Three powerful families dominated the social and political scene in that quiet, close-knit town of Eldenwood, where tall pines stood like silent guards over winding paths and stone homes. There were three house families Chen, Ma, and Zhang-which were powers in their own right, each house bearing unique talents in cultivation and strong connections that stretched far beyond the village.
The families then gained power not only over the concerns in Eldenwood but were also told to have an influence even inside the palace of the lord, a rumor further adding to the mystique and unspoken rivalry.
The Chen family was known to possess *Shadow Step*, a style that emphasized stealth, speed, and agility. They would suddenly disappear in the blink of an eye - as if ghostly, slipping into the shadows. It was a skill highly valued, not for battle alone but for more subtle forms of influence as well, and made the Chens uniquely good at gathering information.
The family's youngest and pride, Chen Han, moved with the precision of one who had spent years honing his craft. With dark, serious eyes, Han rarely spoke but always seemed to be watching, waiting.
The Ma family, however, was masters of the art of *Stone Skin*, a defense mode that makes them invincible. Their cultivation was sturdier, more profound, and relentless marked with other strength-ensured men. Younger in age, however, was Wei Ma, who towered over other boys his age, his body molded as it already hardened by strict training procedures.
He was a stoic boy, who could even face elders' eyes without the slightest shyness. Not yet twenty, Wei had already learned several techniques to make him almost impossible to break in a fight fact he knew full well.
The Zhang family was the wealthiest and probably the most ambitious. Their cultivation style, *Blazing Palm*, was as bold and showy as the family. They were fire-base practitioners who made mountains of incinerated land wherever they went. Zhang Ren, who was their young star, might have been the most fiery of them all, with a fierce flame and unrestrained charisma to go along with it.
Villagers have seen him practicing in the outskirts, where his laughter mingled with crackling flames as he lit up the night like a firebrand.
Then there was the Ye family, who sat apart from everyone else in quiet contrast. The Ye's were respected for their kindness, humility, and unyielding commitment to their village. Other houses might always say they had relatives in the palace or those goals for courtly power.
Not so the Ye, however. He practiced a soft but deeply spiritual cultivation style called *Soul Whisper*, which spoke of living in harmony with nature, balancing energies inside and around them. The Ye family was loved in Eldenwood, not for power but for peace and care given to the village.
The Ye family's only child, Young Qing Ye was a prodigy in her own right, though in contrast with all the other gifted children. Young Qing had a soothing serenity and wise, dreamy look that made most grown adults in Eldenwood find her downright scary but could inspire awe. Talent was in the ability to feel the moods and energies surrounding one's self, and she could either calm or invigorate those nearby with a touch.
It was often these quiet tides in which the villagers most remembered her speaking to the flowers or absorbed in contemplation of the streams; her mind elsewhere, yet so profoundly present in the moment.
They said that she had developed the abilities that were acquired in years, but she bore that talent with a humbleness that was rare among the young.
The three houses had Han, Wei, and Ren as bitter rivals for each other. One knew the other's strong and weak points, having met each other a number of times, weighing each other's skills in the briefest of glances and whispered taunts, their competitive natures like tinder.
But all of them looked at Qing Ye in a kind of guarded respect, curiosity about the girl who was so other from their own world. Glimpses of her would sometimes be caught, sitting by the edge of the forest, tracing patterns in the air with her fingers as though she were talking words to the winds.
It was then, beneath a slanting golden light that resembled yellow pockets glowing around the trees, that children arrived around the old stone the common meeting place for the young cultivators of Eldenwood.
The placid gaze of Qing Ye followed the drifting leaves as she sat above a low rock. Ren, with a smirk, tossed a pebble into the well, shattering the peaceful silence.
"Hey, Qing", Ren said in a half-teasing, half-curious tone. "They say the lord himself is going to watch the exams this year. Do you think your *Soul Whisper* will charm him too?"
Han narrowed his eyes, already annoyed by Ren's needling tone. "Maybe it's *Blazing Palm* that's meant to impress him," he muttered. "Not that you'd be able to control it long enough to show off properly."
Wei watched silently, his face granite still, though his fists flexed inward a little. "It's not about who's the strongest or shiniest. The tests test more than that." She looked up. Her expression was mild but thoughtful. "I think we each will shine in our way," she said. "It doesn't matter what the lord thinks. It's what we are which is important." They fell silent at her words, an unlooked-for seriousness settling over them.
They seemed to forget their rivalry for a moment, glancing at each other with a quiet little smile. Everywhere in every one of them, something stirred up that perhaps this year's examinations would be different - not only because of the arrival of the lord but also because something was changing within each of them.
As the sun went low on the horizon, throwing shadows across the tiny trees, the children dispersed into the gathering dusk, each carrying with him or her that unspoken resolve that knew that the days ahead would be more full than they had ever thought.
Tomorrow morning they will go to the training grounds prepared by their families and meet a notorious young talent there. who could it be?