Kai Zhang woke up to someone kicking him in the ribs.
"Get up, trash! The Blood Moon ceremony starts in an hour!"
He groaned and opened his eyes.
A burly guy with scars across his face was standing over him, sneering. Behind him, Kai could see stone walls covered in dark red stains.
Where the hell am I?
"I said get up!" The scarred guy kicked him again, harder this time.
Kai scrambled to his feet, his mind racing.
The last thing he remembered was walking home from work, then a bright light, then... nothing.
"What's going on? Where—"
"Shut your mouth and follow me. Lord Xie doesn't like waiting."
The scarred guy grabbed Kai by the collar and dragged him out of what looked like a prison cell. They walked down a long corridor lit by torches that burned with purple flames. Other prisoners—or disciples? Kai couldn't tell—were being dragged out of their cells too.
This is bad. This is very, very bad.
Then suddenly, a blue screen appeared in front of his face.
[System Initialization Complete]
[Welcome to the Demonic Sect Survival System!]
[You have been transmigrated to the body of Kai Zhang, outer disciple of the Blood Demonic Sect]
[Current Status: About to be sacrificed in a demonic ritual]
[Chance of Survival: 2%]
"What?!" Kai shouted.
The scarred guy smacked him upside the head. "I said shut up!"
[Quest Alert!]
[Urgent Quest: DON'T DIE]
[Objective: Survive the Blood Moon Ceremony]
[Reward: 1000 EXP, Basic Demonic Cultivation Manual, 100 System Points]
[Penalty for Failure: Death (obviously)]
[Time Remaining: 0:58:32]
Kai's blood ran cold. He'd read enough web novels to know what "transmigration" meant. Somehow, he'd been thrown into another world, into someone else's body. And that someone was about to be killed in a ritual.
"System, what the hell is a Blood Moon Ceremony?!"
[The Blood Demonic Sect sacrifices outer disciples to strengthen their core disciples' cultivation]
[Approximately 50 disciples will enter the Bloodstone Arena]
[Only 5 will survive]
[Good luck!]
"Good luck?! That's all you've got?!"
Another smack to the head from the scarred guy. "Keep talking and I'll cut your tongue out."
Kai shut his mouth and tried to think. Okay, so he was in a demonic sect, about to be thrown into some kind of battle royale death match.
[Would you like to view your Status?]
"Yes!" he whispered urgently.
[Host: Kai Zhang]
[Age: 17]
[Cultivation: Body Tempering Realm - Level 3]
[Level: 1]
[EXP: 0/100]
[HP: 100/100]
[Qi: 50/50]
[Strength: 9]
[Agility: 7]
[Vitality: 10]
[Intelligence: 15]
[Luck: 3]
[Skills: Basic Fist Technique (Beginner), Demonic Qi Circulation (Beginner)]
[System Points: 0]
[Inventory: Empty]
His stats were terrible.
Body Tempering Realm Level 3? That was basically a beginner! How was he supposed to survive against 49 other disciples?
They reached a massive set of black iron doors. The scarred guy pushed them open, revealing an arena the size of a football field. The ground was covered in dark red sand—definitely blood-soaked—and the walls were lined with spectators.
In the center of the arena stood a tall man in blood-red robes. His eyes glowed with purple light, and dark energy swirled around him like smoke.
"Welcome, young disciples!" His voice boomed across the arena. "I am Lord Xie, Elder of the Blood Demonic Sect! Tonight, during the Blood Moon, you will have the honor of participating in our sacred ceremony!"
The "honor" of dying, more like.
Other disciples were being pushed into the arena. Kai counted quickly—exactly 50 of them. Most looked terrified. Some were crying. A few looked ready to fight.
[Blood Moon Ceremony commencing in 5 minutes]
[Analyzing opponents...]
[Warning: 3 disciples are at Body Tempering Realm Level 7]
[Warning: 1 disciple is at Body Tempering Realm Level 9]
[Recommended strategy: Hide and pray]
"That's your strategy? Hide and pray?!"
[Host's combat abilities are insufficient for direct confrontation]
[Survival is more important than pride]
Lord Xie raised his hands, and the purple flames around the arena grew brighter.
"The rules are simple! Fight until only five remain alive! The survivors will be promoted to inner disciples and receive cultivation resources! The rest... will nourish the Bloodstone!"
A massive stone altar rose from the center of the arena. It was covered in glowing red runes that pulsed like a heartbeat.
"Oh, that's not creepy at all," Kai muttered.
[Blood Moon Ceremony begins in 60 seconds]
[Shop Feature Unlocked!]
[Emergency Starter Package Available: 500 System Points]
[Would you like to purchase on credit?]
"I can buy things? Yes! What's in the package?!"
[Emergency Starter Package Contents:]
[- Basic Healing Pill x3]
[- Smoke Bomb x2]
[- Rusty Dagger]
[- One random skill book]
[Cost: 500 System Points (Current balance: 0)]
[System will loan points at 50% interest]
[Payment due after completing first quest]
"Fifty percent interest?! That's robbery!"
[Death is also an option]
"Fine! Buy it!"
[Purchase confirmed]
[Debt: 500 System Points (+ 50% interest = 750 System Points total)]
Items appeared in his inventory. The moment they did, knowledge flooded into his mind—how to use the smoke bombs, where to strike with the dagger for maximum damage.
[Random Skill Book obtained: Shadow Step (Common Grade)]
[Would you like to learn this skill? Cost: 100 Qi]
His Qi would drop to zero, but what choice did he have?
"Learn it!"
[Skill Learned: Shadow Step]
[Effect: Temporarily increase Agility by 50% for 10 seconds]
[Qi Cost: 30]
[Cooldown: 60 seconds]
Knowledge of the technique filled his mind. It wasn't anything fancy—just a way to move faster by channeling qi into his legs—but it might save his life.
"Let the ceremony BEGIN!" Lord Xie's voice thundered.
Immediately, chaos erupted.
A disciple near Kai lunged at another with a makeshift weapon. Someone screamed. Blood sprayed across the sand.
Move! Move now!
Kai activated Shadow Step. His body suddenly felt lighter, faster. He sprinted toward the edge of the arena, away from the fighting in the center. His plan was simple—let the stronger disciples kill each other first.
[Agility temporarily increased to 10.5]
[Duration: 9 seconds remaining]
He dove behind a large rock formation near the arena wall. From here, he could see the battle unfolding.
It was brutal.
The stronger disciples were cutting through the weaker ones like a hot knife through butter. One guy—probably the Level 9 cultivator—was using some kind of claw technique that literally ripped people apart.
[15 disciples eliminated]
[35 remaining]
Only thirty seconds had passed, and already 15 people were dead.
Kai pulled out the rusty dagger from his inventory. It wasn't much, but it was better than his fists. He needed to stay hidden, stay smart, and wait for the right moment.
"Found you!"
Kai spun around.
A girl with wild eyes and blood splattered across her face was standing behind him, holding a jagged piece of metal.
"Nothing personal, I just need to survive!" she hissed
She lunged at him. Kai barely rolled out of the way. The metal scraped against the rock where his head had been a second ago.
[HP: 95/100]
She'd grazed his shoulder. Blood dripped down his arm.
"Wait! We don't have to fight!" Kai said, backing away.
"Yes we do! Only five survive!"
She attacked again.
This time, Kai was ready. He threw one of his smoke bombs at the ground between them.
POOF!
Black smoke exploded everywhere.
The girl coughed and stumbled backward.
Kai didn't hesitate. He activated Shadow Step again and moved behind her. Using the technique knowledge the system had given him, he struck the back of her knee with his dagger—not to kill, just to disable.
She screamed and collapsed.
[HP: 90/100]
Kai ran. He didn't look back. He couldn't afford to.
[22 disciples eliminated]
[28 remaining]
The arena was getting quieter now. Most of the weak disciples were already dead. Only the strong and the lucky remained.
Kai found another hiding spot behind a pile of corpses. It was disgusting, but it kept him out of sight.
[Quest Update: 23 more disciples must be eliminated]
[Current strategy is working]
[Continue hiding]
Minutes passed.
The sounds of fighting grew less frequent. Kai peeked out from his hiding spot and saw the Level 9 cultivator—a muscular guy with a shaved head—standing over three bodies.
"Come out, cowards!" the guy shouted.
"Stop hiding and fight me like real cultivators!"
[8 disciples remaining]
[3 more must be eliminated]
Kai stayed hidden. No way was he fighting that monster directly.
Suddenly, two disciples burst from hiding spots on opposite sides of the arena. They both charged at the muscular guy, clearly planning to team up.
Smart move. Too bad the muscular guy was even smarter.
He used some kind of explosive palm technique that sent both disciples flying. One slammed into the wall and didn't get up. The other landed hard and tried to crawl away, but the muscular guy stomped on his back.
Crack!
[6 disciples remaining]
[1 more must be eliminated]
This was it. Just one more person had to die, and Kai would survive. He just had to stay hidden a little longer.
But then the muscular guy started walking around the arena, checking every hiding spot.
"I know you're here somewhere," he called out. "Come out and I'll make it quick!"
[Warning: Opponent approaching your location]
[Distance: 15 meters]
[Recommended action: Engage or relocate]
Kai looked around frantically. If he moved, the guy would see him. But if he stayed, he'd be found anyway.
Then he noticed something. The Bloodstone altar in the center of the arena—the one with all the glowing runes—was starting to pulse faster. The bodies of the dead disciples were turning into red mist and flowing into it.
[Blood Moon Ceremony nearing completion]
[Warning: Bloodstone will explode in 60 seconds]
[All remaining disciples will die unless they reach the safe zones]
"What?! Where are the safe zones?!"
[Safe zones marked on minimap]
A mini map appeared in the corner of his vision, showing the arena layout. Five glowing spots were marked in different locations—the safe zones.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
[Distance: 10 meters]
The muscular guy was getting closer. Kai could hear his footsteps crunching on the bloody sand.
He had two choices: hide and get caught, or make a run for the nearest safe zone and hope he was fast enough.
[Bloodstone explosion in 45 seconds]
Screw it.
Kai burst from his hiding spot and sprinted toward the nearest safe zone. Immediately, he heard the muscular guy roar behind him.
"There you are!"
[Shadow Step activated]
[Agility temporarily increased]
Kai's legs pumped faster than he'd ever run in his life. The safe zone was only twenty meters away. He could make it.
Behind him, he heard footsteps getting closer. The muscular guy was fast—probably had a movement technique too.
[Bloodstone explosion in 30 seconds]
Fifteen meters.
[HP: 75/100]
Something hit his back—probably a qi attack. It felt like being punched by a car. But Kai kept running.
Ten meters.
[Bloodstone explosion in 20 seconds]
The muscular guy was right behind him now. Kai could feel his presence, could hear him gathering qi for another attack.
Five meters.
"DIE!" the guy shouted.
Kai dove forward with everything he had. His body crashed into the safe zone—a circle marked with glowing white runes—just as a massive explosion of qi slammed into the ground where he'd been standing.
[Safe Zone reached]
[Protection barrier activated]
A transparent dome appeared around Kai, shielding him. The muscular guy's next attack bounced harmlessly off it.
"No! NO!" The guy pounded on the barrier, but it didn't budge.
[Bloodstone explosion in 10 seconds]
Other disciples appeared, running for the remaining safe zones. One made it. Another didn't—he was tackled by the muscular guy and killed instantly.
[5 disciples in safe zones]
[Blood Moon Ceremony complete]
The Bloodstone altar exploded with red light.
A wave of energy swept across the arena, disintegrating everything it touched. The muscular guy screamed as the energy consumed him, turning him into red mist that flowed back into the stone.
Then, silence.
The barriers around the safe zones disappeared.
Kai collapsed onto his back, gasping for air. His whole body was shaking.
[Quest Complete: DON'T DIE]
[Calculating rewards...]
[Rewards Obtained:]
[+1000 EXP]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[You are now Level 3]
[Basic Demonic Cultivation Manual obtained]
[+100 System Points]
[Bonus Reward: Survived without killing anyone - Pacifist Title obtained]
[Pacifist Title Effect: +5 Intelligence, +10 Luck]
Lord Xie descended into the arena, clapping slowly.
"Congratulations, survivors! You have proven yourselves worthy!"
Kai looked at the other four survivors.
They were all bloodied, exhausted, and traumatized. Just like him.
"Welcome," Lord Xie said with a cruel smile, "to the inner sect of the Blood Demonic Sect."
[New Quest Available: Escape the Blood Demonic Sect]
[Difficulty: Extreme]
[Warning: This quest may take months or even years to complete]
Kai stared at the system notification in disbelief.
"You've got to be kidding me."