Patriarch Nie Hai had always kept his emotions under lock and key, never letting them show, not even when he lost his wife. He believed that showing emotion was a sign of weakness, something he couldn't afford in front of his people.
So, when he first felt the surge of Nie Li's bloodlust, he was puzzled.
"What kind of training has this boy undergone to have such intense bloodlust?" he wondered, but he didn't dwell on it too much.
However, his indifference shifted as he witnessed Nie Li's overwhelming victory and listened to his fiery speech.
To Nie Hai, these were just the angry words of someone he considered insignificant, until something extraordinary caught his eye – Soul Wings.
"Soul Wings, a symbol of the ultimate purity of soul force," Nie Hai thought, astounded. "Only a demon spiritualist of exceptional talent, normally a gold rank, could achieve soul forming. And here is this young man, displaying such a feat."
The realization struck him hard. Nie Hai had spent decades attempting to acquire these wings, without success.
Seeing Nie Li achieve what he couldn't shook him to his core.
The appearance of Soul Wings meant Nie Li's potential was enormous, indicating he could reach black gold rank or even higher. When Nie Hai remembered that just a week ago, Nie Li's soul force was at a mere five, and now he had ascended to a 1-star Bronze rank, a chilling thought crossed his mind. "Am I looking at the next Ye Mo?" he questioned himself, a mix of fear and awe swirling within him.
As Nie Li's defiant words replayed in his mind, they suddenly carried weight to them.
The smile that had briefly crossed Nie Hai's face faded.
"Oh no, have I just made an enemy of someone with the potential of Ye Mo?"
The color drained from his face as the gravity of the situation set in, his earlier indifference replaced by a growing sense of dread.
Patriarch Nie Hai quickly shifted his thoughts from worry to strategy.
"He's still young. There's time to win him over," he reassured himself, watching Nie Li's every move in the arena.
"A young man from a humble background... I'll flood him with riches, tempt him with beautiful women, empower him with artifacts, techniques, and a powerful demon spirit. Anything to ensure he doesn't drift to our rivals."
The wheels in Nie Hai's mind were turning fast.
With Nie Li's unprecedented talent, the Heavenly Marks Family could ascend to new heights, perhaps even become the leading family.
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"The first step is clear," Nie Hai planned internally, "name him the heir. Then, I'll make things right with him, compensate him for the past."
He watched as Nie Li, still seething with rage, raised his blade.
To Nie Hai, the outcome was irrelevant.
If Nie Li was content, he could overlook any action, even something as drastic as murder.
Leaning back, Nie Hai noticed the disbelief and shock on the faces of the other elders.
A smug smile crossed his lips as he saw Elder Nie Wei jump up and bolt out of the room.
"Where could he be off to in such a hurry?" Nie Hai mused with a hint of amusement. But he quickly dismissed the thought with a shrug.
Right now, all that mattered was securing Nie Li's allegiance and ensuring the future prosperity of the Heavenly Marks Family.
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As Nie Li's anger reached its peak, poised to decapitate his bloody, beaten opponent, a desperate cry echoed through the arena. "Stop!"
He turned, his fury pausing for a moment, to see his family standing there.
His father shook his head in silent plea, a clear message without words. Disappointment and anger were etched on his uncle and aunt's faces, fear shone in his little cousin's eyes, and most heartbreakingly, disgust was visible on his mother's face.
In that moment, Nie Li understood.
His family was different.
They were not like the hate-filled mob; they wouldn't seek vengeance on an innocent for the sins of others.
Without a word, Nie Li sheathed his sword, his resolve firm.
"I am not like them," he thought, as he looked at the boy who was barely breathing and at a couple of physicians on the side who were nervously looking at him.
Nie Li just laid the half-beaten-to-death boy on the stretcher.
"Next!" he declared, his voice echoing a silent command for the next challenger to step forward.
Yet, what followed was not the sound of another stepping up to fight but a chorus of pleas for mercy.
All the other children his age, whether they were from the main family or the branch, had been scared half to death by the beatdown Nie Li gave his previous opponent; no way were they going to fight such a monster. That was also considering the fact that everyone could feel that Nie Li was a 1-star Bronze rank demon spiritualist, which made everyone realize they stood no chance.
The competitors, hundreds of them, began to kowtow before Nie Li, their voices blending into a cacophony of desperation. "Please, spare us! I don't want to fight!" one cried.
"We'll do anything you ask, just let me leave!" another begged.
"Just let us live, we beg you!" a third voice wailed.
"I'll hand over all my treasures, just please show mercy!" another competitor offered, his voice trembling.
"My family's wealth, it's yours if you spare me!" a fifth pleaded, the fear palpable in his voice.
More and more came.
Nie Li was surprised when he heard demon spirit coins raining from the sky.
"Please! Show mercy!"
From the stands, the parents, caught in the tide of fear and despair, began to throw demon spirit coins into the arena, their actions speaking louder than words.
All of them asking for forgiveness and begging Nie Li to not harm their children.
As the coins clinked and clattered on the ground, covering the arena floor in a matter of minutes, it became a scene unlike any other—Nie Li, standing in the center, as if a deity among his followers, with money raining down around him.
Money that his family sacrificed so much to get was raining down at his feet.
The people who he despised begging him.
Nie Li didn't know what was going on. Looking up towards Patriarch Nie Hai, Nie Li saw the realization dawn on everyone's faces.
With every competitor forfeiting, he had won by default.
He was now the technical heir of the Heavenly Marks Family.
Just as Nie Hai was about to make the official announcement, a voice cut through the murmurs.
"Wait!"