A Clan of mad Lunatics

The days in the gladiator pits were grueling, filled with the constant struggle for survival. Ming Yue found himself thrust into a brutal routine of training, fighting, and recovery. Every moment was a test of his endurance, willpower, and cunning. The harsh environment of the pits was a far cry from any semblance of normal life, and it was here that he began to hone his skills and sharpen his resolve.

The air in the pits was thick the stench of sour and revolting blood, and unwashed bodies. The cacophony of clashing weapons and the pained grunts and blood curling screams of fighters filled the air. Ming Yue's daily routine was a relentless cycle of training and combat. His body, though young, was pushed to its limits, muscles aching from the rigorous exercises.

He practiced the basic techniques over and over, focusing on refining his form and increasing his speed. His movements were clumsy at first, lacking grace and precision of a seasoned fighter. Jian Chen, his mentor in the pits, often critiqued his stance and technique.

"Your stance is too wide, Ming Yue," Jian Chen said one day, her voice carrying a tone of impatience. "You're leaving yourself open to attacks."

Ming Yue adjusted his stance, narrowing his legs and lowering his center of gravity. He swung his practice sword, the blade cutting through the air with a whistle. Jian Chen nodded approvingly, though her eyes remained cold and calculating.

Training with Jian Chen was both a blessing and a curse. She was a stage 4 Qi Gathering, proficient in the healing arts of a human-grade technique. Her knowledge was invaluable, yet her motives remained shrouded in mystery. She never fought in the arena, which raised Ming Yue's suspicions.

Jian Chen often asked probing questions, her curiosity about Ming Yue's past and his sudden appearance in the gladiator pits seemingly innocent but with an edge of hidden intent.

"So why was your father killed, did he offend some esteemed person or something?" she asked one evening as they sparred.

"For a noble, stupid reason," Ming Yue replied the same words curtly, remaining stoic and not meeting her gaze.

Jian Chen's eyes narrowed slightly, " Then l guess you should keep your guard up, huh?" Jian Chen said sarcastically.

"I always am," Ming Yue replied coldly as a ruthless glint flashed across his eyes, followed by a warm smile.

At night, Ming Yue often saw her sneaking out of the barracks, slipping past the guards with ease. It was suspicious how the guards seemed to turn a blind eye to her movements.

Ming Yue's distrust grew. He began to formulate a plan to deal with her. "When l get stronger, l'll kill her when she's outlived her usefulness," he thought coldly. "l can's afford to trust anyone."

The day came when Ming Yue was pitted against a stage 5 Qi Gathering cultivator. The arena was packed, the air buzzing with anticipation. The opponent was a towering brute, his muscles bulging with barely contained strength.

"A kid, really!" the brute sneered, tossing his weapon aside. "Kids like u don't need a weapon, that would be too cruel a small smacking will do," The brute smiled eerily.

The fight was brutal. Ming Yue was outmatched from the start. The brute's strength and speed were overwhelming, and Ming Yue found himself unable to dodge or parry the onslaught of blows. Each hit felt like a hammer, driving the breath from his lungs and sending him sprawling to the ground.

Blood filled Ming Yue's mouth, and his vision blurred. He struggled to stand, his body screaming in pain. The guards, usually quick to intervene, watched impassively. It was clear they had orders to let the fight continue, likely from Tian Liang himself.

"Use your qi, use it as a barrier damn it!" Ming Yue's mind raced, the chaotic qi within him surging in response to his desperation. "I can't die here," he thought, his anger fueling his determination. "Not like this."

The brute landed a final, crushing blow.

BANG!, sending Ming Yue crashing to the ground. He lay there, barely conscious, his body broken and battered. The crowd roared in a cruel approval, but the sound was distant, muffled by the ringing in his ears.

In his cell, Ming Yue's body trembled with pain. His injuries were severe, and he felt his life slipping away. Desperation drove him to tap into the chaotic qi, the only thing keeping him tethered to life. He closed his eyes, focusing inward, and began to cultivate.

The process was antagonizing. The chaotic qi flowed through his body, a burning river of energy that both healed and tormented him. He traced the qi to its source, finding the small, withered tree in his sea of consciousness. The tree absorbed the ambient qi from his surroundings, its leaves turning a faint vermilion.

With each cycle of cultivation, the chaotic qi became more pronounced. Ming pronounced. Ming Yue could feel it washing over his injuries, mending bones and torn flesh. The process was slow and painful, but he persisted, driven by sheer willpower.

As he cultivated, Ming Yue's thoughts grew darker. The chaotic qi seemed to fuel a growing bloodlust within him. He found himself fantasizing about violence imagining the brutal deaths of those who had wronged him.

"When l get my hands on him, l will break him until he begs for mercy and then deny it at times of hope," he thought, the image of the brute who had beaten him flashing in his mind. "Imagine if a day comes when l will be able to kill everyone on this gladiator, even the spectators and the blood will flow like rivers and sweet wine,"

The thoughts were disturbing, a stark contrast to his usual demeanor. He began to realize that the chaotic qi might be linked to a tendency for violence and psychopathic behavior. His bloodline, the chaos bloodline, was awakening aspects of his personality he had never known existed."

Ming Yue recalled his mother's tales about the tumultuous age of nebulous beginnings and the mythical Hundun. According to the legend, Hundun was a primordial chaos beast, a symbol of the untamed, destructive power of the universe. The Ming Clan was said to have a connection to this primordial force through a relic called the Hundun Stone, gifted to their clan millennia ago to help understand cosmic powers and untold things.

His mother had often spoken to the stone with reverence and fear, describing how it was used to summon the essence of Hundun. The stone was believed to be in the possession of the direct line of the Ming Clan, its secrets known only to the true heir and scion of the clan. The legend stated that only the rightful heir could unlock the stone's power, but doing so came with great risk. The wielder would be driven to madness, forced to embrace the chaotic nature of their lineage, to put it in short the Ming Clan were just crazy beings, all from the direct descent were just psychopaths, simply mad lunatics and Ming Yue suspected this to be the reason as they must have been wiped out because they were unpredictable and crazy.

Ming Yue wondered if these tales were true. If he could find the Hundun Stone, he might unlock the deeper secrets of his clan and gain the power he needed to survive. But he also knew that the power of Hundun was simply unrefined, pure, and dangerous, he would also have to accept the dark aspects of his lineage.

"I need to find that stone," he thought, a spark of determination igniting within him. "If the legend is true, it could be the key to understanding and controlling this power."

As the night wore on, he felt a shift within himself. The chaotic qi surged, and he sensed a barrier breaking. His body convulsed as a wave of black goo oozed from his pores, the impurities of his body expelled. The sensation was both revolting and cleansing, and he used the water on the floor to wash away the filth though reluctantly.

By dawn, Ming Yue had broken through to the first stage of Qi Gathering. His body felt stronger, his mind and senses sharper. He lay back on the cold stone floor, exhaustion washing over him. Despite the pain and the horror of the previous day a grim smile tugged at his lips.

"I will survive this," he though, his resolve hardening. "I will become stronger, and l will have my revenge."

The path ahead was fraught with danger and hardship, but Ming Yue was ready to face it head-on. He had taken his first step towards true power, and nothing would stand in his was.