Chapter 55: Combat Awareness

At this moment, the Bear‑Leopard combo had one member fall onto the Arena and the other knocked directly out of the Arena; the host then announced that the Seven Treasures combo had won.

Yang Xiong walked toward the slightly panting Ning Rongrong: "Let's go, we won the match."

Ning Rongrong, who had been unusually tense after the fierce battle, still felt a bit unsettled but couldn't help laughing: "Xiao Xiongzi performed well, worthy of being an Inner Disciple of our sect; from now on Sister Rong Rong will watch over you."

Yang Xiong shook his head: "Rong Rong, what did you think of Flanders' lesson today, was making you run the right thing?"

Ning Rongrong was momentarily speechless, yet still sounded a bit resentful: "If you had my assistance just now, you could have defeated those two faster; you made me not assist."

Yang Xiong laughed: "Not letting you assist was partly to see my own actual combat ability, a kind of honing, since I've never experienced a two‑person battle. The other reason was to see how you'd respond; some things Flanders says are better experienced firsthand."

Ning Rongrong seemed a bit angry: "It's all your fault, Xiao Xiongzi, for doing that experiment; otherwise I wouldn't have been so embarrassed just now."

……

The two walked down from the Arena; it seemed Ning Rongrong was still quite happy. Although she gave no assistance to Yang Xiong and contributed nothing, she still considered it her first Arena victory.

Yang Xiong shook his head: the little girl had been pampered since childhood, indeed a bit too arrogant and even a childish temper, but there's a saying that's true—teaching a person may not work, but showing them once makes them understand.

Especially Ning Rongrong's talent is indeed good, her comprehension is top‑tier, and she should gradually understand the role of an assistant.

On the stands, Tang San and Dai Mubai were stunned; they hadn't expected Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong to defeat their opponents so easily, especially given the situation—without Ning Rongrong, Yang Xiong would have fought even more effortlessly.

It should be noted that Yang Xiong is only Level 26, while the two opponents are Level 28 and are a well‑coordinated Beast Soul Spirit Battle Grandmaster pair.

Dai Mubai said: "Tang San, could you defeat this Bear‑Leopard combo by yourself?"

Dai Mubai and Tang San have already sparred; in terms of strength they are evenly matched, and if Tang San uses Hidden Weapon he would be even stronger.

Tang San was silent for a moment before speaking: "I should be able to defeat those two, but not as easily as Yang Xiong; especially since he sustained no injuries the whole time, his physical condition is far stronger than I imagined—speed, strength, and defense all essentially have no weak points."

"Moreover, I think Yang Xiong seemed very composed; he probably didn't exert his full power. Exactly how much of his strength he used is known only to himself, and he didn't use any soul skill the whole time, not even the technique he used last time against Teacher Zhao."

"I recall that during the last entrance exam, Yang Xiong used Teleportation, and even had a technique where he held a light sphere to attack enemies."

Dai Mubai nodded: "Perhaps Yang Xiong thought the opponent's strength was too weak to warrant using his full power."

Tang San's expression grew solemn: "I found the earlier fight odd; when Yang Xiong faced the two attacks, his both hands could employ different techniques against the enemy, which is quite baffling."

"Moreover, Yang Xiong's reactions were strange; he managed to rescue Ning Rongrong first every time, as if he had calculated the timing perfectly, with no superfluous movements."

Tang San, after all, has lived two lifetimes, and having cultivated Purple Extreme Demon Eye spiritual power far beyond his peers, he could notice more details on the Arena.

In fact, Yang Xiong's performance stemmed from his cultivation of Divided Mind Control; on the whole Arena he was essentially multitasking—observing the situation while his body could simultaneously use different attack skills. It's akin to the left‑right fighting technique of wuxia worlds, but at a higher realm.

If Tang San's strength and observation are relatively shallow, Flanders on the stands saw things even more meticulously.

"This Little Monster is rather interesting; it seems the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect put a lot of effort into him, no wonder they sent him to study at our academy together with Ning Rongrong."

After Yang Xiong fought two matches, he and Ning Rongrong watched an entire night of Arena battles; besides Oscar, all of the Shrek group appeared, and their records were quite good.

Unfortunately, the only two‑person battle was between Tang San and Xiao Wu; they remained a three‑five combo, and the others couldn't form pairs at all.

Dai Mubai is a Soul Elder, while everyone else is a Great Soul Master; if they teamed up they'd have to face a Soul Elder combo, which offers no chance of victory.

Given Ma Hongjun and Oscar's strength, even if the two teamed up against a Great Soul Master combo, the odds of winning remain zero.

As for Zhu Zhuqing, she seems to despise Ma Hongjun; the two could never pair up.

It was Oscar who approached Yang Xiong: "Xiao Xiong, Xiong Ge, you know I'm a Food System Soul Grandmaster, I have virtually no combat ability. Seeing how strong your combat power is, let's join a 2‑vs‑2 Spirit Battle together; I definitely won't hold you back."

"And according to the academy's rules, if I can't obtain the Silver Spirit Battle Medal, I won't be able to graduate."

Yang Xiong smiled: "No problem, it's a piece of cake; classmates helping each other is only natural. How about we go have a match right now and give it a try?"

Oscar was a bit puzzled: "Xiong Ge, you've already fought two matches and still have soul power for the next one; why not eat two sausages first? You know the restorative power of my sausages."

Yang Xiong said: "No need, let's go straight to the match; if my soul power does run low, I can eat a sausage on the Arena just the same."

In fact, Yang Xiong used no soul skill in either match, merely expending some stamina, which is negligible for his recovery ability.

Moreover, Yang Xiong found bringing an assistant onto the field quite interesting; at least it hones combat awareness, far more engaging than one‑on‑one.

And compared with everyone else, in all respects Yang Xiong favors Oscar more, since his actions aren't off‑putting.

Soon Yang Xiong and Oscar teamed up for a Soul Fighting Competition; Oscar, compared to Ning Rongrong, had far richer combat experience, was extremely agile, and had clearly fought on the Arena many times.

Yang Xiong and Oscar easily defeated their opponents; Oscar, though quite pleased, was a bit troubled: "Xiong Ge, I don't know how many of these Great Soul Master Spirit Battle two‑person matches I can join; I should soon break through to Level 30."

Yang Xiong smiled: "That's perfect; then we can enter a Soul Elder‑level two‑person tournament. I'd like to test how much pressure fighting two Soul Elders would put on me."

Oscar let out a laughing smile: "Xiong Ge, you're truly a monster; although we also call ourselves Little Monsters, compared to you I find you terrifying."

(End of Chapter)