Water jets shot out, but Little Wind Horse showed no tension, merely stepping forward slightly to dodge the stream.
At the same time, Su Hao's Silkworm Baby and Li Songting's Kung Fu Dog approached from left and right.
"Neigh~!" Little Wind Horse stepped, creating ripples. A white flash streaked by, and in an instant, it leaped past the Silkworm Baby and Kung Fu Dog, charging straight at Little Spring Spirit.
"Block him, Little Turtle... sir." Charcoal Little Turtle was already near Little Spring Spirit. It stepped forward bravely, spewing a blazing tongue of fire.
But... Little Wind Horse agilely dodged, leaving only a graceful silhouette for Charcoal Little Turtle.
Little Spring Spirit grew nervous, "Umu!" Gu Lingyao gave the command, "Use water currents, whip it over." A thick water current burst out violently, lashing like a whip in a semicircular arc.
Little Wind Horse leaped high into the air.
"Now! Fire the water arrow!" "Umu!" Little Spring Spirit clasped its hands together. A thin, yet incredibly fast and sharp water arrow shot out abruptly.
From not far away, Instructor Xiong's booming voice came, "Ride the wind." Little Wind Horse's descending body suddenly rose higher by a notch. The water arrow passed beneath Little Wind Horse.
Whoosh—it shot into the distance. It embedded into the trunk of a thick tree, piercing through the other side, before the spiritual-power-infused water arrow finally exhausted its energy and dissipated into the air.
The watching students gasped in awe. Even from a distance, they couldn't help but step back further. They glanced at their own adorable but useless spirits, then at the ones in the arena, wondering if they were really in the same year.
... Little Wind Horse came riding the wind, moving swiftly, landing behind Little Spring Spirit in the blink of an eye. Spiritual power enhanced. A hoof stomped down.
Bang! Little Spring Spirit was heavily kicked in the face, wobbling with a "Umu" before collapsing with a thud. Stepping on Little Spring Spirit, Little Wind Horse rode the wind again, approached from Charcoal Little Turtle's blind spot, and stomped down once more.
Bang! Charcoal Little Turtle hastily retracted into its shell. The shell trembled continuously under the stomping. Little Wind Horse gave a hard kick, sending the shell flying far away, clattering and rolling off to who knows where.
In just a blink, Two spirits had lost their combat ability. Too strong! Whether in the use of power or the grasp of timing.
The Silkworm Baby and Kung Fu Dog were still rushing back, but the battle there was already over. Little Wind Horse walked over with elegant steps.
The nearest Vine Snake was already panicking, flailing its tail wildly. Its spirit master was at a loss too, opening and closing their mouth without knowing what command to give. In just two seconds, it followed in the footsteps of Little Spring Spirit and Charcoal Little Turtle.
And then, The Silkworm Baby charged in with momentum, crashing hard.
"Neigh!" Little Wind Horse dodged to the side. The Silkworm Baby made a sharp turn, curving like a comet.
"Ride the wind." Little Wind Horse used its special move again to evade. Seeing this from not far away, Li Songting's eyes lit up, "Jump up!" Kung Fu Dog bent its knees slightly, then leaped high into the air. It clenched its paw into a fist, punching at Little Wind Horse.
The white horse moved through the air, trying to use the wind to dodge. In that instant, Su Hao gave his first command since the start: "Roar!" "Gu nuo nuo——!!" An invisible sound wave rippled outward. Little Wind Horse, two meters up, trembled slightly. Kung Fu Dog's fist slammed down.
Thud! Little Wind Horse was sent flying, but it shook itself off and quickly got back up. As if barely injured. Kung Fu Dog looked at its own fist, unable to believe it.
"It's the wind..." Su Hao saw it. In the moment before the fist struck Little Wind Horse, a tiny whirlwind appeared, slightly reducing the punch's impact. But isn't this cheating?! Is this level of spiritual power manipulation something an apprentice spirit master can learn? We're all just newbies here!
The Silkworm Baby didn't pause, its fast-running body dragging a tail of emerald light particles, charging straight at the just-risen Little Wind Horse. "Ride the wind!" Little Wind Horse took off again. It was already the third time using its special move, but it showed no sign of spiritual power depletion. That was just too much!
Su Hao knew it wasn't because Little Wind Horse had a huge spiritual power reserve, but because its special move had high compatibility, combined with special techniques, allowing it to use minimal spiritual power each time. Another masterful trick! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻!
But the Silkworm Baby had learned its lesson. The moment Little Wind Horse rode the wind, it also leaped upward, carrying the momentum of its charge move. Instructor Xiong's command came again, "Stomp!" Its palm-sized wings flapped, and Little Wind Horse adjusted its angle nimbly in the air. Its hooves aimed directly at the Silkworm Baby, raised high, and stomped down hard.
At the critical moment, the Silkworm Baby suddenly dispersed its momentum, curled its body slightly, and turned its head from upward to downward. Then, the scattered pale green light particles gathered again. Momentum formed. The acceleration from the charge move shifted from a 45° upward angle to a 45° downward angle, flashing by in an instant. It completed a nearly perfect mid-air turn!
The Silkworm Baby crashed to the ground, stirring up a cloud of leaves and dust. Hearing about it was nothing compared to seeing it firsthand. The improved charge not only avoided the original flaw of rigidity but also elevated it to a whole new level. It wasn't just an attack move; it could also serve as an evasive one! Even Instructor Xiong couldn't help but applaud it. 'A student from an ordinary family showing this kind of performance—definitely needs focused training!'
Su Hao, marveling at the Silkworm Baby's performance, suddenly felt a chill run through him. Outside the woods, The other rookie spirit masters were dumbfounded. Their young minds were deeply shaken. Thinking about the end-of-term joint practical exercise with five schools, they might have to face monster-level opponents like this. Their hearts darkened.
... Inside the woods, leaves flew everywhere. The Silkworm Baby and Kung Fu Dog had both briefly lost combat ability. Only Little Wind Horse neighed, panting slightly. Though the Silkworm Baby had pulled off a slick move, its strength was still completely outclassed. After Little Wind Horse dealt with Kung Fu Dog, the Silkworm Baby promptly threw in the towel. It wasn't entirely out of combat. It just lay on the ground, looking like "Ah, I'm dead." It had even learned the "strategic conserving energy" trick! This silkworm wasn't weak, but it was way too lazy!
Su Hao didn't call it out. Thinking it over, maybe, perhaps, probably... it was still his fault. Instructor Xiong gave him and the Silkworm Baby a meaningful look, then gathered the students again.
"Do you know where you lost?" Pure strength. Su Hao wanted to say that. But he wasn't that stubborn. Instructor Xiong said, "You five spirits—there's Charcoal Little Turtle, good at defense; Silkworm Baby and Kung Fu Dog, suited for frontal attacks; Little Spring Spirit, skilled at long-range strikes; and Vine Snake, with control abilities. "This is a complete team, but look at you—did you make proper use of it?"
He went through each spirit one by one, "...Overall, Silkworm Baby, Little Spring Spirit, and Kung Fu Dog performed passably, but..." Whenever "but" came out, Nothing good followed. Instructor Xiong's sharp gaze fell on Su Hao and the other five students.
"What were you doing while the spirits fought?" "Just standing there dumbly!" He then looked at the other students, "Do you think that command style was fine? Completely wrong! "Think about your positions just now—you didn't even use the trees for cover, nor did you pay attention to your surroundings. If a spirit or someone with a weapon had attacked you, could you have responded? "Without enough combat power, you need to learn to hide."
As Instructor Xiong spoke, he clenched his right fist and swung it abruptly to the side. Bang! A fist the size of a sandbag shattered a tree trunk. The four-to-five-meter-tall tree creaked and tilted, until it crashed down with a loud thud.