157: Chapter 157 Protector Shen is too ruthless; if he misses three times with his sword, he'll be dismissed!

[Age 38, Tenth Day of the Tenth Month, Hour of the Rabbit.]

[Tianxuan Sect Martial Arts Arena, the morning mist has not yet dispersed.]

[You arrive half an hour early and stand in the center of the martial arts stage.]

[The Qiankun Yin-Yang Sword is held behind you, with your hands clasped behind your back.]

[As the Hour of the Rabbit arrives, streaks of escape light land one after another.]

[Huo Quji arrives first, bringing Xu Yanlie and Ma Chengen.]

[The three stand to the left below the stage, cupping their fists in salute.]

[Ling Qingmeng lands on a silver-white wind-attribute escape light, followed by Lei Zheng and Gao Lingfeng.]

[Su Wantang and Han Qingshuang arrive before Gu Yunxi; the two stand orderly in the second row on the left.]

[Gu Yunxi finally appears with the Ice Heart Hall group.]

[Wearing a light blue long dress, she walks straight to Su Wantang's side and stands still.]

[Huo Quji's gaze sweeps over that light blue figure, pauses slightly, and then looks away.]

[The last to arrive is the Formation Hall.]

[Qin Mobai and Chen Du run into the arena and stand in neat Formation.]

[Only Chu Feng walks in at the very last moment, dressed in purple robes, clutching half a scroll of a Formation map in his hand.]

[Walking to the front of the stage, he raises his eyes to look at you.]

“Protector Shen, does this count as being late?”

“Your foot is on the line,” you reply.

[Chu Feng puts down the Formation map, tilts his chin up slightly, and walks to the Formation Hall queue to stand in place.]

[Twelve people, all present.]

[You scan the surroundings.]

[Four elite leaders and eight new faces who have just touched the threshold of Foundation Establishment.]

[Some are excited, some are nervous, and some are indifferent.]

[You speak up.]

“From today onwards, the twelve of you share a common identity.”

“The Tianxuan Sect Elite Combat Squad, code name—”

[Your gaze shifts from left to right.]

“Yao Slayer.”

“There is only one mission.”

“When the front lines of the Three Eastern Region Cities are in danger, arrive at the battlefield within half an hour, coordinate with the garrison forces, and decapitate high-level combatants of the Yao Race.”

[No one speaks on the Martial Arts Arena.]

[Chu Feng rolls up the Formation map in his hand, tucks it into his sleeve, and for the first time, raises his head properly to look at you.]

“Just the twelve of us?”

“Thirteen, including me,” you say, looking at him.

“Is that enough?” Chu Feng presses.

[You turn around, take an iron target from the weapon rack on the stage, and hurl it fifty zhang away with one hand.]

[The iron target embeds itself in the ground, standing firmly.]

[You unsheathe the Qiankun Yin-Yang Sword.]

[The fire intent of the Burning Heaven Nine Sword Arts pours into the blade.]

[Crimson flames soar into the air.]

[The sword points forward.]

[A streak of red-gold Sword Qi traverses the Martial Arts Arena.]

[The iron target splits in two along the centerline.]

[The cut is burned into dark red molten iron, dripping downward.]

[A scalding heat wave rushes forward, brushing past the cheeks of the twelve people.]

[Chu Feng’s hand, tucked in his sleeve, stops its movement.]

[You sheathe your sword.]

“Whether it's enough, we'll see through true skill.”

“Tomorrow at the Hour of the Dragon, joint training begins.”

[You look at the twelve people before you.]

“Let me make it clear in advance: I will not participate in your joint training.”

“Huo Quji, Ling Qingmeng, Chu Feng, Gu Yunxi.” You call out the four names.

“The four of you are the elite leaders. In these ten days, how to set tactics, how to arrange Formations, and how the team coordinates—discuss it among yourselves.”

[You hold up one finger.]

“I only care about results.”

“In ten days, I will personally take the field to inspect the results of your joint training.”

[You turn your back, your voice carrying across the entire Martial Arts Arena.]

“From today on, the Yao Slayer Squad will not keep idle people.”

“In ten days, whoever cannot keep up with the team's rhythm, I will personally send them back to their original hall.”

[Carrying the Qiankun Yin-Yang Sword, you leave the Martial Arts Arena without looking back.]

[After you leave, no one speaks in the arena.]

[Huo Quji scratches his head, being the first to break the silence, and looks at the other three.]

“Protector Shen has handed down the task. Let's discuss how to coordinate.”

[Chu Feng tidies his sleeves, tilting his chin up slightly.]

“What is there to discuss?”

“In actual combat, the Formation Hall controls the overall situation. People from your three halls just need to coordinate with my Formation core positions and follow my command.”

[Ling Qingmeng gives a light snort, crossing her arms over her chest.]

“The Physical Bodies of the Yao Race are powerful; will they just stand there and wait for you to set up a Formation?”

“Fenglei Hall will lead the attack. My Thousand-Thread Thunder Net and Thunderclap Trample are the sharp blades that break through defensive lines. You in the Formation Hall are responsible for peripheral containment and defense.”

[Gu Yunxi stands to the side holding her water-blue longsword, looking at Huo Quji as she utters a few words.]

“I will be responsible for water-attribute slowing, field control, and preserving spiritual power.”

[Huo Quji laughs twice and waves his hand.]

“Alright, just talking is useless.”

“Tomorrow during joint training, let's first set up our stances on the field and practice a few rounds. Whoever's tactics work best, we'll listen to them.”

[Chu Feng unfurls the Formation map from his sleeve.]

“Then we'll split into two groups and see through true skill.”

[Age 38, Eleventh Day of the Tenth Month.]

[On the Martial Arts Arena, the twelve people are divided into two groups.]

[Huo Quji leads six people from Fire Cloud Hall and Ice Heart Hall.]

[Ling Qingmeng leads six people from the Formation Hall and Fenglei Hall.]

[As the engagement begins, Chu Feng forms hand seals with both hands.]

[Within three breaths, the Liuhe Demon-Trapping Array is established, compressing Huo Quji's movement space to within three zhang.]

“Chu Feng, a trapping Formation won't keep me in!”

[Huo Quji laughs twice, fire gathering in both fists.]

“Sky-Covering Fire Rain!”

[Crimson flames soar into the sky, turning into fire meteors that crash down toward the six people from the Formation Hall and Fenglei Hall.]

[The high temperature makes the surrounding air crackle.]

[Facing the falling fire meteors, Chu Feng's footwork changes.]

“Spatial Shifting Formation, rise!”

[Silver-white Formation runes light up beneath the feet of the six people.]

[As the fire meteors fall, Chu Feng and the other five vanish, reappearing ten zhang away.]

[Ling Qingmeng seizes the opportunity, and the Thousand-Thread Thunder Net covers them from above.]

[Lei Zheng shouts out.]

“Senior Brother Chu, the Yao Race aren't afraid of pain, but they are afraid of numbness! Connect the thunder net nodes to the trapping Formation walls!”

[Chu Feng immediately changes the Formation.]

[Thunder spreads along the Formation runes, and the Liuhe Demon-Trapping Array turns into a lightning cage.]

[On the other side, Gao Lingfeng follows up with a move.]

“Senior Brother Qin, add dust to the earth-attribute shield, and I'll use wind Spells to blow it over to create a Sandstorm Bewildering Formation!”

[Qin Mobai understands, and the earth shield shatters into sand.]

[Gao Lingfeng whips up a gale, and the Martial Arts Arena is filled with flying sand and stones, obscuring vision.]

[Huo Quji shouts in the sandstorm.]

“Xu Yanlie, Su Wantang, show them what we've got!”

[Xu Yanlie's fire-attribute area attack coordinates with Su Wantang's water-attribute containment; fire and water blend, and a large amount of high-temperature steam scatters.]

[A gap is blasted through the lightning cage.]

[Gu Yunxi seizes the opening, her water-blue longsword unsheathed.]

[Water ripples outward, turning into a dense water net that suppresses the sandstorm and accurately entangles Chu Feng and Ling Qingmeng's steps.]

[She forms a seal with her left hand, and the water transforms into a refreshing rain that falls, suppressing the backlash of the high temperature.]

“Ma Chengen, push up!” Huo Quji commands.

[Ma Chengen steps out, calmly forming a seal.]

[A crimson fire-attribute shield rises from the ground, turning into a hemispherical wall of fire.]

[The fire wall forcefully blocks a bolt of wild thunder thrown by Lei Zheng.]

[Holding twin blades, Han Qingshuang uses the fire wall as cover, her figure rushing forward, closing in on Chu Feng's Formation core.]

“Chen Du, transfer spirit!” Chu Feng commands without looking back.]

[Chen Du presses both hands to the ground, and wood-attribute spiritual power flows incessantly into the Formation core.]

[The Formation barrier stabilizes, blocking Han Qingshuang on the periphery.]

[Age 38, Twelfth Day of the Tenth Month to the Twentieth Day of the Tenth Month.]

[You do not visit the Martial Arts Arena even once.]

[During these nine days, you stay in your Immortal Cave studying the Burning Heaven Nine Sword Arts.]

[The commotion from the Martial Arts Arena can be heard even across two mountain peaks.]

[For the first three days, it was chaotic over there.]

[Huo Quji's voice was the loudest, Chu Feng's cold laughter the sharpest, accompanied by Lei Zheng's wild strikes and Xu Yanlie's reckless burning.]

[From the fourth to the sixth day, the shouting decreased, replaced by various disorganized sounds of Spell collisions.]

[Starting from the seventh day, there were no more loud noises from the Martial Arts Arena.]

[Occasionally, one or two short commands would drift out, followed by silence.]

[Age 38, Twenty-first Day of the Tenth Month, Hour of the Dragon.]

[The ten-day period is up.]

[You push open the door of your Immortal Cave, carrying the Qiankun Yin-Yang Sword, and walk toward the Martial Arts Arena.]

[The morning sun is rising, and the morning mist has not yet dispersed in the arena.]

[You walk to the edge of the field and stop.]

[In the mist ahead, twelve figures stand quietly.]

[No one speaks, and no one moves unnecessarily.]

[This positioning is completely different from the usual Formation where the four halls stand separately.]

[You grip the sword hilt with one hand.]

[Your thumb pushes the crossguard.]

[The longsword unsheathes an inch, and crimson Sword Qi flickers.]

“Ten days are up.”

[You walk onto the martial arts stage alone, the sword tip pointing diagonally toward the ground.]

“The rules are simple.”

“The twelve of you against me alone.”

“I will only use fifty percent of my strength.”

“If you cannot withstand three of my sword strikes, the squad will be disbanded.”

[As your words fall.]

[Chu Feng forms hand seals, and Formation runes light up.]

[Huo Quji gathers fire in both fists.]

[Thunderlight flares intensely around Ling Qingmeng.]

[Twelve people, twelve bursts of spiritual power, connecting into one.]

[You charge forward with your sword.]

[The first sword strike slashes down.]