Everyone present held their breath. The contest had begun, and they all wanted to know who would be the last one standing in the arena.
"Lord Yelü, please!" Huang Xiao said, cupping his hands in salute.
"You have come from afar as a guest. Lord Huang, make the first move!" Yelü Mengdu said magnanimously with a wave of his hand.
Huang Xiao smiled. "Since you are being so courteous, my lord, I won't stand on ceremony."
With that, Huang Xiao moved, his body turning into several afterimages in the spectators' eyes as he charged toward Yelü Mengdu.
"Paltry tricks!" Yelü Mengdu chuckled, standing where he was with seemingly no intention of striking.
But just as Huang Xiao's figure appeared before him, Yelü Mengdu thrust a palm to his own left.
With a bang, Huang Xiao's body did indeed appear on his left. Using the force of their clashing palms, Huang Xiao retreated two steps and smiled. "Your reactions are quite quick, Lord Yelü."
"Hmph, you thought you could fool my eyes with such meager tricks?" Yelü Mengdu said disdainfully. "I've let you make the first move. Now I'll start fighting for real."
"Good. That was only a little test. I hope you won't disappoint me now, Lord Yelü," Huang Xiao said with a smile.
The instant Huang Xiao finished speaking, Yelü Mengdu moved, charging straight at him without the slightest hesitation.
Blazing Yang Palm! Huang Xiao shouted inwardly. Internal power gathered in both his palms, which seemed to turn faintly red.
As Yelü Mengdu closed in, Huang Xiao thrust out both palms, seeking to force him back.
To Huang Xiao's surprise, however, Yelü Mengdu did not yield in the slightest and struck out with a palm of his own.
When their palms collided, both men shuddered violently, then shouted as