Chapter 1: Lin Hanchuan

Chapter 1: Lin Hanchuan

Title: Descent Online

First District

Dongfeng City, Broken Heart Valley

The night was dark and stormy, shadows darting through the gloom.

"Night Owl, stop running! You’re cornered—this is a dead end!" A voice rang out. "Surrender now, and we’ll give you five million cash and every material you need for your seventh ascension!"

"Captain, surrender!" another pleaded. "You can’t escape! Besides Immortal Dynasty, Sea of Heaven and Endless Night are here too. They’ve even brought a dozen top-tier experts from the First District’s Celestial Rankings! Hand over the Sacred Crystal, join Immortal Dynasty with your team, and they’ll make you a Hall Master!"

Pop!

Space trembled like ripples in water, splitting open to reveal two figures tumbling out.

"Captain!" A burly man with a thick beard clutched a dim, cracked teleportation bead. "The space is sealed—we can’t open another portal. But my talent might force another rift once. I can break Immortal Dynasty’s blockade, but only one person can go."

"Take the Sacred Crystal and escape. I’ll stay behind and buy time with a self-destruct!"

Lin Hanchuan stood firm, staff in hand, back against the cliff. His gaze swept the shadows ahead—dozens of enemies closing in. His anger softened into calm. "I’m done running. With the First District’s three major guilds united, and four traitors who know us inside-out, we’ve no place left here. Even if we escape tonight, they’ll find us tomorrow."

"We’ve been hiding for two months. I’m tired."

He pulled out a palm-sized, shimmering crystal—the Sacred Crystal, earned from a solo plane mission. One of the First District’s three legendary hidden treasures.

Sacred Crystal

Origin: First District

Effect: ???

Usage: ???

Despite his efforts with appraisal skills, its purpose remained a mystery. But Lin Hanchuan’s S-Rank talent, Magic Perception, told him the truth: the crystal brimmed with volatile magical energy. Releasing it would annihilate everything within kilometers in a storm of magic.

He sheathed his staff, gripping the crystal tightly.

"Old Cao", he murmured, "you should leave now."

"Night Owl Squad disbands here."

"With your rank of third in the First District’s Warrior Combat Rankings, you’ll carve a path elsewhere."

Cao Renjie shook his head. "We can always head to District 9 once the First District dries up." His eyes gleamed as he stared at the Sacred Crystal. "Captain, you’re blowing it up?"

Lin Hanchuan nodded. The figures ahead emerged from the dark—familiar faces, twenty or more top-ranked warriors.

"These past two months were humiliating. Let’s give them a parting gift."

"Old Cao, tear open a spatial rift to their guild hall while you’re at it!"

Cao Renjie activated his S-Rank spatial talent, tearing through the space ban. Lin Hanchuan tightened his grip on the Sacred Crystal—

Boom!!!

---

Descent Online forum:

Headline: First District’s Biggest Event Concludes—Immortal Dynasty’s Guild Hall Reduced to Ashes!

Subheadings:

- Immortal Dynasty’s Guild Leader—Kuang Long—just canceled the Night Owl Hunt Order. The Dragon Rankings’ third-place squad, Night Owl, has disbanded.

- First District’s Strongest Archmage—Night Owl—deactivates account. Three other top squad members follow suit.

- Breaking News: The Sacred Crystal, one of the First District’s three legendary treasures, was reportedly destroyed by Night Owl’s self-destruction.

The incident sparked heated debate across gaming forums and mainstream media. Descent Online was a phenomenon—a game with 90 million concurrent players across eight districts. The First District, the most populous, revered Night Owl, a top solo player featured on official promotional covers.

Yet his downfall was inevitable. The Sacred Crystal drew Immortal Dynasty’s greed, ending in mutual ruin.

---

A week later, in a barbecue joint in Yanhuai City:

Lin Hanchuan munched on skewers, a beer in hand. Beside him sat Cao Renjie, his burly beard softening his youthful face. Across the table, twin siblings Long Xiaochen and Long Xiaoyue—handsome and sharp-eyed, delicate and graceful—watched him devour the food.

"Captain", Long Xiaochen broke the silence, "District 9 launches at 10 tonight. Let’s regroup, build our strength, and when the districts merge, we’ll storm the First District and settle our scores!"

Cao Renjie nodded. "After our defeat, I analyzed our flaws. Individually, we’re unmatched. Our weakness was lack of allies. In District 9, we’ll build a top-tier guild and reclaim our honor."

"Patience", Lin Hanchuan said, setting down a skewer. "This isn’t a farewell dinner. I’ve been plotting revenge too."

His gaze sharpened. "I’ll enter District 9. Before, I was a top Archmage—now I’ll walk the Feral Mage path. We lost because we lacked firepower. This time, I’ll bring the fury."

He turned to Long Xiaoyue. "You’ll be a Bard. High-risk, high-reward. Your violin skills make you perfect."

She inhaled, then nodded firmly. "Let’s do it."

"Same roles", Cao Renjie grinned. "I’ll tank."

Lin Hanchuan smirked. "Ordering more lamb, boss!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end