Ki had heard many versions of the past of the continent during her previous life but they seemed to conceal many things from the public.
Most stories of the past glorified the forming of the martial alliance and them bringing order to the chaotic world where wars ran rampant.
After reading the book Ki came up with her own theory. "If the story is true then what happened after would be kind of obvious considering the state of the world now. After the war between the gods then the collapse of the worlds qi and the number of high rank martial artists decreasing, the remaining humans or gods must have came together to take control of the continent and establish their own power structure so another battle must have taken place within the continent. The demonic sacrificial art and mystical art users must of suffered a lot during this battle and fled to the other parts of the continent. The mystical art users fled east and settled there while the demonic sacrificial art users and other evil martial arts users went into hiding but also left behind their inheritance for someone to find it in the future and continue their ideals. Since then the central lands martial alliance held their power over the people by using the people from the north, west and east to strike fear in the hearts of the people. Once the people had a common enemy to hate or fear then the martial alliance could take the role as the protectors which helped them to keep their position. The demonic sect, the blood sect and several other sects rose up from the ruins of the inheritances left behind and they became the present enemies of the martial alliance within the central lands. The martial alliances control may have weakened in the present time but they still had not collapsed even at the end of my previous life which means that if there are any life and death martial artists behind the martial alliance they will only appear when their powers and control are on the verge of collapse."
Knowing this did not make Ki feel the slightest bit of relief, in fact it only helped to make her more uneasy.
If such existences were hidden from the world then there had to have been a dark history hidden from the world which rewrote how the world was perceived.
Inheritances must of been broken, life and death martial artists purged, the martial alliances dark past and how they established the alliance, life and death martial artists removed from public knowledge and finally the possibility of those with enough potential to reach the life and death realm assassinated.
There were so many mysteries to be solved but they all pointed towards one thing in Ki's eyes.
She should never fully trust the martial alliance and rely on them in the future but also hide her potential from their eyes.
If her potential was discovered then not only her but the people close to her would be in danger.
Ki closed the book and then rested it on he knees as her brows were knit with worry.
Although Ki had grown more mature over the year and become more attractive the biggest change was her long hair that had been cut during her battle.
Her wavy brown hair had been cut close to the head around the sides and back, with some extra length left on the crown but the top and bangs were left a little longer and were swept over to one side. [1]
In order to not be negatively affected by her long hair like before she decided to cut her hair short enough so that her hair could not be grabbed or her hair obstructed her vision during combat.
The new hair style helped to better show her delicate oval shaped face while enhancing her beauty but also have a little more mature and edgy aura compared to most girls her age.
This type of hair style was not widely accepted within the central lands culture and the female nobles set of viewed rules.
Most noble ladies in the central lands follow the set values and rules they have always lived by and keep their hair long while keeping it clipped or tied with a pin to the back or top of their head.
There was even a tradition for to keep their hair tied up and be untied during their wedding night by their marriage partner.
Since disheveled hair was impolite and coarse in the tradition within the central lands gradually, the use of hairpins became representative of being an adult.
Ki did not find this very practical or useful to her chosen lifestyle so thought back to her previous life.
Within the western desert there are many females who cut their hair short to reduce their burden while travelling through the desert but also in the south many women who worked on the boats also cut their hair short because of having to endure the heavy winds and rain often.
Once her hair was cut short, she did not follow the noble etiquette according to what was established but did not care too much because she did not place much importance on fitting in with others and following the long established traditions.
Ki pursued her goals to the best of her abilities and her long hair was just another thing that needed to be sacrificed for to suit her current goals and lifestyle as she reinvented herself one thing at a time.
There were some exceptions found within the slum areas like Marilyn who kept her hair shorter to ensure her survival and did not follow the nobles views but most others thought the same.
Ki got up and headed back to the mansion with her book and headed towards her study. "I think it is about time to move out with the next plan."
She took out a piece of paper and began to write upon it then placed it in an envelope before sealing it. 'Marilyn it is time to move out. You have waited long enough.'
Marilyn had progressed greatly in her martial arts because of her high talent but her body, living environment and lack of support held her back.
Over the years working under and training according to Ki's instructions she had been able to catch up to others that were as talented as her and had better support but she still missed a qi art which could help her to take the final step forward and enter the transcendent realm.
Out of all the people that were under Ki's command, Marilyn was the closest one to breaking through to the next realm along with Ki who still continued to suppress herself.
[1] wavy pixie haircut with side bangs https://i1.wp.com/www.hadviser.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/7-wavy-pixie-with-bangs-B08ys4DCR7y.jpg?resize=1006%2C1046&ssl=1