Although his role was a sensitive assault spirit master, Lei Tian's Thunder attribute spirit made his attack power formidable. Even against the renowned defense-heavy Elephant Armor Academy, he stood a fighting chance, especially since his opponents were Soul Elders. After Tang San finished assigning team roles and strategies, he added, "For now, we'll go with this plan. Yu Tianxin, you handle their captain, Huyan Li. The rest of us will focus on stalling the other two Soul Ancestors. If the situation changes, we'll adapt accordingly."
Everyone nodded, agreeing with Tang San's arrangement.
Soon, the Thunderclap Academy team and Elephant Armor Academy team were on the stage.
The announcer, Doudou, enthusiastically introduced the match, "Today's match is between Thunderclap Academy and Elephant Armor Academy! Both teams are part of the Five Elemental Academies, so who will emerge victorious? Let me introduce both teams to you!"
Meanwhile, in the stands, Su Ming and Xiao Wu sat quietly watching the proceedings.
"Xiao Wu, how much do you think Tang San and his team have improved over the past few months?"
Xiao Wu huffed, "I don't care how much he's improved. There's no way Tang San could beat us. I bet he's only around level forty-two or forty-three, at most!"
Su Ming smiled and shook his head, feeling that Tang San might be a bit stronger than that. Well, they'd see soon enough. He glanced over at the robust middle-aged man seated near Platinum Bishop Salas in the main viewing area, guessing that this was likely Huyan Li's grandfather, the Elephant Armor Clan master. Su Ming couldn't help but smirk, remembering how arrogant the clan leader had been in the original story. He'd boasted about Elephant Armor Academy reaching the finals, but they'd ended up finishing last among the Five Elemental Academies. Su Ming wondered if he'd feel embarrassed.
Soon, Doudou called out, and the match officially began!
To get a closer look at Tang San's tactics, Su Ming activated the system's recording function, primarily to capture Tang San's potential blunders. The female leads around Su Ming were surprised by this, but they were excited at the chance to benefit from watching.
On stage, Huyan Li addressed his team, "Thunderclap Academy has three Soul Ancestors, same as us. We have a chance to win. Stay in formation and follow my lead!"
"Yes!"
The Elephant Armor Academy team summoned their Diamond Mammoth spirits, massive enough to cover half the stage, radiating a powerful presence.
"First Spirit Ability: Iron Wall!"
The team formed a solid line, casting their first spirit abilities to conjure massive shields in front of them as they slowly advanced toward Thunderclap Academy.
Seeing their heavily fortified approach, Tang San smiled faintly. Without Oscar's flying mushroom sausages, breaking through such a defensive formation would require much effort.
"First Spirit Ability: Blue Silver Bind!"
Given Huyan Li's tight formation, Tang San's Blue Silver Grass barely managed to wrap around the feet of the seven team members.
However, the slender Blue Silver Grass barely fazed the Elephant Armor team; they easily broke free with a burst of strength.
Watching from the stands, Qin Ming was surprised. "I thought Tang San's Blue Silver Grass was highly resilient. How did they break free so easily?"
Yu Xiaogang replied calmly, "It's not unusual. Elephant Armor Academy emphasizes both strength and defense. A small amount of Blue Silver Grass can't restrain them. To win, they'll have to break the formation one by one rather than going head-to-head."
Realizing his Blue Silver Grass wasn't enough to control the opponents, Tang San shouted, "Oscar!"
Oscar immediately understood, quickly creating a mushroom sausage and handing it to Tang San. Then he jumped onto Tang San's back, clinging like an octopus.
When Huyan Li saw Tang San suddenly sprout wings and rise into the air, he signaled his team to halt their advance. He was taken aback to see a control-type spirit master with flying capabilities.
Su Ming, observing Tang San's Meteor Hammer strategy, couldn't help but chuckle, especially recalling Tang San's mantra from the original, "Lift the breath, lighten the body!" As a modern person, Su Ming found it absurd. No matter how you breathe, you can't change your body's weight. Su Ming found it utterly laughable.
Xiao Wu, watching from the stands, asked in confusion, "Brother Su Ming, with Oscar's flying mushroom sausages, Thunderclap Academy has a clear advantage against Elephant Armor's strength and defense. Why doesn't Oscar give all team members a mushroom sausage?"
Ning Rongrong quickly explained, "Xiao Wu, remember the mushroom sausage's limited duration. If Oscar made one for everyone, they'd only stay airborne for five or six minutes. But if only Tang San flies and uses Blue Silver Grass to hold everyone else, they can last twenty minutes—long enough to win the match."
On the stage, Tang San used his Blue Silver Grass to lift his four teammates while Lei Tian activated his third spirit ability, Thunder Wings.
Seeing Thunderclap's airborne tactic, Huyan Li furrowed his brows. He hadn't anticipated this move, as it left their heads, the most vulnerable part, exposed to attacks from above.
"What should we do?" one of Huyan Li's teammates whispered.
Huyan Li shook his head decisively. "That move is reserved for our match with Godwind Academy. We can't expose our trump card yet. Just hold formation and wait for my command!"
Tang San, seeing the need to disrupt their tight formation, instructed, "Lei Tian, use your speed to harass them from the flank. Focus on your task."
Lei Tian nodded, keeping his eyes on Elephant Armor Academy, looking for an opening.
Just then, Oscar, in his characteristic flamboyant tone, called down to Huyan Li, "Come on up and join us, big bro! It's so lonely up here!"