Chapter 17: The Blood Moon Opening Ceremony**
**Two Days Later – Imperial Arena Grand Stand**
The sky above the Imperial Capital wasn't blue today. It was painted in shades of crimson and gold, as if the heavens themselves were preparing for war. A rare celestial event—the **Blood Moon**—hung low on the horizon, casting an eerie red glow over the colossal arena that could hold half a million spectators.
Every seat was filled. Nobles in silk robes sat alongside beggars who had saved for years to witness this historic event. The air buzzed with excitement, fear, and anticipation. This wasn't just a tournament; it was a spectacle where legends would be born and empires would fall.
Chen Feng stood at the entrance of the VIP tunnel, his black robes contrasting sharply with the golden armor of the imperial guards lining the walls. Behind him, Lin Yue, Kael, Sera, and Mira waited nervously. Even though they had trained for weeks, nothing could prepare them for the sheer scale of what awaited them.
"Remember," Chen Feng said quietly, his voice carrying a strange calmness that settled his team's nerves. "They expect us to fail. They expect us to crumble under pressure. Let them watch. Let them whisper. And when we win... let them tremble."
Lin Yue touched his arm gently. "Are you ready?"
Chen Feng's lips curved into a faint, dangerous smile. "I was born ready."
He stepped forward into the light.
---
**The Arena Floor**
The roar of the crowd hit them like a physical wave. Five hundred thousand voices screaming, cheering, booing—all at once. Banners waved in every direction. Some bore the symbols of ancient sects; others displayed the crests of noble families. But one banner stood out among all—a massive black flag with a purple flame emblem, held by a small group of mysterious figures in the highest tier.
*Who are they?* Chen Feng wondered, his Void Sense immediately locking onto their energy signatures. *Their cultivation... it's suppressed. Hidden. Interesting.*
"Welcome, warriors!" a booming voice echoed across the arena, amplified by formation arrays.
Standing on a floating platform high above was **Emperor Tianlong** himself, a middle-aged man with a crown of dragon bones and robes woven from phoenix feathers. Beside him sat six empty thrones—reserved for the representatives of the **Six Sovereign Clans**.
"Today marks the beginning of the 100th Continental Youth Tournament!" the Emperor announced. "Fifty teams. One champion. The winner shall receive not only glory but also entry into the **Heavenly Dao Academy**, the most prestigious cultivation institution in existence!"
The crowd erupted again. Heavenly Dao Academy? That was a dream beyond dreams. Only prodigies from the most powerful clans ever entered its gates.
"But there is more," the Emperor continued, his eyes scanning the arena until they landed on Chen Feng's group. "This year, we have a special guest. A representative from the **Vermilion Bird Clan**, direct descendants of the Fire Sovereign himself!"
Thunderous applause shook the ground. From the opposite tunnel, **Yan Lie** emerged, flanked by four elite disciples. His golden armor gleamed under the blood moon, and behind him soared a massive spectral phoenix, its wings spanning thirty meters.
Yan Lie's eyes locked onto Chen Feng immediately. He raised his hand, and the phoenix let out a deafening screech that made several weaker cultivators cover their ears in pain.
"Look at the beggar king," Yan Lie mocked, his voice amplified so everyone could hear. "Did you come to beg for scraps, or do you actually think you can compete?"
The crowd laughed. Some threw rotten fruits toward Chen Feng's direction. Others jeered loudly.
Chen Feng didn't react. He simply walked forward, his team following silently. As they reached the center of the arena, he stopped and looked up at Yan Lie.
"You talk too much," Chen Feng said calmly. "It must be exhausting pretending to be strong."
Yan Lie's face twisted in rage. "You dare—!"
"**SILENCE!**" the Emperor's voice boomed, cutting through the tension. "The tournament begins now! Team leaders, approach the crystal for the initial draw!"
A massive transparent cube descended from the sky, filled with glowing orbs. Each orb contained a number representing different match-ups.
Chen Feng stepped forward and placed his hand on the cube. The moment his fingers touched it, the entire structure turned black for a split second before returning to normal. An orb floated out and hovered above his head.
**Number 7.**
Across the arena, another orb lit up with the same number. The screen projected the matchup:
**Match #7: Void Sect vs. Thunder Dragon Academy**
A murmur spread through the crowd. Thunder Dragon Academy? One of the top ten seeded teams? This was either incredible luck or a setup.
"Fate smiles upon fools," Yan Lie sneered from his position. "You'll be eliminated in the first round. Just as expected."
Chen Feng ignored him and returned to his team. "Thunder Dragon Academy. They specialize in lightning-based attacks and formation warfare. Their leader is a Golden Core Level 2 cultivator named Zhao Wuji."
"How do you know all that?" Kael asked, surprised.
"I did my research," Chen Feng replied simply. "Now listen carefully. Here's our strategy..."
---
**First Match – One Hour Later**
The arena transformed. The flat ground shifted into a complex battlefield with forests, rivers, and rocky terrain created by massive formation arrays. Spectators leaned forward in their seats, eager to see blood spilled.
On one side stood **Thunder Dragon Academy**. Five young men and women clad in blue and silver armor, crackling with electrical energy. At their front was Zhao Wuji, a tall youth with lightning-shaped scars on his cheeks and eyes that sparkled with static electricity.
On the other side, the **Void Sect**. Five figures standing calmly, seemingly unarmed except for Lin Yue's staff and Sera's sword.
"Begin!" the referee shouted.
Zhao Wuji didn't hesitate. "Formation: Thunder Net!"
His team moved instantly, creating a pentagon shape around the Void Sect. Lightning bolts shot from their hands, connecting to form an electrified cage that trapped Chen Feng's team inside.
"Got them!" one disciple cheered. "No escape now!"
But inside the cage, Chen Feng smiled.
"Is this it?" he asked casually. "Your great thunder formation feels... weak."
Zhao Wuji frowned. "Arrogant fool! Increase the voltage to maximum!"
The lightning intensified, turning from blue to white-hot. The heat was so intense that the grass beneath their feet turned to ash instantly.
"Chen Feng!" Lin Yue cried, raising her staff to create a protective barrier. "This is too strong!"
"Relax," Chen Feng said, closing his eyes. "Let them charge us."
"What?!" everyone exclaimed simultaneously.
"You heard me. Don't defend. Don't attack. Just... absorb."
Confused but trusting him completely, the team lowered their guards. The lightning struck them directly, engulfing them in a blinding pillar of energy.
The crowd gasped. Were they dead? Had they surrendered so easily?
Yan Lie laughed from the stands. "Pathetic! They didn't even try!"
But then something impossible happened.
Inside the lightning pillar, a black vortex began to form. The lightning wasn't harming Chen Feng's team—it was being **sucked** into Chen Feng himself!
"**Void Scripture: Lightning Devour**," Chen Feng whispered, his body becoming a conduit for pure electrical energy.
His hair stood on end, glowing with blue-white light. His eyes sparked with electricity. And then... he opened his mouth and **inhaled**.
The entire thunder net collapsed as every joule of energy rushed into Chen Feng's dantian.
**[System Notification]**
**[Energy Absorbed: 50,000 Units (Lightning Attribute)]**
**[New Technique Unlocked: 'Void Lightning Strike']**
**[Cultivation Progress: Golden Core Level 1 → 15%]**
When the light faded, Chen Feng stood untouched, while his team looked equally unharmed. In fact, they seemed... energized. Their auras had grown stronger.
Zhao Wuji stumbled back, his face pale. "Impossible! No one can absorb our Thunder Net Formation! It's impossible!"
"Not impossible," Chen Feng corrected, stepping forward. "Just poorly executed."
He raised his hand, and blue-white lightning crackled around his fingers.
"Allow me to show you how it's done."
"**Void Lightning Strike.**"
A single bolt of black-and-blue lightning shot from his fingertip. It moved slower than expected, almost lazily drifting toward Zhao Wuji.
The Thunder Dragon team tried to dodge, but the bolt split into five smaller ones, each targeting a different member.
*Crack! Crack! Crack!*
All five disciples fell simultaneously, unconscious but alive. The lightning had precisely targeted their meridian points, knocking them out without causing permanent damage.
The arena went silent. Then—
"**VOID SECT WINS!**" the referee announced, his voice trembling with shock.
The crowd exploded. Some cheered wildly; others stared in disbelief. A nobody team had defeated a top-seeded academy in less than three minutes?
Yan Lie's smile had vanished completely. His knuckles were white as he gripped the railing. "How... how is this possible?"
In the highest tier, the mysterious figures holding the black flag leaned forward. One of them, a woman with silver hair and eyes like frozen stars, spoke softly:
"The Void Flame has returned. Just as the prophecy foretold."
Her companion, a man with skin like polished obsidian, nodded grimly. "The Six Sovereigns will not be pleased. We must inform Master immediately."
---
**After the Match – Backstage Area**
Chen Feng's team gathered in the waiting area, still buzzing with adrenaline.
"That was incredible!" Kael exclaimed, punching the air. "Did you see their faces when you absorbed their attack? Priceless!"
"We got lucky," Sera said modestly, though her eyes sparkled with pride. "Their formation had weaknesses."
"Luck had nothing to do with it," Lin Yue smiled, looking at Chen Feng with admiration. "You planned every second of that fight, didn't you?"
Chen Feng nodded, sitting down to meditate. "Zhao Wuji relies too much on his formation. Once I neutralized that, his team had no real combat experience. They're pampered nobles who've never faced true adversity."
"And now?" Mira asked, tending to a minor burn on her arm. "What's next?"
Chen Feng opened his eyes. They glowed faintly with residual lightning energy.
"Now we wait. Our next match won't be for two days. Use that time to recover and refine your techniques."
He paused, then added quietly:
"And be careful. That group in the highest tier... the ones with the black flag. They're watching us. And they're not here for the tournament."
Lin Yue's expression grew serious. "The Six Sovereigns' agents?"
"Possibly," Chen Feng confirmed. "Or worse. Either way, stay alert. The real game hasn't even begun yet."
As his team dispersed to rest, Chen Feng remained alone, staring at his palm where traces of black lightning still danced.
*Two down, fifty-eight teams to go,* he thought. *And somewhere in this city, my enemies are plotting my demise.*
A cruel smile touched his lips.
*Good. Let them come.*
---
**Meanwhile – Vermilion Bird Clan Quarters**
Yan Lie paced furiously in his luxurious suite, his phoenix spirit circling anxiously above him.
"He humiliated us!" he roared, slamming his fist into a marble table, shattering it into pieces. "In front of everyone! That bastard Chen Feng will pay!"
An elderly man in red robes stepped out of the shadows. Elder Yan, the clan's guardian and Yan Lie's great-uncle.
"Calm yourself, young master," Elder Yan said smoothly. "Anger clouds judgment. The boy is dangerous, yes. But he is also predictable."
"Predictable?" Yan Lie scoffed. "He absorbed lightning like it was nothing! What's predictable about that?"
"His arrogance," Elder Yan replied with a sinister smile. "He thinks he's invincible. That makes him careless. And carelessness... is fatal."
He pulled out a small vial filled with a shimmering red liquid.
"This is **Phoenix Blood Poison**. Undetectable by any means. One drop in his drink, and his meridians will crystallize within hours. He'll die slowly, painfully, and no one will ever know it wasn't natural causes."
Yan Lie's eyes widened with malicious glee. "When do we administer it?"
"Tonight," Elder Yan said. "During the victory banquet. All participants are required to attend. It's the perfect opportunity."
"But what if he refuses to drink?"
Elder Yan chuckled darkly. "Oh, he'll drink. Everyone drinks at a victory banquet. Especially arrogant young heroes who think they're untouchable."
---
**Victory Banquet – Imperial Palace Gardens**
Night had fallen, and the Blood Moon hung higher in the sky, casting everything in an ominous red hue. Lanterns floated gently above the garden ponds, reflecting beautifully on the water's surface.
Hundreds of cultivators mingled, eating, drinking, and boasting about their performances. Music played softly in the background, performed by spirit beasts that sang with voices like angels.
Chen Feng stood apart from the crowd, leaning against a pillar and observing everything. He hadn't touched a single dish or drink since arriving.
"Chen Feng!" Lin Yue approached him, holding two cups of wine. "Come on, everyone's celebrating! You should relax a little."
She offered him a cup.
Chen Feng looked at the wine, then at Lin Yue's hopeful expression. His Void Sense detected nothing unusual in the liquid. But his instincts screamed warning.
"Lin Yue," he said gently, taking the cup but not drinking. "Did anyone give you this wine?"
"No," she replied, confused. "I got it from the serving table over there."
Chen Feng's eyes narrowed slightly. He activated his **Void Sense** to its maximum range, scanning the entire banquet area.
And there it was.
A faint trace of poison energy, almost imperceptible, lingering near the wine table. Someone had contaminated the entire batch.
"Everyone stop drinking!" Chen Feng suddenly shouted, his voice amplified by spiritual energy.
The music stopped. Conversations halted. Hundreds of eyes turned toward him.
"What is the meaning of this?" Emperor Tianlong demanded from his throne.
Chen Feng walked to the wine table and picked up a bottle. He poured some onto the ground.
Where the liquid touched the grass, the plants instantly turned grey and crumbled to dust.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"Poison!" someone shrieked.
Chaos erupted. People dropped their cups, spitting out wine. Healers rushed to treat those who had already drunk.
Yan Lie, watching from across the garden, clenched his fists in frustration. *He figured it out! How?!*
Elder Yan grabbed his arm. "We need to leave. Now."
"But—"
"No buts! If they trace that poison back to us, our entire clan will be annihilated!"
As the Vermilion Bird representatives slipped away unnoticed, Chen Feng stood amidst the chaos, his expression cold as ice.
"This wasn't an accident," he announced loudly. "Someone tr
ied to poison every participant in this tournament. And I intend to find out who."
His eyes scanned the crowd, finally landing on the disappearing figures of Yan Lie and his elder.
A slow, terrifying smile spread across his face.
*Game on.*
---
**To be continued...**