....
Sima Jiao's command echoed through the sect:
> "Bloodseal Bloom—let it be the prize. Whoever wants it, fight for it."
The disciples froze. The Bloodseal Bloom was a treasure that could enhance cultivation, heal injuries, even save lives. For many, it meant the difference between mediocrity and glory.
At first, hesitation hung in the air. But then the first two disciples stepped forward, eyes burning with desire.
Steel clashed. One fell. Another challenger rose. Then another.
One after another, the duels turned savage. Blood sprayed across the stage, soaking into the earth. By Sima Jiao's order, there was no surrender—only death or victory.
---
Tingyan Watches
Among the crowd, Liao Tingyan felt her stomach twist. These were her fellow disciples, now turned into butchers by greed and desperation.
She whispered, "All this… for a flower?"
Sima Jiao stood nearby, expressionless, watching the carnage like one might watch a game. The faint curve of his lips betrayed neither mercy nor pity.
---
The Final Survivor
By the end, only one disciple remained standing, body broken, blood dripping from his blade. He staggered, reaching for the Bloodseal Bloom.
But before his fingers could close around it, flames erupted. The flower vanished into Sima Jiao's hand.
Gasps swept through the crowd.
"You fought well," Sima Jiao said coldly, "but did you really think I'd give it to you?"
The victor's face twisted with despair—before collapsing lifeless onto the ground.
---
The Demon's Game
The sect was silent, fear sealing their lips.
Sima Jiao looked over them, eyes gleaming with cruel amusement. "Now you see. Power is not given. It is taken. And sometimes—" he let the flower's crimson glow flicker in his palm—"taken back."
No one dared speak.
Tingyan lowered her gaze, her heart pounding with unease. She had always thought demons were cruel in stories. But watching him now, she realized—this was no story. This was their reality.
---
✨ End of Chapter 6 — The Duel of Greed