themselves in a "2-1-4" formation—an unprecedented and bizarre lineup in the entire soul master competition.
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