Not only the Three Education Committee Members and Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, but also Yu Tianheng and the other six looked at Lü Buliang, watching him walk step by step onto the Soul Duel Stage. Everyone was in a very quiet state.
Yu Tianheng and four others had already seen Lü Buliang, so they didn't find it strange. Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling were seeing him for the first time, so it took them a while to realize that this new student must be Lü Buliang.
Quietly watching Lü Buliang approach, Dugu Yan scoffed, "You are Lü Buliang? Teacher Qin Ming praised you so highly, but you don't look particularly unique."
Coming before Dugu Yan, Lü Buliang merely glanced at her without replying. His gaze swept over Yu Tianheng and the others before he said to Dugu Yan, "Regardless of your attitude towards my joining, we are teammates as long as we stand together. Any dissatisfaction can be discussed later. Right now, our enemy is Teacher Shi Gao, and we should face him together."
"Stop with the nonsense!" Shi Gao shouted from the other side of the Soul Duel Stage. "If you're going to fight, hurry up. I still have to teach other classes."
As the captain, Yu Tianheng naturally had to persuade his companions to set aside their differences. "Yan Yan, Lü Buliang is right. Standing together to face difficulties makes us comrades. For now, let's deal with the enemy before us."
"Alright then. Lü Buliang, I want to see what role you can play in Ye Lingling's place." After replying, Dugu Yan helped Ye Lingling off the Soul Duel Stage, letting her rest beside Qin Ming.
When Dugu Yan returned to the stage, the dissatisfaction she had shown towards Lü Buliang was gone. As the vice-captain, she naturally understood priorities. Her earlier display of displeasure was merely to unconditionally stand by her good sister Ye Lingling. Now that they had to fight together, they should put aside past grievances. Otherwise, how could she entrust her back to her teammates?
On the Soul Duel Stage, Lü Buliang took Ye Lingling's place, standing behind everyone. At the very front of the formation were the defense system Shi Brothers and the attack system Yu Tianheng. On the left and right sides were the agility-attack system Yu Feng and Oslo respectively. Dugu Yan, a control system Spirit Master, was in the middle. The seven quickly formed a coordinated formation.
One spirit ring after another unfolded, their spirit power auras releasing within their bodies, merging, and finally dyeing half of the Soul Duel Stage area a light blue.
Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, Black Tortoise Turtle, Wind Chime Bird, Jade Phosphorous Serpent, Ghost Leopard—the Spirits and spirit rings of the seven flickered continuously, and the merged spirit power aura suddenly burst forth, surging in all directions.
Seeing that the seven had completed their Spirit Possession, Shi Gao smiled and said, "Very good, keep up this fighting Spirit. This is what the pride of Heaven Dou Royal Academy looks like."
However, what puzzled Shi Gao, the Three Education Committee Members, and Xue Qinghe was why only three spirit rings pulsated on Lü Buliang, but his Spirit was nowhere to be seen.
Shadow. Xue Qinghe was incredibly observant. Seeing the shadow beneath Lü Buliang's feet, he had already guessed. It turned out Lü Buliang had already undergone Spirit Possession. No, it should be said that as long as there was light, his Shadow Spirit was always in a state of Spirit Possession. This was truly a unique Spirit.
Under the fierce sunlight, there were not only Lü Buliang's shadow but also the shadows of Yu Tianheng and the other six on the Soul Duel Stage floor. As Lü Buliang's First Spirit Skill pulsed, Yu Tianheng and the other six felt a jolt in their hearts simultaneously, as if they were locked by some power.
And this feeling was precisely the effect of Lü Buliang's First Spirit Skill Shadow Lock. Lü Buliang not only locked onto his comrades but also locked onto Shi Gao's shadow on the opposite side.
The same feeling appeared on Shi Gao. With his rich combat experience, he naturally knew that it was an enemy Spirit Ability at work.
But so what? Every Spirit Master was incredibly confident in their specialty, and Shi Gao was no exception. Even if his shadow was truly locked by Lü Buliang, he still stood motionless in place, wanting to see how these seven brats would shake his defense.
The moment their shadows were locked, a voice appeared in Yu Tianheng's mind: "Group attack."
"Group attack" meant that everyone should attack Shi Gao.
The person who sent this message was Lü Buliang.
Yu Tianheng glanced at Lü Buliang behind Dugu Yan and found that he hadn't spoken at all. This voice didn't come through his ears; it resonated directly in his mind.
What exactly was going on?
Dugu Yan, Oslo, and the others also glanced at Lü Buliang, clearly having heard the "group attack" message in their minds as well.
Suddenly, Lü Buliang's voice appeared in Yu Tianheng's mind again. This time, the message conveyed the effects of Lü Buliang's three Spirit Abilities.
So that's how it is. After comprehending the message in his mind, Yu Tianheng finally understood. It turned out that Lü Buliang's First Spirit Skill Shadow Lock could not only lock shadows within a certain range but also transmit information through them.
Although this information transmission was one-way—only Lü Buliang could send it to them, and they couldn't send it to Lü Buliang—Lü Buliang could use the shadows to peek into their thoughts.
As a result, the seven, connected by their shadows, formed an information-sharing network.
Lü Buliang's thoughts were simultaneously transmitted to Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, Oslo, Yu Feng, Shi Mo, and Shi Gao.
Now they knew that not only Lü Buliang's First Spirit Skill Shadow Lock was affecting them, but also his Second Soul Skill Shadow Assault.
"Transform into a shadow? Is it possible for a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon to transform into a shadow?" Yu Tianheng looked at his hands in disbelief. The information from Lü Buliang told him that with the assistance of the Second Soul Skill Shadow Assault, he could move like a shadow.
Yu Tianheng tried to use his mind to sink his feet into the shadow beneath them.
To his surprise, the floor was as soft as water, and his feet actually sank into the floor's interior. No, to be precise, his feet entered the shadow.
Dugu Yan and the others also succeeded in their attempts. Right in front of Lü Buliang, Yu Tianheng and the other six all vanished into the ground, transforming into six black shadows.
Watching living people disappear, Shi Gao and the Three Education Committee Members below the stage were all startled.
The moment they successfully entered the shadows, Yu Tianheng and the other six completely trusted the information Lü Buliang had sent. They knew that within half an hour, they could not only move like shadows, freely traversing between shadows within a hundred meters, but also use their own Spirits and Spirit Abilities.
Furthermore, in their shadow state, their attack and speed attributes were increased by fifty percent.
"Shadow Assault, this is Lü Buliang's Spirit Ability. No wonder he has attack and speed not inferior to an agility-attack system. He even suddenly appeared from my shadow last night." Oslo sighed inwardly. What would happen if he used Leopard Shadow Clone and Leopard Shadow Flash with a fifty percent increase in attack and speed while in shadow form?
All six transformed into shadows and vanished into the ground. At the same time, they also understood the meaning of "group attack."
It turned out Lü Buliang wanted all of them to go out and fight. No one needed to protect anyone; they were to fight, attack, and ambush freely in their shadow state.
Any fighting style was acceptable, as long as they could defeat their opponent.
And Lü Buliang didn't need protection because he could also transform into a shadow and vanish into the ground.
While maintaining the First Spirit Skill Shadow Lock, Lü Buliang would also use his Third Spirit Skill Shadow Control to manage the battle, controlling or assisting the shadows of enemies or allies.
support system, control system—simultaneously possessing both positions. This was the unique aspect of the Shadow Spirit.
Attack!
A very simple word, but its meaning was very clear.
After receiving Lü Buliang's command in their minds, the six of Yu Tianheng, lurking beneath the ground, burst forth as six black shadows, rushing towards Shi Gao with lightning speed.
Shi Gao focused his mental force, his gaze fixed on the six shadows approaching from the ground. These six shadows split up as they charged, each attacking him from a different direction. Their speed made it difficult to simultaneously observe their movements with the naked eye.
As his mental force became more concentrated, Shi Gao realized that he couldn't perceive the spirit power fluctuations of the six shadows using his mental force.
"That new student's Spirit Ability can even block mental force detection?" Shi Gao's burly body dared not stand still anymore and immediately adopted a combat stance.
Just then, a black shadow appeared behind Shi Gao. It was the Ghost Leopard Oslo. With the boost from his Second Spirit Skill Leopard Shadow Flash, and the fifty percent speed increase from Shadow Assault, his speed was now the fastest on the field.
Sharp claws suddenly slashed towards Shi Gao's back. Shi Gao was no ordinary person; he spun his body, blocking Oslo's claw attack with his thick arm, and swung his other arm fiercely towards Oslo's face.
Looking at the fist so close, Oslo smiled calmly. With his current speed, he could completely avoid the punch's attack, but he didn't need to.
Because the shadow state could not only block mental force detection but also immune physical attacks. One might ask, if one were to attack a shadow with fists, feet, or even a knife, would the shadow be injured?
As expected, Shi Gao's fist hit Oslo's face, passing through Oslo's body as if striking an incorporeal soul.
This scene finally made Shi Gao panic a little, because attacking was when one's defense was weakest, and he wasn't just facing Oslo alone, but the other six as well. This was a team battle.
"Teacher Shi, would you like to look behind you?" Oslo kindly reminded him.