After Jing Shaoyu hastily escaped from the double-sided waist assault by Xu Xiaoyan and Gu Yue, the two girls continued chasing him, unwilling to let him get away. Together, they left the arena, drawing curious gazes from the onlookers.
From their spot in the stands, Ye Xinglan and Xu Lizhi had watched Jing Shaoyu and Gu Yue's match. Now, both were left with a mix of questions and a sense of helplessness as they exchanged puzzled glances.
"Chubby, got any insights?" Ye Xinglan asked.
"Nope, none at all, Sister Xinglan." Xu Lizhi shrugged, his round face displaying utter cluelessness.
Ye Xinglan sighed. "Based on what we've seen, none of them—Jing Shaoyu, Gu Yue, Tang Wulin, or Xie Xie—seem to be healing-type soul masters. The one who fits that role best would be Xu Xiaoyan, who didn't participate in the individual matches and hasn't fought in team matches either. But... she gives me this odd feeling, almost like there's a starry aura around her. So I'm pretty sure she's not a healer."
"Huh? Then who could be the healer in their team?" Xu Lizhi asked, looking even more confused after hearing Ye Xinglan's analysis.
"My guess is that none of them are healers. They must have a healing-type soul master among their teachers, probably someone of Soul King rank," Ye Xinglan concluded confidently, looking pleased with her deduction.
"Oh!" Xu Lizhi nodded in realization. "That explains why Tang Wulin's injuries healed so quickly! Sister Xinglan, you're amazing!"
Ye Xinglan lifted her head proudly. "Hmph!"
Meanwhile, at Arena 3, Zhou Tian'er left with a dazed expression. Waiting for her at the arena's edge was her sister, Zhou Hanyou, whose icy gaze softened slightly with worry.
"Sis, that loss was so unfair!" Zhou Tian'er exclaimed, rushing to Zhou Hanyou and hugging her tightly. "Who could've predicted that my own vines would betray me? How did that kid Jing Shaoyu manage to take control of my thorn vines?"
"Enough, a loss is a loss. No excuses," Zhou Hanyou replied in a cold tone, though she gently patted Zhou Tian'er's back. "Come on, let's get ready for the afternoon team match."
"Okay!" Zhou Tian'er's spirits lifted quickly as she grabbed her sister's hand and headed toward the exit with a cheerful bounce in her step.
In truth, the individual matches were just a warm-up for the sisters. Team battles were where they truly excelled. For the Hailu Academy team, this tournament was their shot at claiming the championship title in all categories—three-man, five-man, and seven-man team competitions. Their confidence stemmed from one powerful weapon—their Martial Soul Fusion technique, which was their ultimate trump card.
As the Tianhai Alliance Grand Tournament heated up, adjustments were made to the schedule. The most notable change was to the timing of the three major team events.
Starting today, the third day of the tournament, the schedule for the three-man, five-man, and seven-man team events was split up. The three-man and five-man team events would now take place in the afternoon, while the highly anticipated seven-man team events would be held at night.
With this schedule, each day would feature three-man team matches in the afternoon, followed by seven-man team matches at night. The next day, the five-man team matches would be in the afternoon, again followed by the seven-man matches. The three-man and five-man events retained their elimination format leading to the championship, while the seven-man matches, due to their limited team count and high interest, would use a round-robin format.
For Jing Shaoyu's team, this meant that their third-round team match would be held the next day, giving them a rare afternoon off.
When the three returned to their hotel room, they found a note left by Tang Wulin and Xie Xie on the coffee table: "Captain, Wulin and I went out to have some fun. Don't worry about us."
"Those two..." Jing Shaoyu muttered, raising an eyebrow.
"Xiao Yu-ge, why don't we go out for a bit this afternoon too?" Xu Xiaoyan's eyes sparkled as she suggested the idea after seeing the note.
"We've already toured Tianhai City, remember? You even said it wasn't much different from Donghai City. Did you forget?" Jing Shaoyu rolled his eyes at her.
"Oh, come on!" Xu Xiaoyan pouted, then coaxed him by tugging on his arm and playfully whining, "What else can we do, then? Just sit in the hotel all afternoon? How boring would that be!"
"You could go watch some matches," Gu Yue suggested flatly.
"No way!" Xu Xiaoyan immediately rejected that idea, then tugged on Jing Shaoyu's arm again, begging, "Xiao Yu-ge, say something!"
"Alright, alright!" Jing Shaoyu finally gave in, stopping her by holding up a hand. "Actually, I've been thinking of trying something new for a while. How about we give it a shot this afternoon?"
"What is it?" Xu Xiaoyan asked, her curiosity piqued. Even Gu Yue looked at him with interest.
"Hehe," Jing Shaoyu chuckled mysteriously, "It's called... dual cultivation!"
"Dual cultivation?" Xu Xiaoyan repeated, her head tilted in confusion.
"Pervert!" Gu Yue muttered, her cheeks flushing.
Hearing her quiet comment, Jing Shaoyu chuckled, knowing exactly what she was thinking. "I read about a method in an old text. Soul masters who can perform Martial Soul Fusion supposedly have a unique type of soul power resonance. If they can harness this resonance in cultivation, they can create a balanced soul power that enhances each other's training speed. This cultivation method is called resonance training, but I like to call it dual cultivation," he explained with a grin.
"Gu Yue, have you ever heard of this kind of training?" he added, feigning innocence.
"Ah... uh, yes, I have!" Gu Yue stammered, her cheeks reddening further as she realized he was teasing her.
"Is it real?" Xu Xiaoyan asked, now completely invested. "If this works, we'll have an excuse to be together all the time! Hehe! Xiao Yu-ge, let's start right away!"
"I'm curious too," Gu Yue added, though her face was still flushed.
"Alright, let's go to my room. The living room isn't a good place for this," Jing Shaoyu said, laughing.
"Yay!" Xu Xiaoyan cheered, dashing into his room, while Gu Yue trailed behind.
As Jing Shaoyu passed Gu Yue, he let out a small cough and whispered, "Read less romance novels—they're not good for you."
Gu Yue's face turned crimson. She raised her fist, ready to give him a good punch, but Jing Shaoyu swiftly ducked away, leaving her standing there, blushing and flustered. She looked every bit the innocent girl caught with a secret.
When Jing Shaoyu entered his room, he found Xu Xiaoyan already sprawled on his bed, wrapped in his blanket, with a silly grin on her face. "Hehe, Xiao Yu-ge's scent."
He stopped, surprised, realizing now why his bed had felt unusually warm at night. When did she develop this habit?
"Ahem," he cleared his throat to get her attention, but she only looked up at him, grinning.
"Xiao Yu-ge, hurry up! I'm ready!" she said, unfazed.
"Ah, uh… alright," Jing Shaoyu replied, laughing helplessly as he sat down on the edge of the bed.
Gu Yue entered then, her expression composed, though there was no trace of her earlier flustered look. Her ability to regain her calm was impressive.
"Alright, Xiaoyan, sit cross-legged and get ready," Jing Shaoyu instructed, holding out his hands, palms up.
Xu Xiaoyan placed her hands over his, palms down, and he guided her into the beginning meditation stance.
"Now close your eyes and focus, just like we do in regular training," Jing Shaoyu said, watching as her breathing settled into a steady rhythm and she slipped into a calm state.
Seeing her so peaceful, Jing Shaoyu steadied himself and soon entered his own meditative state.
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