At dusk, as the official ship carrying Chu Xisheng slowly left the shore, the martial cultivators on Tianling Commandery's docks still refused to disperse.
They gathered in groups of three or five, their discussions unending.
Some wanted more, some were overcome with regret, some seethed with hatred, and some sighed with emotion. Others argued loudly until their faces and ears turned red.
"-Does our Wu Province have no one left? Are we letting an outsider run wild on our own turf?"
"There really is no one left. At Eighth-Rank Upper, Zhen Nian and Bai Guangda are our two strongest young saber wielders. The top ten on the Azure Cloud Ranking are all seventh-rank and a full twelve years older. It wouldn't be reasonable for them to step in."
"A colossal humiliation! A colossal humiliation! The mighty Wu Province, held down by some bastard from Eastern Province!"
"That's one of the Ten Divine Talented Young Blades for you! Heavenly Secret Pavilion had good reason to select its Ten Talents of Divine Excellence."
"I'm just curious about that last strike. What happened there? It was an ordinary Draw-Saber Form, just a little faster. Zhen Nian had clearly put some distance between them. Why didn't he swing his saber to block? It practically looked like he lost on purpose."
"Impossible! There must be a reason. Several fifth-grade martial cultivators were on the platform, and none of them said anything. Besides, who is Zhen Nian? His family has immense wealth. How could he possibly lose to Chu Xisheng on purpose?"
"I was right below the arena. I heard the Iron Sword Gang's chief say it myself: 'A fine White Horse Is Not a Horse! A young hero-the Xiu River's rear waves drive the waves ahead.'"
Five-Elements Divine Saber Zhuang Zhengde stood motionless on the