Fang Yuan immediately exerted his full power to enslave the ants.
Tai Qin did the same.
These ants were created by the Green Ant Hermit, and the content of his disciple-selection contest was naturally a test of both sides' skill in manipulating ants.
After enslaving thirty-eight worker ants and six soldier ants, Fang Yuan moved his thoughts and swept his entire force into an assault against Tai Qin.
Tai Qin also had over thirty worker ants and five soldier ants. Her tactics differed from Fang Yuan's — she used her worker ants to build an ant nest, with soldier ants guarding it.
Fang Yuan held a slight numerical advantage and adopted an extremely aggressive strategy, drawing gasps from the youths watching the match.
Tai Qin's brows knitted tightly, a flash of panic crossing her face: "How has this dragonman boy Wu Shuai completely changed his demeanor? So aggressive!"
She hurriedly redeployed her forces, dispatching worker ants from the nest while pulling her outer soldier ants back to regroup, preparing to dig in behind the incomplete fortifications and hold a desperate defense.
Soon, the two armies clashed, and a brutal battle erupted.
"Who would have thought it would turn into this right from the start."
"Wu Shuai's tactics are a complete departure from before. This move is far too reckless."
"Exactly. As long as Tai Qin holds off this assault, her advantage will be enormous. Wu Shuai hasn't built a nest, but Tai Qin has — that's a difference in tier."
"Now it comes down to the fine details of their ant manipulation. Since it's the early game, even one or two ants could tip the scales of victory."
"Wu Shuai is strong, but Tai Qin is deeply skilled as well. They're evenly matched. In my view, Tai Qin's odds of winning are far greater. How could Wu Shuai be so rash?"
However, after only a short while, the two sides temporarily divided into winner and loser.
Tai Qin suffered heavier losses and began a slow retreat, while Fang Yuan pressed forward to capitalize.
"How is this possible? Wu Shuai is clearly overpowering Tai Qin? Did Tai Qin make a mistake?"
"No! Tai Qin is performing at her normal level, but Wu Shuai is performing above his. Did he use some enslavement-path technique, or was he always at this level?"
"No wonder he had the confidence to charge straight in."
Tai Qin's expression turned grave. During her retreat, Fang Yuan seized the opportunity to kill several more of her ants.
By the time she had retreated into the incomplete nest, the forces in her hands had dwindled to a mere twelve — a miserable state.
Of course, Fang Yuan was only slightly better off.
The ant nest had only a few passageways, and Tai Qin knew her own nest like the back of her hand, stationing troops at key positions while simultaneously diverting her mental focus to enslave the ants still outside.
Fang Yuan considered, but chose not to rush into an attack. The siege was already set — the enemy was a turtle trapped in a jar.
He didn't know the layout of the nest. If he attacked rashly with so few troops, the result could easily backfire.
So he also split his forces to guard each passage entrance, encircling the nest completely, and then activated his enslavement-path techniques to continuously enslave the ants emerging from underground.
Ants kept surfacing — first workers, then soldiers, and now arrow ants were beginning to appear.
These arrow ants could launch sharp spikes from their mouthparts. After firing three spikes, the arrow ant would become utterly exhausted, unable to even defeat a worker ant.
Even so, arrow ants were an extremely powerful unit type, often able to overcome superior numbers. If they accumulated in sufficient quantity and fired volleys together in a large battle, their threat became even greater.
"Arrow ants are now the prize both sides must fight for."
"Indeed. If Tai Qin had arrow ants, she could trade quantity for quality, shooting down all the enemy ants blocking the passage entrance. That would allow her forces inside and outside to join up and counterattack their way out."
"Wu Shuai may have the upper hand, but his position isn't stable — a reversal could happen easily."
"It's a shame. If armored ants had appeared instead of arrow ants right now, Wu Shuai could have used them to break through the defenses and strike straight at the heart, destroying the enemy nest."
The youths chattered among themselves, whispering back and forth.
The contest between the two was the most popular form of ant manipulation game at the moment. At the start, worker ants and soldier ants always appeared, but subsequent ant types emerged randomly. These newly appearing ants not only tested both combatants' enslavement skill, but also tested their knowledge of the different ant species and their grasp of the overall battlefield situation.
Fang Yuan and Tai Qin fought fiercely for the arrow ants, and Fang Yuan still held the advantage.
The youths all turned to stare, some struggling to believe their eyes.
"This arena has been fitted with Gu formations — the two sit facing each other, and the closer ants are to you, the easier they are to enslave. The ants Tai Qin enslaved were right beside her, while Wu Shuai's were at the far extreme. How can he still have the advantage?"
"Could this be Wu Shuai's true strength? Just how powerful is he?"
"We all joined forces before to suppress him. I didn't expect he still had this much power. Doesn't he get tired?"
The real Wu Shuai might have felt exhausted, but Fang Yuan did not.
He had just entered this dream realm and was in excellent condition, especially his soul, which had been formed from a split of his original body's soul.
Afterward, although he had fully transformed into a dragonman soul without conducting any soul cultivation, his foundation was inherently profound, surpassing the ordinary.
Soul foundation directly affected the effectiveness of the enslavement path.
For instance, Fang Yuan's original body before the ambush battle in the Southern Border could barely enslave many Primordial Era beasts, but now he could do so effortlessly with over twenty.
In the contest for arrow ants, Tai Qin failed.
All the arrow ants she had enslaved while her attention was divided were eliminated by Fang Yuan.
Not only did Fang Yuan have arrow ants, but his workers and soldiers coordinated with them as well. Tai Qin suffered from splitting her forces, which put her in an extremely passive position.
Fortunately, arrow ants were not particularly strong at siege combat, especially in a nest with numerous tunnels.
"I've accumulated an advantage, but it's not a large one. During this time, Tai Qin will certainly be pushing her worker ants to speed up construction of the nest."
Fang Yuan appeared aggressive, but in truth he was pursuing a steady path to victory.
All his tactics were built on the foundation of knowing both himself and his enemy.
"Next, as long as armored ants appear, I can break through the defenses and destroy the nest. Even if armored ants don't come and some other type appears — as long as they're not cannon ants — I can use my numerical superiority to force a victory through sheer assault." Fang Yuan calculated with calm confidence.
His odds of winning were indeed great. The human youths in the arena, though unwilling to see it, could not deny the reality before their eyes.
"The dragonman Wu Shuai is going to succeed."