> [Flame Path Arena – Match #17: Jiang Han vs Jiang Linyu]
Audience Tier: Expanded (Citywide Broadcast Active)
Wagered: Sovereign Flame Record Fragment – Jiang Clan Legacy Copy
A hush fell over the packed stadium.
Thousands watched in silence—academy students, instructors, sect envoys, and descendants of families once aligned with the Jiang clan.
Above them all, the Flame Judges hovered, monitoring for foul play.
Jiang Linyu stood tall, his aura sharp and angular, flames twisting into spears behind him. His voice rang clear.
> "I am Jiang Linyu, the rightful Flamebearer of our house. I seek to restore what was lost."
He turned to Jiang Han, flame crest glowing.
> "You were a child when it fell. You don't understand what it means to lead."
Jiang Han calmly unsheathed Emberfang, the blade singing with Mourning Flame and Lightning.
> "And you never understood what it means to protect."
---
Duel Initiated
> [Match Start – Arena Locked]
Conditions Active: Flame Clash + Soul Pet Synchronization Bonus Enabled
Spectral Judgement Mode Engaged – Ancestor Records Will Witness Outcome
The floor burned gold as both stepped forward.
Linyu moved first, a spear of compressed flame darting toward Jiang Han like a bolt from a furnace. It screamed with the pressure of condensed Pureblood Flame Arts.
Jiang pivoted, sliding past the strike with fluid grace.
> "That's not the clan's flame. That's a weaponized version."
> "I made it stronger!" Linyu barked. "Efficient. Controlled. Perfect."
> "You made it hollow," Jiang replied—and activated Instinct Flame Sync.
Tempest erupted from the sky, lightning coiling around Jiang as he shot forward.
---
Tempest vs Bloodfire Drake
With a roar, Linyu summoned his soul pet—Bloodfire Drake, a beast bred from mutated fire marrow and venomous void essence.
> [Soul Pet: Bloodfire Drake – Variant Class – Flame/Poison]
The drake clashed with Tempest mid-air, lightning meeting bloodflame.
Below, the brothers fought with blade and will.
Jiang Han ducked a flamewave, leapt over a spear, and landed a slash that singed Linyu's armor.
Linyu growled. "I trained twenty years in exile for this."
> "I died for it," Jiang answered quietly. "And came back for everyone else."
> Flame Art: Chainbreaker Cyclone – Synced Version!
His blade spiraled with flame, lightning, and instinct—hitting Linyu center-mass and throwing him back.
---
The Legacy Flame Awakens
Blood dripped from Linyu's lip as he knelt.
The arena flickered.
A ghostly figure shimmered above the battlefield—Jiang Liang, patriarch of the clan, appearing from the Ancestor Flame Record.
His voice echoed like rolling thunder.
> "My sons…"
> "You carry our name, but only one of you carries its meaning."
Jiang Linyu stood, fists trembling.
> "Father, I—"
> "You seek to dominate."
He turned to Jiang Han.
> "And you… protect."
> "Let the flame choose."
From the sky descended the Legacy Flame Fragment, shimmering like a memory made fire.
It hovered between the brothers—
—and moved to Jiang Han.
---
Victory
> [Duel Concluded – Jiang Han Victorious]
Claimed: Jiang Clan Sovereign Flame Record Fragment
Bonus Reward: Lineage Recognition – Partial Authority Restored (Azure Sky Registry)
The crowd was silent.
Then a cheer began—from one student. Then another.
Until the entire stadium thundered with support.
Linyu fell to his knees, the Bloodfire Drake dissolving beside him.
Jiang walked to him.
> "You could still stand with us."
> "There is no 'us,'" Linyu spat.
> "Then I'll carry the name for both of us."
---
Aftermath
Back in the waiting halls, Tian Xue rushed to him—throwing her arms around his neck.
Tempest curled around his arm, crackling proudly.
Bo Ren beamed. "You're officially recognized again. You're Jiang Han—in name, power, and legacy."
Yue leaned on the wall, arms crossed. "Now people really know who they're cheering for."
Zhao Kai grinned. "Better start working on a signature move. Something flashier than just winning."
Jiang looked toward the tournament brackets.
> "We're not done yet."
> "Next round… starts tomorrow."