Before the Finals, Battle Nation

Having obtained the Battlefield Treasure and snatched Sakura's people, Chen Lang had already acquired over 6 billion in resources for the treasure hunt.

By this point, the treasure hunt competition was nearing its end.

Judging solely by his personal gains, advancing was an unquestionable certainty.

After being teleported out, one could see faces filled with immense joy and others brimming with despair.

The second round of the World Academy Competition concluded, leading into the final grand battle. This grand battle was simpler and more brutal: students would compete against each other to determine the ultimate champion, with the top three receiving incredibly generous rewards.

When the statistics were compiled, Chen Lang learned that Great Xia had directly secured first place due to his score.

America, hailed as the strongest, ranked second.

Third and fourth place went to England and Germany, respectively...

Upon learning that the Battlefield Treasure had been seized by Chen Lang, all national teams gritted their teeth in frustration. However, having left the treasure hunt arena, they no longer had any opportunity to contend for it...

After emerging, Chen Lang gave his unusable resources to Chen Jin.

Of course, this was not to be handed over to the Family; rather, it was for Chen Jin to exchange for resources applicable to his cultivation.

Leveraging his extensive network, the old man managed to sort it out in almost a single day.

Chen Lang once again entered seclusion to digest the resources in his possession.

Before the grand battle arrived, Chen Lang felt that he would definitely be able to advance his cultivation by another significant step with these Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures!

The format of the grand battle differed from the previous elimination rounds. Although it was still a team battle, participants could be swapped out during the competition.

The total number of participants on the field remained ten, but once a student was eliminated, each country's academy could immediately send in a replacement, maintaining the five-person team size.

There was a limit to substitutions, with each country allowed only three. This meant that a total of eight individuals would participate from each side during the grand battle, a format that heavily tested a country's overall student strength. For a team with ten academy members, eight participants meant almost everyone would see action.

This was the most effective method to test each country's strength, while also allowing for numerous different combinations and strategies, challenging each nation's application and coordination of various Magic elements.

As the final grand battle of the World Academy Competition commenced, all the small taverns in Venice hung portraits of the members from various academies. Before the treasure hunt, it might have been difficult to identify the main forces of every nation.

But after the treasure hunt, these individuals could no longer remain hidden.

Consequently, those with idle time began compiling rankings of the students' strength.

Unsurprisingly, Chen Lang topped the Destruction Ranking.

His individual feats of killing countless commanders and defeating Sakura single-handedly were achievements that, as of now, no Mage from any country could match.

The second place undoubtedly went to America's ace, Kevin.

Third place belonged to Kno, a student from Greece's Parthenon...

Of course, these so-called rankings were merely temporary listings compiled by these individuals. Whether they were truly accurate would only be revealed in the upcoming grand battle!

Before the grand battle began, Chen Lang's Shadow System had already advanced to the second level of the intermediate stage, and he had also mastered the Shadow System's star chart.

His Space Element had similarly advanced to the second level of the intermediate stage.

Most noteworthy, however, was his Lightning Element.

Fueled by the energy from the Five-Colored Spirit Stone and the Elemental Lightning Stone, his Star River had reached the second level!

Currently, among those participating in the World Academy Competition, anyone who had reached the second level of the high-level stage was undoubtedly a top-tier contender among their peers!

Even more commendable was that Chen Lang, not yet twenty years old, had reached this point, truly indicating a promising future!

In the early morning, Venice's ancient and majestic bells chimed, awakening the city's inhabitants on the Mediterranean.

Following the bells, melodious Italian folk music filled the air, clear and resonant, making the atmosphere feel exceptionally fresh.

At the top of the hour, the grand battle officially commenced. Eight countries that had performed exceptionally well in the treasure hunt stood in a line at the center of a vast and spectacular Venetian Fighting Ground. Eight colors, eight nations, surrounded and cheered on by tens of thousands of spectators.

The eight teams comprised around one hundred individuals in total. Although some eliminated national teams had equally outstanding students, elimination meant elimination. In terms of future fame and social influence, they could never compare to the one hundred people currently on the field.

Strength, in different situations, environments, and against different opponents, was often very similar. In such circumstances, opportunity and glory often propelled rivals of the same level far ahead.

On the opening day, there would be four matches, essentially showcasing all eight countries. Based on the win-loss records, the following day's matches would be determined, also consisting of four games.

There was no elimination in this phase, but the true champion nation would be decided based on the final win-loss standings!

The qualified nations were Great Xia, America, England, Germany, France, Russia, Greece, and Italy.

Italy, in particular, held the home advantage. If anyone claimed the treasure hunt had been entirely free of foul play, no one would believe them.

However, without evidence, and considering their own inherent strength, other nations could not say much even if they harbored doubts.

The grand battle was not decided by the treasure hunt rankings; it was determined by a draw.

Great Xia's first match was against Italy.

Surprisingly, Italy directly chose to forfeit this match. With hardly any of their main players, they easily secured the victory.

As for the other three matches...

The matchups were USA vs. Greece, England vs. Germany, and France vs. Russia.

Compared to the battle between Great Xia and Italy, these three matches were undoubtedly more exciting.

The teams that advanced were Great Xia, USA, England, and Russia.

In the second round's draw, Great Xia was pitted against the "Fighting Nation."

The battlefield for this match was a desert, with nothing but yellow sand everywhere; there wasn't even a single plant or puddle of water.

As soon as the referee shouted "Begin!", Chen Lang unleashed a thunderous strike with a wave of his hand!

"RIIIIIP!!!"

"Zzzzzzz!!!"

On the Fighting Nation's side, Bao Liya had already planted Thorn Seeds when she entered the arena.

The moment Chen Lang's overwhelming thunder surged forward, she lightly tapped her foot.

From the yellow sand, thorny vines shot up from the ground!

"Swish swish swish!!!"

They quickly connected to form a fortress.

"RUMBLE!!!"

"CRASH!!!"

However, the thorns, which could easily withstand thunder in the past, shattered into fragments at the mere touch of the current this time!

"Damn it, what kind of destruction is this? My defenses were broken so easily?" Bao Liya, clad in armor magic tools, felt a sense of powerlessness.

"If he didn't have this kind of power, how could he have single-handedly acquired the Battlefield Treasure?" Ande Hai, who was also wearing heavy armor, said.

"Let's combine our efforts to interrupt him. We can't let him keep unleashing destruction!"

"Alright!"

Relying on their armor magic tools for defense, they now wanted to seize the opportunity and focus all their efforts on Chen Lang.

Soon, everyone saw that from within the cage of electricity, streaks of elemental destruction were charging towards Chen Lang's location!

A total of five high-level beams, each one a type of high-level magic, with three of the skills even reaching the second level of high-level