Upon the broad, towering Bluestone Arena, a cool breeze swept over the ground, gently stirring their robes.
Jiang Yun and Guo Tianye stood facing each other at opposite ends of the arena's center. The first battle of this Jintai Grand Tournament's Main Competition was on the verge of erupting.
Standing to the east, Jiang Yun cut a tall, graceful figure. His plain-colored Cloudsoar Sect martial attire was spotless, and the mountain breeze gently brushed his dark hair, lending his face a cool, distant air.
His expression was calm, his clear eyes utterly untroubled, like a still pool of autumn water without a ripple, untouched by the dust of mortal life.
Even standing in the Main Competition arena of the Jintai Grand Tournament, beneath countless watching eyes and facing a renowned heavenly prodigy, he remained unruffled.
He seemed less like someone competing against heavenly prodigies than someone standing idly atop a mountain, watching clouds roll and unfurl and leisurely taking in the scenery.
Guo Tianye, standing opposite him to the west, presented an entirely different picture.
The young chief of the Iron Mountain Gang held his burly, upright body slightly taut, the contours of his muscles visibly tightening.
His formerly composed face was now shrouded in deep solemnity. His brows were knitted, his mind intensely focused, and his aura fully roused. He dared not relax in the slightest.
Those who rose to fame inevitably carried momentum; a name carried weight.
Jiang Yun's name had long since resounded throughout Jintai Prefecture and even Jizhou.
As the supreme heavenly prodigy who had won the previous Jintai Grand Tournament, Jiang Yun was a towering mountain countless warriors of his generation could not surmount. His reputation was too illustrious, too deeply awe-inspiring.
Guo Tianye himself had always been a renowned young heavenly prodigy in the