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**
"Hmph, these two brats were quite slippery. Not like the other two who charged straight at me, letting me settle things comfortably with a single punch."
The Violent Panda muttered with a frown as it surveyed the results of its handiwork.
"Tch, how boring. I'm going back to sleep." The Violent Panda picked up its cattail fan, fanning itself as it spoke.
Shaking his head with a smile, Da Shan extended his hand. As a glow of soul power radiated from his palm, the Violent Panda transformed into a mass of light and was retracted into Da Shan's body in its Martial Soul form.
Once finished, Da Shan looked at Ling Xiao and the others, who had been struck down by the Violent Panda, and asked, "Well? Do you know why you lost?"
Feeling the searing pain in his body, Ling Xiao sucked in a breath of cold air. He forced himself to his feet bit by bit, glancing at Xie Yue and the others who were also slowly standing up nearby.
Ling Xiao steadied his thoughts and said, "It was coordination. In the battle against the Violent Panda, our cooperation was too poor. We fought individually, making it far too easy for the enemy to break us one by one."
Although they had already undergone a trial in the Soul Hunting Forest and had faced powerful soul beasts together many times, their strength at the time meant they didn't require perfect coordination.
By simply fighting as a group, they were able to withstand their enemies. But when facing a powerful opponent like the Violent Panda, simple coordination was clearly insufficient.
Da Shan shook his head.
"It's not just coordination. Your cooperation certainly has many flaws, but the most critical issue is that your mindset hasn't shifted yet."
By the end of his sentence, Da Shan's tone had grown heavy, and his expression was quite stern.
"The four of you are far too obsessed with seizing the initiative in battle. I know you all possess extraordinary Martial Soul aptitudes and great talent; your mastery over your own Martial Souls is far beyond that of ordinary people."
"Within the Academy, it's safe to say that among those of the same rank, few are your match. Because of this, you were able to start your trials in the wilderness soul beast forests early. Moving even further, the Pope intends for you to undergo the trial of the Mystic Trace Canyon."
"This is both a mark of her high regard for you and her expectations. If you can truly complete the Mystic Trace Canyon trial with the cultivation of a Soul Elder, you will be the most outstanding members of the younger generation, even within the genius-filled Spirit Hall.
"However," Da Shan continued.
"This is precisely why you have rarely experienced failure. The opponents you've faced in the past were either close to you in cultivation or weren't so strong that you couldn't put up a fight. It was like that in the Academy, and mostly the same in the Soul Hunting Forest.
"While this helps you dig deep into your potential and forces you to exert your limit in every battle, it has also conditioned you to always seek victory—to seek to defeat your opponent and seize the initiative."
"But you must understand—whether it's when you step into the real world of soul masters in the future or in the upcoming trial of the Mystic Trace Canyon—you will inevitably encounter many existences whose cultivation and strength far exceed your own."
"Take the Violent Panda for example; even if he didn't use his soul power cultivation and only made a slight move, his strength would still be above that of a ten thousand year soul beast. He is an opponent that the current you absolutely cannot contend with."
"In such a situation, your first thought was actually to take the initiative and attempt to confront the opponent head-on. I can only say you are far too naive. If you were in the Death Canyon and encountered an evil beast with ten thousand years of cultivation."
"You impulsively charged forward like you just did—trying to join forces to confront and defeat it—then your trial would end right then and there. You would undoubtedly fail."
"In this regard, Ling Xiao, you and Yan have the biggest problem. After your first round of attacks, you should have immediately noticed that your strength couldn't possibly have any effect on the Violent Panda."
"At that moment, your first thought should have been: if the Violent Panda attacks, how do we protect ourselves and avoid injury? If you encountered such an opponent in the Mystic Trace Canyon, how would you escape?"
"Instead, you and Yan still chose to unleash even more powerful attacks to take the fight to him. Naturally, you were crushed instantly. I know this is mainly related to your combat styles. Both of you are Power Attack System Soul Masters; your fighting philosophy is to charge forward with indomitable will."
"There is nothing inherently wrong with that, but you must also judge the situation. If you face an opponent with a massive disparity in strength and still blindly charge in to clash head-on, you aren't an indomitable warrior—you are a brainless fool."
"On this point, Xie Yue and Hu Liena were much more rational than the two of you. After realizing the Violent Panda's strength, they understood that head-on confrontation was useless. They coordinated with each other and weren't knocked down immediately. If they had possessed your cooperation back then, perhaps they could have held out even longer."
"When facing an opponent far stronger than yourself, you must fully utilize the characteristics of your own Martial Souls, cooperate with one another, and use the minimum amount of power to achieve the maximum effect."
"Even for Power Attack System Soul Masters, it's the same. An indomitable attack doesn't mean a lack of flexibility. You must learn to shift your thinking, find the right target, and use your heavy-hitting methods to create opportunities for your partners."
After listening to Da Shan's words, Ling Xiao and Yan fell into deep thought.
Ling Xiao mused to himself: It's true. Previous victories have indeed made me too obsessed with seizing the initiative in battle. There's nothing wrong with seeking the initiative itself, but it depends on the specific situation.
Compared to the opponents they would face in the Mystic Trace Canyon, their previous battles were indeed too simple and direct. There, they would encounter many opponents whose cultivation surpassed their own.
At that time, were they going to seek the initiative against every single one?
Would they strike a stone with an egg by clashing head-on?
The four of them looked at each other and said in unison, "Thank you for your guidance, Teacher Da Shan."
"Mhm, it's good as long as you understand. My purpose for this training is to make you realize this and reinforce it. The Violent Panda's strength is far above yours; in battle, he will manifest an overwhelming power against you."
"You must learn how to fight such an opponent—avoiding injury as much as possible, cooperating with each other, and blocking or evading his attacks to escape his range."
"I hope that in a month, you can meet my requirements. Only then will you have a chance to survive in the Mystic Trace Canyon, even when facing a large number of ten thousand year soul beasts."
"Now, think it over carefully. We will continue tomorrow. I hope by then you can give me a satisfactory answer and show me your change."
Having finished his lecture, Da Shan walked toward Qi Xiang and the others; it was time for their training to begin as well.
**
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Thanks for reading!
I have 100+ advanced chapter now on Patreon. I will post 5 advanced chapter on Patreon everyday except Sunday