Preliminary Round (I)

With their bark soles resting on the steps leading to the stadium entrance, Alena and her companions entered silently, like silent beasts.

This was their first time stepping out of Black Swamp Mountain and seeing the real Fantasy Beast League arena.

Huge stands floated in the east, south, west, and north, surrounding the central performance hall. Hundreds of holographic school emblems floated in the air above the performance hall. The emblems of the schools confirmed to have qualified for the official competition were at the top, such as the four major schools and eight minor schools. Twelve in total, these were currently at the highest point.

Unlike the carefully designed emblems of other colleges, the one representing Black Marsh College is just a rough tumbleweed hanging at an inconspicuous height.

In Black Marsh Mountain, light is a luxury, and the thick fog filters all natural light into a mottled, grayish color. Alena squinted her eyes, trying to adjust to the light in the performance hall.

"Look over there." Captain Kuang Gu pointed with her bone knife at the seats on the east side of the contestants' bench, "That's where the four big and eight small ones will sit."

Alena looked in the direction of the knife's tip. Over there, teenagers in different colored uniforms sat together with their own schoolmates, their phantom beasts squatting obediently beside them. One group of students, wearing the simplest gray uniforms, had two of the seven students with empty seats at their feet.

According to the rules of the competition, even if they are heavenly-level fantasy beasts, they should be allowed to appear in their original state today.

"There aren't even seven people with mythical beasts... yet they can sit there with dignity."

Alena felt the bitter taste of inequality. She clenched her teeth, her sharp canines piercing the soft flesh inside her lips, and the taste of rust spread through her mouth.

Across the federation, there were hundreds of participating fantasy beast academies, but only 32 were able to qualify for the official competition. Of these 32 places, 12 were occupied by the four major and eight minor schools.

The four major and eight small institutions have always been the twelve colleges and universities, with only internal ranking changes.

However, the good news is that starting from this tournament, the positions of the four major and eight minor teams will be determined by the ladder competition. Those academies that have long been unworthy of their positions should be trampled under the soles of the shoes of these teams who have fought hard.

"Let us welcome the students who have qualified for the competition in advance. They come from the most prestigious 'Four Fantasy Beast Academies'——

"From Avalon College in England,

"From the Mithril Academy in Germany,

"From the Babel Academy in Meso State,

"From Iberia College in Banya State."

With each introduction of a college, dozens of spotlights would follow the host's gestures and shine onto the corresponding spots on the east stands. Cheers erupted from the lower stands, as the audience cheered for the talented students above.

"Next, I'd like to introduce you to the students from the 'Eight Small Fantasy Beasts Academy'. Although it's called a 'small academy', they are also very powerful! They are—

"Cappadocia College from Yellowstone State,

"From the Frost Language Academy in the Slavic State,

"From Yangyan College in Marta State,

"From Izumo Academy in Neon State,

"From Kunlun College in Yuyu State,

"From Lighthouse Academy in Las Vegas,

"From Garuda College in Honolulu,

"From the Thorn Flower Academy in Leiden State."

Alena also looked towards the spotlight. Among the two contestants without mythical beasts, the black-haired girl was being pushed to her feet by her companions, welcoming the tide of cheers and applause.

Soon. Soon these flowers in the greenhouse will no longer be as complacent as they are now.

She stared at the girl, raised her right hand, and pressed her thumb down hard.

………………

"Boss, their uniforms are so nice."

The spotlight was already scanning Crystal's face, but she was still immersed in the beauty of the students' uniforms around her.

Compared to the uniform of Thorn Flower, which is not much different from that of an insurance company except for the school emblem, the clothes of other colleges are simply magnificent.

"It's okay. We'll change into training clothes during the competition. They look more normal than uniforms." She comforted him.

"Fight hard and get a good ranking. You'll be approached by many well-known brands about sponsorship," Belle interjected. "Back when Thorn Flower was one of the top four, they had to change sponsors almost every year because it was so hard to get that spot."

Linyin said "Oh" to indicate that she understood, and stopped talking.

Belle picked it up in one breath and almost put it down - and ignored her again!

Song Baiyue pinched Linyin's elbow, signaling her to pay attention to the heat. Linyin mouthed back, "I know."

She promised to draw out her Wuji Zhenqi before the game.

But if Wuji Zhenqi was that easy to cultivate, the Lan family's inheritance wouldn't have been cut short. Therefore, the safest way was to replicate Belle's awakening process as closely as possible.

A holographic projection array hovered above their heads, and the floor of the auditorium was covered with energy grids, creating ripples of energy with every step.

"What a generous gesture! As expected of the Fantasy Beast Palace. Even a useless thing is made with such care."

"I'm stepping, I'm stepping, hey, don't touch me! Don't disturb me stepping, stepping, stepping."

The students of Cappadocia Academy were wearing beige uniforms, sitting upright with their upper bodies straight, but their feet were stomping non-stop, competing with each other to see who could create the biggest ripples.

The teacher in charge covered his face with his hands. What should he do? He didn't want to admit that this was his student at all.

Sitting next to them was the Garuda Academy. The young man, who was sitting in the middle like the moon surrounded by stars, had a red spot on his brow and glanced at the people from Cappadocia with disdain.

Some of the students around immediately started to complain: "A bunch of country bumpkins who have never seen the world."

"The students in Cappadocia particularly like to use stones as fantasy beasts. I wonder if their brains have also been petrified by the fantasy beasts." After the second member of the supporting role said this, he laughed out loud, thinking he was being very humorous.

“Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha…ha, ha.”

The laughter gradually died down.

A stone knife was placed across his neck.

Lei Qin held his long sword horizontally, looking down at him, "Your petrified head only knows how to solve problems with swords and fists, sir."

Half of the rugged stone knife was sharp, while the other half was sharp. Just one look at it made No. 2 in the supporting role group feel a chill on his neck.

It turned out to be an armored weapon.

Cappadocia, a disadvantaged college that has been marginalized for a long time, actually has such strong students?

He tilted his neck back in shock, trying to stay as far away from the blade as possible. The turtledove beside his leg folded its wings and turned into a phantom beast armor that wrapped around his legs all the way up.

Although he didn't have armored weapons, he couldn't bring shame to Garuda Academy.

Lei Qin looked at the other person's neck covered with white spots and asked, "Do you want me to have intensive phobia and let go?"

"You..." The supporting actor No. 2, wearing a dove armor, was almost furious.

The two sides were on the verge of fighting.

"Wow, oh, oh, oh, the fight has started already." A player in a reflective uniform passed by, sat down cross-legged on the ground and watched the excitement.

"What material are their uniforms made of? Why do they have such beautiful reflections?" someone in the Cappadocia team asked.

"I don't know. With all these colorful clothes, are they from the Izumo Academy in Neon State?"

The man in the reflective uniform listened to what he heard, took off the nameplate on his chest, and waved it in front of the students in Cappadocia. "Look carefully, Lighthouse Academy, Transy." He shook his head casually and twisted his upper body into an arc 45 degrees away from the central axis of the body.

The students of Lighthouse Academy covered their faces with their hands. Oh my God, how embarrassing.

"Someone of you go and apologize and bring him back." The teacher in charge said helplessly.

The shaking of the head was like a wave, spreading among the students one by one.