(Sky-God Arena — Group A Preliminary Round)
The next morning, the Rodova team took their place high in the stands, surrounded by a sea of roaring spectators.
Compared to the opening ceremony yesterday, the difference in crowd size today for the preliminaries was staggering.
Every seat, from the front rows to the highest balconies, was packed, with only a few scattered vacancies where latecomers had yet to arrive.
The air was electric. Flags bearing academy crests waved from every direction, while merchants on the walkways sold limited-edition merchandise and commemorative food packs.
For the average citizen, this wasn't just a tournament — it was a once-in-a-year spectacle and the universal government seemed to try hard to keep the atmosphere as energetic as possible, providing the guests with the best view and ambience.
On the field below, 15 minutes before the fight began, the massive arena floor rumbled as it began to shift.
And at that moment—
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen!" boomed Derek Ray's voice through the enchanted speakers.
"Welcome to the first day of the Interstellar Circuits! I'm Derek Ray, joined by the ever-insightful Lee Dixon!"
"And what a day it will be, Derek," Lee replied smoothly, his voice igniting another wave of cheers.
The duo had been the official commentators for the circuits for the past decade, and the crowd loved their insightful banter.
"Group A's preliminary elimination is set to begin in just fifteen minutes, and I dare say the crowd is more than ready!"
As Derek and Lee hyped up the crowd, the battlefield almost completed its transformation.
The plain steel beneath the arena cracked and reformed, as glowing mana circuits rearranged the surface like puzzle pieces.
Moments later, a blinding flash of light engulfed the entire stage.
When the light faded, the iconic Tundra Map had materialized — a harsh and unforgiving expanse of snow-covered plains, jagged ice mountains, treacherous pitfalls, and winding cave systems.
Snowstorms swept across parts of the terrain, limiting visibility, while icy winds howled ominously.
The field wasn't just for show either. Hidden cracks dotted the landscape, some of which could collapse without warning, plunging unlucky contestants into pits that triggered immediate eliminations.
As the teams began entering the arena, every participant was enveloped by a soft glow.
"Ah, for those new to the Circuits, you'll notice every contestant has been tagged by the mandatory Teleportation Seal," Derek explained. "This seal will automatically eject a contestant the moment they suffer sufficient damage or a life-threatening injury."
"That's right," Lee added. "Unlike street duels, death is not permitted here. Even if you get stabbed through the heart, the medics on standby can still save you, thanks to their advanced medical techniques and the pre-installed spell matrix. However, contestants aiming for eliminations are expected to avoid unnecessary brutality. While non-lethal eliminations like stabbing through the gut or shoulder are fair game, going for the kill — especially things like decapitation — is outright forbidden."
"And remember," Derek chimed in, "points are only reliably awarded when contestants defeat opponents without excessive violence. Trying to look edgy by stabbing someone through the neck might not even give you a point if the judges frown on it!"
As the explanations wrapped up, the battle finally began.
A loud horn blared.
And chaos erupted.
Hundreds of mages immediately took to the skies, hoping to gain an early advantage, but their enthusiasm was swiftly met with volleys of arrows, thrown lances, and spell fire, forcing many back to the ground in burning heaps.
Swordmasters and martial artists swarmed through the snowy plains, while assassins used the blizzards and caves for guerrilla tactics. Ambushes, traps, and coordinated strikes unfolded at breakneck speed.
Leo watched intently as two factions clashed by an icy ravine, where a group from Clarence Academy made quick work of a smaller academy, coordinating flawlessly with well-timed spells and spears that forced their enemies into a tight circle before their mage eliminated them all with a single wide range spell.
"Clarence are more aggressive than usual this year, their confidence seems high" Su Yang muttered beside him, as Leo nodded without breaking his gaze.
Soon, another skirmish flared to life near the western mountain range.
There, Geneva Academy's team made their presence known. Su Ran himself led a squad of four, systematically dismantling enemy teams with frightening precision.
His spear danced between gaps in the enemy formation, picking them apart one by one, while his teammates provided perfect cover.
"They're cutting through them like paper," Minerva commented.
"The rumors weren't exaggerated," Yu Shen said bluntly. "Su Ran and Geneva this year are very strong opposition "
Yet for all the action below, Leo's eyes were calm — observing, calculating, absorbing every detail.
He did not worry about meaningless things like what would happen if he faced one of the stronger warriors than him in battle, as thinking about hypotheticals was simply a waste of his time.
Instead what he focused on was how the other Assassin type fighters fought in the Tundra and what were the types of techniques they used, as he kept an eye out for interesting battle strategies.
Overall, all the Assassin type fighters seemed to have the same types of basic skills.
A movement skill to weave through enemy attacks, or move silently.
A short-distance blink or dash.
A concealing skill to blend into the environment, and a singular lethal strike meant to end fights in a single blow — the classic assassin toolkit.
It was almost formulaic.
But sometimes, he saw flashes of originality in those who refused to follow the textbook.
An assassin from Volgrath Academy, for instance, used a self-made skill combo where he kicked up snow into the air before every engagement, by using a fist strike on the floor, masking his presence and movements amidst the storm, disorienting enemies who relied on vision alone.
Another contestant, a beastfolk from the Red Fang Tribe, used his tail in tandem with his dual daggers, executing unpredictable triple-strike combos that left opponents scrambling.
And most impressive of all was a lone fighter from Ironheart Academy, who dared to forgo stealth altogether. Instead, he mixed brute force into his assassination style, parrying direct attacks with a short sword while dispatching enemies with mana spell techniques, opting for control and precision over the traditional quick kills.
These glimpses of creativity, while rare, were exactly what Leo was looking for.
'Good,' Leo thought to himself.
As it felt good to see such originality thrive in a universe where class roles were expected to be fixed and rigid.
However, as much as he appreciated the lone creative fighter, in the end it were the traditional giants that scored the most points, as without any surprises, Geneva came first with 412 eliminations, Clarence a close second with 402, and Tulip third with 340.
In the end, all the big academies made it through to the next round without a hitch, as although there were a few upsets down the table, with one of the academies seeded in the low 200's somehow making it through to top16 through a shock last ten seconds double elimination.
Most of the qualification table ended up to be predictable for Group A, with no major upsets or unexpected top academy eliminations this early into the tournament.