The roaring crescendo of the crowd reached a fever pitch, a literal wall of sound that vibrated the very foundations of the Divine Arena.
Xiao Nanan, hovering high above on her shimmering sword, felt the static of raw power prickling her skin, and with a flourish of her voice-amplifying artifact, she cast her declaration to the heavens.
"Now! With the power invested in me by the Main Line and the witnessing eyes of the Nine Heavens! I now declare! The Shen Clan's Heaven's Choice Tournament has officially begun! Let blood and glory pave the way for the King!"
The final syllable had barely left her lips when the air in the arena floor shattered.
Shen Tao, who had been the picture of stoic stillness only moments before, vanished.
He didn't use a flashy movement technique or a burst of elemental wind; it was pure, terrifying kinetic acceleration.
