The two men turned pale, picked up their swords, and silently left the field.
This was not ordinary sparring, but a crushing defeat that was clean and decisive, bringing not cheers and applause to the audience, but a sigh of relief.
Thanks to Master Shang.
As everyone's eyes turned to the man, he sheathed his sword and turned back towards the literary event.
If the young man's eight straight wins were a pure display of beauty and strength, then Master Shang's peaceful intervention was a release of the tensions.
The identities of the two men gradually spread among the audience. They were old rivals. Although it was unclear how such slips happened in the poetry contest, fortunately, it had been defused.