Crimson Battle Gate.
"Oh no no no no..." Chang Li cowered, concealing himself behind a tree.
"Damn this... I need to get out of this place." He swallowed his salvia and looked beyond his tree, Chang Li slowly got out and flew up into the forest escaping.
This was the final segment of the Crimson Battle Gate competition, and the rules here appeared to deviate from what they were initially informed.
In this trial, everyone battled with ruthless intent.
Indeed, the prestigious competition within the sect had transmuted into a brutal contest, a bloodbath. Disciples vied for dominance, slaying their fellow sect members of elevated status to claim their standing, treasures, and points. These could be exchanged for power, but Chang Li cared little for such prizes; he was merely focused on escaping the carnage. He was not going to fight people that were from his sect, not to say kill them. he was escaping with all his favor, his energy was being spent on his legs as he wanted to get out of this place faster than ever, one thing was clear, this competition was put here to choose talented disciples, not to give people a chance to get more power... This was an unfair competition where Outer Sect, Inner Sect, and Core Sect disciples were here together. they were indeed not close to each other and there were barriers between fights of all the disciples but that would not be enough to stop someone from killing people weaker than them and take easy points for themselves. they wanted to do that.
"Why did I have to become Master's favored disciple?" Chang Li bit his lip and continued his escape, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
"COME TO ME, DISCIPLE!!!" A fiery-haired young man unleashed a devastating strike upon the ground, forming a colossal crater.
"Please, I only seek to leave this place. Let us avoid conflict," Chang Li implored, backing away to evade the impending attack.
"Apologies, Senior Brother, but you are a delectable morsel; everyone craves a slice..." The red-haired youth approached, cloaked in a menacing crimson aura.
"Damn it," Chang Li gritted his teeth and swiftly departed.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
"COME BACK!!!" The fiery-haired pursuer continued the relentless chase.
Chang Li was panting hard, he had been running away since he came here and the rules were introduced, he didn't want to fight anyone not to say actual disciples, in the past he had killed people before but all of them were bad guys, most of the times Alex was there and calmed him down after he killed someone and as the time went on he got used to killing people. But this was different way different, way way different, he was killing innocent disciples, most of the disciples here were just people who came to the Evil sects to survive after something happened to them.
Why had the elders sanctioned this?
Lost in contemplation, Chang Li was struck by an unexpected assault.
PZSSSTTTT!!!
A blade sliced through hundreds of trees, hurtling toward him.
Chang Li barely evaded it.
"Dammit." He looked up to see a graceful girl, her long, flowing purple hair cascading down her figure. Her sapphire eyes radiated a celestial elegance as she descended upon a leaf, like a deity descending to the mortal realm.
"Why..." Chang Li began, but before he could utter more, more figures descended from the sky, surrounding him.
They encircled him.
"Relinquish, Disciple of Grand Elder Chang, Senior Chang Li," one burly man declared, his massive hammer resting upon his shoulders.
"Just why are you guys coming after me this much, there are many core disciples in this Tournament... I am just one of them." Chang Li didn't even know he was considered someone important in the sect, he bearly even tried to go out and do anything outside of his building except for missions Old Chang Gave him to do.
"You have been granted the honor of being a Grand Elder's Disciple," the purple-haired girl explained, her sword drawn.
"Submit... There is no escape," the hefty man added, his club poised.
"Yield that which you do not deserve!!!" A red-haired man rushed at him.
"You are unworthy of this honor," another assailant lunged.
"Much like your friend, Zhi Li, who faltered," another assailant jeered.
"Huh?..." Chang Li watched as attacks rained down upon him from every direction, closing his eyes in resignation. But then, he heard something.
"Big Brother Li got scared?" He gritted his teeth, his eyes taking on a silvery gleam.
"NEVER!!!" In the span of a breath, he unsheathed his sword and resheathed it.
BZZT!!!
A silvery arc severed his assailants in an instant.
"Damn..." Chang Li closed his eyes, the aftermath of the carnage staining his mind.
"What have I done???!!!" He stumbled back in horror.
"You did what was necessary," a voice materialized behind him.
"AGHHHHHHG!!!" Chang Li fell back in shock.
Turning, he beheld a phantom, the very one that had visited him in his dreams.
"You... Are real?" Stuttering, Chang Li could hardly articulate his disbelief; he had assumed the phantom was confined to his dreams.
Yet here it stood before him, a serene smile upon its face.
"No... But you are real." The phantom drew near, placing a hand on Chang Li's head.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
An explosion ensued, and they both vanished.
"Beyond that, I recall nothing. I awoke, and the ordeal was concluded," Chang Li recounted to Alex.
Alex pondered the situation. He, too, was surprised that the phantom he had seen in his dreams was real. The meaning of "You are real" remained enigmatic, a riddle to unravel.
"Hmm... I see. Next time you encounter the phantom, ensure to..." Alex approached Chang Li and...
He transmitted his energy, imbuing Chang Li with the essence of his acquired soul attack technique.
"Visualize an attack, and let this technique guide you," Alex explained, marking Chang Li with a burning flame emblem on his shoulder.
"I understand," Chang Li nodded, sighing with understanding.
"It's already midnight; let's return," Alex gazed out into the night and spoke.
"Yes," Chang Li agreed, rising from his seat.
"Very well."
End Of Chapter.