After the opening ceremony concluded, it was time for the tense and exciting drawing of lots.
At that moment, Nan Jue walked over to Zhou Haoyu.
"Captain, the instructor asked you to draw the lot."
Just as she finished speaking, Nan Jue noticed something strange about Mu Ningxue's expression.
Normally, Mu Ningxue always wore her frosty demeanor, but now there was an unusual hint of pink on her cheeks.
Sensing Nan Jue's curious gaze, Mu Ningxue forced herself to remain composed.
"Alright, I'll go now."
Zhou Haoyu acted as if absolutely nothing had happened and immediately left his seat, heading toward the central platform.
As for the draw, Zhou Haoyu was rather indifferent.
Although he would have liked to draw the American team directly, with only a one-in-thirty-two chance, it was practically impossible.
Taking the box handed to him, Zhou Haoyu simply reached inside, casually pulled out a slip, and took it with him.
After drawing, he turned around and walked away.
"China Team versus Korea Team!"
Zhou Haoyu paused in surprise—the first opponent wasn't the Japan Team.
Could this be the so-called Butterfly Effect?
Still, the Korean team's strength was even weaker than that of the Japan team.
The Japan team ranked roughly in the upper-middle of the thirty-two teams, while Korea couldn't even reach mid-tier.
When Zhou Haoyu returned to the team, Zhao Manyan rushed over with excitement.
"Brother Yu, you've got some luck! First match and you drew us a weak team."
Zhao Manyan laughed as he spoke.
At this elimination stage, many of the stronger teams would be conserving their strength, naturally preferring weaker opponents to warm up against.
"Boring. If it were a powerhouse like the American team, I might actually feel a little interested."
Zhou Haoyu shrugged. For a weak team like Korea, there was no way he'd step onto the field.
Everyone chuckled dryly, convinced their captain was just showing off—but none dared say it aloud.
"Captain, isn't this actually the opening match?"
Jiang Yu glanced at the information displayed on the screen and couldn't help but remark.
"It really is the opening match, and against such a weak team as Korea."
"Instructor, I want to be in this one!"
Guan Yu immediately jumped up in excitement. This was the perfect chance to make a name for himself.
If he could pull off a two-on-one, three-on-one, or show some dazzling performance during the match, his reputation would surely skyrocket!
China's results in the previous tournament had been underwhelming, so this opening match could lift spirits and attract more attention.
"Since it's Korea, Zhou Haoyu and Ai Jiangtu won't be needed."
Instructor Feng Li spoke.
Zhou Haoyu and Ai Jiangtu nodded. Neither had any interest in dealing with such a weak opponent.
After thinking briefly, Feng Li addressed the team:
"The opening match is a five-on-five team battle. Mu Ningxue, Mu Nu Jiao, Guan Yu, Jiang Yu, Zhao Manyan—you five will go up."
His decision to include both Mu Ningxue and Mu Nu Jiao was likely to boost morale.
In Feng Li's eyes, Zhou Haoyu was without doubt the team's strongest, followed by Ai Jiangtu.
But in truth, with two Soul-seeds, Mu Ningxue's strength already surpassed Ai Jiangtu's.
"Me too?"
Zhao Manyan was caught off guard. In the team, he was practically dead weight, and even his support abilities couldn't match Nanrong Ni's.
He had assumed there was no chance he'd be chosen for the opening match, but unexpectedly, the instructor had called his name.
Perhaps, Feng Li intended to keep Nanrong Ni as a hidden card.
"First match against Korea? Perfect. We'll establish China's momentum right from the start."
Just then, a somewhat aged voice sounded from behind them.
Hearing that familiar voice, Zhou Haoyu immediately turned his head. Sure enough, the speaker was the Chief of the Magic Palace—Pang Lai.
"Teacher!!"
Zhou Haoyu and Jiang Yu both greeted him with utmost respect.
Pang Lai looked at the two of them with great satisfaction. With such disciples, he could rest assured the future was secure.
The only regret was that Zhou Haoyu still hadn't found a suitable Contracted Beast.
That was truly troubling.
Pang Lai, however, had no idea that Zhou Haoyu already possessed two Contracted Beasts—one of them even being the third daughter of the Medusa Empress!
"My young friend, long time no see."
From behind, Han Ji greeted with a cheerful smile.
"Chief, should we adjust the lineup?" Feng Li looked toward Pang Lai and asked.
"No need. These five will do."
Once the lineup was confirmed, Pang Lai turned to Zhou Haoyu and said, "I've also heard about Pan Xi having his cultivation abolished. As your teacher, I support your decision."
Pang Lai had always been hot-tempered. Had it been his younger days, his strikes would have been no lighter than Zhou Haoyu's.
"Thank you, Teacher." Zhou Haoyu smiled faintly.
As the Chief of the Magic Court, Pang Lai voicing this meant he was openly standing as Zhou Haoyu's backing.
Zhou Haoyu was not an ungrateful man. If there was ever an opportunity to repay such support, he would never be stingy.
Under the referee's arrangement, both sides' participants began entering the battlefield.
The battleground was randomly selected as a mountainous terrain, filled with rugged rocks—a natural advantage for Earth-element Mages.
Unfortunately, among the five selected, none specialized in Earth.
In fact, the China Team had no pure Earth-element specialists at all.
Zhao Manyan only had Earth as a secondary element, and Guan Yu's secondary was also Earth—but his fighting style leaned heavily toward speed.
Earth magic was cumbersome, so aside from Earth Wave, Guan Yu rarely used it.
On the Korean side, however, two of their members were main-element Earth Mages. From an environmental standpoint, the Korean team held a natural advantage.
"Captain, looks like this terrain is unfavorable for us."
Taking advantage of Mu Ningxue and Mu Nujiao's absence, Jiang Fox slyly clung to Zhou Haoyu's arm.
When benefits came knocking at his door, Zhou Haoyu never turned them away.
After enjoying the sensation for a moment, Zhou Haoyu finally spoke.
"The true key to victory lies in strength. This minor environmental edge won't allow the Korean team to win."
In this rocky terrain, Earth Mages' strength could indeed increase by twenty to thirty percent.
But with Mu Ningxue and Mu Nujiao both capable of unleashing Domains, a single Domain could easily erase that advantage.
Just as Zhou Haoyu predicted, the Korean team used the terrain at the start to catch the China Team off guard.
However, aside from their captain, the rest were all single-element Advanced Mages.
Even with the initiative, they couldn't expand their lead.
Meanwhile, Mu Ningxue had already unleashed her Ice Domain. Piercing cold swept out in all directions.
In no time, much of the rocky terrain was buried beneath thick layers of ice, transforming the battlefield into a frozen world.
Not only did the Earth Mages lose their advantage, they were even suppressed.
"Domain!!"
The Korean captain's expression changed drastically. Before the match, he had carefully researched the China Team's information. He knew both their captain and vice-captain weren't even participating.
Yet even with China conserving their strength, the Koreans still found themselves utterly powerless.
....
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