Chapter 549

The mixed-class tournament raged on without pause.

Though the Red Sand County was riddled with dangers where ordinary people would struggle to take a single step, such threats were not insurmountable for these elite squads from the major academies.

Thus, during this period, polluted cities across Red Sand County were continuously purified, reflected in the rapid surge of points on the leaderboard for every team.

Every polluted city, in the eyes of each squad, was a tempting pool of points.

So when the mixed-class tournament reached its twentieth day, the map of Red Sand County displayed on the Spirit Mirror had been largely cleared, indicating that the tournament had now entered its final stage.

In a vast, ruined city, purification light spread across the sky and earth, beginning to cleanse the pervasive malevolent qi.

Li Luo stood atop a ruined pavilion, pulled out the Spirit Mirror, glanced at it, then a smile appeared on his face.

"Finally seventy thousand points—worth all the frantic pushing these past days," Li Luo sighed. Ten full days had passed since they left Thundering Mountain, and during that time, his squad had scarcely rested, charging ahead at full speed; every city along their path, regardless of rank, had been purified.

The aberrations within had been utterly eradicated.

The Princess and Jiang Jiang Qinge sat casually on a broken wall, having just finished a major battle; hearing Li Luo's voice, they both subtly exhaled in relief. These past days of intense combat had placed eighty percent of the burden on the two women, who faced disaster-class aberrations daily, including several minor cataclysm-class ones.

They had not a single moment of rest.

Had either lacked extraordinary willpower, they surely would have broken under the strain.

The Princess wore a fitted purple tunic and pants; her once-flowing long hair was now tied high into a ponytail, lending her usual elegance a touch of youthful vigor. Her clothing bore slight tears from prior combat, revealing pale, delicate skin beneath—but she no longer cared about such exposure, for the sheer volume of battles had eroded her former scruples.

"Where's the Blue Lan team?" she asked, narrowing her long, alluring phoenix eyes as she took a brief breather.

"They're at sixty-six thousand points," Li Luo replied immediately, as the lowest-ranked member of the squad, dutifully reporting the rival team's current score.

Jiang Jiang Qinge sat cross-legged, her greatsword resting across her long legs. Her previously tied-back hair had been loosened in battle and now flowed like a waterfall, softening her usual brisk demeanor into something more graceful.

Li Luo nodded. Their relentless push these past days had largely been driven by pressure from the Blue Lan team, who stubbornly clung to their point total, preventing any meaningful gap from opening.

Whether Jiang Jiang Qinge or the Princess, both possessed fiercely competitive natures; since their original goal had been the championship, they would never relax, no matter how grueling things became.

"I think they're not faring well either," Li Luo mused.

He knew better than anyone how brutal their journey had been—on several occasions, even the Princess had narrowly escaped injury from the aberrations' cunning. Though Blue Lan possessed the strongest student from the Fourth Star Academy, it was unlikely he surpassed the Princess by much; even without activating his "Marquis Technique," he might not gain a clear advantage over her in direct combat.

Moreover, Jiang Jiang Qinge on their side clearly outclassed Lu Lu Jinci on the opposing team.

Thus, in pure efficiency, the combination of Blue Lan and Lu Lu Jinci likely couldn't match the synergy between the Princess and Jiang Jiang Qinge.

If even the Princess and Jiang Jiang Qinge felt exhausted, how much worse must Blue Lan be?

It was simply a matter of who could endure longer.

Li Luo stepped behind Jiang Jiang Qinge, noticing the fatigue on her face, and immediately reached out to gently massage her shoulders with soothing pressure.

This sudden gesture startled Jiang Jiang Qinge; feeling the warmth of Li Luo's hands kneading her neck and shoulders, her body tensed instinctively—but soon relaxed. Her pure golden eyes flickered toward him with a faint, knowing smile, and she no longer cared whether his concern was genuine or if he harbored ulterior motives.

Li Luo ignored her gaze entirely, his expression solemn as he savored the delicate texture of the girl's skin.

Yet his technique was genuinely skilled; Jiang Jiang Qinge's lips curled slightly upward, clearly enjoying it.

After a long while, Jiang Jiang Qinge felt sufficient and gently tapped his hand with a slender finger; he reluctantly released his grip.

"Sister Qing, if you feel sore anywhere next time, tell me early—I'll give you a massage," Li Luo said, reluctant to let go.

"Hehe, little brother Li Luo, I'm aching all over too—could you massage me as well?" The Princess's tinkling laugh suddenly rang out beside them; she turned to Li Luo with a pleading look.

Li Luo froze, about to speak—when he felt Jiang Jiang Qinge's icy glare. He immediately straightened his expression and declared: "Your Highness, men and women must observe proper boundaries!"

At Li Luo's righteous indignation, the Princess laughed even louder, like silver bells—she was merely teasing him. After all, she wasn't Jiang Jiang Qinge; if he truly dared to lay hands on her, she'd chop them off.

Li Luo rolled his eyes. But the Princess had teased him often enough these past days that he'd grown accustomed to it.

"Our high-intensity combat should end soon."

Li Luo pulled out the Spirit Mirror, zoomed in on the map, and pointed to a location: "If we continue advancing this way, only one Level-Three city remains ahead—this is the last one. Clearing it opens the direct route to Chi Shi City."

The Princess and Jiang Jiang Qinge followed his finger, their gazes settling on the marker for a Level-Three city.

"Once we seize this city, the mixed-class tournament will enter its final decisive phase."

"But this city won't be easy to claim," Li Luo traced a region on the map. "Teams in this area will all converge here. When so many compete for one prize, conflict is inevitable."

"If they try to take it, we just fight them off—we've faced teams trying to seize cities before," Jiang Jiang Qinge said dismissively.

Though competition among squads in the mixed-class tournament was less fierce than in the academy-level contest—since everyone's true enemy was the aberrations plaguing Red Sand County—clashes still occurred.

For example, a Level-Three city offered fifty thousand points; whoever claimed it gained a decisive lead, so no one would yield—combat became the only solution, and the victor took the city.

For instance, in a Level Three city like this, the fifty thousand points mean whoever claims it gains a lead; no one wants to give it up, so naturally they must fight first, and the victor takes the city.

Li Luo nodded, pausing thoughtfully: "I suspect we'll encounter the Blue Lan team here—they're fast enough to have targeted this location too."

The Princess frowned. "Surely not that unlucky? They aren't necessarily in this region."

Jiang Jiang Qinge remained calm: "We'll meet them eventually. If it happens here, we can test their true strength."

The Princess nodded. She wasn't afraid of Blue Lan—only that meeting them here would accelerate the inevitable clash.

The Princess nodded; she was not afraid of Lan Lan, but if they truly encountered Lan Lan's squad here ahead of schedule, it would undoubtedly make that earth-shattering collision come even sooner.

Li Luo smiled reassuringly. If they could smoothly secure the final Level-Three city and advance straight to Chi Shi City, that would be ideal.

"Let's rest another hour, then move out?" Li Luo asked the two women.

Both agreed without hesitation.

An hour later, the squad departed the ruined city, now equipped with purification devices, and surged forward at full speed toward their next target.

Traveling at full pace, they reached the final Level-Three city on this route in just one day.

Shortly after arriving, the Princess and Jiang Jiang Qinge tensed, turning toward another direction—where wind-whistling sounds approached rapidly, three figures speeding toward them.

Less than a minute later, the three figures landed on the opposite side of the city gate.

Li Luo glanced at them, his lips twitching slightly.

The Princess looked at him helplessly. "You really are a jinx."

For the approaching squad was precisely the Blue Lan team Li Luo had predicted.

Because not far away, that squad was precisely the Lan Lan Squad that Li Luo had previously guessed.