After the fourth round of the preliminaries ended, all teams that advanced were given two days to rest. Meanwhile, the group stage draw would be held on the afternoon of the second rest day.
Once Shrek Academy confirmed their advancement, Zhu Ziyang immediately granted the team a day off. Even though only Jiang Nannan, Zhou Tianhe, Dai Huabin, Wu Feng, and Xie Huanyue had fought so far during the preliminaries, the other team members were under pressure too—especially the backup team, as well as first-timers like Chu Hua and Ning Tian. They were all quite nervous.
Why weren't Qian Lingyi and Diwu Huan'er nervous? Because those two were Soul Sages! If anyone should be nervous, it ought to be the contestants from the other academies.
On this rare day off, Zhu Ziyang was immediately dragged off by Jiang Nannan, Ma Xiaotao, and the other two girls to go shopping. Mingdu, as the most prosperous city on the continent, held irresistible allure for women. The four of them shopped from morning until night without a hint of fatigue. Zhu Ziyang, on the other hand, was absolutely exhausted—not physically, but spiritually.
"Ughhh, I'm dead tired!" he groaned as soon as he got back to the hotel, collapsing onto the bed without the slightest desire to move.
But Ma Xiaotao clearly had no intention of letting him rest. She pushed open the door and walked in. Seeing Zhu Ziyang sprawled on the bed, she scolded him with mock annoyance. "Why are you still lying here? Huan'er's already changed outfits. She's waiting for you to come admire her!"
"Sister Xiaotao, let me rest a bit, I'm worn out..." Zhu Ziyang groaned, face contorted with suffering.
"Oh please, this is nothing yet!" Ma Xiaotao marched right over and forcibly pulled him off the bed. "You're tired because you don't understand the fun of it. Once you see the new clothes we bought, you'll definitely feel energized."
"Hehe… I hope so," he muttered weakly. Not resisting at all, he allowed himself to be dragged into the room shared by Ma Xiaotao and Diwu Huan'er.
Inside were not only Diwu Huan'er, but also Jiang Nannan and Qian Lingyi. The three of them were giggling over their purchases, all of them flushed with excitement—or maybe shyness. Diwu Huan'er, however, was nowhere to be seen.
As soon as Jiang Nannan and Qian Lingyi saw Ma Xiaotao pulling Zhu Ziyang in, they instinctively hid the clothes in their hands behind their backs, giggling sheepishly. "Brother, you're here."
But Zhu Ziyang was too out of it to notice anything odd. He just gave them a mechanical nod.
Ma Xiaotao, noticing that Diwu Huan'er hadn't come out yet, smiled with anticipation and called out, "Huan'er, come out!"
"Okay! Coming!" came Diwu Huan'er's shy voice from the bathroom. After about ten seconds, the door opened, and she stepped out.
The moment Zhu Ziyang laid eyes on Diwu Huan'er, his previously lifeless state vanished. His eyes widened, locked onto her with intensity, making Diwu Huan'er—who had originally walked out confidently—squirm under his gaze.
"W-What? Does it not look good?" she asked nervously.
"N-No, it looks great," Zhu Ziyang said without hesitation, his eyes sparkling like a starving wolf eyeing a fresh meal. "It really suits you!"
"See? I told you he'd feel better once he saw us in these outfits!" Ma Xiaotao said triumphantly. She then walked up to Diwu Huan'er, hugging her slim, exposed waist. "This little outfit Huan'er's wearing is the most popular style among noble girls in the Sun Moon Empire. Isn't it just perfect for showing off a girl's figure?"
"Absolutely!" Zhu Ziyang nodded furiously, excitement all over his face. "Sister Xiaotao, didn't you all buy some too? Why don't you try yours on for me to admire as well?"
"Hahaha!" Ma Xiaotao burst out laughing. "Sure, just so happens Nannan and Lingyi had the same idea."
She turned and headed into the bathroom. Before closing the door, she even tossed Zhu Ziyang a seductive wink.
That was it—Zhu Ziyang's inner fire was thoroughly stoked. Jiang Nannan and Qian Lingyi also slipped into the bathroom to change, leaving only Diwu Huan'er outside… in her very revealing outfit. As for what happened next, Zhu Ziyang didn't even want to think about it. Now was the time to follow his heart!
——
The next morning, Zhu Ziyang walked out of Ma Xiaotao and Diwu Huan'er's room. Even though he hadn't done anything last night, he was still refreshed and invigorated. After all, sleeping with two fragrant beauties—how could that not be a delight?
Why didn't anything happen last night? Well… let's just say a certain divine beast was watching too closely! Ahem. All jokes aside, Zhu Ziyang didn't go all the way with Diwu Huan'er for a very simple reason: it wasn't the right time.
Afternoon came, and the group stage draw began. Zhu Ziyang didn't attend; instead, Ma Xiaotao and Jiang Nannan went on Shrek Academy's behalf. He had more important business.
He sought out Zhang Lexuan, who was still in Mingdu, and gave her a detailed briefing on the assassination plan. He instructed her to return to their base and make the necessary arrangements, and then return to Mingdu just before the finals.
Time was a bit tight, but that didn't stop Zhang Lexuan from demanding a little time alone with him. As night fell and Zhu Ziyang escorted her out of the city, he stood alone for a long time, gazing into the distance where she had vanished. He sighed with a strange melancholy.
'Maybe I've become too much of a romantic,' he thought.
Carrying that odd sense of sentimentality, Zhu Ziyang returned to his room at the Mingyue Hotel—only to find that everyone had gathered in the lounge. Ma Xiaotao and Jiang Nannan were already back from the draw and were about to announce the group allocations.
Zhu Ziyang didn't interrupt her and simply listened quietly.
The 32 teams that entered the group stage were divided into four groups of eight. Each group would do a full round-robin, meaning every team would fight seven matches. At the end, the top two teams by win count would advance to the quarterfinals.
Nice. This year's tournament skipped both the top 64 and the top 16 stages altogether. In a sense, that also cut off any prideful delusions some academies might've had.
Shrek Academy was placed in Group One. Of the other seven teams, only two were notable: the Holy Spirit Sect team, a front for the Holy Spirit Cult, and the Star Luo Empire's Royal Academy. As for the other five teams, they were all fairly mediocre in terms of strength and reputation. Oh, right—Tyrant Armour Sect, who got crushed 1v5 by Jiang Nannan, also made it into the group stage thanks to their high points in the previous rounds. And guess what? They ended up in the same group as Shrek again. Talk about bad luck.
As for Tang Sect, they landed in Group Two, alongside the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Academy. The two teams had faced off in the fourth round of the prelims—though Tang Sect had forfeited that match. Now they were grouped together again in the round-robin. Fate, perhaps?
The group stage had a relatively relaxed schedule: eight matches per day, four in the morning and four in the afternoon. With four groups, that meant two matches per group per day. The full schedule would run for 14 days.
Shrek Academy's first match would be tomorrow morning—against the Tyrant Armour Sect.
So yes, Zhu Ziyang was right—the Tyrant Armour Sect had the worst luck ever, getting paired with Shrek Academy twice in a row.
(End of Chapter)
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