Hwa Dū started as she grabbed her crimson flute and took her stance. She began to dance, her footwork seemingly unique. Her crimson robe flowed with the motion of her flute.
It began.
Crimson Womb Petal.
Her two fingers blocked the two holes near the flute's mouthpiece. Gentle music began to play. To a third-rate cultivator, it would be unnoticeable, but fine threads of qi spread through the area, flowing from both the user and the flute itself.
Students began to feel something.
One student looked at the sky and said, "I… feel dizzy…" His legs began to sway gently in a random pattern.
Crimson Womb Petal… if I remember correctly, it's the weakest move compared to the other five in her Crimson Petal Consecutive Series. It's a move specialized in internal qi. For now, its side effect is dizziness.
Students began helping others who seemed dizzy, holding them so they wouldn't fall.
Tang Shi stroked his white beard, his eyes closed, yet he saw everything. "Such a righteous generation," he said with a faint smile.
Crimson Born Petal.
Hwa Dū increased the volume of her flute slightly. Two fingers still covered the holes, but the one near the mouthpiece was lifted and replaced by a forward one.
The area began to rain with red petals. Students dropped to their hands.
"Huh? What's this?" one murmured.
The effect began. When they touched the petals, they crumbled instantly into nothingness.
"Huh?…" The students who destroyed the petals collapsed immediately.
Crimson Born Petal… it's the second part of the Crimson Petal Consecutive Series. Judging from that guy's reaction, these petals are formed from qi with elemental properties. It could even be a type of poison.
"Zheng, don't touch or press the petals. It will make you fall," Haneul warned.
"Okay!"
Most students began to fall. Panic spread, but a few unique ones understood quickly. A girl with long white hair, wearing a white robe, looked at the sky, watching the petals fall. "How beautiful…"
Hwa Bong-hee remained standing, his fists clenched tightly until they bled. A tall student in a black hanfu, wearing a black cloth tied around his forehead, stood with a lean, muscular build despite his age.
"EVERYONE, DON'T TOUCH OR DESTROY THE PETALS!" he shouted.
"Huh? What do you mea—" A student's words were cut short as he collapsed, a petal crumbling to nothingness in his hand.
Tang Shi kept his smile. "Ho ho," he chuckled softly.
Crimson Growing Petals.
The threads of qi thickened. Three holes on the flute were now covered, and the music shifted from its gentle nature to a violent storm of sound.
The students began to feel something strange—different from before. A heavy force pressed them toward the ground.
"Wh-what's happening?" one student cried as he dropped to his knees.
"A crushing technique?!" a bald student shouted.
Damn… it's not gravity pulling us down, but an even stronger thread of qi… and now it's begun, Haneul thought, gritting his teeth.
Even the most talented students struggled everyone except for two.
Hwa Bong-hee still stood firm, unmoving, while Wang Zheng seemed to understand what was happening.
Hwa Dū suddenly sensed something deadly intent, endless malice something only a peak martial artist could see. The eyes of Hwa Bong-hee made her own widen. Sweat trickled down her face as her fingers moved faster over the flute.
Crimson Forming Petals.
The qi from both the flute and Hwa Dū became visible to everyone. It floated toward the sky, forming countless red petals that drifted slowly down toward the helpless juniors.
As the petals touched them, the students didn't fall physically but collapsed in their minds. Each one stood stiff and lifeless, like a living jiangshi.
So… that's the effect of the fourth Crimson Petal Consecutive Series… was Haneul's last thought before he succumbed to the illusion.
Wang Zheng, who had remained silent until now, noticed something. He immediately turned to Haneul, grabbing his head and forcing him to look at the ground.
"Hey! Wake up! Wake up!" Zheng barked, slapping Haneul's face repeatedly.
"Stop it!" Haneul snapped.
"I thought you were gone," Zheng said.
"Why would I be? I can't lose, y'know," Haneul replied.
Zheng glanced toward one of the Eight Elders a man whose features were strikingly similar to Haneul's.
"…Is it that again?" Zheng asked.
Haneul stayed silent.
The petals descending from the sky latched onto the students' heads, sprouting bodies made of qi that connected directly into their minds. All of them fell unconscious. Their eyes turned pitch black.
Yet one particular student remained unchanged even with a petal planted on his head, his eyes stayed the same, brimming with malice.
Veins bulged on Hwa Dū's forehead. Her striking makeup dissolved, washed away by sweat.
Crimson Blooming Petals.
Hoho… they're really holding on, but isn't this already the fourth series? It should be ending now. I should signal Ms. Hwa to stop. Tang Shi thought. But when he looked at her face frustrated and grim he began to sweat, slowly walking toward her.
The petals planted in the students' heads began to bloom, starting a new cycle of petals. The gentle music was gone, replaced by a monstrous, chaotic sound.
What the hell… we're being crushed to death. They should've stopped her already! From what I know, it's only supposed to go up to the fourth series… the girl in white thought.
All the students who had still been standing began to kneel, covering their bleeding ears.
Damn it! If I seal my qi pathways to my earmen, it'll disrupt my technique, Great Vein Shift… and that'll get me killed! Haneul thought, gritting his teeth.
Only one remained standing
Hwa Bong-hee.