Moonwatch Mountain, the summit plaza.
Below the arena, more than a hundred thousand gazes were fixed firmly on the raised bluestone platform.
Everyone held their breath in concentration, eyes unwavering, all their attention focused on the confronting figures of Li Tai and Lü Chongrui, two supreme Heavenly Prodigies.
The atmosphere across the summit of Moonwatch Mountain boiled over completely. Wave after wave of discussion, shouts, and cheers intertwined, sweeping mightily in all directions and thundering through the sky.
Amid the clamorous crowd, the vast majority of the cheers, applause, and cries of support favored Lü Chongrui, who stood tall in white, almost entirely dominating the roar across the grounds.
By contrast, scarcely anyone shouted encouragement or voiced support for Li Tai on the other side. Those few voices were insignificant amid the immense tide of sound, all but negligible.
The gulf in support surrounding the arena was glaringly obvious.
Ultimately, it was the unavoidable advantage of fighting on home ground.
As a native Heavenly Prodigy of Jintai Prefecture, Lü Chongrui came from the Heavenly Sword Sect, one of the prefecture domain's five greatest sects. His roots were impeccable and his heritage orthodox. Famous for years and deeply established in the prefecture domain's martial world, he had long been known and admired by countless local martial artists, with an enormous base of popularity and followers.
Li Tai, on the other hand, had been a nobody before this Jintai Grand Tournament began. No one within the prefecture domain had known his name. Like a dark horse appearing out of thin air, he had abruptly burst into everyone's sight.
As the semifinals approached, various rumors began circulating through the grounds.
Many martial artists discussed and speculated among themselves, gradually arriving at an astonishing conclusion.
This dark-horse Heavenly Prodigy, Li Tai, whose heaven-defying combat