The grand arena of the Academy Festival buzzed with anticipation as sixty students from the six prestigious academies prepared for the Miasma Purification Challenge. This individual event was a highlight of the festival, testing each participant's ability to purify blocks of miasma using their own mana to counter its elemental forces. Points were awarded based on the size and difficulty of the purified blocks, and with miasma sharing the same elemental properties as mana, success demanded both skill and strategy.
Among the White-rankers, the highest tier of students, three figures stood out: Aria Gu, a fire mage from the Eastern continent; Elara Leopold, a versatile support mage from Slatemark Academy; and Rachel Creighton, a light magic prodigy from Mythos Academy, whose prowess marked her as the future saintess.
