Thirteen Straight Wins

The Promotion Tournament entered its final five days, and the matches began moving much faster.

In the previous rounds, Shrek had defeated five teams from kingdoms and duchies in a row. Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, and the four substitutes took turns competing, while Yuan Yu only stepped in as a last resort. By the end of the ninth match, Shrek remained undefeated.

Fourteen rounds had to fit into a limited schedule. Injured team members might have to compete again the next day before fully recovering. Healing Soul Masters took shifts at the sidelines, while the royal knights repaired ground damaged by Soul Skills each night.

Shrek did not slow down just because they kept winning.

In the tenth match, Zhu Zhuqing went first.

She faced a duchy team known for its defense. Their first three fighters all had armor-and-shield Martial Souls and planned to wear down her Soul Power behind their heavy defenses.

Zhu Zhuqing did not try to break their shields head-on.

Hell Stab slipped in from the side of a shield, while Nether Hundred Claws targeted only the backs of knees, wrists, and shield edges. She circled behind the first fighter. The second turned too sharply and stepped beyond the red flags on his own.

The third learned from their mistakes and held his ground in the center. Zhu Zhuqing created afterimages in quick succession. By the time he worked out where she was, her cold fingertips had stopped at the back of his neck.

After three straight wins, she voluntarily conceded.

Her breathing was still steady as she left the field, though her hands were red from repeated use of Nether Hundred Claws.

Dai Mubai handed her a waterskin. "You can still fight."

"The others need their turns too."

She took two sips and sat