"Tianheng, Xu Yang, you two are responsible for finding opportunities to flank and strike the opponent. Xu Yang, the captain opposite you is yours to deal with. You won't let me down, will you?"
"Don't worry, I won't lose."
A confident smile curled on Xu Yang's lips.
"The last two are Yufeng and Lingling. Yufeng, your task is to use your ability to fly to keep those two soul masters with the striped cats from getting close to Lingling. The rest is up to Yan Zi, Tianheng, and Xu Yang!"
"Got it! No problem, Teacher Qin Ming!"
Both Yufeng and Ye Lingling had no objections.
After going over the opponent's information and assigning roles, Xu Yang and the others settled in the waiting room, adjusting their emotions as they awaited their turn for the Soul Fighting match.
At present, they were not yet members of the Tiandou Royal Team; they were only in reserve status, so they couldn't carry the royal team name. Their team was called the Thunder Snake Team, a name suggested by Yu Tianheng, and Xu Yang had no objections. So, it was officially decided.
The Soul Fighting matches in the 20th District were scheduled for six rounds in total, and Thunder Snake Team was scheduled for the third match. The second match was ongoing, and soon it would be their turn.
Less than ten minutes later, their turn arrived.
Thunder Snake Team walked into the Soul Master preparation area, where they finally met the full roster of the Running Wolf Team.
Tian Kun's figure was tall but not overly muscular, a typical offensive-type soul master. At the moment, he was walking at the front of the Running Wolf Team, his gaze fixed on Xu Yang. Behind him were two muscular middle-aged men, towering around two meters tall, their expressions kind and simple—clearly the two Iron Horned Ox soul masters in the data.
Further behind them was a man with an overly delicate look, his eyes as sharp as a snake's venomous gaze, a cold smirk always on his lips. Such a person could only be described as cunning and treacherous.
Behind the delicate man was a young woman who appeared to be in her twenties, wearing a gentle smile.
At the very back were two brothers, moving with utmost lightness, their footsteps silent. Their eyes were constantly scanning Xu Yang and the others.
The personalities of these individuals matched the information in the files quite closely.
The Running Wolf Team was also sizing them up. Since Xu Yang and the others didn't hide their faces, they were quickly identified from the limited information. They realized this was a newly formed team of students, still in their training phase.
They had watched previous Soul Fighting matches and gathered plenty of information. With a glance at Xu Yang and the others, they quickly deduced who they were.
"Just a team led by two Soul Elders? Looks like today's match will be a relatively easy win," Tian Kun said with a smile, addressing his teammates beside him.
"And they're just a bunch of kids, what kind of battle experience could they possibly have?" Yuan Hui, the delicate and venomous man, chuckled along with the others.
Soon, the entire Running Wolf Team was laughing, their expressions full of confidence.
"You want to die..." Hearing their laughter, Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan were immediately enraged. Just as they were about to retort, Xu Yang stopped them.
"Xu Yang, why are you stopping us? Didn't you hear them mocking us?!" Dugu Yan questioned angrily, while Yu Tianheng shot Xu Yang a displeased look.
"They're just talking. Do you really need to react so strongly?" Xu Yang rolled his eyes in exasperation. Seeing their still tense expressions, he continued, "If you really feel insulted, then let's fight back on the Soul Fighting stage. Let them know the consequences of mocking us. Let them feel the pain, not just sit here boiling in anger. Do you understand?"
"I'll make sure to teach them a lesson on the stage!"
Indeed, Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan's grim faces softened, though they were now filled with a dark intensity, clearly holding in their fury, waiting to unleash it during the match. Even Yufeng, Ye Lingling, Shimo, and Shimo's expressions reflected the same suppressed anger.
"Kids, huh? It's so easy to provoke them!" Xu Yang thought inwardly, though his plan had worked. Before, aside from Dugu Yan and Yu Tianheng, the others were a little nervous upon hearing about a team of Soul Elders in the competition, unsure of their own abilities.
Now, thanks to the Running Wolf Team's taunts and Xu Yang's provocation, they were all filled with rage, and their doubts vanished.
Of course, this strategy had its risks. Dugu Yan and the others were likely to act impulsively in the match, ignoring teamwork in favor of individual performance. But considering they were a newly formed team, their coordination was already lacking—what difference would a little more chaos make?
What they needed now was boldness.
"Xu Yang is definitely more mature than the others. With just a few words, he dispelled the self-doubt in Yufeng and the others and gave them the courage to fight," Qin Ming, watching from a distance, was very pleased with Xu Yang's tactics. "From now on, Xu Yang will be the captain of this team!"
Soon, Thunder Snake Team and Running Wolf Team reached the competition stage.
To ensure the stability of the team battles, the arena for group Soul Fighting was much larger than that for singles and doubles, with the audience stands also many times bigger. The arena was now packed with people.
As soon as Running Wolf Team entered, the crowd erupted into cheers. Clearly, they didn't believe Thunder Snake Team had any chance of winning and bet heavily on the Running Wolf Team.
"Teacher..."
As Xu Yang casually glanced around the stands, he spotted Ning Fengzhi sitting in a corner, with Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Ning Haoyan by his side. Xu Yang froze in place, surprised to see his teacher and Uncle Ning had finished their soul hunting and arrived so quickly, sitting among the regular spectators.
"Do your best, let me see the true power of your third ring after ten thousand years."
Ning Fengzhi's voice reached Xu Yang's ears, filling his heart with warmth. Clearly, Ning Fengzhi knew about Xu Yang's third ring and had come specially to observe his performance. Sitting in the ordinary seats allowed Xu Yang to spot him more easily.
"Xu Yang, what's wrong?!" Dugu Yan, noticing Xu Yang's pause, asked curiously.
"It's nothing, just saw someone familiar," Xu Yang replied with a smile, his eyes full of confidence.
"A familiar person? Who?" Dugu Yan looked toward the stands, but after scanning, she couldn't find anyone.
"You'll know after the match," Xu Yang teased.
"What's going on?! Why so mysterious?" Dugu Yan pouted.
Xu Yang just smiled and walked to his designated position, thinking that Ning Fengzhi had probably come to Tiandou not just to watch his match but also to meet with Dugu Bo, so Dugu Yan would soon see Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin