The morning sun broke over the basalt walls of the inner service courtyard, casting harsh light across the gravel pit arena where the second round of the preliminary qualifiers was about to commence. Overseers stood along the raised stone perimeter holding wooden tally boards, their eyes scanning the restless crowd of laborers who had gathered to watch the morning matches. Whispers rippled through the ranks regarding the unexpected outcome of the previous day when the quiet newcomer had sent Lu Peng crashing into the stones. Most of the senior workers assumed that first victory was nothing more than a freak accident born of pure beginner luck, but the second round promised to test whether the skinny commoner could survive a real confrontation in the ring.
Master Chai struck his iron link
