The roar of the crowd of the ranking battles was a crescendo that began many days in advance. Whispers and excitement sprouted from individual hearts and minds, sparking off against each other to start little fires of tension, fanned on by the flames of inexorable time marching them all on towards the day of reckoning.

A rousing drum beat sounded in the morning, booming out to every last corner of the school.

As new students, Li Luo and the others were assigned to fight in the west of the Astral Sage College. The undulating mountains and complex terrain made for a good battleground.

The thousands of newcomers were dispersed to various entrances in all directions, awaiting the start.

Li Luo stood in the crowd, looking around. Each squad leader was wearing a badge on their chest reflecting their squad’s status, either gold or silver.

As long as the...