Emperor eyes narrowing at the board game before him. Wooden pieces carved into soldiers, generals, and beasts were neatly arranged on the lacquered surface. Opposite him sat General Kael, his expression unreadable, the faintest curve of a smirk tugging at his lips.
"It seems," Kael said, sliding a black piece forward, "that no matter how you move, Your Majesty, fate enjoys favoring me."
The emperor's hand paused above his next move. Something in Kael's words carried a double edge was it a taunt about the game or the trial? He chose his move carefully, pushing forward his general piece.
Kael chuckled under his breath. "You may rule the empire, but in this game…" He leaned forward, voice low. "Power bows to no crown. Only to strength."
The emperor said nothing. His gaze flickered briefly to the crystal sphere hovering beside the board, within which the Trial of Seeds unfolded.
Inside the trial, Xiao Feng's brush moved steadily across the small notebook. Each stroke of ink carried weight every cultivator's name he recorded meant another path he would eventually cut off, another seed extinguished. Yet his hand did not tremble.
The plaza was filled with cultivators clashing, each desperate to gather the floating demon seeds. One by one, Xiao Feng had quietly eliminated their hopes, draining their seeds. But then, his calm was shattered.
Across the square, one figure stood apart. A cultivator cloaked in silver flame gathered seeds at an impossible pace. His movements were sharp, brutal, relentless snatching every fragment of power before others could even react. By the time Xiao Feng noticed, the man had gathered nearly all of them, his aura swelling like a storm contained within flesh.
The air trembled around him. His eyes gleamed, no longer fully human.
"Impossible…" Xiao Feng muttered. His notebook trembled slightly in his grip. "So many seeds in one body how is he still standing?"
The cultivator turned, as if sensing Xiao Feng's gaze. His lips curved into a feral grin.
Xiao Feng's instincts screamed. He spun and bolted down the street, clutching the notebook tight. His only thought was clear: I need Chen Hao. Alone, I can't face him.
The silver-flamed cultivator gave chase. His speed was monstrous. Within breaths, Xiao Feng felt heat singe across his back as a fiery strike barely missed him. He stumbled, rolling to his feet, blood streaking his lips.
"Run, little scribe," the man's voice echoed behind him, deep and distorted. "But no one escapes the path of power."
Xiao Feng clenched his jaw. He darted into a deserted square, forcing his pursuer to follow. He slammed the notebook shut and drew upon the faint flicker of qi inside him. His chest burned as the crimson glow surged from within.
For the first time, his qi bled into the air, thick and tangible.
The ground cracked. The air rippled. And then
With a roar, an elemental beast emerged. A massive wolf cloaked in flickering embers burst into being, its eyes blazing with the same red as Xiao Feng's qi. The beast's presence was overwhelming, its aura a mixture of fury and loyalty.
Xiao Feng fell to one knee, sweat pouring from his brow. His body was never prepared for this. But he forced his arm up, pointing at his enemy.
"Crimson Fang… devour him!"
The wolf lunged, The cultivator staggered back, shielding himself as flames wrapped around him. But when the fire cleared, he still stood scorched, but alive. His laughter rang out, low and terrible.
"Even beasts cannot consume me. Do you know why?" His body flared, dozens of seeds glowing under his skin like molten stars. "Because I am the vessel of all their power!"
Xiao Feng's vision blurred. His beast howled, striking again and again, but the man pushed through, step by step, until he stood before Xiao Feng.
"You'll die here."
The cultivator raised his hand. Power condensed into a searing lance of light. Xiao Feng tried to rise, but his limbs were leaden, his qi nearly dry. His beast snarled in front of him, but even it flickered, weakening with its master.
Xiao Feng's lips twisted into a bitter smile. "So this is… where I end?"
The emperor, watching from above, leaned forward, eyes fixed on the scene. Kael's smirk widened.
"See? Demon seeds are the true path. Look at the boy struggle. Look at the vessel of power stand unbroken."
But just as the cultivator's strike descended
A flash of steel cleaved the air.
The searing lance shattered.
Chen Hao stood at Xiao Feng's side, his sword gleaming with azure light. His eyes, sharp as an eagle's, locked on the enemy.
"You will not touch him," Chen Hao said, his voice calm but edged with steel.
The cultivator snarled. "Another insect dares to fight."
"Azure Tempest Slash!"
Chen Hao's blade blurred, wind spiraling around it. The strike howled like a storm, forcing the cultivator back several steps. Xiao Feng gasped for breath, relief flooding him.
"You're late," he muttered weakly.
Chen Hao offered him a hand, never taking his eyes off their foe. "And you're reckless. Stand. We end this together."
Side by side, they faced the monstrous cultivator.
"Crimson Beast Resonance!" Xiao Feng roared, his elemental wolf flaring brighter, flames reforged by Xiao Feng's stubborn will.
"Sword of the Rising Gale!" Chen Hao's sword shimmering with layered currents of wind.
The beast lunged, Chen Hao struck, and the cultivator roared in defiance. Power clashed, tearing the square apart, stones flying as light and fire consumed the battlefield. The cultivator fought like a demon, his seed-fueled strength overwhelming. Yet together, Xiao Feng and Chen Hao pressed him back, strike after strike.
At last, Chen Hao's blade pierced the man's chest, pinning him. Xiao Feng thrust his hand forward, qi flooding into the notebook. The cultivator screamed as his name burned from its pages, the seeds within him unraveling into ash.
And then silence.
The enemy collapsed, lifeless.
Xiao Feng and Chen Hao stood panting, both drained to their limits. Chen Hao reached out, gripping Xiao Feng's shoulder.
"Next time, don't try to play hero alone."
Xiao Feng chuckled weakly. "I didn't. I waited for you."
Above, Kael's smirk faltered for just a second as the emperor's piece claimed another on the board.
"Strength alone is not enough, Emperor," the general said softly. "Unity is power."
Emperor said nothing, but his eyes burned.
The trial was nearing its end. The weaker cultivators were gone, their seeds extinguished. Only the top twenty remained, their seeds far more potent, far more dangerous. Xiao Feng knew each would be harder to erase than the last.
As the cultivators were guided back toward the main hall, Chen Hao tugged Xiao Feng toward an empty section.
"Here," he said, pulling out two seats. "We'll stay together. Don't get lost again."
Xiao Feng nodded but remained restless. His mind turned over the mysteries he had glimpsed. When Chen Hao closed his eyes to meditate, Xiao Feng slipped away, curiosity gnawing at him.
That was when he saw it.
A thick red mist coiling through the air, seeping from a royal mansion within the village illusion. His chest tightened as he pushed the door open.
Inside, a massive seed pulsed, grotesque and alive, feeding on the mist itself. Its veins spread across the chamber like roots, pulsating as though it were breathing.
Xiao Feng froze, horror clawing at him.
"What… what is this for?" he whispered.
But no answer came.
Staggering back, he left the mansion. Outside, the mist faded, leaving only an ancient gate ahead the same gate that haunted his dreams. Its surface shimmered, almost beckoning.
He forced himself to turn away, returning to Chen Hao before anyone noticed. Together, they entered the main hall as the host appeared.
"Rankings will now be announced," the host declared.
One by one, names appeared upon the board. Xiao Feng's name settled at 25+, Chen Hao's beside his. Relief, and yet unease, filled Xiao Feng. The trial was over or so it seemed.
As the cultivators dispersed, the emperor set his final piece down, his eyes unreadable.
Kael leaned back with his victorious smirk. "Once again, Your Majesty, I win."
But Xiao Feng, stepping out of the illusory trial, felt nothing like victory. His thoughts clung to the red mist, the monstrous seed, and the haunting gate that seemed to follow him wherever he went.
What game am I truly caught in?
The chapter closed in silence, leaving questions far heavier than answers.