Shrek's New Tactics
At this moment, Yu Xiaogang suddenly spoke up, "Yang Xiong, let's discuss future tactics together. Maybe we can achieve better results."
Yang Xiong didn't hesitate. He pulled Ning Rongrong into the group, looking slightly confused. "Master, I'm not very familiar with tactical planning. I usually just follow your arrangements."
"Either way, I just execute according to the plan. Whether I'm in an agility-attack or defense role, I can adapt."
Yang Xiong felt this was odd. Normally, tactics were decided by Yu Xiaogang and Tang San, with Dai Mubai occasionally adding input. But the main strategist was usually Tang San. Now that they were asking him to join the planning, it definitely wasn't a good sign.
Yu Xiaogang paused for a moment before speaking again. "Yang Xiong, it hasn't been easy for Shrek Academy to make it this far. Now that we're in the finals, I hope everyone can give their all. That way, we might have a chance at going even further, maybe even winning the championship."
Yang Xiong let out a dry laugh and glanced at everyone. "Master, that's probably going to be difficult. I've observed the other teams these past few days. Against the top three teams, I don't think we have much chance of winning."
Yu Xiaogang frowned slightly. "Yang Xiong, I know you've been holding back some of your strength. If you give it your all against those three strong teams, we might actually have a fighting chance."
Yang Xiong smiled. "What do you mean by giving it my all? The core of this team is Tang San. The captains are Dai Mubai and Yu Tianheng. I'm just a regular team member. You can't expect too much from an ordinary member, can you?"
"Besides, I've taken every match seriously and followed all your arrangements. At the very least, my performance isn't worse than anyone else's."
"When you set up lineups, did you ever consider me specifically? My position on the team is the most uncertain, and no tactics have ever been built around me. So why are we having this conversation now?"
Yang Xiong wasn't someone without a temper, he just preferred to keep a low profile. During the elimination rounds, he was supposed to be a key player, but he didn't even get to compete once.
As for tactics, no one ever focused on him. While others shone brightly in matches, Yang Xiong always remained the most overlooked member, even though he had already proven he was the strongest on the team.
The Continental Soul Master Elite Tournament was supposed to be a platform for individual performance. Even though Tang San's Blue Silver Grass had been countered several times, he still remained the team's core. To say Yu Xiaogang didn't show favoritism, no one would believe that.
Flender seemed to sense the tense atmosphere and quickly tried to mediate. "Yang Xiong, we all acknowledge your contribution to the team. You're like the stabilizing force in our group. We know how powerful you are. But in a major tournament like this, it might be better if you stop wearing those heavy restraints. You might perform even better."
Yang Xiong nodded. "Thanks for your concern, Dean. I won't wear the weights in future matches, I'll make sure to show my full strength."
"But I do want to say one thing. The team should operate with fairness. I'll carry out any task assigned, but some things can't fall on just one person, especially if that person ends up getting nothing in return."
Everyone fell silent after hearing this. As the strongest member of the team, he wasn't the tactical core or even a captain. It really didn't make sense.
Just as Yang Xiong was about to leave, Dai Mubai suddenly spoke up.
"Everyone, there's something I need to ask you. I hope you'll be willing to help me."
Everyone turned to look at Dai Mubai. As the original Shrek team captain, his words still held weight.
Flender said, "Mubai, just say what's on your mind. You've all been through so much together, you're friends."
Dai Mubai thought for a moment before speaking. "You all know about my and Zhu Zhuqing's martial spirits. I'm actually a prince from the Star Luo Empire, of the Dai family."
"Our family has a harsh selection process. All princes of the same generation must undergo brutal competition. Only the final winner is allowed to continue, while the rest have their martial spirits and spirit power stripped."
"My biggest rival is Davis. He's six years older than me, and this tournament is my last chance to compete against him. I hope everyone can help me defeat the Star Luo Royal Academy team."
"I'll give it my all, of course. And even if we win the championship, I don't want any spirit bones, I just need help defeating the Star Luo team."
Everyone was stunned. They hadn't expected Dai Mubai's background to be so prestigious and quickly offered words of comfort.
Dai Mubai looked meaningfully at Yang Xiong. If they wanted to defeat the Star Luo team, Yang Xiong was the real wild card.
Yang Xiong thought for a moment. "No problem. If we face the Star Luo Royal Academy, I'll go all out. At the very least, I'll go head-to-head with Davis. But if we do win the championship, I want first pick of the three spirit bones. I think my contribution to the team warrants it."
Dai Mubai nodded quickly. "Of course. We all know how strong you are. In terms of combat ability alone, you're the strongest on our team."
The others silently agreed. Without Yang Xiong going all-out, there might not even be a sliver of hope.
Soon it was time for the third round. This time they faced a weak team, and Shrek won effortlessly, securing their place in the top six.
Yang Xiong's role changed again, from a defense-type soul master to a power-attack type. As for Ning Rongrong's protection as the team's support, Tang San's Blue Silver Grass took over.
In fact, this was the most logical arrangement. Shrek's team had strong offense but weak defense. Only by fully unleashing their offensive power could they truly compete with top-tier teams.
Tang San's Blue Silver Grass was very fast. Even though it was often countered, using his Meteor Hammer tactics, he could easily protect a support-type teammate, as long as he didn't focus too much on showing off or attacking aggressively. That would also help hide the Blue Silver Grass's weaknesses.
Now that they had entered the top six, there were no weak teams left. Among them were the three most outstanding teams: the New Divine Wind Academy, the Star Luo Royal Academy, and the Spirit Hall Academy.
Shrek had skipped the first two rounds and faced a weak team in the third. Though their strength was clear, they hadn't shown any overwhelming power.
After the fourth round draw, Flender and Yu Xiaogang seemed a bit dejected, they were matched against the New Divine Wind team. Spirit Hall and Star Luo wouldn't face each other yet, meaning both were likely to make it into the top three.
Both the Divine Wind and Blazing Fire teams had previously defeated Shrek. Even now, Yu Xiaogang hadn't figured out a counter-strategy for Divine Wind.
Seeing the gloomy atmosphere, Yang Xiong sighed. With this kind of mental resilience, they still dared to dream about the championship. Who gave them that blind confidence?
He glanced at Ning Rongrong beside him. The girl looked completely unfazed, as if she feared nothing.
Yang Xiong asked, "Rongrong, why don't you seem worried about the New Divine Wind team?"
Ning Rongrong spat at him playfully. "You silly bear, what are you thinking? We've got our teacher for tactics, and if we really get into trouble on the battlefield, isn't it your job to stand in front of me? You wouldn't let me get hurt, would you?"
Yang Xiong was speechless. This girl really said whatever came to mind.
Flender looked curious. "Yang Xiong, do you have a way for us to beat the New Divine Wind team?"
Yang Xiong smiled. "They're not as scary as they seem. In fact, they're weaker than the original Divine Wind Academy. We just need to make some adjustments."
Yu Xiaogang quickly asked, "What should we do? They've got seven Soul Ancestors, and their wind and fire attribute soul masters complement each other. That kind of synergy boosts their power greatly, it won't be easy to handle."
Yang Xiong shook his head. "Their strength and coordination are excellent, yes, but they've lost their biggest advantage. They can't all fly like they did in the qualifiers."
Everyone looked at Yang Xiong in confusion, waiting for him to explain.
Yang Xiong sighed. "Against Divine Wind, our strategy should be attrition. We wear them down using brute force."
"It's best if Rongrong and Dugu Yan sit this one out, maybe even Xiao Wu too. Let's bring in the Shi brothers instead. We can use their physical strength to go head-to-head. The Blazing Fire members might be explosive, but their endurance is weak. If our five main fighters plus the Shi brothers can hold the line, their spirit power will run out first, and that's our chance to win."
Tang San was doubtful. "But in the qualifiers, the Shi brothers got blown off the stage by their tornado move. Now they're even stronger…"
But halfway through speaking, Tang San realized Yang Xiong's point. "I get it. They're no longer all wind-type soul masters, so they're far less mobile. If the Shi brothers stay cautious, they won't repeat that mistake. Our lineup will be full of battle soul masters with stronger defense. If we can endure their attacks, they'll burn through their spirit power first. That'll be our opportunity."
Yu Xiaogang quickly understood the logic as well. This might be the key to victory.
Yang Xiong internally sighed. With such strong substitutes on the team, why were they still obsessing over a balanced offense-defense setup? Why not just use their heads?
Soon, it was time for Shrek to face off against the New Divine Wind team. When Shrek revealed their lineup and formation, everyone was stunned.
The Divine Wind team still had a full offensive formation, led by Feng Xiaotian and Huo Wushuang, both Soul Ancestors.
But to everyone's surprise, Shrek adopted an extremely strange formation.
At the front were the Shi brothers, Shi Mo and Shi Mu. Flanking them were Dai Mubai and Yu Tianheng, with Yang Xiong standing in the center.
At the very back were two others, Tang San and a soul master who had never appeared before.
Shrek had actually set up a 2-1-4 formation. Such an unusual lineup had never been seen in the entire tournament.
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