59 Skysea Alliance Tournament, Part 5

Walking out of the bus, Gloxinia stretched his arms and took in his surroundings.

Skysea City and Eastsea City were similar in that they both were situated on the coast, boasting a beautiful landscape and the continent's largest harbors and docks. The Federation's navy was stationed right outside of Skysea City. The silhouette of a gigantic cruiser anchored out at sea entered the eyes of some.

For now, Gloxinia could not see much of a difference between Skysea City and Eastsea City. As they approached the city's core, skyscrapers piercing the clouds came into view, passed by the magnificent harbor. Several types of advanced equipment and facilities lined the harbor, all of which Gloxinia struggled to name. The harbor smelled of trade.

Skysea City was situated in an area surrounded by much more mountains than Eastsea City and many buildings were built into the slopes, adding to their high-low appearance. Some skyscrapers even seemed to pierce right through the clouds.

The official delegation from Eastsea City had already been in contact with the representatives from Skysea City.

The five students of class zero were the youngest amongst the competitors from Eastsea City and naturally weren't too attentive to their surroundings, simply following the group.

They were led to a luxurious hotel that was rather special; half of it was within the ocean and each room had a breathtaking view that truly emphasized to all the guests that they were by the ocean.

Tang Wulin, Gloxinia, and Xie Xie shared a room while Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan were placed in another room.

Tomorrow was the opening ceremony of the tournament and lots to decide the matches would be drawn. Wu Zhangkong had given the bare minimum explanation which had lacked any sort of warnings or advice.

That wasn't the only thing happening tomorrow though. Tomorrow was the day the fairy created from the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass would be born!

He had already experienced the strength the fruit had when he linked to it, so how powerful was the fairy itself?

He could feel the shift in atmosphere at their hotel as the start of the tournament drew near.

Nearly all of the hotel's patrons were here for the event. Besides participants from Eastsea City there were also numerous people from other places, all preparing hastily.

Gloxiniaa descended on his own mattress. Instead of pulling at the coattails of slumber, he sat cross-legged and peered out the window. His gaze wandered past the sharp edges of the deep blue sea, zigzagging across the surface to no end. The rush and ebb of the tide granted him a peace of mind. He shut his eyes slowly and began meditating.

This time, he wasn't cultivating though, he was meditating in order to make sure his state of mind was at it's highest as he reviewed the plan he had in mind to "disappear" from class zero and start building the Fairy Kingdom for real.

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The opening ceremony of the Skysea Alliance Tournament was held in Skysea Stadium. It was the largest stadium in the Skysea Alliance, boasting a maximum seating capacity of eighty-thousand people.

For the economic bloc that was Eastsea Alliance, the Skysea Alliance Tournament was a grand occasion that the entire federation paid attention to. Outstanding geniuses would emerge each time the tournament was held.

In reality, the Skysea Alliance Tournament's original goal was to filter through the masses for geniuses to raise. Then they would be groomed into pillars of the alliance.

Within the Federation existed a myriad of factions, with the Skysea Alliance being one of the greater ones. Economic-wise, though, it stood as one of the Federation's major players.

In spite of its economic power, the Skysea Alliance was not satisfied. Although it was easy to jumpstart the economy, building a sturdy foundation was a different story. Not to mention, they had started developing later than other regions. The continent's mainland was filled with major cities, each possessing thousands to tens of thousands of years of history. These cities were littered with countless ancient clans that raised powerful geniuses with profound backgrounds.

Due to its difference in history, the Skysea Alliance was woefully deficient in talents. In fact, the quality and quantity of its geniuses were beginning to decline.

All of the powerful experts were found inland. Only able to boast of its economic might, the Skysea Alliance could not be considered powerful by any means and hovered around the continent's middle levels of prominence.

But how could the Skysea Alliance resign itself to lose in power and prestige? In a bid to select and grow talents, the Alliance established the Skysea Alliance Tournament roughly two hundred years ago. They offered not only a generous amount of prize money but some unique prizes as well. This way, the talents would receive the support needed to further pursue their paths, which would bolster the Alliance's strength.

At the crack of dawn, representatives from the various cities flooded into the stadium.

The arena was gigantic, hordes of people teeming within as far as the eye could see. The terrace had long since been filled with spectators. It was Gloxinia's first time in such a grand stadium. Excitement permeated the air as the opening ceremony proceeded. Surrounded by so many taller people, Gloxinia could hardly see what was happening. He could only hear a few encouraging words that marked the end of the ceremony.

Next came the drawing of lots for the various competitions.

This matter was handled by the teachers, leaving class zero twiddling their thumbs.

The stadium erupted with joy as a platform was rapidly built in the center.

"What are they doing?" Gloxinia overheard Tang Wulin asking Xie Xie.

Xie Xie answered, "Right, you wouldn't know about this. They're about to hold an exhibition match. I heard they paid an enormous sum to invite some powerful people from Shrek Academy this time. Their opponents will be the champions of the seven-man team competition from the last tournament. The Alliance is doing this to show everyone the gap between our strengths. Though, I'm not sure if this is the best decision."

Gu Yue cut in from the side, "Why do you think so?"

Xie Xie simply shrugged. "Isn't it obvious? Within a certain range, the gap in strength can be encouraging, but once the gap surpasses a certain level, it transforms into a chasm. It'll be an insurmountable reminder that only discourages people."

A chuckle escaped from Gloxinia's lips. "You sure know how to explain things. You're just a child and you've already thought it out. Don't you think the Alliance's higher-ups would have come to the same conclusion? I bet they have some plan in place on how to handle this."

"I'm starving. Does anyone have anything to eat?" A voice sounded out suddenly.

Gloxinia turned toward the source of the noise and saw a little fatty scurrying about the crowd, asking random strangers for food as they passed by.

"Huh. Another glutton has appeared." Xu Xiaoyan absentmindedly said, obviously referring to Tang Wulin's almost monstrous-like appetite.

Xie Xie coughed. "Xiaoyan! You really have a way with words."

Xu Xiaoyan realized her indiscretion. She hastily pursed her cherry-red lips and stuck out her tongue.

At this time, Gloxinia simply ignored them and kept going through his plan over and over in his mind.. As long as there were no unstable factors, everything would be alright.

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Words: 1265

Author's Note: This chapter was honestly so mid bro.. However, I can't just skip events that occurred..

Thank you for so many collections and powerstones!