He passed through the entrance and stepped into the square inside the circular structure.
The square was wider than the valley outside. Several fighting platforms stood in its center, built on stone bases with no railings around them, their edges worn smooth.
People were fighting on several of the platforms. There was no clash of weapons, no glow of Soul Power being released, only rapid exchanges of martial arts and the dull thuds of heavy blows striking flesh, punctuated by the occasional short gasp.
People gathered around the platforms. Some watched, some spoke in low voices, and others simply sat against the walls, looking as though they had just come out of a fight.
A faint smell of rust hung in the air, as though it had long seeped into the cracks between the stones and could never be fully scrubbed away.
The far side of the square led deeper inside. A stone path continued from there, passing beneath a low arch before disappearing into the mist.
The outlines of taller buildings rose against the distant valley walls. Light faintly leaked through gaps in their doors, suggesting entrances to some sort of establishments.
His gaze lingered on the arch as he roughly mapped the surrounding terrain and buildings in his mind. Then he looked away and stopped at the edge of the square.
Everyone around him continued about their business. No one gave him a second glance.
The arch remained at a fixed height in his field of vision, as though waiting for him to cross the next boundary—or watching to see how he would enter the deeper reaches.
Xiao Yun was about to pass beneath the arch and enter the inner region of the City of Slaughter when the two guards stationed at the entrance stopped him.
The guards