The group got off the plane and headed straight for the Australian National Pavilion.
Australia's geography was unusual.
It faced two of the world's four oceans. It would not be an exaggeration to call the entire country a coastal battleground, while the vast region in its center belonged to Demon Beasts.
The land humanity actually controlled was no more than a narrow ring around the continent's edge.
Australia had not been a nation for long. Its territory was small and fragmented, with enemies both inland and offshore... Taken together, these conditions meant it suffered Demon Beast invasions more often than almost any other country.
Frequent invasions and all those unfavorable conditions had severely hampered Australia's development of magic.
At the same time, though, the Australian government made a fortune from Demon Beasts. The country was among the world's leading exporters of Demon Beast corpses and Spirit Essences.
None of that mattered right now. What mattered was that the country's overall standard of magic was not especially high, so earning its National Pavilion's Recognition Badge would be easy.
At least, it would be easy for Ai Jiangtu's team.
The main reason the group had come to Australia was to train at the Great Barrier Reef coastal battleground. The Australian National Pavilion's Recognition Badge was almost an afterthought.
The Australian National Pavilion was in Sydney. After exchanging pleasantries and discussing the match format, Ai Jiangtu and Nan Jue returned to the team.
"What did they say?"
"They want a team match. Four against four. What do you think?" Ai Jiangtu asked.
"Works for me. One-on-one matches are boring. Team battles are closer to the standards of the academy tournament, and they help build teamwork."
"If no one objects, that's settled." Ai Jiangtu nodded.
"I'm in." Guan Yu was the first