"Exactly!" someone nearby immediately agreed. "He won, fine, but did he have to be so deceitful? It's a disgrace to all Huajin Powerhouses! If we'd known he was this strong, we never would have agreed to the duel!"
The other Li Family disciples around them also muttered indignantly amongst themselves.
"Enough!"
A sharp command cut through their chatter.
Li Chong walked in the middle of the group, his brow furrowed, but his gaze was clear. "Who made the rule that you have to announce it to the world when you break through to Huajin? Didn't Meng Chao also keep it quiet when he reached Half-Step Huajin?"
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, his voice heavy. "A loss is a loss. We were outmatched, and making excuses is useless. Yang Jing held back and didn't cripple us, which was him sparing our dignity. Stop spouting nonsense and making us a laughingstock."
Hearing this, the surrounding Li Family disciples fell silent.
