Mo Lin rose and drew his saber, leaving the scabbard on the chair. He entered the arena through the gap left by the Moonlight Hall disciples. Rather than heading straight for his target, he circled around, gradually closing in on He Nu along an arc.
Pang Jing wore an expression of astonishment and disappointment. "It's starting already?" As the organizer of the contest, he hadn't even said a word yet.
The Moonlight Hall disciples forming a circle were rather infuriating too. The spectators could only glimpse a small patch of the arena through the gaps between them. Pang Jing wanted to order those blocking the view to move aside; he had even raised his arm, but then changed his mind and simply stepped onto a chair. From his higher vantage point, he could actually see more.
The Western Regions Protectorate Official had started the trend, and the other spectators followed suit. Some had pretended to be reserved, but once the first cheer rang out, they could no longer hold back and climbed onto chairs to watch. Only Mo Chu and several old men remained seated, craning their bodies to peer into the arena.
Most people had come to watch this contest because of Pang Jing. No one had expected the two people least noticed in Jade City to offer such an unexpectedly thrilling duel.
Mo Lin made the first move. He was still at least fifteen paces from He Nu, far beyond the usual range of attack. His left foot continued forward at an angle, and the instant it touched down, his entire body shot into the air. Before most people could make out what he had done, he was already within three paces of He Nu, his saber striking in an unbroken series.
What was astonishing was that he