The students watched the fight with gaping mouths. Han Sen's power didn't seem as strong as Lone Bamboo's, but it felt as if the contestants were somehow even. The situation almost seemed self-contradictory.
The King class observers noticed Han Sen's energy, and when they saw it, they were shocked. They felt the same thing that the students felt, but they could understand a bit more.
Han Sen wasn't as powerful as Lone Bamboo, who was a Marquise. But it seemed that his energy wasn't being suppressed. He was getting stronger.
Despite the fact that Lone Bamboo's knifemind was continuing to grow, Han Sen wasn't being crushed under the weight.