"Let's go." Bing Yekong rose to his feet, slung the Tianshuang Sword across his back, and called toward the depths of the passageway, "Skywater Academy, take the field."
Orderly footsteps followed behind him. Shui Yue'er, Xue Wu, Yu Hairou, Shen Liuyu, and Gu Qingbo trailed behind Bing Yekong and Shui Bing'er as they stepped into the arena beneath the sunlight.
From the passageway opposite them, the seven members of New Divine Wind Academy entered at the same time.
Feng Xiaotian walked at the front. Today, his outer robe was no longer hanging open; instead, he wore his blue-white academy uniform neatly, with its hem tucked into his sash and its cuffs tightened. He seemed less carefree than usual and considerably sharper.
Half a step behind him was Huo Wushuang, his burly frame like a moving tower of flame. Behind him came Huo Wu, the aura of Ultimate Fire faintly circulating over her body as her amber eyes remained fixed on the opponents before her.
"Everyone's here." Feng Xiaotian stopped and flashed a grin in Bing Yekong's direction. "I've been waiting for this day for a long time."
Bing Yekong drew the Tianshuang Sword from his back and held it in his hand, its tip lowered to the ground. "Then come."
After confirming that both sides were in position, the referee poured Soul Power into the amplifying Soul Tool, and his voice rang through the entire venue. "Final stage, first semifinal match: Skywater Academy versus New Divine Wind Academy. Begin!"
Feng Xiaotian was the first to move.
Five Soul Rings instantly rose beneath his feet—two yellow, two purple, and one black. A blue-white vortex of wind exploded around him, sweeping stone chips from the arena floor into the air.
His entire body became an afterimage and vanished from where he stood.