ON THE ISLAND, TWO pools of competitors waited their turns in the Battle Circle in separate rooms, Liao and the competitors in his bracket in the north wing, while Cheng and the competitors in his bracket in the south wing. Windows in each waiting area allowed them to watch the tournament as it progressed, blissfully unaware of the drama unfolding in the seas around the island.
With the exception of the first match of the first day of the tournament, Gengshi and his entourage observed the tournament from the safe seclusion of the Chancellor’s private compound located at the eastern edge of the battle circle. This part of the competition was no exception to that. While there was an unspoken rule of ancient and international acceptance that all hostilities between Clans would be set aside d
