After the fourth round of the preliminaries, all promoted teams were given two days to rest. During this time, the draw ceremony for the group stage would be held on the afternoon of the second rest day.
Once Shrek Academy's promotion was confirmed, Zhu Ziyang granted the players a day off. Although only five members—Jiang Nannan, Zhou Tianhe, Dai Huabin, Wu Feng, and Xie Huanyue—had appeared throughout the preliminaries, the pressure on the others was still considerable, especially those in the reserve team and newcomers like Chu Hua and Ning Tian, who were participating in the competition for the first time. They were understandably nervous.
As for Qian Lingyi and Wu Huan'er, why would they be nervous? Both were Soul Saints. It was the players from other teams who should be feeling the pressure.
During this rare period of rest, Zhu Ziyang was dragged out shopping by the four girls—Jiang Nannan and Ma Xiaotao among them. Mingdu, being the most prosperous city on the continent, held endless appeal for the girls. They shopped from morning till night without showing a hint of fatigue. Zhu Ziyang, on the other hand, was utterly exhausted—not physically, but mentally.
"Ah~ I'm so exhausted!"
After returning to the hotel, Zhu Ziyang collapsed onto the bed, without the slightest desire to move.
However, Ma Xiaotao wasn't about to let him rest. She pushed open the door, and upon seeing him sprawled on the bed, her face showed clear dissatisfaction.
"Why are you still lying there? Huan'er's changed into her new clothes and is waiting for you to see them!"
"Sister Xiaotao, please… let me rest for a moment. I'm really tired," Zhu Ziyang said with a weary expression.
"Oh, come on now!" Ma Xiaotao walked over, pulled him up from the bed, and said, "You're only tired because you haven't experienced any fun yet. Once you see the new outfits we bought, you'll feel much better."
"Haha, I hope so," Zhu Ziyang muttered, offering no resistance as Ma Xiaotao dragged him along to her and Wu Huan'er's room.
Inside, he found not only Wu Huan'er but also Jiang Nannan and Qian Lingyi. The three girls were playing with their purchases, their faces flushed from excitement and shyness. Wu Huan'er, however, was nowhere to be seen.
When Jiang Nannan and Qian Lingyi saw Ma Xiaotao pulling Zhu Ziyang into the room, they both subconsciously hid the clothes in their hands behind their backs, smiling awkwardly.
"Brother, you're here," they said.
Zhu Ziyang, lost in his fatigue, didn't notice their nervous behavior and simply nodded mechanically.
Not seeing Wu Huan'er, Ma Xiaotao didn't seem surprised. A small, expectant smile curved her lips as she called out, "Huan'er, come out already!"
"Ah—right away!" came Wu Huan'er's voice from the bathroom, tinged with shyness. After about ten breaths, the door opened, and Wu Huan'er stepped out.
At that moment, Zhu Ziyang's weary mind instantly cleared. His eyes widened as he stared at Wu Huan'er, making her blush under his intense gaze.
"W-what is it? Does it look bad?" she asked nervously.
"No, no—it's beautiful," Zhu Ziyang replied quickly, his eyes gleaming like a starved wolf. "It really suits you."
"How about that? I told you you'd enjoy it!" Ma Xiaotao said proudly, walking up to Wu Huan'er and wrapping an arm around the girl's slender waist. "This little dress Huan'er's wearing is the most popular style among the noblewomen of the Sun and Moon Empire. See? Doesn't it perfectly show off her figure?"
"Yeah…" Zhu Ziyang nodded repeatedly, a mix of excitement and admiration on his face. "Sister Xiaotao, didn't you buy one too? Why don't you try it on and let me see for myself?"
"Hahaha~" Ma Xiaotao laughed and said, "Alright! It just so happens that Nannan and Yiyi were thinking the same thing."
With that, she went straight into the bathroom, giving Zhu Ziyang a teasing wink before closing the door.
Now completely roused, Zhu Ziyang's mood shifted entirely. Jiang Nannan and Qian Lingyi soon followed Ma Xiaotao into the bathroom to change, leaving only Wu Huan'er outside. Her outfit was already more than enough to stir any man's heart. At that point, Zhu Ziyang didn't care to think about what would happen next—he simply followed his instincts.
Early the next morning, Zhu Ziyang walked out of Ma Xiaotao and Wu Huan'er's room. Although nothing had actually happened the previous night, he felt refreshed and at ease. After all, sleeping with two fragrant beauties in his arms was hardly uncomfortable.
You ask why Zhu Ziyang didn't "accomplish" anything last night? Well… let's just say a certain mythical beast was watching him! Ahem, jokes aside, the reason was simple—the timing wasn't right.
By afternoon, the lottery ceremony for the group stage began. Zhu Ziyang, however, didn't attend. Instead, Ma Xiaotao and Jiang Nannan represented Shrek Academy at the event while he handled other important matters.
He met with Zhang Lexuan, who was still in Mingdu City, briefed her on the details of the assassination plan, and asked her to return to their base to make preparations. She would come back on the eve of the tournament finals.
For Zhang Lexuan, the schedule was tight, but that didn't stop her from asking for a few moments of tenderness with Zhu Ziyang before she left. When night fell, Zhu Ziyang personally escorted her out of Mingdu. Watching her disappear into the distance, he couldn't help but feel a hint of melancholy. For some reason, he found himself thinking—perhaps he was becoming a little too sentimental.
With that thought lingering, Zhu Ziyang returned to his room at the Mingyue Hotel. As soon as he opened the door, he saw everyone gathered in the living room. Ma Xiaotao and Jiang Nannan had already returned from the draw and were about to announce the results and group assignments.
Zhu Ziyang's arrival didn't interrupt Ma Xiaotao's briefing, and he quietly took a seat to listen.
The thirty-two teams that advanced to the group stage were divided into four groups, each containing eight teams. Each group would play a single round-robin, with every team facing the other seven. Based on win–loss records, the two teams with the most victories would advance to the quarterfinals.
This format was quite direct—skipping both the top 64 and top 16 stages. In a sense, it helped trim down the arrogance of some academies.
Shrek Academy was placed in the first group. Among their seven opponents, only two teams were noteworthy: the Holy Spirit Sect's representative team, and the Star Luo Empire Royal Academy. The other five teams were relatively average in both strength and reputation. Oh, and by the way—the Tianjia Sect, the one Jiang Nannan had defeated earlier, made it into the group stage due to high points from the first three rounds. Coincidentally, they ended up in the same group as Shrek. Unlucky for them.
The Tang Sect was placed in the second group, along with the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. They had met during the fourth round of the preliminaries but hadn't clashed. No one expected the two teams to be grouped together again in this stage—perhaps fate had arranged it.
The group stage schedule was relatively relaxed, with 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 schedule would last fourteen days.
Tomorrow's first match was Shrek Academy versus the Tianjia Sect.
That was why Zhu Ziyang said the Tianjia Sect's luck was truly terrible—to face Shrek Academy twice in a row.
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