Chapter 19: The Qualifier's Dawn

The morning of the qualifiers arrived with a sky the color of bruised iron. A cold wind swept down from the peaks, carrying the smell of snow that had not yet fallen. Ryu Jin stood at the edge of the main training grounds, his ironwood staff in hand, and watched the crowd gather. The arena was a vast circle of packed earth, ringed by stone benches that rose in tiers like the seats of an ancient am...