The few players who took the same initial position as Zhong Shenxiu formed a tight line, prepared to meet any incoming force with firm defense.

"Xiao and his team are looking down on us too much." The opposing team members began to lose their composure, as if deeply insulted.

The spectators outside initially thought Zhong Shenxiu intended to sit back and watch the tigers fight, but they had no idea that Zhong Shenxiu had already set his plan in motion.

"Damn it, what's happening? Why do I feel my strength continuously draining away?"

"I feel it too. It's not just strength; my battle aura is weakening!"

"So is my magical power."

In an instant, panic appeared on the faces of the opposing players.

The moment the match was declared to have started, Zhong Shenxiu had cast a "Consumption Spell" on them. Its effect was to deplete their stamina, energy, battle aura, and magical power at several times the normal rate, thereby lowering their overall strength! Although Zhong Shenxiu was sitting on the ground looking quite relaxed, that didn't mean he wouldn't take action. Since he stepped onto the competition field, how could he possibly just stand by and watch?

"Not good, we've been ambushed! We must find the caster quickly, or we’ll just be taking hits!" a seemingly experienced middle-aged man urged anxiously.

His reminder helped the others regain their composure. Their gazes finally settled on Zhong Shenxiu.

It was clear that this caster could only be the young man, as no one else had the leisure to perform such a feat.

Almost without any verbal communication, just a shared glance, they charged toward Zhong Shenxiu in unison.

The few standing in front of Zhong Shenxiu were already battle-ready and immediately moved to intercept them as they charged forward. In a flash, the battle erupted!

It had to be admitted that the "Sunset Mercenary Alliance" truly possessed genuine skill. Despite being afflicted by Zhong Shenxiu’s "Consumption Spell," they were still able to suppress their immediate opponents and continuously advance toward Zhong Shenxiu’s position!

Zhong Shenxiu showed no sign of tension; instead, a mysterious, intriguing smile played on his lips.

Although he had doubled the strength of Cai Ni and the others over three days, judging by the current situation, there was still a significant gap between them and the "Sunset Mercenary Alliance"!

However, this gap vanished the moment Zhong Shenxiu employed his "Weakening Spell." Zhong Shenxiu managed it perfectly; the "Weakening Spell" he cast merely brought the opponents’ strength level down to parity with his own team members.

Thus, the battle began to develop into a war of attrition.

With Zhong Shenxiu anchoring the multi-person match, there was little worry, but for the single and double matches, they were not so fortunate.

Even though Cai Ni and the others had grown stronger, and even though they had exerted every ounce of their effort, they still couldn't reverse the tide, collapsing to their opponents in less than five minutes!

Though filled with reluctance, the three—Cai Ni, Ingrid, and Xilaine—had to admit that their power was too insufficient!

"I'm sorry. We lost!" Ingrid said this with a slight catch in her voice, her beautiful eyes reddening.

As a fiercely competitive woman, this was the first time she had felt the impulse to weep!

So unwilling. Why did we lose to the opponent? Why am I so weak? Why did I have to step onto the field being this fragile?

At this moment, Angeliya walked over slowly and merely patted Ingrid’s shoulder lightly, saying nothing. Her steady gaze seemed to convey everything she intended to say!

No one is born a powerhouse; she wasn't, nor was Zhong Shenxiu. Angeliya had tasted the bitterness of failure before and knew how unpleasant that feeling was. But as long as one transformed that unyielding spirit into momentum, and strove forward with the determination to constantly surpass oneself, there would eventually be a reward!

Ingrid said no more, but she made a decision in her mind, one that mirrored the newly formed thought in Cai Ni and Xilaine: they would ask Zhong Shenxiu to cast the spell on them again, but this time with several times the intensity!

As if sensing the resolution of the three, a smile reappeared on Zhong Shenxiu’s lips.

As a "genius," he knew very well that what Ingrid and the others lacked was not victory, but that very sense of defeat. Only the unyielding belief in not giving up could push them toward continuous progress! It is easy to defeat an opponent, but hard to defeat oneself, and this was precisely the lesson Zhong Shenxiu was teaching the trio!

Zhong Shenxiu could remain calm about the outcome of this match, but the audience outside was far from composed; they were utterly astonished by the two consecutive losses of the "Ten Clouds Drifting Mercenary Alliance"!

"H-how could they lose? Everything was going so smoothly. How did it come to this after just three days of rest?"

Bacalí looked lost and dejected. He simply could not fathom how an alliance involving the "Misty Mercenary Group" could be eliminated...

"Hey, what's going on? Wenar, are you sure they are really the 'Misty Mercenary Group'?" Dan Jia questioned Wenar skeptically.

"They are the 'Misty Mercenary Group,' yes, but this time only the leader of the Misty Mercenary Group participated; none of the other contestants are members!" Wenar said, forcing himself to calm down.

To be honest, seeing the "Ten Clouds Drifting Mercenary Alliance" defeated, the shock Wenar felt was no less than anyone else's. However, the question now on his mind was: What was the "Misty Mercenary Group" planning? Why didn't their leader take the field? Was it a deliberate loss? If so, for what purpose? Did they perhaps not intend to continue participating?

"Boss, are we being redundant here? To be eliminated by such a weak mercenary alliance—it seems they aren't very capable. I thought they were supposed to be formidable!" Corlink grumbled with some dissatisfaction.

However, Ingrid ignored him at this moment; more accurately, she was too preoccupied to pay attention. Her beautiful eyes were fixed intently on the ongoing multi-person match, and the focal point of her gaze was Zhong Shenxiu, who appeared to be doing nothing at all!

The multi-person match arena remained fiercely contested, neither side yielding, both determined to claim victory!

"In the name of my tribe’s guardian spirit, I summon the Ice Sprites of the atmosphere, lend me your power..." Just then, a mage from the opposing side seemed to have recovered his energy and began slowly chanting a magical incantation.

If his spell could be successfully cast, the battle would take a decisive turn.

This mage was too absorbed; he failed to notice a faint, powder-like glimmer flash above his head!

"That's 'Confusion' from dark magic!" A man standing not far from Ingrid suddenly exclaimed.

Almost as soon as his words left his lips, the mage’s "Ice Magic" launched, but its attack range encompassed everyone in the fray, indiscriminately raining down a massive barrage of ice shards, striking friend and foe alike.

"'Confusion'? What is that?" Ingrid turned back to the man who had just spoken. This man was the only Necromancer in their mercenary group.

"'Confusion' is a curse-type spell that can mislead the target into attacking their own allies," the man replied, but then his tone shifted, "However, I find it strange. That cast of 'Confusion' should have made the mage only attack his own side, so why did it become an indiscriminate attack?"

What he didn't know was that this was done intentionally by Zhong Shenxiu, with the purpose of putting both sides in an equal predicament! If he had wanted victory, the "Consumption Spell" he had already cast would have been enough to instantly strip the opponents of their ability to function; but he didn't do that. His intent was to prevent the match from ending too quickly!

Ingrid's expression grew visibly more serious, but she asked no more questions, continuing to watch the match.

After launching that spell, the mage seemed to have exhausted all the magic within him, slumping to the ground and gasping for breath, completely disregarding the consequences of his own magic.

Those who were currently locked in combat saw the ice shards descending from above and naturally scattered to avoid them. Fortunately, the spell was cast while the mage was in a weakened state, so its power wasn't immense, and they managed to dodge it haphazardly; no one was injured!

However, before they could catch their breath, a massive gravitational pull suddenly emanated from beneath their feet, making their bodies feel extraordinarily heavy!

Zhong Shenxiu seized the opportunity to strike, casting the "Gravity Spell." It started at one time the normal gravity, then slowly escalated to double, triple, quadruple...

In an instant, all those who had been fighting vigorously moments before were now trembling, gritting their teeth to hold fast, their bizarre facial expressions causing a wave of speculation among the spectators, who couldn't fathom what was wrong with them!

These fighters clearly understood their current plight: if they fell to the ground, they wouldn't be able to stand up again, which would be far more agonizing!

This "Gravity Spell" fundamentally changed the nature of the competition. Now, the contest was not about combat prowess but about sheer willpower—who would collapse last!

Sweat soaked their clothes, dripping onto the ground like flowing water. Silence descended upon the surroundings; one could barely hear each other's breathing.

The atmosphere was tense and oppressive, yet the smile on Zhong Shenxiu's face never wavered, jarringly out of sync with the mood.

Just then, a voice broke the deadlock!

"We surrender! We forfeit this match!"

The voice came from the "Sunset Mercenary Alliance" side; the speaker was an old man.

His decision was wise. Since they had already secured the final victory, why waste combat energy? Instead of fighting for a meaningless match, it was better to focus on preparing for the next opponent!

The referee also seemed eager to end the match quickly. Seeing the "Sunset Mercenary Alliance" withdraw, he loudly proclaimed: "Match over! The 'Sunset Mercenary Alliance' wins two to one and successfully advances. Both sides cease fighting!"

But just as the referee placed one foot inside the competition arena, his face turned ashen:

"W-what is this???"