Steward Xue swept his hawklike gaze across the crowd, his voice booming like a great bell: "The first match of the fifth round of the Fu Mountain Grand Competition: Chu Yunhai of Heavenly Evolution Peak versus Li Cangwu of Blazing Sun Peak!"
As his words fell, all of Fu Mountain Square erupted, the uproar surging toward the clouds.
Countless disciples waved their arms and shouted both men's names, cheering them on.
Yet Chu Yunhai's name rang out far more often than Li Cangwu's.
After all, he was the Heavenly Prodigy ranked first on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, a man whose fame truly resounded throughout the Profound Truth Sect. Even in the vast Jintai Prefectural City, he enjoyed great renown, someone countless people looked up to.
On the elevated platform, Cao Zhen, Sect Master of the Profound Truth Sect, sat in the center, with the seven Peak Masters arrayed on either side, their expressions composed.
Cao Zhen glanced briefly at the elders of the Hong, Lin, and Su Families on the secondary platform. Seeing them seated upright and attentive, he slowly withdrew his gaze and turned back to the arena.
Although the Hong, Lin, and Su Families had not sent their family heads in person this time, each had dispatched its highest-ranking Grand Elder to lead its delegation.
The three Grand Elders were elderly men with graying hair and beards, their auras deep and steady. Seated together on the secondary platform, they discussed matters in low voices, occasionally sweeping appraising gazes over the young disciples below.
Meanwhile, two figures leaped onto the arena one after the other.
Clad in blue, Chu Yunhai stood tall and straight, his expression as calm as ever, as though he had merely come to an ordinary banquet.
Li Cangwu wore a fiery red combat outfit. His