Chapter 26 - 25: Second Match Begins 2
The scent of smoke and tension still hung faintly in the air as the second round of the Grand Open Tournament entered its latter half. The ring, marred by deep slashes and broken tiles from the earlier exchanges, was a battlefield still humming with the echo of clashing ki. Most of the spectators had gone silent—not out of boredom, but disbelief. Only the faint whispers of astonishment or skepticism buzzed among the crowds. Many eyes now locked onto the two who stood motionless amidst the fallen bodies—masked Jinmu and serene Haria.
They hadn’t just won. They overwhelmed.
"...They defeated all eleven from Azure Thunder Hall’s circle. That’s... That’s not supposed to happen," one voice murmured behind a folding fan.
"They weren’t even scratched..."
"It must be some trick. They’re hiding something."
The other participants, especially the ones clustered behind the three remaining young masters, exchanged nervous glances. But behind the facade of hesitation was something far more calculating. As if on silent cue, their formation shifted again.
"Hoh," chuckled Juhwa Gyeongcheol, reclining with his arms behind his head, flame-patterned swords slung lazily across his back. The bare-chested prodigy of the Hwagyeong Sword Sect grinned as he nudged the tip of one sandal against the railing. "Looks like those two aren’t dull pebbles after all. That was... entertaining."
Across from him, Baekrin White Tiger Hall’s Seoryeon Baekho remained still, arms folded beneath the thick furs of his robe. Mist drifted faintly around his frame like breath in the cold. His gaze never shifted. He stared at Jinmu and Haria without emotion, as though studying wild beasts in a cage.
And seated closest to the edge, quietly sharpening his twin-edged saber with a whetstone drawn from his sash, Do Sangin of the Mugang Martial Pavilion let out a subtle breath.
"Still calm... after all that. Their footwork wasn’t just elegant," he murmured to himself. "It was... refined."
But despite the apparent interest, none of the three young masters seemed threatened.
Juhwa’s grin widened as he leaned forward. "Still, we can’t have them taking all the fun for themselves, can we?"