“How’s your body holding up?” Si Lian suppressed her anxiety and asked with concern.
Jiang Ke’er shook her head. “It’s nothing serious, but I overexerted myself earlier… I just need time to adjust to my current state.”
The Trial Perfect Four Symbols Dao Foundation had restored her condition considerably, but her cultivation speed and reserves were still only about one-fifteenth of what they usually were.
What followed was a terrible chain reaction; she suddenly felt as if she’d tasted the pains of old age.
Having adapted to her previously agile movements, the moment she put on the Wristband, she immediately felt powerless, as if her limbs no longer coordinated with each other.
“Don’t push yourself. How would you rate your current strength?”
Jiang Ke’er had already calculated her own strength, so she replied, “Once I adjust, I should still be able to handle two Jie Shui at once.”
“Wait… How did I become a unit of measurement?” Jie Shui’s eyes widened.
“Two Jie Shui, huh,” Si Lian breathed a sigh of relief.
“That’s good. It’s the perfect chance for us to form a team and build rapport, but you must be doubly careful.”
“I will,” Jiang Ke’er nodded, letting out a long breath, a bit nervous inside.
It had been a long time since she felt so anxious. The sudden weakness left her with a severe lack of security.
She just hoped not to see Qiao Xiaoxian during this period. If she saw her in such a feeble state, who knew what might happen.
“Hold on, why am I the unit of measurement? Why not a skunk?” Jie Shui’s expression turned inscrutable.
“Alright, let’s talk about Teamwork Division now.” Si Lian’s tone became serious as she took out the Notebook.
“Hey… Whatever,” Jie Shui slumped hopelessly onto the chair.
“In the previous Three Battles, you each fought on your own, with no cooperation to speak of. That’s fine in lower-tier matches, but if you use your current tactics in mid- to high-tier battles, you’re doomed.”
The little demons listened solemnly.
“Among you, Jie Shui and Lin Gang are best at strength and defense. You two will take the main offense in the front row, dealing with the enemy’s fiercest first wave of attacks. While restraining the opponent’s strength-type cultivators, do your best to charge into their back line and disrupt their formation.”
Si Lian drew a “T” shaped formation diagram in her Notebook and wrote Jie Shui and Lin Gang’s names in the front row.
“Ruan Ruan and Qing Yi are skilled in agility. As long as you don’t take them head-on, the opponent’s strength-type cultivators won’t pose much threat to you. Most likely, you can bypass their strength-types, but if you get tangled up with their agile cultivators… your job is to hold them off and make sure A Miao at the end of the team doesn’t get hurt.”
As she spoke, Si Lian smiled. “Before the Semi-Finals, you must give your all to protect A Miao. He can’t suffer even the slightest injury.”
“Wait, why? Shouldn’t A Miao charge with us at the front?” Jie Shui was puzzled.
“Doesn’t he get stronger the more he gets hurt…?”
Jiang Ke’er gave him a look as if he were an idiot.
“Idiot. Use your brain. If we protect A Miao with everything we’ve got during the Selection Trials, what happens once we reach the Semi-Finals?”
Luckily, Jie Shui wasn’t completely hopeless.
He suddenly slapped his forehead and burst out laughing, even singing, “This is your excuse for breaking up~”
Si Lian’s strategy made Jiang Ke’er realize that she wasn’t just an overenthusiastic but mediocre commander.
Any other Coach, following conventional thinking, would never consider placing the team member with the most resilient Life Force, A Miao, in the back row, assigned to the Core Spell Output Position.
Putting him up front to bear the brunt of the damage would maximize the value of his Splitting Ability.
But how many times can such an ability be used?
Once other teams realized that A Miao grew increasingly troublesome the more he was attacked, they’d come up with targeted strategies.
No matter how tricky an ability, there was always a way to counter it.
So, A Miao’s ability was best used as a trump card.
However, Jiang Ke’er had been wanting to ask, “A Miao, after you split, can you fully inherit your original spiritual power?”
“No. Every time I split, my power is cut in half,” A Miao grinned sheepishly and shook his head.
“I’ve given up all defense to boost my spiritual reserves. Without weakening my spell strength, I can currently split into four. If I keep splitting, my spell strength will start to decrease.”
That was already impressive enough.
The Core Spell Output Position at the end of a team was always the main target of all cultivators. Yet, no matter how many times A Miao was killed, he could keep up his output.
The opponents could only weaken his individual spell strength, but couldn’t stop A Miao from converting his inner spiritual power into spell attacks.
No matter when, he could pour out all his damage, making full use of his energy.
It was practically monstrous.
And, Coach Si Lian… was ruthless enough.
“When facing different team formations, you need to adjust your strategies accordingly. What I just mentioned only applies when facing a ‘221’ formation. If you come across others, like ‘311’, ‘320’, ‘113’, ‘005’, or ‘050’, you have to adapt decisively based on your own strengths,” Si Lian said.
“Generally, in most cases, strength beats agility, agility beats spell-types, and spell-types beat strength… In the upcoming battles, I’ll explain each counter-strategy to you in turn.”
Si Lian glanced at the sun outside—it was getting late. The sound of the Arena Drum signaling the start of the next match echoed from afar.
She stood up.
“Luckily, at the Bronze Arena stage, you probably won’t run into those formations. Those are built around having a very strong core. On the Bronze Arena, ninety-nine percent of teams use the 221 formation… but if you encounter anything else, stay alert immediately.”
“Let’s go. While your reputations haven’t spread here yet, let’s hurry and win a few more matches. Maybe we can make it to the next city before nightfall for more battles.”
Feeling her unsteady steps, Jiang Ke’er sighed.
In this state, dodging even a grazing shot was out of the question. She wasn’t sure she could even avoid a basic attack.
She felt like a snail.
Moreover, the Wristband clung to her wrist like a seal; even if she regretted it, she couldn’t take it off.
Men die for wealth, birds die for food. Why couldn’t she control that hand of hers?
At the time, she’d thought the Trial Perfect Four Symbols Dao Foundation could offset some of the effects, so even if things got bad, she could still handle it.
But the reality was quite unexpected… Once all her attributes dropped, her real strength didn’t just drop by a tenth.
Courting disaster is an illness that needs curing.
Jiang Ke’er smiled wryly and got up, refusing Ruan Ruan’s offered support.
It seemed the battles ahead would have to be taken seriously.
Every match could be as difficult as fighting a System Dummy, but without the option of resurrection.
This was what real cultivation was.
“Congratulations to Wasteland War Team Eight on their 51st consecutive victory!”
On the Diamond Arena, the referee’s excited shout rang out.
Wasteland War Team Eight’s captain, Yu Ling, stood on the Arena, soaking in the cheers from the crowd of fans below.
A hooded team slowly passed beneath the Arena, neither looking up at the Wasteland War Team’s heroic figures nor joining in the surrounding applause, which left Yu Ling a bit dissatisfied.
Yu Ling continued watching them, only to see them head to the Bronze Arena.
With a disdainful shake of his head, Yu Ling soon put aside this minor displeasure and continued on his path of consecutive victories.