Chapter 69 Be a Good Cheerleader

Seeing Winnie put her legs down silently, Old Wang finally felt relieved. He cleared his throat with a smile, "Ahem, let's continue where I left off. Where was I?"

Fantasy reminded him, "You were talking about being a thirty-second man."

"Tsk!" Old Wang spat, "I was clearly talking about how to uncover everyone's talents. Let's start with you, ah-jeop!"

"Your specialty is having thick skin and being able to take hits, and your burst strength is impressive too. Unfortunately, your movement speed is too slow, so currently, offensive, tank, and balanced Martial Artists don't suit you!"

"Afeng, that's a bit much. I've been training since I was a kid."

"That's true; your foundation is solid, especially in taking hits. So, grappling suits you best. Don't bother with fancy weapons; close combat, hand-to-hand, simple and brutal. In my hometown, there's a magical fighting style called wrestling..."

As he spoke, Old Wang demonstrated a few moves. Actually, Fantasy was best suited for close combat. That new profession developed by professional players in the Nine Heavens game incorporated many elements—grappling, wrestling, judo, sumo, internal martial arts—all enhanced by soul force's attraction and repulsion. It seemed like a mishmash but showed remarkable dominance in close combat in the Nine Heavens. Once engaged, it could overpower various professions and was even hailed as the strongest fighting technique in its early days.

"Afeng, what nonsense is this?" Fantasy was stunned, completely lost. It sounded more like a clumsy elephant: "Are you sending me to die? Without weapons, how will I defend myself?"

Kela and Wu Di also agreed. Even though orcs were skilled in close combat, they had never heard of abandoning weapons. Wrestling? Could wrestling really subdue enemies? At most, it would just hurt...

"Is this the Dark Grappling Technique?" Winnie frowned.

In some ancient texts of the Li family, there was a record of a fighting style that never used any weapons, but it didn't gain much fame on the continent and quickly disappeared.

"The captain wanted to be modest..." Old Wang sighed. The name sounded impressive, better than wrestling: "But I didn't expect you to know about it."

"But it's been lost for a long time." Winnie frowned, her eyes widening curiously: "Wang Feng, where exactly is your hometown?"

"It's a secluded little village called Wang Village. But it won't do you any good to ask. Outsiders can't find it except for our Wang family. Legend has it that the Supreme Saint also came from there!"

Winnie rolled her eyes; this guy could spin tales without breaking a sweat.

Old Wang smiled at Fantasy, "And sitting right here is the 88th generation descendant of the Dark Grappling Technique. Ah-jeop, bow and become my disciple!"

That name was perfect, enough to impress.

"..."

Old Wang didn't bother arguing with Fantasy. Let him think about it. He waved his hand and turned to the orc issue.

Kela and Wu Di had many problems, given their poor foundation. Bloodline awakening couldn't rely solely on magic potions; proper training was necessary, especially adjusting their mindset.

Old Wang didn't reveal too much, nor did he mention magic potions. He only said that short-term progress would mainly come from practice, following the Martial Dao Courtyard instructors' lessons, and gaining practical experience in class. Most importantly, he warned the two orcs not to obsess over soul force, as it clashed with their nature. Thinking too much about it would lead nowhere.

Of course, he eventually touched on the orc bloodline.

"Existence is reasonable; the gods created everything for a reason." To advise Kela and other orcs, one had to use language they understood, invoking 'totems' and 'gods':

"Compared to humans and the Eight Tribes, orcs actually possess stronger bloodline power and physical adaptability. All races are the same; we need to discover our strengths and play to them, rather than using our weaknesses against others..." Old Wang spoke eloquently, and Kela looked surprised.

Long ago, orcs had once thrived, possessing powerful bloodline legacies. However, later on, this power mysteriously vanished from ordinary orcs, except for a few royal orc families.

The matter of bloodline power is still something of a personal legend for most ordinary Beastmen.

Wu Di kept looking at his body, feeling amazed. Could his blood really be that powerful?

"So you need to work harder," Old Wang said with a sigh. "Awakening comes from the desire within your consciousness. First, you must believe in yourself!"

"Does self-deception count too?" Winnie laughed. The Li family had done research, but it was as difficult as winning the lottery. Even the royal families among the Beastmen had low success rates. Were these two dreaming?

"Winnie, don't interrupt when the captain is speaking," Old Wang said sternly, giving her a serious look before continuing, "Secondly, you need to constantly break through your limits. The boundary between life and death is where breakthroughs are easiest..."

Kela and Wu Di hadn’t reacted yet, but Winnie's face had already fallen. She had already endured this guy several times today, but... he was pushing his luck!

A small flame leaped onto Winnie’s fingertip, and her face darkened. "Then, Wang Feng, why don't you prove it? I'll beat you up and see if you can break through in the face of life and death."

Leadership required a delicate balance; constant mutiny wouldn’t do.

Feeling the heat of the flame, Old Wang broke out in a cold sweat. He forgot half of his prepared speech: "Ahem, that covers the Beastman issue. Now, let me focus on our Winnie!"

"There's no doubt! Winnie is our pillar, core, and ace. From strength to character, from beauty to intelligence, she is absolutely perfect!" Old Wang said enthusiastically, clapping loudly: "Even as a tactical master, I have nothing more to say. As the captain, I hold her in the highest regard! Where are the claps?"

Fantasy and Wu Di responded with enthusiasm, filling the room with applause, which made Winnie lose her urge to attack. After all, one doesn’t hit a smiling face.

"Having covered everyone, let's talk about team battles. Our strategy is clear: protect Winnie and let the bear deal damage!"

Old Wang waved his hand like a true orator.

"Our beautiful and wise Winnie blah blah blah..."

"Our brave and powerful magic bear blah blah blah..."

Old Wang praised them for a full five minutes without repeating a single word, finally managing to extinguish the flame on Winnie’s fingertip. Just when he thought it was over, Winnie asked:

"Wang Feng, what about you?"

"Me?" Old Wang’s sixteen-core brain spun: "Being a good captain!"

"A cheerleader?"

"..." Old Wang looked at Winnie.

This girl has some thick skin. Being praised by me, Wang Feng, for five whole minutes without blushing and even being able to throw back a sarcastic remark—she’s got principles.

"Without my role as a cheerleader, how could your four strengths and perfection be highlighted?" Old Wang said meaningfully. "And without your four strengths, how could my strategic vision and coaching skills be highlighted?"

"As they say, specialization leads to mutual enhancement, comrades!"

"What defines a mature team?" Old Wang slapped the table, concluding: "This is it!"

Clearly, a mature team can't just rely on words. Winnie doesn’t need Old Wang to manage her; even if he tried, he couldn’t. Since revealing her identity, the little girl has been letting loose.

The two orc potions were still not settled, and Old Wang wanted to wait until he had tried the teleportation array. If he could really return to Earth, it would be unnecessary to go through with it.

However, Fantasi was the only companion since coming to this world, so Old Wang still had some concern for him. Teaching him grappling techniques was serious; one day, when he returned, Axi could live a glorious life with this skill.

Fantasi's soul seed was of the highest quality among tiger souls, known in the Imperial Nine Heavens as the "Taiji Tiger," possessing elastic defense. Combined with grappling techniques, he belonged to the most annoying opponents in the arena. Perhaps it was stylish, but it truly dealt with all kinds of pretentiousness.

The characteristic of such a soul seed was endurance, strong bursts, and large, flexible limbs. Conventional martial artist routines did not suit him; a fat man wielding a large sword could not cut through others.

The first core of grappling techniques is "balance."

Body balance, soul power balance, mental balance.

The training method was simple: Old Wang got a ball about forty centimeters in diameter, placed a wooden board on top, and had Fantasi stand on it to maintain balance, using his body, soul power, and mind to feel the constantly changing balance point in unison.

Mastering dynamic balance was key.

Only when soul power and the body always maintained a stable center of gravity could one remain "steady" even when facing a stronger force.

For the next two days, Old Wang supervised Axi very seriously, munching on sunflower seeds while urging him on. For his brother, he was really putting in a lot of effort.

Unfortunately, Axi was not very cooperative. Controlling soul power was already difficult, and Fantasi had previously been trained in traditional martial arts, accustomed to straightforward techniques emphasizing powerful bursts and speed. Suddenly being required to understand some mysterious balance, holding back, and combining softness with strength left Axi feeling that both his brain and body were insufficient. Moreover, he suspected that Afeng was retaliating against him because of his support for Winnie becoming the captain.

Honestly, rolling around like this made it even harder for Fantasi to control his soul power. Even worse, Old Wang would occasionally interfere, such as jumping onto the edge of the wooden board, throwing a stone at Fantasi, or sneaking behind him to shout loudly.