Beneath a murky, uncanny sky, dozens of snow-white Pupil Eagles circled overhead.
Many landed on the straight trunks of towering trees, their eyes fixed on everything below as they relayed the scene in real time from different angles.
The ground below was littered with bloodstained bamboo segments. The once-lush grass had been torn up, exposing brown earth that smelled of mud.
The clearing was a wreck, utterly out of place amid the dense forest surrounding it.
At the center of the devastation stood Mu Nujiao, dressed in the Chinese National Team uniform.
Her expression was cold as she swept her sharp gaze around her. Four people had surrounded her, cutting off every route of escape.
They were no more than thirty meters away. In a battle between Advanced Mages, that was practically face-to-face.
The moment she made a move, magic would come at her from four directions. Dodging it all would be nearly impossible.
"Mu Nujiao, hand over the Blood Bamboo Ghost's seed and we'll let you go," said a Canadian woman with an afro.
"Do you believe that yourself?" Mu Nujiao asked, looking at her coldly.
The Treasure Hunt Competition was a single-round contest for a place in the Top Eight.
To advance, teams had to find as much treasure and kill as many Demon Beasts as possible. Most important of all, they had to find ways to eliminate contestants from other countries.
Whether contestants were rendered unable to fight carried considerable weight in this Selection Tournament.
Cornered by four people, Mu Nujiao was not foolish enough to think she could simply hand over the seed and walk away.
"So there's nothing to discuss?" Shade of the British Team snorted.
"Stop wasting time. Let's do it," said a male contestant from the American Team.
"You're awfully confident. Don't forget