Lin Taichu spotted his opening and suddenly sped up. With a flick of his trident, he hooked Old Man in Grey Cloth's cane, then yanked hard. The cane flew from his grasp and landed beneath the arena.
Old Man in Grey Cloth sighed and took a step back. "I lost."
The people below the stage were stunned. They had never expected Lin Taichu to be so formidable. First, he had deliberately arrived late and made everyone think he was afraid. Then he had provoked Li Mo and Old Man Zhang into fighting each other before easily defeating them both.
"So Brave Warrior Lin had been pretending all along! I thought he was really scared!"
"He's incredible! He actually got Li Mo and Old Man Zhang to turn on each other, then defeated them so easily!"
"It looks like the champion of this Martial Arts Tournament can only be Brave Warrior Lin!"
Wang Yue stood below the stage, staring at Lin Taichu. She was both shocked and delighted. As she looked at his back, her eyes were filled with admiration.
The City Lord rose from the platform and announced to the crowd, "I declare Lin Taichu the champion of this Martial Arts Tournament!"
As soon as the City Lord finished speaking, cheers erupted below. Many people cupped their fists toward Lin Taichu, their eyes full of respect.
Just as Lin Taichu breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to step down from the arena, he heard orderly footsteps coming from the entrance to the square. Then someone shouted, "The Prince has arrived—"
The entire venue fell silent at once. The people gathered around the arena retreated one after another, automatically making way.
The City Lord hurried down from the platform and strode toward the entrance with a respectful smile. Lin Taichu