Kai Feng was a laidback young man in his early twenties with no ambitions. He was happy to lead his life in an ordinary and unexciting way, finding comfort in his daily routine. His greatest joy was reading, and he spent most of his free time buried in books rather than engaging in any physical activities like sports. With a slightly slim build and an unassuming stature, Kai was the type of person who could blend effortlessly into any crowd, rarely drawing attention to himself.
Naturally Kai worked as a librarian. His life was a monotonous routine of sorting and cataloging books. One evening, as he was reorganizing a section of the library, his eyes landed on an old manuscript, its worn, fragile pages out of place among the neatly stacked volumes.
Curiosity piqued, he picked it up and flipped through its cryptic stanzas of poetry, which seemed meaningless at first glance. Yet, for reasons he couldn't explain, he kept on reading the book. He wasn't even particularly interested in its contents—yet something compelled him to continue.
Time passed unnoticed. The library had long since closed for the night, leaving him alone in the dimly lit reading room. As he turned to the last page, a soft glow began to emanate from the parchment. The glow intensified until a blinding beam of light shot out, engulfing him completely. Before he could react, his body froze—suspended in a stasis barrier, unmoving and unresponsive.
A portal tore open in the air, revealing two identical young women clad in flowing black ancient garments. They had striking, youthful appearances. Their long, silky black hair cascaded down their backs, accentuating their fair, flawless skin. Their eyes, sharp and captivating, gleamed with a mysterious light—one with a steely, calculating gaze, the other with a playful glint. Despite their beauty, there was an undeniable sense of menace in their poised movements, as if they were both light and shadow, dancing on the edge of battle. They stepped into the library, their faces exude curiosity as they approached the glowing barrier that held Kai.
"It has begun," one murmured to the other.
Moments later, a second portal shimmered into existence, and two men emerged, their white robes like celestial banners swaying in the air. The older of the two, though not by much, had a commanding presence. His long hair was tied neatly behind him, and his features carried the confidence of experience. The younger man beside him, slightly less seasoned carried himself with disciplined precision. His piercing gaze held a quiet intensity, his stance balanced and poised, ready to strike at any moment. Though he followed his senior's lead, there was no doubt that he was a formidable force in his own right. Their very presence exuded a sense of righteousness and power.
"We're too late," one of them said grimly.
They stepped forward, preparing to break the stasis barrier, but the two girls immediately moved to intercept them.
"Demonic wenches!" one of the white-robed men spat, his expression twisted in disdain.
A battle erupted. The twin girls, despite their identical appearance, fought with contrasting styles—one unleashing raw energy blasts, while the other wielded a sword with fluid precision.
The energy-wielding girl carried no weapon. She conjured a technique called "Shadow Eclipse Wave", sending rippling dark shockwaves through the air. Her opponent countered with "Heaven's Sundering Light," an explosive beam of radiant Qi that split the darkness in two.
The sword-wielding twin moved with "Phantom Mirage Strike", a technique that created a mirage of multiple swords striking from different angles. Her movements so fluid that she seemed to phase in and out of reality. Her opponent countered with "Flowing Cloud Technique". The clash sent sparks flying through the air as their blades met in rapid succession.
Recognizing that the twins' synergy made them far too dangerous together, one of the men called out, "Split them apart!"
Each took on one of the twins in a furious one-on-one duel. It turned out to be a good strategy as the sword-wielding girl was eventually overpowered, allowing her opponent to turn his attention back to the barrier. Channeling his Qi-infused strikes, he attacked the barrier relentlessly, but the stasis field refused to break.
"Together!" he called to his companion.
Both men combined their most powerful techniques, unleashing a devastating assault upon the barrier. One invoked "Heavenly Starfall Judgment," summoning celestial energy that crashed down like meteors. The other executed "Void Piercing Lance," an attack that concentrated all of his Qi into a single piercing point, meant to shatter the fabric of energy itself.
The sheer force of their combined assault caused the ground to quake, the air humming with volatile energy as golden and silver light clashed against the barrier. Books lay scattered as tattered pages fluttered through the air, drifting around the room like snowfall on a winter day. The stasis bubble shuddered violently but did not break. The ancient magic holding Kai remained intact, defying even the most destructive techniques. Kai remained frozen, seemingly oblivious to the chaos unfolding around him.
Finally, exhausted, the four combatants ceased their fighting. Realizing they could do nothing, the four warriors lowered their weapons. They sat down, surrounding Kai's frozen figure encased in the energy bubble, waiting in silence.
It was an absurd sight—four cultivators, locked in a deadly rivalry, now forced to meditate around an ordinary young man trapped in an energy cocoon.