My Auto Cloning System-Chapter 104: The Five Peaks

"Fellow cultivators, silence your hearts and listen very well!" Xuan Yi's voice boomed over the plaza,

while shaking the morning dust off the stone railings. "I, Elder Xuan Yi, shall declare the path to glory for this grand assembly. Twenty-five of you have come seeking to prove your Dao, and only one shall stand at the peak. To ensure no 'byes', or 'lucky draws', and absolutely no 'unfair luck' taints this sacred competition, we shall proceed with the Five-Peaks League System."

He held up a hand, his fingers stained with black alchemical soot.

"THE FIVE-PEAKS MANDATE!" he yelled, his voice echoing off the surrounding cliffs like thunder.

"Phase I: The Mortal Groups. The twenty-five disciples shall be split into five groups of five players each. Every cultivator must face every other disciple in their group in a one-on-one duel. No one sits idle; you shall each fight four grueling matches to prove your foundation. Three points are granted for a victory, and zero for a defeat. Draws are not permitted."

The crowd murmured immediately. (Buzz... buzz...) {This was brutal.} Usually, tournaments were single-elimination. If you had a bad breakfast or a stomach ache, you lost once and went home to cry. But this? This tested endurance. And how much punishment you could take before your body gave out. You couldn't just have one lucky punch; you needed consistency.

Xuan Yi ignored the complaints and continued, his voice growing sterner. "Phase II: The Elite Eight Ascension. Only those with the strongest spirit shall advance to the final bracket. The five first-place winners from each group. the Kings of their Islands. shall ascend immediately. The three strongest second-place finishers across all groups shall join them to complete the Elite Eight."

"Phase III: The Heavenly Knockout. The final eight shall enter a straight one-versus-one elimination until only two remain. Quarter-Finals: four matches to thin the herd. Semi-Finals: two matches to find the true contenders. And The Grand Final: A duel to the death—or until the best is crowned!"

"Disciples, the gates are open. Let your spirit points be earned through blood and sweat!"

A massive, ancient bronze gong sounded from the eastern tower. (BOOOOOONG!)

The vibration traveled through the floor, shaking the boots of every contestant. Disciples began scrambling like ants to check the large wooden notice boards that had just been wheeled out by the stern-faced enforcers.

"Group A! Group A is over here! Stop pushing!" an enforcer with a nasty scar running down his cheek shouted, shoving a disciple back.

Bao Zi squeezed through the sweaty, shouting crowd. His new blue robe was slightly too big for him, making him look even smaller than he was.

He looked at the board, his finger shaking as he traced the names written in black ink. "Ren Tie! Ren Tie, look! We're in the same group! Group A!"

Ren Tie walked over, parting the crowd simply by existing. He looked like a moving statue carved from granite. He was wearing a fresh set of grey training robes that couldn't hide the terrifying density of his muscles. "Group A... five fighters. Li Kuan, Chen Bo, Gou, you, and me." He looked down at Bao Zi with a serious expression. "That means we will eventually fight each other, Bao Zi."

Bao Zi gulped loudly, his Adam's apple bobbing. (Gulp!) "Yeah... I know. But... where is Yin Zhe? His name is over there in Group D, but I haven't seen him all morning. Did he sleep in? Is he sick?"

Ren Tie frowned, scanning the crowd with his sharp, hunter-like eyes. "He is probably making a dramatic entrance. Or sleeping. Knowing him, he is definitely sleeping. Focus, Bao Zi. If you lose your matches here, you won't even get the chance to see him fight in the finals."

The first batch was called. Group A was assigned to Platform 1. The air around the platform crackled with tension.

"Ren Tie vs. Li Kuan (Stage 9)!"

"Bao Zi vs. Chen Bo (Stage 8)!"

The fights were happening simultaneously on different platforms, but all eyes in Group A were glued to the big guy stepping onto the stone.

Platform 1: Ren Tie vs. Li Kuan

Li Kuan was a tall, lanky disciple with long arms that hung past his knees. He held a pair of twin daggers that glowed with a faint, the dagger was a swirling green wind element-type. He was a Stage 9 Root Awakening cultivator, which meant he was fast. Very fast. He bounced on the balls of his feet, shifting his weight constantly, looking at Ren Tie like a wolf looks at a slow, heavy buffalo.

"You look heavy, big guy," Li Kuan sneered, spinning his daggers in his hands. (Swish-swish!) The blades cut the air with a high-pitched whine. "I've seen your type before. All muscle, no brain. I'll carve you up before you can even lift that clumsy fist. You might be strong, but can you hit the wind?"

Ren Tie didn't say a word. He just walked onto the stone stage, his steps heavy and deliberate. (Thud. Thud.) His aura had changed drastically since yesterday. Thanks to the Advancement Pill and the bottle of 13th Grade Spirit Essence, he had broken through not once, but twice. He was now a Root Awakening Stage 10. He was at the absolute peak of the mortal limit, one step away from the Qi Realm. His skin looked tougher, his eyes clearer.

"Begin!" the judge shouted, dropping his hand.

Li Kuan vanished. (ZOOOM!)

He was a blur of green wind. He dashed to the left, feinted a strike to the head, and then slid low, appearing behind Ren Tie's right shoulder in the blink of an eye. His daggers aimed for the kidneys. a vicious, crippling spot. "Too slow!"

(CLANG!)

The sound was wrong. It wasn't the wet tearing of flesh. The daggers had hit Ren Tie's back and sounded like they had struck a solid iron bell. Sparks flew into the air. (Zzt!) The impact vibrated up Li Kuan's arms, shaking his bones.

Li Kuan's eyes widened in absolute shock. "What? Is your skin made of rock?! That was a Qi-infused strike!"

Ren Tie slowly turned his head. His skin had a faint, metallic grey sheen to it, it was rippling like liquid mercury. "Mountain Fist: Rock Block," he muttered, his voice deep and rumbling like an earthquake.