Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

Chapter 533 - 210: The Winter Festival Competition with Ginkgo Leaves Falling

At the end of December, the annual Winter Festival gala began.

Derived from the ancient traditions of the Third Era, the festival had deeply rooted itself in people's lives. In the past, it was a time when one could stop to rest for the year, families reunited, sitting under windows adorned with frozen branches and leaves, enjoying roasted warm food, and reflecting on the changes of the year.

Similar to the common folk, nearly every school would hold competitions on the eve of winter to assess the year's achievements and as a time to relax before the holidays, allowing students to participate together.

Burnt orange flames descended from the sky, spraying the ground, burning the weeds and dry branches within, then turning into charred soil.

Continuous dew fell from the sky, moistening this charred soil, followed by seeds sprinkling down, landing in the damp and dark earth.

Soon, sprouts emerged, the tender branches with soft green and white interlaced twigs pulsated, growing rapidly.

Trees full of bright yellow flowered leaves spread throughout the venue, and the ground was also covered with a sea of tender grass, which created ripples that expanded under the breeze through the woods, the tiny waves winding towards the far horizon.

This was the vast Winter Festival tournament grounds, resembling an enlarged stadium in appearance, bustling with noise inside as tourists and spectators from all places gathered, cheering excitedly as they admired the beautiful flower-filled woodland at the venue.

The theme for the Winter Festival tournament grounds varied annually—three years ago, it featured hills covered with Purple Distant Grass, where students fought amongst the deep purple sea of grass that reached waist-high, the whirling Sword Edges and drifting purple fluff framed into beautiful images.

Two years ago were ponds filled with Falling Flame Flowers, an extraordinary species branch of the water lily whose surface leaves were exceptionally sturdy, capable of supporting hundreds of pounds without collapsing, while its orange-red fire-like blossoms emitted heat, making them strikingly beautiful floating on the water.

The other academies had their own distinct styles as well—one of Swarm's Reign Academy was stately, elegant, ladylike; Crystal Lattice School tended towards technology, crystal, transparency; while Lelysia Academy was clearly styled after the church, with themes of Angels, wings, and holiness, and Thunder Edge advocated knightly honor, glory, and discipline.

Blinking her sapphire-like eyes, the young girl's gaze swept over all the students present, their expectant eyes meeting hers. Words of encouragement had already been said many times before, and there was no need to emphasize them again now.

She opened her mouth slightly, her finger gently touched her chest, and she bowed slightly before rising again.

"For tonight's battle, shimmer like the morning star."

To this, everyone present responded with a hand to the shoulder, bowing in unison.

"For tonight's battle, shimmer like the morning star!"

Their voices so uniform, echoing through the hall, lingering for a long time.

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Under the convergence of countless lights and the focus of cameras, teams of students from the various academies emerged from their respective preparation halls, led by their top representatives, marching towards the center of the venue.

Beneath the tall ginkgo trees, these students—confident and calm in their academy uniforms—walked over the ground showered with ginkgo fan leaves and faced the light yellow butterflies flitting among the woodland. These butterflies were bionic Autonomous Units with cameras, faithfully recording scenes from all angles, then broadcasting the feeds to projectors above the venue and into the homes of countless viewers across the Four-leaf Crystal Star Domain. Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire

The students from the six major academies gathered, forming a six-petalled snowflake shape around a high platform in the center, where a golden Holy Grail was set, its sides entwined with roses, and contained brimming clear water.