Chapter 107: Shrek's New Tactics
At this moment, Yu Xiaogang suddenly spoke: "Yang Xiong, let's discuss our tactics for the future. Perhaps we can achieve better results."
Yang Xiong didn't hesitate, pulling Ning Rongrong along as they walked into the team. He looked a bit confused: "Master, I'm not very familiar with tactics. You all can set up the strategy, and I will follow through with it."
"Anyway, I'll just execute whatever you plan, whether as an offense-type or defense-type, I can adapt to it."
Yang Xiong felt strange at this moment. Normally, it was Yu Xiaogang and Tang San who devised the tactics, with Dai Mubai occasionally offering suggestions. However, the real decision-makers were mostly Tang San. The fact that they were asking him to create the strategy now definitely wasn't a good sign.
Yu Xiaogang remained silent for a while before saying: "Yang Xiong, it hasn't been easy for the Shrek team to reach this point. Now, we're in the finals. I hope everyone can give their best effort. With full dedication, we might go even further, even win the championship."
Yang Xiong chuckled and couldn't help but glance at everyone on the scene: "Master, that might be a bit difficult. I've been observing the other teams over the last couple of days, and at least when facing the top three teams, I don't feel confident we can win."
Yu Xiaogang became a bit angry when he saw Yang Xiong's reaction: "Yang Xiong, I know you've been hiding part of your strength. If you unleash your full potential against these top three teams, we might have a chance."
Yang Xiong smiled: "What do you mean by 'full potential'? The core of this team is Tang San, the team captain is Dai Mubai and Yu Tianheng. I'm just an ordinary member of the team. You can't expect too much from me, an ordinary player."
"Moreover, I've been taking every battle seriously and following your plans, I haven't performed any worse than anyone else."
"When you were setting up the lineup, did you ever consider my position? I'm the most uncertain member in the whole team, and no one's designed tactics specifically for me. Why is it now that you're saying these things?"
Yang Xiong wasn't someone who lacked temper; he just didn't want to be too high-profile. In the promotion tournament, he was listed as the closing player, but he didn't even participate in a single match.
As for the tactical planning, no one had paid attention to it. Whenever other team members performed brightly, Yang Xiong was always the most inconspicuous one, even though he had long proven that his strength was the strongest in the team.
The Continental Soul Master Elite Tournament was originally a platform to showcase individual abilities, but despite Tang San's Blue Silver Grass being repeatedly countered, he was always the team's core. If anyone said Yu Xiaogang and the others didn't have any bias, even ghosts wouldn't believe it.
Flander seemed to sense the tension in the air and quickly intervened: "Yang Xiong, we recognize your performance in the team. You are the pillar of our team, and everyone knows your strength. But in such a crucial competition, it's better not to wear such cumbersome weight. Your performance might shine even more."
Yang Xiong nodded: "Thank you for your concern, Principal. From now on, I won't wear the weight during the matches. I'll be able to show my true strength."
"However, I'll also say this: the team needs to be fair and just. I'll complete all the tasks, but there are some things that can't rely on just me, and in the end, I shouldn't get nothing."
Everyone fell silent when they heard this. As the strongest member of the team, Yang Xiong wasn't the core of the tactics, nor was he the captain, which seemed a bit unjust.
Just as Yang Xiong was about to leave, Dai Mubai suddenly spoke.
"Everyone, I need to ask a favor. I hope everyone can help me."
Everyone turned their attention to Dai Mubai. As the former captain of Shrek, Dai Mubai still had some influence in the team.
Flander said: "Mubai, just say what you need. We've all fought together, and we're all good friends."
Dai Mubai thought for a moment before speaking: "You all know about the martial souls of Zhu Zhuqing and me. I come from the Dai family in the Xingluo Empire. I am the prince of Xingluo Empire."
"Our family has a very strict selection process. All the princes of the same generation need to go through brutal competition, and only the last victor will stand out, while the others will have their martial souls and soul power taken away."
"My biggest rival is Davis, but Davis is six years older than me. This Soul Master Tournament is my last chance to compete with him, and I hope everyone can help me defeat the Xingluo Royal Academy team."
"Of course, I will give it my all, and even after winning the championship, I don't need any soul bones. I just hope everyone can help me, and we cannot lose to Xingluo Royal Academy."
Everyone was surprised when they heard this. They hadn't expected Dai Mubai to have such a noble background. They all started to comfort him.
Dai Mubai looked at Yang Xiong with a somewhat pleading expression. If they were to defeat Xingluo Royal Academy, Yang Xiong was the only unknown factor in the team.
Yang Xiong thought for a moment before responding: "No problem. If we face Xingluo Royal Academy, I'll give it my all. At least, I'll be able to counter Davis. But I'll also say this, if we win the championship, I'll prioritize selecting one soul bone. After all, I think my contribution to the team is worth it."
Dai Mubai quickly nodded: "Of course, Yang Xiong, we all recognize your strength. In terms of combat power, you are indeed the strongest in our team."
Everyone fell silent upon hearing this. It was clear they all agreed, especially since the championship was so far out of reach. Without Yang Xiong giving it his all, they might not even have a glimmer of hope.
...
Soon, it was time for the third round. This time, they faced another weak team. Shrek's team easily won without breaking a sweat, placing them in the top six.
Yang Xiong's position once again changed. This time, he was switched from a defensive Soul Master to an offense-type Soul Master, with Tang San's Blue Silver Grass handling Ning Rongrong's protective support.
This was the most reasonable lineup. Considering Shrek's situation, they were clearly strong in offense and weak in defense. Only by pushing their offensive capabilities to the extreme could they truly compete with the stronger teams.
Tang San's Blue Silver Grass was incredibly fast, and while it was countered by enemies, using his Meteor Hammer tactic, he could easily protect a support member. Of course, this was only possible if Tang San didn't have an overpowering desire to show off and could conceal Blue Silver Grass's weaknesses to some extent.
After entering the top six, there were no more weak teams. The three strongest teams were the new Divine Wind Academy, Xingluo Royal Academy, and Spirit Hall.
As for Shrek, they hadn't fought in the previous rounds, and in the third round, they faced another weak team. Although their displayed strength was impressive, they didn't show overwhelming combat power.
After the fourth round of draws, Flander and Yu Xiaogang seemed a bit discouraged. They had drawn the new Divine Wind Academy, while Spirit Hall and Xingluo Royal Academy had avoided each other, meaning those two teams would likely advance to the top three easily.
Both Divine Wind Academy and Blaze Fire Academy had previously defeated Shrek's team, and Yu Xiaogang still hadn't come up with a counter-strategy for Divine Wind Academy.
Seeing the team's low spirits, Yang Xiong couldn't help but sigh. With their current mental state, they were still thinking about the championship. It was hard to understand where their blind confidence came from.
Yang Xiong glanced at Ning Rongrong, who seemed completely unfazed, almost as if she had no fear of facing Divine Wind Academy.
Yang Xiong asked in confusion: "Rongrong, why do you seem so unconcerned about facing the new Divine Wind Academy?"
Ning Rongrong spat out at Yang Xiong: "Little bear, what are you thinking? As for tactics, we have the teacher's guidance. Even if we're at a disadvantage, won't you be in front of me? You won't let me get hurt, right?"
Yang Xiong was speechless. This little girl could really say anything.
Flander seemed puzzled: "Yang Xiong, do you have any tactics to help us defeat the new Divine Wind Academy?"
Yang Xiong smiled: "Actually, the new Divine Wind Academy isn't that terrifying. They're even weaker than the original Divine Wind Academy. We just need to make some adjustments."
Yu Xiaogang quickly asked: "What should we do then? Divine Wind Academy has seven Soul Emperors, and their wind and fire attribute Soul Masters work perfectly together. Their power is multiplied. It's hard for us to counter them."
Yang Xiong shook his head: "Their strength is indeed impressive, and their teamwork is solid, but that's where they lose their edge. They've lost the advantage of having all seven members able to fly, which they had during the preliminaries."
Everyone looked at Yang Xiong in confusion, clearly expecting him to explain his strategy.
Yang Xiong sighed: "Against Divine Wind Academy, they can't make all their members fly anymore. What we need to do is wear them down with our strength. We'll exhaust them out."
"It's best if Rongrong and Dugu Yan stay off the field. Even Xiao Wu shouldn't fight. Instead, we can send in the Stone brothers. We can use our bodies to take them on. Blaze Fire Academy's three members have great explosive power, but their stamina is relatively weaker. If our five combatants, plus the Stone brothers' strong defense, fight hard, the outcome is uncertain."
Tang San was confused: "Yang Xiong, the Stone brothers were at a disadvantage in the preliminaries when they were swept off the stage by a tornado. Now their strength is likely even greater..."
Tang San suddenly understood Yang Xiong's meaning: "I get it now. They're not the seven wind attribute Soul Masters anymore, and they're nowhere near as agile as in the preliminaries. As long as the Stone brothers are careful, they won't make the same mistake again. With all our combat Soul Masters on the field, our defense is much stronger now. If we go toe-to-toe with them, as long as our defenses hold, their soul power will eventually run out. That's when we'll have our chance to win."
Yu Xiaogang quickly understood Yang Xiong's proposal as well. Perhaps this was the key to victory.
Yang Xiong inwardly sighed, thinking that with such good substitutes on the Shrek team, they were still trying to balance offense and defense. Couldn't they think outside the box?
...
Soon, it was time for Shrek to face the new Divine Wind Academy. However, when Shrek's team lined up, everyone was shocked.
Divine Wind Academy still had a powerful offensive lineup, with Feng Xiaotian and Huo Wushuang leading the way.
To everyone's surprise, Shrek had set up a very unusual formation.
At the front were the Stone brothers, with Dai Mubai and Yu Tianheng standing beside them. In the middle was Yang Xiong.
The last two standing were Tang San and... a Soul Master who had never appeared before.
Shrek had set up a 2-1-4 formation. Such a strange lineup had never been seen before in the entire Soul Master Tournament.
(END CHAPTER)
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