stonecrandall Chapter 19 First Battle in the Mimicry Training Ground
Chapter 19 First Battle in the Mimicry Training Ground
The battle began instantly. The three wind wolves pounced in a triangular formation, moving with the speed of a whirlwind. Instead of retreating, Yan Zu advanced, his footwork shifting rapidly. He unleashed the "Nine Spiral Shadows" technique from the Nine Yin Manual, leaving several afterimages in the small space, drawing the attention of the two wind wolves.
"Xiao Yu!" he called out softly. The phantom of the Qilin on his shoulder raised its head, and a pale green "Corridor of Vitality" spread out from Yan Zu, covering an area of fifteen meters in radius. Within this domain, Xiao Wu felt her whole body lighten, and the speed of her soul power circulation noticeably increased.
"Now!" Yan Zu shouted.
Xiao Wu moved with lightning speed, seizing the moment when the third wind wolf pounced on Yan Zu's flank, she unleashed the "Wind God Leg" footwork, cutting into the battlefield like a ghost. Her first soul ring lit up, "Waist Bow" activated, instantly boosting her body's flexibility to the extreme, and her right leg lashed out at the wind wolf's waist and abdomen like a whip.
"Bang!" The wind wolf was kicked away, but the powerful physique of the soul beast allowed it to quickly turn over and pounce again.
"Don't be greedy!" Yan Zu's voice rang out at the right moment, "Strike once and retreat!"
Xiao Wu did as she was told and retreated. Sure enough, the claws of the other two wind wolves had already slashed past the spot where she had just been. She broke out in a cold sweat; if Yan Zu hadn't warned her, she would have been injured.
Yan Zu was already locked in combat with the two wind wolves. Although he did not release the Xuanyuan Sword, he used the grappling techniques from the Nine Yin Manual. His hands moved like butterflies flitting among flowers, always managing to strike the weak points of the wind wolves' joints during the gaps in their attacks, causing their offensive to falter.
"Sister Xiaowu, there's an old injury on her right hind leg to the left front!" Yan Zu suddenly shouted.
Xiao Wu focused her gaze and indeed noticed that the wind wolf on the left was dragging its right hind leg slightly as it ran. She understood immediately and lunged forward again. This time, instead of confronting it head-on, she circled around the wind wolf, focusing her attacks on its injured leg.
After a few rounds, the wind wolf let out a mournful howl and fell to the ground, turning into specks of light and dissipating.
"Good!" Yan Zu praised, "There are two left, let's work together to take them down."
The battle that followed went much more smoothly. Yan Zu used his movement techniques to restrain Xiao Wu, while Xiao Wu seized opportunities to launch fierce attacks; Yan Zu's Vitality Corridor continuously replenished their strength, and Xiao Wu's speed within the domain increased rapidly. Although it was their first time officially cooperating, the two gradually found their rhythm in the battle.
As the last wind wolf vanished, Xiao Wu, panting, exclaimed excitedly, "Little brother Azu, we won!"
Yan Zu smiled and nodded: "You cooperated well. However, there are still many areas for improvement—your timing for your advances could be more precise, and my control could be more fluid."
With a wave of his hand, new opponents materialized in the void: this time, two human soul master phantoms, one a defensive type wielding a shield, and the other a ranged type wielding a bow.
"Come on, let's continue."
That night, the two fought several battles in the simulated space, with victories and defeats. From soul beasts to soul masters, from one-on-one to many-on-many, from open terrain to complex environments. After each battle, Yan Zu would analyze the gains and losses in detail, pointing out problems in their teamwork.
To Xiao Wu's surprise, as the number of battles increased, she felt that a strange connection seemed to have formed between her and Yan Zu.
Especially when the Qilin's life force domain envelops her, her Phantom Jade Rabbit Martial Soul will unconsciously become active, and her soul power circulation will be more than 20% faster than usual.
"Brother Azu," Xiao Wu suddenly said during a break, "I feel... your Qilin Martial Soul seems to be particularly compatible with mine."
Yan Zu's heart stirred. He had long noticed that when the two fought side by side, the phantom of the Qilin in his spiritual world seemed to be responding to something. And on the system panel, the hidden value of "Martial Soul Compatibility" was slowly increasing at a visible rate.
"Perhaps it's because we both have beast-type martial souls." Yan Zu didn't say it outright, but just smiled and said, "That's a good thing. The higher the compatibility, the stronger we'll be when we cooperate in the future."
Xiao Wu nodded vigorously, her eyes full of anticipation.
Yan Zu ended his cultivation when he felt somewhat exhausted. "That's enough for today. Sister Xiao Wu, we should go back."
When the two regained their senses, the moonlight outside the window was bright, and less than an hour had passed.
"Little brother Azu," Xiao Wu nestled against his bedside, clutching her pillow, her eyes sparkling, "Can you come again tomorrow?"
"You can do it every day." Yan Zu ruffled her hair. "But remember, this is a secret between the two of us."
"Okay!" Xiao Wu happily crawled back into her blankets and quickly fell into a deep sleep, a smile still on her lips.
Yan Zu, however, remained awake for a long time. He summoned the system panel and, sure enough, saw a new notification:
[Detected that the host and the bound object 'Xiao Wu' have improved their synergy in actual combat, Martial Soul Compatibility +3%. Current Compatibility: 53%.]
[Note: When the compatibility reaches 60%, you can initially attempt Martial Soul Resonance; when it reaches 80%, you may be able to awaken the prototype of a fusion skill.]
"A Soul Fusion Skill..." A thoughtful glint flashed in Yan Zu's eyes. In the original story, Soul Fusion Skills were extremely rare abilities, often unleashing combat power far exceeding their level. If he and Xiao Wu could truly develop one, it would undoubtedly be a powerful trump card.
"It seems we should make good use of the simulated training ground."
As the morning sun began to shine into the courtyard, Yan Zu silently recited "check in" in his mind.
[Ding! Today's check-in successful!]
[Congratulations, host! You have obtained: Basic Soul Tool Design Blueprint x1, Spicy Snack Gift Pack x1 (containing twenty packs of different flavored spicy snacks)]
[Basic Soul Tool Design Blueprints: Complete design schemes for three basic soul tools: a constant-temperature soul tool furnace, a simple soul power lamp, and a soul power water extractor. These require materials such as soul tool metal to manufacture.]
Yan Zu was overjoyed; the basic soul tool design blueprint was exactly what he needed, aligning with the civilization's development trajectory. However, he quickly calmed down. Soul tool metal was nowhere to be found in Five Soul Village, so he could only wait until he reached Notting City to find a solution. He then stored the blueprint in the system warehouse and picked up the spicy snack gift pack.
"Sister Xiaowu, look what I brought you!" Yan Zu waved the gift bag in his hand.
Xiao Wu was instantly attracted. She sniffed the air and her eyes lit up like stars: "It's spicy strips! And a big gift pack!" She snatched the gift pack, tore open a packet, and stuffed it into her mouth. The spicy and savory flavor exploded in her mouth, making her squint her eyes in satisfaction.
"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you," Yan Zu said with a smile. "But these spicy strips aren't free."
With her mouth full of spicy snacks, Xiao Wu mumbled, "W-what conditions?"
"Complete the physical training I assign every day: run three laps around the village in the morning, practice the basic footwork of the Wind God Leg in the morning, practice the breathing techniques of the Nine Yin Manual in the afternoon, and join me in the training ground for a joint drill in the evening. You can only get a bag of spicy strips if you complete all of them. You can't miss a single one." Yan Zu listed the requirements, his eyes filled with unquestionable seriousness.
Xiao Wu pouted, looking at the spicy strips in her hand, and finally couldn't resist the temptation: "Okay, okay, I promise you!" But her eyes darted around, and she was already considering whether to slack off—after all, Yan Zu wasn't necessarily watching her all the time.
Yan Zu had already seen through her little scheme and added, "I will supervise the whole process. If I find you slacking off, not only will I confiscate the spicy snacks, but I will also increase your training volume and you will not be allowed to enter the training ground for a week."
Xiao Wu's face fell instantly. She muttered, "Little brother Azu, you're so mean!" But she still obediently nodded in agreement, quickly swallowed the spicy snack in her mouth, and opened another pack.
In the afternoon, Yan Zu took several handwritten booklets to the old locust tree at the entrance of the village. This was the gathering place for the children of Wuhun Village to play, and at that moment, seven or eight children were chasing and playing under the tree.
"Little Stone, Er Ya, come here." Yan Zu beckoned.
Several children immediately gathered around. They were all ordinary children from the village, the oldest no more than nine years old and the youngest only five. They usually loved listening to Yan Zu tell strange and wonderful stories—after all, this "little fairy" of the Yan family knew far and wide.
"Brother Zu, what story are we going to tell today?" a boy named Little Stone asked eagerly.