As Dugu Yan descended from the Soul Battle stage, the duel naturally concluded with Gu Xuan's victory.
Less than a minute had passed from the start of the battle to its end. Such was the sheer pressure Gu Xuan exerted over Dugu Yan.
Dugu Yan was indeed powerful, but as long as Gu Xuan could resolve the fight in an incredibly short window—ensuring he wasn't incapacitated by her toxins—dealing with her became much simpler.
A Control Type soul master who relied on poison, like Dugu Yan, lacked explosive power in the early stages; they didn't have a finishing move capable of delivering a fatal blow to an enemy instantly. As long as someone like Gu Xuan could withstand the initial wave, the counterplay was straightforward.
Of course, the prerequisite was having the ability to defend against that poison in the first place; otherwise, it was all for naught.
Gu Xuan happened to possess the ability to momentarily bypass her serpent venom, and combined with his explosive force that Dugu Yan simply couldn't tank, it led to the scene that had just unfolded.
Below the stage, Dugu Yan looked at the high-spirited Gu Xuan and couldn't help but pout, her brow furrowing. "Xiao Xuan, you really didn't hold back at all."
Gu Xuan retracted his Martial Soul and gave a cheeky grin. "Sister Yan, I can't handle your poison. If I didn't go all out, the one losing would have been me."
Before Dugu Yan could respond, Qin Ming's voice rang out. "Battle between soul masters is exactly like this. Sometimes, a split-second difference is enough to decide the outcome. Gu Xuan accurately grasped your opening."
Qin Ming gave Gu Xuan a satisfied nod and continued. "Gu Xuan's performance was excellent. To be able to suppress Yanzi and defeat her in his first duel against her shows that his combat awareness is beyond the need for my guidance."
Gu Xuan replied with an undiminished smile. "You flatter me, Teacher Qin. I still have much to learn."
Qin Ming nodded, even more pleased. "Good. Calm and composed. Your combat awareness is fine, but I haven't seen your teamwork yet. That is also something you need to learn."
"Understood," Gu Xuan replied with a nod.
Qin Ming then turned his gaze back to Dugu Yan. "Yanzi, your problem is also obvious. When facing an opponent like Gu Xuan, you were eliminated before your poison could even take effect."
"Your poison is indeed overbearing, but to unleash one hundred percent of its power, you need to prioritize self-preservation, followed by control."
Dugu Yan nodded in response. "I understand, Teacher Qin."
Qin Ming then looked at the rest of the group. "Everyone of you had issues in today's practical combat, but I also know these problems won't be solved in a day or two. I hope you will continue to work hard and not waste a single day."
The group responded in unison. "Yes!"
Qin Ming checked the time—it was only ten o'clock—and then said. "All of you, meditate to recover your soul power. After that, all of you will face me together in a battle."
Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but steal extra glances at Qin Ming. Among the eight of them, even though Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan were already Rank 37 and Gu Xuan was comparable to a high-level Soul Elder, Qin Ming was a Soul Emperor.
Furthermore, he was a Soul Emperor who was intimately familiar with every one of their soul skills and abilities. They were all geniuses, and while they had the advantage in numbers, the odds of actually beating Qin Ming were slim.
However, every one of them wanted to win; they all possessed the pride of geniuses.
Eight versus one, and they were all Soul Elders—it wasn't entirely impossible.
With that thought, the group sat cross-legged on the spot and began meditating to recover their soul power.
Qin Ming rarely trained them personally in this way, or rather, rarely demanded the entire team duel him at once.
In the past, before Gu Xuan joined the Emperor Team, the seven of them had dueled Qin Ming dozens of times. They had only won once, and that was because Qin Ming hadn't fully recovered after dueling another Soul Emperor-level teacher the day before.
Back then, Qin Ming hadn't even broken through to the Soul Emperor rank, which was a testament to his strength.
Now they had Gu Xuan, but Qin Ming had also reached the Soul Emperor level. Even though they wanted to win, they felt a lingering trepidation in their hearts.
For a genius like Qin Ming, breaking through to Soul Emperor wasn't just about gaining an extra soul ring; his strength would be significantly more formidable than before.
Half an hour later, everyone's soul power had returned to its peak. Qin Ming spoke again. "I'll give you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to discuss your tactics. The battle begins once the time is up."
After speaking, Qin Ming closed his eyes and remained silent.
Gu Xuan and the other seven formed a circle to deliberate.
The current captain of the Emperor Team was Yu Tianheng because he was the strongest, with Dugu Yan as the vice-captain due to her being a Control Type and the second strongest.
Of course, if you factored in Gu Xuan, that changed.
Since Gu Xuan had defeated both Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan, as well as Shi Mo, he was now the undisputed number one in the Emperor Team.
Therefore, when discussing tactics, Yu Tianheng first introduced the characteristics of Qin Ming's soul skills and then handed the command over to Gu Xuan.
He did this not just because Gu Xuan was stronger, but more importantly, he wanted to see if Gu Xuan had the temperament and ability of a leader. If this team battle was lost due to poor command on Gu Xuan's part, he wouldn't relinquish the captain's position in the future, even if Gu Xuan was stronger than him.
This was effectively a test for Gu Xuan from Yu Tianheng and the others.
Gu Xuan, of course, didn't care about tests; he had dabbled in various types of training since he was young, and leadership was a key component.
"There are eight of us. Although our soul power is only at the Soul Elder level, Teacher Qin is only one person. If we cooperate well, victory isn't impossible," Gu Xuan said as he took command.
"Teacher Qin is very familiar with us, so he will likely target Lingling and Sister Yan first. Lingling's ability is our biggest trump card, and Sister Yan's first and second soul skills can provide excellent support."
"So, from the start, don't think about stalling for time to exhaust Teacher Qin's soul power. Facing an opponent much stronger than us, I have only one plan: go all out without reservation the moment we start."
"If we strike with everything we have, even with Teacher Qin's Soul Emperor strength, he will need to focus entirely on responding. That way, he won't have the mental room to target Sister Yan or Lingling first."
The group nodded with satisfaction as they listened to Gu Xuan. Yes, satisfaction.
This was the best method they had summarized after dozens of duels with Qin Ming, and Gu Xuan had captured the essence of it after only two days with them.
At this moment, everyone realized that Gu Xuan wasn't just a genius at cultivation; he possessed great wisdom in team command and enemy analysis.
Seeing everyone nod, Gu Xuan continued. "In a moment, we'll first do this... then do that..."
As they listened to Gu Xuan, each of them was somewhat shocked. They had never imagined their soul skills could be coordinated in such a way.
Their impression of Gu Xuan grew even more imposing. Was this a true monster?
Even his tactical command for a team battle was so unique!
(End of Chapter)
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