Li Luo flew down like a giant bird, sending a quick burst of resonant power to his feet so he could tread lightly on the crown of a lush tree before landing on top of a lake.

Below the crystalline, green surface of the water, ancient, gnarled trunks protruded from the muddy silt at the bottom, black branches forming an aesthetic contrast against the clear water.

Above them stood Li Luo, water gently rippling out from under his feet.

His shortswords remained belted at his hip. With his water and wood resonances, this lake was a favorable terrain for him. According to the ticket match rules, the losing school of the previous round was allowed to choose the next round's battlefield. That was just about the only thing those useless Two Star Hall bums had done for him all day. Li Luo wasn't about to pass up on a free leg-up like that....