vncnus Chapter 41: Battle Recap!
Chapter 41: Battle Recap!
Zhang Chulan, with his eyes tightly closed, was not met with the expected shock.
Instead, a gentle and strange energy softly enveloped him.
This energy, like the warm spring sun, brings a comforting warmth that instantly flows through the body, dispelling fatigue and heaviness.
The abrasions and burns on my body were tingling with a cool, numb, and itchy sensation, and were slowly healing at a visible speed.
"Huh?" Zhang Chulan opened his eyes in surprise.
Just then, I saw the Minister of Magic standing not far away, a soft white light still lingering on his fingertips.
"Zhang Chulan, we should go."
The Minister of Magic's distinctive, slightly timid, soft voice rang out.
He stopped looking at Zhang Chulan, turned around and strode towards the edge of the training ground, the hem of his wide magic robe swaying gently.
Zhang Chulan was stunned for a moment.
Feeling the slight strength returning to my body and the wounds being healed, I was filled with mixed emotions.
He scratched his head.
In the end, he quickly followed and walked half a step behind the Minister of Magic.
The woods were quiet, with only the sound of footsteps and the rustling of leaves in the wind.
After walking for a while, the Minister of Magic's calm voice broke the silence:
"You...you're not using your Qi properly."
Zhang Chulan listened intently.
"In combat, you must learn to control your energy output. You can't waste important resources on meaningless things."
"We need to calculate whether the consumption and the return are proportional."
The Minister of Magic seemed to be reciting a textbook: "For example... a powerful punch you deliver after adjusting the angle and enveloping your fist in a golden light charm."
"That attack looked fierce and unexpected..."
"But I only used one... um... a one-time use Light Shield with very low magic consumption, and it negated most of the power."
He paused, seemingly organizing his thoughts:
"If after an attack, instead of thinking about adjusting your own condition, you forcefully continue close-quarters combat, risking injury for injury..."
"Then I can only use the more energy-consuming [Time-Space Teleport] repeatedly to quickly dodge and create distance, which will quickly deplete my remaining magic power."
Zhang Chulan nodded thoughtfully.
Although the Minister of Magic spoke slowly, his analysis was indeed reasonable.
At the time, I was only thinking about adjusting my state after hitting the target, but my immature rationality led me astray, and I didn't think about the subsequent suppression at all.
The Minister of Magic continued calmly:
"And... that, the Flame Spear I just used."
"That attack was powerful, but it also consumed a lot of energy... It had a brief gathering process before it was launched, and its flight trajectory was a straight line... Actually... it was actually quite easy to dodge."
He glanced back at Zhang Chulan, his eyes still looking dazed.
"If you are vigilant... at the moment it launches, concentrate your Qi in your legs, create some distance first... then use the Golden Light Mantra to withstand it, and the injury will be much less."
"Or... reduce the power of the palm lightning and let it collide and cancel out the flame spear..."
"Activate the Golden Light Mantra again to defend against the impact of the explosion..."
"This way...this way the consumption will be more cost-effective."
As Zhang Chulan listened, his steps unconsciously slowed down.
Every point the Minister of Magic made was like a scalpel precisely dissecting the mistakes and wastes he had made in the battle.
He thought back carefully and realized that if he had followed those methods, the situation might have been completely different.
A wave of belated regret washed over me, but even more so, a sense of clarity washed over me as I was awakened.
The Minister of Magic concluded:
"In battles between ordinary superhumans... as long as the difference in strength isn't too great... the key to victory or defeat lies in how to make good use of one's own strengths and target the enemy's weaknesses."
His tone carried the calm analytical quality of a researcher.
"For example, using minimal resources to deplete a large amount of the opponent's Qi, thus waging a protracted war... or adopting a defensive stance, concealing one's offensive trump cards... patiently waiting for the opponent to reveal a weakness..."
"Once you seize an opportunity, you must press it relentlessly... You cannot give your opponent a chance to breathe or adjust."
He paused, his voice soft yet carrying weight:
"And... intelligence... is of paramount importance."
"The more information you have about your opponent in advance, the better you can hide your weaknesses... and even... you can use your performance to deceive them... these are all key steps to victory."
He stopped in his tracks.
He turned around and looked at Zhang Chulan intently:
"Strength, intelligence, luck, mentality, strategy... these are all indispensable."
The golden rays of the setting sun shone on the Minister of Magic's face, which always carried a hint of timidity and naivety, but at this moment revealed a profound insight into the essence of battle that was completely incongruous with his appearance.
He was like a scholar deconstructing combat formulas in a laboratory.
The brutal struggle is broken down into cold parameters and the answer to the optimal solution.
Listen to this seemingly harmless young man, who, in a calm and even slightly stuttering tone, generously share his invaluable experience honed on the brink of life and death.
Zhang Chulan could no longer suppress the inexplicable curiosity in his heart.
He couldn't help but ask:
"Xiao Bai," Zhang Chulan's voice carried genuine confusion:
"How do you know so much about combat? You seem... like you don't even like fighting?"
This sentence seemed to have triggered some kind of switch.
The Minister of Magic paused almost imperceptibly in the air.
Although his back was to Zhang Chulan and his expression was not visible, the momentary stiffness and silence were clearly conveyed to Zhang Chulan.
The pause of a few seconds felt exceptionally long in the quiet forest.
The Minister of Magic didn't turn around, but simply responded with a low "Um...it's nothing."
The voice remained calm, but it was slightly lower than before, carrying an indescribable...complexity.
Zhang Chulan's heart sank.
A wave of regret washed over me instantly.
He felt as if he had recklessly exposed a wound that the other person didn't want to show.
Beneath these calm words lies a heavy past of countless times being forced to take up arms, struggling to survive in brutal battles, and finally gaining these "valuable experiences."
Perhaps... it's loss? It's responsibility? Or it's an inescapable fate?
Looking at the figure ahead, which appeared somewhat frail and even timid in the afterglow of the setting sun.
Thinking of the unfathomable depths revealed by his mysterious true form, Zhang Chulan was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.
The stark contrast left him somewhat dazed.
He suddenly realized that the experience the Minister of Magic had imparted was not just empty talk.
They are cold, efficient, and even somewhat ruthless in their calculations, but behind every sentence may lie lessons learned through blood and tears.
And I will probably use these things countless times in the future...
"Wealth" formed from the suffering of others...
The two walked out of the woods in silence, one after the other, and returned to the edge of the training ground.
The setting sun cast long shadows of them, reflecting the complex light in Zhang Chulan's eyes—a light that was both new and filled with gratitude, heaviness, and determination.