Lu Ye's sudden concession not only set the entire venue in an uproar—even Chunyu Gui, the Jing Kingdom team leader, looked utterly stunned! He rose from his seat in the viewing stands, then abruptly sat back down.
This was not an occasion for him to speak. Whatever he said now would be wrong.
The chief referee was still standing on the stage. His raised hand had yet to lower, and the words announcing the start of the match caught in his throat—there was surprise in his eyes as well, but the gaze he cast upon Lu Ye, sharp and solemn as a blade in that instant, remained exceedingly gentle.
Like light.
Lu Ye felt as though he were bathed in light.
After that declaration of "I concede," he felt, with piercing clarity, the weight of countless gazes—suspicious, mocking, contemptuous, pitying, disgusted...
He was only seventeen.
No matter how much hardship he had endured, no matter how strong he pretended to be, he was still only this old.
The weight was hard to bear.
But when True Lord Jiang looked over, he suddenly felt his body grow light. Heavenly radiance flowed like water, washing away all that hardship.
He truly wanted to cry, yet he calmly looked ahead.
At this moment, all those countless eyes receded, as though True Lord Jiang were the only one looking at him.
But he knew. There was more than that...
"Lu Ye, you are a good child—clever, steadfast, and responsible. You surely understand what you are saying. I believe you have also thought it through carefully."
Jiang Wang said gently, "But I still want to remind you—this is the final stage of the Yellow River Assembly. It is not a place for jokes. You must be responsible for every word you say."
His voice was