Chapter 93: Frost and Fool
The first batch of the third stage went by in a whirlwind of flashing steel, flying sand, and the wet or is it dry sounds of broken bones. The crowd was still buzzing from the raw energy of the previous round, but as the winners were dragged off to recover and the losers were carried away on stretchers, a heavy, and expectant silence fell over the plaza. Then came the second batch. Bao Zi was called up to Arena 03. His fight was painful to watch for anyone with a weak heart; he was panting heavily, and his white steam was thinning out until it looked like a boiling kettle losing its flame, and he looked like he was one solid hit away from collapsing into a puddle of sweat. But somehow, by tripping over his own boots at just the right moment and accidentally head-butting his opponent's chin while falling, he barely scraped by with a win. He wobbled off the stage, looking more like a drowned rat than a victor, clutching his sore head. (Ouch...)
