Volume 2: Shenzhou Academy & The Battle of Venice
The morning sun of the Whale Sea coast poured down upon the semi-circular megalithic dome of the Coliseum of Glory, dyeing the thousand-year-old granite flagstones in a brilliant, gilded radiance. Yet, the atmosphere inside the colossal arena held not a shred of morning warmth; instead, a frenzied wave of heat surged from tens of thousands of heaving chests, mingled with a breathless, suffocating tension on the verge of erupting.
The thirty thousand seats on the steep tier stands had been packed to capacity since before the sun crested the coastal pine ridge. Not a single seat remained vacant, not a single aisle stayed clear. From green first-year awakening novices fresh out of the Beast Duel examinations to seasoned, battle-hardened upperclassmen of the third and fourth years across the Lightning, Fire, Ice, Wind, Light, and Water departments... all had assembled in full force. Dozens of magical broadcast cameras operated by the leading media agencies of Magic City had already mounted their magitech crystal lenses at the most advantageous vantage points, primed to live-stream this epic clash across every metropolitan plaza screen.
Today marked the most earth-shaking challenge match of the semester: the battle to wrest the coveted Runner-Up position on the Shenzhou Battle Rankings!
Up in the VIP honorary gallery, carved entirely from monolithic white jade and suspended mid-air, a solemn and profound silence reigned.