Silence, deathly silence.
Amid the mountain-shaking, sea-roaring cheers from the tens of thousands of spectators at Fallen Phoenix Mountain, one section remained utterly silent.
On the stands, Broken Blade Xu Renke's corpse lay there quietly.
Only after a long while did someone speak in a dry voice.
"How could he lose?"
The moment those words were spoken, everyone seemed to snap back to their senses.
That was right, how could he lose?
Xu Renke had clearly been so strong. He bore the name Broken Blade, was one of the Mountain Shattering Gang's two great protectors, and had wandered through many marketplaces, forging a formidable reputation.
Yet just now, he had actually lost to Gao Tingyuan, whom they had looked down upon.
Zeng Wen, who had already returned to the stands, had regained a little color in his face.
He said in disbelief, "Just now, Xu Renke activated that broken blade. It had already displayed a trace of Magic Treasure power, and it truly did strike Gao Tingyuan. Why didn't Gao Tingyuan die?"
Before such a method, even if Zeng Wen performed beyond his limits, he could not possibly have won.
Yet Gao Tingyuan had won, and he had survived.
Mi Shuhua frowned deeply, his eyes fixed upon the short, sturdy man slumped weakly on the Dao Discussion Stage.
After a long time, he said uncertainly, "A Substitute Puppet?"
"Huh?" Murong Qinglian cried out in surprise, as though she had thought of something. "He actually has a Substitute Puppet from the Fallen Cloud Sect!"
On the Dao Discussion Stage, Gao Tingyuan's face was filled with panic as he slumped on the ground.
He muttered to himself, his body trembling without stop.
"Before I went onstage, didn't they say I could win easily?"
"Why did he want to kill me?"
"A