Chapter 83

Although Tang Jie had come to the Divine Soldier Arena, he did not participate but instead spent the whole day watching the training. He even asked for a list of the students who had won each day during his half-month seclusion, not just the top five but the top one hundred.

This information was hard to come by, and Tang Jie only managed to get it by leveraging his status as a student who had received the inheritance of the Divine Dawn Sword Canon.

Wei Tianchong was greatly puzzled, unable to understand what use this information could have. Tang Jie could only explain, "Young Master, don't underestimate the use of this information. There's a lot to it. With enough information, we can formulate a plan to achieve a good ranking, or even make it onto the list."

"Do you still need a plan?"

Wei Tianchong was speechless. You've already received the inheritance of the Divine Dawn Sword Canon, do you really need to be so cautious?

Since Tang Jie was allowed to enter the ninth floor of the Tianyi Pavilion, he had already been listed among the strong students by the academy, though his seclusion had temporarily prevented him from showing his abilities. However, the students all believed that Tang Jie, who had received the inheritance of the Divine Dawn Sword Canon, could at least compete for a spot on the list, even if he didn't have the strength to take first place.

Tang Jie smiled, "I'm not doing this for myself, but for you. If we plan well, there's still a chance for you to make it onto the list."

"Me, make it onto the list?" Wei Tianchong almost fainted.

What kind of joke is this?

He knew his own strength well; apart from his puppet, he had nothing to offer.

Even this puppet wasn't unique to him.

Recently, some people had seen Wei Tianchong's puppet and started to follow suit.

Tang Jie said, "That's right. Since I want you to become a disciple, I naturally have to put in some effort. A reasonable plan can maximize one's strength, even allowing the weak to defeat the strong."

"But I'm too weak..." Wei Tianchong replied weakly.

Tang Jie: "..."

This guy may seem clueless, but he actually understands a lot.

Tang Jie could only encourage him, "If I want you to make it onto the list, I wouldn't do it without any confidence. Look, according to the academy's rules, to prevent a few people from monopolizing resources, anyone who makes the list five times in a month cannot make it again that month. What does this mean? On the surface, only five people in each rank can receive rewards, but in reality, at least thirty people can receive rewards each month. Considering that most people can't ensure five listings, the number is even higher! So, in reality, you're not competing for the top five, but the top one hundred."

"I know that, but so what?" Wei Tianchong didn't understand. To him, whether it was the top five or the top one hundred, it was all too far away.

"What does it mean?" Tang Jie smiled. "There's a big difference. According to the academy's rules, as long as you make the list, it counts as one listing, regardless of whether you're first or fifth. If all the strong people choose the same day to list, it means at least five strong people lose an opportunity. If this happens a few times, wouldn't your chances increase?"

"You mean avoid the strong?" Wei Tianchong's eyes lit up.

"More precisely, choose your opponents!" Tang Jie smiled. "Your strength is still too weak. Even if you don't face opponents like Qi Shaoming or An Rumei, you can't handle even slightly stronger ones. You can't even make the top three hundred, let alone the top one hundred. So, avoiding strong opponents isn't suitable for you; choosing weak ones is."

Tang Jie used the same strategy he had used against Zhuang Shen.

"But even so, the opponents will get stronger as you progress, and I still have no hope."

Tang Jie patiently explained, "Actually, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Cultivators often have certain constraints on each other. If you can find opponents who are constrained by you, you still have a chance to win, even against stronger opponents."

"I see..." Wei Tianchong suddenly understood. "So you mean to find opponents who are constrained by me? Which opponents can I constrain?"

Tang Jie laughed, "Right now, you can't constrain anyone. You only have two spells: Spirit Guidance and Fearless. Do you think you can constrain anyone?"

"..."

"However, just because you can't now doesn't mean you can't in the future. You've already mastered Spirit Guidance, and Fearless doesn't require mastery. So, next, you can learn a few more spells to form your own characteristics."

"What should I learn?"

"A Control Spell is definitely necessary. It's the advanced version of Spirit Guidance and the fundamental technique for controlling puppets. With it, you won't need spirit threads to control puppets, and you'll handle them more skillfully. Since you already have a foundation in Spirit Guidance, you'll adapt quickly. As for other spells, it depends on two aspects: you and our future opponents." Tang Jie patted the information in his hand.

Wei Tianchong began to understand, "You mean to first look at the specialties of the opponents who might block my path, and then... treat them accordingly."

"Exactly." Tang Jie smiled. "First, we need to find a batch of opponents who will be constrained by us, then choose spells to target them. They will be the stepping stones for your advancement. Next, we need to look at when these opponents appear. This information records the famous figures on the list, including their participation times and the number of matches. Most people have their own habits. For example, when they practice, when they learn spells, and when they go out to train. By understanding their habits, we can predict when they will come and when they won't. Knowing this, we can understand their fighting styles and strengths, and then choose our opponents selectively, avoiding those we don't want to face."

"But they might change their minds."

"Then what's the harm in losing a match? When the outcome depends on long-term accumulation, a few variables don't matter. As long as their behavior and fighting styles don't change, we have a higher win rate! Win rate is the foundation! Besides, even if they do change, we can recapture the patterns."

"It's a bit troublesome." Wei Tianchong was worried.

Tang Jie laughed, "Young Master, you don't think every good idea is easy to implement, do you? The plan I'm talking about isn't too hard to think of. At least, the thousand elites of the Xiyue Academy might also think of it. The real problem is that gathering and analyzing this information is difficult and requires a long time to accumulate. It's better to focus on improving your own strength. I'm doing this for you. If it were for myself, I wouldn't bother!"

Grasping the habits of so many people isn't easy, which is why Tang Jie asked for this information, and not just for today but for a long time to come.

Only from a vast amount of information could Tang Jie find suitable opponents for Wei Tianchong.

Wei Tianchong nodded in agreement.

Tang Jie continued, "Of course, relying solely on finding opponents isn't enough. There are too many students at the Xiyue Academy, and I don't have the energy to handle it all. Fortunately, we have other methods to help."

"What methods?"

"The second method is the academy's points system. According to the rules, you get one point for each win, and the ranking is based on the points earned that day. In other words, even if Qi Shaoming comes to the arena today and wins ten matches, he only gets ten points. If you fight thirty matches and win twenty-one, you get twelve points and rank higher than him. Do you understand?"

Wei Tianchong suddenly understood, "You mean to increase the training time?"

"Exactly!" Tang Jie confirmed. "People like Qi Shaoming usually don't spend the whole day in the arena. After all, they also need to practice. I looked at the records and found that Qi Shaoming, An Rumei, and others almost always appear in the morning, usually training for no more than two hours and fighting no more than ten matches. Do you know why?"

"Why?"

"Appearing in the morning is because they've gotten used to attending classes during the day and practicing at night over the past six months. A capable person is also a habitual one. So, after the exams, they use the class time for training and continue their usual practice. They only fight ten matches because they don't have enough spirit energy!"

Human strength has limits. Even the best fighters will struggle after ten matches.

For geniuses like Qi Shaoming and An Rumei, their only goal is to ensure a high win rate. However, in terms of endurance, they may not be much stronger than others.

Even they don't win every match.

Tang Jie continued, "They won't waste too much time in the arena to recover spirit energy, and since they can only list five times a month, they usually leave after finishing their matches, not worth fighting every day. But for us, there's an opportunity."

"Exactly. Since we can only list five times a month, we can choose to go all out on a specific day. I can't list five times, but I can at least try once, right?" Wei Tianchong said determinedly.

"Exactly. However, others might also realize this. They will make their choices. Fortunately, your Shao Hai Xuan Yuan Jue is continuous and unending, giving you an advantage in recovery." As he said "continuous and unending," a smile appeared on Tang Jie's face, but he quickly regained his composure and continued, "Of course, when choosing spells, consider those with low consumption. Since you're mainly a puppet user, you have an advantage in endurance."

Tang Jie's words finally gave Wei Tianchong confidence.

He said loudly, "Alright, I'll follow your advice!"

He didn't know that everything Tang Jie said was just talk.

His plan might help Wei Tianchong improve his ranking, but it was still far from making the list.

However, Tang Jie knew one thing: some people don't work hard because they are naturally lazy, but more often, they don't work hard because they don't see hope.

"You'll never amount to anything no matter how hard you try" can destroy a person's life;

"Work hard, I see potential in you, you can develop it" can create a successful person.

People need hope to have the motivation to strive.

Wei Tianchong might fear pain and lack ambition, but that doesn't mean he doesn't want to improve.

He just thought that with his fourth-level Jade Gate talent, he couldn't possibly compete with others.

Since that's the case, he naturally didn't bother to strive.

To make someone like him work hard, you first need to give him hope.

Tang Jie did more than that. He not only praised Wei Tianchong but also used beautiful words and a "perfect" plan to paint a seemingly beautiful picture. This picture was so tempting, drawing Wei Tianchong step by step...

This was his goal.

Tang Jie didn't expect him to achieve greatness immediately, but at least he needed to start striving.

In the process of striving, his strength would gradually improve, and he would grow, getting closer to his goal.

His efforts finally paid off. Seeing Wei Tianchong now determined to strive, Tang Jie was moved and patted his shoulder, "Don't worry, as long as you work hard, I will definitely make you stand out. From now on, I will be your golden finger, your grandfather, and I will help you carve out a place on the path of immortality!"

Wei Tianchong was confused, not understanding what he meant.

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