Atop Moonwatch Mountain.
As the heart-stopping battle in the arena drew to a close, Commandant Tan, who had presided over the entire match from beside the arena, kept his gaze fixed on every movement at its center.
As commandant of Jintai Prefecture, he oversaw order throughout this Jintai Grand Tournament and upheld fairness. Holding public office, he acted impartially, seemingly treating every contestant alike, without favor or prejudice.
Deep down, however, he still stood with Jintai Prefecture's local martial artists, unconsciously favoring outstanding, renowned local Heavenly Prodigies such as Lü Chongrui.
From the patient maneuvering at the outset, to the reversal and relentless pressure of the twin swords midway through, to the instantaneous turnaround and devastating palm strike at the end, Commandant Tan had witnessed every twist of the duel.
When Li Tai suddenly erupted, closed in for the kill, and brought his palm down on Lü Chongrui's head, Commandant Tan's nerves had tightened as well. A great stone seemed to rise in his heart, as he feared that this promising Sword Path genius of the Prefecture Domain would die in the arena, cut down before his time.
Only after sensing that Lü Chongrui, though bleeding from all seven orifices and lying gravely wounded, still retained his vitality and was in no immediate danger of death did Commandant Tan's suspended heart slowly settle. He inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
At the same time, he dared not relax. His sharp gaze locked onto Li Tai at the center of the arena, his energy quietly drawing taut as he remained on guard.
He feared that, once the urge to kill arose in battle, Li Tai might disregard the tournament's rules and finish his opponent off.
Lü Chongrui had lost all ability to fight and lay helpless on the ground. This was