73. Risks and Choices

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"Oh? Why?" Su Ling'er asked, slightly surprised.

"The Beast Team focuses on extreme offense, making their attack power incredibly strong," Quan Yi explained.

"As far as I know, many elemental academies—including Blazing Academy—favor forming Spirit Fighting teams in a similar manner."

"This approach allows them to overwhelm most opponents with sheer power."

"However, when they encounter a team specifically designed to counter them, their weaknesses become painfully obvious."

Quan Yi's voice was calm and confident as he shared his thoughts. Over the years, he had conducted his own research and analysis on team battles, and this was the conclusion he had reached.

Su Ling'er listened carefully before nodding. "Hmm… what you're saying makes sense."

"The strength that comes from specializing in a single attribute is indeed irresistibly appealing."

"After all, it is the most efficient and cost-effective way to train a team."

"For a team like the Beast Team, it's difficult to find opponents who can restrain them at the same level."

"But based on your perspective, do you really believe that the Libra Team is capable of countering them?"

"Yes," Quan Yi answered with certainty.

Su Ling'er frowned slightly, flipping through the booklet again.

"The Libra Team… while each member has decent strength, their overall impression is simply 'average'. They have no obvious weaknesses, but at the same time, they also lack any standout strengths."

"They don't have the defensive capabilities to withstand the Beast Team's attacks, nor do they have the offensive power to match them."

"Teams like this are exactly the kind that the Beast Team excels at crushing."

Her analysis was thorough, yet it came to a completely different conclusion than Quan Yi's.

Quan Yi, however, remained unfazed.

"If you only go by the information in the booklet, that's true," he admitted. "But after examining the Libra Team's captain, I became even more certain of my decision."

Su Ling'er raised an eyebrow and flipped back to the Libra Team's captain's profile.

The captain of the Libra Team possessed the Libra Martial Soul, a rare and unique Control-type Martial Soul.

Spirit Power Level: 45 Not the highest-level member on the team, yet still the captain—which indicated exceptional leadership and strategic importance.

His abilities were even more intriguing:

First Spirit Skill – Balance Power

Selects two spirit masters with different spirit power levels. The higher-level spirit master's power is reduced, while the lower-level spirit master's power is increased.

Second Spirit Skill – Balance Speed

Slows down fast-moving enemies while boosting slower allies.

Third Spirit Skill – Balance Damage

Distributes damage between two selected targets, balancing their durability.

Fourth Spirit Skill – Unknown

"This kind of ability is extremely powerful," Quan Yi said.

"It doesn't just buff allies—it also directly weakens the opponent.

If used properly, this could completely disrupt the Beast Team's strategy."

Su Ling'er nodded slightly but remained unconvinced.

"Yes, his abilities are unique," she admitted, "and if utilized correctly, they could serve as an effective countermeasure."

"However, this Martial Soul's limitations are equally obvious."

"Each Spirit Skill can only select two people at a time."

"Even if he uses all four skills, he can only control up to eight people simultaneously."

"The Beast Team has seven members—which means that even if four of them are suppressed, the remaining three are still a massive threat."

"More importantly, 'balance' merely evens the playing field—it doesn't create an absolute advantage."

"Besides raw attack power, Power Attack and Agility Attack spirit masters have battle-honed combat instincts and experience, which cannot be negated by Spirit Skills alone."

"This is likely the same problem the Libra Team has faced in their previous battles."

Su Ling'er's analysis was logical and well-founded.

"Indeed, when I first read through the information, I had the same thoughts as you, Mother."

"But after looking at it again, I noticed something strange—the fourth spirit skill was marked as 'unknown' with no record of it ever being used. Why?"

The question startled Su Ling'er for a moment, making her reconsider the information in front of her.

Yes, why would they keep the fourth spirit skill a secret, even if it meant maintaining a poor record?

"You're right… it is strange."

Quan Yi's eyes gleamed with insight. "This is just my speculation, but I believe there's a strong possibility that the hidden fourth spirit skill is a group-control ability."

Su Ling'er raised an eyebrow. "A group-control skill? You do realize that kind of ability typically only appears as a fifth spirit skill or higher, right?"

Although his inference seemed illogical, Su Ling'er couldn't deny that it was possible.

"There could be many reasons for hiding a spirit skill," Quan Yi explained, "but I think the most likely reason is that the skill itself isn't practical in most situations."

"Based on the properties of the Libra Martial Soul, a group-balancing skill would likely equalize a specific attribute between two teams."

"That does sound powerful," Su Ling'er admitted, "but in a real battle, its usefulness seems questionable."

Quan Yi nodded. "Exactly. The effectiveness of balance-based abilities depends entirely on the difference between both sides."

"If you want to debuff your opponents while buffing your allies, you have to be very selective about who you target."

"For example, to maximize the effect, the best approach would be to pick: An ally with the lowest spirit power level, and An opponent with the highest spirit power level."

"This would ensure that the gap between them is the widest, creating the strongest shift in balance."

"But… if the skill applies to an entire team, the effectiveness drastically decreases."

"Unless the difference between the two teams is extremely large, the overall effect of the skill would be minimal."

Su Ling'er was visibly impressed by Quan Yi's analysis.

She hadn't expected him to process so much information in such a short time.

"However," she pointed out, "you don't know the exact nature of the fourth spirit skill, yet you're still willing to bet on the Libra Team. Isn't that too reckless?"

Quan Yi smiled.

"Mother, in gambling, there is no such thing as 100% certainty. If you want to win, you have to take risks."

"I'm choosing the Libra Team because I see a possibility—and once I make a choice, I'll commit to it until the end."

His voice was steady, and his eyes unwavering, completely devoid of hesitation.

Su Ling'er watched him for a moment before smiling warmly.

"Betting isn't just about observation—it's also a test of mental strength."

It seemed she no longer needed to guide him on this.

She patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Then let's wait and see."

Su Ling'er didn't continue the discussion. Instead, she called for the waiter, who quickly arrived with a betting slip.

VIP guests could place their bets directly from the room.

Without hesitation, Quan Yi took out the ten gold soul coins he had just won.

"I'm betting on the Libra Team."

Su Ling'er, however, didn't place a bet.

"Alright," the waiter confirmed. "Now, we just wait for the match to begin."

Leaning back on the comfortable sofa, Quan Yi turned his attention toward the battle stage.

Only now did he have a moment to properly observe the Main Spirit Arena.

The diameter of the Soul Fighting Platform was far larger than the one-on-one arena he had fought in earlier.

Surrounding the stage, there were no ordinary spectator seats—only private rooms, each equipped with one-way glass windows.

From the inside, Quan Yi could clearly see the battlefield, but from the outside, no one could see into the VIP rooms.

He glanced at the other private boxes and quickly deduced that the glass in front of him must be the same.

Shifting his gaze upward, he noticed something else—

Unlike the open-air design of the smaller arenas, the Main Spirit Arena was completely enclosed.

However, despite being a sealed dome, the lighting inside was perfectly balanced.

A giant lamp was installed in the center of the dome, radiating a soft golden glow, ensuring that every corner of the arena was well-lit.

Quan Yi's eyes narrowed slightly as he focused on the glowing fixture.

Then, his expression shifted.

He muttered softly under his breath—

"Lamp?"