Chapter 511: Mentor
At first, the senior members of the Ninth Squad were too embarrassed to ask Ling Zhan for advice.
After all, for them, even though they acknowledged Ling Zhan's strength, they still felt a bit shy about asking him for guidance.
Internally, they struggled to get over this mental hurdle.
Moreover...
Asking Ling Zhan to teach them would basically make him their teacher, wouldn't it?
A freshman becoming the teacher of seniors—this would be a bit embarrassing to say the least.
Worse yet, they might even be ridiculed by the other senior squads from different countries.
However, after seeing Deputy Captain Zhou Xue'er actively seek Ling Zhan's guidance, they all willingly set aside their useless pride and joined the ranks of those seeking his advice.
Especially after Zhou Xue'er, having only been guided by Ling Zhan for half an hour, went to challenge a familiar deputy captain from the neighboring Duchy of Rhine.
Originally, their sparring matches were evenly matched, neither side gaining an advantage.
But now, Zhou Xue'er completely dominated in this duel!
The deputy captain of the Rhine squad was utterly shocked.
The main reason was that Zhou Xue'er had completely changed her fighting style!
No...
More accurately, she had completely corrected her original flaws!
As a result, Zhou Xue'er had significantly fewer weaknesses in battle, making it impossible for her sparring partner to find any openings!
This scene.
Made the previously reserved members of the Dragon Kingdom's Ninth Squad completely let go.
They shamelessly began asking Ling Zhan for guidance.
And from this moment on.
They truly realized the terror of Ling Zhan!
Previously, on the battlefield of the S-4 region, they watched from afar as their captain led a group of A+ ranked contracted spirits to trample and sweep through the Ghost Slave Army.
They were filled with awe and admiration.
But they hadn't personally experienced the terror of facing Ling Zhan.
Now, as Ling Zhan's opponents, sparring with him one-on-one, they realized he was a complete devil!
When a level 77, third-tier Sword Saint member challenged Ling Zhan to a duel.
Ling Zhan responded with extraordinary swordsmanship, meeting his opponent head-on.
What shocked everyone the most...
Was that in terms of swordsmanship and skills, the bona fide third-tier Sword Saint was completely crushed by this non-specialist!
You could even clearly see the helplessness and frustration on the face of the Sword Saint as they fought!
"Your attack recovery is too long, which shows that your body control isn't coordinated or stable enough, meaning you've been slacking off in your training."
"Also..."
"You're too reliant on skills! As a third-tier Sword Saint, your passive ability 'Heartless Sword Aura' already greatly enhances your normal attacks. There's no need to rely so much on skills; sometimes, a string of normal attacks can deal impressive damage."
After the fight, Ling Zhan pointed out the Sword Saint's flaws.
In fact, this was a common problem for many people.
After reaching the third-tier.
They gain divine power talents.
Along with their third-tier awakened passive abilities.
This significantly boosts their class skills.
This causes many people to become overly reliant on their skills.
But in fact, for a unique class like the Sword Saint, one should never rely solely on skills but rather depend more on their swordsmanship.
"From now on, when sparring with me, only use sword techniques, no skills!"
Since Ling Zhan agreed to the challenge, he naturally gave it his all.
He sparred with this member for half a day, forcibly correcting many of the person's bad habits.
Their level clearly improved significantly.
Over the next few days.
All the members who had trained with Ling Zhan showed a noticeable improvement in their level.
Even the reserve squads from other countries, upon hearing about this, began to gather around.
Some who had previously fought the Ninth Squad to a standstill now swore to challenge their old rivals again.
But after being easily defeated by their former opponents, they couldn't help but express their amazement!
"Are you kidding me? With no changes in level, attributes, or equipment, they improved this much just by improving their combat skills?"
"Exactly... I used to fight evenly with that one called Ying Tong, but now she completely crushed me! She caught me multiple times during the skill recovery!"
"It's not just Ying Tong; after training these past few days, the overall level of the Dragon Kingdom's Ninth Squad has clearly risen by a whole tier!"
"Looks like we've been too reliant on skills, neglecting the honing of our combat techniques..."
"When we higher levels crush lower levels, it's because we rely on our level and attributes to overwhelm them. But when facing enemies of the same level, it's all about whose combat technique is stronger..."
"Damn! Now I want to ask that non-specialist from the Dragon Kingdom to train me too."
"If I can really improve my combat skills, then it wouldn't hurt to humble myself and ask for advice."
"Come on, look at you, saying you wouldn't mind humbling yourself. Do you think Ling Zhan teaches just anyone?"
"..."
Soon...
These reserve members from other countries began gathering in groups, seeking out this non-specialist, asking him to teach them practical combat skills.
At first, members of reserve squads from some of the larger nations felt too embarrassed, thinking it would be shameful to ask a freshman for advice.
Even though the other party was stronger.
Their pride made it hard to bow their heads.
But when they saw their former defeated opponents greatly improving, even crushing them in battles, these members from the larger nations couldn't sit still any longer.
This non-specialist actually has such a talent for teaching?
Even those with poor aptitude improved significantly after his guidance!
If this non-specialist doesn't become a teacher, it would truly be a waste of talent!
To put it plainly...
Ling Zhan's guidance was never condescending; it was always straightforward and easy to understand.
Plus, Ling Zhan was an 'all-around mentor'. He only needed to spar with you once, and he could imitate your combat habits.
From there, he could identify your bad habits in combat and provide improvement plans, leaving you to train on your own.
Zhou Xue'er originally wanted to spar with Ling Zhan one-on-one to see the gap between them.
But after the past few days...
Well...
She decided to gather a few of the elite members who had improved rapidly over these days to challenge him together.
Because only in this way would she stand a chance of not being instantly defeated.
As the title of 'genius mentor' spread.
Even some bigwigs at the top couldn't help but take notice.
"What? You're saying that freshman non-specialist from the Dragon Kingdom has become the mentor of the reserve squad members?"