Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

The stage was completely sealed off by a barrier, with defensive Mages stationed around the stage to block the energy from leaking out after it exceeded the threshold of the barrier.

The students in the World College Tournament were all Advanced Mages, and the damage of a single Advanced Spell was enough to destroy an entire street. As such, even though the stage was the size of four soccer fields, they still could not afford to lower their guards.

Normally, the world organizations did not encourage Mages to duel with one another, mainly because of how hard it was to control the power of their spells. As Mages grew stronger, the destruction they could cause was absolutely terrifying. There were quite a few incidents where Mages were seriously injured in duels.

The stage's ground was made of soil, with tiny dust particles scattered across it. Even the simplest Wind Spell could sweep a huge chunk of dust into the air.

However, a few older Mages soon entered the stage. They started to alter the appearance of the stage with their Earth and Plant Elements.

It was like a magic show, as sturdy soil, hard dirt, tall rocks, and sand dunes rapidly formed under the crowd's gazes.

Following that, it was the Plant Mages' turn to perform. Tall, ancient trees emerged from the ground, as a green canopy full of vines and branches shrouded the sky, turning the stage into a primordial forest!

The barren stage from just a while ago had transformed into a wilderness battlefield. If the stage was not surrounded by the barrier and spectator seats like the Colosseum, the participants could almost assume they were currently in a forest out in the wild!

"These people are professionals at setting up dueling grounds!" Jiang Yu exclaimed, unable to locate a single flaw on the stage that had been set up.

The Mages needed outstanding control, comparable to a Super Mage, to be able to create a stage that was exactly the same as the wild in such a short period...

There were many kinds of Mages. Mo Fan was the typical offensive type, and even though the ratio of battle-type Mages was a lot higher, the forgemasters, blacksmiths, herbalists, gardeners, constructors, and stage builders in a city were all Mages too. They were not as impressive in battles, but a few of them could construct an entire city in a short amount of time. These Mages were usually highly respected in society, too!

After the stage builders were done setting up the stage, Mo Fan was left in awe. He initially thought the stage would be boring and dull as it was, but to his surprise, the stage was set up randomly before every match!

Since the terrain of every match was different, the spectators would not feel bored watching the tournament. On the other hand, it was important for the students to use the environment to their advantage.

Since every Mage had different Elements, there was a chance that the terrain of each match would place some Mages in an advantageous position. Therefore, the terrain of every match that took place in Venice was only decided right before the match, and was set up randomly...

"Neither side will have an advantage in a terrain like this. It's quite fair to both sides," Advisor Feng Li observed.

If the environment did not bring one side a great advantage, it simply came down to the strength of the teams.

The Japanese team consisted of their captain, Shou Watani; Akira Matsuki, whose primary Element was the Shadow Element; and the newcomer Yosuke. The last two representatives were a short-haired woman and a plump man.

"To your positions!" the judge ordered.

The candidates immediately entered their designated areas. Meanwhile, the spectators sitting a fair distance away burst into uproars while sharing their predictions with one another. The information of the representatives of each team was kept confidential prior to the tournament. As such, every representative of a country had become a hot topic for the public! Many vendors selling information would go as far as digging up everything that happened on the day that a representative Awakened their magic!

"It's my first time fighting in front of such a huge crowd, I'm feeling a little bit nervous," Jiang Yu whispered.

"What is there to be nervous about? Just beat the crap out of them!" Jiang Shaoxu said confidently.

"Guan Yu, keep an eye on Akira Matsuki, he's a Shadow Mage," Ai Jiangtu said to Guan Yu.

"Got it."

After going through their strategy briefly, the countdown in the form of number-displaying fireworks had started in the sky. As the biggest, loudest firework exploded in the air, it officially declared the start of the World College Tournament!

------

There was a huge blast in the air, and the vivid fireworks were projected onto Mu Ningxue's pale and icy face. She slowly lifted her gaze and focused her attention on her opponents.

A breeze swept past, blowing the strands of hair beside Mu Ningxue's face.

Mu Ningxue breathed in and sensed an abnormal presence from the wind. It was extremely vague, but rather deadly!

"The wind is poisonous," Mu Ningxue said to her teammates confidently, her gaze sharp.

Mu Ningxue's secondary Element was Wind. She could easily tell if there were any abnormalities in the wind. The Japanese team did not act as if they had started their attack, but it turned out that they had already made their first move.

The poison was hidden in the wind. The poisonous powder was tinier than the smallest dust particle, and was invisible to the naked eye. Only Mages with sharp senses were able to sense it!

"These are assholes trying to set us up! I think the guy with the long face is responsible for the poisonous powder!" Jiang Yu cursed.

Jiang Shaoxu was fairly collected. She cast a side glance at Jiang Yu and said, "You better stop hanging around someone like Mo Fan. You have been cursing a lot lately, you weren't like that when you first joined the team."

"Wind Barrier!" Mu Ningxue uttered softly. She spun elegantly, like a butterfly drifting in the wind with her slightly loose shirt.

A wind started blowing. The team was standing on the sturdy soil. The yellow sand particles were blown into the air, silhouetting the barrier. However, there was no wind inside it. The poisonous powder that was approaching in the gentle wind was all blocked outside of the Wind Barrier.

Since the poisonous powder was using wind as its medium to spread, it was very easy to stop it. Mu Ningxue's Wind Element was quite extraordinary, too!

"They knew. I told you, it's only useful against some immature, stupid Mages," Akira Matsuki said to Yosuke in a mocking tone.

Saying this, Akira Matsuki started making his way up toward the dense canopy. He totally disappeared as soon as he crossed into the canopy layer. The others had no idea where he had gone, as if he were invisible. Only the aged Mages could barely catch a glimpse of a rapidly-moving shadow among the leaves and branches.

The sturdy ground was connected to the tall trees. Akira Matsuki was obviously trying to sneak up on his opponents through the canopy layer. However, as an assassin-type Mage with the Shadow Element, there was no chance he would show himself when the enemy was alert. He would simply hide among the trees and wait until his teammates created a great opportunity for him.

Whenever he made his move, it meant he was confident enough to take down the target!

It was Akira Matsuki's principle. Patience was what he needed the most!

---

"Someone from their team has gone into the woods," Jiang Shaoxu noticed.

The shrubs were dense, preventing sunlight from penetrating through them. Not only would it give a Plant Mage an advantage, it was also ideal for a Shadow Mage to move freely about. If any of their team went into the woods, they would most likely meet an ambush!

"Guan Yu, go keep an eye on him," Ai Jiangtu ordered.

The canopy basically covered the entire stage. No matter where the team moved, it would still be shrouded by the trees, meaning that a hunter hiding in the canopy layer could strike from anywhere and at anytime.

Everyone was an Advanced Mage. Even though they would first use Basic and Intermediate Spells to probe their opponents and find an opportunity, the Advanced Spells were necessary to seal the deal. However, with someone hiding in the canopy like a shadow, they would have to be extremely careful when drawing a Star Constellation. The guy was like a sharp caltrop on the ground. If they moved around too fast, they would be stabbed by it!

"I can go and bother them too. It's unnecessary for me to go into the woods and chase after him," Guan Yu answered.

Guan Yu was also an assassin-type Mage. If the guy could strike at anytime like a phantom, Guan Yu could do it too, and even better!

Playing defense was not Guan Yu's style. He was not interested in searching for Akira Matsuki in the woods.

"Then you better pose a threat to their team, especially those in charge of attacking!" Ai Jiangtu warned him.

The Mages in charge of offense...

The team members in charge of offense were usually the core of the team. If those Mages were able to cast their destructive Spells freely, their damage output would be unimaginable. As such, it was extremely important to keep them at bay, just so they could not keep blasting their foes endlessly with destructive magic!

Guan Yu knew the basics of a team battle. He stuck close to the ground and moved with the wind that Mu Ningxue had Summoned. He traveled more than a hundred meters in the blink of an eye as he moved closer to the enemy team and the Mage that was in charge of their offense.

Guan Yu circled the enemy's position. He staring at them, trying to figure out who was in charge of offense among them. His instincts were telling him that the fatty was the one, thus he placed most of his attention on him.

"You won't be able to cast a single Advanced Spell on my watch!" Guan Yu looked at the adorably plump man with a confident grin.

---

"They don't seem to have a Summoner, we might be able to get the upper hand if we engage them directly!" Jiang Yu quickly cast his Summoning Spell when he did not see any of their opponents trying to cast a Summoning Spell. He Summoned the enormous Rock Demon!

The Rock Demon had grown stronger. It was now covered in glowing, sturdy rocks. When it stood in front of the team, it was like an imperious, rocky mountain!