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A Spirit Master's cultivation, aside from the accumulation of spirit power, is inseparable from combat.
Even with Xiao Zhan's guidance, and even if Su Wen did not fall behind in his spirit skill development, he still had numerous shortcomings in actual combat.
Although his performance in the battle just now was quite good, that "good performance" was more a credit to the tactics he had formulated based on his abilities.
In the actual back-and-forth battle of attrition, his performance was not strong.
It had to be said, combat required talent. Even if you knew your skill effects and combos, even if you practiced them until they were smooth as silk, and even if you had mastered combat theory, it was still easy to screw up when you entered a real battle.
This was especially true given that combat wasn't just a simple 1v1 duel; it could very likely involve a chaotic melee.
Under such circumstances, real practical combat was indispensable.
And in the process of real combat, injuries are unavoidable. This is where the healing effect of Ye Lingling's spirit skill was demonstrated.
A Nine Heart Crabapple Spirit Master, who could be on standby for the other six members and whose healing ability was incredibly potent, was the true core of this Tian Dou Royal Team.
"Haha, Junior Brother Su, you showed no mercy at all when you cut to the back row to attack Lingling earlier," Yu Feng teased.
"That's only because Senior Sister Lingling's spirit has such strong healing. I had to eliminate her first."
Ye Lingling's expression couldn't be seen behind her black veil, but even without seeing her face, one could still feel her cold indifference.
"Alright. For the rest of the day, continue training according to the requirements I just gave. After training ends this afternoon, you will all have another match," Qin Ming said, giving the eight no time to rest and immediately arranging their training.
The other seven were now familiar with Su Wen's abilities, so this next match would be even more intense.
Su Wen had the least actual combat experience, so Qin Ming gave him some individual instruction.
"From now on, I'll call you Little Wen," Qin Ming said.
"Little Wen, your foundation is excellent. Whether it's your physical fitness, your control over your spirit, or even your spirit skills, they are all outstanding."
One could say he was practically perfect.
"However, in a real battle, what matters is never just a Spirit Master's explosive power, nor the excellence of their spirit skills."
In combat, what always mattered was a Spirit Master's combat talent.
In a duel between a Spirit Master with strong explosive power and one with weak explosive power, the stronger one doesn't necessarily win. As long as the slightly weaker Spirit Master kites them, attacking their weakness with their own strength, winning isn't difficult.
And that was just a 1v1. If you increased the numbers to 2v2, 3v3, or even 7v7, the number of variables would multiply.
Qin Ming began to explain various combat techniques to Su Wen.
Su Wen, combining this with the experience from his previous life, digested these combat theories.
"It's just like playing King of Glory. Different Spirit Masters excel in different areas. As long as the tactics are appropriate, you have a chance to win."
To truly maximize his abilities, besides fully mastering them, he also had to analyze the battlefield situation and predict his opponents' abilities and spirit skills.
In the blink of an eye, the day passed.
"This time, Little Wen, Yanzi, Lingling, and Shi Mo will be one team. Tianheng, you will be with Ao Siluo, Yu Feng, and Shi Mo (the brother)."
Among the team of eight, only Su Wen and Yu Tianheng were truly considered power-attack types.
Even though Su Wen's spirit power rank was a bit low, he was much better suited to confronting Yu Tianheng than Ao Siluo or Yu Feng were.
This was what made Qin Ming happiest today.
With Su Wen on the team, the team's daily training would also be more effective for Yu Tianheng.
Previously, even when Yu Tianheng sparred with Dugu Yan and the others, it only ever trained his skills in fighting against agility-attack and control-type Spirit Masters.
For a true clash between power-attack types, Yu Tianheng had to go to the Great Spirit Arena.
But the Great Spirit Arena had a limit on the number of matches one could fight per day.
Su Wen's addition made things much better.
Of course, to achieve the best possible sparring effect, it wasn't possible right now. They still had to wait for Su Wen to increase his spirit power.
The current team arrangement was simply Qin Ming's subconscious habit of splitting Su Wen and Yu Tianheng onto two opposing teams.
"With Yu Feng on their side this time, Little Wen, your attrition tactic will definitely be targeted," Dugu Yan said.
"Don't worry, Sister Yan. Attrition isn't the only thing I can do," Su Wen said. "Senior Sister Lingling, I'll have to trouble you to give me your full healing support."
Dugu Yan nodded, then looked at Shi Mo. "The other side has Ao Siluo and Yu Feng. Both of them are agility-attack types. Lingling will definitely be their target. Shi Mo, you will guard Lingling with your life."
She looked at Su Wen again. "Little Wen, are you sure you can withstand Tianheng's attacks? You saw his explosive power just now."
With Shi Mo assigned to protect Ye Lingling, someone had to tank Yu Tianheng.
Now, only Su Wen was left.
Dugu Yan also felt the pressure from this team arrangement. She didn't know why Qin Ming would set it up this way.
"Sister Yan, you just focus on controlling the entire field. Just ensure I have a fair fight with Senior Brother Tianheng. On top of that, you guys should eliminate Yu Feng and Ao Siluo as quickly as possible, then come and help me."
Hearing an eleven-year-old Su Wen say such words, Dugu Yan felt a bit uncertain.
However, he had just witnessed Yu Tianheng's eruption, and had even clashed with him. He shouldn't just be bragging.
"His thousand-year second ring makes up for the gap in spirit ring quality, and his recovery speed makes up for the disadvantage in total spirit power. Plus, with Lingling's full healing... perhaps he really does have a chance to block Tianheng."
"Alright, that's enough tactical discussion. Both sides, prepare."
"Battle, begin!" Qin Ming announced.
As the command to battle fell, the eight of them activated their spirit rings and instantly sought out their respective opponents.
Yu Tianheng charged forward directly. He had assumed his target would be Dugu Yan or Shi Mo, but instead, it was Su Wen coming straight at him.
Yu Feng rose into the air, observing Su Wen's reaction. He noticed Su Wen wasn't flying, apparently not planning to use an attrition tactic this time, and for a moment, he wasn't sure what to do.
Ao Siluo transformed into a black panther and darted to the flank, preparing to ambush Ye Lingling, but Shi Mo stood guard, protecting her tightly.
A pink crabapple blossom bloomed with a white light, which fell upon Su Wen, Dugu Yan, and Shi Mo.
No matter what spirit rings the Nine Heart Crabapple obtains, its spirit skills will always be of one type: large-scale group healing. As the number of spirit rings increases, the effect and range of the healing will only become more terrifying.
Su Wen also summoned his spirit. A book, emitting a magnificent glow and covered in purple patterns, floated above his head.
Page after page flew out, circling Su Wen and folding into small flying swords.
"This healing power... it's excellent!" Bathed in the white light, Su Wen surged his entire body's spirit power and instantly charged at Yu Tianheng. He drew back his right fist, and a dense flame compressed continuously, emitting an explosive aura.
"Come at me!" Yu Tianheng saw this. Although he was surprised, he showed no fear and charged right in to meet him.
(End of this chapter)