The final morning of the Rust Hall preliminary tournament dawned with a thick mountain fog clinging to the basalt battlements of the service division. Hundreds of commoner laborers and senior casting masters crowded around the gravel pit arena, filling the courtyard with an electric wave of anticipation. Master Chai stood at the edge of the chalk circle holding his iron tally board, his scarred face set into a grim mask as he prepared for the championship bout.
Final match of the Rust Hall preliminary division, Master Chai shouted across the yard, his raspy voice cutting cleanly through the morning chill. Ye Mo of the coal crew versus Stone Arm of the primary smelting squad. Step into the circle.
Ye Chen stepped forward from the shadows of the storage portico, wearing his coarse gray wor
