2025-08-26 18:10:15The air in the Duō Clan battle grounds seemed to hum with energy. Thousands of eyes watched from tiered seats carved into the stone walls, their whispers and shouts rising into a storm of excitement. The arena was vast — a 5-kilometer-wide circle of polished stone, the ground etched with faint arrays that shimmered in the sunlight.
At its heart stood six square platforms, each a hundred meters across and reinforced with spirit inscriptions. These would host the duels, allowing several battles to unfold at once like the petals of a grand, bloody flower.
Elder Lǐ's voice, calm yet commanding, boomed across the grounds.
"The descendant battle will now commence! Let the clansmen demonstrate their strength!"
A glowing screen appeared before him, names forming into pairs. Gasps and murmurs rippled across the crowd as each descendant discovered their opponent.
But one name Duō Yī was absent from the first draw.
The whispers began instantly.
"I hope I get the failed son of the Clan Head.""He's only here to embarrass himself.""Whoever fights Duō Yī gets a free victory."
The cruel words weren't loud, but they carried needling into Duō Yī's chest like tiny blades.
Duō Yī kept his face still, but his knuckles whitened against his staff. He could feel eyes on him, some pitying, some mocking, and one pair sharper than the rest: Duō Zhēn's.
Zhēn's expression was unreadable as he clenched his fist and looked away, but the air between tension noticed by the crowd.
The Match-Ups
Elder Lǐ's voice rang again:
"The battles will proceed in the following order.Platform One: Duō Chóng vs. Duō RóngPlatform Two: Duō Líng vs. Duō KūnPlatform Three: Duō Méi vs. Duō XiǎoPlatform Four: Duō Wěi vs. Duō FāngPlatform Five: Duō Jiān vs. Duō LínPlatform Six: Duō Shēn vs. Duō Lì."
The crowd erupted into chatter as the combatants moved to their platforms, robes flaring, weapons gleaming. Duō Yī stayed in the stands, a mixture of relief and anticipation swirling in his gut.
"The battles will commence simultaneously. Participants, take your places! The remaining matches will be announced shortly."
The assembly dissolved into a flurry of activity as descendants hastened to their designated platforms. Duō Yī's eyes scanned the list, his name absent. A mix of relief and anticipation swirled within him. Suddenly, a soft murmur caught his attention. "Duō Yī's waiting for his chance to embarrass himself." Duō Yī's gaze shifted, searching for the speaker, but the crowd seemed to swallow the voice. his gaze returned to the platforms, his attention drawn to the battles unfolding before him. . ..
Duō Chóng stood tall, his lean build accentuated by his fitted, dark-gray robes. His raven-black hair was tied back, revealing piercing blue eyes – a hallmark of the Duō Clan's heritage. A sharp jawline and determined expression completed his resolute features. He wielded a slender, curved saber with an intricately designed hilt, adorned with small, silver tracings that seemed to shimmer in the light.
His opponent, Duō Róng, presented a stark contrast. Her long, wild hair cascaded down her back like a rich, auburn waterfall, framing her heart-shaped face and striking blue eyes. Her athletic build was evident beneath her flexible, leather armor, which seemed to mold to her every movement. A graceful, crescent-shaped sword hung at her side, its blade etched with minute, golden patterns that danced in the light.As the battle raged on, Duō Chóng's saber sliced through the air with deadly precision, only to be parried by Duō Róng's swift sword strikes. Their movements were a blur, each seeking to exploit the other's weaknesses.
The crowd watched, transfixed, as the two descendants clashed in a mesmerizing display of martial prowess. Next to them, on Platform Two, Duō Líng and Duō Kūn engaged in a battle of wits and brute force. On Platform Two, Duō Líng and Duō Kūn faced off in a titanic clash of strength and strategy. The air seemed to vibrate with anticipation as these two behemoths of the Duō Clan collided. Duō Líng, the towering giant, stood at an impressive 6'3" with a chiseled, granite-like physique. His bulging muscles rippled beneath his sleeveless, black robe, adorned with intricate, silver thread patterns. His piercing blue eyes blazed with intensity, and his sharp jawline seemed set in determination. The training scars on his cheeks, a series of intricate, crescent-shaped marks pulsed with his racing heartbeat. Duō Kūn, though slightly shorter, compensated with sheer mass. His 6'1" frame was a labyrinth of corded muscle, forged from years of rigorous training. His bald head glistened with sweat, accentuating his rugged features and the network of fine, silver threads woven into his gauntlets. His icy blue eyes burned with a fierce inner fire. As they circled each other, the crowd held its collective breath. The air was heavy with tension. Suddenly, Duō Líng unleashed a thunderous roar and charged forward. Duō Kūn met him head-on, their massive fists colliding in a shockwave of crunching bone and flesh. BOOM! The impact sent ripples through the thick stone platform, causing the ground beneath to tremble. The sound echoed through the grounds, a deafening crash that left spectators stunned. Duō Líng stumbled back, his face a crimson mask. Duō Kūn's eyes blazed with triumph, but his grin faltered as Duō Líng rebounded with a vicious counterattack. CRACK! THUD! SMASH! A flurry of punches rained down upon Duō Kūn, each blow landing with precision and force. The stone platform shuddered beneath their feet as they exchanged blows. Duō Kūn retaliated with a crushing haymaker, but Duō Líng sidestepped, using the momentum to fuel his own strike. KA-BOOM! Their fists met in mid-air, the collision sending shockwaves through the stone. The sound was akin to boulders crashing, leaving onlookers aghast. Sweat dripped from their brows as they battled on, their grunts and snarls mingling with the cacophony of clashing fists. Duō Líng unleashed a whirlwind kick, but Duō Kūn caught his leg, spinning him around. Duō Líng countered with a devastating elbow drop. THUD! Duō Kūn stumbled, his eyes widening. Duō Líng seized the opening, unleashing a barrage of rapid-fire punches. CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! The outcome hung in the balance, each warrior refusing to yield. Duō Kūn stumbled backward, his defenses wavering under Duō Líng's relentless assault. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The rapid-fire punches pounded against Duō Kūn's guard, threatening to shatter his resolve. Duō Líng sensed victory within his grasp and pressed his advantage. KA-BOOM! A crushing kick sent Duō Kūn crashing to the stone platform. The crowd gasped, anticipating the finishing blow. Duō Líng raised his fist, poised for the decisive strike. But Duō Kūn refused to yield. With a feral roar, he launched himself upward. Their bodies collided in mid-air. BOOM! The impact sent shockwaves through the platform. The outcome hung precariously.
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The Ninth Pill
“Please…”“Please…”“I–I’m sorry…”The muffled pleadings barely escaped his cracked lips, trembling with desperation. That was all Duō Yī could produce now ,a pitiful echo trapped within the stone walls of the cavern. His throat was raw, his voice half-gone, but still he begged. For mercy. For death. For something,anything to end the torment.It had been two weeks of what could no longer be called torture. Torture was too clean a word, too human. This was desecration. Flesh flayed, bones split, nerves burnt until even pain itself began to rot. Every breath was a struggle. Every second was a lifetime.Each day began with hope and ended in flayed skin, ruptured meridians, and screams swallowed by the dark. The Gardener’s tests blurred together. needles of bone, cauldrons of acid, pills that seethed like burning stars. From the moment he survived those first two pills the ones that should have killed him his fate had been sealed. The Gardener had turned him into a mere experiment, a puppe
Only One Left
Pain!! Unbridled, merciless pain. It was as if searing hot knives coated in molten lava pierced through every fiber of his being. Every cell screamed in agony, a relentless symphony of torment that threatened to shatter his mind. His body felt like a vessel about to explode, bloated beyond its limits, veins distending painfully under the pressure. The qi inside him roared like a wild beast, surging uncontrollably, desperately seeking an escape.Duō Yī's vision blurred, red haze swallowing everything. His thoughts were a chaotic scramble—if he didn't find a way to release this excess qi soon, he would burst, ending his suffering in a single, final moment of annihilation. The pain was relentless, a white-hot white noise that drowned out reason. Seconds stretched into what felt like days, each moment a torment, each breath a struggle.In the chaos of his mind, a fragment of will flickered remembering an ability he had not used in a while due to scarce resources. A flicker of hope amid t
The Last Ingredient
Pain Hunger Thirst. All that a body could endure had already been endured.Days bled into weeks. Weeks bled into months. Time itself became meaningless inside the furnace’s cavern.Duō Yī had long lost count of how many times the screams rose and faded. How many times the vines twitched to feed. How many faces had gone pale before being dragged away to the cauldron.Hu Lì. Xiǎo Yǔ. gone ,refined. They had been spared the torture of waiting.The old thing had appeared only a few times since then, either to drag more bodies or to test those accursed pills. From the fragments of his ramblings, Duō Yī had pieced together a single name.The Gardener. That was what he called himself.He didn’t grow flowers. He cultivated death.A wet, slurred sound drifted through the stagnant air. “Urrghhh… bwooo… zeerr… yi…”Duō Yī turned his head, slow and heavy, as though his neck were rusted iron. Where Zhāng Wei should have been, there was only… it.A pulsing, abominable lump of meat suspend
Crimson Pills
BANG!!BANG!!BANG!The constant sound of pounding was all that could be heard. pestle against iron,night and day.The air was thick with the stench of boiled flesh and scorched blood. Each impact sent a dull vibration through the cavern walls, followed by the squelch of meat ground to paste and the muffled screams of those still alive within the writhing vines.Days had passed since their capture. Days since Hú Lì had been thrown into the furnace and refined into something unrecognizable. Since then, the old figure had rarely shown himself. He spent most of his time at the furnace’s side, muttering incoherent incantations, performing strange hand signs, and ranting in a feverish ecstasy. The only time he appeared before the captives was to drag another group of mortals to the cauldron’s hungry mouth.Duō Yī, Zhāng Wei, and Xiǎo Yǔ had tried everything to escape. They clawed at the vines, whispered chants under their breath, even tried to forcefully ignite their qi. It was useless. Ea
The Cauldron of Blood
"Ughhhhh"Duō Yī’s eyes fluttered open.Darkness pressed down all around him, thick and suffocating. He tried to move, but something cold and damp constricted his body. He looked down, translucent vines coiled around his arms, chest, and legs, pulsating faintly with ghostly light. Each throb carried a chilling rhythm, like a second heartbeat not his own.He tried to summon his qi.Nothing.It was as if the very air smothered his core, chains pressing against his meridians, sealing his strength shut. Panic surged through him as he tugged against the bindings to no avail.Then the sounds reached him.Low groans. Whimpers. The faint, broken cries of men, women and children. His eyes adjusted to the gloom, and what he saw twisted his stomach.The missing mortals were strung along the cavern walls, suspended in vine-like cocoons. Some still writhed weakly inside, their faces pale as their life drained away. Others were packed into cages of bone and vine, the bars slick with moisture, thei
The Silent Harvest
Zhāng Wei’s eyes snapped open.Something was wrong.The stillness of the palace chambers pressed too heavily, the air carrying faint tremors that prickled against his skin. He sat up swiftly, nudging the others awake.“Ughhhh, what is it now?” Hú Lì groaned, rubbing his face, hair sticking up like a bird’s nest.“Shhhh,” Zhāng Wei hushed, his tone low, sharp. “Do you feel that?”“Feel what?” Xiǎo Yǔ mumbled, still curled up with her blanket, rubbing her eyes.“Qi fluctuations,” Duō Yī answered before Zhāng Wei could. His gaze was fixed on the window, eyes narrowing. “Although faint, it’s unmistakable. Someone’s weaving a spell.”That sobered them instantly.Hú Lì rolled to his feet, snatching up his weapon, a grin twitching at the corner of his mouth though his jaw was tight. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go see what bastard thinks he can hide in the shadows.”They slipped into the night.The palace courtyards lay wide and empty, cloaked in mist. Beyond, Jiāng Lí’s streets stre
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