The Breath Before the Storm
The arena was silent but for the drumbeats pounding like a serpent's heart. Bao Zhi's scaled body loomed, fists raised, venom qi swirling. Shen Lian stood bloodied, trembling, his veins dark beneath his skin, one hand lifted, tendrils writhing faintly under his flesh.
For one heartbeat, the world held its breath.
⸻
The Crowd
From the terraces, the disciples shouted, their voices a storm of fear and fascination.
"He's finished!"
"No one can pierce Bao Zhi's scales!"
"Did you see his shadow? It moved—like petals!"
Others whispered more softly, as if afraid to be heard.
"If he wins again… is he still human?"
⸻
Su Rou
At the edge of the terrace, Su Rou's hands clenched around the railing until her knuckles turned white. Her lips trembled, but no sound came out.
She had seen the flicker behind him, the shadow that tried to bloom. The lotus.
Her chest ached with each drumbeat. She wanted him to win. She wanted him to live. But she feared what winning would mean—that Shen Lian would not walk away himself, but something else wearing his face.
Her eyes blurred with tears. "Please… remember yourself…" she whispered, unheard in the roar.
⸻
The Elders
In the Hall of Green Flames above, the elders leaned forward, their voices a venomous hiss of whispers.
"Look at him—demonic!"
"He's breaking!"
"If he blooms, kill him here, before he consumes more!"
Elder Han's cane rattled against the stone. "He should never have been allowed this far!"
Another elder, thinner, voice smooth as oil, murmured: "Or perhaps this is exactly how far he should go. Even Bao Zhi may fall. Do you not smell the rise of a serpent stronger than any we've bred?"
Their eyes glittered, some with terror, others with greed.
⸻
Hei Zong and Mo Xuan
Sect Master Hei Zong sat rigid on the serpent-bone throne, his jaw clenched, his gaze sharp.
He muttered under his breath, "If he blooms, he dooms us all…"
Beside him, Elder Mo Xuan smiled faintly, his eyes glimmering like coiled serpents.
"And if he blooms," Mo Xuan whispered, "he saves us all."
⸻
The Moment
On the platform, Bao Zhi lunged, his scaled fist descending like a hammer, venom qi erupting in a green blaze.
Shen Lian's eyes flickered with slit pupils. His hand rose, trembling, the black lotus in his chest pulsing so violently it shook his veins.
The air split with a sound no one could name.
The crowd gasped as smoke and black light erupted, drowning both fighters in shadow.
For an instant, all anyone saw was the shape of petals, wide and sharp, blooming in the mist.
Then silence.
⸻
Cliffhanger
When the smoke cleared, Bao Zhi lay sprawled on the stone, unmoving.
And Shen Lian still stood.
His chest heaved. His veins glowed faintly black. His eyes gleamed inhuman in the green firelight.
The crowd screamed in awe and terror.
But none—not even Su Rou—could yet see how he had won.