CHAPTER 84 — THE SPEAR THAT DANCES WITH THE WIND
The arena of Vermillion Phoenix Academy still trembled with noise.
The roar of the crowd had not faded since the Vermillion Dean's declaration. Twenty competitors. No teams. No alliances. No safety. The air was thick with anticipation, ambition, and something sharper—something hungry. The battlefield below was no longer just a stage. It had become a promise of violence waiting to be fulfilled.
Ling Yifan and Long Hao stood among their teammates, neither speaking now. The competitive spark between them was quiet but undeniable, like two blades resting in the same sheath, waiting for the moment they would be drawn.
Above them, the dome shimmered as additional layers activated. The arena floor rearranged itself subtly, terrain modules shifting into configurations meant to support prolonged conflict rather than spectacle. Officials moved with urgency. Healers took their positions. Barrier technicians triple-checked containment fields.
