The figure standing tall in the center of the arena, spear in hand, was like a monolith, deeply etched into the eyes of all who watched.
Blood from the split web of his hand trickled slowly down the dark shaft of the spear.
Across from him, Xiao Bieli's Long Sword had flown from his grasp, landing askew in the green flagstones yards away.
His face was ashen, his chest heaving violently. He forcibly swallowed a mouthful of blood that had risen to his throat, but a crimson trickle escaping the corner of his mouth was still jarringly bright.
He staggered to his feet, his usual aloof air—like the cold, clear light of the moon—completely gone. All that remained was incredulous horror and a trace of bewilderment.
'He, Xiao Bieli, the most outstanding genius of Cold Jade Valley, one of the Five Heroes of Yunlin Prefecture's younger generation, who had never tasted defeat in all his duels... had actually lost?'
