The crowd had barely calmed from Sect Master Lin's announcement when the host elders stepped forward again, jade slips in hand. One by one, names were drawn from the long scroll of remaining competitors, pairing them in the new point-based format.
The host elder's voice rang out:
"First duel of the day Princess Hong Xue of the Crimson Jade Dynasty versus Yin Rou of the Silken Vein Pavilion!"
The announcement was enough to stir the entire arena. Crimson Jade's Second Princess, famed for her Poison Fire attribute and the devastating Lotus Blaze Arts, was going to face Widow Bai's blood-born daughter a girl who fought with eyes sewn shut, relying on nothing but her uncanny blood-sense and the killing precision of Soul-Linked Scarlet Threads.
Politics Before the Fight
On the elevated dais, Empress Feng Lanyi leaned forward, her expression all silk and knives."Matron Bai," she said in a voice sweet enough to hide the venom beneath, "do not let today's bout grow… unsightly. Tell your daughter to yield when appropriate. Let the match be entertaining, but let the Empire have its victory."
Widow Bai returned her gaze without blinking."As you wish, Your Majesty. I will speak to her."
When Yin Rou arrived at the Pavilion's corner, Widow Bai's voice slipped into her mind via a silken sound transmission."Rou'er, make the fight graceful. Do not harm the princess."
"Yes, Mother," Yin Rou replied calmly.But behind her stitched lids, her blood-sense pulsed like a predator testing its cage.
The Duel Begins
The barrier shimmered into place. Princess Hong Xue stepped onto the platform in a swirl of lotus-shaped flames, her Molten Jade Fan snapping open with a metallic clang. The flames shimmered gold at the edges, laced with a faint green tinge of poison heat and venom bound as one.
Yin Rou's entrance was quieter a slow unfurling of crimson threads from her sleeves, each one gleaming like a hairline blade. Her white robe trailed to the ground, the hem already darkened by the blood-qi infused in her threads.
They bowed.
"Begin!" the referee called.
Opening Exchange
Hong Xue's First Move – Lotus Bloom IgnitionThe princess swept her fan upward, releasing a wave of lotus-shaped flames that fanned out to engulf the center of the arena.
Yin Rou's Counter – Thousand Vein NetHer fingers twitched, and dozens of threads wove into a mesh that absorbed the impact of the flames, glowing red-hot but not breaking. She tugged her hands apart, the heated net snapping forward like a molten snare toward the princess's legs.
Hong Xue leapt back, flames flaring at her feet, and snapped her fan shut.
Shift in Tactics
Yin Rou tilted her head slightly. Her fingers danced, releasing Blood-Silk Needles barbed thread tips hardened with spiritual qi shooting forward in spirals.
Hong Xue's Flame Veil Step carried her sideways, flames bursting from her heels to intercept most of them. Yet two threads grazed her sleeve, slicing it open in neat, smoking lines.
The crowd roared at the precision.
The Trap
The princess countered with Burning Lotus Spiral, spinning in place and sending a whirlwind of fire outward. Yin Rou didn't retreat she lunged into the flames, threads swirling around her body in a spiraling shell called Cocoon of the Widow.
While inside the firestorm, Yin Rou's threads split into near-invisible filaments that shot under the cover of the heat haze. By the time Hong Xue noticed, Six Fang Binding had already tightened around her wrists and ankles.
With a sharp pull, Yin Rou yanked her opponent off-balance, the threads digging into skin like serrated steel. Hong Xue's arm bled from a clean slice, the crimson quickly sizzling in her own heat.
The Final Exchange
The Empress's eyes narrowed, her hand clenching into a fist as Yin Rou closed the distance. The threads tightened further not enough to cripple, but enough to leave visible wounds. The princess's cheek was nicked, a thin red line marking her flawless skin.
Hong Xue roared, fanning out one final Blazing Heart Bloom, sending a concentrated lotus of fire at point-blank range.
Yin Rou pivoted sideways, the attack grazing her robe. Her threads already wrapped around the princess constricted in a sudden whip-like snap, the move known as Blood Vein Lash. The force tore Hong Xue's footing out from under her, slamming her onto the heated arena floor.
Before she could rise, a single thread hovered at her throat, gleaming with the faintest poisonous sheen.
"I yield," Hong Xue ground out, her voice tight.
The crowd erupted. This wasn't the expected script. The Second Princess of the Crimson Jade Dynasty had been defeated not brutally, but decisively.
Up on the dais, the Empress's face remained unreadable, but her nails had dug into the wood of her seat. Widow Bai's faint smile carried no warmth at all.
To be continued...