My Auto Cloning System-Chapter 92: inner, middle and outer yard

The crowd stayed silent for a heartbeat, stunned by the sudden turnaround. Then, the sound array exploded with a noise so loud it felt like a physical weight. (WAAAAAAAHHH!!!) The fans were jumping, and screaming for the underdog who had just face-slapped the favorite. Even the sound array, which was designed by master Han Zhen to keep the noise from shattering the arena's foundations, was vibrating and humming from the sheer volume. High above, the elders were leaning forward, their brushes flying across jade scrolls as they quickly scribbled down notes.

"Bao Zi... Winner!" the judge shouted, pointing a long, and formal sleeve at the trembling, dusty boy.

As the sun began to dip lower behind the

peaks of the Iron Vein mountains, the entire atmosphere of the palace became different. The one-on-one fights of the second stage were finally, mercifully finished. Out of the four thousand hopefuls who had started the day, only 50 cultivators were left standing. They were gathered in the center of the main plaza, a wide open space paved with white marble, surrounded by the twenty blood-stained arenas.

Elder Xuan Yi, the head alchemist of the sect, stood up from his ornate wooden chair. The flickering torchlight made his dark eye circles looking like deep, and hollow pits, making him look more like a ghost than a scholar. He smoothed out his brown alchemist robes, adjusted his gold buttons, and stepped to the edge of the marble balcony. He raised a single, pale hand, and the entire stadium. Which were thousands of people. went deathly silent. Even the wind seemed to stop blowing in respect.

"Participants! Spectators!" Xuan Yi's voice wasn't loud, but it carried through the air like a ringing iron bell, echoing off every wall. "The second stage is officially over. You have seen blood spilled on the sand. You have seen genius born from pressure. And you have seen the incredible luck of those who refuse to die."

The crowd let out a low, and rumbling murmur of agreement. (Murmur... murmur...)

"Let us recap the numbers so those with slow minds or dull spirits can understand the gravity of this moment," Xuan Yi said, while his voice dripping with a bit of his usual sarcasm. "We started with the FIRST STAGE – THE MASS ARENAS. 20 arenas. 200 people in each. 4,000 total. We threw you all in like grain into a mill to see who would be crushed. Only the top 5 from each arena were allowed to move forward. That left us with 100 cultivators. 3,900 of your peers went home yesterday in tears, in shame, or on stretchers."

He paused, his dark, and sunken eyes scanning the 50 survivors. He lingered for a moment on Yin Zhe, who was currently picking dirt out from under his fingernails.

"Then came the SECOND STAGE – ONE-ON-ONE. We took those 100 survivors and sent them back into the pits. 50 fights. Each one was a life-or-death struggle where only one could remain. Another 50 people were eliminated just now. Only the 50 of you standing before me remain. You are the monsters of this generation. You are the elites."

A few of the cultivators in the group puffed out their chests, while trying to look imposing. Tie San, who had been dragged off the field and woken up by a stinging spirit pill, looked at the marble floor in silent shame.

"Now," Xuan Yi continued, his eyes glowing with a sharp, and terrifying light. "We move to the THIRD STAGE – CUTTING DOWN TO THE TOP 25. This is where the path narrows. This is where it gets truly difficult. There is no more hiding in a crowd. There are no more lucky breaks or hiding behind others."

He waved his hand, and a giant projection made of blue spirit energy appeared in the sky above the plaza. (Whirrr-Hummm!) It showed the names of the survivors shifting into new pairs. "The 50 of you will be rearranged into 25 pair matchups. It will be a straight, one-on-one elimination. You win, you move into the final circle. You lose, you are out of the competition entirely. In the end, we will have the TOP 25 of the entire Shattered Star Competition."

Xuan Yi leaned far over the railing, his face looking like a horror movie character in the long shadows. "But listen well, for this is the most important part. Being in the top 25 does not mean you are all equal. The Spirit Palace is a hierarchy. Depending on the 'merit' and raw talent you show in this next stage, you will be sorted into your new lives. We have exactly 5 slots for the Inner Yards and the place where the true masters and the future of the sect live. No more than 10 slots for the Middle Yard. And the rest? You will be the Outer Yard disciple."

A collective, sharp gasp went through the crowd like a wave. (GASP!) [Shocked Reactive points +8,500]

"There is a very real chance," Xuan Yi said with a cold, and thin smile that didn't reach his tired eyes, "that all 25 of you could end up in the Outer Yard if you fight like cowards or show no growth. Or perhaps a few of you will prove worthy of the Middle Yard. The Inner Yard is a mountain peak that very few ever reach in their lifetime. Do not think that just because you have survived the day, you have made it. The real test of your soul begins now!"

He sat back down in his chair, while leaning his head on his hand. His speech left the 50 cultivators staring at each other with completely different eyes. they were rivals for the very few seats at the top of the food chain.

Yin Zhe, standing near the back of the group, felt the Black Fire Seed flare up in his gut like a hot coal. (Tch!) He rubbed his stomach, a sarcastic, lazy smirk playing on his lips. "Inner Yard, huh? That sounds like a lot of extra work and people complaining about my methods. But I bet the spirit wine and the beds there are way better than the inn's trash heap."

The secondary judges began to bark out the names for the next round of pairings. The sun had finally vanished behind the mountains, and the glowing lanterns of the Spirit Palace began to flicker to life, while casting long, and dancing shadows across the cobblestone plaza.

Bao Zi looked over at Yin Zhe and Ren Tie, his heart still racing from his victory. He had survived. He was one of the 50. But looking at the cold-eyed monsters surrounding him, he knew the next fight wouldn't be won with just a simple cloud of steam and a lucky punch.

📢 Author's Corner

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