Red Lotus Royal Capital’s arena was packed with people who had flocked from all over the continent.
This was no ordinary competition; it was a fierce clash between the strongest young fighters of humanity and the various races—a battle of geniuses that could shape the entire continent’s landscape for the next fifty years.
In the stands, various banners fluttered in the wind, and the cheers rose and fell like ocean waves.
“Kill him!”
“Garrush!”
“Tear that human apart!”
In the orc section, a group of burly men were waving bone clubs, their roars as loud as thunder.
“Wind Whisperer!”
“Wind Whisperer!”
“So beautiful!”
On the other side, the elven seats held elegantly dressed elders who appeared calm, but their tightly clenched fists betrayed their inner tension.
In the center of the arena, on the sandy ground, stood Ailiya Lieyan, holding the dawn holy sword and wearing silver-white light armor.
Her long red hair was tied up high, and her eyes, burning like flames, coldly swept over her opponent. The first battle’s opponent was the orc race’s Furious Thunder War God—Garrush.
This man, over 2.5 meters tall, had muscles bulging all over that were harder than granite. In his hands, he gripped a huge double-bladed battle axe that was said to be able to split even the scales of a guardian dragon.
“Roooar!” The moment the battle horn sounded, Garrush let out a deafening roar, and the ground beneath his feet instantly cracked. Charging with unstoppable momentum, he rushed at Ailiya.
“Too slow.”
Ailiya curled her lips into a contemptuous smile. Instead of retreating, she charged straight at Garrush’s giant axe. Just as the axe was about to strike her head, her figure suddenly blurred.
“An afterimage?!”
The spectators in the stands gasped. Ailiya’s figure flickered through the shadow of the axe. The dawn holy sword traced a graceful arc in the air, and the tip precisely struck a gap in the armor under Garrush’s armpit.
“Pfft!” Bright red blood splattered everywhere. Garrush let out a pained roar, but as a battle-hardened orc genius, he endured the intense pain and swung his elbow back at Ailiya.
“Hmph!”
Ailiya snorted. She formed her left hand into a palm and gathered a blazing flame in it.
“Blaze Explosive Flame Palm!”
“Boom!”
The flame exploded right on Garrush’s chest, sending the giant flying. He crashed heavily onto the sand, kicking up a huge cloud of dust.
“First blood!” the referee announced loudly.
Ailiya flicked the blood off her blade, didn’t even glance at the fallen Garrush, and looked directly toward her next opponent.
As the first figure fell, a refreshing mint fragrance suddenly filled the arena air. The sand, stained red with orc blood, sprouted tender green grass shoots at a visible speed, and countless nameless white flowers swayed in the wind.
“How rude, you barbaric humans.”
A cool, ethereal voice seemed to come from all directions. Li Anna did not stand on the ground like the orc. She lightly tapped her toe, and a giant glowing green leaf materialized, lifting her slowly into the air.
She hovered about 10 meters above the ground, looking down at Ailiya with a condescending air, as if she were performing a sacred ritual rather than fighting. As an elven genius, every move she made carried innate elegance and pride.
“Let me show you what true beauty is.”
Li Anna raised her right hand, and her slender fingers traced one graceful arc after another in the air.
“Spirits of nature, heed the call of ancient blood—dance with me.”
As she chanted, the wind above the arena suddenly came to a complete halt. Countless specks of light gathered from the cheers of the audience and coalesced behind her into six translucent spears of light.
These spears were not solid; they were compressed from high-density wind elements, and the light shimmering on their tips was terrifying to behold.
“The first movement is called Wind Waltz.”
Li Anna flicked her finger, and the six spears instantly transformed into six streams of green light, tracing a spiral path through the air as if alive, and struck at Ailiya’s weak points with cunning precision.
“So fast!”
Ailiya’s pupils contracted slightly. She spun the dawn holy sword into a blur of blades.
A rapid series of clashing sounds merged into one continuous noise, sparks flying everywhere. Although Ailiya blocked the attack, the immense impact force carved two deep trenches under her feet.
“Is it over already? Human hero.”
Li Anna’s lips curled into an elegant sneer. She clasped her hands together, and the giant leaf behind her slowly unfurled, transforming into a pair of wings made of light.
“The second movement is Universal Forest · Thousand Cherry Blossoms.”
She flung her arms wide, and the light wings behind her instantly disintegrated into thousands of sharp leaf blades.
These leaf blades did not scatter randomly; following Li Anna’s humming, they formed a giant lotus shape in the air and then descended upon Ailiya with an inescapable pressure.
This was no mere physical attack; each leaf blade carried the magical effects of slow and paralysis.
The audience was utterly mesmerized. This wasn’t a battle; it was a gorgeous magical performance!
“So beautiful!”
“Is this the true strength of the elven genius?”
“It seems Lady Ailiya is completely suppressed!”
However, Ailiya, at the center of the storm, closed her eyes.
“It’s flashy enough, but as for killing power, it’s still lacking.”
She opened her eyes sharply, the flames in them burning hotter than ever.
“Do you think you can stop me with such flashy tricks?”
She took a deep breath, her Battle Qi igniting. Red flames instantly erupted from her body, vaporizing all the leaf blades that tried to approach.
“Blaze Red Lotus Hellfire!”
Instead of blocking the leaf blades, she swung her sword and slashed directly at the ground!
“Boom!”
A massive pillar of flame erupted from her, shooting skyward like a volcanic explosion. The seemingly indestructible leaf blades turned to ash the moment they touched the intense fire.
“What?!”
Li Anna’s face changed dramatically as she hovered in midair. She never imagined her opponent would break her magic array with such brute force.
“It’s over.”
Ailiya’s figure flickered through the flames. The next second, she appeared behind Li Anna.
Li Anna turned her head in terror, only to see the dawn holy sword radiating terrifying heat, descending upon her with a destructive aura.
“Blazing Flame – Red Sky Slash!”
“Boom!”
The massive sword energy avoided Li Anna’s body, but the terrifying shockwave completely shattered the light wings behind her.
Li Anna screamed and fell from the sky. Ailiya flipped in the air and landed steadily on the ground, pointing her sword at the fallen Li Anna.
“Your magic is pretty enough.”
Ailiya flicked the residual heat off her blade and said coldly, “In the face of absolute power, your so-called art is nothing but entertainment tricks.”
“You!”
Li Anna clutched her chest, wanting to retort angrily, but seeing Ailiya’s relaxed expression, she lowered her head in unwillingness.